Willie Bell: 1937-2023

Bell was signed by Leicester City manager Matt Gillies in September 1967 for a fee of £45,000 from Don Revie’s Leeds United. He was seen as a successor to Richie Norman who had been Leicester City’s regular left full-back for the previous eight seasons.

Willie began his career as a half-back in the Scottish Second Division at Queens Park in 1957, where he won two Scotland amateur caps, before moving to Leeds United in July 1960.

During his seven years at Elland Road, Willie played 260 games, winning a Second Division Championship medal in 1964 and playing as a losing finalist in both the FA Cup in 1965 and the Fairs Cup in 1967. He also won two full international Scotland caps against Brazil and Portugal in 1966.

After signing for Leicester, he was an ever-present in the league for the remaining 33 games of the 1967/68 season when his new club finished 13th in the top-flight. He also played in all six games in the City’s FA Cup run that season which ended in a quarter-final defeat against Everton.

Willie then featured in the first 18 games of the following 1968/69 season, although he had lost his place to David Nish by the end of the season when City reached the FA Cup Final against Manchester City, three weeks before the Club was relegated after 12 seasons in the top flight.

In December 1968, he briefly took over a first team coaching role at Filbert Street in the period between the departure of manager Matt Gillies and the arrival of his replacement, Frank O’Farrell.

At the end of the season, Willie took on a player/coaching role at Brighton and Hove Albion.  He managed Birmingham City in the old First Division between October 1975 and September 1977, after spending five years at St. Andrews as a coach.

He then managed Third Division Lincoln City between December 1977 and October 1978 after which he went to the USA to coach football at a Christian University in Virginia as well as working with young offenders in the UK. 

The thoughts of everyone at Leicester City Football Club are with the family and friends of Willie at this sad time.