Colin Bell.  RIP

I am saddened to hear that former Manchester City & England star Colin Bell has passed away today aged 74.

The word Legend is often thrown about. For those old enough to remember football in the 70's (and 60's) Colin Bell was a player that was truly a legend. Loved at City ...admired by others.

One of my earliest football heroes. Like most City fans in their 50's and 60's for me Colin Bell is the Greatest player to ever grace a City shirt.

He was an ambassador of the club and loved by the fans. I met him once......quite unassuming for such a great player ...a true gentleman.

A great player for England as well.

We've lost a number of footballing greats from my childhood in recent months. The news of Colin Bell's passing has upset me greatly.


RIP Colin the King.

One of those players who made the game look so easy.

RIP.

My favourite player when I was a kid.

What touch and vision on the pitch whos style would fit in today.

RIP

Fabulous player.

Only 74. Very young to die by today's standards.

RIP one of the true greats.

What a great player he was and what an unlucky player to have suffered not one but two bad injuries within a year that finished his career at the age of 30. He was in line to be one of the great World Cup players too.

I saw him play just once and he seemed to be like the Energiser Bunny, he never stopped running the whole game. I believe he was rated the hardest working player in the league but to have his skill level too was phenomenal.

RIP Colin, some great memories.

outstanding player  saw him play 2-3times for city  early 70s when not at a Town game RIP

Quoted from TheRonRaffertyFanClub

What a great player he was and what an unlucky player to have suffered not one but two bad injuries within a year that finished his career at the age of 30. He was in line to be one of the great World Cup players too.

I saw him play just once and he seemed to be like the Energiser Bunny, he never stopped running the whole game. I believe he was rated the hardest working player in the league but to have his skill level too was phenomenal.

RIP Colin, some great memories.

As you say " He never stopped running " , hence his nickname " Nijinski "

Before my time really but was brought back to the limelight in recent years when City fans were trying to get the stand named after him in the clubs competition , "The Bell End " ,  an affectionate comical tribute to one of their greats.

Great player and never stopped running RIP Colin.

Quoted from moosey_club

Before my time really but was brought back to the limelight in recent years when City fans were trying to get the stand named after him in the clubs competition , "The Bell End " ,  an affectionate comical tribute to one of their greats.

Perhaps if we ever get a new ground we could name one of our stands with that.

I can think of several candidates who it could be named after.

yes sad always

but not the most gifted of players technically, but an engine on him no doubt.

RIP

Quoted from Boris Johnson

yes sad always

but not the most gifted of players technically, but an engine on him no doubt.

RIP

He was superb. Control, passing, running with and without the ball and good in the air. His mantra to young players as youth coach was “head up, be aware”. Nearly 50 internationals playing almost directly in competition with Bobby Charlton and would have had many more.

Mike Summerbee said he just did not know how good he was. Tom Finney thought he was “some player”. Captain of Bury at 19. The list goes on - not bad for someone “not the most gifted of players technically.”

Quoted from Boris Johnson

yes sad always

but not the most gifted of players technically, but an engine on him no doubt.

RIP

Not for the first time I disagree, even in a tribute you have a dig, well he was technically gifted and had great energy. I suggest he watch a few of his games. I have listened to some of his teammates who said he had everything.

RIP a gifted player in every way.

Went to see Colin Bell (+Franny Lee & Mike Summerbee) around 1968. They were my favorite non-town players. As a 14 year old I caught the train to Manchester, found a bus to the ground by locating MC scarfs at a bus stop. Watched the match (Can not remember who against) sitting on wooden benches behind one of the goals. City scored 4 (Franny Lee got 2) and won, got bus and train back to Grimsby, all without my parents knowing! They thought I was going to Hull with a friends and his mother to buy a new coat. Before the match I had popped into C&A and bought a coat (wrong size - but I did grow into it).
As much as I enjoyed the experience, I lost interest in other clubs/players except Grimsby Town.

RIP Colin

Quoted from Boris Johnson

yes sad always

but not the most gifted of players technically, but an engine on him no doubt.

RIP

You don’t score some of the fantastic goals he did without a superb technique.

RIP Colin

I started uni in Salford in 1968, I used to go to Man U one week, Man C the next.

I went away as a bit of a Man U fan like many at the time so I was watching Best, Stiles, Crerand, Stepney one week and Bell, Lee, Summerbee, Young, Book the next week.

Man City soon became my favourite non-Town team, their football was exhilarating, constant attacking football under Mercer+Allison and I stood in the shallow stand that was the Kippax and it was just brilliant to watch.

