Mick Lyons in the early stages of dementia

by   |   10/05/2022  33 Comments  [Jump to last]

I’ve just been reading that Mick Lyons, who was a proper, genuinely tough, hard as nails central defender, is in the early stages of dementia.

He can still remember everything from playing for the club years ago, but he’s suffering from short-term memory loss, but this doesn’t stop him getting up in the middle of the night to watch his beloved Everton. “You’ve just got to get on with it” he said – which is typical Mike Lyons really.

An Evertonian who I’ve got the utmost respect for as a man.

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Brian Murray
1 Posted 10/05/2022 at 19:43:25
Tony.

Mad Mick as we called him in our house was one of us although he happened to be a footballer. It's still vivid in my head him chasing a ball, his neck veins showing. Many a time thrown up front in desperation.

Salute you, Mick.

Brent Stephens
2 Posted 10/05/2022 at 19:43:33
Tony.

Well said. Mick Lyons was one of my favourite players at that time.

Peter Carpenter
3 Posted 10/05/2022 at 19:49:30
Tony,

That's sad news. He was one of my favourites too. Remember him throwing himself amongst the flying boots to score against Leeds around about 1974. Similar to Seamus Coleman at the same end against the same team 3 months ago.

There were more boots when Lyons did it though and they were on the feet of some real psychos.

Graham Mockford
4 Posted 10/05/2022 at 19:50:52
Tony,

I was there in 1974 when he scored a ridiculously brave diving header in a 3-2 win against Leeds. Top Evertonian.

John McFarlane Snr
5 Posted 10/05/2022 at 19:58:23
Hi Tony,

I consider Mick Lyons to be one of the players who will last long in the memories of Evertonians who had the good fortune to have witnessed his courage, at both ends of the pitch. In the '70s, he was my favourite player, due to his 100% commitment in every game.

I know that football has changed considerably down the years but I believe that every team needs a Mick Lyons character in their line-up.

Phil (Kelsall) Roberts
6 Posted 10/05/2022 at 20:55:06
https://youtu.be/mwUl7a7AsQA?t=308
for those who want to just see Mick Lyons head the ball off Norman Hunter's boot for a goal.

https://youtu.be/mwUl7a7AsQA
for those who want to see us beat Leeds 3-2.

Christine Foster
7 Posted 10/05/2022 at 21:21:04
Phil, that clip of the game brought back a lot of memories.

Sitting in the main stand I was, very much in my element. Mick Lyons typified bottle.

"There's a wall, Mick, I want you to run right through it" ... he did, many times.

Great Evertonian, proud, passionate player who loves the club. My best wishes go out to him.

It's just another wall, Mick, but this time you have 40,000 running with you.

Brian Murray
8 Posted 10/05/2022 at 21:43:17
I was also at that Leeds match with Mick's diving header. And I was also in the Anfield Road end when he lobbed our own keeper, lol. Andy King, God rest him, saved the day.

All this talk of a drug to slow down this horrible illness. Where the hell is it???

Bill Gall
10 Posted 10/05/2022 at 22:03:08
Met him a couple of times, genuine nice person off the pitch, but on the pitch, he changed his name to a Lion, another boy from Croxteth.

A shame what he is going through, but the support will be there.

Paul Birmingham
11 Posted 10/05/2022 at 22:15:13
Very sad.

Life With Lyons, his programme write-up when he was Captain, was always a good read. Mick was a die-hard Evertonian who knew no fear on the park and was one of the bravest of the brave Everton players in the last 50 years.

Remember the Leeds goal and also a flying header v Brighton at the Street End, in 1983 or 1982.

Best wishes, Mick Lyons and Family.

Dennis Stevens
13 Posted 10/05/2022 at 23:14:44
I remember Mick Lyons seeming to be the quintessential Mr Everton when I was a youngster & it saddens me to hear this news. My thoughts & best wishes are for him & his family.
Brian Denton
14 Posted 11/05/2022 at 01:03:02
Brian Murray, I was at both of those games too. That Anfield derby had everything - Mick's worldie og, Gary Stanley/Terry McDermott handbags sending off, and a female streaker!

Unfortunately it happened to fall at the time of the ITV strike and it was their turn to broadcast the derby. So sadly never filmed.

Dave Lynch
15 Posted 11/05/2022 at 08:52:36
On a sad note, I've just read that Mike Lyons has been diagnosed with dementia, bless him.
Geoff Trenner
16 Posted 11/05/2022 at 08:55:55
Sorry to hear that, Dave. Awful news. Not the most gifted player but a fighter with a ‘never say die' attitude. Trailing by a goal with 15 minutes to go, send Mick up front!

Thoughts are with him and his family.

Martyn Thickitt
17 Posted 11/05/2022 at 09:05:11
So sad to hear, he was/is one of my favourite players ever to wear the blue shirt. If only we had a few more with his heart and passion for the club.
Dave Abrahams
18 Posted 11/05/2022 at 10:04:49
Brian (14),

The week after that Derby game Mick was writing about it and said the next day when he walked into his local pub in Croxteth an Evertonian greeted him with a big hug and a kiss on the cheek and said “ Thanks Mick for that goal I had you in the sweep for the first goal”.

An Evertonian supporter playing his heart out every game for the team he loved, mostly at centre half but thrown up front whenever it was needed, any fan who saw him remembered him with affection and knew he was living all our dreams of playing for the Blues.

A good player but more importantly a lovely genuine man, all the best Mick to you and your family in the future.

