Category Archives: Seasons

69,463 watch MCFC and Burnley in Division Two But Attendances Understated

On 10 May in 1947 a solitary goal from Alec Herd against Burnley was enough to give Manchester City promotion.  The attendance for this Second Division game was recorded by the media at the time as 67,672 but official records reviewed almost sixty years later showed that City actually recorded the attendance as 69,463.

Typically, the attendance figures City used to give the media for League games through to the 1960s tended to exclude season tickets. So the Blues’ management would give the figure of tickets or pay on the gate admission for the game but exclude season ticket holders. Back in 1946-47 City had around 1,800 season ticket holders and almost every League attendance back then is understated by that amount.

FA Cup games were the actual attendances as these were always sold game by game.

As this practice of excluding all season ticket holders continued for many, many decades at Maine Road attendance figures for League games are usually understated (they were often understated in the 1970s & 1980s as well but for different reasons and back then Peter Swales, Bernard Halford and the others involved in calculating attendances would deny any discrepancy despite many fans, fanzines and others challenging them often).

For comparison purposes it’s worth looking at the attendances of the Division One champions in 1947 to see how the Blues compared. This attendance against Burnley was almost 17,000 higher than Division One champions Liverpool’s highest crowd that season (52,512 v Wolves in December) and the Merseyside Reds nearest home game to City’s Burnley match was watched by 48,800 and that was Liverpool v Manchester United (May 3). Liverpool did average 45,732 that season, whereas City averaged 39,283 but they were a Second Division club.

The City-Burnley crowd was the Second Division’s record at the time and it was higher than every First Division crowd since the 1937-38 season (The Second Division record is now held by Tottenham v Southampton which had 70,302 in 1949-50).

Film of City v Burnley does exist but it’s in a most unlikely place. It was actually filmed as part of a Mancunian Films drama called Cup Tie Honeymoon. The company was run by a Manchester City fan who made this film, which starred Sandy Powell and Pat Phoenix (under her original name of Pilkington). A football game is crucial to the plot and scenes were filmed at Maine Road and interspersed with real action from the City-Burnley game to add credibility.

Myself and Will McTaggart have shown these scenes in our Boys In Blue film shows which have been staged at the Dancehouse and Cornerhouse in Manchester over the last decade. Maybe I’ll explain more about the film and those talks another day.

Subscribe to get access

You can access all of the content on this site, including the in-depth articles, audio recordings/interviews and entire content of my Manchester A Football History book by subscribing. It costs £20 a year (about £1.67 a month) and you have full access throughout your subscription. You can also give it a try by signing up for £3 a month (again full access throughout your membership). Thanks Gary.

Subscribe
How To Subscribe

The 1981 FA Cup Final

On this day (May 9) in 1981 the 100th FA Cup Final took place between Manchester City and Tottenham. Below is a long read on the final but before details of that, there are also profiles of City’s starting 11 on the site. Here’s a link to the one on Tommy Hutchison published 3 years ago (it’s a free read). Enjoy:

The Starting Eleven – Tommy Hutchison

Here for subscribers is a long read on the build up, the final and the post-final scenes. It contains material from interviews I have performed over the years with Dennis Tueart, John Bond and Joe Corrigan. There are also a few quotes that may surprise readers of what discussions took place after the final.

Here goes….

Subscribe to get access

Read more of this content when you subscribe today.

Subscribe

The First PL Season Ends

The 1992-93 season ended on May 8 with a 5-2 defeat for Manchester City at home to Everton. The Blues finished ninth in the inaugural Premier League campaign – not a particularly depressing position but this had been a strange season. There had been protests throughout the season. 

Here for subscribers is some explanation of what happened:

Subscribe to get access

Read more of this content when you subscribe today.

Subscribe
How To Subscribe

City on the Hill

On this day (7th May) in 2000 Manchester City achieved promotion by beating Blackburn 4-1 on the last day of the season. A large group of fans gathered on the hill above Ewood Park to watch as much of the game as possible (were you one of those fans – please get in touch with your story if you were).

As with most things City did back then, the journey to promotion had not been as straightforward as fans hoped it would be.

“We will not be going to Blackburn to defend or looking for just one point, that would be inviting disaster.  We will be playing to take three points.  Legends are born in games like this and particularly at a massive club like City with the fan base we have.  Someone can be a hero, not just for a day but for a long time.”  

These were the words Joe Royle used in the build up to City’s crucial match with Blackburn on the final day of the 1999-2000 season.  He wanted to send a strong message to the rest of football that City were determined to return to the Premier League, and return they did.  The game with Blackburn was extremely tense at times, and there were a number of occasions when everyone connected with the club felt that Blackburn would be added to the names of Luton and Liverpool in the City cock-up list.  However Royle’s City showed resilience and success followed.

