Category Archives: 2023-24

The Span of Success: Will Newcastle Change History?

Every year, once the domestic season ends I update the table showing the English clubs’ span of success – i.e. the number of years between a club’s first major success (FA Cup, League, League Cup, major European trophy) and their most recent. I last did this after the 2023-24 season ended (see below). There wasn’t much difference between the 2023 final table and the 2024. Both Liverpool and Manchester City increased their span, as did United. Next month there’s a chance Newcastle can leap from 16th place (just behind Chelsea) to joint second with City. Here’s the table as it stands at present:

As I always say, the span of success does not show how many trophies each club has won or how frequently that club has experienced great eras of success, but it does demonstrate how wrong those people are who believe certain clubs were unsuccessful until recent years, or those who think certain clubs have always been giants. The column on first major success helps to show when some clubs first became trophy-winning significant (often after transformational investment too!).

There’s not much difference between 2023 and 2024 – numbers have changed but not positions. In 2023 West Ham, like potentially Newcastle this year, proved that if you’re a club that hasn’t won a major trophy for a while putting your focus on achieving trophy success ahead of the odd Premier League position can bring significant reward. In future decades no one will remember who finished seventh, tenth or fifteenth but they will remember the trophies. Here’s the previous year’s table for comparison purposes:

I know clubs focus on their financials but winning a trophy has longevity, gaining the odd Premier League place provides a bit of extra cash now but no long term kudos. Winning a trophy attracts new fans and brings money-spinning opportunities too.

If I was a supporter of any of the major clubs who have not found significant success in recent decades then I would absolutely want my team to go for whichever cup competition seems the most likely to win. That’s what I always wanted from City before they were able to compete for the League again. Winning the FA Cup in 2011 helped everything that followed happen – it gave confidence and a trophy winning mentality.

While you’re here why not take a look at the wide range of articles available on this site? Such as the 100 day series of features on Maine Road:

Maine Road 100 – Day 10
Maine Road 100 – Day 3
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An Interview About Joe Mercer

Manchester City 2 Sheffield United 0

Here’s film from this day (30 December) in 2023 of the World Champions defeating Sheffield United 2-0 in their first home game following their return to England. City had won the FIFA Club World Cup earlier in the month. City’s goals came from Rodri and Alvarez.

https://www.mancity.com/citytv/mens/sheffield-united-premier-league-home-extended-highlights-63839535

World Champions Beat Everton

On this day (27 December) in 2023 Manchester City and Everton met at Goodison Park in City’s first game back in England following the FIFA Club World Cup. The world champions defeated Merseyside’s Blues 3-1 with goals from Foden, Silva and Alvarez.

Highlights here:

https://www.mancity.com/citytv/mens/everton-v-manchester-city-extended-highlights-1-63839298

Champions of the World

On this day (22 December) last year Manchester City became the first English club to hold the Premier League, FA Cup, UEFA Champions League, Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup at the same time, following their 4-0 victory over Fluminense in the FIFA Club World Cup. It was an extraordinary achievement.

Julian Alvarez opened the scoring after 40 seconds, when he chested in from close range after Nathan Ake’s long-range strike hit the post.

In the 27th minute Nino turned Phil Foden’s cross into the back of his own net to make it 2-0.

In the second half Foden darted through the middle to send home a cross from Alvarez. Alvarez made it 4-0 with his second in the 88th minute.

Afterwards manager Pep Guardiola reflected: ‘It was an incredible year. Today we closed the chapter. We won everything we could. Now time to try again.’

Highlights here:

https://www.mancity.com/citytv/mens/city-v-fluminense-fifa-club-world-cup-five-minute-highlights-63838943

Red Star Belgrade 2 Manchester City 3

On this day (13 December) in 2023 goals from Micah Hamilton (a debut goal!), Oscar Bobb (his first for City) and Kalvin Phillips brought City a 3-2 victory at Belgrade. You can watch highlights here:

https://www.mancity.com/citytv/mens/match-highlights-red-star-2-3-man-city-63838096

Luton 1 Manchester City 2

On this day (10 December) in 2023 Manchester City defeated Luton Town 2-1 with goals from Bernardo Silva and Jack Grealish. You can watch highlights here:

https://www.mancity.com/citytv/mens/luton-town-manchester-city-extended-highlights-63837836

An Old Trafford First

On this day (19 November) in 2023 Old Trafford staged its first Manchester Derby in the Women’s Super League. A crowd of 43,615 watched City defeat United 3-1 after the Reds had taken the lead.

The United goal came from a Katie Zelem’s penalty, given for handball against the Reds’ former captain Alex Greenwood, despite the Blues being in control for much of the match.

Two goals in a little over a minute from Jill Roord first and then Lauren Hemp (see photo) inflicted United’s first Women’s Super League defeat of the season. It also lifted City above the Reds. Khadija Shaw added a third for City in the second half, by charging down the goalkeeper Mary Earps’ clearance, before City’s Laia Aleixandri was sent off for a second yellow for pulling back Lucía García.

It was a wonderful victory for the Blues who had been keen to face United at Old Trafford in earlier seasons. However, according to journalist Suzy Wrack: ‘United have waited to play a derby at Old Trafford until the performance gap between the six‑year-old club and their neighbours, the 2016 WSL champions and regular contenders, was a little smaller. They have played four times at Old Trafford, against West Ham twice, Everton and Aston Villa, before breaking the club’s attendance record for the visit of City on Sunday with 43,615 fans present.’

