Category Archives: Bolton Wanderers

City 2003: Another Attendance Record

On this day (18 October) in 2003 Manchester City scored 6 goals at their new home, the City of Manchester Stadium (now Etihad Stadium), for the first time. It was also the 6th consecutive record attendance for the new ground. There was also a sending off for Shaun Wright-Phillips. It was an odd day in some ways but you can read more below:

Although the game was 1-1 at half-time, City defeated Bolton 6-2 at the City of Manchester stadium.  The 6th was scored by Claudio Reyna in the 84th minute.The Bolton victory was notable from a stadium perspective as it also marked the sixth consecutive highest record breaking attendance for the venue.  Due to seating reconfigurations taking place throughout the early part of the season, a new record crowd for the stadium was set for the first five League games.  

The first competitive game (TNS, UEFA Cup) saw 34,103 – capacity had been restricted to about 35,000 due to safety legislation – followed by a record in every one of the following five League games staged – 46,287 (Portsmouth), 46,436 (Arsenal), 46,687 (Villa), 46,842 (Spurs) & 47,101 (Bolton).  Each of those matches was watched by a capacity attendance.  Over the following months further changes, such as reducing the size of the Directors’ Box, increased capacity further and the record crowd was broken again when Leeds United came on 22nd December (47,126) and then Liverpool (47,201) six days later.  Ultimately, the Chelsea game on 28th February became the season’s best with an attendance of 47,304.

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An On This Day Always Worth Remembering

On this day (9 October) 59 years ago Manchester City signed Francis Lee. Here is a long profile of him that I’ve written, together with links to other stories and audio tributes to him too:

A World Cup international for England, Francis Lee remains one of Manchester City’s most famous former players and one of the Club’s greatest heroes.

Early Life

Born in Westhoughton, on the edge of Bolton, Francis remembers that sport played a big part in his early life.  His father used to play a lot of football with him and encouraged him to develop his skills.  The young Francis would play any other sporting activity, but it was football which brought him to the attention of the local scouts.  

While training at Horwich Technical College an offer came from Bolton Wanderers:  “I went to college in Horwich but left to sign for Bolton.  The principal said I was stupid but my father, who had spent forty years working in a cotton mill doing something he didn’t like, said why not give it a crack.  He said I could always go back to college if I didn’t make the grade, and the idea was to give myself a year.  Within six months I thought I had a chance of making it.”

Francis’ new footballing career was about to develop at an incredible pace.  On Bonfire Night 1960, he made his debut at the age of 16 after only appearing in eight Central League matches.  The game was, co-incidentally, against Manchester City and Bolton won 3-1 with Francis marking a superb debut with a goal:  “I scored at exactly 3.15.  I know because there was a photo of me the next day, heading past Bert Trautmann with the time on the stand clock in the background.”

To score a debut goal against such a legendary goalkeeping figure was clearly something Francis could hardly have dreamed of six months earlier, and inevitably it was enough to keep the Westhoughton youngster in the side for the following five League games.  A further five games followed in 1961-62, and then the next season Francis found himself having a sustained run in the side making 23 League appearances and scoring twelve goals.  Four of those goals came from the penalty spot, including two in a game at West Bromwich Albion in September, and it’s fair to say Francis’ success from the penalty spot throughout his career helped to develop his name.  

Malcolm’s Bath

During January 1964 Francis played against Malcolm Allison’s Bath City in the FA Cup.  On a miserable and difficult pitch at non-League Bath Bolton were awarded a penalty.  Francis prepared to take the kick but as he did so he heard his own captain whisper to another Bolton player:  “He’s due to miss one, you know.”  Whether it was the conditions or the vote of ‘no confidence’ is unclear but the penalty was not one of Francis’ best.  It did, however, go into the net off the inside of the post.  It may not have been the perfect penalty, but it certainly made Bath’s Malcolm Allison notice the player, and it saved Bolton from an embarrassing defeat.  

The match went to a replay and the Trotters won the return 3-0 with Francis once again scoring from the penalty spot.  Francis’ approach to penalty taking is clear:  “You’ve got to want to take penalties to be good at it.  You’ve got to enjoy it.  The kick itself is the easy part.  Any player who can’t hit the corner of the goal from twelve yards shouldn’t be playing.  Nerve is the key.  Everyone said I blasted the ball, but I used to aim for the stanchion and hit the ball at three-quarter speed, pretending I was passing the ball fifty or sixty yards.  I would take a long run up to give the ‘keeper longer to think about it – it gave him less of an idea which side I was going to hit it.”

