Lee Dixon's dad - reserve keeper at City

I’d be bitter too if my boyhood club released me as a schoolboy, despite the fact I was talented enough to go on and have a professional career.
Talented enough? Do you remember the chant : “if Lee Dixon plays for England so can I!”? Certain players used to make it in football in spite of their ability rather than because, Dixon was one such example. Baring in mind this revelation about his dad I think we can see one of the reasons the game gave him a chance. No doubt qualities such as determination, hard work, team spirit also helped him.
 
Talented enough? Do you remember the chant : “if Lee Dixon plays for England so can I!”? Certain players used to make it in football in spite of their ability rather than because, Dixon was one such example. Baring in mind this revelation about his dad I think we can see one of the reasons the game gave him a chance. No doubt qualities such as determination, hard work, team spirit also helped him.
I mean, he retired when I was 9.
 
I mean, he retired when I was 9.
So you don’t remember him playing! Maybe you shouldn’t comment on the talents of a player you haven’t seen? I’m not having a go pal, I guess us older fans have a little advantage in discussing past players.
 
So you don’t remember him playing! Maybe you shouldn’t comment on the talents of a player you haven’t seen? I’m not having a go pal, I guess us older fans have a little advantage in discussing past players.
You’ve simply mistaken the point. He was talented enough to go on and have a professional career - he did exactly that.
 
Talented enough? Do you remember the chant : “if Lee Dixon plays for England so can I!”? Certain players used to make it in football in spite of their ability rather than because, Dixon was one such example. Baring in mind this revelation about his dad I think we can see one of the reasons the game gave him a chance. No doubt qualities such as determination, hard work, team spirit also helped him.
Yeah he was a grafter and a model pro, but can't see him having stood out as a youngster in any way, obviously not an opinion I'm alone in since he ended up working his way up through the divisions.
 
I’d be bitter too if my boyhood club released me as a schoolboy, despite the fact I was talented enough to go on and have a professional career.
Not sure Lee was ever on City’s books. He had several setbacks early on in his career and was always on the verge of signing for Altrincham. Sheer determination seems to have been the basis for his success. He was POTY at Stoke for a couple of seasons before signing for Arsenal. Roy has a photo of the announcement on Ceefax. Joe Royle wanted him to come to City but at the time it would have been a huge step down. I think he’s very much a ‘Southerner’ these days and, by his own admission, very much an Arsenal fan. I knew Roy quite well back in the day and the few times I’ve met Lee he’s always come across as a decent bloke if a tad guarded.
 
Not sure Lee was ever on City’s books. He had several setbacks early on in his career and was always on the verge of signing for Altrincham. Sheer determination seems to have been the basis for his success. He was POTY at Stoke for a couple of seasons before signing for Arsenal. Roy has a photo of the announcement on Ceefax. Joe Royle wanted him to come to City but at the time it would have been a huge step down. I think he’s very much a ‘Southerner’ these days and, by his own admission, very much an Arsenal fan. I knew Roy quite well back in the day and the few times I’ve met Lee he’s always come across as a decent bloke if a tad guarded.
The search function seems to have broken on Twitter, but he tweeted a while ago about being released as a schoolboy from City in his very early years, so was definitely on the radar at some point.
 
The search function seems to have broken on Twitter, but he tweeted a while ago about being released as a schoolboy from City in his very early years, so was definitely on the radar at some point.
You may well be correct, it's just not something I've ever heard mentioned before.

As an aside, Roy was detailed to look after a young Alan Oakes and maintains he could 'bend it like Beckham', no mean feat if true given the weight of the ball and the style of boots players wore in the 50's.
 
He left school in 1980 and joined Burnley as an apprentice.
Went to both FA Cup final games in 1981 as a City fan so he couldn't have been that bitter towards the club.
I used to think that he was a blue, but then I heard his commentary/tune change over the years on NBC towards us with some flippant commentary
 

"
Lee Michael Dixon (born 17 March 1964) is an English retired professional footballer and pundit who played as a right-back for Arsenal. Dixon was also capped 22 times for England.

His father Roy was a goalkeeper with Manchester City and many of Dixons formative years were spent on the terraces at Maine Road. But it was nearby Burnley he joined as a junior and he graduated to the senior team for a handful of games before John Bond released him to Chester City.
"
 

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