Category Archives: 2022-23

A Memorable European Night

On this day (17 May) in 2023 Manchester City defeated Real Madrid 4-0 (5-1 on aggregate) in the UEFA Champions League semi final. It was one of the most incredible games of football I have ever seen. For me, it was City’s best European performance at the Etihad and, from what I can remember, no European game at Maine Roadbettered it (older Blues may talk about the ECWC semi in 1970 – I was only a baby – but surely the Madrid victory bettered that too?). I’d go further and say that in terms of overall performance, atmosphere and style, considering who City were playing, that that was the greatest City game of all time – yes, that is debatable I know!

Pre match MCFC V Real Madrid waiting for the team

Obviously, we had the high drama of Agueroooooooo in 2012 but most of that game had been a frustrating mess of a match. The Madrid game was brilliant, breathtaking and wonderful from the moment it started through to leaving the stadium many, many minutes after the final whistle. The game was incredible – I don’t normally do superlatives so when I do I genuinely mean it.

There’s a certain amount of ‘completing the circle’ in City’s European journey – Alan Oakes captained City’s first European Cup game against Istanbul’s Fenerbahce in 1968, so the entire continental journey started there and in 2023 the Blues won the CL final in that city. It also felt appropriate that the man we’ve been singing about when we’ve sung our going to Istanbul chant these last few years was the man who scored twice against Real Madrid. Ber-nar-do!

Players pre match MCFC V Real Madrid

I know City had been to a Champions League final before but last year was significantly different. City have suffered at the hands of English clubs Liverpool, Spurs and Chelsea over the years in Europe and it never quite felt right. Playing continental royalty like Real Madrid and Bayern Munich and then Inter Milan took it to a different level. As did the final of course!

2023 Champions League Final Istanbul v Inter Milan

Many Blues had waited a long time for European glory. I was a toddler when City had previously won a major European trophy and I always dreamed of seeing City match or eclipse what Mercer’s men did in 1970. From Marsh’s debut to Pleat’s jig; ‘Look at his face’ to Tueart’s overhead; Beating AC Milan to Hutchison’s own goal; FA Youth Cup winners to Ball’s ‘hold the ball in the corner’; Bournemouth 3-3 to Morley’s Bradford goal; Reeves’ wonderful FAC goal to York away; 5-1 to 6-1; Bananas at Stoke to relegation at Stoke; FMC Final to Dickov’s rescue; Swales Out to Thaksin’s Albert Square singing; Kippax Last Stand to Etihad’s safe standing; Foe’s last goal at Maine Road to Aguerooooooooooo; Pearce’s good luck beanie to Bernardo’s cup; the invisible man to Emptyhad; James up front to Walker in nets… it had been a long time coming!

The young Gary

So this CL semi final thrashing of Real Madrid was so important and led to a wonderful final in Istanbul (let’s not mention the post match issues today!).

Rival fans may not agree unless they’ve experienced it themselves but multiple relegations are character building and make moments like Real Madrid, the the final, even more incredible. You don’t need to experience a relegation to enjoy success, but if you’ve suffered relegations (I’ve been through five) and those dismal, dismal days then reaching points like 2023 are heightened.    

Final moments MCFC V Real Madrid 2023

In 2023 there were the usual negative voices about money. Show me a truly successful club who hasn’t spent! Not only that but City beat Bayern and Real in 2023’s European campaign (plus in the PL the usual collection of clubs that had been spending big for decades)… hardly poor relations. Hardly clubs with no history of success. These are European giants. Real Madrid have won more Champions League/European Cups than all English clubs put together. They are European aristocracy. Beating them – and the entire campaign – was a massive achievement for City, overcoming major obstacles and competing in a Premier League that in the previous 12 years or so had seen more of the top clubs challenge and tighter points totals between 1st and 2nd than in previous decades.

Malcolm Allison once said to me: ‘Celebrate every success as if it’s your first, because it could be your last.’ As a man who had been to the top and helped City win a European trophy I guess we should always remember his words. 2023 was a year like no other and it should always be celebrated.

