The players I've been happy to pay to watch over the years

Wednesday 24th December 2014

' The Cardiff City players I've been happy to pay to watch during my six decades as a Bluebirds fan - Paul Evans '

By Paul Evans

I’m in my sixth decade of being a City supporter and I thought it would be fun to nominate my favourite player from each of them – these are not necessarily the best players of each decade, more the ones I enjoyed watching the most:

1960s – Peter King

I think you always remember the side you grew up with affection and, for me, this was the team which couldn’t quite earn promotion to Division One in the late 60s and early 70s.

There are several members of that side I could have picked, but I went for King because he, like Don Murray, was with us for most of the decade, not just the last few years of it.

Peter King seemed to me to be good at virtually every aspect of midfield-forward play and was very consistent – he also scored the best goal I’ve seen from a City player. Ironically, this goal was scored in the 70s, not the 60s, but I’ve not seen one before or since to match his volley against Middlesbrough on 3 October 1970 – Google “Peter King Cardiff City” and you should be able to find a video of it.

1970s – Ian Gibson

Short, squat and hardly athletic looking, Ian Gibson would look out of place in a team line-up these days, though his ‘interesting’ lifestyle off the pitch probably wouldn’t!

But he could dribble with the ball better than most modern-day pros and his intelligence and creativity would be much appreciated by the modern supporter.

Gibson is simply my favourite City player ever and would be there in midfield as one of the first picks in my all-time best City team.

1980s – Dave Bennett

City manager at the time, Len Ashurst, once said of winger Dave Bennett that “a guffaw goes up from the crowd when he receives the ball”.

Somehow, I don’t think that’s really what Ashurst meant – for myself, I felt a thrill of anticipation when the ball was played to him.

Bennett was at Cardiff for two seasons, we got relegated in the first one, promoted in the second and all of that time, I was thinking “this bloke’s too good for us” – much worse players than Bennett have played for England.

1990s – Carl Dale

Carl Dale never played at a higher level than League One and never got a Welsh cap despite us being pretty awful when he was at his best, so I suppose he wasn’t really as good as I thought he was.

However, during a period in the club’s history when there usually wasn’t much happening on the pitch to grab your attention, I always found Dale very watchable. He used to remind me of Tony Evans (another favourite of mine from 15 years earlier) in that he never stopped working – I always used to say that he did Chris Pike’s running for him!

2000s – Danny Gabbidon

People used to say to me that Danny Gabbidon was too casual and he costs us goals, but when I asked them for examples of this in competitive matches, I never got a reply.

A Rolls-Royce of a defender, at his best Gabbidon had the lot and I honestly don’t think there were too many better in the country after he moved into the centre of our defence.

That’s probably a biased City fan talking there, but, on the other hand, Gabbidon was superb in the Premier League for West Ham during his first season with the London club before injury slowed him down.

2010s – Peter Whittingham

Those of us who question whether Peter Whittingham is worth a place in the team now should never forget that most of the really memorable on-pitch moments and incidents at Cardiff City in the past eight years have involved Whittingham somewhere along the way.

Any player who has shown the degree of loyalty to the club that Whittingham has deserves to be lauded, but when that loyalty comes with superb technique and nearly 100 goals, we should feel honoured to have had him here.

The only thing that really upsets me with Paul Evans,he did not care one bit about our identity/tradition & history in that room that day over the Rebrand.

The players ive been happy watching even though they probably werent great were,

Jason Fowler, Leggy, Danny Hill, Bows, Bonner & Boland

I look back now and think if i was happy watching those players, bar one or two i would have watched any old tripe play! Going up the leagues you dont half notice a difference in quality in the course of a season.

Very true about whittingham. club legend

Glad you mentioned Peter King, Paul as a young lad growing up he never seemed to get injured and was always in the team. Scored some spectacular goals for us as well, no better than the one you mentioned, if he played for any of the big teams that goal would have been shown over and over, absolute brilliant.

1970s Ian Gibson

The only thing that really upsets me with Paul Evans,he did not care one bit about our identity/tradition & history in that room that day over the Rebrand.

You keep moaning that the fan base is divided. But comments like this from you hardly help, do they , Annis?

Loved Ian Gibson. Also a big fan of Murray; King; Tony Evans; Willie Anderson ; Dwyer and Ron Healey. But no one to touch Ivor Allchurch in my book.

70s - Tony Evans, Phil Dwyer and, briefly, Robin Friday

80s & 90s - The Bennett Brothers, Dale and Stant

2000s - Whitts (scored some of the best goals I've ever seen), Bothroyd, Chopra, Kav, Gabbs

Loved Ian Gibson. Also a big fan of Murray; King; Tony Evans; Willie Anderson ; Dwyer and Ron Healey. But no one to touch Ivor Allchurch in my book.

