THE people have spoken and they are talking a different language to our veteran reporters - who recently offered up their Bolton, City, and United dream teams.

For the past few weeks, thousands of fans have been voting on one of our biggest ever Manchesteronline web polls to find out who would find themselves in the starting line-ups for our three Premiership sides, if there was a free choice from the last 100 years.

Needless to say, there has been plenty of opposition, but some agreement, with the original suggestions of M.E.N, men Paul Hince and Richard Frost.

Bolton fans were the most indecisive of the three sets of supporters, with none of their dream eleven polling more than 73 per cent, that honour going to Nigerian box of tricks Jay Jay Okocha.

Reebok regulars decided that Eddie Hopkinson would be their choice of goalkeeper ahead of the man who currently wears the gloves, Jussi Jaaskelainen.

Their favoured no-nonsense back four (with the percentage of the vote in their sections) would be Phil Brown (42), Gudni Bergsson (68), current boss Sam Allardyce (67) and Tommy Banks (64).

Bolton's dream midfield would be a mixture of creativity and passion, with Okocha joined in the standard 4-4-2 formation by Willie Morgan (46), Roy Greaves (45) and either Peter Reid or Ivan Campo - who both polled 45 per cent of the vote.

Positions

Up front ,there is a place for the mercurial talents of Mr Entertainer Frank Worthington at the expense of Chelsea and Iceland star Eidur Gudjohnsen - though, predictably, Nat Lofthouse, who managed 70 per cent of the votes, would lead the line.

Over at City there were several clear-cut choices with only one or two positions needing a photo finish.

Former German paratrooper Bert Trautmann would, if the fans had their dreams answered, be wearing the goalkeeping shirt, having fought off the challenge of Joe Corrigan.

It was no contest at right-back as `skip' Tony Book garnered 76 per cent of the votes.

The left-back slot proved far more contentious, with Willie Donachie just winning the argument over Glyn Pardoe by a mere three per cent.

The central defensive pair was more clear cut, with former England colossus Dave Watson powering in with 68 per cent and Mike Doyle joining him with 73 per cent, leaving the brilliant Roy Paul out in the cold.

Blues fans' midfield would comprise Mike Summerbee - a narrow winner ahead of current star Shaun Wright-Phillips - Gio Kinkladze, Peter Barnes and the incomparable Colin Bell.

It was Bell, with 94 per cent, who annexed the third highest percentage of votes of anyone in the whole poll covering the three teams.

For a strike force, City fans went for a little and large combination with the last of the `Holy Trinity' Francis Lee (64 per cent) being joined in the search for goals by Republic of Ireland international Niall Quinn.

Over at Old Trafford, they were spoiled for choice from teams that have collected silverware like a magnet.

Faithful

The goalkeeping position proved the easiest of all for Reds to decide, with Peter Schmeichel's 96 per cent of the poll being the largest received by any player in this fun experiment.

Gary Neville (52 per cent), currently away trying to lift the Euro 2004 crown with England, was the first choice right-back.

And if the United faithful had their way then Denis Irwin would be on the opposite flank, with Gary Pallister and the great Duncan Edwards in the middle - having shaded out the claims of Jaap Stam and Steve Bruce.

If there is any real controversy it comes in midfield, where Sir Bobby Chartlon hammered modern day titan Paul Scholes 70-28 per cent, and in the battle of the glamour icons ... where George Best obliterated David Beckham's claims 75-22 per cent.

Ryan Giggs proved a shoe-in on the left with a whopping 95 per cent of the votes. But the final engine room berth was much more vexing for the fans among three greats from the past.

In the end they plumped for Eric Cantona (53 per cent) ahead of Roy Keane (33 per cent) and Bryan Robson (14 per cent).

Up front there was a overwhelming vote for Denis Law, the second player in the side who also turned out for City. And his partner would be Dutch master Ruud van Nistelrooy.

BOLTON - FROST: Hopkinson, Brown, Bergsson, Jones, Banks, Holden, Okocha, Djorkaeff, Reid, Lofthouse, McGinley.

BOLTON - FANS: Hopkinson, Brown, Bergsson, Allardyce, Banks, Morgan, Greaves, Reid/Campo, Okocha, Worthington, Lofthouse.

CITY - HINCE: Trautmann, Book, Watson, Paul, Pardoe, Summerbee, Bell, Clarke, Johnstone, Quinn, Lee.

CITY - FANS: Trautmann, Book, Watson, Doyle, Donachie, Summerbee, Bell, Kinkladze, Barnes, Quinn, Lee.

UNITED - HINCE: Schmeichel, Byrne, Pallister, Edwards, Irwin, Best, Charlton, Keane, Giggs, Taylor, Law.

UNITED FANS: Schmeichel,G Neville, Pallister, Edwards,Irwin, Best, Charlton, Cantona, Giggs, Van Nistelrooy, Law.

What would be your dream team?

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