After the whistle. 2023 Champions League Final Istanbul v Inter Milan
Champions League Porto 2021
Champions League trophy at Istanbul 2023

League Dominance?

Lots of tosh has been spoken recently about teams dominating English league football with some claiming that there’s ‘never’ been a time when a team has dominated as much as Manchester City do today. Ignoring the fact that the League campaign is not over yet and will go to the final day (so that’s a nonsense for a start) I decided to pull together a few facts that may be useful. They’re certainly relevant.

So, first of all, the question of whether Manchester City is the first to dominate in a way no other has before (again the season isn’t over and it could go either way yet, so ‘dominate’ is not something I believe anyway!)… City have currently won 3 League titles in a row. A feat that has been done several times before, most recently (before City) by Manchester United in 2006-09.

Ah, but City have won 5 out of 6 titles they say… Yes, but United won 7 out of the first 9 Premier Leagues and were runners up in the other 2. Liverpool achieved the same 7 out of 9 League titles in the 1970s and early 80s. We can’t predict the future of course but City have never managed seven titles in 9 seasons. In fact if City do win the League the stats will show it’s 7 in 11 seasons and at present it’s 7 titles in 12 seasons. So that means two other clubs have had longer spells as ‘dominant’ clubs using the language and phraseology that those criticising the reigning Champions usually use.

One of the other criticisms that’s thrown City’s way is about the Premier League being ‘boring’ because it’s a ‘foregone conclusion’ and ‘other teams have to be perfect’ to finish above City. Well, to be the best you have to beat the best but in terms of the League being ‘boring’ and a ‘foregone conclusion’ then the stats in terms of points gaps say otherwise.

Sure, City’s incredible 2017-18 season when they amassed 100 points was one in which the Blues ran away with the title, but it was also a rarity. City won the League by bettering second place by an astounding 19 points but, wait a minute, that amazing gap is only 1 point  more than the (18 point) gap between 2020 champions Liverpool and second placed City (at a time when City are supposed to be the dominant team!). Not only that but United had an 18 point gap between them and second placed Arsenal in 2000.

Worth noting too that in the 31 season history of the Premier League 14 runners-up teams bettered 2nd placed United’s points tally in 2017-18 when City achieved their 100 points. Surely, no title winning team can be blamed if the runners-up have worse results than in more than 45% of the competition’s seasonal history?

What about the ‘foregone conclusion’ and ‘boring’ line? Well, I suppose it can be argued it’s boring if the League is won many, many weeks before the end of the season. Using that logic it should also be ‘not boring’ if it goes down to the last game (like this season) or the last week (could be 2 or 3 games depending on fixture congestion). So I’ve had a look at how many seasons have finished with 3 points or less separating the top two teams. This shows that there have been 9 seasons when this has been the case. Guess what? 4 of those were seasons when City have won the Premier League (2 United, 1 Arsenal, Blackburn & Chelsea).

This means that 57% of all City’s Premier League title wins have been by less than 3 points! For United (13 PL titles) the figure is 15%; Arsenal (3 PL) it’s 33% and Chelsea (5 PL) is 20%.  Four of United’s PL titles have been won by 10 points or more.

Of course, title races can be exciting when teams win the League by ten points or more, but the argument many put across is that it’s boring when one team walks away with it. Surely there’s less chance of that happening when a team wins the title by less than 3 points?

There are lots of statistics that could be posted and, to be frank, they never actually tell the story of a season. How many times do we see possession stats that are in one club’s favour but the other team is actually winning? Nevertheless, when people try to suggest a season is boring because a club (any club) is running away with it then the stats can help show that something is not true. Similarly, when it comes to dominant football clubs – yes, there are eras of dominance by certain clubs and Manchester City certainly are a dominant club at the moment – we must not be fooled into thinking that a situation has NEVER happened before when it so obviously has (and other clubs may actually have been more dominant!).

Ah well! Football, hey? If only people actually looked at history more before jumping to conclusions.