Time to Leave

Francis’ career at Bolton continued until October 1967.  By that time he had made a total of 210 League and cup appearances and netted 106 goals, and was clearly a man other sides were interested in.  Unfortunately, his final year had become a difficult one as far as his relationship with the club was concerned:  “It was enjoyable at Bolton, but frustrating.  I really wanted to get away from the age of 18 or 19 because I could see they were going nowhere.  The wages were poor and the club just wasn’t changing with the times on or off the field.  My contract was up in the June (1967) and they didn’t want to sell me, so I signed a monthly contract.  Bolton said they would never sell me and offered £150 a week to stay.  I was only on £30 at the time, but I knew the only chance to further my ambition was to leave.  By October I had served my contract, and the option, and virtually retired!  I hadn’t played football for about three weeks.  I just did a bit of training on my own.  Eventually, Bolton realised they had a rapidly depreciating asset.”

Manchester City were interested from the start.  Malcolm Allison remembered Francis from the Bath-Bolton match and, of course, he had played in the Bolton-City Second Division game in November 1965, but the Blues were not the only interested party.  Stoke made an offer; Wolves were very keen; and Bill Shankly at Liverpool had also been very interested, but in the end it was Joe Mercer and Malcolm Allison who got their man.  

At one point Mercer turned to the player and said:  “I hope you will sign.  We feel we’ve got the start of a good side.  We are just one player short, and we think you are that player.  The odd goal or two will turn us into a great team.”

But even after the main negotiations had been agreed the transfer still stuttered – the League refused to accept the registration at first.  Eventually Francis did sign, and his transfer did help turn City into a great side as Mercer predicted.  Within seven months of his arrival the Blues were League Champions for the first time since 1937.

Playing on the right, with Mike Summerbee as centre-forward, Francis scored sixteen League goals in 31 games and ended that Championship season as second highest goalscorer – only three short of Neil Young.  There had been many thrilling and memorable performances with famous victories over Tottenham, Manchester United, and the last day tussle with Newcastle all grabbing the headlines.  Francis was a key player in each of these games, but it’s fair to say he excelled throughout the season.  Prior to his arrival, City had lost five of the eleven games they had played, with Francis in the side that record improved considerably and they were worthy champions.  Mercer had been right, Francis was the last piece of the jigsaw.

Cup Success

Much was expected of the Blues at the start of the following season, but injury to Tony Book affected City more than anyone could have anticipated.  In addition, every side seemed to raise its game when it faced City making average opposition appear like world beaters.  Francis was moved into the number nine shirt for the second half of the season and, although league form remained mixed, City started to compete well in the FA Cup.  Francis: “Having murdered everybody in my first season, we floundered as soon as the next season started.  We thought we had a divine right to go out and thrash people.  Mike (Summerbee) didn’t start very well at centre-forward because opponents got wise to his style.  So they changed us.  I was perfectly happy, it didn’t matter where I played.  But I don’t think centre-forward was my best position.  I was happiest when I was supporting a big striker.”

“When I played for England, Geoff Hurst was the striker up front, and when City bought big Wyn Davies I scored 33 goals one season.  In my time at Maine Road there was talk of buying Joe Royle or John Toshack and I think if we had, my record would have been better.”

The 33 goals mentioned by Francis came in 1971-72 and remains the second highest total of goals scored in a League season by a Blue, but before that Francis played in three major finals for City.  The first, the FA Cup in 1969, saw City defeat Leicester 1-0 with a goal from Neil young:  “I was delighted to beat Leicester and win the cup, but I didn’t have the best preparation for the Final.  I’d been out since the semi with a leg strain, and though I was fit, I had missed a couple of weeks’ training.  I don’t think I played outstandingly, I just had an average game, which was a shame.”

Less than a year later Francis did play a major part in the League Cup success over West Bromwich Albion, and the ECWC win over Polish side Gornik Zabrze.  Writing in his autobiography in 1970 Francis felt the Gornik match had been tough at times:  “The result was better than we dared hope.  Secretly, I thought beforehand that Gornik were going to be really difficult, and that with Mike Summerbee out we could easily struggle unless we hit absolutely peak form.  After eleven minutes Neil Young snapped up a chance presented to him by a lapse on the part of Poland’s international ‘keeper Kostka, and two minutes from half-time I hit a penalty in via the ‘keeper’s legs.”

