Football writing, thoughts and more by Gary James
Today (14 September) in 2003 Manchester City won their first competitive League game at the City of Manchester Stadium (now Etihad). It was also a day that saw Steve McManaman make his League debut for the Blues. The game was a PayPerView TV match. You can watch highlights of the game here:
This is how the match was previewed in the Sunday Times:
An interesting article here from April 1933 published in the the China Press (that’s right, a newspaper based in Shanghai in the 1930s carried Manchester football news!). It talks about wealthy Manchester City helping out its neighbour Oldham Athletic. Have a read and enjoy!
On this day (13 September) in 1972 Manchester City drew 2-2 at home to Valencia in City’s first UEFA Cup tie. The City scorers were Ian Mellor and Rodney Marsh. Subscribers can read more about that game here:
Manchester City’s Maine Road stadium was opened 100 years ago last month and today (12 September) marks the anniversary of the stadium’s first competitive Manchester derby BUT it’s not the centenary of that game as United were a second tier club when City moved to their old stadium. In fact it wasn’t until the stadium’s third season that United and City met competitively at Maine Road.
You can read about that first Maine Road meeting as part of my Maine Road 100 series of free articles. This one was posted on Day 35 here:
Can you help? Do you have a golf buggy or access to one that could be used at Fog Lane Park on Friday 6 October to help transport a few people around the site at our Manchester Corinthians plaque unveiling? If you do then please let me know. You can contact me at:
Gary@GJFootballArchive.com
For background this is what we’re doing on that day…
I’m delighted to say that four years after I wrote an article hoping that football’s governing body ‘finally recognised the work of these pioneering Mancunian women’ we are now about to unveil a blue plaque to the Manchester Corinthians. The unveiling will take place at noon on Friday 6 October 2023 at Fog Lane Park, Didsbury, Manchester.
In 2019 I wrote an article for the Manchester Evening News on the women’s achievements and hoping for FA recognition and had meetings with a variety of local organisations about promoting the Corinthians further. Covid slowed everything down but then in 2021 I publicly announced for the first time the desire to have a plaque erected to the pioneering Manchester Corinthians. This was at a celebration evening at Hebden Bridge organised with Geoff Matthews. Our guests included several former Corinthians players and the mood of the audience was encouraging and supporting, which then led on to rekindling discussions with Manchester based bodies.
Support came from Manchester City Council and we discussed erecting a plaque at Fog Lane Park, the initial home of the Corinthians. In fact the women were based there for over twenty years. Via the council the Friends of Fog Lane Park came on board and we set up an appeal under their name, as custodians of the park. I wrote to contacts at the FA and elsewhere and within next to no time donations came flooding in from a variety of former players, family, friends, journalists and the Dick, Kerr Ladies Foundation via Gail Newsham. It was gratifying to see so much support (a full list of those who donated appears below – thanks to you all!).
My discussions with the FA eventually resulted in them agreeing to fund the plaque, the unveiling and to support other tributes. This meant we’d reached our goal. The plaque is a reality and will be unveiled soon.
The Friends of Fog Lane Park managed to get matching funds from Manchester City Council too and so now, as well as the plaque and a lectern providing a Corinthians’ timeline, there will be two impressive murals painted by artist Gavin Renshaw.
On October 6 at noon the blue plaque will be unveiled with over twenty of the Manchester Corinthians present BUT we still want to track down more former players. Can you help?
Did you, your mum, sister, aunt, granny or other relative play for the club? We are particularly keen on tracking down women who played for the Corinthians at Fog Lane Park from 1949 (its formation) or with the club prior to 1982. The club became Woodley Ladies in the 1980s before it ceased operation around 1989. A later club, founded by a former Corinthian, used the Corinthians name from formation, playing in Tameside.
If you appear on the following photos then please get in touch or if you played for the Corinthians at any point between 1949 and 1982 we’d love to hear from you. I’m also keen to track down more photographs and items of memorabilia associated with the team. Please email me at gary@GJFootballArchive.com or contact via this page: https://gjfootballarchive.com/contact/
Over the next few weeks I’ll be posting further stories about the Corinthians. Last week I was fortunate to interview a 90+ year old who played for the Corinthians from formation in 1949.
