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| Mike happy in his new role with City |
Firstly Mike I'd like to thank you for spending the time with me to conduct this interview. Mike your father George was both a player and a manger when you were growing up, can you tell me what it was like having a father in the game of Football from such an early age?
He was at Preston North End at the time, he was there when there were a lot of Scottish internationals there at the time like Bill Shankley, and Andy Beattie was there. I was only young whilst he was there, about six or seven, and he went from Preston North End to Barrow. and he got the job as a manager at Cheltenham Town Football club. It was a big move as you can imagine going from Preston to Cheltenham, a totally different way of life. In the fact it was southern league, I was a young boy brought up in the North and suddenly I was living in Gloucestershire where there are trees in the streets and promenades and all the things were different. It was good, but unfortunately at the time my father, we didn't know had a rare disease called Addison’s disease and unfortunately he died when he was 39. But he did a very good job at Cheltenham, me and my brother used to go down and watch all the games and work on the ground in the summer time during the school holidays. I enjoyed it, I enjoyed being in the company of my father when he was there and watched how he worked and how the players respected him. It was definitely a part of my education in the game.
Did you grow up a Cheltenham Town fan or was Preston your first love?
Well I am, I always try to watch Cheltenham Town results, and I mean I didn't play for Cheltenham but my father managed it. I played for Swindon Town. I played for Cheltenham boys and Gloucestershire boys, but yeah I always try to watch for the results as I would with Swindon Town, its part of my life. I'm a fan of Cheltenham Town, I'm a fan of Swindon Town, and I'm a fan of Burnley, they're all the teams I've played for.
At at young age you were taken on board by Bristol City, why do you feel Bristol City never agreed to let you stay on at the club and never realized the talent you had like other clubs you played for did?
When I was fifteen I went down to Bristol City on trial. I helped about with the ground staff and Fred Beasley was the manager there. I got a bit of home sickness so I left and went back to Cheltenham. I just continued and a gentleman called Cecil Green came calling, who was a scout from Swindon Town, and asked me would I go there and play in their 'B' team which I did, and eventually their 'A' team and eventually then when I was sixteen I went on to play for their first team.
You signed for Swindon in 1959 where you later went on to make 218 league appearances for the club, what is the most memorable moment from your time at Swindon Town Football Club?
Well Swindon was my apprenticeship you know, Bert Head was our manager, a great manager, he believed in young players and gave us the opportunity to play and I played with Bobby Woodrum, Don Rogers, Keith Morgan, who like myself were all 16 or 17 year olds. I enjoyed it. It was a good education as we had a good cup run so Swindon Town is a team that is very close to my heart. Bert Head was really the person that set me on my way to be a professional footballer.
You signed for City on August 20th 1965 for a minimal fee of just £35,000. When you heard City were first interested in you, what was the attraction to the club and was there many doubts in your mind?
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| Mike lining out for the Blues. |
They weren't really interested, I phoned Joe Mercer. He tried to sign me for Villa when he was manager there and I was at Swindon. I was on the deckchairs at Torquay at the time, as we used to do every summer. I just phoned him up, we agreed a fee and I just drove up. There was no problem about City because of the history and the great players. I used to go to Birmingham and watch City play there. All the top sides used to play at Villa Park, the Albion, or Wolverhampton Wanderers. So I had the opportunity to go with my brother and go and watch these sides playing with some terrific players like Roy Paul, Ken Barnes, and I enjoyed it there with the best coach ever with Malcolm Allison.
Do you think Malcolm Allison's approach to management was more so as a friend rather than a coach? He was the number two at City at the time and you seem to have had a great deal of time for Malcolm even after you stopped playing?
Malcolm Allison was a coach, he was never a manager, and he was a coach only. You can have all the coaches the Wenger's, the Mourinho's, Allison was better than all of them. I don't think so either, I know so. They are doing things today we were doing in 1965. He was so far ahead of his time it was unbelievable. Malcolm was a person who enjoyed his life; he had a steady rock in someone like Joe Mercer, a gentleman I respected like Sir Matt Busby. Malcolm worked with Joe and Joe simply controlled him which kept the reins on him. The partnership of Joe and Allison was brilliant. Super!
Two days after signing for City, you were involved in a horrific accident, take me through what happened Mike?
