Man City legend Colin Bell dies

On separate note, it's sad news for football with the passing of Colin Bell, where does time go?

Indeed, Paul, very sad. A very athletic player, Bell would have thrived in the modern game, I reckon.

Paul @17 Just heard the news about Colin Bell, one of my all time favourites. A brilliant talent. RIP.

Agree Tony. Colin Bell was top class. No doubt he would have thrived in the modern game.

Tony (24) and Mike (25),

I loved Colin Bell as well, he reminds me of the present Man City player De Bruyne, a non-stop runner and worker with loads of class, invaluable to City, both of them.

Agree with all the above comments about Colin Bell. A great player who would not been out of place in the modern game. RIP, Colin.

Colin Bell was a class act. I remember as a young lad, Sir Alf brought him on to give Bobby Charlton a rest in the quarter-final of the 1970 World Cup, leading 2-0 against Germany, but lost 3-2. Everyone blamed Sir Alf for the substitution, but Peter Bonetti was at fault for 2 of the goals.

I think I was just too young (I don't say that very often these days!!) to remember Colin Bell. I remember the name and reputation but can't claim to remember the player.

Either that or I'm ignorant. Either way, God bless to a much-respected part of the beautiful game

Colin Bell was a cracking player. Reminded of Martin Peters.

I think it is special that an Everton site should have this on. Well done Michael and Lyndon.

Andy (9), good shout with Martin Peters.

Someone once said of Martin Peters, he was 10 years ahead of his time. You could have said the same for Colin Bell, they both played with their brain as well as their feet. Players that will always live in the memory of fans, neutral fans as well as the supporters of the clubs they played for.

A good point about neutrals, Dave. I recall back in the day admiring many footballers who didn't play for us:

Alan Hudson
Tony Currie
Charlie Cook
Charlie George
Peter Marinello
Peter Barnes
George Armstrong
Frank Worthington
Rodney Marsh
Stan Bowles
Trevor Brooking
Dudley Tyler
Peter Taylor

Never worked up a sweat between them but made me happy some Sunday afternoons on the Big Match.

Andy – plus "Supermac" as another. Bandy legs, sideburns, plenty of goals. A very good player actually.

RIP Nijinsky. A cracking footballer.

In the same way that we had Ball, Kendall and Harvey and Man Utd had Best, Law and Charlton, Man City had Bell, Summerbee and Lee. He was a superb player, an athlete with an ‘engine' that just kept going, and also an eye for goal.

At 74, these days, he wasn't old. Sad. RIP.

Andy (11), good list of players there.

George Armstrong, Arsenal winger, might surprise some fans but he was absolutely adored by Arsenal fans, came from the North-East and was part of the Arsenal double-winning team, played well over 500 games for the Gunners.

I've got to confess I can't recall Dudley Tyler, Andy, put me out of my ignorance so I can picture him!!

Played for the Hammers in the early seventies, Dave. Slightly built and easily kicked out of a game but he had loads of skill and had one great season. As far as I remember, he came from a non-league side.

Here in Belfast we got our ITV football from London Weekend so I saw a lot of the London players.

To the tune of Jim Reeves "Distant Drums":

I hear the sound of distant bums
And do they smell
like Colin Bell, and Francis Lee and Summerby
And Tony Book and the rest are fuck

An innocent song from that time.

Colin Bell was a supreme athlete and a wonderful player. His cousin Elaine lived next door but one to us. She had an Iguana... a rare sight on the Wirral in the '60s. Very pretty too... (Elaine).

If my memory serves me right, Colin Bell scored at Goodison in an evening match in 1965 or 1966 or was it 1967? My first ever visit to Goodison with my Dad and brothers.

He escaped the offside trap (what passed for one in those days) and had a one on one with Gordon West and scored. Really annoyed me (of course) and I think it put city up 3-1. I think we lost 3-2 on the night.

Eddie,

"And do they smell, like fucking hell".
I'd forgotten that one.

As a uni student living away in Longsight (Richmond Grove) at the time, Maine Road was a regular stomping ground for me in the late '60s. That was a fine Man City team and Bell's talent just made you drool. My lad was born in Ancoats Salvation Army Hospital and (so?) became a City fan, though we'd long moved away from there. He was "re-educated" some time after.

