Last updated 13:48, Tuesday, 30 September 2008

HAVE you bought your copy of 'Carlisle United – The Complete Record' yet?

If not, either buy it straight away or add it to your Christmas list for Santa!

Paul Harrison's new book on The Cumbrians really is a must for all ardent members of The Blue Army.

It could perhaps be described as a definitive guide to the club we love and a celebration of their illustrious and eventful history, without doubt a welcome addition to complement the several other recent excellent publications about United by the likes of Mick Mitchell, Neil Nixon and David Steele.

One section I found to be of particular interest is the author's selection of his top 100 players to ever represent The Blues.

If you asked a group of Carlisle United fans to choose the best players to have turned out for the club since they were elected to the Football League in 1928, there would certainly be some heated discussion.

I think Blues supporters would be pretty much unanimous in agreeing that stars such as Hughie McIlmoyle, Jimmy McConnell, Allan Ross, Chris Balderstone, John Gorman and Ivor Broadis are amongst the all time greats to have appeared in The Blue and White.

As I have only been around to follow United home and away for the best part of the last three decades, I don't think I am really in a position to be able to pick such a list comprising of players from different eras who played at different levels in different Blues teams who enjoyed varying degrees of success, when I never saw them in action.

However, I have been sufficiently inspired enough to name my 'dream teams' of the eighties, nineties and noughties (so far) and these are as follows:-

80s – Dave McKellar, Bobby Parker, Dave Rushbury, Jack Ashurst, Don O'Riordan, Tommy Craig, Alan Shoulder, Peter Beardsley, Malcolm Poskett, Ian Bishop, John Halpin. Subs – Trevor Swinburne, Paul Haigh, Steve Harkness, Paul Proudlock, Keith Walwyn.

90s – Tony Caig, Rory Delap, Tony Gallimore, Dean Walling, Derek Mountfield, Stephane Pounewatchy, Steve Hayward, Warren Aspinall, David Reeves, Matt Jansen, Owen Archdeacon. Subs – Kelham O'Hanlon, Darren Edmondson, Simon Davey, Rod Thomas, Andy Watson.

00s – Keiren Westwood, David Raven, Zigor Aranalde, Peter Murphy, Danny Livesey, Kevin Gray, Michael Bridges, Steve Soley, Joe Garner, Karl Hawley, Simon Hackney. Subs – Matt Glennon, Stuart Whitehead, Chris Lumsdon, Scott Dobie, Ian Stevens.

Many fans were horrified when Michael Knighton allegedly instructed that pictures of United's successful sides of yesteryear be removed from the Brunton Park corridors.

That was when the club were at their lowest ebb and thankfully, these have been rightfully restored to their pride of place.

In recent years, the club have named stands and bars, and even erected a statue, after some of those aforementioned legends.

Perhaps the club could consider introducing a hall of fame or a museum at Brunton Park dedicated to honouring some of the greatest United players and their glories? That would be something that I am sure many supporters would appreciate.

CHRIS AYRES

Chris Ayers’ column is in no way representative of the views of the management of the Beehive.