Who do you think is the best Birmingham City player to ever play?

Answer 1

According to the official BCFC website, this is the top ten! 10 Steve Claridge (pictured, right) 1994-96, 120 total appearances, 42 goals Played 1,000 games for his 15 professional clubs and in 1994-95 became the first Birmingham player to score 20 goals in a season since Trevor Francis when firing Barry Fry's team to a lower-division double of third-tier title and Auto Windscreens Shield. 9 Bob Latchford1968-74, 194 total appearances, 84 goals A warrior of a centre forward in the early 1970s, born in Birmingham, his beard and marauding style made him a feared opponent. His price tag of £350,000 when he moved to Everton in 1974 was a British transfer record, which he justified by top scoring for the club for six successive seasons and winning 12 caps for England. Played alongside his brother, Dave, a popular goalkeeper, at St Andrew's. 8 Jeff Hall 1950-59, 265 total appearances, 1 goal A classy and consistent right back, Hall was a key member of the Birmingham side that side who finished sixth in the top division in 1956. England only lost once during his 17 internationals. He died just a fortnight after making the last of his 265 appearances for the club in March 1959. 7 Eddie Brown 1954-59, 185 total appearances, 90 goals A pivotal player in Birmingham's best period, he scored 14 goals in 28 games, including a hat-trick in a 9-1 demolition of Liverpool, to lift the club to the second division title in 1954-55. The next season he topscored with 21 league goals as Birmingham finished sixth in the top flight, their best finish, as well as seven goals in the run to the FA Cup Final. 6 Trevor Smith 1953-64, 430 total appearances, 3 goals A tall and powerful locally born central defender who emerged during their greatest era, reaching the first division in 1955 and the FA Cup Final 12 months later. When Billy Wright retired from international football, Smith, at just 23, was selected in his place, though two England caps barely reflected his ability. 5 Peter Murphy 1952-61, 278 total appearances, 127 goals "Spud" Murphy is often remembered as the player at whose feet Bert Trautmann dived to save as the Manchester City goalkeeper broke his neck in the 1956 FA Cup Final. Signed from Tottenham Hotspur for £18,500 in 1951, he was a fine inside left who, with 127 goals in all competitions, is the third top scorer in Birmingham history. 4 Christophe Dugarry (pictured, right)2003-04, 31 total appearances, 6 goals May have played only 30 games for Birmingham after signing, initially on loan, from Bordeaux in January 2003, but his effect on St Andrew's was staggering. Never so loved, his Gallic swagger and enigmatic creativity, seemingly so at odds with the working-class West Midlanders, inspired Steve Bruce's team to stay up that first season in the Barclays Premier League, leading to a sustained spell in the top flight. 3 Gil Merrick 1938-60, 551 total appearances, 0 goals True club legend, making more than 700 domestic appearances including games during the Second World War. Won 23 caps for England, including two against the mighty Hungary in the mid-1950s, and appeared in the 1956 FA Cup Final defeat by Manchester City. Retired from playing in 1960 and then as manager led the club to their 1963 League Cup final triumph over Aston Villa. The Railway End will be renamed the Gil Merrick Stand next summer. 2 Joe Bradford 1920-35, 445 total appearances, 267 goals A hero without equal in a 15-year spell in between the world wars, the England striker scored 267 goals for Birmingham, a club record, in 445 games. Great in the air, could strike the ball with either foot. He was top scorer at St Andrew's every season between 1921 and 1933. 1 Trevor Francis (pictured, right) 1971-79, 329 total appearances, 133 goals Boy wonder whose legend at St Andrew's has crossed the generations. Long haired and lightning fast, he scored four goals against Bolton Wanderers in 1970 when aged 16 and scored 133 goals in 329 games before becoming the country's first £1 million player when joining Nottingham Forest in 1979. Returned to manage Birmingham for five years from 1996-2001