Those who have donated to the appeal to erect permanent tributes to the Corinthians include:
Pam Barnes, Dan Mooney, Adam Turgoose, ‘Ben’, ‘Jean J’, Jonathan Kaye, Megan Riley, Helena Byrne, Dawn Burrows, Clare Wilkins, Linda Foley, Debbie Enever, John Carrier, Jacqui McAssey, Michael Cottam, Karen Ohanco, David Hoyle, Daniel Rubin, Heidi James, Gary James and the Dick, Kerr Ladies Foundation. There were also a small number of anonymous donations – thanks to all of you too. Everyone has contributed to this appeal. Please come along to the unveiling if you can.
One Manchester club seems to be getting everything right, winning League titles, European trophies and so on while the other appears to be in self-destruct mode with demonstrations against the owner and all sorts of worrying stories appearing in the media. Sound familiar? This was actually the situation on this day (11 September) in 1993 when Manchester City (not United) were the team in crisis and United (not City) were the team winning Leagues and European trophies.
This cutting is from 11 September 1993 and highlights the proposed takeover by Francis Lee of the Blues. Peter Swales had been City’s chairman for twenty years during which he’d taken the club from being a major, profitable power to one that was heavily in debt – debt that was hampering the club’s development – with a stadium that was being downgraded almost every day via a lack of serious investment. Across at United the club appeared relatively stable with a stadium that was being invested in. They also had one of the game’s most talented and successful managers while City had gone through a series of managers in the previous few years. City were a relatively stable top flight team though by 1993. Brian Horton was now City’s boss and he seemed to offer a positive style of football but the wider problems of the club were never far away. All sound familiar still?
I do find it amazing that City and United seem to have swapped roles so emphatically since 1993 in terms of how the clubs are managed, invested in, stadium developments and so on.
For those unaware of what happened to City or those who perhaps support United and are looking to see what happened and whether history will repeat here’s a brief overview: United dominated football for most of the 1990s & 2000s while City’s Lee takeover was successful. Lee, however, was unable to revive City’s fortunes and build on the fifth place finished that had occurred in 1991 and 1992. Although much of the financial infrastructure of City was improved following the takeover, the dismissal of Horton as manager and a poor appointment in Alan Ball led to relegation. Further issues followed as star players left, managers were sacked or left and the Blues ended up in the 3rd tier (for one season – too many believe City were a 3rd tier club who eventually got lucky but they were a top 6 team who fell apart!).
Could history repeat itself with the roles reversed? Unlikely United will ever fall as low as City but it is worth noting that City never expected to fall that low. Also, removing Swales from power was something that fans had been wanting for decades. It only became a possibility when a former hero announced he could take over the club BUT even then the hopes and ambition of all Blues could not be met.
Match stats here:
https://bluemoon-mcfc.co.uk/History/Matches/Match.aspx?id=4048
On this day (10 September) in 1974 the great Manchester City star Colin Bell scored three goals as his City team defeated Scunthorpe 6-0 in the League Cup. The Blues had been League Cup finalists the previous season.
Match stats here:
https://bluemoon-mcfc.co.uk/History/Matches/Match.aspx?id=3108
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.
My latest article on football for Manchester Confidential is now live. It’s about the campaign to erect a plaque to the Manchester Corinthians. You can read it here:
There are several articles on there now from me such as this one on the FA Cup:
https://confidentials.com/manchester/the-all-manchester-fa-cup-final?id=646f468595988
In 2024 I will be publishing the Authorised History of the Corinthians. You can read about that book here:
It was a miserable day all round as Manchester City’s Bert Trautmann was sent off for booting the ball at the referee on this day (8 September 1962). City lost the game with West Ham 6-1 with Trautmann’s dismissal coming after the fifth goal.
After he had booted the ball at the ref, the official took out his notebook and ordered Trautmann off. The German goalkeeper immediately took his shirt off and headed down the tunnel and straight out of the ground and into his car.
Here are Trautmann’s views, as told to a journalist the following day:
The view from West Ham was that their team was not particularly worth the 6-1 victory. This London report makes interesting reading:
Demonstrations followed the game expressing anger towards the manager Les McDowall but Trautmann managed to escape fan criticism.
Gary James' Football Archive 