Paul Lake - part 2 of interview P6

[City_Shirts]

Enjoyed that Mark, Lakey always comes across as such a humble guy, so sad his career ended as it did he would have been a City Legend with his own statue but for that injury, anyone who wants to give a fellow City fan a great Xmas present lakeys book is a great read.

Thanks mate and a real pleasure to talk with Paul

 

[Bobby the blue]

Lake was a truly exceptional player. He is also a wonderfully grounded individual who quite easily could have become a bitter and damaged person after injuries ended his career. Imagine having the talent he did then through no thought of your own having it taken away from you because of negligence and penny pinching.

His book is brilliant and there is no self pitying or woe betide me in there. It’s actually a pretty heartbreaking story and even though you know the outcome there was a part of me that was hoping it was going to work out.

Paul lake was the superstar city had that even my friends had heard of in the 80s/90s when I was growing up.

Wonderful footballer and wonderful human being.

 

[Kazzydeyna]

My hero.

I love this fella and to this day I still feel emotional when he's spoken of or mentioned.

I had a photo with him in town for the fa cup parade, he got on our train that night and me acting like a proper fanboy shouted out "there's lakey"as he boarded.

He'll always be my favourite ever player for city.

100% agree with this. My absolute favourite player of that era and one of my favourite ever. Such an enormously, wonderfully humble gent.
Whenever I hear City fans - or anyone else - coming out with the old trope about Swales that “well at least he loved City” I remind them of Paul Lake.
I’d go as far as to say, I’d be prepared to swap what we’ve had the last 14 years if it meant Lakey didn’t get that injury. To see him play out a full career would really have been something special.
He really was - and still is - one of us. But the best of us.

 

[Dirty Harry]

Like others, always had a soft spot for Paul and always will, having carried the same injury as him since I was 19, sad to say I pretty much knew he was finished barring a miracle at top level, his injury genuinely gutted me far far more than any other, and to read his book and find out he was put in ‘economy class’ or something on the way back after his Op, don’t think I have the vocabulary to actually do justice to how appalling that was !

And, he genuinely is a really nice lad, I rarely ever say hello to anyone famous, Lakey is one of the few exceptions, I always did when I saw him at Davenport shops, and what’s funny is, he always seemed shocked that someone recognised him, honestly, I’m not sure he realises just how highly he’s regarded by fans of a certain generation, a class act and superb athlete, I’d have loved to have seen what Pep could have done with him today.

 

[Sept1989]

Top man. Never forget him playing centre half at maine Road and playing a pass out to a city winger from City's D under pressure from the attacking team. It might have been his last game...under Howard Kendall? Versus Villa? My memory not great but I'd never seen a defender pass a ball with so much accuracy with so little time to think. Absolutely brilliant.

Paul played three games at centre half when he got injured. The first game of the season Tottenham away when he played well. It was the second game at home to Everton when he brought the ball out of defense and passed to white who crossed for the winning goal. It was against villa he got injured late on. He was man of the match playing against cascarino and winning aerial duels but also consistently covering both fullbacks against Daley and platt. He looked like Alan hanson in only three games. One of the few former players who would improve today's team

 

[manimanc]

100% agree with this. My absolute favourite player of that era and one of my favourite ever. Such an enormously, wonderfully humble gent.
Whenever I hear City fans - or anyone else - coming out with the old trope about Swales that “well at least he loved City” I remind them of Paul Lake.
I’d go as far as to say, I’d be prepared to swap what we’ve had the last 14 years if it meant Lakey didn’t get that injury. To see him play out a full career would really have been something special.
He really was - and still is - one of us. But the best of us.

That's a great post that mate.

 

[Bluesince1979]

100% agree with this. My absolute favourite player of that era and one of my favourite ever. Such an enormously, wonderfully humble gent.
Whenever I hear City fans - or anyone else - coming out with the old trope about Swales that “well at least he loved City” I remind them of Paul Lake.
I’d go as far as to say, I’d be prepared to swap what we’ve had the last 14 years if it meant Lakey didn’t get that injury. To see him play out a full career would really have been something special.
He really was - and still is - one of us. But the best of us.

Was literally gonna just type this about swales.

 

[BringBackSwales]

Let’s get one thing clear, Peter fucking Swales did NOT love Manchester City, peter fucking swales loved peter fucking swales

 

[brazilians hurt]

Grown men cried on the Kippax the day Lakey came in the pitch to say goodbye as did he. We all knew what could have been, what we had, what we had lost.
My all time biggest city disappointment is he never had the chance to fulfill his huge potential
What a footballer, what a man

 

[Sky Blue Thinking]

Like others, always had a soft spot for Paul and always will, having carried the same injury as him since I was 19, sad to say I pretty much knew he was finished barring a miracle at top level, his injury genuinely gutted me far far more than any other, and to read his book and find out he was put in ‘economy class’ or something on the way back after his Op, don’t think I have the vocabulary to actually do justice to how appalling that was !

And, he genuinely is a really nice lad, I rarely ever say hello to anyone famous, Lakey is one of the few exceptions, I always did when I saw him at Davenport shops, and what’s funny is, he always seemed shocked that someone recognised him, honestly, I’m not sure he realises just how highly he’s regarded by fans of a certain generation, a class act and superb athlete, I’d have loved to have seen what Pep could have done with him today.

What was worse than Lakey travelling economy class after a serious op was the accomponying physio apparently flying back business class. Top player and top blue.