Great memories of that side, and Bell, and "that" flower lady.

I remember seeing the great Man City team of the late sixties a few times and Colin Bell was a major figure in that team. I recall the 1-1 draw at Goodison in ‘67 where we were lucky to get a point. City dominated the midfield for large parts of that game and Bell was the star of that midfield for City.

One of the best players of his generation without doubt. Thinking back I feel so lucky to have seen so many great players at that time in what was a golden era for football.

#19 "That" flower lady...

I just came across this from the Manchester Evening News, 2013:

"TRIBUTES have poured in following the death of Manchester City super fan Helen "the bell" Turner. Helen, 85, was a regular at Maine Road for more than 30 years, ringing her bell and cheering on the Blues through good and bad times.

A flower-seller, with a stall outside Manchester Royal Infirmary, Helen was a keen charity fund-raiser..."

An institution around Maine Road, to rival our own Toffee Lady.

I agree with Dave Abrahams, Kevin De Bruyne is so similar to Colin Bell it's uncanny. Both the same build, both good readers of the game, and both passed teams to death. Also, Colin like De Bruyne also scored some brilliant goals.

I know many City fans who were old enough to see Colin play still rate him amongst the best players ever to pull on a Man City shirt, and I agree wholeheartedly with that sentiment.

Andy (16),

Sorry I couldn't recall him, so I looked him up. He played for Hereford when they were a non-league team and he played in that very famous cup tie when they knocked Newcastle out of the FA Cup. The highlights of that game are played nearly every year when the big surprises of FA Cup games are recalled, so you picked a winner, Andy.

Brent, I too used to visit Maine Road when a student at Manchester in the early '70s. Always went in the Kippax and would look over to the right and used to think "Thank God I'm not sitting anywhere near that woman with the bell!"

I remember going to a 3- 3 Derby game against Man Utd... some of the players on display that day.

I liked going to Man City... if you had the brass neck, you could go into the junior half-price gate even sporting beards and long hair. Halcyon days indeed...

Alan #24, "if you had the brass neck you could go into the junior half-price gate even sporting beards and long hair"

Yes, my wife got in half-price that way without any makeover!

You must be a very confident man that your missus doesn't read TW, Brent!

A true great.

Years ahead of himself playing-wise.

Allan and Brent... cracking stuff!

Brent. 😂😂

Peter Marinello, bought by the Gunners from north of the border. Big hype at the time like us getting the new George Best, Martin Murray (my namesake). Both never worked out.

Brent, I must echo what Jay has posted. Good luck mate.

Maine Road was such a hotch-potch of a ground... ugly as sin to be frank but a real ground, right in the heart of Moss Side.

I remember Man City looking certainties for the league in 1972, great side, then Allison signed Rodney Marsh and it all went mammaries-up.

Jay #26 if I don't post for a few days, tell the police to dig up the concrete on the patio.

Alan #24
Here's a clip of that game you mention. The very first time I attended a game was at Maine Road to watch Leeds win 1-0. All I saw were glimpses of the game between people's arms and legs from the Kippax, the only memory I have of the day is seeing Billy Bremner's red hair.

Maine Road was a proper traditional stadium, but as I got older and visited regularly following Everton, I realised what a scary place it could be - Colin Bell was a very fine footballer in a very good Manchester City team.

City V United

Cheers, Patrick, Gold Dust indeed.

My favourite Man City player, Young was on the bench. Would have loved him this end of the East Lancashire Road.

One question though: What happened to the last 50 years? 🤔

Alan,

Neil Young, a lovely player, shortly to record After The Goldrush!

I liked him too, in both his careers.

Chris...behave !!!

Neil was a lovely player though, Alan. Languid and skilful, with an eye for goal.

I don't think he ever got an England call up, from memory, when there was a wealth of talented inside forwards. That was truly a Golden Generation, not like the underachieving dilettantes, writing their catchpenny memoirs strutting round for England in the recent past.

God knows Joey Barton is a bit of a problem in many ways, but he called it right then. "I played in the Euros, we lost, I played crap, here's my book."

I also like After the Goldrush and Harvest!

