Category Archives: Free

The 1980s: Why Did Bond Sit In The Directors’ Box?

It’s December 1980 and the City match programme’s letters page contained this letter about new City boss John Bond. Back then many managers would prefer to sit in the directors’ box at games as it would give them a good view and John Bond chose to do that for many games during his opening months as manager (often throughout his actual time at City to be fair). It wasn’t so unusual but this fan wanted to understand why and wrote to the City programme looking for an answer.

It’s actually the sort of question that would seem more appropriate today as few managers ever really spend time in the directors’ box. I certainly wouldn’t expect Pep to sit up there on a regular basis.

Just one of the many things that has changed over the decades. The letter writer claimed that Malcolm Allison never sat in the directors’ box – that’s not true. There are plenty of occasions in the 60s & 70s when Allison sat up there.

You can find out more on the 1980s, John Bond (including a fairly frank audio interview I did with him years ago) and City elsewhere on this website. Subscribers get access to a lot of extra content. To subscribe see the following:

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MCFC V Fluminense Tonight

At 6pm today Manchester City will take on Brazilian side Fluminense in the FIFA Club World Cup final. The connections between MCFC & Fluminense go back over a century. Did you know that City played a part in the early development of this mighty Brazilian club? One of City’s earliest goalkeepers, Charlie Williams, became regarded as Fluminense’s first true manager/coach. That’s a big deal and well worth remembering. 

A while ago Morten Olesen, a longstanding Danish Blue, wrote a lenghy guest blog on Williams and it’s still available free of charge here:

Charlie Williams – Morten Olesen Guest Blog

It’s well worth reading. At one point Olesen comments: ‘In 1911, almost 10 years after its founding, Fluminense was looking for their first coach. The choice had fallen on the now almost 40-year-old Charlie Williams, who was persuaded to take the job for a salary of £ 18 a month (well over £ 2000 in 2021 money) two return trips to England, as well as free board and lodging.’

If you use any of this material please ensure you credit Morten for his research.

Have a read of the article and then search the site for anything else you’re interested in. In fact why not subscribe? For details see:

How To Subscribe

If you enjoy all the free material on my website and would like to support my research and keep this website going (but don’t want to subscribe) then why not make a one-time donation (or buy me a coffee). All support for my research is valued and welcome. It allows me to keep some free material available for all. Thanks.

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£5.00
£7.50

Or enter a custom amount

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Your contribution is appreciated.

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MCFC V Fluminense on Friday

At 6pm on Friday Manchester City will take on Brazilian side Fluminense in the FIFA Club World Cup final. Fluminense are a team that we never dreamed City would meet in a truly competitive game and it’s caused some to ask whether there’s any connection between the clubs. Well, yes, there is and it’s a major one. One of City’s earliest goalkeepers, Charlie Williams, became regarded as Fluminense’s first true manager/coach. That’s a big deal and well worth remembering. 

A while ago Morten Olesen, a longstanding Danish Blue, wrote a lenghy guest blog on Williams and it’s still available free of charge here:

Charlie Williams – Morten Olesen Guest Blog

It’s well worth reading. At one point Olesen comments: ‘In 1911, almost 10 years after its founding, Fluminense was looking for their first coach. The choice had fallen on the now almost 40-year-old Charlie Williams, who was persuaded to take the job for a salary of £ 18 a month (well over £ 2000 in 2021 money) two return trips to England, as well as free board and lodging.’

It’s interesting that over the last 24 hours or so there’s been an awful lot of traffic to Olesen’s guest blog, so it does show that people are desperate to find out about MCFC and Fluminense connections. If you use any of this material please ensure you credit Morten for his research.

Have a read of the article and then search the site for anything else you’re interested in. In fact why not subscribe? For details see:

How To Subscribe

If you enjoy all the free material on my website and would like to support my research and keep this website going (but don’t want to subscribe) then why not make a one-time donation (or buy me a coffee). All support for my research is valued and welcome. It allows me to keep some free material available for all. Thanks.