“Our rhythm was disturbed for a while when Doyle was carried off in the first half with a leg injury, but we seemed to be cantering to victory when the Poles surprisingly pulled back the score to 2-1 in the 69th minute.  The rain had started to bucket down, and even when they scored I felt our only chance of losing the game was if it was called off.  There was a real fear of this at one time, but Gornik obviously sensed they were back in with a chance because they tried to put the pressure on us.  Even their goal was diverted off George Heslop and I think Joe Corrigan would have saved but for this.”

“In the last few minutes I think Gornik got the message that we had been on top throughout the game and intended staying on top.  We certainly felt we were good winners.”

Derby Move

After Gornik, City were seen as one of football’s most glamorous sides and Francis, with his never say die, bustling style, was a firm favourite.  His goals in 1971-72 brought City within a point of the title, and then in 1974 the Blues reached Wembley again in the League Cup final.  Sadly, the game ended in defeat, and at the end of that season Francis was sold to Derby County:  “I didn’t want to leave, I felt I had a couple more good seasons in me but Tony Book (the manager) said he thought it would be better if I went.”

Francis moved to Derby County and, as if to prove City wrong, the entertaining forward helped his new club to the League title:  “I think City would have won the League that season if I’d stayed.  The season before I signed for Derby, they won four away games.  We won seven after I arrived and won the League.”

Of course, Francis’ success wasn’t only confined to club football. He was also a wonderful England forward, scoring ten goals in 27 international appearances between December 1968 and April 1972.  There are many who felt his international career should have continued for at least another year, however it is worth stressing that he appeared for England at a time when there were many, many quality attackers desperate to make an impression.  The England side of 1970, for example, is believed to be one of the strongest national sides of all time.  Francis himself believes the 1970 side was one of quality:  “I played three games in the 1970 World Cup finals and I felt we had a better side than in ’66.  The players who had won the Cup were more experienced and I think the fringe players were better.  If we hadn’t gone out to West Germany in extra-time in the quarters, I think we would have gone on to win it.  Brazil certainly didn’t fancy playing us.”

Retirement

In 1976 Francis retired.  His final game came on 24th April 1976 when he scored twice for Derby against Ipswich in the final two minutes – a perfect way to end a great career.

After football, Francis spent most of his time developing his business interests, most notably his toilet paper manufacturers, and horse racing training.  His business interests had started while he was still a Bolton player and helped make Francis a multi-millionaire. Inevitably there was often talk during the 1980s and early 90s that Francis would one day turn his attention back to City.  During 1993-94 the fans backed a campaign to help him take over the Club, and he went on to replace Peter Swales as Chairman.  Off the pitch, the structure of the Blues improved considerably, however on the pitch activities struggled.  

In 1998 Francis stepped down as Chairman.  After that time Francis continued to be a major shareholder and regular attendee at City.  It’s fair to say his time as Chairman did not bring the level of success everybody anticipated, but his time as a player certainly brought more rewards than any neutral could have predicted on the day he signed in October 1967.

Francis will always be remembered as one of Manchester City’s greatest international players, and a firm favourite with supporters.

You can hear me and Mike Sweeney talk briefly about him here:

Corinthians Interview & Franny Lee Tribute

Here’s a tribute on the Blue Moon Podcast I did with David Mooney:

Francis Lee’s first MCFC penalty is remembered here:

Franny’s First

MCFC Create a Bolton Record Attendance

In the week that the Etihad Stadium record attendance was broken I thought it’d be worth highlighting this record crowd established in 1922. The crowd was 66,442 at Burnden Park for the FA Cup tie that City won 3-1 on 28 January 1922. Coincidentally eleven years later a Bolton-City game eclipsed this record. The new record was set at 69,912 and still stands today for a home Bolton game. Interestingly, it was claimed many years ago that the famous Lowry painting Going To The Match was inspired by Lowry’s memory of attending this match.

Lowry was a City fan and the general Going To The Match scene was worked on a few times over the years.