This was not a record for the women’s Manchester derby however, as that had been set on 11 December 2022 when 44,259 had watched City and United play out a 1-1 draw at the Etihad Stadium.

After the game City boss Gareth Taylor spoke to the media: ‘There’s a huge feeling of pride playing like we did in such a big spectacle. When you turn up to Old Trafford and there is a huge crowd there, it is a completely different game to any other normal WSL game.

‘I thought the two goals we scored in the first half were actually the hardest chances, there were some easier ones [not taken]. So yeah work for us to do still but credit to the players.

‘We were thrown into another situation again with another red card. We can’t have too many complaints about it, but we are prepped for those situations now. Fair play to the players that came on, they helped us to manage the game and helped us to nullify any chances United had. “

United defender Hannah Blundell commented: ‘Against the run of play we got the penalty, then the disallowed goal spurred them on and let them have momentum and we need to figure out how to switch that.We will come back stronger and I know we will with this team. We have a lot of players who can put in the performance and there is a togetherness in this team.’

4-4 at Chelsea

On this day (12 November) in 2023 Manchester City drew 4-4 at Chelsea and this was heralded as a great game by the Sky TV pundits. As fans, these sort of games never feel like great games at the time but neutrals obviously love them. For fans of the teams involved they tend to feel like opportunities lost or maybe great comebacks depending on which side you support. Immediately after the game in 2023 I was asked when City’s previous 4-4 draw was and I spent a few minutes thinking ‘I’ve never seen one before involving City, or have I?’ So, I then started to scour the material in my collection and was somewhat surprised to find it was against Grimsby in September 1950! Certainly many, many years before I was born.

My favourite goal in last season’s match at Chelsea was the one Haaland scored with his er… um… er… shorts area. The City scorers were: Haaland (25 minutes pen, 47 minutes),  Akanji (45+1 minutes),  Rodri (86 minutes) and for Chelsea (including two City old boys): Thiago Silva (29 minutes),  Sterling (37 minutes),  Jackson (67 minutes),  Palmer (90+5minutes pen).

You can watch City’s highlights here:

https://www.mancity.com/citytv/mens/chelsea-4-4-man-city-extended-premier-league-highlights-63835413

Incredibly last season’s game wasn’t the first time City had drawn 4-4 at Chelsea and, coincidentally I’d tweeted about this before last year’s match. I never expected history to repeat itself. You can read about the earlier match via the link below. Incidentally, the game was in 1936-37 and City won the title that year – as they did in 2023-24!

Chelsea 4 Manchester City 4
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Champions Return

A year ago today (19 September 2023) the reigning European champions Manchester City started their defence of the Champions League at home with a 3-1 victory over Red Star Belgrade. It was one of those games that felt as if City would never score at times, despite immense pressure from Pep Guardiola’s team.

Summerbee brings in the Champions League trophy

In fact City went a goal behind with a goal those of us in the stadium were convinced was offside (so did the referee’s assistant, positioned in front of the East Stand) but VAR allowed it to stand. The goalscorer was Belgrade’s Osman Bukari, who fired home just before half-time.

When the second half commenced we were convinced the Blues would overcome the deficit and sure enough Julian Alvarez met an Erling Haaland throughball, rounded the keeper and prodded home the equaliser a mere 73 seconds into the second half. Many Blues missed the goal as they were still returning from the toilets and the bars!

Alvarez opening goal celebration, 19 September 2023 Champions League MCFC v Red Star Belgrade

Alvarez netted a second on the hour mark when his free-kick from the left evaded everyone and flew past ‘keeper Omri Glazer. Rodri did what Rodri does best when he sent a curling strike into the net after 73 minutes. It was another classic, just like the final in Istanbul.

https://www.mancity.com/citytv/mens/manchester-city-red-star-belgrade-highlights-63830758

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4-4 at Chelsea X 2

It’s Manchester City at Chelsea this weekend. Last season that same fixture ended in a 4-4 draw and this was heralded as a great game by the Sky TV pundits. As fans, these sort of games never feel like great games at the time but neutrals obviously love them. For fans of the teams involved they tend to feel like opportunities lost or maybe great comebacks depending on which side you support. Immediately after the game last year I was asked when City’s previous 4-4 draw was and I spent a few minutes thinking ‘I’ve never seen one before involving City, or have I?’ So, I then started to scour the material in my collection and was somewhat surprised to find it was against Grimsby in September 1950! Certainly many, many years before I was born.

My favourite goal in last season’s match at Chelsea was the one Haaland scored with his er… um… er… shorts area. The City scorers were: Haaland (25 minutes pen, 47 minutes),  Akanji (45+1 minutes),  Rodri (86 minutes) and for Chelsea (including two City old boys): Thiago Silva (29 minutes),  Sterling (37 minutes),  Jackson (67 minutes),  Palmer (90+5minutes pen)

Incredibly last season’s game wasn’t the first time City had drawn 4-4 at Chelsea and, coincidentally I’d tweeted about this before last year’s match. I never expected history to repeat itself. You can read about the earlier match via the link below. Incidentally, the game was in 1936-37 and City won the title that year – as they did in 2023-24!

Chelsea 4 Manchester City 4
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