Football writing, thoughts and more by Gary James
Sixty years ago today (February 21 1962) John Benson made his Manchester City League debut. He had joined the Blues at the age of 15 in July 1958 and went on to make 52 League and Cup appearances before being transferred to Torquay in 1964. Spells at Bournemouth, Exeter and Norwich followed, before John moved into coaching. In 1980 he returned to Manchester as assistant to manager John Bond.
Sadly, John died on October 30 2010 at the age of 67.
Back in 2003 I wrote this profile of former Manchester City player and Polish World Cup star Kazimierz Deyna. Deyna was such an important and unusual signing at the time he joined City in November 1978 that I feel this article is still appropriate and of interest to subscribers to my blog today.
If you would like to read this in-depth article and all the others on this site (including the entire Manchester A Football History book) then please subscribe. It works out about £1.67 a month if you take out an annual subscription (£20 per year) or £3 a month if you’d like to sign up for a month at a time. Each subscriber gets full access to the 500+ articles posted so far and the hundreds scheduled to be posted in the coming weeks.
Today (28th January) in 1961 Denis Law’s six goals for Manchester City against Luton in the FAC were wiped from the records when the game was abandoned. City were winning 6-2. Here for subscribers to the blog is the story of that game and the ‘typical City’ replay that followed.
If you would like to read this and the blog’s in-depth, longer articles (including the entire Manchester A Football History book) then please subscribe below. It works out about £1.67 a month if you take out an annual subscription (£20 per year) or £3 a month if you’d like to sign up for a month at a time. Each subscriber gets full access to the 500+ articles posted so far and the hundreds scheduled to be posted in the coming weeks.
On this day (18th January) in 1913 Manchester City’s Fred Howard scored four goals on his debut against Liverpool at Hyde Road. I love the description of Howard in one report of this game: ‘Howard, a hefty individual who apparently does not believe in allowing the full backs free kicks, had pounced on the ball’. I think we’ve all seen a few ‘hefty individuals’ who did not ‘believe in allowing the full backs free kicks’ over the years!
A report also warns that Howard: ‘would do well to remember that he will not always be served as he was on this occasion. Nor will he have a much easier task’. I’m pretty sure Howard did not expect to score four goals in every game.
Howard, from Walkden, ended his City career after scoring 43 goals in 90 first team competitive games. Note in this article (below) the use of the nickname Citizens to describe the Blues. Maybe one day I’ll do a piece on club nicknames but I do know that many fans didn’t feel the word Citizens (or Cityzens as it is usually written these days at the club) had much to do with the club when City re-adopted it a few years back. It was certainly used a lot when talking of the club from 1894 through to perhaps the inter-war period.
Three of Howard’s goals came in a 13 minute spell as the Blues won 4-1. It was regarded as the greatest debut feat by any player at the time. Even now, over a century later, it’s hard to think of any player having a better debut.
Over the years plenty have talked of players scoring hat-tricks on debuts around the globe but how often do you hear of a player scoring four in the top flight of a major League against a team that is regarded as one of your main rivals? After this game Liverpool had dropped to 13th in the First Division, while City were fifth.
This was just a brief taster of the content in GJFootballArchive.com. If you would like to read the in-depth, longer articles (including the entire Manchester A Football History book) then please subscribe below. It works out about £1.67 a month if you take out an annual subscription (£20 per year) or £3 a month if you’d like to sign up for a month at a time. Each subscriber gets full access to the 500+ articles posted so far and the hundreds scheduled to be posted in the coming weeks.
Sign up today to ensure you can access all the content on GJFootballArchive.com
“It’s a tremendous honour for me and my wife to be here tonight to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. When I arrived here I was a kid who couldn’t get in to the Arsenal side, but by the time I left I’d had a wonderful time and had become a full international. When I left, myself and Francis (Lee) sought to differ that I was getting a little bit too old. I apologise for all that time Francis, but we were both trying to do our best for the club, and as long as everybody keeps doing that this club will always remain special. I am very pleased with this award. Thank you.” Niall Quinn collecting the Hall of Fame award in January 2004
Read more of this content when you subscribe today.
Today (December 15 2021) Sergio Agüero has announced his retirement. The man is a true footballing legend (I don’t use that word lightly!) and deserves to be acclaimed for his incredible achievements and career. He has brought immense joy to millions throughout his career. As a tribute I am posting here a free to read feature on Sergio’s Manchester City debut on August 15 2011. Enjoy this flashback to a time before he became renowned in England for his major contribution to the Premier League!