Colin Bell was just a magnificent footballer in that midfield, constantly driving the team forward at pace and the combination of Lee, Summerbee, Young and Bell was the best around at the time.

Really sad to see he's passed away.

RIP Colin

Quoted from 140067

Not for the first time I disagree, even in a tribute you have a dig, well he was technically gifted and had great energy. I suggest you watch a few of his games. I have listened to some of his teammates who said he had everything.

Quoted from moosey_club

Before my time really but was brought back to the limelight in recent years when City fans were trying to get the stand named after him in the clubs competition , "The Bell End " ,  an affectionate comical tribute to one of their greats.

I think that this was a poll that City ran to name the stands when they moved to The Etihad from Maine Road.
It got hijacked by United fans who proposed and then voted for this name, although the west stand was named "The Colin Bell Stand".

Colin ‘The King’ Bell, his Mum died at a very young age (some reports say due to childbirth), his Dad a Miner and his older sister brought him up. When he was 2 years old he was kicking a football in the school playground whilst his Sister had lessons, as there was no child care available and his Dad was on a shift down the pit.

A wonderful trophy laden career cut short cruelly by a Martin Buchan tackle during a League Cup 4th Rd tie in 75’ that City won 4-0 ... ironic the Blues are playing the same opposition tonight?

Only David Silva in my opinion comes close to equalling the best player to represent MCFC (although older Blues say he was KDB, Yaya & Merlin combined i.e. the complete player)

RIP Legend💙😞

Quoted from Grantham_Mariner

Went to see Colin Bell (+Franny Lee & Mike Summerbee) around 1968. They were my favorite non-town players. As a 14 year old I caught the train to Manchester, found a bus to the ground by locating MC scarfs at a bus stop. Watched the match (Can not remember who against) sitting on wooden benches behind one of the goals. City scored 4 (Franny Lee got 2) and won, got bus and train back to Grimsby, all without my parents knowing! They thought I was going to Hull with a friends and his mother to buy a new coat. Before the match I had popped into C&A and bought a coat (wrong size - but I did grow into it).
As much as I enjoyed the experience, I lost interest in other clubs/players except Grimsby Town.

RIP Colin

12th October 1968
Football League First Division
Maine Road (Attendance: 38,119)

Manchester City 4-0 Tottenham Hotspur
(Coleman 5, Lee 9, 60(pen) & Connor 71)

Manchester City
1 - Harry Dowd
2 - Dave Connor
3 - Glyn Pardoe
4 - Mike Doyle
5 - Tommy Booth
6 - Alan Oakes
7 - Franny Lee
8 - Colin Bell
9 - Mike Summerbee
10 - Neil Young
11 - Tony Coleman

12 - Stan Bowles (unused sub)

Manager - Joe Mercer

Tottenham Hotspur
1 - Pat Jennings
2 - Joe Kinnear
3 - Tony Want
4 - Alan Mullery
5 - Mike England (off 53 mins)
6 - Phil Beal
7 - Jimmy Robertson
8 - Jimmy Greaves
9 - Jimmy Pearce
10 - Terry Venables
11 - Alan Gilzean

12 - Cyril Knowles (on 53 mins)

Manager - Bill Nicholson

[img]https://www.citytilidie.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/tottenham-home-1968-to-69-lee-goal-1024x716.jpg[/img]
Franny Lee scoring his first goal.

[img]https://www.citytilidie.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/tottenham-home-1968-to-69-action-1024x690.jpg[/img]
The ball running through to Tottenham goalkeeper Pat Jennings.

Where do you start with those 2 teams?

Obviously Lee, Bell & Summerbee for City. Also a young Stan Bowles was an usused sub. Joe Mercer was manager with Malcolm Allison his assistant. And Tottenham had the legendary Bill Nicholson as manager and their team featured Jennings, Greaves & Gilzean. But also appearing were a future England manager (Venables), a future England captain (Mullery),a future Wales manager (England) and some bloke who Mike Ashley would befriend in a casino (Kinnear).

Lee (2, 1 pen)

The customary Man City scoreline summary.

Worthy winners tonight, seeing ‘Buzzer‘ Summerbee with a tear in his eye was quite moving 😥

Manchester is Blue 💙

Nothing ever really swayed me from being a Mariner once I'd seen us play, but I have to confess I was a MODT City "fan" when I was a kid

It all started when they pipped United to the title in '68 and my favourite player from that side was Colin Bell

I always tried to emulate his game whenever I played... came nowhere near of course but he was my inspiration

RIP.... a legend lost