R.I.P BIG MAL

[KevinGage]

My memory of Big Mal is also mainly from the sparring with BFR... in fact wasn't Big Fat Ron just Big Ron up til that point? was it not Big Mal that added in the 'Fat'?

Pretty certain we sang that before Allison.

I thought that stuff at the time before the FA Cup match was pretty lame, just cheap shots with no real humour.

Calling BFR fat is like calling Gary Megson ginger or David Moyes ugly. Accurate, but not particularly witty.

[Chris Harte]

Pretty certain we sang that before Allison.

We did.

[Charlie8182]

My main recollection of the man is when his Bristol Rovers side drew us in the FA Cup in 1992-93 and he did a lot of verbal sparring with BFR. I seem to recall H and V at the time did a cartoon of BFR in boxing gear stood over Big Mal victorious with the quote "float like a butterfly, sting like a bee" over the top of it. In fact i still have that issue in a box at my moms house.

"Floats like a butterfly, stings like a bee, mouthy Mal falls in round 3" I seem to remember.

I went to the replay at Twerton Park and remember our lot singing "Allison's a girls name" and "He's only got one lung" whatever that was about!!

[TopDeck113]

His partnership with Joe Mercer at Man City was genius.  Second Division to League Champions in two seasons, both domestic Cups and European Cup Winners Cup in the next two seasons.  Even Arab money hasn't yet bought that level of sustained success.

However, as a manager in his own right, certainly in England, his record is suspect. During his first stint as City's boss, his signing of Rodney Marsh in 1972 is widely credited with scuppering a likely Championship.  There are also traits which some warm to, but that I think with retrospect were signposts on the journey which brought football to its knees by the latter part of the 80s: self publicity and reckless spending.  Fiona Richmond in the Selhurst Park bath and £1.5 million for Steve Daley, anyone?

[TopDeck113]

"He's only got one lung" whatever that was about!!

He lost a lung to TB, which was the illness that cut short his playing career.

[charlie659]

"muddy pitches, beards, doc martin's to the side of the head, jumpers for goalposts, players driving capri's, star soccer, diving headers, chairmen driving jags, sheepskins, cigar smoke - the 1970's isn't it wasn't it"

RIP Mal

[Chico Hamilton III]

However, as a manager in his own right, certainly in England, his record is suspect. During his first stint as City's boss, his signing of Rodney Marsh in 1972 is widely credited with scuppering a likely Championship

That's my take on him as well. Poor man's Venables. Decent coach, not a great manager.

[Hookeysmith]

Sad to hear one of the old school (For us oldies football was better then just down to the characters in the game like him)

Could not believe he was 83

Even sadder to her that he was a victim to Alzeimers

[dave.woodhall]

If every Premier League player gave a week's wages to Alzheimer's research, a cure could be found a lot quicker.

[Hookeysmith]

If every Premier League player gave a week's wages to Alzheimer's research, a cure could be found a lot quicker.

And feed most of the worlds hungry!

[sfx412]

Couldn't stand the bloke

Sad to see him pass on all the same