Sergio Agüero’s Debut
Sergio Agüero joined Manchester City from Atletico Madrid for a fee reported to be around £35 to £38m depending on which sources were to be believed. During 2010-11 the player had netted 20 league goals for the Spanish side. City boss Roberto Mancini commented at the time of the transfer: “Agüero can play any position – he can be the main striker, he can play behind the striker, he can play left or right. He is not tall but he is quick and strong and he can score a lot of goals. Now he can play behind Dzeko, Carlos or Mario.”
The Premier League campaign opened at the Etihad Stadium – the City Of Manchester Stadium had been renamed during the close season – with the visit of newly promoted Swansea City. This was to be Swansea’s first season in the Premier league.
New signings Stefan Savić and Sergio Agüero made their City debuts as substitutes that day while another summer arrival, Gael Clichy, started the match. Clichy had made his first appearance at Wembley against Manchester United in the Charity/Community Shield the previous week.
The match opened in a worrying manner for City. The team wore their new all-blue kit which had caused some fans to criticise the break with tradition (as it often does when City drop the white shorts – maybe I’ll write an article on City’s use of blue and white one day, comparing the successes in seasons with blue shorts to ones with white?) and the loss of white shorts, however it was not the kit that brought the worries in the opening period it was the pressure exerted by Swansea. They came looking to make their mark following promotion and they did all they could to play football in a positive manner.
Swansea pressured the Blues throughout the opening thirty minutes. Mancini’s side clearly had the quality but the visitors seemed the more determined. However, the Blues had been soaking up the pressure and taking stock of what Swansea had to offer. Whereas earlier City sides may have become anxious during the period of pressure, the new Blues were more than equipped to deal with a determined opposition.
The game remained goalless until the 57th minute when David Silva dodged past Leon Britton before progressing from City’s half and well into Swansea’s. He passed to Adam Johnson, who raced forward, cut inside and then tried to curl a shot past the Swansea ‘keeper. The shot was saved but the ball dropped in front of Dzeko who, from six yards out, sent the ball home.
A minute or so later Sergio Agüero came on for Nigel De Jong and within nine minutes of his arrival the Argentinian made it 2-0 with a simple tap-in. Three minutes later he played his part in the third goal.
Agüero lifted the ball over the advancing Swansea ‘keeper and then managed to hook it back to a waiting Silva on the penalty spot who sent his own shot into the net.
By this time Mancini’s side were in total control of the match, although Swansea were still playing decent football themselves and certainly did not adopt negative tactics as many other sides may have done.
Shortly before the end Agüero made it 4-0 with an absolutely brilliant swerving 30 yard shot. Afterwards Mancini was delighted with his new signing: “I’m not surprised by what I saw tonight. Agüero has scored a lot of goals in Spain and Argentina – he’s a fantastic striker.”
Two debut day goals – significantly he was only on the pitch for around 31 minutes – made Agüero a hero from the start and caused the wider football world to look at City’s new signing as a hugely positive arrival to the Premier League.
Highlights of the game can be viewed here:
https://www.mancity.com/citytv/match-highlights/2011/august/city-v-swansea-60-seconds
Today I’m taking a look at links between City and Olympic gold winning medallists, in particular I’m focusing on City star Max Woosnam and Manuel Estiarte, a member of Pep’s staff.
This article is available to subscribers to my site. Subscribing costs £20 a year and subscribers have full access to everything posted on the site, including audio interviews with John Bond, Malcolm Allison, George Graham and others, plus the entire text of Manchester A Football History and a PDF of my first book From Maine Men to Banana Citizens. You can always try it out by subscribing £3 per month and cancel at any time. No matter whether you sign up for a year or a month at a time you get full access to everything for as long as you are a subscriber.
Anyway, here’s the article…
Read more of this content when you subscribe today.
By the time professional football came to prominence as the leading working class sporting activity in the late nineteenth century the sport of pedestrianism was in decline. Pedestrians and trainers had to find alternative means of income and, for some, football provided a new focus for their skills, crafted through experience and passed on through familial and community links. This paper considers the life of Jimmy Broad, a competitor in pedestrian challenges, who went on to establish a career as a successful football trainer, and highlights how his career adapted. It also provides commentary on the training techniques utilized by Broad and goes on to outline the careers of his sons, one of whom also became a football trainer. The story of the Broads is of importance to those studying sport’s development during the late 1800s and early 1900s, and provides an understanding of one of the influential figures behind Manchester’s first footballing success. It adds to the research into athletic entrepreneurs which has seen the construction of individual biographies to aid understanding of sport’s development.