Was it Malcolm Alison who gave Colin the moniker Nijinsky? Not after the Russian ballet dancer (although it could have been equally apt), but after the all-conquering 1970s racehorse bearing the name which also had great stamina.

Colin Bell would have slotted into the modern game, no bother. As many have already said, very similar to De Bruyne.

Wonder if any players from the current generation will be as revered as those from Colin Bells ( and mine). I'm going to sound like my dad now when he used to talk about Dean, Liddell and Finney, but I do feel blessed to have seen what I regard as my heyday of football in the 60's & 70's.
We had fast flowing football with sometimes only 2 passes to get from one end of the pitch to the other, ( as opposed to 2 million now). Tackling, where what would now be classed as attempted murder, was accepted and the victim would get up and dish it out in return. No falling over if someone breathed on you. Pitches didn't look like billiard tables. No VAR, but hours of subject matter to discuss over your pint of Double Diamond in the pub after the game. Every team had a character and players lived in the same type of houses as us mere mortals!!
When they decided to use major surgery on football and introduced the Premier league in 1992, they forgot to transplant it's heart.

Chris. talking of the Canadian Neil Young. A wise man once said that when the likes of him and Dylan played guitar with a harmonica, simultaneously, they were gods ! But do the same with a pair of cymbals strapped between your legs and you're a buffoon. Go figure !

With reference to Neil Young the musician, at a gig in Newcastle in the early 70s,he extolled the virtues(?) of the Plaza Cafe in Manchester.

He was an eccentric for sure. Bernard Shakey his alter ego? but you just had to like him.

I'm reading he's just sold off 50% of all his song book to Hipgnosis(?). Probably for a sum in 9 figures, following on From His Bobness doing the same for a fair old wedge.

I can see how a pair of leg cymbals can diminish the cool of a harp playing muso.

Do yourself a nasty if not vigilant. Think Don Partridge !

If Colin Bell was in his pomp now and made available for transfer - everybody and I mean everybody would be after him. Superb professional, great team player with no side to him and humble with it. A true great indeed. RIP.

Andy#11 Some fab names on your list, could possibly add Alan Devonshire, and a City man who would have been one of the best but for injury Paul Lake.
Brian #30 You named namesake Martin Murray, a fabulous skilful player. I saw him play league of Ireland, he was way above that level, the reason he never made it at Everton, too homesick.

Colin Bell what a brilliant player for City. Went to Maine
Road many times, Bobby Collins debut.
We played City in a league cup tie, a night game about 1968.

Everton had a scratch team out, but a ginger haired lad
named Billy Brindle.(what happened to him)

(RIP COLIN BELL)

Sad to hear about Colin Bell.

When I was a kid growing up in Crosby, we had an auntie Ginny Colman who was not really our auntie it was the days when all the old dears sat out in the street at night to talk and what have you.

Anyway Auntie Gin's lad was Tony Colman who played for Man City and one night I remember in particular he turned up to see his mam with Colin Bell with him and they both ended up playing football in the street with us kids.

Great days and both nice fellas. Where have all the good guys gone? Stay safe, everyone. RIP, Colin.

Ray (47), nice to see you on ToffeeWeb, hope you are okay. Re Billy Brindle, a little right half, full of energy and ready to work his socks off for the Blues, sadly that game at City was one of only two games he played for the Toffees, Catterick let him go to Barnsley on a free transfer and then he drifted in to non league football, still he wore the first team jersey, enough to be proud of.

Don (48)I worked with a good lad in Manweb Marsh Lane Bootle, he used to knock around with Tony Colman, told me a few good tales about him, a bit of a character, I never met him but remember when City played in a cup final at Wembley he, and a couple more City players had a bit of gentle banter with Princess Anne, or Princess Margaret before the game, she took it well, I think!!

Dave (49),

I know it's a cliché but people were different back then. Footballers, by-and-large were normal blokes. It might be wistful thinking but everything was better back then, or so it seemed.

Christy, I too saw Martin Murray. Honest to God he really was that good. I saw Seamus Coleman and Shane Duffy and was evangelical about them on this site but Martin was so special.

