Bernstein, who was a key figure in transitioning the ailing giant that the Club was during the late 1990s into the slick, multi-winning trophy side of today, became chairman in 1998 and remained in position until 2003.
During that time, the Blues were relegated twice and won three promotions as well as employing, firing and hiring several managers as the Club bounced between divisions.
The arrival of Royle proved to be the stabilising effect City needed.
“Joe was absolutely the right man at the right time. He had experience, he had personality, he had a very good rapport with the squad - he was great, and he was fun,” said Bernstein.
“I worked closely with him almost every day and in terms of transfers, we did them all together and would sit in the boardroom with a pile of CVs - and it worked!
“We had 56 professionals on our books at one stage and we did really well on negotiations and did some very clever deals - that certainly gave us a boost.”
Paul Dickov joins his former chairman for our latest podcast and recalls what he believed to be the most pivotal moment of Royle’s tenure.
“From the players’ point of view, there was no security, and it was poison,” said Dickov.
“Then Joe came in and he would tell us just focus on the football because we couldn’t affect what was going on off the pitch.
“He tell us to concentrate on the football and not to worry about what was going on outside, saying ‘because you guys can’t affect that.’
“He’d tell us that if we did well on the pitch, everything would come back together again.
“Joe just had this unbelievable knack of being nice and calm all the time.”
Despite the team bond Royle was fostering at City, the first half of our only season in the third tier of English football saw the Club struggle to adapt.
In fact, even making the play-offs looked a distant dream going into the festive period of the 1998/99 season.
And against Stoke City in December, frustrations finally boiled over as the team went in 0-1 down at Maine Road for the half-time break.
“I’ve been in some tough dressing rooms with characters like Tony Adams but that day, I’d never seen anything like it with arguments and fights - and Joe just let us get on with it until the buzzer went for us to go back out,” recalled Dickov.
“Then Joe said, ‘Now, now ladies - have you finished? How about we show a bit of the passion I just saw in here out on the pitch because it means nothing in here. If you show a tenth of what you just showed in here, we’ll be alright’. And we did just that..”
City went on to win that game 2-1, eventually winning promotion later that campaign in the most dramatic circumstances imaginable.
David Bernstein adds that Royle’s vision for the Club was the driving force behind a move from the tight training ground confines of Platt Lane to the spacious surrounds of the new Carrington training ground complex.
“Joe made it clear the training ground was not fit for a serious football club, and he drove our move to Carrington which was a huge step up for us,” said Bernstein.
“It was a very important move for the Club and Joe said ‘we’re not going to be here forever, but if we can sort the training ground out, we’ll have something that will last many years.’”
Sadly, Royle’s third full season in charge would end in relegation from the Premier League.
Having overseen back-to-back promotions to the topflight, the popular City boss lost his job in May 2001 – and Bernstein admits that relieving Royle of his duties was not the outcome he’d wanted.
“I had a momentous meeting with Joe at the end of the 2000/01 season in an Indian restaurant and there was a list of 13 issues that I wanted to discuss including scouting, drinking and many other things - but he refused to acknowledge them,” revealed Bernstein.
“If he had, and said he’d sort them out, I think he might have remained as our manager, but he wouldn’t acknowledge any of the 13 issues I’d highlighted.”
That, in turn led to Royle’s departure and the end of a friendship between the two men that Bernstein regrets to this day.
“I’m very sad about that because we shared so many good things together,” he said.
“I understand completely, of course, but it is such a shame.”
Listen to the full Official Man City Podcast interview featuring David Bernstein and Paul Dickov when it is published at 17:00 (UK) this afternoon on CITY+.
