DRINK A DRINK FOR COLIN THE KING THIS BOXING DAY.

[yerwot?]

Sometimes an anniversary slips by without so much as a nod or a wink, if you are a married man and you have forgotten your wife's special day, you'll know what I mean.

But I doubt if any City supporters privileged to be witnesses will ever forget one football anniversary, which will be 42 years this December, that took place at Maine Road on Boxing Day, December 26th 1977, when City played Newcastle United.

For two frustrating years Colin Bell had refused to bow down to the fact that he was out of the game for life. Bell had hardly played a senior match since he critically damaged his knee playing against Man.Utd on a November night in 1975. The pain and torment of his long and lonely battle for fitness would have put paid to lesser determined characters. Bell's demanding and tedious fight for fitness continued throughout two summers when most players were enjoying there holidays.
But on that Boxing Day 1977 his courage and dedication were rewarded, When City's physio Roy Bailey displayed the number 6 card to call off the injured Paul Power, on trotted City sub, Colin Bell, to a deafening roar from the 45,811 spectators. City were level pegging with Newcastle at 0-0 when, all of a sudden the Maine Road atmosphere was transformed by the appearance of the long-absent idol of all true blue fans at the time, a spontaneous demonstration of warmth and effection for a great player who had fired the imagination, there has rarely been anything quite so stirring as the ovation accorded to Bell that afternoon. Even the normally unemotional old hands in the press box got that pulse-tingling feeling of magic in the air - The King Was Back.

Everyone loves a fighter and it seemed that every supporter at the game was willing Bell to do well. His presence proved to be an inspiration to his team-mates and City coasted to a 4-0 victory. Bell went on to play 20 full games that season, 16 in the league, 2 FA Cup and 2 League Cup games. The following season he had a recurrence of the injury and only played 16 senior games plus one as a sub. Four appearances in his last season for City were in the UEFA Cup, he came on as sub against Dutch side FC Twente and scored in a 3-2 win at Maine Road to help City into the next round on a 4-3 aggregate. He played twice against Standard Liege in the next round, and again, against AC Milan.

On August 21st 1979, he reluctantly announced his retirement from the game after a stern warning that he could be crippled for life if he continued. Whenever football fans in general, and City fans in particular talk about great names who have graced the famous England and City shirt's, Colin Bell's name is spoken with reverence. The final fitting farewell for Bell came on Tuesday September 11th 1979, just three weeks after he had made his retirement known. A combined Manchester team met a similar eleven from merseyside in his testimonial match at Maine Road. On a dismal night, 23,936 admirers turned up to pay tribute to a player whose wide-ranging talent had played a big part in City's successful trophy triumphs of the 60's & 70's.

For the record Bell signed for City from Bury in March 1966 for £45,000, then a record fee for a teenager. Within 48 hours he had made a goalscoring debut in a 2-1 win at Derby County as City stormed towards the Second Division Championship. Bell was capped 48 times for England and with City he won First and Second Divsion championship medals, FA Cup and League Cup winners medals and European Cup Winners' Cup medal. He made 393 League appearances and scored 119 League goals.

Legend

So on December 26th 2019 raise your glasses and 'Drink a Drink a Drink To Colin The King '

a truly great post, take a bow

 

[Blue Til Death]

Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee'll drink a drink a drink.

Not Woooooooooooooooooorld has ever seen.

And, yes, he was the leader of Man City.

He still is mate :-)

 

[Lovebitesandeveryfing]

Something else worth thinking about. On a day in June nearly fifty years ago I watched aghast as England were knocked out of the World Cup by West Germany in a match that they were completely in control of, until Peter Bonetti decided to turn in one of the worst performances ever recorded by an England goalkeeper. Colin was part of that team (although not playing that day until late on in the match). It was one of the best England teams there's been, in my view as good as the ’66 one — certainly at least as creative. I don't think that England would have beaten that Brazil team (they had already been beaten by them in the group stage, in a mighty match which England could have won) — we'll never know. But Bell could have come back from that a World Cup medal holder.

 

[Lovebitesandeveryfing]

Re. the OP (which deserves everyone's plaudits, and I add mine to the many): here's a little Christmas game for the old timers. Without looking it up, checking the BM history section, Wiki-ing it or anything: off the top of your head, and from memory, how many faces can you identify off that programme? Just been through it, and I will admit that there are two that defeat me.

 

[Shirley]

Leader of Man City... If you please .... :-)

My memory still tells me it was “leader of our team” but I certainly wouldn’t put money on it.
Colin will always be the King though.

 

[kippax4ever]

That day, I came on as substitute and I could not believe the atmosphere. The whole ground, including the Newcastle fans, stood and applauded and chanted my name. I was a passenger, but everyone tells me it was great seeing me there, and for me, it was and will always be my number one game, and my number one memory of playing football ...”

 

[Blue Til Death]

My memory still tells me it was “leader of our team” but I certainly wouldn’t put money on it.
Colin will always be the King though.

Just looked it up and we are both wrong :-)) it's leader of our City ...

 

[JGL07]

Just looked it up and we are both wrong :-)) it's leader of our City ...

You can’t look up anything like that. It was certainly sung as ‘leader of our team’ when I was around before I moved to Birmingham. I can’t be sure that it wasn’t sung with alternative words on other occasions but I never heard it.

 

[East Level 2]

Re. the OP (which deserves everyone's plaudits, and I add mine to the many): here's a little Christmas game for the old timers. Without looking it up, checking the BM history section, Wiki-ing it or anything: off the top of your head, and from memory, how many faces can you identify off that programme? Just been through it, and I will admit that there are two that defeat me.

Front row, left and centre are the two I can't get. Is on Ged Keegan who scored in the semi against Boro?

 

[Blue Til Death]

You can’t look up anything like that. It was certainly sung as ‘leader of our team’ when I was around before I moved to Birmingham. I can’t be sure that it wasn’t sung with alternative words on other occasions but I never heard it.

You are wrong..... Google it yourself like I did, that counts as looking it up doesn't it??

He's the leader of Man City, our City our Team .... Let's agree in that ...