I take, perhaps unreasonably, great pleasure in seeing Irish lads do well at our club. Martin really was a contender. If you know, Christy, I'd like to know how things turned out for him.

Brent @19, you woud have seen some great players for Man City back then, Bell, Summerbee, Lee and Corrigan. My dad always maintained that Colin Bell was the best midfielder that he's seen play for England. Unlucky to end career early due to injury.

The Everton and Man City teams of the late '60s were both sublime and an era when footballers didn't drive a Lamborghini.

Don (50), yes I see the past like that, life was more normal, not talking about the present situation, but personalities in sport, show business and even politics were more down to earth and accessible than their counterparts today and living, though tough, was easier than it is today.

Andy (51), well here's another Irishman for you, in the three games between Everton and City in our 1966 cup run City's inside forward Johnny Crossan, was a stand out performer for me, don't know how long he was with City or where he finished up, but in those three games he was excellent.

Joe #52, a great story was that of Tony Book. Was he 32 when he captained Man City to the title?! After a long time playing non-league (and then City via Plymouth)!

Brent (55),

Although Tony Book was a non-league player he was well known to Malcolm Allison the Man City assistant manager to Joe Mercer and it was Malcolm who instigated the signing of Tony Book, a very good right-back, who made a brilliant block on the line from Alan Ball in the 1969 semi-final v Man City at Villa Park not long before City scored the winner in the last minute from a corner.

Dave, you've got a great memory. Just a mine of information. I think Tony Book was the opposite of Colin Bell in terms of elegance. But very effective in his own way.

Dave #54,

Unfortunately "Jobby" Crossan was in a car crash which, although not serious, effectively brought his footballing career to an end.

He eventually ended up running a sports shop in his home town and has only recently retired from that but is, as far as I know, still alive and kicking. Must be in his early eighties now.

Brendan (59), thanks for that on Johnny (Jobby) Crossan, glad to know he's alive and kick in', very good player.

, By the way, do any of you Irish lads remember or know about an Irish player with Dundalk, Jim Hasty, the one-armed centre-forward?

I remember reading about him, seems he was a very popular man as well as a player, drew the crowds in all over the place because of his unusual handicap and also because of his goalscoring ability.

Hi Dave [60],

I knew that Johnny Crossan played on the continent and travelled home to play for Ireland. On looking it up he played for Sparta Rotterdam and Sporting Liege.

Colin Bell was a great player. RIP. I enjoyed watching the City forward line of the late 60s with Bell, Lee, Summerbee, Young and Coleman. Also, Alan Oakes had a fierce shot.

Tony #41, tune in to BBC 1 at 5:00 pm on Sunday, you may just see a throwback to how footy can still be when Marine take on Spurs.

Don #48, wasn't Tony Colman brought up in Jubilee Road, which runs alongside Marine's ground?

Alan, Chris, I'm also a great fan of Neil Young, I've seen him several times, most recently in Lucca, Italy, but also at the Empire in the early '70s when he was supported by a little known band called The Eagles. If you cast your eye towards the Marine managerial chair on Sunday, you'll see him there, he really is multi-talented.

Dave #49, what a player Billy Brindle looked for the youth team. Could have been a contender. Thanks for re-opening the wound of that 1969 FA Cup semi-final, in the long list of Everton disappointments over the years that match is right up there.

Peter,

The romance of the FA Cup!
Just a shame that the loyal fans cant be there.
Anyone know how much Marine will get for this game?

In the late sixties and early seventies Colin Bell was one of the top players in the UK. He had some engine!

Peter (#63), over Xmas I read a report of the Marine Game v FC of Manchester and it gave one of Marines scorers as being Anthony Miley.
I live between Bangor & Caernarfon and until Bangor split into 2 clubs a few seasons ago I used to watch them pretty regularly. One of their best players and my favourite was a centre half by the name of Anthony Miley and I am presuming it is the same player.
Are you able to confirm this and tell me how he has been performing for Marine?

I re member going to the Kingsway Club in Southport very late 60's/very early 70's and the whole City squad was in including Colin Bell. Needless to say most blokes were stood at the bar as there was only one place the women wanted to be, even Tony Book may have got lucky that night.

Bill #66, yes, one and the same.

