Category Archives: Manchester City

City Women: The First Game

Today (27 November) is the anniversary of the women’s team’s first game. It was payed at Boundary Park and saw Oldham Athletic Ladies face Manchester City Ladies. I was there as my girlfriend, now wife, was playing. She scored two goals in the club’s 4-1 victory. Subscribers can read a 2,200 word long read on this historic first game. Enjoy!

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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

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Crowd Issues At Birmingham

On this day (27 November) in 1976 a goalless game at Birmingham caused Manchester City to drop to fifth place but, with only two defeats coming in the side’s opening 15 games (and conceding only one goal in 6 games), there was still a great deal of optimism about the place.  In fact consistency was perhaps the side’s greatest strength.

On the pitch there had been few changes with Corrigan (1), Donachie (3), Doyle (4), Watson (5), Royle (9), Hartford (10), and Tueart (11) being everpresents at this stage in the season in every competition – League, UEFA Cup, and League Cup.

Off the pitch, the mid 70s was a difficult one for supporter behaviour nationally.  Although the Blues took the lead with their great work with young fans and supporters clubs, nationally hooliganism was strong.  The 1975-76 season had seen British Rail cancel all soccer specials following a number of high profile acts of hooliganism, although City’s supporters’ club took a lead in keeping fans on the move during 1976-77 as they managed to keep rail specials for members of the City travel club going.  In fact they continued to run rail specials until the 1990s.

Supporter behaviour was a major issue and there was the first call, by the Daily Mail, to introduce ID cards for fans.  The previous season the supporters of Manchester United and Chelsea had rioted in an attempt to get games in which they were losing abandoned and so City’s great work with the Junior Blues and Supporters’ Club was trying to buck the trend.  Throughout the 1976-77 season the Blues devoted a two page feature (out of 24) each programme to a different supporters branch.

Sadly, there were still instances of trouble at City games and the Birmingham match was no exception.  Young supporter Ian Hodgkinson (aged 16) was particularly upset at the situation at St. Andrew’s:  “The City fans in the Tilton Road End were attacked by Birmingham supporters.  This caused the City fans to run to the entrance.  The Birmingham police then informed us that it was safe to return, but when we got back, the police vanished and once more we were attacked.  Two of my mates had their scarves stolen and were punched many times.”

Ian’s comments were typical of many that were sent to City and the local media, but sadly despite the strength of City’s relationship with supporters at this time, there was little being done elsewhere in football, other than caging fans in (something the Blues tried to avoid at Maine Road). 

Results

27 Nov 1976 Birmingham City (A) 0-0, Attendance 29,722

Subscribers can read a 2,100 word article on the entire 1976-77 season below – a season which saw City come close to League success. You can read this below. Enjoy!

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Happy 75th Dennis Tueart

Today (27 November 2024) is former Sunderland, Manchester City, New York Cosmos and England forward Dennis Tueart’s 75th birthday. You can watch a video interview I did with Dennis last year elsewhere on this site, or enjoy the following MCFC profile of him I wrote a while back.

Forward, 5ft 8in, 11st. 4lbs, b. Newcastle-on-Tyne, 27 November 1949

Signed from Sunderland, 11 March 1974 (£275,000)

Transferred: New York Cosmos, 13 February 1978 (£250,000)

Signed from New York Cosmos, 31 January 1980 (£150,000)

Transferred: Stoke City, 9 July 1983 (free)

Career: Manor Park Technical Grammar School, Welbeck Juniors, Sunderland, City, New York Cosmos, City, Stoke City, Burnley, Derry City.

Debut v Manchester United, 13 March 1974

Debut v Norwich City, 1 March 1980

Appearances: League: 216+8 apps. 86 gls; FA Cup: 13+2 apps. 3 gls; League Cup: 27, 18 gls; UEFA Cup: 3 aps, 0 gls; AS Cup: 3 apps, 0 gls; TC Cup: 2 apps, 2 gls; T Cup: 3 apps, 2 gls; Total: 267+10 apps, 111 gls

Remembered often for his spectacular overhead goal at Wembley in the 1976 League Cup final, Dennis Tueart was always a hero with City fans.  Earlier in his career he was a popular member of Sunderland’s 1973 FA Cup winning side, alongside Dave Watson, and he joined City in March 1974.

Often described by supporters as an entertaining, exciting, determined player, Tueart constantly delivered during a period when City challenged for the title in addition to the League Cup success, however in 1977-78 he became a little disenchanted and decided to move to the States to play for the New York Cosmos.  He became the first ‘current’ England international to transfer to the USA, and played alongside players such as Beckenbauer.

He remained in America for a couple of seasons before re-joining City in 1980.  He netted five goals during 11 games that season but a wrist injury during a 2-1 defeat at Stoke the following September caused Tueart to miss significant games against Manchester United, Liverpool, and Leeds.  During that period the Blues struggled and the management team of Allison & Book were dismissed.  New manager John Bond transformed the club, but Tueart was not given much opportunity to impress.  Then, in the 1981 FA Cup final replay Tueart was brought on as substitute for Bobby McDonald.  This brief appearance led to him appearing in 15 of the opening 18 matches of 1981-2, scoring 9 goals in the process.  It was a great period for him personally, but he damaged his Achilles tendon against his former team Sunderland in December and missed the rest of the season.

