I was lucky enough to see him play and boy could he play. Bell, Lee and Summerbee were the superstars and I always felt that 'Nelly' didn't get the recognition he deserved, but then playing alongside the true King meant you had to be a great player just to get noticed.
I wrote to City in the early 80's asking why we couldn't have a testimonial game for Neil and I received a hand written response from Peter Swales (another great blue in my opinion, history judges him harshly but he loved City). The letter said that whilst City acknowledged the part Neil played in the history of City the club were moving away from the idea of testimonial games, which I suppose was true.
Still a shame he didn't get one though particularly as he was one ex-player that could have used the money.
Neil was part of an era that's long gone I'm afraid, I'm not going to get maudlin about it but the older Blues on here will know what I mean; the only thing I will say is that watching Colin Bell, Mike Summerbee, Francis Lee and Neil Young play together was a magnificent sight to behold.
Rest in peace Neil, you'll never be forgotten by this sad old bastard; thanks for the memories.