What it was, I signed on the Friday and had to play away at Middlesbrough on the Saturday and had to come back. I left my car outside the ground, which I thought was safe. I got in the car to drive back to Swindon and got as far as Stafford and the wheel came off, because someone had loosened the bolts on the wheel. I got out of it; I had a few stitches to my head and my arm.I went back to Manchester after the accident and played on the Tuesday at Molineux. It was the times when the camera was low down, so if you sat on one side of the ground you couldn't see the players, so the front row on the opposite side of the pitch were always empty. I went for a ball down the touch line and a fan came up behind me and pushed me into the stands so I had 18 stitches in my head, 6 in my arm and I managed to play on the Saturday against Coventry.
In 1967 I read that there was a contract issue, which you nearly left City. Was there much truth to that or would you like to clarify for the readers?
Once we got promotion from the second division, I was earning weekly £35 a week and I went in and asked for a raise. Joe Mercer said how much do you want. I said £10 and he said "I can't afford it, we can't afford ten pounds". I don't know how but it somehow got into the papers and Sir Matt came in and offered the £10 and Joe Mercer gave me the £10. Anytime I seen Sir Matt, I used to say "Thanks boss, thanks for that £10". We used to call him boss, we called Joe Mercer boss that's the way we were. In those days you had Bill Nicholson at Tottenham, Bill Shankley at Liverpool, Sir Matt Busby at Manchester United, and Matt Gillis at Leicester. There were so many managers who were there for so many years and were respected, also were the figureheads of the football club.
Now of days players like Luis Suarez, Didier Drogba, Mario Balotelli and Gareth Bale have been victimized and labelled cheats. Didn't you feel victimized by referee's in your career at times?
No not really no. It was never that way. I have to say the standard of refereeing in our day was very very good. It was easier, the game wasn't as quick, and the pitches weren't as hard so it wasn't as difficult for them. Also there was tackling from behind then, the game was a lot more physical. There weren’t as much people diving around doing stupid things. There was never a game also where people were giving a penalty because they were Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United or Liverpool. Everyone was treated equally. If you got sent off in those days, you deserved to get sent off.
Do you, in your honest opinion, feel that it was a tougher game in your time rather than now?
They were just hard players, they weren't dirty players. Dave MacKay wasn't a dirty player he was just a hard player. There was a lot of strong hard players back then like Andy Lochhead, Dennis Law, Ian St. John, all these people were tough people who could handle themselves. There was no favouritism in referees in them days. If you got into trouble, they'd just come along side you with the game going and tell you "Anymore of that and you'll be in the bath", and there was a great relationship between the players and referee's in those days almost like a friendship, man to man. If you were going to get into trouble they'd tell you to take it easy and if it went well they'd walk up and say well done, nice to see you and boom......that was it.
The 1967/1968 season in many ways been labelled very similar to last season in terms of style of football, the flair, and most notably the end of season fixtures. Do you think it's good for Manchester to have two teams going head to head like they did then and now once again?
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| Mike, Francis Lee and Colin Bell |
The thing is we had to go to Newcastle and we didn't have to win, we only had to draw. Manchester United had to draw the game whilst we only had to draw, however we did go away to Newcastle and we won 4-3 and Manchester United got beat at home by Sunderland 1-2 I think it was. It was very similar as you say to last finish and our teams finish. It was on the last day when City was vying for the Championship like last season. It was very similar in many ways, but for sure it will never be as dramatic. You'll never get a moment like that anywhere ever again. It was that good everyone throughout the world knows that goal. But it's good for Manchester that both sides are going for the Title. It's good for the game also.
Francis, Yourself, and Colin received a name in the football world for your amazing partnership on the field. Was your off field chemistry as good off the field as well as on it?
Well yeah, I'm seeing Francis today; Colin is quieter who only comes to the Football ground on a Saturday to do some work. He keeps away from everything. He's a very shy man and everyone is to their own. Colin is probably the most famous out of the three of us but he keeps a low profile. I think it's an unfortunate thing because so many people want to meet him and so many want to see him but that is the way he wants to conduct his life.
The cup final of 1969, the three of you were in the form of your career's with Neil Young up front. If possible to choose, what was more memorable for you personally. The cup or the Championship?
It’s difficult really. The F.A. Cup is something very special. You see like the Matthews final (1953 final, Blackpool vs. Bolton) and all other games I used to watch as a kid. Look what it meant to those players. The F.A Cup is a special thing but to win the Championship, and because it's a season where you have to be consistent and play well whilst being up top all the time. The feeling for winning was fantastic but the feeling for winning the Championship knowing you were in for a hard day but off after a tough season it was the ultimate thing. To sit in the bath at the end of the game knowing you won the Championship and to have beaten all the great sides and the great players it's something very special.
Remind us all once again Mike about the famous nose wiping incident at the Stretford End?
