I still remember the back of the People the day after. Merry Gerry was the headline as you're right in that it was a few weeks before Christmas.

I have fond memories of the legend that is Gerry Creaney. We went to the pre season tour of Ireland in 96 and the first game was against Athlone in this small non league size ground (including bails of hay in the corners for some reason!?!). The main stand(??) was full of City and about a foot away from the touchline, as the ball went out for a throw the legend came to pick it up to take a quick throw and this big guy leans over and shouts right down Gerry's ear " Taxi for Creaney " the legend was non too pleased to say the least as the bloke ran off into the crowd. Hence my name on this forum TaxiforCreaney!!

i must be getting old ,i thought that game in the fog didn,t realy happen and i dreamt it one night.its all coming back now.

Did Ball ever explain this swap? I mean Walsh was great for us, really brought us alive up front. Was there any suggestion of him being unhappy and wanting to move? Otherwise I just cannot get my head around this at all.

I can remember someone near me in the crowd suggesting that the number 8 shirt he had represented the number of pints he had the previous night.

I remember getting to Maine Road early on a new years day (cant remember the year 96/97?) Were hungover & didnt want to miss the coach to Birmingham away. There was only one coach left so we legged it over to the coach & the driver told us the game was called off & that coach was the players coach.

He told us to wait while he went down the coach & he came back with a load of sandwiches & he said, 'you can have these lads, they are Gerry Creaney's'. we had a good laugh until it sunk in that the fat cnut was in our first team. God that team was shite....

Losing 1-0 at home to Barnsley, think it was at the start of the season as it was sunny. We were absolute dogshit and the game was awful, and we were all losing interest and miserable. Creaney came on with about 15 minutes left, and the Kippax just went quiet, like nobody could even be arsed other than to collectively roll their eyes. When he had got on the pitch someone just shouted "You're in trouble now" and the place erupted in laughter

my recollection about the walsh move isthat walshie himself said his legs had gone by then - remember when we got beat 1-2 vs Arsenal at home live on TV previous winter? He said he went for an easy header and just couldn't jump anymore. I guess we let him go on the cheap since the tank was empty. Doesn't explain why we wanted Gerry tho!

As already posted, Creaney on the very first Champs Manager game was immense. Sadly for us, (but not for his bank balance), he was the exact opposite in real life.

I would however like to see a Creaney/Kun partnership this coming season.

I meet him at the Orange Tree pub In Altrincham in 1997. He was a complete piss can. It was a shame really because he was alright at Celtic & Portsmouth. As previously stated he was way out of his depth at City.