I'm still convinced that had Lakey stayed fit and we'd have kept hold of him (that just doesn't seem right thinking he could have moved on but anyway) we'd not have ended up in half the shit we did, the thought of him lining up next to Yaya, fuckin ell !

Lakey was the real deal, not just as a player but as a person as well. He had the nous, he read a game well, he studied the opposition and would have gone on to great things.

Someone earlier in the thread mentioned Duncan Edwards, Lakey was as good as, if not better than, Duncan and I have seen both of them play. (IMHO)

As I said not only as a player but he is a great person too. I have had the pleasure of chatting with Lakey on a couple of occasions now and he is so down to earth and unassuming, so easy to chat to.

Strongbowholic, you should have gone up to him, he would have loved it and so would you. Next time you get the chance do it mate. If I can chat to him and I am really nervous and (don't laugh) shy, then so can you.




I'm not shy on here because you can't see me but I am in real life!!

Will try mate. I'd have just probably blurted out "I love you" in an Alan Partridge kind of way and I didn't want to embarass him ;-)

Reading his biog at the moment (finally got it at the weekend) and am dreading reaching the inevitable part of the book, especially when it starts into how he was susbequently treated.

Hope paul has read all the comments on here, sure he'll be made up!

There was a earlier post about hinchcliffe, another good player of that era but not in the same league. Always had a soft spot for him even after he left.

Do feel that as city did with hinchcliffe that lakey would have been sold for big bucks but I'm also sure he would have ended up back in blue to finish his career with us!

What a player. I just wish I could see him play nowadays to compare him with current players. To be honest the footie was pretty shit when he broke through so he was like a beacon and stood head and shoulders above his peers.

I never saw Paul Lake play, but I had read about his story and actually started a thread on here years ago (must be almost 4 years ago now) in which I basically said that it would be nice if the club, in the position they are in now, could do something for Paul because I felt (after what I read about his history) that he was let down by the club when he was a player and basically had his career ruined by incorrect medical decisions/advice.

Sometime after that he became an Ambassador for the Club (don't worry, I am not claiming that this was due to my post hahaha).

Now that I live in the UK, I obviously went to the Victory Parade in Manchester and Paul Lake was on the same train my missus, my 20 month old and myself were on.

He allowed me to have a picture taken of him with my son and myself, top bloke.

One thing I'll always remember he scored the greatest goal that never stood at home v Coventry. I was watching from block M North Stand when he curled a crazy free kick from wide outside the corner of one side of the penalty area right across the box.

What started off going way wide and high, with the help of a bit of wind bent right round into the far top corner while Ogrizovic just admired it. Next thing the damn ref's calling it back as it was an indirect kick.
Bloody Killjoy...