On this day (28 April) in 1903 it was reported that the Manchester City offices had been broken in to. Season tickets, stamps, keys and other articles were stolen (had this been the 1980s I’m sure some comedian would’ve claimed ‘thieves broke into MCFC and stole everything of value… police are looking for a sky blue carpet!’).
Here’s a brief cutting from the period. The punishment? The boys received six strokes each from the birch! In the 1970s Manchester United boss Tommy Docherty (and he wasn’t alone – City’s secretary Bernard Halford agreed with him) suggested that football hooligans should be brought on to the pitch at half time and birched in front of fans!
Gary James' Football Archive 