Guess Manchester City’s FA Cup Final Shirts: The Answer And More

Yesterday I posted images of early Manchester City FA Cup final shirts and asked ‘which shirts are from which finals’ with a bonus question of ‘can anyone work out the players’ who wore these (no searching on t’internet for matching player numbers please!).’ So here are the answers and further details on these players/shirts.

The shirts and players who wore them are:

4, pale blue, top right – Ken Barnes 1955 FA Cup Final

Unnumbered maroon, top middle – Ernie Toseland 1934 FA Cup Final

5, shiny blue, top right – Paul Power 1981 FA Cup Final

4, maroon & white, bottom left – Ken Barnes 1956 FA Cup Final

Cornflower blue, bottom middle – Sam Cookson 1926 FA Cup Final

8, red/black, bottom right – Colin Bell 1969 FA Cup Final

Notice the two balls on the photographs? They are the 1956 FAC Final ball and the 1969 FAC final ball. All shirts and balls were on loan to the Manchester City Experience (the original club museum set up in 2003) as part of our exhibition.

I’ve got further images and more information on these shirts below but first it’s worth talking about the only City FA Cup final shirts missing when we did this exhibition in the mid 2000s (obviously City have reached multiple FA Cup finals since that time) being 1904 and 1933. We simply could not track down shirts from either final, though we kept getting close to borrowing a scarlet shirt from the 1933 final. We put the shirts together and I took these photos of them.

Here’s a contemporary photo of the 1904 FA Cup final shirt. The player here is James McMahon.

James McMahon wearing his 1904 FA Cup final shirt

The 1933 FA Cup final was the first final to feature numbered shirts (Everton wore 1-11, City 12-22) and City’s shirts were usually described as being scarlet. City had word what they called ‘Lucky Scarlet’ a few times in the previous decade, though it never quite seemed that lucky! Here’s a contemporary image of the 1933 FA Cup final shirt back, worn by Matt Busby, showing the numbering used.

Matt Busby in the 1933 FA Cup Final

The oldest shirt we had on display was Sam Cookson’s 1926 FA Cup final shirt and here’s a close up of the Manchester coat of arms worn on that shirt. This was the first time City had worn the coat of arms in a final (City didn’t wear any emblem in 1904):

Notice the shade of blue too. It’s a darker blue than City were known to wear and was known as cornflower blue at the time. It was a special colour for the final against Bolton. Someone at City must have remembered (or maybe it was the FA) that there had been some comments in 1904 that City’s blue and Bolton’s white were too close in colour. I’ve always found that a bit odd but I guess City didn’t want to take any chances when the two sides met again in 1926.

The 1933 final was scarlet as mentioned earlier and the players wore numbers for the first time but in 1934 numbers were not worn. Personally I’d have thought they’d keep up the idea but maybe someone somewhere moaned about these new fangled ideas like wearing numbers in a similar way to how some moaned when squad numbers were introduced and player names were added. Here’s a close up of Ernie Toseland’s 1934 shirt badge. The shirt was described as maroon and the shorts were revolutionary…. We had an expert from Umbro come to visit and he looked at the shorts (we had Toseland’s full kit on display) and was delighted to see an exclusive design. They contained a diamond shaped piece of fabric stitched in and he told me that this was a pair of Umbro’s ‘crotch resistant’ shorts. He explained more, but whether they gave benefit is open to question.

Here’s Ken Barnes’ 1955 emblem. A more traditional blue but it’s interesting that the away colour of maroon makes its way on to the emblem. I wonder if they thought City would wear maroon at some point when the sew on patch was created?

In 1956 the emblem colour was red with yellow edging (to match the numbers on the back). People often try to suggest yellow is not a traditional City colour but it has been used on plenty of kits, including the numbering in 1956 and as the main colour of the away shirt in 1959-60.

Here’s Colin Bell’s 1969 FA Cup final shirt in front of the old honours board. I believe this honours board is still held in City’s archive somewhere. Maybe we should dig it out and update it. I may post another feature on the board itself another day – people think it’s as old as Maine Road but Bernard Halford had it made in the mid 1970s, just after the League Cup win if my memory is working today!

Here’s the special emblem to mark the 100th FA Cup Final. People get confused about this cup final with some saying it was the Centenary Cup Final (as the emblem does!) or the 100th FA Cup Final. The FA were quite clear at the time – the 1972 FA Cup Final was the Centenary Cup Final (marking 100 years since the FA Cup was established) and 1981 was the 100th FA Cup Final. So City or Umbro got this wrong and if you look at the First Day Cover (below) or any of the match programmes, souvenirs etc. you’ll see they created a special 100th cup final emblem.

