Category Archives: Manchester City

From The Archive: When Will Steve Daley Play For England

In my collection is this newspaper called ‘City Football Monthly Review’ from the 1979-80 season and this cutting asks what a lot of us wanted to know back then. Over the years people have tried to suggest Steve Daley was not a great player, but it was the ridiculous price tag that was an issue. He was un doubtedly a talented player before he arrived and multiple clubs wanted him. Regardless of what was said in later years there was a bidding war with Aston Villa and Everton offering various deals, including multiple players at one point in the days immediately prior to City signing Daley. I interviewed Daley a few years back about it all and that can be read here:

https://gjfootballarchive.com/2024/10/19/steve-daley-interview-2/

If you’d like to find out more on the 1979-80 season then why not subscribe? Subscribers can read the following 4,220 word article on the entire 1979-80 season – a season which saw heroes leave and spending get ridiculous!). My article, like the other indepth subscriber pieces, contains material from interviews I have performed with many of the key figures – chairman, managers, players and others. You can read this below.

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From The Archive: Anyone Remember This Manchester City Magazine?

In my collection is this newspaper called ‘City Football Monthly Review’ from the 1979-80 season. I’m not certain how many issues were printed but I think I’ve got a couple. This one fell out of a box I was sorting through the other day containing a few late 1970s items. The player on the front is Kaziu Deyna, a brilliant footballer who arrived at City perhaps too late in his career. His arrival was high profile at the time.

The newspaper carries quite a few interesting articles. Do you have a copy of one of the other issues? I’d be keen on seeing pages from other issues.

If you’d like to find out more on the 1979-80 season then why not subscribe? Subscribers can read the following 4,220 word article on the entire 1979-80 season – a season which saw heroes leave and spending get ridiculous!). My article, like the other indepth subscriber pieces, contains material from interviews I have performed with many of the key figures – chairman, managers, players and others. You can read this below.

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Manchester 1840-1919 (Part Six)

Every Monday I’m posting a section from my book ‘The Emergence of Footballing Cultures: Manchester 1840-1919’. It tells the story of the origins of men’s football in Manchester and discusses the birth of both City and United plus the clubs that predated them such as Hulme Athenaeum, Manchester AFC, Birch etc. Today’s section is the fifth chapter of the book (a 8,200 word section). This focuses on the establishment of clubs in the 1870s and 1880s, including City and United’s predecessors.

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From The Archive: Facts That Rarely Change

Here’s a section from a magazine in my collection. It’s part of the 1970s Book Of Football series and this section shows Manchester City’s kit and club details as they were in 1972. For years much of this didn’t change but now almost every line of club facts/details have changed, even the address of course! Interestingly, the capacity of the Etihad today is closer to the recorded capacity of Maine Road when this was published than at any other time since then (the seating of the North Stand dropped the attendance by around 10,000 and the capacity continued to drop until the move to the current stadium and then the increases since then).

I’ve not reviewed every fact but from memory the ones that remain are: Founded 1880 (as St Mark’s but 1894 at MCFC); the record attendance of 84,569; record victory and record defeat; Most League goals has been equalled; Tommy Johnson still holds the most goals in a League season but all the other player stats have changed. Of course the badge and kit have also changed on more than one occasion since then.

First Maine Road Derby Anniversary

On 12 September 1925 Manchester City and Manchester United met in the first Manchester Derby to be played at Maine Road (United had been in the second tier for the first couple of seasons of Maine Road’s existence). Here’s the background, report and stats from that game (this is all from the book I wrote with Steve Cawley called The Pride of Manchester – the history of the Manchester Derby). Enjoy!

MANCHESTER CITY 1 (Cowan)

MANCHESTER UNITED 1 (Rennox)

Manchester City: Jim MITCHELL, Sam COOKSON, Philip McCLOY, Sammy SHARP, Sam COWAN, Charlie PRINGLE, Billy AUSTIN, John (known as Jack) WARNER, Frank ROBERTS, Tom JOHNSON, George HICKS. Manager: David Ashworth

Manchester United: Alf STEWARD, Charlie MOORE, Jack SILCOCK, Ray BENNION, Frank BARSON, Frank MANN, Joe SPENCE, Thomas SMITH, Jimmy HANSON, Clatworthy ’Clat’ RENNOX, Frank MCPHERSON. Manager: John Chapman