You could do that then but you'd get sent off now if you did that. There was banter and they used to sing about me but it was all part of the banter of it all and the fun of it all. It was just a place where I used to get a bit of stick. So I just went to take a corner and decided to blow my nose on the corner flag. It was just a bit of fun. It wasn't with any bit of disrespect to Manchester United it was only fun, something you could do.
Let's talk about England for a minute Mike. You were in and out of the side a lot during your career. How did it feel for you missing out on Mexico 1970 whilst Francis and Colin both made Sir Alf Ramsey's squad?
I was in the initial 25 man squad and then four of us were drawn. In all the times I played for England I was played Centre Forward. I didn't really deserve to go to Mexico and the people that did go to Mexico deserved to because they were on form and it's a step up which I unfortunately never made. Francis and Colin did go to Mexico and they were both very successful England players. There wasn't any envy because out of the three of us I was the first City player to play for England for many years (Mike was the first player since 1955 to play for England when he made his debut against Scotland at Hamden Park in 1967). I'm also not that type of person. They represented the football club and they represented England. I just wasn't good enough to go to Mexico it was as simple as that. I don't envy the players today that are on fantastic wages because our wages were slightly higher than players before me. They were all great lads and I was privileged to work with them. They (present players) are all very respectful to me and Tony Book when we travel, even though they have probably won more trophies than we could have dreamed of.
In 1972/1973 season you were some way ahead of Brian Clough's Derby County when Malcolm Allison then manager at City decided to purchase one Rodney Marsh. Was there any blame on Rodney for losing the league as City eventually went on to let a six point led at the top vanish?
Rodney was a nice man and still is a good pal of mine but it was a mistake by Malcolm and he put him in the side. If he kept him until next season because we only had a couple of games to go, he would have been able to reach the fitness levels we had and it wouldn't have had to alter the team and gone on to win the championship. He knows that, we've all spoken to it and it's a bit of fun now "Oh we lost the league cause of Rodney". It's just one of those things that happened at the time. He's a good pal of mine and he went on to become very successful the season after.
In 1974 you were subject of a £75,000 bid from Leeds. Would you have left City to join Don Revie's Leeds United?
I was going to go to Leeds. I was in London on business and I got a phone call from Ron Saunders, who was manager at City at that time, and told me that a fee had been agreed. When I came back to the ground I learnt that the deal had broken down because Ron Saunders had verbally agreed a fee on the phone with Don Revie and he put the fee up because he wanted to sign Pearson from Hull (Stuart) and Don Revie had pulled out because it was a gentleman's agreement on the phone so he didn't like that. He phoned me up and said "Sorry Mike" and that was it. I would have gone to Leeds though no problem.
It's very much evident that you and Tony Book's relationship is more than professional and almost brotherly. When Tony was manager at City in 1975 he put you on the transfer list. Why was that and did it cause friction and tension in your long lasting friendship?
NO, no, no Tony has been my pal. He played against me when I was 16 for Bath City. He got the job as a manger and first of all you have to make changes because you can't manage a club where you have got some very personal friends and he explained everything to me and there was no problem. No he's still a big friend of mine, he comes to the games with me and there is no animosity between us at all. He's been our most successful manager since Mancini.
Your time at City came to an end in 1975 when you moved almost a world away to Burnley, what attracted you to Burnley Football Club? Was there any doubts about to move despite less than two years previously you were on the verge of joining for the best team in England since the turn of the decade?
Well it was no problem. I didn't go to Leeds because the deal broke down, not because of me. I went to Burnley because they were a good club and still are a good club and one of the best I've been to. Bob Lord was chairman and Jimmy Adamson was manager and it was brilliant. It was only an hour away from me in the car, the same as it would have been if I went to Leeds so it was no problem. Leeds is a big club, so are Burnley. They had a good youth policy there, I enjoyed it. I did a reasonable job for them but I was coming to the end of my career so no none at all, it didn't cross my mind when I signed for Burnley.
You were 34 after the move to Burnley. You moved to Blackpool where you were claimed by the chairman a "mistake buy". You left after only three appearances, what went so wrong?
Basically the Chairman signed me and the manager didn't want me but its okay. It's just an incident I forget about. I also had a few injury problems also and I went to Stockport from there and enjoyed it at Stockport.
You had a brief spell at Stockport Mike before retiring, did you ever plan to go into management after your playing days?
No I was manager at Stockport for 18 months whilst I had a business at that time. I played 87 times there for them and I packed it in. I enjoyed it but it was time to pack it in even though I did enjoy it and that was it. I went on to concentrate on my shirt business which I still have and I work at the Football Club now. I enjoy very much too.
