Good luck to Inter Milan tonight. Their fans were excellent in Istanbul two years ago when I was there to watch Manchester City win the Champions League for the first time. I hope Inter do it tonight.
Good luck Inter
Category Archives: Gary James
First Seats on the Kippax?
On this day (29 May) in 1961 thousands were able to sit on benches installed on the Kippax for the first ever time. But wait a minute, the Kippax wasn’t seated until 1994-95 or was it? So read on to find out what happened in 1961…
Maine Road staged one of the religious events where American evangelist Billy Graham came to preach to thousands in 1961. I cover the story in detail in Farewell To Maine Road but these images show that temporary seating was installed on the Kippax for the event, which took place between 29 May and 17 June 1961.
At this time there were no gates in the Kippax’ perimeter wall leading to the pitch and so special scaffolding steps were erected to allow attendees to climb over the wall and on to the pitch for blessings etc.
Were you at one of these religious events? If so leave your comments about the day below.
For those unfamiliar with Maine Road’s layout at the time, the above photo was taken from about a third of the way up the Kippax between number 6 and 8 on this photo.
If you’d like to read more on the history of Maine Road, take a look at Farewell To Maine Road, which can be downloaded from this page:
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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DonateThe City FC Flag
Anyone remember seeing the CITY F.C. flag that used to proudly fly above the Popular Side/Kippax. It was there for decades. There had been a CITY F.C. flag at Hyde Road and it may well be that this was the same flag. It was often referred to in the media during its life at Maine Road, such as in this 1925 cartoon:
The flag flew proudly over the Popular Side until the stand was roofed in 1957. Then the flag was moved to the Scoreboard End, eventually disappearing in the 1960s when rumour has it that it was taken down by Liverpool fans. I’m not certain if that’s true and I’ve never found any evidence but if you do know more please let me know.
I do know that in the 1930s a disgruntled City fan lowered it during a difficult game and it caused outrage. It was mentioned in the local press and the culprit had to make a formal apology to the club and his fellow City fans.
This 1971 image shows the roofed Kippax Stand. The flag was originally on a flag pole roughly where the number 7 is in the days before the stand had a roof. When the Kippax was roofed it was moved to the back of the Scoreboard End. The North Stand (10) replaced the Scoreboard End in the early 1970s.
If you’d like to read more on the history of Maine Road, take a look at Farewell To Maine Road, which can be downloaded from this page:
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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DonateMaine Road’s 1994 Redevelopment Plan
Here’s a 1994 plan of what might have been in terms of Maine Road’s development. This image is of how the entire stadium was supposed to look. To explain the colour image looks towards the stadium from above the Kippax car park. The North Stand is on the right and the Platt Lane on the left. The black and white image is from the other side of the ground, looking towards the Kippax from the Main Stand.
You can see from the black and white image that the plan was to replicate the general look of the new Kippax (being planned at this stage – this was January 1994 and the old Kippax was still standing) around the ground. The North Stand was to have a second tier added and hospitality boxes between the levels, like the new Kippax. The Platt Lane was to have a second tier added above the two lines of existing hospitality boxes.
The Main Stand would have part of the seating chopped away and a new second tier added.
To facilitate all of this some houses were to be bought and demolished on the streets immediately behind the North Stand and the Kippax/Platt Lane corner.
The new Kippax was the first phase of the development but Manchester’s bids for the Olympics changed thinking. Couple that with relegation in 1996 and the wholesale redevelopment of Maine Road was postponed after the Kippax opened and then dropped completely.
As mentioned previously, Francis Lee’s plans would have seen the new Kippax followed by a phased development of each of the other three stands. These images might give an indication of how it would have progressed.
The following 1971 aerial image shows the proximity of the housing on Thornton Road (bottom left, near number 6) and behind the North Stand (number 10). They were planned to be demolished in Lee’s 1994 plan.
If you’d like to read more on the history of Maine Road, take a look at Farewell To Maine Road, which can be downloaded from this page:
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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DonateTen Years On
Ten years ago this month I was awarded my PhD. It’s been a remarkable decade since. there were two areas I wanted to make significant progress in during the time that followed. One was the establishment of an annual conference where those researching the history of football (of all codes) could meet and share ideas in a positive and supportive environment. the other was to perform detailed research into the history of women’s football in Manchester.
