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Post by Deleted on Jan 5, 2021 21:34:05 GMT
Colin Bell whose death has just been announced was one of my early football heroes. He was the one I looked forward to seeing when my Dad took my to my first professional game as part of my 11th birthday present in 1974. Unfortunately he picked up an injury that all but wrecked his knee and would probably have finished the career of players will a lesser will to overcome it.
By 1977 and as a season ticket holder I was privileged to be at the Boxing Day game v Newcastle United when he came on as a half time substitute. The atmosphere, after one of the drabbest first halves imaginable changed in a fraction of a second from that post Christmas too much turkey and boddies ale into one you could almost touch, absolutely electric. Newcastle had no chance as City scored 4 without reply, Bell even managing rattle the crossbar from 20 yards out.
I don't generally reply to threads like these but for me Colin Bell encapsulated everything that was fantastic about the game, the excitement that for me at least nothing else has been able to match, the shared experience with others who for 90 minutes at least can put all the sh*t in their lives onto one side and lose themselves in the spectacle playing out in front of them put on by their heroes. There have of course been other, exclusively County heroes, since I started playing senior football as 15 year old and ditched City as in those days County played on a Friday night but Colin Bell was one such and so, RIP Colin and thanks for the memories.
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Post by gazz on Jan 5, 2021 22:01:47 GMT
It was Martin Buchan who pretty much finished his career if I remember correctly?
It's always sad to lose great players from the past, but my Dad (genuinely lifelong City fan who saw the highs of the 60s and mostly lows that followed and deserved to see them win that "Agueroooo" title) absolutely idolised Bell, Lee and Summerbee, so I'm sad for him too.
In fact, I'm convinced the only reason he took me to my first County game (2-0 win v York City in the 1978/79 season) was because one of those three was player manager at the time.
RIP, Colin.
"Better than Best"?
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Post by hatter_in_macc on Jan 6, 2021 0:12:42 GMT
Brilliant midfielder - years ahead of his time, really - and an extremely sad loss.
RIP.
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Post by bringbacklenwhite on Jan 6, 2021 9:26:16 GMT
Probably the best player I ever saw in blue at Maine Road.
I thought he had ice skates on his feet rather than studded boots the way he glided through players.
Sad, and not very old. RIP Colin Bell.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 6, 2021 12:22:21 GMT
Probably the best player I ever saw in blue at Maine Road. I thought he had ice skates on his feet rather than studded boots the way he glided through players. Sad, and not very old. RIP Colin Bell. I was watching some youtube footage of him playing last night and he had to glide over the pitch. In an era before sunlamps being shone on the pitch to make sure that the grass grows all year round some of the surfaces he played on had been reduced to a swamp with barely a blade of grass in sight by February. People should remember that when trying to compare De Bruyne with Bell or any other player from the past. Apparently the playing surface at Wembley for the 1968 league cup final had been reduced to what looked like a ploughed field by the Wembley International horse show which had taken place on it only 6 weeks before!
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Post by archie on Jan 6, 2021 13:15:03 GMT
Watch how much ground he covers to score the second goal.
That was the FA Cup 4th round in 1971. I was there and it rained all afternoon. Although the pictures are in black and white, in colour it would have been brown and white on most of the pitch.
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Post by gazz on Jan 6, 2021 17:18:02 GMT
I was watching some youtube footage of him playing last night and he had to glide over the pitch. In an era before sunlamps being shone on the pitch to make sure that the grass grows all year round some of the surfaces he played on had been reduced to a swamp with barely a blade of grass in sight by February. People should remember that when trying to compare De Bruyne with Bell or any other player from the past. Apparently the playing surface at Wembley for the 1968 league cup final had been reduced to what looked like a ploughed field by the Wembley International horse show which had taken place on it only 6 weeks before! This ↑↑↑ Watch how much ground he covers to score the second goal. That was the FA Cup 4th round in 1971. I was there and it rained all afternoon. Although the pictures are in black and white, in colour it would have been brown and white on most of the pitch. And this ↑↑↑ If it was physically possible, the best way to compare Bell with De Bruyne would be to let them both play a game in each other's eras, including kits, boots, rules and pitches. I'm pretty certain that Bell would come out on top in that particular experiment, by some considerable distance. Great player.
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