I’ve done a lot of research on City’s kits over the decades. There’s lots of comments on them in my books, especially Manchester The Greatest City, Farewell To Maine Road and my City Folklore book. There are also other features across this website. Some only for subscribers and some for all. Why not subscribe (see below) and read all the content on this site? You can subscribe for a month at £3 per month or sign up for a year at £20. Why not try it for a month?

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Were You There 60 Years Ago Today? Manchester City 4 Bolton Wanderers 1

Today (16 April) in 1966 Manchester City defeated Bolton 4-1 at Maine Road in the Second Division. The City scorers were Dave Connor, Johnny Crossan, Bobby Kennedy and Cliff Sear. Future PFA chief Gordon Taylor scored for Bolton. Subscribers can read some contemporary match reports from this game below. Were you there that day? If you were please feel free to add your comments.

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You can find out more on Manchester City during the 1965-66 season by reading the following 4100 word article. As with most of the other features in this series it includes words from interviews I have performed with those who were there. This is a subscriber article (see below).

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The 1910s: 1912-1913 Mangnall Walks Out On United 

The new series of features on Manchester City in the 1910s continues today with a 2800 word article on the 1912-13 season – A season which saw United’s most successful manager (at the time) walk out on the Reds to become City’s manager (he believed that City, with the larger pulling power, was a more ambitious club). If you’re a subscriber you can read all about that and the rest of the season below. If you’re not a subscriber then why not sign up for a month and see what you think?

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Manchester City 3 Bolton Wanderers 1

On this day (2 October) in 1920 Bolton Wanderers were defeated by Manchester City 3-1 with goals from Tommy Browell, Fred Fayers and Wilf Woodcock. A crowd recorded as 40,000 at the time watched the match at Hyde Road.

For more on this season why not read the following 2,350 word subscriber article. 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)?

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As well as subscriber pieces this series on the 1920s includes some free articles. Watch out for a daily post.

The 1920s: Manchester City 2 Bolton Wanderers 0

On this day (14 September 1929) Manchester City defeated Bolton 2-0 with both goals coming from Eric Brook (photographed) at Maine Road, watched by a crowd of 36,972. You can find out more on the 1929-30 season below in this piece for subscribers (see below). I hope you enjoy it. If you don’t subscribe then why not try it for a month (£3 per month or sign up for a year at a discounted £20 per year)?

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The 1920s: Ernest Mangnall

Continuing the series on Manchester City in the 1920s here’s a free to read 1300 word article on 1920s City (and 1900s United) manager Ernest Mangnall. Enjoy!

Although JAMES ERNEST MANGNALL is usually remembered as the first man to bring Manchester United trophy success – with a side containing the key members of City’s 1904 FA Cup triumph – he actually spent more years managing the Blues and saw City as the bigger club with more potential.  

People tend to focus on his successes at United but his commitment to the Blue cause and determination to move City to the best stadium in English football, are perhaps the most interesting aspects of his life.  His United successes are clearly significant moments in Manchester football, however City fans prefer to remember his Blue achievements.  

He joined City in 1912 but the most interesting aspect of his arrival is the way it was carried out.  Mangnall had been United’s leader since 1903 and had achieved so much that no one could ever have expected him to move.  As well as the trophy successes (promotion, two League titles and the FA Cup) he was also credited with being instrumental in United’s move from Clayton (where the Velodrome’s BMX track is today, close to the Etihad Stadium) to Old Trafford.  

City were still regarded as the region’s number one club despite the problems they had faced in the period 1905-1912, and they stunned the football world when they lured Mangnall away from the Reds.  Never before had a manager left a major club for its biggest rivals after so much success, but what made the story more of a sensation was the fact Mangnall had agreed to become City manager while still in office at Old Trafford, and that he had watched the Blues’ opening game at Notts County when he was supposed to be with United at Arsenal.  He actually remained in charge of United for the Manchester derby of 7th September 1912 at Old Trafford.  

Occasionally United historians dispute that Mangnall was officially their manager on the day of the derby but leading newspapers of the period, most notably the Umpire and the Daily Dispatch, are perfectly clear that he was officially in charge.  City won the Old Trafford match 1-0 despite being down to ten men for most of the game.  Mangnall, according to one report, was delighted with the City win despite, officially at least, still being a Red.  “United speeded their manager rejoicing with two points to his new club” read one article. 

