Football writing, thoughts and more by Gary James
Score 1-1, Attendance 52,424 Maine Road
City’s penultimate match of the season turned out to be one of the most controversial derby matches of all time. Both clubs were languishing at the foot of the table, and a derby victory would more or less guarantee the victor’s survival.
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The closest Manchester City and Manchester United have got to playing each other in a Wembley FA Cup final were FA Cup semi finals in 1926 and 2011. I wasn’t around in 1926 but I definitely was in 2011. So a couple of years ago I made this special audio recording talking about the years building up to the semi and the day itself.
Restored 2011: The All-Manchester FA Cup Semi Final is a special 1 hour audio recording looks at the game and the years between the 1976 League Cup success and the FA Cup glory of 2011. The 2011 semi-final was a crucial step in City’s journey since the 2008 takeover and I felt it was vital to do a special marking this.
So what’s in this special recording? Well, I’ve included exclusive material from interviews and recordings I’ve done over the years with Garry Cook, Brian Marwood, Roberto Mancini, Peter Barnes and Peter Swales. Why Swales? Well, have a listen and you’ll hear why. Basically though I’m trying to set the tone for why the 2011 FA Cup semi final victory and overcoming Manchester United was so significant.
On Mancini… I include a few words from him recorded in 2011 and at one point he talks about the view that was then being expressed that City were ‘trying’ to buy success (now they say City ‘have’ bought success!). His words are a reminder that City have been having that particular criticism thrown at them for over a decade! Oh well, I wonder how long those criticisms were laid at other clubs who had seen major investment which propelled them forward?
Anyway, get yourself a brew and be prepared to be transported back in time. Here’s the recording:
If you enjoy the recording then please let me know, comment or subscribe to the site. I’ve produced videos/talks like this highlighting key points in Manchester City’s footballing history which subscribers can watch.
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Match Stats for the 2011 FA Cup Semi-final
City 1-0 United (HT 0-0)
Yaya Toure 52
City: 25 Hart 04 Kompany (yellow card), 05 Zabaleta (yellow card), 13 Kolarov, 19 Lescott, 11 Johnson (Wright-Phillips 79), 18 Barry, 21 Silva (Vieira 86), 34 De Jong (yellow card), 42 Y Toure, 45 Balotelli (yellow card). Substitutes 12 Taylor, 38 Boyata, 07 Milner, 08 Wright-Phillips, 24 Vieira, 10 Dzeko, 27 Jo
United: 01 Van der Sar, 03 Evra, 05 Ferdinand, 15 Vidic, 22 O’Shea (Fabio Da Silva 84), 13 Park Ji-Sung, 16 Carrick, 17 Nani, 18 Scholes (red card), 25 Valencia (Hernandez 65), 09 Berbatov (Anderson 74). Substitutes 29 Kuszczak, 12 Smalling, 20 Fabio Da Silva, 08 Anderson, 28 Gibson, 07 Owen, 14 Hernandez
Referee: Dean
Attendance: 86,549
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DonateOn this day (April 7) in 1992 a Keith Curle penalty, in front of an Old Trafford crowd of 46,781, helped Manchester City to a 1-1 draw in a controversial Manchester derby. The game was viewed as being highly significant in the title race as only four days earlier the Blues had beaten title-hopefuls Leeds 4-0 at Maine Road. Here’s the story of that game including quotes from an interview I performed with Neil Pointon, who gives his views on a controversial incident that was pivotal to this derby…
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On this day (27 March) in 1926 the first FA Cup semi-final between Manchester City and Manchester United ended 3-0 to the Blues. The match was played at Bramall Lane. The Blues were managerless for this game – Assistant Chairman Albert Alexander senior took on most of the manager’s duties between November and April. Subscribers can read more about that game below:
On this day (10th February) in 1979…
Attendance: 46,151; City 0 United 3
Malcolm Allison’s bold prediction of how great City’s victory will be is ridiculed as the Blues are heavily defeated by a Steve Coppell inspired United. City are a well-beaten side while United win at a canter with Andy Ritchie comfortably netting the third twenty minutes from time.
On this day (10 February) in 2008 a highly emotional Manchester derby paid tribute to the 50th anniversary of the Munich air crash. After a minute’s silence was impeccably observed the game ended in a City win.
Here’s the BBC report of the game:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_prem/7223971.stm
On this day (9 February) in 2003 Shaun Goater went down in history for a remarkable appearance as substitute. The Goat came on and scored for City a mere 9 seconds after coming on to the field. The story of this game was written up a couple of years ago for an update of my 1991 book The Pride Of Manchester (co-written with Steve Cawley). Sadly, that book was never updated, though Steve and I put considerable effort into creating all the content.
Here, exclusively for subscribers, is the story of that game as drafted to appear in the updated but aborted Pride Of Manchester.
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If you would like to view this article then please subscribe. Monthly subscriptions cost £3 a month (here; cancel any time). Monthly subscribers get full access to everything posted since 1 October 2022 and those scheduled to be posted during your subscription.
On this day (23 January) in 1926 Manchester United were defeated 6-1 at Old Trafford by managerless Manchester City. This remains the record score in a Manchester derby match (equalled of course during Mancini’s time as manager of Manchester City).
More on the game for subscribers here:
Sadly, highlights of that game are not known to have survived, but here’s the first All-Manchester FA Cup semi-final played between the two teams that same season:
https://www.britishpathe.com/video/an-all-lancashire-cup-final/
I doubt there’s anyone alive who was at either of these Manchester derbies, though I am aware of fans who would have been young children at tbis time. If you were there please get in touch, or if you were why at the later 6-1 City victory at Old Trafford then why not leave your memory as a comment or email it to me for possible future use on this website?
I know I’ve written plenty about Colin Bell over the years but, to be frank, you can never read or write enough about Bell. So for today’s subscriber article here’s a 1,900 word piece (plus videos of the Ballet On Ice game and his first return game v Derby in April 1976 – yes that’s right!) on the legendary Manchester City and Bury footballer. Enjoy!
Read more of this content when you subscribe today. It costs £20 for an annual subscription (here; access everything from December 2020) or £3 per month (below; access everything since 1 October 2022).
Read more of this content when you subscribe today. It costs £20 for an annual subscription (above; access everything from December 2020) or £3 per month (here; access everything since 1 October 2022).
It’s Derby Day! Why not get in the mood for today’s game at Old Trafford by having a look at the hundreds of articles on here about the Derby, City and United? The following links will connect you to some great content.
This is a link to all articles tagged as Manchester Derby:
https://gjfootballarchive.com/category/manchester-derbies/
Here are those specifically tagged as City:
https://gjfootballarchive.com/category/manchester-city/
And these are specifically tagged as United:
https://gjfootballarchive.com/category/manchester-united/
Enjoy!
Gary James' Football Archive 