Paul Lake

[walmai]

Couldn't see any other post on the subject, so, here's a good read for you City lot, from the Guardian.

Don't matter what shirt he wore, any football fan can be sorry he never had the career his talent deserved.

[King Kev]

I will definitely be buying the book when it comes out.

Lakey is a top bloke and should have had a long and successful career.

[ENIAM NAM]

Legend.

[HeyMark]

As I just posted on twitter I was near in tears reading Daniel taylors review of that book and I'm not the type to get emotional.

I'm too young to remember much, if anything about lakey so was he as good as they say he was?

[irblinx]

I'll be buying it as a Kindle book as soon as it's available

[Blue Blood]

Defo gonna pick it up, Lake was a top blue, should be a great read according to the reviews.

[sirgordonzola]

What a player Paul Lake was, we had a bunch of talented young players then, but he shone.
Im sure he was in the initial World Cup 90 squad before his injury, was there for that horrible moment against plymouth or was it leicester, saw his first bad injury against Villa, then was at the horrendous Ayresome Park when he was carried off for the final time to end his career, it was terribly sad.
He was a true blue, sorry still is a true blue, my all time city hero.

[zuricity]

I have nothing but total respect for him. A very personable guy and proud to be a blue... Good luck to him.

[avoidconfusion]

Pre-ordered the book.

[Blue Since 76]

So sad to see his career cut so short, even though if he'd stayed fit, he would have been sold, as he was way to good for us. Half the problem was where to play him - at centre half he looked so comfortable, you felt he was wasted, but move him into midfield and you worried how weakened the back line looked.

Rumours before the injury were that he was off to Liverpool and I'm sure if he had done, he'd have had a shelf full of medals and a load of caps.

Those who slag Johnson off should remember Lake and how talent can be lost through injury. Just hope Johnson has a career from now onwards, whether it's with us or elsewhere.

[BobbyJ1956]

Yes there was definite interest from Liverpool, Spurs too I think. I saw him play and he stood out as the best City had produced for some time. Someone who posted comments on The Guardian's book review said "City have always glorified him as their version of Duncan Edwards but all I ever saw was a good young player who stood out in a very poor team." That could be overstating it and then understating it in turn, but discuss intelligently and without hysteria, if possible.

[Green & Blue]

He was around in my youngest days as a city fan.I remember little of him on the pitch if im being honest but more so remember my father talking about him.He held him in very very high esteem as a player and was always hoping he would recover and return to the side.

Thats his christmas present sorted so after i have a had a read first.

[ant london]

Sounds like a fantastic read, he always comes across as a genuinely nice guy and what a talent. It was a very sad sight at that testimonial.

[Niall Quinns Discopants]

As I just posted on twitter I was near in tears reading Daniel taylors review of that book and I'm not the type to get emotional.

I'm too young to remember much, if anything about lakey so was he as good as they say he was?

If anything, I feel people always tone it down abit. This boy was destined to be world star. I'd say he would've turned out kind of Patrick Vieira in his prime who would've led the team both attack and defence. And he was a Blue which made it all the more amazing. Truth is though that the way we were set up back then with Swales in charge, he would've probably been sold sooner rather than later.

As with most City books, I'll be getting it but absolutely buzzing off that review. I hope it really is that good.

[Alex Sapphire]

Thanks Walmai

[Hazy2]

Couldn't see any other post on the subject, so, here's a good read for you City lot, from the Guardian.

Don't matter what shirt he wore, any football fan can be sorry he never had the career his talent deserved.

Thanks for pointer. what is your take on Sam A. My in laws and evryone else are all Hammers mad being from Hornchurch and that.

[Mikhail Chigorin]

Just to go off at a bit of a tangent, whenever I think of Paul Lake and all the unfulfilled potential, I also think of (the underrrated)Mel Machin and what he might have been able to achieve at City.

He basically had to work on a shoestring and brought a load of youngsters into the side. Inevitably, when results were variable, Swales panicked and sacked him with the comment that he had no rapport with the fans.

Always thought Machin had a raw deal with us although, to be fair, his subsequent career never amounted to much.

[Goaters 103]

Great bloke, top Blue and what a player he was. I am sadly old enough, but also lucky enough to have seen Lakey's entire career at City and he was comfortably the best youngster I saw, not only in the crop he came up with (Bightwell, Hinchcliffe, Redmond, White and Ian Scott), but in all my 30 odd years as a fan.

He came in to the side alongside the other 5 mentioned, at petty much the same time, but he had something else about him. Lakey could read a game brilliantly, had a touch to die for and a great engine. Thats not to say he was pacey, because he wasnt, but he would get all over the pitch when in midfield and could pick a pass with the best of them.

I always thought he would pan out as a top class centre-half, whereas the guy I sit with now insists central midfield would have been where he shined best. Its a cliche, but he was that good he literally could play anywhere and often did with Mel Machin and Howard Kendall playing him at centre-half, right-back, centre midf, or wide left or right. When he made his ill-fated comeback he lined up as a striker and his injury was just cruel, as was his treatment by that cheapskate bastard Swailes in not doing what was right and sending him to the States to have his knee fixed properly when he first tore the ACL.

I remember vividly the night he got injured against Villa, in a 2-1 home win and you could tell from the awkward way he went down that it was a bad one. Lakey also almost died swallowing his tongue at the pitch at Maine Road too in 1989 (I think), which also frightened the life out of all the crowd and players as well.

Cant wait to read the book. Will bring back happy memories but also some sadness about a footballing talent that both Lakey and City sadly lost.

[Mike J]

definately going to get it. never got to see him play myself but my old man tells me he was destined for great things.

[Blue In Bolton]

Just to go off at a bit of a tangent, whenever I think of Paul Lake and all the unfulfilled potential, I also think of (the underrrated)Mel Machin and what he might have been able to achieve at City.

He basically had to work on a shoestring and brought a load of youngsters into the side. Inevitably, when results were variable, Swales panicked and sacked him with the comment that he had no rapport with the fans.

Always thought Machin had a raw deal with us although, to be fair, his subsequent career never amounted to much.

Thought it was the right move at the time to get rid of Machin myself and always believed that we would have been challenging for the league had "Judas" Kendall stuck around.

Back to Lakey though, he was a fabulous player who just looked like he had all the time in the world on the ball. Remember him away at Swindon on New Years Eve 1989 going down the right-hand side of the penalty area and beating two players whilst dribbling the ball unconventionally with his left foot whilst putting in a perfect cross for City to score (think it was Jason Beckford).

PS It was Leicester at home that same season when Paul swallowed his tongue and nearly died.