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Record Holder: Johnson’s 38th League Goal

Today (4 May) in 1929 the legendary Tommy Johnson netted his 38th League goal of the season at Anfield when City drew 1-1 with Liverpool. This remains Manchester City’s record number of goals by a player in a League season (Haaland scored 36 League goals in 2022-23). Johnson’s 38th goal came in the 22nd minute of the final game. Here for subscribers is a detailed look at Tommy’s record and his life.

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Haaland’s 35th

On this day (3 May) in 2023 it was a privilege being at the Etihad to see Erling Haaland break the Premier League’s seasonal goalscoring record with City’s second in their 3-0 victory over West Ham United. He netted his 35th Premier League goal of the season and then Phil Foden scored the 1000th goal of Pep’s City reign.

Ths South Stand pre-match, City v West Ham 3 May 2023. The new Pep flag.

Haaland’s goal that night meant that only 47 players had scored more competitive goals for City than Haaland had in the club’s entire history – that’s in their entire careers, not in most of one season! Also, it’s worth highlighting that Haaland had netted 5% of the 1000 goals scored under Pep at City. Phenomenal stuff!

I said it then and I’ll say it now, it’s always great for a historian to experience history being made. Nice work Haaland and City!

After the game Haaland was given a guard of honour by the City players, boss Pep Guardiola and the club’s backroom staff. Afterwards the player commented: ‘It was a nice feeling scoring that goal, it always is… It was painful when everyone hit me on the back in the guard of honour.’

Manager Pep commented: ‘He’s just 22… and still has five games left. How many games I made the substitution after a hat-trick in 60 minutes, maybe he’d have scored more. But maybe he’d have got injured. He’s special. Congratulations to him.

‘We expected him to score goals but to break Cole and Shearer records… I’m pretty sure what he wants is to win the Premier League.’

‘It’s unbelievable. How many important goals he’s scored to win games, we are so satisfied. He’s a unique person and he’s so special. He deserved the guard of honour because it’s an incredible milestone. Another day he might break his own record. He’s scored a lot of goals!’

Looking towards the South Stand pre-match, City v West Ham 3 May 2023 (West Ham fans unusually did not sell out their allocation)

50 Goals in a Season

On this day (30 April) in 2023 Erling Haaland became the first Manchester City player ever to score 50 goals in a season when he scored a 3rd minute penalty (awarded for a foul on Alvarez) against Fulham. Haaland converted the penalty with a left footed shot to the bottom right corner. Not only was this his 50th competitive goal of the season but it was also his 34th Premier League goal, which equalled the record seasonal Premier League tally. The record had been held by Andy Cole and Alan Shearer.

City ended up winning the game 2-1 with World Cup winner Julian Alvarez scoring the second for the Blues with a 25 yard strike in the 36th minute. That victory put City top, overtaking Arsenal. The Blues were on 76 points from 32 games while Arsenal were a point behind and had played one further game.

After the match manager Pep Guardiola was told by a journalist that Haaland had now scored the most goals by a top-flight player for 92 years (Tom ‘Pongo’ Waring reached 50 for Aston Villa in 1930-31) when Ramsay MacDonald was the Prime Minister. Pep responded: ‘Before Winston Churchill was prime minister? Wow. Sounds a long time ago.’

He added: ‘Congratulations to Erling. The best goals to help us achieve what we want is still [to come] there. I was really impressed that he took the penalty with the strong mentality he has.’

Haaland Five v Leipzig

On this day (14 March) in 2023 Erling Haaland scored five against RB Leipzig in the UEFA Champions League. It was a phenomenal performance, coming in Manchester City’s 7-0 (8-1 on aggregate) thrashing of the German side.

When asked about the goals afterwards City manager Pep Guardiola commented: ‘Five goals… The problem for this guy is if he doesn’t score two or three goals he will be criticised.’ That just about summed things up well as for weeks prior to this Haaland, despite his incredible record was often criticised by some in the media. For example, the former Liverpool player Jamie Carragher had been critical in February 2023: ‘I’ve felt this season when he’s scored his goals, I think we’ve only seen 60 per cent of Haaland. You think of that goal he scored on the first game of the season against West Ham, the space in behind, he makes that run.’