Choose an amount

£2.50
£5.00
£7.50

Or enter a custom amount

£

Your contribution is appreciated.

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Manchester Corinthians Book Latest

The research and writing for the authorised history of the Manchester Corinthians is continuing. I’ve spent much of the last few months traveling the country continuing to interview former players and visiting archives. The book will be out next year and we’ll be announcing some further news on it soon, including the opportunity for people to subscribe to the book.

As well as the interviews and archive trips there’s been a concerted effort to compile as comprehensive list as possible on women who played for the club. There’s still some way to go but so far I’ve managed to compile a list of over 260 women who played for the club. Objects and trophies have also been rediscovered. This is the type of detailed research I enjoy. It’s time consuming, difficult and often frustrating but occasionally you find a little gem that adds significantly to our knowledge. There have been a few of those and hopefully more to come.

Obviously, I’m still keen to hear from any former player who can add their voices to the history of the club. Please email Gary@GJFootballArchive.com with your name, rough dates you played and contact details.

The cover of the book will be worked on by the designer over the coming months but following feedback from former players the maroon has been replaced with a darker blue, more reminiscent of the colour most frequently worn by the Corinthians (based on the reports, programmes and other material found so far and the majority of comments from players). This may still change of course (‘The Authorised History’ will probably change colour too). The back will contain later images and wording.

If anyone is wondering about the size and scale of the book, it will be similar in style to the Manchester City Women book I produced a few years back.

Forward as Goalkeeper for 3/4 of Game v Chelsea

I love this cutting showing Manchester City striker Eric Brook in nets, deputising for the Blues’ injured keeper. It looks like Brook had a bandana on his head here too! The photo was taken on this day (December 17) in 1932 when the Blues faced Chelsea.

You can read the match report here. City were losing 1-0 when Nicholas was injured 15 minutes into the match and the scoreline became even more convincing as the game progressed. However this report (from a London edition of a national newspaper) states that City were the better team in both halves.

The 1980s: Kendall v Everton

Continuing this series of features covering the 1980s for Manchester City… Today it’s back to this day (17 December) in 1989 and Everton v Manchester City. It’s a goalless game but this match is important as it’s new City manager Howard Kendal’s return to Goodison right at the start of his MCFC career. You can watch a brief interview with Kendall before the match action. City wearing their maroon and white stripes away kit with maroon shorts here. Enjoy!

If you want to know more about that weekend and the entire 1989-90 season then become a subscriber and read the following 8,000 word article on that season. Enjoy!

Subscribe to get access – Monthly

Read more of this content when you subscribe today. It costs £3 per month (cancel anytime) to access everything posted since 1 October 2022 or there’s a special annual rate below which gives greater access and works out much cheaper.

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Subscribe to get access – Annual

Read more of this content when you subscribe today. It costs £3 per month (above) or £20 a year (here) to access everything posted since the site was created in December 2020. This special rate works out about £1.67 a week and gives access to everything posted, including PDFs of 3 of my books.

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Today’s feature was one of many on the 1980s. I hope you’ve enjoyed them. If you missed the earlier features then start here:

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

The 1980s: 35 Year Ago Today City Women First Ever Home Game

Continuing the series of features on Manchester City in the 1980s with an on this day (12 December) from 1988… On this day Manchester City Ladies (now Women) played their first ever home game. We often focus on the first game of any kind (featured recently – a victory at Boundary Park) but rarely discuss the first home game played by the women’s team. So here goes… It was a 1-1 draw with Oldham Athletic at the Platt Lane Complex. City’s scorer was Heidi Ward and the team was managed by Neil Mather. The squad for this match was:

Michelle Flynn, Donna Davies, Kate Themen, M Hewlett, M Braddock, Paula Hinchcliffe, Tonia Slack, Michelle Mather, Louisa Felton, Donna Haynes, A Marsland, Debbie Darbyshire, Rowena Foxwell, Lisa Burnett, Heidi Ward, C Morgson, Helen Clark, J Walsh (Record of who started/subs not kept). Some of the women are on this photo,

The match report is of that game with the City equaliser described like this: ‘[City in the 2nd half] began pressing for a goal which came from H. Ward, a good drive into the bottom left hand corner of the Oldham net.’

