44 Years Ago… Johnny Bond, Johnny Bond, Johnny Bond

[Stiff Little Wingers]

His goal scoring record with City was a disgrace. Tidy player, with a good first touch, but not strong or fast enough to ever be a top striker. But as you say, a decent footballer. We’ve certainly had far worse!

Trouble was that Reid's insistence on playing him stopped one of the best post war English goalscorers in Clive Allen playing

 

[Jim Tolmie's Underpants]

Yyyyeeeaaahhhhhhhhhh.. IT'S A GOAL!!!

 

[blue b4 the moon]

Terrible moment on a freezing day in the middle of cold snap which wouldn't have helped Denis. We went from 2-1 up, singing "Merry Christmas, Sunderland...," to poor Denis getting injured suddenly, young 17 year old Barry Venison coming on, setting up the equaliser and scoring their winner.

It's a few years ago now but, iirc we were one of very few games played that day due to the weather & our under soil heating and I think we'd have gone top with a win....that injury was pivotal.

 

[blue b4 the moon]

His goal scoring record with City was a disgrace. Tidy player, with a good first touch, but not strong or fast enough to ever be a top striker. But as you say, a decent footballer. We’ve certainly had far worse!

Heath was quite hated by some especially keeping Clive & to some extent Moulden out of the side.

 

[Bluesince1979]

Heath was quite hated by some especially keeping Clive & to some extent Moulden out of the side.

Moulden and heath never crossed paths at city.

 

[Stiff Little Wingers]

It's a few years ago now but, iirc we were one of very few games played that day due to the weather & our under soil heating and I think we'd have gone top with a win....that injury was pivotal.

You’re quite right. Very b

 

[Stiff Little Wingers]

You’re quite right. Very bsesdon,

You’re right. Very bad injury when he was in top form. Also that season Power had a bad injury and Gow was pretty much finished.
So the midfield of the cup final season that did so well under Bond of Power Gow, Mackenzie and Tommy Hutch was decimated through injury, old age and a stupid transfer

 

[blue b4 the moon]

Moulden and heath never crossed paths at city.

I'm getting old....

 

[The Lightbowne Cowboy]

It's a few years ago now but, iirc we were one of very few games played that day due to the weather & our under soil heating and I think we'd have gone top with a win....that injury was pivotal.

I went to that Sunderland game. I was only around 8 years old so my memory of the game is very hazy. But the two things I can remember was the snow piled up around the pitch and my dad saying "How the bleeding hell we lost that I'll never know" coming down the Kippax steps.

 

[Norman kneejerk]

It was not as bad at City that a lot of people made it out to be.

The Fans Loved Big Mal and fans started to turn on Swales and not him, but one big thing Big Mal forgot, He was sackable, The ego Big Mal had he never thought he would be sacked, Looking back at the documentary Big Mal said they will not have to sack me, I would walk if i can not see the light at the end of the tunnel with this bunch of players,

Johnny Bond walked into a job with a very good squad of young players that needed some old heads to help them settle down and learn how to win games, it's not rocket science, Get somebody with experience to show the young players how to control yourself mentally and play under pressure.

Johnny Bond did what any manager would do and get 3 or 4 players that have been around the game for years and got the miles on the clock,

Sadly the Damage Big Mal did to Manchester City was always going to be the next managers problems, Money from the golden years of the late 1960s early 70s was spent by Big Mal, Swales was now taking out loans on assets from the banks on future season tickets sales,


Johnny Bond wanted 4 or 5 new players and Trevor Francis was the key for City to bring in the other talent and sell the club to them, Swales lied about available funds to Bond and we all know how it ended, Every single Manager City signed from then on was always Doomed to Fail under Swales, Simply they was always one bad run of form and relegation away from the sack,

Great summary.
Selling anyone we could get money for including people who'd only just arrived because they weren't affordable.
There must have been no cash flow forecasting at all and not surprisingly the team spiralled into decline.
Swales should have gone then really but it took a few more years to see that the cupboard was bare.