Bell Summerbee and Lee, with the 1970s team around

Gray said:
  • Ken Mulhearn - Liverpool
  • Tony Book - Bath
  • Glyn Pardoe - Winsford
  • Mike Doyle - Ashton-under-Lyne
  • George Heslop - Wallsend
  • Alan Oakes - Winsford
  • Francis Lee - Westhaughton
  • Colin Bell - Hesleden
  • Mike Summerbee - Preston
  • Neil Young - Fallowfield
  • Tony Coleman - Ellesmere Port
All English first X1 with Neil Young born closest to Maine Road and Tony Book the furthest away.

Eight of that team born within 40 miles of Maine Road.
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Almost all English, I think Scotsman Bobby Kennedy played about 6 games in the 68 championship winning team.
 
Lovebitesandeveryfing said:
We're such glory hunters, aren't we?
Actually, it was for me the year the family moved up to Manchester from the south. It happened to coincide very happily with possibly the best attacking team in the country. I don't necessarily say the best team, there were maybe teams that were better in defence, but when that City machine was well oiled and working it was a sight to behold going forward.
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It certainly was mucker,I was lucky enough to meet my boyhood hero's over the years,big Joe,Tommy Boith and of course Colin the King,there's a saying that you shouldn't meet you hero's as they will let you down,the biggest load of bullshit I ever heard,they were gentlemen and had time for everyone,happy days my friend,happy days
 
Gone for a Burton said:
1 sub and a Central League team comprised of youth,oyld lags,trialists and returning injured players.

Players 60/70 % fit played with pain killing injections that often resulted in rhumatism in later life.
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beatme too it
Lovebitesandeveryfing said:
Just about.… It seems to me that Dowd was already sort of on his way out by the end of the championship season? I'm not actually sure that I saw any matches with him. You couldn't miss him, because the name Harry already marked him down as belonging to a certain era (although of course it's come back in in recent times).

Edit: just been through all the teams for the championship season (I have student papers to mark by the end of the weekend, and any deflecting excuse is good…).
In effect, Harry played the first eight games or so, then drops out — injured, I suppose. Then it's Ken who clearly holds down the position right the way through to St. James's Park. Although I note that a young big Joe Corrigan gets a look in for a couple of games.
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Lovebitesandeveryfing said:
Just about.… It seems to me that Dowd was already sort of on his way out by the end of the championship season? I'm not actually sure that I saw any matches with him. You couldn't miss him, because the name Harry already marked him down as belonging to a certain era (although of course it's come back in in recent times).

Edit: just been through all the teams for the championship season (I have student papers to mark by the end of the weekend, and any deflecting excuse is good…).
In effect, Harry played the first eight games or so, then drops out — injured, I suppose. Then it's Ken who clearly holds down the position right the way through to St. James's Park. Although I note that a young big Joe Corrigan gets a look in for a couple of games.
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"get down to my office now"
my old head master Irish man named Dowd
of course he was know as harry
 
GeorgeR said:
Albert Johanneson ( not sure about the spelling) was the Leeds player and the first I can remember in the old first division, played in the early-mid sixties
I remember Stan Horne playing - not the most sophisticated player if my memory is correct
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I remember watching them both playing 66/67 season Leeds v City Elland road 0-0.I was stood behind goals open end bit like the old scoreboard end at Maine road.
 
Lovebitesandeveryfing said:
Just about.… It seems to me that Dowd was already sort of on his way out by the end of the championship season? I'm not actually sure that I saw any matches with him. You couldn't miss him, because the name Harry already marked him down as belonging to a certain era (although of course it's come back in in recent times).

Edit: just been through all the teams for the championship season (I have student papers to mark by the end of the weekend, and any deflecting excuse is good…).
In effect, Harry played the first eight games or so, then drops out — injured, I suppose. Then it's Ken who clearly holds down the position right the way through to St. James's Park. Although I note that a young big Joe Corrigan gets a look in for a couple of games.
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Alan Ogley took over whilst Harry was injured , but Mulhern came from Stockport , with Ogley going the other way .Probably a bit of cash as well ( £25k)
 
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Lovebitesandeveryfing said:
Just about.… It seems to me that Dowd was already sort of on his way out by the end of the championship season? I'm not actually sure that I saw any matches with him. You couldn't miss him, because the name Harry already marked him down as belonging to a certain era (although of course it's come back in in recent times).