Here is my review of that game and the 1999-2000 season. To read the rest of this piece then please subscribe below:

Subscribe to get access

To read this and access all other content 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 1000s of articles posted so far (including audio interviews with John Bond, Malcolm Allison, George Graham and the entire Manchester A Football History book) and the hundreds scheduled to be posted in the coming months.

Subscribe

Yaya Delivers

On this day (6 May) in 2012 the Premier League title race saw Manchester City travel to Newcastle. The Blues had two games left to play – away at Newcastle and at home to QPR – and inevitably the focus on both Manchester sides was high as United were also challenging for the title. The global audience for the Manchester derby had been huge and that game had swung the advantage City’s way (the Blues had been 8 points behind the Reds only a brief while earlier). Both Manchester sides had the same number of points but the Blues had the better goal difference.

City felt they could do win their first top flight title since 1968 with captain Vincent Kompany leading the way on the pitch:  “If we in at Newcastle we will win the title.  Sir Alex said that, so it must be right.  He has far more experience than me.”

Here for subscribers to the site is the story of what happened at Newcastle:

Subscribe to get access – Annual

Read more of this content and everything else on the site when you subscribe. It costs £20 a year (about £1.67 a month) or £3 to pay a month at a time (below). You get access to all content posted so far including the entire Manchester A Football History.

Subscribe

Subscribe to get access – Monthly

Read more of this content and everything else on the site when you subscribe. It costs £3 to pay a month at a time (cancel anytime).

Subscribe

Manchester City Chants

I’ve posted a lot on this in the past but it’s always worth revisiting, especially as recent years have seen dozens of new chants established at Manchester City. Successful eras often bring new chants – and that’s definitely happened recently – but failing periods can also generate new supporter songs.

Chanting at football games is rarely documented correctly with many myths, rumours and stories developing over the years. This feature is designed to give a potted overview of the development of singing at City.

I explained about some of the chants in this talk I did a couple of years ago. If you’ve got time watch it:

Now, for subscribers is an 1800 word article on the history and development of chants at Manchester City:

Subscribe to get access

Read more of this content and everything on the site when you subscribe today.

Subscribe

If you want to know more on subscribing first have a read of this:

How To Subscribe

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.

Subscribe to get access – Monthly

Read more of this content when you subscribe today. It costs £3 per month or £20 a year.

Subscribe

Anelka Double and Peter The Great

On this day (3 May) in 2003 Manchester City defeated Liverpool 2-1 at Anfield. The newspaper reports that followed tended to praise City ‘keeper Peter Schmeichel most, even though Nicolas Anelka had scored both goals for the Blues. In Manchester, this was a hugely popular City win but this was a strange and emotional period for all connected with the Blues. The following game would be City’s last first team match at Maine Road and while fans celebrated a rare win at Anfield there were many emotions as the club now looked ahead to Maine Road’s farewell.

You can read plenty on this final season elsewhere on the site.

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.

Donate
How To Subscribe

Player of the Year: Manchester City Double

Phil Foden and Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw have been named Men’s and Women’s Footballers of the Year by the Football Writers’ Association. It’s an incredible double and adds to an interesting record: Manchester City remain the only club to ever win both accolades during the same season, with Raheem Sterling and Nikita Parris achieving the same feat in 2018-19.

City academy graduate Foden’s outstanding performances saw him receive 42% of the vote while Jamaican international Shaw secured the most votes in the history of the women’s award, during a remarkable season in which her goals have helped lead City to the top of the Women’s Super League.

Foden has scored 24 goals and made 10 assists in all competitions as Pep
Guardiola’s side hope to become the first men’s team in English football history to secure fourth consecutive top-flight titles and also record consecutive Premier League and FA Cup doubles.

Foden commented: “Being named the Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the Year is a huge honour. I’m very, very happy to receive this award but I could not have done it without the help of my team-mates. We have a very special squad of players at City, and I’m privileged to be a part of that group. I want to thank all my team-mates as well as Pep and the coaches for all the support and advice they have given me.


“I strive to be the best that I can be every single day and that is all down to the way the manager and my colleagues always seek to improve and get better. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who voted for me as well as my fellow nominees.”

Shaw secured 53% of nominations to be named FWA Women’s Footballer of the Year ahead of Chelsea’s Lauren James and City teammate Alex Greenwood. The Jamaican international has scored 22 goals in all competitions this season, with 21 of those leading her to the top of the Women’s Super League scoring charts and her team to the top of the league, during a season in which she also became the Club’s all-time top scorer.


Shaw said: “I am very proud and privileged to have received this award and to be recognised in this way is a special honour. I want to also thank all of my team-mates. They provide me with the chances to score goals and I could not have won this award without them.


“I also owe such a lot to Gareth, the rest of the coaching team and everyone else here at City. It’s a pleasure to be part of such a special group. Many thanks to all who voted for me and to my fellow nominees. It means such a lot to have won this award. Hopefully the side can now finish off the season in style and give everyone special cause to celebrate.

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)