Drink A Drink For Colin The KIng This December 26th 2021

[Mike N]

I was on the Kippax that day and the game remains in my five favourite games at the old place.

The Colin Bell song has got to be ringing out on Sunday just after half time. Got to happen!

 

[Mike N]

The least celebrated Hat-Trick ever in all the world after The King returned

That’s really odd as I’d completely forgotten about the hat trick! I suppose it’s understandable in the circumstances.

 

[r.soleofsalford]

I hate to be a pedantic twat, but I'm afraid the above isn't right. Bell entered the fray at half time, and for half time subs in those days, they checked the studs before the teams came out so the sub just ran out with the rest of the team. Unlike when a sub came on during play, at half time there was no card displayed by the physio. Commentators used to have to try to look round the teams as they lined up for kick off to spot whether there were any changes.

The way it actually unfolded is that, as the team came out at the start of the second half, a roar went up in the middle of the Kippax because, being directly opposite, they could see him in the tunnel before he emerged onto the pitch. And that spread right round the ground as more and more people realised that Colin Bell was coming on. It turned into a huge, rapturous ovation from literally everyone there (I didn't see anyone round me not joining in). To be fair, the Geordies applauded and cheered him as well.

It went on for several minutes, but even when it subsided the atmosphere for the whole second half was incredibly charged and the team responded. Newcastle were a really poor side that season (they went down, winning only four league games in the entire campaign) and had showed it in the first half, but we'd looked no better. Once Bell had made his entry, the atmosphere spurred us on and we looked like scoring every time we attacked.

I've watched a lot of football in my time, including many non-City matches in different parts of England and in various locations abroad. I've never experienced another atmosphere remotely like the one at Maine Road that afternoon.

I always thought he was a great player but watching him struggle to get around that pitch on a leg that was totally fucked brought tears to my eyes.

That being said, it stood out just how magnificent a player Colin was. His passing was fantastic, everybody could see how good his vision was. Pep would have loved Colin in this team and I think Colin would have loved the style we play in.

 

[percypawpaw]

The atmosphere when the King came on at the start of the second half was incredible, the whole ground came alive an outpoor of joy and emotion to see Colin the King once again run out onto the pitch, everyone knew the story, and this was everyones wish, the King back where he belonged. That second half was incredible everybody sang throughout, it was consistant through to the end something I like everyone else will never forget, Long live the King.

 

[its grim up north]

He's the leader of Man City

Of our football team.

 

[petrusha]

I always thought he was a great player but watching him struggle to get around that pitch on a leg that was totally fucked brought tears to my eyes.

That being said, it stood out just how magnificent a player Colin was. His passing was fantastic, everybody could see how good his vision was. Pep would have loved Colin in this team and I think Colin would have loved the style we play in.

I started going to watch the first team just over a month after that game in November 1975 in which he sustained the injury so I never saw him at his peak and I was probably too caught up in the emotion of the day to really notice his lack of mobility. As a young kid at the time, I remember being very excited thinking that we'd got a really top-class player back to add to what was already a very good side and my old man wisely dampened my expectations, saying that Bell was clearly not the player he'd been previously.

I saw an interview in which Colin dismissed himself as a "passenger" after his injury, but as I grew to understand the game a bit more I could see that wasn't the case. His passing was superb and he had marvellous anticipation, which compensated to a degree for the fact that he couldn't really run any longer. Our form in the second half of 1977/8 was much improved on that in the first half of the season despite Dennis Tueart leaving in January, and Bell's presence actually played a big part in that. Unfortunately, the injury recurred the following close season and he featured only intermittently in 1978/9 before finally throwing in the towel.

 

[Spanishbob]

I to was there that day in the kippax. 0-0 at halftime and was looking at the tunnel and saw a blond guy coming through it and shouted colins back. The crowd with a collective voice started cheering and till this day never witnessed the noise that came out of that stand that day. We all watched has he struggled to run on the pitch and no Newcastle player wanted to tackle him. I think he nearly scored as well and if he had the roof would have come off.

 

[Mike N]

I to was there that day in the kippax. 0-0 at halftime and was looking at the tunnel and saw a blond guy coming through it and shouted colins back. The crowd with a collective voice started cheering and till this day never witnessed the noise that came out of that stand that day. We all watched has he struggled to run on the pitch and no Newcastle player wanted to tackle him. I think he nearly scored as well and if he had the roof would have come off.

I have a vague memory that he nearly scored

 

[crazyg]

He's the leader of Man City

Of our football team.

I don't know where the top line came from, as we all sang at the time:
We'll drink a drink a drink a drink
To Colin the king the king the king
He's the leader of our team
He's the greatest inside forward
That the world has ever seen

Almost a perfect rhyme -Team and seen.
I started it often enough. Now I can't stand up for 90 minutes. Such is life.

 

[richardtheref]

I found out recently that 1 of the managers at our depot in Belmont, Durham City is the nephew of Colin. However, said manager, is a rag. He says at Xmas every year Colin would send him a City related gift.