THE M.E.N.s chief sportswriter Paul Hince here provides an explanation of his all-time Manchester City XI.

But do you agree, or has one of your Blue-shirted heroes been overlooked? Vote for your own City dream XI here, and watch out for the results in the M.E.N. next week.

GOALKEEPER: BERT TRAUTMANN

Had I arrived on the planet a few years earlier, I could well have been nominating Frank Swift, who I'm told was an incredible goalkeeper. But I never saw big Frank in action so there is only one name in my mind for this slot, the legendary Trautmann. Funny that, I never thought I would be voting for a German paratrooper. But don't mention the war. Bert was something special. Big, blond, wonderful athletic and - with apologies to Joe Corrigan and Tony Coton - the most brilliant keeper I've seen in 50 years of watching the Blessed Blues. Bert could catch the fiercest shot - sometimes with one hand - and hurl it back into the opponents half like you or I would throw a cricket ball.

DEFENDERS: TONY BOOK

Astonishing to think that Skip didn't arrive at Maine Road from Plymouth until he was in his 30s, but still had a career in the top flight that most players could only dream about. Forget his age. Book was lightning fast. And I should know. I had to try to out-run him in practice games - and never succeeded. England's first Player of the Year in 1967 and captain of City's championship-winning side the following season. He was a wonderful right-back. World-class skipper.

CENTRE-BACK: DAVE WATSON

What a mountain of a man! Virtually unbeatable in the air and surprisingly nimble with the ball at his feet. What more could you want in a centre-half? It speaks volumes for Watson's defensive abilities that he was capped by England while still playing for Sunderland in the old Second Division. And he certainly lived up to his reputation when he arrived at Maine Road in 1975, exerting a massive influence on the Manchester City side which came within a whisker of landing the English championship in season 1976-77.

CENTRE-BACK: ROY PAUL

Long before the term was invented to fit Bryan Robson over at Old Trafford, the indomitable Paul was City's Captain Marvel during his seven-year career at Maine Road in the fifties. Paul began his working life as a coal-miner in south Wales and he was as tough and unrelenting in a blue shirt. Both ferocious and fearless in the tackle, the craggy Welshman captained the side which beat Birmingham to lift the FA Cup in 1956 to assure his place in the history books as one of City's greatest-ever skippers.

LEFT-BACK: GLYN PARDOE

The claims of Willie Donachie couldn't be overlooked when considering the left-back position but by a whisker, my vote goes to the chunky, ever-cheerful Pardoe who - if memory serves me right - began his professional career at Maine Road as a striker. From day one, the Blues knew they had a special talent on their hands in the kid from mid-Cheshire. He still holds the record as the club's youngest-ever first-team player when he was called up for senior duty while still 15 years of age. Pardoe suffeered a serious leg injury in a Manchester derby in the early 70s which cut short his career, but over 370 senior appearances bear witness to his remarkable consistency.

RIGHT-WING: MIKE SUMMERBEE

Signed by Joe Mercer from Swindon Town for a paltry '37,000 in 1965, the contribution made by Buzzer to the most successful era in City's history cannot be over-estimated. Summerbee was the only winger I can recall who could intimidate full-backs with his sheer physical presence. But there was much more to his game that mere brute strength. He was in the Beckham league with his crosses but, unlike the England skipper, Buzzer knew how to take on and beat an opponent. You couldn't add up the number of goals he made for others and two successive player-of-the-year awards in the early 70s demonstrated his standing throughout English soccer.

CENTRE-MIDFIELD: COLIN BELL

Is Nijinsky THE finest player ever to wear the famous sky-blue shirt? Perhaps City fans of the 30s and 40s will nominate the Irish genius Peter Doherty for that accolade. What I can say with absolute conviction is that Bell is the greatest player to represent the Blues during my lifetime. His running power and stamina were legendary throughout soccer in the late 60s - hence his well-merited nickname. But Bell was the complete box-to-box midfield player. Tackling, passing, shooting, heading. You name it, he had it, in spades. He would have been the captain of his club and country for years had his career not been cut short by the infamous tackle from Martin Buchan in a Manchester derby.

CENTRE-MIDFIELD: BOBBY JOHNSTONE

A selfish choice, this, perhaps. But for a starry-eyed kid in the mid-50s, watching Bobby Dazzler jinking past opponents with the ball tied to his feet was worth the admission money alone. Signed from Hibernian in 1955, Selkirk-born Bobby didn't look like a professional footballer. Rotund might be the kindest way to describe his physical appearance. But he had more tricks up his sleeve than Paul Daniels. An absolute joy to watch - and no slouch in the scoring stakes, either. Fifty goals in just under 140 appearances for the Blues. How many of today's midfield stars can boast a goal-scoring record like that?

LEFT-WING: ROY CLARKE

The dashing left-winger signed from Cardiff City in 1947, Nobby Clarke holds one particular record that will surely never be equalled - he played three consecutive games in three different divisions. Clarke's all-action displays down the left-flank earned him 22 caps for Wales and he was a vital member and chief provider of the City team that appeared in two successive FA Cup finals in the mid-50s. And like his roly-poly team-mate Johnstone, the Welsh wing wizard knew where the net was. Seventy-nine goals Clarke scored for the Blues. Not bad going for a player who liked to get lime on his boots.

STRIKERS: NIALL QUINN

What a vastly under-rated player the big Irishman was during his six years at Maine Road in the nineties. A veritable "roof inspector," the genial giant was best known for his heading ability but there was more to his armoury than that. As a leader of the line and target man up front, Quinn at his peak was the best in the business. As strikers go, Quinn wasn't a prolific scorer during his time in Manchester - 78 goals in 219 appearances for the Blues confirms that. But he was devastatingly effective at set-pieces and corners where those clever, cushioned headers created chances galore for his fellow forwards. Just '800,000 was what he cost, when he was signed from Arsenal in 1990. And the Irishman was undoubtedly worth every last penny.

STRIKER: FRANCIS LEE

Lee acquired two nicknames after joining the Blues from Bolton Wanderers in 1967 - Barney Rubble because of his similarity to the cartoon character and Lee One Pen for his unspottable trick of tripping himself up in the opponents' penalty area. But don't let those nicknames distract you from the fact that Lee was one of the great strikers of his generation, or any other, come to that. A pocket-sized bundle of dynamite. Barrell-chested and immensely strong with a kick like a mule. He averaged almost a goal every other game during his seven years at Maine Road and was the main strike weapon in the fabulous Joe Mercer-Malcolm Allison side that swash-buckled its way to the championship title in 1968.

YOU'VE READ PAUL HINCE'S BEST, BUT WHAT ABOUT THE REST? VOTE FOR YOUR CITY DREAM TEAM HERE

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