Terry Christian's United-inspired triumph
United’s first piece of silverware for 2023/24 is in, courtesy of an unlikely source: broadcaster (and lifetime Red) Terry Christian.
The Old Trafford-born media star conquered a recent episode of BBC’s Celebrity Mastermind, with his specialist subject proudly stated as ‘Manchester United – the Tommy Docherty years’.
That won’t surprise any fans who remember Terry’s evocative 1999 book Reds in the Hood, which detailed his all-consuming passion for his local team.
Christian scored five points in the United round and, impressively, a further 10 on general knowledge.
Though delighted to win – with his fees benefiting cancer charity METUPUK – Terry was still kicking himself over certain questions when our matchday programme, United Review, called to congratulate him.
“I’d done a gig in Belfast the night before and everyone was buying me drinks, and the meeting [for Celebrity Mastermind] was 7.30am the next day,” he chuckles, “so I was really bleary-eyed! Rather than going ‘pass’, I was over-thinking everything!”
Christian remains a United obsessive to this day – he has season tickets with his two lads – but says the Tommy Doc era possessed a unique magic, despite the relatively modest success levels.
“The memories are so vivid,” he enthuses.
“It was the best football you’d seen since the heyday of Busby, with Best, Law and Charlton. It was that whole thing of us dropping down into Division Two as well, and the average age of the side was only about 22 when we got promoted.
“Stuart Pearson, Steve Coppell, Gerry Daly... he was only about nine stone, soaking wet. He could have been world-class, but he smoked about 40 a day! But he was really deft, and still the best penalty taker I’ve ever seen. [Sammy] McIlroy was so skilful.
“United played a very intense sort of game, with lots of enthusiasm. And the noise from the crowd... you could hear the crowd on the street where I grew up, where the Sharon Gospel Church is. It was so exciting to watch.”
Well done on the win, Terry!
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