Good article in the D Mirror.. Sick of spoilt stars like Tevez? Then why not help out the game's good guys like Gerry Gow By Simon Mullock It was with perfect timing this week that I took a call from the chairman of Gerry Gow's Testimonial committee. For the uninitiated, Gow was a Scottish midfielder who spent 12 years with Bristol City after joining the Robins straight from school in 1969. He was never rewarded with a testimonial game because the West Country club went bust in 1982. Now aged 59, Gow, unlike our modern day footballing professionals does not benefit from financial security â just like many who were fated to make their living from the game in the days before a single contract would make a top-flight footballer financially secure for life. Click here to find out more! So that has prompted a chap called Chris Bradfield to organise a Testimonial Year for a man he will always look up to as one of his heroes. I don't have any memories of Gow playing for Bristol City, but I do remember him rampaging around Manchester City's midfield. Gow was at Maine Road for just 14 months, playing only 36 games and scoring six goals. But it says everything about the man that he is remembered by City fans of a certain age as an absolute legend of the club. With his blond curly hair and magnificent moustache, Gow looked like a Viking warrior in a sky blue shirt. He was like the footballing equivalent of Gene Hunt. He was probably the hardest footballer I have ever seen. But he could play a bit as well â as a brilliant finish at Goodison Park in a drawn 1981 FA Cup quarter-final proved. City went to Wembley that year only to lose the centenary final to Tottenham after a replay. Gow's foul on Ossie Ardiles 10 minutes from the end of the first game brought the free-kick from which Glenn Hoddle's shot was deflected into his own net by Tommy Hutchinson for the equaliser. But not one City fan blamed Gerry because his game was all about getting in people's faces â and he was loved for it. John Bond's City were also desperately unlucky to lose to Liverpool in the semi-final of the League Cup that season as well. The call from Chris to ask me whether I could help publicise a series of events to raise some cash for Gerry could not have come at a better time. I was in Munich on Tuesday night when another man who should have one day been revered as a City great brought shame on the club. But despite scoring 53 goals in 91 appearances for the Blues, despite becoming the first City captain for 35 years to lift a trophy, despite being given a special 'Welcome to Manchester' and becoming the talisman of the club, Carlos Tevez will now only ever be despised. It is a shame that Gow wasn't sat on the bench at the Allianz Arena when Tevez went on strike. The Argentine wouldn't have lived to tell the tale that it was all a big misunderstanding. It would be a great gesture if City handed the £500,000 fine they will hit Tevez with to former players like Gerry Gow who really did the club proud. If not perhaps they could help Chris Bradfield in his noble attempt to raise some much-needed cash for a man who was a true professional. There will be a gala dinner held at the Bristol Marriott Hotel on November 18 and plans are also in place for a game between teams from both Bristol City and Manchester City. Nothing has been arranged to take place in Manchester yet, but anyone wishing to help Gerry Gow can contact Chris by emailing him at [email protected]. Cracking player,absolute hero and legend,one of the eight,will never forget him.... http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/opi...s-good-guys-like-Gerry-Gow-article806339.html
Nice one Wiz, I might bump into Gerry soon, either in a pub in Weymouth/Portland or in Tesco where he does the night shift, but he always has time to chat about the old days, a City legend
[video=youtube;OiNJYGqvJk0]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OiNJYGqvJk0[/video] 1.49 onwards..turn up the volume...Much better than......SHhh you know who... please log in to view this image
He's here, he's there, he's every fu**in where - Gerry Gow. The best midfielder I've ever seen play for City. Absolute legend.
Oh how we could do with the steel and leadership of someone like Gerry Gow today. Many happy memories of watching him storming about the field a trus City legend.
It's a shame that the current spoilt bunch of brats at City couldn't bring 10% of the effort that Gerry put in to every game. A footballers footballer indeed - good luck Gerry!
he works in tesco!!! dear god no wonder why footballer try and make as much as possible while they can
Gerry Gow - one of the 3 best players I ever saw. Gascoigne and Best were a hard act to follow, but Gerry gave me & me Dad 7 years of excitement and the real football experience. The game in 1975 against the great Leeds team is still the best game I have attended. We were at Elland Road to see the replay, and bumped into the players in a service station on the way home - still celebrating. We wondered just what that group of players were capable of, and the next season they ascended to the first division Gow was the natural leader, and could hold his own against the best. His tussles with Souness, Wark, Hartford and Macari were the stuff of films. The great tragedy with Gow was that he never became a Scottish International regular, because he certainly looked the part. If only City could find a place for him on their coaching staff now, because his quality is sadly missed and has been since 1981. Gerry Gow at tesco ? Has the world gone nuts ? How about a friendly against Man City, pre-season 2012/13 ?
Does anyone have a copy of or know where I can lay my hands on a copy of that Leeds game AG or ER. I know the Beeb featured it on MOTD
With a Gerry Gow or two in the team we wouldn't be in this mess right now. Tough, uncompromising, great vision, great passer of the ball, goal scorer occasionally, and sadly overlooked by Scotland Talking of Scotland, does anyone rememeber Tom Ritchie and Donnie Gillies (maybe?) playing for Scotland U21's ? Highlights were were broadcast on TV late at night and I think the game was played at St James Park Newcastle and was a 0-0 draw presumably with England but I might be making it all up !
[video=youtube;pyySKJUTBW4]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pyySKJUTBW4[/video] I wish I could get hold of that famous pic when Gerry picked Bannister up by his throat!
Nice one massive,here is one of Ernie....(listen out for a certain name) [video=youtube;fPEmDdxSmZ0]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPEmDdxSmZ0&feature=related[/video]
Cheers Wiz, nice to hear my name! [video=youtube;afNhliF-OoA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&NR=1&v=afNhliF-OoA[/video] this will bring a smile to all City supporters, great days, and what a great team spirit.
[video=youtube;X2Dk61IW33Q]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2Dk61IW33Q[/video] I love this one about our Stadium over the years....Pump Up the Volume....
MAN OF STEEL, Gerry Gow, VIKING WARRIOR. "Look at him son, look at his cold dead eyes, it's like a Pit Bull eying up the photographers leg" http://www.bcfc3lions.co.uk/page22.html HE'S THERE,HE'S THERE,HE'S EVERY ****ING WHERE,GERRY GOW,GERRY GOW.!
