RIP Denis Law

I wonder if I am the only Bluemooner to have seen Denis Law's debut for City.
It was March 1960 when I went to Elland Road to watch City at Leeds, and City played in gold-coloured shirts IIRC.
I was over the moon when Denis scored on debut, but alas we lost by the odd goal in seven.
Was it really all that time ago?
 
Gary James said:
I’ve seen a few obits for Denis Law say he retired in early August 1974 (or even earlier). He didn’t. He actually started the 1974-75 season playing (and scoring) in 1st team competitive games. For facts follow the link:

gjfootballarchive.com

Denis Law at City

Denis Law had such a wonderful footballing career, with so many periods deserving focus. Inevitably – and rightly – many will focus on his exploits with Manchester United and Scotland. …
gjfootballarchive.com gjfootballarchive.com
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Didnt he also play one game for Scotland in the 1974 world cup ?
 
Big Swifty said:
I wonder if I am the only Bluemooner to have seen Denis Law's debut for City.
It was March 1960 when I went to Elland Road to watch City at Leeds, and City played in gold-coloured shirts IIRC.
I was over the moon when Denis scored on debut, but alas we lost by the odd goal in seven.
Was it really all that time ago?
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I wasn't at that match but was at his home debut the following Weds. Two FOC's here :-)
 
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Big Swifty said:
Not quite.

It was indeed the next match, but it was a week and a half later (not the following Wednesday). We beat West Ham 3=1 and Law scored again.

Nice to chat to a fellow FOC.......
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There you go - FOC memory moment:-)
As mentioned in an earlier post I remember the match quite well, including Denis & John Bond scrapping.
 
Big Swifty said:
I wonder if I am the only Bluemooner to have seen Denis Law's debut for City.
It was March 1960 when I went to Elland Road to watch City at Leeds, and City played in gold-coloured shirts IIRC.
I was over the moon when Denis scored on debut, but alas we lost by the odd goal in seven.
Was it really all that time ago?
Click to expand...
This was a few years into my City 'journey'. I'd seen games before this but I can't say with any certainty that I saw this game. I thought this signing was the passport into a period of splendour.
 
Only Billy Meredith and Brian Kidd seem really to be held in the same respect as Law at both clubs bearing the name of the great city of Manchester. Denis undoubtedly had his greatest days just outside the city boundary, but I think he definitely qualifies as a City legend, too, for a couple of reasons.

Firstly, he's one of only six British players to win the Ballon d'Or, and the first exposure of top-flight football to that huge talent came in our colours. Secondly, he found his way back to the path of righteousness at the end of his career, playing in an exciting if inconsistent side and managing to crown his City days with a Wembley final plus a gloriously iconic goal.

My mum once taught one of his sons and I got his autograph (Denis's, not the son's) when my dad and I went to pick her up after a parents' evening. He conducted himself very graciously in dealing with a starstruck 8-year-old and was fulsome in his comments about City when I told him I was a Blue.

I enjoyed his work as a pundit for Radio Two and Granada TV in the seventies and eighties, as well, and am not sure why that didn't last for longer. I also seem to recall what now would be called banter on his part, when he used to insist that Manchester was England's football capital ahead of less significant places such as Merseyside and London.
 
Dave Ewing's Back 'eader said:
This was a few years into my City 'journey'. I'd seen games before this but I can't say with any certainty that I saw this game. I thought this signing was the passport into a period of splendour.
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Didn't we all think that too ? Unfortunately what followed was a period which, in my young life, appeared to be an eternity of mediocrity. In reality of course it was less than 8 years before we were League Champions. Little did we know that a lot worse was to follow in the Swales/Lee era !
 
BillCarlisle said:
Didn't we all think that too ? Unfortunately what followed was a period which, in my young life, appeared to be an eternity of mediocrity. In reality of course it was less than 8 years before we were League Champions. Little did we know that a lot worse was to follow in the Swales/Lee era !
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Generally worse than this. I'd have loved a season in the early sixties that was rock solid mediocre!
 
BillCarlisle said:
I was at school in Failsworth then. St John's C of E. As I recall, there were only 3 of us Blues in the school, surrounded by young rags. We were all mates though.
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Mostly blue know mate probably 70/30, but we are all still mates and back each other.
 
BillCarlisle said:
Unfortunately what followed was a period which, in my young life, appeared to be an eternity of mediocrity. In reality of course it was less than 8 years before we were League Champions. Little did we know that a lot worse was to follow in the Swales/Lee era !
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Agreed. When Denis Law first signed I thought it was the dawn of a new era as players from the 1950's City cup sides retired. Gutted when he was sold to Torino.

A true great of the game whom I loved to watch even when playing for the rags. Deserved being called "King" above Best and Charlton and a level above Cantona. Definitely a Pep player, razor sharp doing the basics very very well. Flair without needing to be a fancy Dan. He made the game looked simple, yet others have not emulated him.

He was not at the same level when he signed for City the second time but was still a top player. It says a lot that he is equally well regarded by City fans as well as United fans both as a player and a man.
 
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Dave Ewing's Back 'eader said:
Generally worse than this. I'd have loved a season in the early sixties that was rock solid mediocre!
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George Poyser as manager was the nadir. Standing on a desolate Scoreboard End watching us being held by Swindon in 1963 playing in Div2 with just over 8,000 other lost souls watching at Maine Road. We had more fun and positivity when in the third tier.
 
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