Colin Bell RIP - Ian Cheeseman interview with Jon Bell (P142)

Unfortunately my old man passed away in 2012 so didn’t really get to see the modern era of great players reach their potential. However given the way he used to eulogise over Colin I’m pretty sure none of the current crop would have surpassed him in his eyes. I’ve never known anybody recall a game as vividly as my dad used to the Boxing Day 77 game. I never got to see the man play but I felt as though I did.
 
My dads favourite player. He told me he was at the Newcastle game in ,77(I was 2 years old at the time so didn't go!!) and he said he had never experienced an atmosphere like it when Bell came on and he admitted he had a tear in his eye and he said he saw grown men crying when Bell cam on the pitch.

My old man is probably up there with Bell now pestering him for an autograph!!

RIP The King
 
Vic said:
Is it right he was never booked, simply because he never used offensive, insulting or abusive language to a ref?
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No, I watched him in an old Derby game yesterday getting a booking. He threw the ball down and gave the ref a load of verbals. I've included the game here so you can see that the rags got the benefit of bent refs at least as far back as 1972.

 
Messi38 said:
Do u think England could have won that tournament if not for the West German comeback? I heard England were even stronger in 1970 than 1966, no doubt due to the emergence of players like Colin, but that Brazil team with Pele, Tostao, Gerson, Jairzinho, Carlos Alberto and Clodoaldo is probably the best international team of all time. I know they played in the group stage and it was a very narrow win for Brazil with THAT Banks save from Pele, but knockout football is a different beast.

If this is going off topic and being disrespectful please let me know.
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Frannie Lee once said that England only made three defensive mistakes in two the World Cups, '66 and '70.

The problem was, they were all in the same game!
 
Many years ago, before all the investment in City, we went for a meal with my late Dad to the local pub in our village in Ayrshire. Mrs Cassandra won the battle for who paid for the meal & while she was paying, Dad & I went out to car. There were guys watching football in pub & Mrs C mentioned that I was a City fan & they asked, what was Colin Bell’s nickname? Mrs C rushed to car & of course I replied Nijinsky! (The grace of the ballet dancer and the speed and stamina of the racehorse.) Mrs C dashed back into the pub to tell them & received a great big cheer. Such was the fame of Colin Bell, even in Ayrshire! Mrs C has learned a lot since!
I was fortunate to watch quite a few games, with my Dad, at Maine Road during that era and particularly lucky to have a sister who treated me to a trip to Wembley in 1969 for my 21st bithday - happy memories.
Imagine a quartet of Silva, Bell, de Bruyne and Aguero - what defence wouldn't have been destroyed by them?
Colin Bell - much more than just a great footballer.
 
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Vienna_70 said:
Frannie Lee once said that England only made three defensive mistakes in two the World Cups, '66 and '70.

The problem was, they were all in the same game!
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Lol yeah I suppose. They'd have given Brazil a better game in a potential final than italy did anyway.
 
Harvster said:
5th January was already a sad day in our household, as it was my mum's funeral at Stockport Crematorium, after she died of Covid in Salford Royal. Yesterday would have been her 86th birthday. Went out for a quick walk with the wife in the early evening, only to hear about the passing of Colin from my son on our return. What a terribly sad day, RIP mum and the King of the Kippax
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My deepest condolences on the loss of your mum.
 
At the time of the World Cup I believed Charlton was being played because who he was and what he’d done, he was in decline and denied Colin many caps.
 
Vic said:
Is it right he was never booked, simply because he never used offensive, insulting or abusive language to a ref?
Click to expand...
Surely he was booked for that tackle by that **** Buchan or is refereeing worse these days?BTW a statue is the least he deserves and a memorial service when all this is over so we can give him the send off he so richly deserves
 
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