BACKGROUND

United had spent three seasons in the Second Division and returned as runners-up to Leicester City. Some of the old faithfuls remained, notably Silcock and Spence, but inevitably team strengthening and transitions had occurred, in particular, with the acquisition of club captain Frank Barson. Signed in 1922 for the huge sum of £5,000, United promised Barson a pub if they were promoted within three years – and he just made it! A former blacksmith, Barson was an attacking centre-half of international standard but also carried a notorious reputation as a traditional ‘hard man’ who was quick to exact retribution if a team-mate was fouled. Another useful signing was Frank McPherson, a man with reputedly the hardest shot in football. The Reds made a quite promising start to the new campaign and had looked impressive in a 3-0 home victory against Aston Villa.

City’s playing squad had changed considerably since the last derby, while manager Ernest Mangnall who had joined the Blues from United in September 1912 and played such a major role in the development of both clubs had left City in May 1924, and was replaced by David Ashworth. Meredith had also finally retired in 1924, bowing out in an FA Cup semi-final against Newcastle, although he retained a connection through his son-in-law Charlie Pringle who now played for the Blues. A number of fresh signings had been made; Frank Roberts for £3,400, Billy Austin for£2,000 and Philip McCloy for £3,000. City also had great hopes that Sam Cowan, a centre-half signed from Doncaster Rovers in December 1924 would develop into a quality player. City had moved to their magnificent purpose-built stadium at Maine Road in August 1923 and had established a provincial record crowd of 76,166 in the stadium’s first season. Now, with the derby imminent, its capacity was viewed at a possible 85,000!

BEFORE THE GAME

            P          W         D          L           F          A          Pts

UNITED 4          1          1          2          5          4          3

CITY      3          1          0          2          3          4          2

MATCH VERDICT

The derby rivalry resumed in front of what was, at the time, City’s record League gate. City were deemed the better side in what was a rousing contest. Local born ‘keeper Alf Steward had an outstanding game keeping the lively City forwards at bay with a string of fine saves, before ’Clat’ Rennox then went down to the other end and gave the Reds the lead with a smart shot.

Sam Cowan capped a wonderful display by scoring the equaliser with a powerful far post header from a left wing corner (see photo). It was a fitting reward for Cowan, who besides being the man of the match, looked to be a player the Blues could build a future around.

“The Athletic News” reported on the resumption of the derby match after a four year break: ”The first meeting of the Manchester rivals after a lapse of four years brought the City club the largest League gate they have ever enjoyed. It was not so great as that recorded at the Cup-tie with Cardiff City in March 1924, when 76,166 spectators paid for admission, but over 62,000 people passed through the turnstiles, and, with ticket-holders, the attendance was officially returned at nearly 66,000. It was a magnificent spectacle and a game fought in a splendid spirit. That the City did not defeat their rivals was due primarily to the brilliant goal-keeping of Steward, a Manchester-born player, to whose rich promise the Athletic News referred last Monday.

It was fitting that on the only occasion he was beaten the success fell to Samuel Cowan, for these players were the outstanding figures in the contest. Cowan’s headwork was a feature of the match. More, he tackled with grim determination and effectiveness, and distributed the ball with discrimination and accuracy.

Cowan promises to be all that the City club expected when they brought him from Doncaster Rovers last season. He has all the physical requirements for a centre half-back, and, judging by his display in this match, he has the temperament for the big event. His equalising goal was a masterpiece in headwork and judgement”.

If you’d like to know more about this season for Manchester City why not read the following 4,900 word subscriber article on the 1925-26 season. If you subscribe (see below) I hope you enjoy it. If you are not currently a subscriber then why not try it for a month (£3 per month or sign up for a year at a discounted £20 per year)?

Here’s the article:

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40 Years Ago: McNeill Swings the Axe

Here’s an article from this day (12 September) in 1986 when Manchester City manager Billy McNeill was unhappy with the way City’s team was playing. He felt some of the experienced guys were letting the side down and, following City’s success in the 1986 FA Youth Cup final, he knew there were some talented young players coming through. This article suggests that and it’s worth noting that David White and Darren Beckford were going to be in the squad for the Oxford game. McNeill was clearly getting frustrated and it wouldn’t be long before he walked out on the club for Villa.

If you’re interested in knowing more, here’s a 2,500 word feature on the 1986-87 season for subscribers:

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Help Billy McNeill Make City Great Again!