The following Monday Mangnall moved into his Hyde Road office, and within a few weeks his side were looking like Championship contenders:  “Manchester City stand out boldly as the only first class team in the two divisions of the League, the Southern and the Scottish Leagues, with the highest possible points to their credit.  The Citizens of Manchester have earned every point in September.  Other clubs have remained undefeated, but they have not annexed the maximum marks.  Nine years have passed since Manchester City commenced a campaign in this stimulating style.”

The title didn’t arrive, however Mangnall did develop a decent-looking side by the time of the First World War – they missed the 1914-15 title by three points.  City were also proving a highly popular side to watch, so much so that the ground could hardly cope.  A notorious cup match with Sunderland in February 1913 had to be abandoned due to overcrowding.  Incredibly – and this is difficult to appreciate today – the team manager was also responsible for the management of the ground at this time, and so Mangnall was held responsible for all matters concerning safety and crowd control as well as picking the team and buying the players.  A reporter named Veteran accused Mangnall of spending too much time with the team and said:  “I am rather surprised at Mr. Mangnall being caught napping, but it may be that he has been away with the team and had had little to do with the home management.”

During the hostilities Mangnall kept the Club alive and brought some trophy success in the wartime tournaments that replaced the League.  

After the war, Mangnall’s side became very popular and he had to focus on ground issues as well as team matters.  With the Blues filling the 40,000 capacity on a regular basis, Mangnall regular had to face the press, the FA, the Football League, Manchester City Council, and the police to explain why chaotic scenes were being experienced game after game in the streets around the ground.  

In 1920 fire destroyed the Main Stand and exacerbated the problems Mangnall faced.  He approached his former club United about using Old Trafford, the ground he had been primarily responsible for, but they met his request with exorbitant terms that were ridiculed in the press.  Perhaps they still felt a little aggrieved about his departure almost a decade earlier?

Mangnall’s view was that City had to move from Hyde Road.  Its forty thousand capacity was far too small, and the manager worked with club officials, most notably another former City manager Lawrence Furniss, to plan the development of a new ground.  One with potential.

At the same time as the ground debates, Mangnall guided the Blues to second place in the League and their popularity increased further.

By the start of 1921-22 far too many people were missing out on watching Manchester’s favourite team.  That season he created plans for an “English Hampden” on the Moss Side/Rusholme border.  

In 1923 City moved to the 85,000 capacity Maine Road, and in Mangnall’s final season (1923-24) he almost managed to guide the Blues to the FA Cup Final.  With the 49 year old Billy Meredith back in Mangnall’s side, City were defeated by Newcastle.  That run was important as it perhaps demonstrated the reason why Mangnall had been determined to join the Blues back in 1912 for his City side attracted a few magnificent attendances including over 76,000 for a cup tie with Cardiff.  At the time this was the largest crowd for any footballing fixture played in Manchester including three FA Cup finals (1893, 1911 replay & 1915).  Mangnall knew all about City’s popularity and he must have felt a great deal of satisfaction at seeing such a large crowd in the stadium he had pushed for.

The following May his contract was not renewed, although It seems likely he chose to step down feeling that there was little more he could achieve at Maine Road.  After leaving the Blues he became a director of his home town team, Bolton, and was a significant figure within the PFA.  He died of a cerebral embolism in 1932 at St. Annes. 

In addition to his roles at Burnley – his first club as secretary, United, City, and Bolton, he was also recorded as the man responsible for founding the Central League and the Football Managers’ Association.  

Modern day football rarely remembers men like Mangnall, however his place in the history of Manchester must always remain a significant one.  He restored pride and passion to the Blues and was the key figure in City’s move to Maine Road.  That move enabled City to rediscover their ambition, drive, and natural position as one of England’s elite.

Football historians tend to focus on Mangnall’s United career but that does the man a great disservice.  He may have won trophies at Old Trafford but his entire career was packed with achievements.

Mangnall should always be remembered as the catalyst for City’s regeneration during a difficult period.  The fact that he walked out on United to take on the City challenge adds an angle that Blues love.  Mangnall was a great Blue.   

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The 1920s: Wembley

The new series on Manchester City in the 1920s continues today with a 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)?

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