I have many memories of 82/3/4 - some sweet and some sour - but getting back to the third was a huge ‘lift' for everyone involved in the club, from Directors through to the long suffering and exceedingly loyal fan base. It was the perfect tonic after some very very hectic and worrying times and made many think that after the Club had almost disappeared, anything was now possible.
As for TC, well he is easily summed up in the old saying “cometh the hour - cometh the man”. Alan Dicks is rightly recognised for his outstanding achievements in building a team to take us to the First (Premiership), but TC was the epitome of a football manager for the league we were in at that time. I remember his job interview very well - we were broke, he was ex England and could play - so two for one was a no brainer. And then it really got better when he started to manage - he brought so many good players into the club (Tom Ritchie for one) for unbelievable value and started to build the foundations for a return to the third. TC was a hell of a talker and I do believe he could have sold snow to an Eskimo!!!
1984 was very much down to (the late) Terry Cooper and I agree that his contribution to Bristol City Football Club is not generally recognised enough.