In 1982-3 he made 36 appearances but relegation on the final day led to Tueart being transferred to Stoke.  After his playing career finished Tueart concentrated on his sports promotions company and became a director at City in the mid 1990s, contributing significantly to first the period of resurrection (1998 to 2003) and then stability at the new stadium.

40 Years Ago Today: Steve Redmond

Steve Redmond signed professional forms for Manchester City on this day (26 November) in 1984. You can find several articles that mention Steve throughout this website. Start looking here:

https://gjfootballarchive.com/tag/steve-redmond/

The New Kippax

On this day (25 November) in 1995 Manchester City’s legendary goalkeeper Bert Trautmann officially opened the new Kippax Stand at Maine Road. You can see the new stand at the top of this photo, with the Manchester City lettering on it. If you’re interested, you can now read more on City’s 1995-96 season below. This was a hugely significant season and this article is almost 5,500 words long.

Yes, I know but we can look back and remember from a position of relative comfortability now!

1994-95 the new Kippax takes shape

It’s available to subscribers, so why not subscribe and relive this extraordinary season? As with many of these subscriber features it contains material from interviews I’ve performed with key figures from that time.

Here’s the 5500 word article on that season:

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If you want to know more on this incredible decade for Manchester City Football Club then why not subscribe and read all the other articles? If you’d like to know more about subscribing then see:

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Ron Saunders Arrives

Today (24 November) in 1973 new Manchester City chairman Peter Swales appointed Ron Saunders as the club’s new manager. He didn’t last the season! You can read about both the appointment and the sacking in this 1,700 word article on the 1973-74 season – a season which included a Wembley final, multiple managerial changes and a controversial Manchester Derby at Old Trafford! You can read this below. Enjoy!

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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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Manchester City v Spurs

It’s a murky night in Manchester today. Getting ready for City v Spurs. If you want something to do before the game why not check out some of the features on the two clubs on this site. Here’s a link to everything tagged Tottenham:

https://gjfootballarchive.com/tag/tottenham/

Milan 2 Manchester City 2

I love this photo of Dave Watson. He’s looking at the flowers as if to say: ‘What the XXXXXXXXX are they? We’re playing football!’ I’ve posted it today because that photo was taken on this day (November 23) in 1978. Manchester City drew 2-2 with Milan at the San Siro and here is a 1100 word piece plus rare colour photos from that highly significant UEFA Cup game (which should have been played a day earlier – details below).

The following piece is available to subscribers to this site. It costs £3 per month or £20 a year to subscribe. Subscribers get full access to all the material on the site. Have a search to see what’s available. Thanks.

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If you’d like to read more about 1978-79, here’s a 5,700 word article on the entire season – a season which saw City mount a UEFA Cup challenge and a former hero return (if only he hadn’t!). My article, like the other indepth 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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Eyal Berkovic’s Last

Today (22 November) in 2003 Eyal Berkovic played his last game for Manchester City. He’d joined City in 2001 and made his debut against Watford in August that year. His final match saw City defeated 3-0 at Newcastle. Here are his City statistics:

Appearances

League48 (8)
FA Cup3 (1)
League Cup3 (2)
European2 (0)
Other0 (0)
Total56 (11)

Goals

League7
FA Cup1
League Cup1
European0
Other0
Total9

If you’d like to read more on the 2003-04 season as experienced by City, then why not read the following 4,200 word article on it. This was City’s first at the City of Manchester Stadium (now Etihad of course).

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Pep Guardiola Extends MCFC Contract to 2027

I’ve just received this press release from Manchester City…


Manchester City is delighted to announce that manager Pep Guardiola has signed a two-year contract extension. The Catalan’s new deal will mean he will have spent more than a decade as City manager. Guardiola has won a remarkable 18 trophies during his tenure at the Club, including six
Premier League titles and one UEFA Champions League.


Last season, City became the first men’s team in the history of English football to win four top-flight titles in a row. The previous campaign saw Guardiola guide City to a historic Treble, winning the Premier League, UEFA Champions League and FA Cup.


Across all competitions, he has won 353 of the 490 matches he has overseen, giving him a win percentage of 72%. City have scored 1,200 goals during that period, at an average of 2.45 goals per game.


Club Chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak said: “Like every City fan, I am delighted that Pep’s journey with Manchester City will continue; allowing his dedication, passion and innovative thinking to continue to shape the landscape of the game.


“His hunger for improvement and success remains insatiable and the direct beneficiaries of that will continue to be our players and coaching staff, the culture of our Club, and the English game at large.


“This renewal will take Pep beyond a decade of coaching Manchester City and the opportunity to continue to re-write the managerial record books.”


Guardiola said: “Manchester City means so much to me. This is my ninth season here; we have experienced so many amazing times together. I have a really special feeling for this football club. That is why I am so happy to be staying for another two more seasons.


“Thank you to everyone for continuing to trust and support me – The Owner, The Chairman Khaldoon, Ferran, Txiki, the players and of course the fans… everyone connected to Manchester City. It has always been an honour, a pleasure and a privilege to be here.


“I have said this many times before, but I have everything a manager could ever wish for, and I appreciate that so much. Hopefully now we can add more trophies to the ones we have already won. That will be my focus.”