A little over forty years ago when my Manchester City season ticket book arrived this leaflet was inside. Billy McNeill’s quote told ‘us’ supporters how our support would be absolutely vital helping him make City great again. I’ve kept hold of it all these years because, within only a couple of months, Billy McNeill had left (September 1986) – we stayed to fight on! Looking back I don’t blame Billy – he was sold a life at Aston Villa that seemed better than what he had at City (in the end it was worse!). Years later I interviewed him and brought this up. He admitted that leaving was the biggest mistake he’d made. I kept the leaflet because, like thousands of fans, I did stay during the bad days and (as with Billy’s move to Villa) things did get worse. There was a lot of positivity in the late 1980s and early 1990s, but the period 1996 to 1999 was not so great.

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Forty Years Ago Today: Ticket News for MCFC and Southend

In the days before the internet we didn’t have many ways of finding out about ticket sales for games. There were match programmes (but fixtures didn’t always allow time for us to read the details in time); occasional announcements on Radio Manchester or Piccadilly Radio; Clubcall (if you could afford the ridiculous cost of phoning the number); and then there was the local press. Here’s the Manchester Evening News from today (10 September) in 1986 giving their latest ticket news on City, except all it really told us was that the League Cup tie at Southend would be all-ticket. I suppose a few days later the criteria would’ve been announced. Back then we’d wait and wonder if the away allocation would be satisfied by regular season ticket holders, first year season ticket holders or end up on open sale.

By this time I was a ‘regular’ season ticket holder (a separate category; in past years there were 1st year, 2nd year etc. season ticket holders – all the way up to 4th year at one point – but by 1986 there were just ‘regular’ and ‘first year’) so probably could get a ticket but I didn’t get to Southend due to work commitments sadly.

If you’d like to know more about City during the 1980s, here’s a 2,500 word subscriber feature on the 1985-86 season that came before this one (elsewhere on the site you can find 1986-87). Enjoy!

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Tomorrow’s feature is on the 1986-87 season. If you missed the earlier features then start here:

The 1980s: 1980-1981 Gow, Hutchison & McDonald

GOLDEN GOALS – 1999 Kevin Horlock Goal V Gillingham

Paul Dickov’s goal in the 1999 Play Off final has often been described as the most important Manchester City goal of all time.  That goal does deserve significant recognition, however it is also important to remember the other contributing factors on that day all those years ago, including the opening City goal scored by Kevin Horlock.

The late 1990s had been a very difficult period for City and Horlock’s goal came at a moment when all hope that the Club could resurrect itself seemed to have vanished.   This goal was obviously important as it gave City hope and ultimately that transferred into achievement.

The idea of this ‘GOLDEN GOALS’ feature is to remember a significant or spectacular Manchester City goal from yesteryear.  My hope is that supporters who were not around back then will learn more about these goals while those who were here will hopefully be reminded of them.  If you would like to nominate a goal for possible use in a future feature then please comment at the end of this piece or email me with details of game, goal scorer and date.

This article, covering Horlock’s goal and the story of that day, is available for subscribers to the website. It costs £20 a year (it works out £1.67 per month) and you get full access to all articles posted, including PDFs of the out of print Manchester A Football History and my first ever book about Manchester City. There are also audio interviews & more. Do a few searches on past content to see what’s available.      

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MCFC Fans Attack Stretford Mayor Believing Him To Be Referee!

This is an unusual tale from this day (9 September) in 1965. On that day Manchester City’s game with Norwich was abandoned at half time due to a waterlogged pitch. Norwich had taken an early lead via a Ron Davies header.

Neil Young equalised for the Blues in the 37th minute and fans had been hopeful of a win but referee Jim Carr (Sheffield) abandoned the match stating: ‘The lines were not visible. In seven seasons on the list, I can’t remember a ground in this state at this time of year.’

Journalist Peter Gardner thought the ref had made a mistake as conditions seemed to be improving. Many fans agreed and after the abandonment several confronted a man they believed to be the ref but it was actually Stretford mayor Edward Cavanagh. He claimed about 300 people confronted him as he headed for his car. A woman apparently kicked a councillor who was with him and the ‘mob’ started to bang on his car too!

The story made the papers. The replay ended in a goalless draw before over 34,000 on 27 October.

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