Read more of this content and everything else on this site when you subscribe today.
Last week I heard the news that the former Manchester City player Johnny Williamson had died at the age of 92 (this photo shows Johnny, far right, with his two great friends Ken Barnes and Don Revie). Since then I’ve not really seen many tributes to Johnny, who has been a dedicated Blue attending Maine Road as a regular since the 1940s as well as being a striker. So, I’ve decided to put that right a little with this. Instead of writing the usual sort of tribute I’ve posted below an interview I did with Johnny about 18 years ago. His words tell his story much better than I can. Here goes…
Today I’m considering the life and career of a player from the 1950s: Johnny Williamson was a Manchester born City player during the period 1949 to 1956. This was a golden age for football and, as was usually the case, when I met up with Johnny we had a very enjoyable chat. We met up at the original Manchester City museum, the Manchester City Experience.
Before we consider your playing career can you tell me a bit about your involvement with the Club today? I know you’re still a regular attender.
Well I’m a member of the City Former Players’ Association which, to be honest, is probably the best ex-players association in the Country. Everyone involved with the organisation puts in a lot of hard work and the Club really support us, so that’s good.
I come to the game because I still love football and it’s a great way to meet up with your old team mates as well.
So who are the key men behind the Association?
Everyone plays a part, and I think it’d be unfair to single out too many. The Association started a few years ago when Roy Clarke, Roy Little, Paddy Fagan, Peter Robinson – probably a few more – got it going, and then it grew and nowadays the main men are John Riley, Roy Cheetham, Franny Lee, Fred Eyre, and Ian Mellor, but as I say everyone plays a part so I don’t want to single anyone out. What I do want to say though is that it’s a great organisation.
Between the end of your playing career and your retirement, what other jobs did you have?
I worked for the Co-op for a while and then managed an off-licence in Ashton. It was long hours of course and not always the best place to be, but it was a living and it kept me close to Manchester and to City.
Going right back to the start of your career then, can you tell me how you progressed?
I was born just up the road, and as a kid I’d been playing in Oldham. Then I had to do my National Service in the Army – I know it’s difficult for people to follow these days but when you were that age your life went on hold for two years. You had no choice. It was something everyone had to do, and you went along with it.
As I was about to come out of the Army I had a trial at Maine Road, then played at Droylsden for City’s A team, and then on the Monday I played for the Reserves. It was a quick elevation. I’d gone from nothing to playing at Old Trafford within a few days. In those days the reserves played at United because their first team were using Maine Road, so we couldn’t play at our ground.
In April 1950 you made your League debut against Arsenal, how did that feel?
Well first of all it was April Fool’s Day. I get reminded about this every so often! There was a fella only the other week reminding me. It was no wonder we got beat. But I will say that the first team had some really great players – and I mean great – so making your debut alongside some of these men was a honour. Trautmann was playing of course, but the side also had Eric Westwood – a brilliant player at the time. The Arsenal team was special as well. I remember Denis Compton and his brother Leslie were playing. Joe Mercer was missing for Arsenal that day, but what an exceptional player he was as well.
Do you think it was the golden age of football?
I know it was a period when every side – and I mean every side – had great players. You could go through the First Division sides and list the brilliant players each one possessed. Tom Finney at Preston, Nat Lofthouse at Bolton, Joe Mercer at Arsenal, Stanley Matthews… I won’t go on, but I could. There were so many and as a player, or as a fan, you’d pick up the fixture list of the newspaper and look to see when the teams would be coming. You had to see these men in the flesh. There was no television coverage of course, so your only chance of seeing the great players would be to go to the games, and when you did, you were never let down.
Don’t forget though that our side was a major draw at the time. We had some brilliant players and whenever City went away the local fans would come out to see George Smith, Andy Black, and later Don Revie, Roy Paul, Ken Barnes and so on.
As the side contained such quality it must have been hard for you to break into that team?
We all knew our place. I knew the side had great forwards so I knew my chances would be limited. The reserves also attracted great crowds in those days – which also demonstrates the strength and quality in the side – and I always hoped I’d get in to the first team, but just being around some of those men was tremendous.
What coaching influence did you have in the reserves?
Frank Swift was looking after the reserves and, again, being in the same room as someone like that was enough in some ways. I think it was actually Swifty who changed me from being an inside-forward to being a centre-forward. That helped my career, but Swifty was a great influence in that dressing room. He had great humour and there are many stories of pranks played by him – and once in a while on him!