Edit: just been through all the teams for the championship season (I have student papers to mark by the end of the weekend, and any deflecting excuse is good…).
In effect, Harry played the first eight games or so, then drops out — injured, I suppose. Then it's Ken who clearly holds down the position right the way through to St. James's Park. Although I note that a young big Joe Corrigan gets a look in for a couple of games.
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I recall Dowd losing his place through injury and Ken Mulhearn took his place after being swapped with Alan Ogley from Stockport.

Mulhearn kept his place for the rest of the season. Mulhearn lost his place after being blamed for a goal he conceded against Fenerbache and Dowd came back in for the next match. Corrigan came in for the last match of the Cup winning season and retained his place through the next season. Dowd departed to Oldham and Mulhearn made a few appearances before moving to Shrewsbury.
 
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Lovebitesandeveryfing said:
There are some interesting things about that team, to me as someone who became a supporter during the ’67-68 season. Frankly, there are names in the squad that mean almost nothing to me. What is striking is that although teams played 42 games, as opposed to 38 today, the same team was played over and over again. And not just City. Whether they were playing through injuries or not, I don't know, but essentially the same guys were out there on bad cabbage-patch pitches, and taking heavy tackles (the tackle from behind was still accepted). I suspect that a greater degree of general athleticism is demanded today. I'm sure there were attacking players who simply never tracked back, even if they were told to by the manager.
Glennon, Horne, Mundy? Means nothing to me. Now I wasn't in a position to see every home game, far from it, from ’68 to ’70, but I'm sure I never saw those players play.
The other thing is I had forgotten how late Mulhearn was still playing in nets. All I remember from that era, really, is Corrigan. Yet Joe must have sharing the position, at least sometimes. Same for George Heslop. I can remember him from the first season, and then barely after that. Looking back, it's Tommy Booth who just seemed to establish himself early and then hold down that role effortlessly for years (Tommy must presumably be on the other side of that plinth, along with people like Tony Coleman — unjustly forgotten).
Memory plays tricks…
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I used to work with Chris Glennon at Granada TV Rental in Hazel Grove, before coming out to Oz, remember him being a sub forward, played against the rags, played for a pub team when I knew him, we had some good chat's he gave me advice about Perth as he came here and played for Perth Azzuri after City, knocked on Tony Colemans front door as a kid and asked for his autograph, he was living in a 2 up 2 down off Gorton Lane I was shitting myself but he was a great bloke just remember his big smile and happy to give me his autograph.
 
100 grand for Keith MacRae … hard to believe that a few years prior to that Joe Mercer refused to pay 45 grand for Gordon Banks and he went to Stoke City. We did ok without Banks but we’d have been brilliant with him in goal.
 
christened at st marks said:
I used to work with Chris Glennon at Granada TV Rental in Hazel Grove, before coming out to Oz, remember him being a sub forward, played against the rags, played for a pub team when I knew him, we had some good chat's he gave me advice about Perth as he came here and played for Perth Azzuri after City, knocked on Tony Colemans front door as a kid and asked for his autograph, he was living in a 2 up 2 down off Gorton Lane I was shitting myself but he was a great bloke just remember his big smile and happy to give me his autograph.
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Hey I grew up in Hazel Grove in my teen years, and came back from uni during holidays, till about 1974. Went to Marple Hall Grammar from ’70 to ’71. That was my “gap” year! (Mainly because of a girlfriend). What years did he work there?
 
Lovebitesandeveryfing said:
Just about.… It seems to me that Dowd was already sort of on his way out by the end of the championship season? I'm not actually sure that I saw any matches with him. You couldn't miss him, because the name Harry already marked him down as belonging to a certain era (although of course it's come back in in recent times).

Edit: just been through all the teams for the championship season (I have student papers to mark by the end of the weekend, and any deflecting excuse is good…).
In effect, Harry played the first eight games or so, then drops out — injured, I suppose. Then it's Ken who clearly holds down the position right the way through to St. James's Park. Although I note that a young big Joe Corrigan gets a look in for a couple of games.
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Dowd was certainly not out by the end of the Championship season. He had lost his place through injury as has already been posted. He came back after the European Cup defeat early in the 1968-69 and stayed in the team up to and beyond the Cup Final win over Leicester City. He was replaced by Joe Corrigan for the last match of the season for a 1-0 win over Liverpool. Dowd left the club for Oldham a year later after a loan spell at Stoke.