‘I know that’s not there that often with the way City play. He’s come from a league and Borussia Dortmund where it’s a counter-attacking league and it’s end to end and you see that blistering pace. You don’t see it. He may have actually picked the wrong club to actually get the best out of him.’

No one connected with Manchester City was feeling like that, especially not as Leipzig were thrashed.

Haaland’s display against Leipzig took him to 39 goals for the season in all competitions. This is a new City club record for the most strikes in a single season, beating Tommy Johnson’s record established in 1928-29 when he scored 38 in 40 League and cup games. Haaland achieved the record in 36 games. You can read about Tommy Johnson here:

MANCHESTER CITY – HALL OF FAME: Tommy Johnson

Other records tumbled that night too. Haaland’s five against Leipzig equalled the record for the most goals in a Champions League game. His achievements matched Lionel Messi for Barcelona against Bayer Leverkusen in 2012, and Luiz Adriano for Shakhtar Donetsk against BATE Borisov in 2014.

After Leipzig, Haaland had scored 33 goals in 25 Champions League games, becoming the youngest player to cross the 30-goal mark at 22 years and 236 days old, 116 days younger than previous recorder holder Kylian Mbappe.

Haaland had netted 10 in the competition by the end of the Leipzig game that was better than any City player had previously managed in a single campaign in the Champions League… and of course the campaign was not over!

After the match Haaland told BT Sport: ‘My super strength is scoring goals. A lot of it is being quick in the mind and trying to put it where the goalkeeper is not…

‘I was so tired after my celebrations.’

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

Today’s the Day: Bell, Lee Summerbee Statue Unveiling

As well as tonight’s European game at the Etihad another major event is happening at the home of Manchester City. The statue celebrating the achievements of England internationals Colin Bell, Francis Lee and Mike Summerbee is being unveiled. I will be there and I know the statue recognises the achievements of all those involved in winning the major trophies of 1968 to 1970, including City’s first European trophy of course.

I’m sure it will be an excellent day. For those who want to know more on the statues, here’s something the club issues a few days ago on the sculptor:

This installation will be located on the west side of the perimeter and will be unveiled on Tuesday morning ahead of a UEFA Champions League meeting with RB Leipzig later that day, where fans will be invited to visit the permanent tribute to an extraordinary era in the Club’s history.

Speaking of his appointment to the project David Williams-Ellis said:

“It is a great honour to create a work of art for Manchester City Football Club celebrating the diverse, talented players, Bell, Lee and Summerbee.

“It’s been an extraordinary last two years, working on this project that celebrates these players from a great era in Manchester City’s football history.

“I hope that the work will give a sense of history and place to the legions of fans and visitors that come to the football ground from around the world and become an enduring part of Manchester’s cultural landscape.”

David Williams-Ellis – Artist Biography

David Williams-Ellis’ sculptures, worked in clay directly from life, are inspired by the romanticism of Rodin and Bourdelle and are noted for their sense of movement and vitality.

David was classically trained in Florence under drawing teacher, Nerina Simi. From there he went on to be an apprentice wood carver and then joined a community of marble carvers beneath the Carrara Mountains in Pietresanta.

David’s reputation was cemented after his time in Italy. Today, his work is in private and public collections across the globe and can be seen in flagship buildings including Scone Palace in Perthshire, Aberdeen’s Maritime Museum, the IFC Building in Shanghai and Oxford House, Swires, Hong Kong.

Amongst his most notable work includes the D-Day Memorial Sculpture, unveiled on 6th June 2019 above Gold Beach in Normandy to commemorate the 22443 service men and women who fell on D-Day and in the Normandy campaign under British command.

