The flamboyant Allison, whose death at the age of 83 was announced yesterday, made his name as a coach at City, where he worked with great success under manager Joe Mercer, and twice took the hotseat himself.

He was as well known for his enjoyment of life off the pitch as football's first superstars emerged.

Summerbee said: "He was a great character and a very sociable man. We worked hard for him and we were exceptionally fit, but we could enjoy ourselves and he went along with that.

"The club itself at that particular time came from nothing under Joe Mercer and Malcolm and became very, very successful.

"It was a great era, a great period in the history of the club. He was a special, lovely man.

"I wouldn't change it for anything. It was a very special time and we were very successful.

"Manchester was buzzing in the '60s and '70s. George Best was my best pal. We had a great time, and Malcolm was there with us."

Under Mercer and Allison, who joined the club in 1965 as assistant manager, City won promotion from Division Two and then set about the process of lifting the league title, the FA Cup, the League Cup and the European Cup Winners' cup in quick succession before the former Charlton and West Ham defender took up the reins.

His two spells in charge either side of jobs at Crystal Palace and Plymouth never quite reached those heights, but Summerbee insists his influence on those glory days cannot be under-estimated.

He said: "We played open, attacking football and Malcolm very much wanted us to play that way. Our strength was going forward and that came from Malcolm.

"There were great figureheads in the game at the time - Sir Matt [Busby] at United, Bill Nicholson at Tottenham and Joe Mercer at City.

"Whatever people say, Joe and Malcolm just gelled together and we had a wonderful time and were very successful."

Allison, who had suffered from dementia for several years and had been living at a nursing home in Sale, also managed Middlesbrough and Bristol Rovers and worked in both Turkey and Portugal.

Boro chief executive Keith Lamb, who got to know him after he had left the club, said: "Malcolm Allison was a remarkably knowledgeable football man, who was way ahead of his time in terms football coaching and thinking.

"Long before the age of superstar footballers, he was one of the game's most charismatic figures."

City's players will wear black armbands for Sunday's Barclays Premier League trip to Blackpool, and a minute's silence will be observed at Eastlands ahead of next weekend's clash with Arsenal.