It wasn’t until the 1967/68 campaign that Doyle was finally handed the No.4 jersey for keeps and he formed part of the backbone of the side that won the title that season, playing 40 of the 42 League games.
As the years went on, he liked nothing more than to wind United fans up, once claiming he loved playing the Reds because it was “four easy points” (it was just two points for a win back then). He even claimed he was “gutted” when United were relegated in 1974 – but only because it was the loss of two guaranteed victories.
Doyle seemed to dig even deeper when City played United and was on the losing side just once in the 16 derbies he played in between March 1968 and September 1975 – quite a feat.
After adding winner’s medals for the 1969 FA Cup and 1970 European Cup Winners’ Cup, Doyle continued to be a permanent fixture in the City starting XI, gradually moving to centre-half from his usual half-back role.
His form at club level was such that he was included in the provisional squad for the 1970 World Cup in Mexico, but when his wife Cheryl fell ill, he stayed by her bedside and informed England he wasn’t available for selection.
He finally won the first of his five England caps in 1975 and the arrival of Dave Watson saw Doyle forge a superb central defensive partnership that became the scourge of strikers throughout the land.
Doyle was also handed the captain’s armband in ’75 for the first time and he celebrated his first year as skipper by lifting the League Cup in February 1976 with a 2-1 win over Newcastle.
Doyle almost captained City to the title the following year, too, missing out by a single point to Liverpool, though a persistent knee injury meant it was also the beginning of the end of his City career.
He managed just 13 starts during the 1977/78 season before calling time on his 16-year association with tCity by joining Stoke in June 1978 for a fee of £50,000. In total, he’d played 558 times for City and scored 40 goals
He later had spells with Stoke, Bolton and Rochdale before retiring in 1984. Though Mike passed away in 2011 aged 64, he often spoke with pride of his grandson Tommy Doyle and how, even aged four, he dreamed, Tommy would carry on the family name and one day play for City.
He said: "Scott’s little lad Thomas has definitely got something and just might make a footballer, one day. Dennis Tueart promised to keep an eye out for Thomas, saying he had a ‘great pedigree’ and he’d be thrilled if he made it to City’s Academy in the future.”
He did and Tommy has probably even gone beyond his grandad’s wildest hopes and dreams.
The Doyle name does indeed live on at City.
Mike Doyle was almost a player City fans imagined into life. Tough, fearless, loyal and someone who played with passion and total commitment. He spoke his mind and spoke from the heart and he was idolised on the terraces because of it. He was also a very good footballer who played close to 600 games for our football club.
We may never see his like again.