Here’s the D Day Memorial:

Bell, Lee Summerbee Statue Latest

Looking forward to Tuesday…

WORLD-RENOWNED SCULPTOR REVEALED AS ARTIST BEHIND PERMANENT TRIBUTE TO CITY’S LEGENDARY TRIUMVIRATE

  • Unveiling confirmed for Tuesday 28 November
  • World-renowned sculptor David Williams-Ellis chosen following exhaustive selection process overseen by Club Chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak
  • Tribute will celebrate the legacy of Manchester City’s trophy-laden era of the late 1960s and early 1970s Manchester City Football Club is delighted to reveal that world-renowned sculptor David Williams-Ellis is the artist behind a permanent tribute to legendary triumvirate Colin Bell, Francis Lee and Mike Summerbee. A student of eminent octogenarian drawing teacher, Nerina Simi, Williams-Ellis sought out classical training in Florence where his signature style was first established. His sculptures, worked in clay, from life, are inspired by the romanticism of French sculptors Auguste Rodin and Antoine Bourdelle and are noted for their sense of movement and vitality. With exhibitions proudly displayed at Perthshire’s Scone Palace, Aberdeen’s Maritime Museum and the IFC Building in Shanghai, Williams-Ellis is perhaps most famously known for his commission of the Normandy Memorial Trust’s D-Day Sculpture. That monument was unveiled by French President Emmanuel Macron and then-British Prime Minister Theresa May in 2019. Designed and created at his Oxfordshire home studio, Williams-Ellis’s work on this commission has focused on capturing the motion and characteristics of each player and embodying the spirit of their combined 30 years representing Manchester City. This initiative is the latest in a series of tributes to key figures forming the Club’s legacy project, first announced in 2019 and directed by Chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak. Modern-day legends Vincent Kompany, Sergio Aguero and David Silva were celebrated upon their respective departures from the Club, with each of their sculptures located on the east side of the stadium, in addition to permanent mosaic artworks featured throughout the City Football Academy.

This installation will be located on the west side of the perimeter and will be unveiled on Tuesday morning ahead of a UEFA Champions League meeting with RB Leipzig later that day, where fans will be invited to visit the permanent tribute to an extraordinary era in the Club’s history.

Speaking of his appointment to the project David Williams-Ellis said:

“It is a great honour to create a work of art for Manchester City Football Club celebrating the diverse, talented players, Bell, Lee and Summerbee.

“It’s been an extraordinary last two years, working on this project that celebrates these players from a great era in Manchester City’s football history.

“I hope that the work will give a sense of history and place to the legions of fans and visitors that come to the football ground from around the world and become an enduring part of Manchester’s cultural landscape.”

David Williams-Ellis – Artist Biography

David Williams-Ellis’ sculptures, worked in clay directly from life, are inspired by the romanticism of Rodin and Bourdelle and are noted for their sense of movement and vitality.

David was classically trained in Florence under drawing teacher, Nerina Simi. From there he went on to be an apprentice wood carver and then joined a community of marble carvers beneath the Carrara Mountains in Pietresanta.

David’s reputation was cemented after his time in Italy. Today, his work is in private and public collections across the globe and can be seen in flagship buildings including Scone Palace in Perthshire, Aberdeen’s Maritime Museum, the IFC Building in Shanghai and Oxford House, Swires, Hong Kong.

Amongst his most notable work includes the D-Day Memorial Sculpture, unveiled on 6th June 2019 above Gold Beach in Normandy to commemorate the 22443 service men and women who fell on D-Day and in the Normandy campaign under British command.

Here’s the D Day Memorial:

A Loss To Brentford for the Eventual Treble Winners

It’s a game that is worth remembering to help those who react as if every loss or dropped point is a ‘tragedy’. Of course dropping points is disappointing but football seasons are long and games can end in defeat for teams who achieve incredible heights, so let’s remember this day (12 November) last year when Manchester City lost to Brentford. The game ended in a 2-1 defeat at the Etihad and this was the final match before the suspension of the season for the World Cup, which was played in November and December 2022.

You can watch highlights of the defeat below. I include this here simply to remind fans who do get carried away with every point dropped that the 2022-23 season ended with City as treble winners. The odd defeat happens. That’s football. Congratulations to Brentford on your victory that day.

https://www.mancity.com/citytv/mens/city-1-2-brentford-extended-highlights-63803894