Micky Norman
19 Posted 11/05/2022 at 10:23:58
He was just breaking into the team and me and a couple of schoolmates are in a chippy on Goodson Road at dinner time. No idea why he was there midweek. He paid for our chips and signed the back of my maths book. Lovely man. True blue.
Michael Murphy
20 Posted 11/05/2022 at 10:24:21
Very sad to hear about Mick Lyons's condition. I remember his absolute commitment when playing, he would run through a brick wall for this club.

Do any older Evertonians remember a goal he scored against Leeds, early seventies I think, the ball bounced in Leeds's 6-yard box and Norman Hunter was about to hoof it away and Mick threw himself like a bullet and took it off Hunter's toe into the net, He nearly got his head taken off.

Mick was never the most talented player but boy I'd have him in this team any day.

Brian Murray
21 Posted 11/05/2022 at 11:05:25
Brian Denton @14.

That derby, we came back twice and the female streaker was a blue. I remember the headlines: Blue Streak.

I think Mick's finest hour was when thousands of us went to Plymouth for the 1975 FA Cup game. Outnumbered the kopites by double who were at Ipswich in the FA Cup the same day. Lime Street around midnight, the noise was a joy to behold. We won and they got knocked out.

Should've been our year until a certain welsh cheat of a ref disallowed a Lyons goal which was proved to be a clean header in the next round vs Fulham that would've put us 2-1 up.

Don Alexander
22 Posted 11/05/2022 at 11:08:23
An Everton "great" right up there with Ball and Labone. He never gave less than his all in every game. All the best, big man!
Danny O’Neill
23 Posted 11/05/2022 at 11:40:19
One of the earliest iconic players I remember alongside Bob Latchford, but probably don't remember enough about him as a player.

As big an Evertonian as they come. God speed Mick and stay well.

Bill Griffiths
24 Posted 11/05/2022 at 11:47:44
A truly great Blue who personifies everything about Everton.
He was my hero in the 70's and my eldest lad is named after him. While he may not have had the skills and talent on the Holy Trinity he's up there with them as true Everton greats.
Keep fighting Mic.
Brian Murray
25 Posted 11/05/2022 at 12:07:31
Think I said in an earlier post if you ever seen him close up running for a ball every vein in his neck every sinew. Remember the floodlights going off for about 29 minutes at the baseball ground and mick running like a mad man to the away fans after glancing the winner. After labby he was mr Everton to me as a kid.
Mike Doyle
26 Posted 11/05/2022 at 12:17:57
Sad news and yet another ex-pro footballer/rugby player affected by this condition. My brother and I were lucky enough to play for the kids football team he ran during the 70's and played their games at Barnfield Drive. Mick was a great guy who gave up a lot of his time to help youngsters - never swore and would not tolerate kids doing it either. I still remember the day (mid-1970S) a Sunday newspaper report linked him with a transfer to someone like Coventry. An ashen-faced Mick told all the assembled boys that he knew nothing about it and didn't want to play for anyone other than Everton. Wish he was available for the final few games of this season.
Dave Williams
27 Posted 11/05/2022 at 16:49:39
Not a great player but very good and could play up front and DM too. Nonetheless he would always be on my list of genuinely great Evertonians- brave as they come and loved the club like no one else.
If only he was playing tonight!!!
Alan J Thompson
28 Posted 11/05/2022 at 17:07:19
Tony, are you sure as he lives in Perth (Joondalup) and the reason for not remembering is because nothing happens. As they say, with daylight saving in the Eastern States Perth is only 2 hours and twenty years behind the rest of the country and when Perth gets back from lunch the rest of the country has gone home, WA, Wait Awhile.
Jack Convery
29 Posted 11/05/2022 at 18:46:16
My best wishes to a true blue Evertonian Mick Lyons. The proverbial bar of rock with Everton written all the way through. We are all with you Mick.

I remember the Leeds goal and the goal he had disallowed against the RS - typical, as there was nothing wrong with it !!! Some things never change !!!

Steve Carter
30 Posted 12/05/2022 at 01:21:18
Met Mick at a function in Canberra in the 1990's when he was the coach of the local side, then in what is now the A-League. He was my favourite player growing up; had his picture from Shoot! on my wall. Told me Jimmy Gabriel was his favourite growing up. He thought highly of Latchy and Joe Royle (said he would have gone on to even greater things were it not for a bad back). Thought little of Alan Harper, though, who arrived at significant cost and fanfare from Scotland in the early 70s.
Steve Carter
31 Posted 12/05/2022 at 01:22:59
...I meant Joe Harper, not Alan...
Ian Hollingworth
32 Posted 12/05/2022 at 06:51:34
That's sad news to hear.

Let's hope the club are supporting him.

Brian Murray
33 Posted 12/05/2022 at 13:17:20
jack post 29. and low and behold that derby match that lyon’s scored a perfectly good goal was disallowed by that welsh idiot again. 3 times in the 70 s he obviously cost us big time. fa semi fulham in cup and that alan wadddle derby
David Currie
34 Posted 12/05/2022 at 18:05:01
Loved Mick Lyons as a player and wish him all the best. Lucky to have met him once in the Everton dressing room in 1978. No player loved playing for Everton more than Mick.
Mike Hayes
35 Posted 14/05/2022 at 10:23:08
Sad to hear that terrible disease - met him a few years back nice man got a great photo of him. Good player in his day- we could do with a few more like him with his attitude 💙

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