For me he is one of the outstanding performers in the team, strong in the air, likes a tackle, reads the game well, has a strong centre-back partnership with David Raven, and has popped up with several important goals.

Thomas #64, I don't know accurate figures, but I believe the TV rights are into 6 figures, and 4,500 virtual tickets have been sold @ £10 each.

They were looking for a £20k-£25k match sponsor fee, which fell through when fans were barred, but Jamie Carragher's charitable foundation stepped in. There is also about £25k prize money, but this will increase considerably when they reach the 4th Round!

Mid to late sixties, yeah. I remember Billy Brindle... small, tenacious, skillful midfielder... looked a real prospect.

But I seem to think we had another dynamic red-haired player at the time. Decent player..what was his name now... 🤔🤔🤔?

Dave Abrahams (54)

Yes that those three games against City in "66. We won at Wolverhampton"s ground Moliyneux, It was a night game, Johnny Crossan was havlng some good touches, think he hit our crossbar.

I"m OK Dave Have a happy new year. CYB.

Thanks Peter, glad he's still going strong. He was player of the season a few times at Bangor.

Sad news regarding Colin Bell who I think was a Rolls-Royce of a footballer. Slightly off-topic but in a similar vein, I'd like fellow Toffee Webbers to say a prayer for and hold in their thoughts a player named Hughie Ryden. Hughie is Scottish and was one of 5 boys, 3 of whom played professional football.
All 3 have suffered from Dementia, Hughie having been diagnosed some 12 months ago, aged 77. There is an article in today's Daily Mail about the brothers.

Hughie played in the '60s and '70s for several English lower-league teams including Chester. Before I started work in 1967, as I couldn't afford to go to watch The Blues, I used to watch Chester regularly.

Hughie has a claim to fame in that, as part of Chester's 5-man forward line (2-3-5 formation in them days), each of the 5 forwards scored over 20 goals in the 1964-65 season which is some feat and as far as I am aware the only time it has happened. Chester scored 141 goals that season.

There is also a link to Everton in this in that Chester's centre forward at the time was a Gary Talbot, who later on was Everton's official match day photographer.

Ray (71), glad you're okay Ray, Happy new year to you.

Hi Dave [49],

Your reference to Billy Brindle took me back to a schoolboy match at Anfield. I had heard glowing reports of a kid named Alan Whittle and was eager to see him in action.

The match was Liverpool Boys vs Leicester Boys, and the two stand-out players were Billy Brindle and the Leicester keeper. I believe that the keeper was none other than Peter Shilton.

I'll tell you how I came to that conclusion: I have checked the birth dates of each and they are as follows: Peter Shilton – 18 September 1949; Billy Brindle 29 January 1950; Alan Whittle 10 March 1950. Brindle and Shilton, if that's who it was, were absolutely brilliant.

Peter #69

Thanks mate. That will be a nice boost for the club.

Just thinking about the stick Summerbee used to get about his conk. How would he have got on with VAR? Always offside?

Phil

I remember Gordon West thumping him on it, when he was doing his ‘accidentally hitting centre forwards who tried to stop him throwing the ball out' act. Lucky he didn't cut himself on that proboscis!

Did it once too often and got sent off against Newcastle, who scored the winner from the resultant penalty in injury time.

He then proceeded to give poor Sandy Brown a dog's abuse for failing to save it, in the dressing room

And people think Pickford's flaky!

Yes Peter (63), he did. There used to be a piece of waste ground half-way down we called The Mission that sided with Rosset Park where we all played football and had our bonfire. I was actually born in Jubilee and knew the Colmans well. As they say, "salt of the earth".

Chris, Gordon was indeed flaky. My dad took me to see the Irish League play the Football League (yes a vain name) many years ago. We were sat in the Railway Stand behind Gordon's goal and I couldn't concentrate on the game for Gordon kicking the shit out of the goalposts.

Yes Andy,

But still an Everton great.

He was indeed, Chris. I should have added that the game was shit and watching Gordon West was a really big deal for me.

Actually seeing Football League players was like Fantasy Island. I remember watching Liverpool and Plymouth at Windsor Park in the space of a few days. Me and my mates were totally gobsmacked that these guys had sun tans. It was beyond our comprehension.