Dowd will be remembered for scoring a equalizer against Bury after injuring his arm and returning with it in a sling. That was Colin Bell's league debut with the opening goal for Bury.

Dowd looked a better goalkeeper than Corrigan but was let down by his small stature. The joke was that Dowd would play a blinder and concede two goals whereas Corrigan might have a stinker and let in one.

Dowd was with City for nine years and was understudy to Bert Trautmann for the first couple of years and behind Joe Corrigan in his last season. He competed with Trautmann, Alan Ogley, and Ken Mulhearn and was generally seen as first choice throughout apart from the Championship winning season.

Dowd appeared to continue his work as a plumber throughout his time at City. Rather like Tom Finney!
 
BLS said:
It certainly was mucker,I was lucky enough to meet my boyhood hero's over the years,big Joe,Tommy Boith and of course Colin the King,there's a saying that you shouldn't meet you hero's as they will let you down,the biggest load of bullshit I ever heard,they were gentlemen and had time for everyone,happy days my friend,happy days
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As a teenager I would bike to Maine Road (from Gorse Hill) every Sunday morning to collect autographs. Bert Trautmann aksed me once if I had lost my autograph book and bought a new one as he had signed the previous one a few times already.
 
JGL07 said:
Dowd was certainly not out by the end of the Championship season. He had lost his place through injury as has already been posted. He came back after the European Cup defeat early in the 1968-69 and stayed in the team up to and beyond the Cup Final win over Leicester City. He was replaced by Joe Corrigan for the last match of the season for a 1-0 win over Liverpool. Dowd left the club for Oldham a year later after a loan spell at Stoke.

Dowd will be remembered for scoring a equalizer against Bury after injuring his arm and returning with it in a sling. That was Colin Bell's league debut with the opening goal for Bury.

Dowd looked a better goalkeeper than Corrigan but was let down by his small stature. The joke was that Dowd would play a blinder and concede two goals whereas Corrigan might have a stinker and let in one.

Dowd was with City for nine years and was understudy to Bert Trautmann for the first couple of years and behind Joe Corrigan in his last season. He competed with Trautmann, Alan Ogley, and Ken Mulhearn and was generally seen as first choice throughout apart from the Championship winning season.

Dowd appeared to continue his work as a plumber throughout his time at City. Rather like Tom Finney!
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I stand corrected. Thanks for that history, which I admit I didn't know.

Edit: just to fine tune that a bit (and I am not in any way contesting your knowledge of the period, clearly much more complete than mine; I've always been clear on here that my direct engagement with City dates “only” from the 67-68 season, and I didn't get to attend my first match until, I think, spring of that season. Away at boarding school! No access whatsoever to television, except on Saturday evenings, when the rule of the mob imposed fucking Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In! Which I don't actually remember anyone laughing at, not even once. Like being in prison frankly, only the food was possibly worse…).
Yes, if the history section on here is to be trusted (and I'm sure it's rock solid, since it's compiled by none other than our own doctor with his stethoscope, Gary James!), Harry doesn't actually play until October of the following season — presumably still recovering from injury [what was it that put him out for so long, incidentally?] but once he's back in, it's right through the whole season ’68-’69, bar a couple of appearance from Joe. What surprised me, on checking that, was that a) Ken drops out altogether — I personally have a clearer memory of Ken than of Harry, don't know why and b) it was Harry who played the cup final, something I'd blanked out completely… As I've said, I was mesmerised by my heroes up front, and still learning football generally, since I was an awful player out on the pitch, and didn't get in to football at all until the World Cup of ’66.
 
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Bozzie said:
100 grand for Keith MacRae … hard to believe that a few years prior to that Joe Mercer refused to pay 45 grand for Gordon Banks and he went to Stoke City. We did ok without Banks but we’d have been brilliant with him in goal.
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We would have won the league not least because we dropped points against Stoke because of him.
 
Bluekiwi said:
As a teenager I would bike to Maine Road (from Gorse Hill) every Sunday morning to collect autographs. Bert Trautmann aksed me once if I had lost my autograph book and bought a new one as he had signed the previous one a few times already.
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Nice one mate
 
what about Steve Fleet i think we bought him from Stockport cant remember when i think it was in the Alison era not to sure though
 
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