Zabbasbeard
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- 30 Nov 2011
- Messages
- 3,937
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- Manchester City
BILLY MCNEILL
I'm sad to learn that Billy McNeill has sadly passed away at the age of 79. He gave us hope and a lot of great memories in my late teens and early twenties and I'd like to pay tribute to him here if I may.
Billy McNeill was a colossus. A great man who was the first British footballer to lift the European Champions Cup as captain of the Lisbon Lions. A legendary centre half and often known as Caesar, he played his entire career for Celtic, he captained them to 9 straight titles, 7 Scottish Cups, and 6 League Cups.
He managed Aberdeen where his team finished runners up in the League and Scottish Cup, lahying the foundations of a great side. He was most successful as a manager at Celtic twice, winning 4 Scottish League titles and 3 Scottish Cups and a League Cup.
In between those spells, is where he came into our lives at Manchester City.
In debt to the tune of a crippling £4m after our long tumble to relegation in 1982-83, with morale at rock bottom, talent limited and discipline questionable, City needed a strong, resourceful manager, and we were lucky to acquire the services of Billy McNeill. Lord knows why he came, given our poverty, not only in terms of money but the lack of judgement in the City boardroom.
One decision that the board got right was hiring Billy McNeill who quickly set about rebuilding with mainly bargain basement Scottish players. Jim Tolmie arrived from Lokeren for £30,000, creating and scoring goals early on and free transfer Derek Parlane went on to be top scorer in 1983-84 Neil McNab from Brighton for £35,000 was to give 6 years sterling service. McNeill quickly turned round morale, and his team started off brightly with a 2-0 win at Palace. McNeill gave us hope again. He got the most out of his players, with skipper Paul Power at the helm, and youngsters like Andy May, making sure the players played with passion. City competed strongly for promotion in the first half of the season, showing the character to battle (there were a few scratchy 2-1 wins) and we even borrowed from KC & the Sunshine band and sang “City’s going up, going up, City’s going up”, but the goals dried up and eventually the superior quality of Chelsea (Dixon, Speedie, Nevin et al), the power of Sheffield Wednesday (Varadi, Sterland) and Newcastle (Keegan, Beardsley and Waddle) proved too strong for us, but McNeill had laid a good base having acquired Mick McCarthy earlier in the season after Tommy Caton left for Arsenal. Quality additions like David Phillips who went on to score 12 goals as well as the experience and quality of Power, bargains like Jim Melrose, and an emerging silky skills of Clive Wilson and young Paul Simpson helped City in a more successful 1984-85 campaign when City sustained a challenge to the end, and despite an eleventh hour serious wobble (typical City!) which put us through the emotional mill, a triumphant 5-1 win over Charlton secured promotion on the last day. To get City up having used the transfer market astutely when funds were tight was a great achievement.
There wasn’t much more money to spend after promotion to the First Division but McNeill fashioned a team that fought hard in his image but, as ever, tried to play attractive football in 1985-86. True Blue Mark Lillis was a bargain at £132,500 when teams like Sheffield Wednesday and Chelsea were spending much more. After an inconsistent start, McNeill’s team consolidated in the top flight and a top 10 place looked a possibility before an end of season fade out saw us finish in the lower half without falling into a relegation scrap.
McNeill did a brilliant job on a very limited budget but he saw the writing on the wall that summer, and gambled in the transfer market. His shock decision to swap Mark Lillis for Trevor Christie and Paul Power’s departure to Everton ripped the heart out of City and a long struggle beckoned. With Aston Villa chairman Doug Ellis dangling a bigger budget and a more talented squad, McNeill was tempted and made the move down the M6.
It made many of us bitterly angry not only with Villa, but with McNeill. At the time it felt like a betrayal, and it was very sweet to beat them 3-1 at Maine Road that season. 1986-87 was a long miserable season for both clubs: McNeill inherited a Villa dressing room of attitude problems despite its talent and finished bottom while City just weren’t good enough and finished 2nd to bottom.
Billy McNeill was long forgiven by us, and much of that is due to his humility and his admission that he should never have left City for Villa. In any case, the good far outweighed that.
He was very popular at City. Not only was Billy McNeill a very good manager, but he always cared and made time to talk to fans. He was a great man who is universally respected.
I’m so glad and proud that he managed Manchester City. Thanks for many happy memories.