My first real season watching Cardiff Don Murray was awful. I expressed my feeling about him before one game in front of my mates dads and they laid into me big time. Talk about feeling that small.

Loved Ian Gibson. Also a big fan of Murray; King; Tony Evans; Willie Anderson ; Dwyer and Ron Healey. But no one to touch Ivor Allchurch in my book.

My first real season watching Cardiff Don Murray was awful. I expressed my feeling about him before one game in front of my mates dads and they laid into me big time. Talk about feeling that small.

You must have watched Don at the end of his career. By the way I forgot to add Phil Stant to my list.

Andy Dibble, Hemreman, old Bob Hatton, Gibbins, Dwyer

Gilligan and Bartlett

Stant, Pike, Dale

Whittingham, we complain but he's been fantastic for us.

Chopra, Blake, Bothroyd pre-England call up

Lynex, McNaughton

Wimbledon and that wonderful hair do, Mike Ford...

What about Paul Wheeler...

Never a big fan of Earnie, I know I'll get hounded for saying that.

David Marshall, best keeper with Dibble

Wednesday 24th December 2014

' The Cardiff City players I've been happy to pay to watch during my six decades as a Bluebirds fan - Paul Evans '

By Paul Evans

I’m in my sixth decade of being a City supporter and I thought it would be fun to nominate my favourite player from each of them – these are not necessarily the best players of each decade, more the ones I enjoyed watching the most:

1960s – Peter King

I think you always remember the side you grew up with affection and, for me, this was the team which couldn’t quite earn promotion to Division One in the late 60s and early 70s.

There are several members of that side I could have picked, but I went for King because he, like Don Murray, was with us for most of the decade, not just the last few years of it.

Peter King seemed to me to be good at virtually every aspect of midfield-forward play and was very consistent – he also scored the best goal I’ve seen from a City player. Ironically, this goal was scored in the 70s, not the 60s, but I’ve not seen one before or since to match his volley against Middlesbrough on 3 October 1970 – Google “Peter King Cardiff City” and you should be able to find a video of it.

1970s – Ian Gibson

Short, squat and hardly athletic looking, Ian Gibson would look out of place in a team line-up these days, though his ‘interesting’ lifestyle off the pitch probably wouldn’t!

But he could dribble with the ball better than most modern-day pros and his intelligence and creativity would be much appreciated by the modern supporter.

Gibson is simply my favourite City player ever and would be there in midfield as one of the first picks in my all-time best City team.

1980s – Dave Bennett

City manager at the time, Len Ashurst, once said of winger Dave Bennett that “a guffaw goes up from the crowd when he receives the ball”.

Somehow, I don’t think that’s really what Ashurst meant – for myself, I felt a thrill of anticipation when the ball was played to him.

Bennett was at Cardiff for two seasons, we got relegated in the first one, promoted in the second and all of that time, I was thinking “this bloke’s too good for us” – much worse players than Bennett have played for England.

1990s – Carl Dale

Carl Dale never played at a higher level than League One and never got a Welsh cap despite us being pretty awful when he was at his best, so I suppose he wasn’t really as good as I thought he was.

However, during a period in the club’s history when there usually wasn’t much happening on the pitch to grab your attention, I always found Dale very watchable. He used to remind me of Tony Evans (another favourite of mine from 15 years earlier) in that he never stopped working – I always used to say that he did Chris Pike’s running for him!

2000s – Danny Gabbidon

People used to say to me that Danny Gabbidon was too casual and he costs us goals, but when I asked them for examples of this in competitive matches, I never got a reply.

A Rolls-Royce of a defender, at his best Gabbidon had the lot and I honestly don’t think there were too many better in the country after he moved into the centre of our defence.

That’s probably a biased City fan talking there, but, on the other hand, Gabbidon was superb in the Premier League for West Ham during his first season with the London club before injury slowed him down.

2010s – Peter Whittingham

Those of us who question whether Peter Whittingham is worth a place in the team now should never forget that most of the really memorable on-pitch moments and incidents at Cardiff City in the past eight years have involved Whittingham somewhere along the way.

Any player who has shown the degree of loyalty to the club that Whittingham has deserves to be lauded, but when that loyalty comes with superb technique and nearly 100 goals, we should feel honoured to have had him here.

Great shout - loved all of those choices!

Dave Bennett and Whitts are my two favourite players (in that order)

Cohen Griffith was my favourite player as a kid.

Cohen Griffith was my favourite player as a kid.

Earnie, Whitts and Dale are my three favourites

I used to talk to jimmy scoular a lot and he reckoned ian gibson was his best ever signing but his biggest regret was he wanted a player from leicester and he did not go through with it because they wanted to take another player as a lightweight . jimmy did not rate him that player was gary lineker great days