Category Archives: Seasons

The Death of a City Player

On this day (30 October) in 1916 the death of Manchester City defender Pat McGuire was reported in the Manchester Evening News (image) and the Athletic News. McGuire’s story is a tragic one as he was killed in battle but his wife had previously been told of his death several months earlier. Understandably there was a lot of confusion on the battle field but imagine being told your husband had been killed and then a short while later told he’s alive and then only a few weeks after that being told for the second time that he has been killed.

The report in the Athletic News read:

‘It was with very deep regret that news was received at Grimsby on Saturday of the death in action in France of Lance-Corporal P. M’Guire [sic], of the Manchester Regiment, the brilliant young full-back of the Manchester City club, who played for Grimsby Town throughout last season. Last winter he played better football than at any period of his career, and Grimsby regarded him as the best defender who had worn their livery for a decade. He was clear-headed, resourceful, and a master of defensive tactics. Now he has given his life in the greatest of all causes. That something had befallen him had been feared for three weeks past, as Mr. Hickson did not receive any acknowledgement of the letters and parcels of comfort which he and his wife make a practice of dispatching regularly to the “boys” at the front. On Saturday came the sad official news that M’Guire was no more.‘

McGuire joined City from Hurst on 18 Aug 1912 and made his debut v Chelsea (a) 1.3.1913

Former City historian John Maddocks wrote this about him:

Pat McGuire was a full-back who was used mainly as an understudy to the regular backs in the years immediately before WW1, Bill Henry and Eli Fletcher, and as these two were consistent players Pat rarely got a look in. He joined the armed forces for the duration and guested for Grimsby Town, making 31 appearances and scoring six goals. Sadly he was killed in action in October 1916.

Appearances: 15 in the League (plus at least 85 in the reserves)

The story is an incredible one and the following website tells it much better than I can here:

Patrick McGuire

Dorsett Scores at Arsenal

Manchester City won 1-0 away at Arsenal thanks to a goal from Joe Dorsett on this day (29 October) in 1910. This photo is from that game and shows the City ‘keeper Walter Smith battling an Arsenal attacker for the ball.

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‘Play Fair’ Liverpool!

This game was at Hyde Road and on this image is a ‘palpable foul’ from a Manchester City player against Liverpool but the caption says ‘Cries of “Play fair” were frequent.’ As this was a home game for City it feels like the City fans would have been making those noises as few Liverpool fans travelled back then to this game. Liverpool won the match 1-0 on 28 October 1905. Did they play fair though?

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The Latest Technology

Today (27 October) in 1900 the Manchester Official Programme, a combined effort for Manchester City & Newton Heath, included an advert for City director John Allison’s hydro therapy baths. Allison was perceived as the leading figure in the sports hydrotherapy business back then.

You can find out more about Allison (a key figure at City, Celtic and Salford Harriers) here:

True Blues – John Allison

First Live Manchester Derby

Today (26 October) is the anniversary of the first ever Manchester Derby shown live on television. The game was the 109th League derby between the teams and ended in a 1-1 draw (Frank Stapleton for United; Mick McCarthy for City). Subscribers can read a feature on the game, including a match report and background, below:

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Dortmund Draw

On this day (25 October) last year a hard-fought draw with Dortmund ensured Manchester City were Group G winners, qualifying for the knockout stages of teh Champions League with a game to spare. A crowd of 81,000 watched this goalless game. Highlights below:

https://www.mancity.com/citytv/mens/borussia-dortmund-manchester-city-highlights-63802321

City went on to win the Champions League that season of course! There are plenty of articles on here about the 2023 Champions League such as:

From Istanbul to Istanbul

Manchester City Challenge FA

This is an interesting article. It’s an article written by a Manchester City official challenging the authority/interference of the FA and basically saying that the FA is antiquated and governs football poorly. This is well worth reading in its entirety. It was written in 1900 and I can’t help thinking that this may have added to the negativity in which City was viewed by FA officials at the time. In the years that followed, of course, the FA took every opportunity possible to challenge and investigate City even when other, FA favoured, clubs were guilty themselves.

I guess there are parallels with today. I won’t go into detail but have a read of it all and see what you think. This criticism was published in the MCFC match programme and therefore was the official word of the club at the time. No wonder the FA wanted to curb City’s development!

Nice Old Team Photo

Here’s a team photo of Manchester City, taken at Hyde Road, in 1900. It’s a typical squad pose in front of the old Hyde Road main stand which was destroyed by fire twenty years later. Notice the way the wooden wall of the stand was painted in City blue and white. People often talk about Hyde Road as if it was this dull, dismal ground but the stand here had only been erected a few years earlier and Joshua Parlby, Lawrence Furniss and the others behind the club made sure it was frequently painted blue and white (plus green) wherever possible.

Over the following twenty years City continued to invest in the ground but the site restricted the club’s growth and 40,000 crowds could not be accommodated particularly well. Often gates would be closed some way off capacity under the orders of the local police who tried to keep crowds back. Bennett Street and even Hyde Road itself were often overcrowded with fans hoping to get in.

There’s lots more on here about Hyde Road and City’s other grounds. Do a few searches and see what you find. Some is only for subscribers but much is available freely. It takes a lot of time, effort and money to research Manchester’s football history so if you want to support this work and get something back then please subscribe. Thanks.

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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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A Year Ago Today: An ‘Er-Ling, Erling Haaland’ Chant That Didn’t Take Off!

A year ago today (22 October) lifelong City fan Bobby Ward was in touch with a video he’d caught during City’s home game v Brighton of fans chanting a new Erling Haaland chant. Here’s the video (look out for the actions):

https://gjfootballarchive.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/img_4796-1.mov

The words, if you can’t work them out, are:

What shall we do with a big Norwegian, What shall we do with a big Norwegian, Can’t stop him from scoring, Erling, Erling Haaland, Erling, Erling Haaland…

The game v Brighton on 22 October 2022 ended in a 3-1 City win with Haaland scoring twice.

I’m always keen on the development of football chants, so if you’re one of the guys who started this please get in touch with your story of the chant, the actions and so on. I’d be happy to say more about it here. You guys were certainly persistent.

Bert Trautmann Centenary

Today marks a special day in the history of football. 100 years ago today (22 October 1923) a boy was born in Bremen, Germany who would go on to be a major footballing icon with a remarkable story. Bernhard Carl Trautmann was that boy. Here to mark the centenary of his birth is a feature on a crucial game in his career. No, it’s not the 1956 FA Cup final, it’s 6 years earlier…

The game I’m talking about is a League game with Fulham – in fact it’s a City defeat! Why was this so special? Subscribers can find out below. There’s also a special video interview with me about Trautmann here for subscribers to view:

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