He had been suffering from dementia since 2010. My thoughts are with his family and friends.
Phil B
I'm sad to learn that Billy McNeill has sadly passed away at the age of 79. He gave us hope and a lot of great memories in my late teens and early twenties and I'd like to pay tribute to him here if I may.
Billy McNeill was a colossus. A great man who was the first British footballer to lift the European Champions Cup as captain of the Lisbon Lions. A legendary centre half and often known as Caesar, he played his entire career for Celtic, he captained them to 9 straight titles, 7 Scottish Cups, and 6 League Cups.
He managed Aberdeen where his team finished runners up in the League and Scottish Cup, lahying the foundations of a great side. He was most successful as a manager at Celtic twice, winning 4 Scottish League titles and 3 Scottish Cups and a League Cup.
In between those spells, is where he came into our lives at Manchester City.
In debt to the tune of a crippling £4m after our long tumble to relegation in 1982-83, with morale at rock bottom, talent limited and discipline questionable, City needed a strong, resourceful manager, and we were lucky to acquire the services of Billy McNeill. Lord knows why he came, given our poverty, not only in terms of money but the lack of judgement in the City boardroom.
One decision that the board got right was hiring Billy McNeill who quickly set about rebuilding with mainly bargain basement Scottish players. Jim Tolmie arrived from Lokeren for £30,000, creating and scoring goals early on and free transfer Derek Parlane went on to be top scorer in 1983-84 Neil McNab from Brighton for £35,000 was to give 6 years sterling service. McNeill quickly turned round morale, and his team started off brightly with a 2-0 win at Palace. McNeill gave us hope again. He got the most out of his players, with skipper Paul Power at the helm, and youngsters like Andy May, making sure the players played with passion. City competed strongly for promotion in the first half of the season, showing the character to battle (there were a few scratchy 2-1 wins) and we even borrowed from KC & the Sunshine band and sang “City’s going up, going up, City’s going up”, but the goals dried up and eventually the superior quality of Chelsea (Dixon, Speedie, Nevin et al), the power of Sheffield Wednesday (Varadi, Sterland) and Newcastle (Keegan, Beardsley and Waddle) proved too strong for us, but McNeill had laid a good base having acquired Mick McCarthy earlier in the season after Tommy Caton left for Arsenal. Quality additions like David Phillips who went on to score 12 goals as well as the experience and quality of Power, bargains like Jim Melrose, and an emerging silky skills of Clive Wilson and young Paul Simpson helped City in a more successful 1984-85 campaign when City sustained a challenge to the end, and despite an eleventh hour serious wobble (typical City!) which put us through the emotional mill, a triumphant 5-1 win over Charlton secured promotion on the last day. To get City up having used the transfer market astutely when funds were tight was a great achievement.
There wasn’t much more money to spend after promotion to the First Division but McNeill fashioned a team that fought hard in his image but, as ever, tried to play attractive football in 1985-86. True Blue Mark Lillis was a bargain at £132,500 when teams like Sheffield Wednesday and Chelsea were spending much more. After an inconsistent start, McNeill’s team consolidated in the top flight and a top 10 place looked a possibility before an end of season fade out saw us finish in the lower half without falling into a relegation scrap.
McNeill did a brilliant job on a very limited budget but he saw the writing on the wall that summer, and gambled in the transfer market. His shock decision to swap Mark Lillis for Trevor Christie and Paul Power’s departure to Everton ripped the heart out of City and a long struggle beckoned. With Aston Villa chairman Doug Ellis dangling a bigger budget and a more talented squad, McNeill was tempted and made the move down the M6.
It made many of us bitterly angry not only with Villa, but with McNeill. At the time it felt like a betrayal, and it was very sweet to beat them 3-1 at Maine Road that season. 1986-87 was a long miserable season for both clubs: McNeill inherited a Villa dressing room of attitude problems despite its talent and finished bottom while City just weren’t good enough and finished 2nd to bottom.
Billy McNeill was long forgiven by us, and much of that is due to his humility and his admission that he should never have left City for Villa. In any case, the good far outweighed that.
He was very popular at City. Not only was Billy McNeill a very good manager, but he always cared and made time to talk to fans. He was a great man who is universally respected.
I’m so glad and proud that he managed Manchester City. Thanks for many happy memories.
He had been suffering from dementia since 2010. My thoughts are with his family and friends.
Phil B