You've had a very successful career outside the game in terms of business and fame. In 1981 you appeared in 'Escape To Victory' along with many other stars, how did that opportunity come about?
Bobby Moore got me into it. He was a big pal of mine and asked did I fancy making a film and I said yeah, so we went to Budapest and all the great players were there. Pele, Kazimierz Deyna, Ardiles, Bobby was there and we had a great time. All the lads from Ipswich were there and some great actors were there too. It was good film. It's cult movie now. It’s quite popular. We went to London a few years ago for a signing and people were all there in their Escape to Victory shirts and calling you by the characters in the film. It was a great moment to work with Michael Caine.
In the early 1990s you were part of a team along with Francis Lee that bought City out of the hands of Peter Swales after he spent twenty one years at the top. What was your opinion of Swales and what convinced you to go ahead with the takeover?
To me he was a nice man sometimes, but when I went to Burnley he reneged on the deal a bit you know. Where I was going to join Burnley for free, he charged £35,000 despite me playing for him for ten years. So he wasn't Mr Popular but Francis Lee did a wonderful job at the Football Club. He increased the revenue and got the Kippax built and also got the Stadium here for us. He was the one that negotiated the deal for that. He is a great friend and it was the right thing to happen. I wasn't a part of the financial aspect of it. It was a great change and he did a good job. John Wardle came in and done well. Then Taskin came in and promised a lot but didn't deliver. Sheikh Mansour came in and it's been brilliant.
You joined City as a commercial executive with the club aiming to increase the revenue commercially. You must have helped bring in your son Nicky to the club?
I came in as a commercial executive but I didn't bring him. It was difficult for him because people compare but he was very successful here and eventually moved on to Sunderland with Niall Quinn. If you go to Sunderland he is a god Nicholas. He's the best crosser of a ball going and better than Beckham. You might laugh but he is when it comes to crossing a ball. He beat people David Beckham couldn't. They had Johnson on the left. Niall Quinn and the little fella (Kevin Phillips) and what a double act that was.
November 25th 2005, you lost one of your closest friends in George Best. Tell me about your friendship with George?
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| Mike alongside best friend, George Best. |
George Best was one of the nicest people you could ever want to meet. He was a genius. He wasn't a great footballer he was a genius. We used to never speak about football we just had a great relationship outside the game. When we played against each other he never came over and took the rise out of me I used to tell him "don't come over here George and try take the p*ss out of me by putting the ball through my legs to make me look daft or we won't be going out tonight", and he said "I'd see you tonight Mick". He became my best man. A great man, a very shy man. A very misunderstood man. If he was playing to day he'd be breath taking to watch because of no tackling. He would be unbelievable, unbelievable. The football goes out the window in our relationship. We holiday'd together. We did things together. Very sadly missed by me and by
all the fans. He is in the top four or five players in the world ever.
February 2011 the Manchester Derby at Old Trafford. You were a pundit for Sky, what caused your famous outburst on live Television that day? Is there any truth to the rumour that you nearly walked out?
No it weren't because of the way they portrayed us they were just talking to themselves. So I said by the way, there is two teams out there today. Manchester City nearly won the game which took a moment of genius for them to win the game and they said asked had I ever seen a goal like that before and I said "Yes Pele in Escape to Victory". I stuck up for what was right. We were the better side but it was a fantastic goal by Wayne Rooney what won the game. So I had to stick up for what I felt simple as that and I won't ever go on again. They won't invite me on because they only want people that agree and that's why Gary Neville is the best one about for awhile as he says it how it is. I've known the Neville's and their Dad for many many years. You knew very much so when Gary Neville took the job for Sky that he was going to tell the truth. I wouldn't mind going on with him to see how we get on.
Mike recently you have fought off cancer. A shock to any City supporter when we discovered the news, just to clarify you are in full health now and back to your best?
I'm okay me. No problem at all. I'm super.
Finally Mike, on a personal note I'd like to add thank you for your time to conduct this interview today. I'm sure our readers will no doubt enjoy reading this. My final thought is my favourite memory of you. Not one on the pitch. Not one from your playing days, but one off it and from last year at Thomand Park in Limerick. City played a pre-season friendly to Limerick Football Club and like many of us fans waited outside a lot of players ignored many screaming blues looking for their heroes. When I noticed you, you made your way over to me to sign my shirt and talk to us, and for that I'll be forever grateful. All the best in the future.
Yes I remember. It's a pleasure to this to for you don't worry at all. It's not a problem. Nice to speak to you, and we'll meet up next time you are at a game. It's a pleasure you know that.
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