Football writing, thoughts and more by Gary James
On this day (24 March) in 1994 Peter Beagrie signed for Manchester City from Everton and soon established himself as a hero. With his trademark somersaulting goal celebrations Beagrie scored 5 goals in 58 (plus 7 as substitute) appearances, but his contribution to the exciting style of play enjoyed under Brian Horton was much more impressive than those statistics suggest.
Beagrie’s debut came in a goalless game v Oldham the following Saturday.
On this day (22 December) in 1993 David White left Manchester City after years of dedication to the Blue cause. He was transferred to Leeds United in a swap deal for David Rocastle. It was a sad loss for the Blues but it was also a new beginning for Rocastle.
You can read more on the 1993-94 season here:
There are lots of articles on this site that mention David White. Take a look at:
On this day (11 December) in 1985 a 2-0 victory (3-2 on aggregate) by Billy McNeill’s Manchester City over Brian Horton’s Hull sent the Blues to Wembley for the inaugural Full Members’ Cup Final. City’s scorers at Maine Road were David Phillips and Jim Melrose before the largest crowd (by any club) of the entire tournament, excluding the final, of 10,180. Here’s a contemporary report by Patrick Barclay of the game:
You can read more on the Full Members Cup and what it was all about here:
On this day (8 December) in 1993 Brian Horton’s Manchester City defeated Everton 1-0 with a goal from Carl Griffiths. You can read more on the 1993-94 season here:
On this day (25 October) in 1994 Manchester City faced QPR in the League Cup in what was an incredible game that kept fans on the edge of their seats. The Blues had already disposed of Barnet 5-2 on aggregate in the second round and clearly expected to put in a good performance at Loftus Road. Sadly, within a minute they conceded a goal just as they had in the earlier League Cup match at Barnet and Brian Horton’s side suffered for a while. By the 37th minute they managed to get their act together a little and Summerbee equalised with a 20 yard volley. A minute later Rangers took the lead again.
Fortunately, in the 46th minute Keith Curle netted a penalty to bring City level once again, followed eight minutes later by a magnificent Beagrie volley which made it 3-2 and brought a series of somersaults from the popular ex-Evertonian. Five minutes later, the same player headed through to Lomas who made it 4-2.
In the 87th minute Rangers pulled a goal back to keep City on their toes, but the referee’s whistle signalled the start of a party for the fans while their QPR equivalents began to demonstrate against their chairman. Apparently, some unhappy QPR fans were keen to listen to the advice of a few experienced Mancunian demonstrators!
You can watch highlights of the game here:
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Today (22 October) in 1994 Brian Horton’s Manchester City defeated Ossie Ardiles’ Spurs 5-2, with goals from Walsh (2), Quinn, Flitcroft, and Lomas. This was a very memorable and popular match and when it was shown on Match of the Day that evening the BBC also chose to re-screen highlights from the December 1967 ‘Ballet on Ice’ meeting between the sides. The game was later described by BBC commentator John Motson as one of his all-time top three classic Maine Road matches. Subscribers can read more on the 1994 classic below:
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We hear so much about the Premier League era and how the game has changed, so for today’s feature I’ve decided to take a look at the early 1990s and the birth of the Premier League. It’s almost thirty years since the structure of league football changed forever and during that time some clubs have benefitted from the new structure and others have found life difficult. City have experienced both extremes of course.
The narrative that we often hear about the Blues’ journey over the last thirty years is that they’ve gone from a struggling club to a hugely successful one and, while it is true City are highly successful today and that the Blues entered their lowest ever point in the late 1990s, it is wrong to assume that the position the club found itself in by 1999 was typical of the club’s full history.
So, here for subscribers, I’m taking a look back at the early 1990s and remind ourselves where the Blues were; who their rivals were; and the state of football at that time:
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Despite a goal from Niall Quinn and a penalty from Keith Curle Manchester City were defeated 3-2 by QPR on the final day of the 1994-5 season (May 14). City ended the season 17th in the Premier League and Brian Horton was dismissed. The Blues had to wait until 2003 before they finished higher than this.
Here for subscribers is the story of Horton’s dismissal and what followed with quotes from Colin Barlow, Brian Horton (from an interview I did with him in 2004)…
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League Overview
During the close season Chairman Peter Swales gave Peter Reid an extension to his contract and publicly backed his manager. He also took the unprecedented step of appointing a former newspaper sports editor as City’s new General Manager. This was not viewed positively by supporters and there were rumours circulating that the Chairman had appointed John Maddock simply to divert attention away from himself.
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