Both aims have been met with the establishment of the International Football History Conference and the setting up of a self funded project into women’s football. The next football conference is in Belfast next month and the women’s football history project has seen two books, a booklet, a chapter and lots of articles published.
I’ll be posting features on both soon. Thanks to all who have helped with these initiatives.
The FA Cup
Looking forward to this weekend’s men’s FA Cup final. Back in 2011 Manchester City won their first FA Cup since 1969. The success became the first major trophy win of the current City ownership. To reach the final in 2011 City defeated Manchester United in that season’s FA Cup semi final. A few years back I produced Restored 2011: The All-Manchester FA Cup Semi Final and as we build up to this year’s FA Cup final it’s well worth reminding ourselves of this time when fans hoped for success. It’s a nice reminder of how significant the FA Cup has been to City’s modern success.
This special 1 hour audio recording looks at the years between City’s 1976 League Cup success and the FA Cup glory of 2011. 2011 was a crucial step in City’s journey since the 2008 takeover and I felt it was vital to do a special marking this.
So what’s in this special recording? Well, I’ve included exclusive material from interviews and recordings I’ve done over the years with Garry Cook, Brian Marwood, Roberto Mancini, Peter Barnes and Peter Swales. Why Swales? Well, have a listen and you’ll hear why. Basically though I’m trying to set the tone for why the 2011 FA Cup semi final victory and overcoming Manchester United was so significant.
On Mancini… I include a few words from him recorded in 2011 and at one point he talks about the view that was then being expressed that City were ‘trying’ to buy success (now they say City ‘have’ bought success!). His words are a reminder that City have been having that particular criticism thrown at them for over a decade! Oh well, I wonder how long those criticisms were laid at other clubs who had seen major investment which propelled them forward?
Anyway, get yourself a brew and be prepared to be transported back in time. Here’s the recording:
If you enjoy the recording then please let me know, comment or subscribe to the site. If it’s of interest then, over the coming months and years, I’ll produce others like this highlighting key points in Manchester City – and Manchester’s – footballing history. It costs £20 a year to subscribe (it works out £1.67 a month) or £3 if you’d like to sign up a month at a time to get full access for as long as you subscribe (you can always try it for a month). It’s worth bearing in mind that the 2010 Manchester A Football History cost £24.95 and all subscribers will be able to access all of that for as long as they are a subscriber (plus all the other stuff of course). You can subscribe below.
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Match Stats for the 2011 FA Cup Semi-final
City 1-0 United (HT 0-0)
Yaya Toure 52
City: 25 Hart 04 Kompany (yellow card), 05 Zabaleta (yellow card), 13 Kolarov, 19 Lescott, 11 Johnson (Wright-Phillips 79), 18 Barry, 21 Silva (Vieira 86), 34 De Jong (yellow card), 42 Y Toure, 45 Balotelli (yellow card). Substitutes 12 Taylor, 38 Boyata, 07 Milner, 08 Wright-Phillips, 24 Vieira, 10 Dzeko, 27 Jo
United: 01 Van der Sar, 03 Evra, 05 Ferdinand, 15 Vidic, 22 O’Shea (Fabio Da Silva 84), 13 Park Ji-Sung, 16 Carrick, 17 Nani, 18 Scholes (red card), 25 Valencia (Hernandez 65), 09 Berbatov (Anderson 74). Substitutes 29 Kuszczak, 12 Smalling, 20 Fabio Da Silva, 08 Anderson, 28 Gibson, 07 Owen, 14 Hernandez
Referee: Dean
Attendance: 86,549
William Hill Sports Book of the Year Comments
I’m really pleased with these comments from the William Hill Sports Book of the Year people about my research and book on the Manchester Corinthians:
Thanks to all those involved. Let’s keep spreading the word about the Manchester Corinthians. If you’re interested in reading about the club there are plenty of articles on here, plus here are details about the book:
The FA Cup Semi Final
Tomorrow brings the 2025 FA Cup semi final between Manchester City and Nottingham Forest at Wembley – I’m always pleased that my team has reached Wembley but I do wish FA Cup semi finals were played at neutral League grounds instead! For many fans the timing and cost of a Wembley semi final are simply too much. Sadly, I don’t think they’ll ever change that now. Reaching the semi does give opportunity to remember past Wembley trips. A few years back I made this special audio recording talking about the years building up to the 2011 FA Cup semi and the day itself from a Manchester City perspective. Many of you have listened to this already but if you haven’t then it tells the story of the 2011 FA Cup semi final and the years between 1976 and that moment in 2011 for City.