Coaching though didn’t really exist. You were encouraged to play football naturally. It’s one of those things that you’ve either got or you haven’t. The two most important things to know are when to give and when to go. That can’t be coached. You need a footballer’s brain.
One of your key moments came with the development of the deep-lying centre-forward approach known as the Revie Plan. Whose idea was that?
Well, it evolved really. It was developed in the reserves but it wasn’t one of those ideas that can be pinpointed to one particularly day. In the reserves it was working with me and Ken Barnes, but then it was tried in the first team with Don Revie and we got beat 5-0 at Preston. Then they played Ken in the first team with Don and it clicked. You see it needed the two players, and Ken was the difference. Then there was no stopping it.
It’s hard to imagine now any new tactical plan revolutionising the game, but this one did. How did the other teams adjust?
They couldn’t at first. They had no idea how to counteract the plan. It surprised everyone and some of the other teams just could not work it out. Don’t forget though that the quality of the players had a lot to do with it. Don and Ken were two exceptional players. Everyone knew that.
What was Don Revie like as a man?
A great guy. Me and my wife and Don and Elsie were very close. We always went on holiday together and he was a good friend. He’s had a bad press at times, but as a player he was brilliant… as a manager he revitalised Leeds… and as a man he was great. People used to go on about the ‘Revie Plan’ but he used to tell them it wasn’t ‘his’ it was the team’s. In particularly he used to tell them how vital Ken was. It wouldn’t have worked without Ken, and Don made sure they all knew that.
When I was in the reserves and Don was in the first team I was very happy. I knew he was a great player and being reserve to Don was better than most men could ever dream of. I still had the hunger to play, and still wanted to be in the first team, but I knew my chance would be limited while Don was there.
So what was the biggest moment of your career?
It’s difficult thinking about biggest moments, it’s so long ago, but coming into the side for Don when we played at Sheffield Wednesday in November 1954 was great. Not only did I replace Don, but I also scored two goals and we won 4-2. A very good memory that one.
What were the facilities for players like in those days?
It was a different world! There was always a race on to get into the drying room first because the kit was so old and worn that it really was a case of first up best dressed. The socks were enormous with the heel flapping around near your foot. They’d been washed so many times they’d lost their shape.
We wore thick woolly jumpers – with holes in – for training and I’m certain some of this kit had been worn by the likes of Swifty and Doherty ten years earlier. I’m not saying City were bad because every club was like this. This was normal.
What was your worst moment at City?
It’s got to be leaving. Nobody ever wanted to leave City. I loved it here, but I had to move on, so I went to Blackburn. I didn’t stay there long, and then came back to Manchester and played at Hyde United. I was a Mancunian and a City fan.
Had you been a City fan since boyhood?
Definitely! I used to get to Maine Road for three-quarter time – when they used to open the gates to let people out but every week hundreds more ran in – and loved watching the players I eventually shared a dressing room with as a reserve. My Dad had actually been a player with United and I’ve got his Central League medal from 1921. He always came to watch me play.
NOTE: John Williamson senior was with United between September 1919 and May 1921, making two League appearances both, coincidentally against Blackburn Rovers (the team his son was later to play for).
Finally, you have clearly loved your involvement with City what is the key memory from your time as a player?
Being at the Club when so many truly great players were there. People often ask things like ‘who was better Swift or Trautmann?’ and I always say whichever you pick I’ll have the other because both men were better than the rest. If either ‘keeper was playing today supporters would never go out on a Saturday night, they’d stay in to watch the highlights. That’s how good these men were. People watched football because they knew they would be entertained by natural players. It was a great time to play, and it was a fantastic time to be a supporter. I wouldn’t swap that period of football for any other.
On Sunday (September 5, 2021) evening at 10pm BBC 2 will be showing ‘The Keeper’. I was a consultant to this film. If you’ve not seen it then you certainly should. Trautmann was an incredible man. It’s a dramatisation of a life not always factually exactly what happened but I hope it inspires everyone to find out more about a perceived enemy who became a hero. To mark this event here’s a chapter I wrote for my MCFC Hall of Fame book a few years back…
“Unfortunately, Bert is ill at the moment and cannot be here, however when he can make it we will ensure he receives this award. On his behalf, I’d like to thank you for this wonderful award and recognition for a truly great City player.” Chairman John Wardle collecting the Hall of Fame award in January 2004)
Read more of this long read article/chapter when you subscribe today. It costs £20 a year and you can access all other material on this site including the entire Manchester A Football History & From Maine Men To Banana Citizens books.
You can read about a significant moment from Trautmann’s City career here:
Gary James' Football Archive 