There were other chances for City with Louisa Felton and Heidi Ward coming close to giving City a 2-1 lead but it wasn’t to be.

You can find out more on the City women’s team by following the tags or doing searches below.

A Record Greater Manchester Club Attendance

On this day (11 December) in 2022 I was at the Etihad Stadium when a new record crowd for a women’s club game in Greater Manchester was established. 44,259 watched Manchester City’s women’s team draw 1-1 with Manchester United. The attendance best all home games by Greater Manchester’s clubs; WFA Cup finals played in the area and games played by Dick, Kerr Ladies and other prominent women’s clubs over the previous 140 years or so. For those wondering the top five highest club attendances as recorded in Greater Manchester by the end of December 2022 were:

  • 44,259 City v United, Etihad, December 2022
  • 43,615 United v City, Old Trafford, November 2023
  • 31,213 City V United, Etihad, September 2019
  • 31,000 (occasionally reported as 35,000) Dick, Kerr Ladies v Bath Ladies, Old Trafford, January 1921
  • 30,196 United V Aston Villa, Old Trafford, December 2022

You can read about the first competitive women’s Manchester Derby, which occurred in 1990, here:

The 1st and Latest Women’s Manchester Derby in the League

The 1980s: Swales Profile From 1989

The series of features covering the 1980s for Manchester City continues with an article from this day (11 December) in 1989 when City chairman Peter Swales was profiled. Back then profiles like this on the chairman appeared fairly regularly, usually after he’d just sacked a manager. It all makes interesting reading today.

If you want to know more about this period and the entire 1989-90 season then become a subscriber and read the following 8,000 word article on that season. Enjoy!

Subscribe to get access – Monthly

Read more of this content when you subscribe today. It costs £3 per month (cancel anytime) to access everything posted since 1 October 2022 or there’s a special annual rate below which gives greater access and works out much cheaper.

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Subscribe to get access – Annual

Read more of this content when you subscribe today. It costs £3 per month (above) or £20 a year (here) to access everything posted since the site was created in December 2020. This special rate works out about £1.67 a week and gives access to everything posted, including PDFs of 3 of my books.

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Today’s feature was the last on the 1980s. I hope you’ve enjoyed them. If you missed the earlier features then start here:

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

The 1980s: Helen the Bell, Allen & Kendall

The series of features covering the 1980s for Manchester City continues with a reminder of a day when City lost at Southampton (9 December) in 1989 BUT this short video is worth watching for a few reason. New manager Howard Kendall had flown down to Southampton to watch his new team and this clip begins with him signing autographs. But have a look who is stooding to the left as we watch – it’s Helen ‘the Bell’ Turner. A dedicated Blue who was part of City’s folklore for decades.

Other reasons to watch: There’s a Clive Allen goal (Allen was City’s first £1m player since Trevor Francis in 1981) and you can catch a glimpse of part of the away fans celebrating. City fans were in pens and there were at least a couple full behind the goal and to the left of the pitch as viewed from the camera.

The photo that heads this page is of Clive Allen on the cover on the City-Southampton game at Maine Road earlier in the season. If you want to know more about the entire 1989-90 season then become a subscriber and read the following 8,000 word article on that season. Enjoy!

Subscribe to get access – Monthly

Read more of this content when you subscribe today. It costs £3 per month (cancel anytime) to access everything posted since 1 October 2022 or there’s a special annual rate below which gives greater access and works out much cheaper.

Subscribe

Subscribe to get access – Annual

Read more of this content when you subscribe today. It costs £3 per month (above) or £20 a year (here) to access everything posted since the site was created in December 2020. This special rate works out about £1.67 a week and gives access to everything posted, including PDFs of 3 of my books.

Subscribe

If you’d like to know more about subscribing then see:

How To Subscribe

Today’s feature was the last on the 1980s. I hope you’ve enjoyed them. If you missed the earlier features then start here:

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