I included audio from interviews I did with a variety of people including Khaldoon, Peter Swales, Garry Cook, Brain Marwood and many others.
If you have heard it before then maybe you should listen again to remind yourself of how we all felt and why that game was so significant.
I included a few words from Roberto Mancini recorded in 2011 and at one point he talks about the view that was then being expressed that City were ‘trying’ to buy success (now they say City ‘have’ bought success!). His words are a reminder that City have been having that particular criticism thrown at them for well over a decade! Oh well, I wonder how long those criticisms were laid at other clubs who had seen major investment which propelled them forward?
Anyway, get yourself a brew and be prepared to be transported back in time. Here’s the recording:
If you enjoy the recording then please let me know, comment or subscribe to the site. If you don’t fancy doing that then there’s also the option to make a welcome donation to keep this site going (see below). I’ve produced videos/talks like this highlighting key points in Manchester City’s footballing history which subscribers can watch too.
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.
DonateHere’s another feature about the significance of 2011:
https://gjfootballarchive.com/2023/01/15/city-are-back-first-published-in-2011/
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Read more of this content when you subscribe today. It costs £20 a year to subscribe (it works out £1.67 a month) or £3 if you’d like to sign up a month at a time. Annual subscribers get full access for as long as you subscribe (you can always try it for a month). It’s worth bearing in mind that the 2010 Manchester A Football History cost £24.95 and all subscribers will be able to access all of that for as long as they are a subscriber (plus all the other stuff of course).
Subscribe to get access – Monthly
It costs £3 a month to subscribe a month at a time. Why not give it a try! Monthly subscribers get access to everything posted since 1 October 2022 for as long as you subscribe.
Match Stats for the 2011 FA Cup Semi-final
City 1-0 United (HT 0-0)
Yaya Toure 52
City: 25 Hart 04 Kompany (yellow card), 05 Zabaleta (yellow card), 13 Kolarov, 19 Lescott, 11 Johnson (Wright-Phillips 79), 18 Barry, 21 Silva (Vieira 86), 34 De Jong (yellow card), 42 Y Toure, 45 Balotelli (yellow card). Substitutes 12 Taylor, 38 Boyata, 07 Milner, 08 Wright-Phillips, 24 Vieira, 10 Dzeko, 27 Jo
United: 01 Van der Sar, 03 Evra, 05 Ferdinand, 15 Vidic, 22 O’Shea (Fabio Da Silva 84), 13 Park Ji-Sung, 16 Carrick, 17 Nani, 18 Scholes (red card), 25 Valencia (Hernandez 65), 09 Berbatov (Anderson 74). Substitutes 29 Kuszczak, 12 Smalling, 20 Fabio Da Silva, 08 Anderson, 28 Gibson, 07 Owen, 14 Hernandez
Referee: Dean
Attendance: 86,549
Sold Out – Manchester City Women: An Oral History
This week I distributed the last new copy of Manchester City Women: An Oral History. The book told the first 30 years or so of the City Women (formerly City Ladies) team with interviews with women from the first season of 1988-89 through to the 2018-19 season included. Amazon still claim to have a couple of copies, but other than that if you want it look out for ‘pre-loved’ copies. Here’s the Amazon link:
Thanks to everyone who bought this and supported such a groundbreaking book (and project).
My designer tried quite a few different designs but you can see there was one constant image… My father-in-law’s photo from 1989 of the team at Maine Road.
You can still find lots of interesting stuff on women’s football on my website of course. For example:
https://gjfootballarchive.com/category/womens-football-2/page/16/
Tomorrow Night in Wilmslow
On Monday night (14 April) I’ll be at the Wilmslow branch of the Manchester City Supporters Club talking about the pioneering Manchester Corinthians women’s team. We’ll also have a couple of the Corinthians present to answer questions and share experiences. The event will take place at the King’s Arms, Wilmslow from 7.30pm. Copies of Manchester Corinthians: The Authorised History will be available on the night for a discounted £20 (RRP £25) to those in attendance. So why not come along, listen to some footballing pioneers and grab yourself a bargain too?
You can find out more on the book here:
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