Today (5 August) in 2018 Sergio Aguero scored his 200th and 201st goals for Manchester City as they defeated Chelsea 2-0 in the Community Shield. You can watch the goals here:
Tag Archives: Chelsea
Record Average Crowds
I’ve not done one of these for a while but I know they always prompt a bit of debate, so here goes… a feature on Manchester City FC attendances. It is a fact that the Blues have, generation after generation, been one of the English game’s top attractions. Like all – and I do mean all – English clubs there have been some average attendance lows over the years, but when the entire history of Manchester City is reviewed and the club’s average figures are compared with the national average it is clear that the Blues have consistently been one of football’s most attractive draws. Take a look at the following:
- Since the beginning of the Football League in 1888 only nine sides have topped the table for average attendances. In chronological order of their first appearance at the top of the average table they are: Everton (1888-9), Villa (1898-99), Newcastle (1904-05), Chelsea (1907-08), Tottenham (1909-10), City (1910-11), Liverpool (1922-23), Arsenal (1929-30), & Manchester United (1956-57)
- As early as 1895-96 City were the third best supported side in the entire League despite being a Second Division side. Only First Division sides Everton & Aston Villa could better the Blues. Modern day giants Arsenal were 10th; Liverpool were 19th; United were 21st and Chelsea had yet to exist.
- In 1900-01 City were the 2nd best supported side in the entire League with only 400 people separating Villa (1st) and City
- The 1910-11 season saw Manchester’s Blues top the attendance charts for the first time. City’s average was 26,000 and was the 8th highest average of all time at that point (all clubs, all seasons).
- Regularly amongst the best supported sides throughout the inter war period, City’s average exceeded 37,000 for the first time in 1927-28 when the Blues established a record average crowd for the Second Division. This was also the entire League’s highest.
- In 1947-48 City’s average crowd exceeded 42,000 for the first time. Prior to that season only Chelsea (1919-20 & 1946-7), Arsenal (1934-5, 1936-7, 1937-8, & 1946-7) , Newcastle (1946-7), Liverpool (1946-7), United (1946-7), and Wolves (1946-7) had exceeded that figure.
- From 1975 to relegation in 1983 City were always one of the top 4 best supported sides, usually third behind United and Liverpool.
- Since the 1980s whenever City have played outside of the top division, they have tended to be the best supported side in that division.
- Since moving to their current home in 2003, the increased capacity has allowed City to re-establish itself as one of best supported clubs again. Maine Road’s capacity from 1994 onwards was extremely low compared to the club’s entire history and prevented the Blues from staging games in front of attendances of approximateley 35,000 upwards.
In general many people believe success increases support, and while that is undoubtedly true to some extent, for City it is often periods of adversity that prove the loyalty of the Club’s fans. It is highly significant, for example, that the first time City were the best supported side in the entire League (1910-11) Manchester United (6th best supported side) won the League title for the second time in 3 seasons.
Similarly, in 1925-26 when City were the best supported side in Division One and had established a new record average, the Blues were actually relegated. This coupled with significant poverty and hardship in Manchester at the time should have reduced support but loyalty increased! In my book “Manchester A Football History” I explore the relationship between attendances and Manchester’s major sides and it is fair to say that City fans can feel immensely proud of their loyalty throughout the history of the game. Something that cannot be said by all of the League’s biggest names.
In fact, it is worth highlighting that City have never been the worst supported side in their division but, of today’s so-called giants, Arsenal (1912-13 – average = 9,100) and Manchester United (1930-31 – average = 11,685) have. City’s worst average of the Twentieth Century came in the desperate 1964-65 season and was 14,753 (half the average of 1960-61 and a 3rd of the 1957-8 figure). However it is significant that for every League season City’s average has always been above the divisional average and, apart from 17 seasons, has always been in the top 11 nationally. Again, few of today’s giants can’t say that – United’s 20th Century low stands at 4,650 and Chelsea averaged 15,731 as recently as 1988-89. In fact City’s lowest League attendance is more than double United’s lowest League attendance at Old Trafford (United have several crowds of less than 4,000 at Old Trafford, including top flight games; City’s lowest in the League was a little over 8000 in the second tier).
For fans average attendances are often used as an indicator of size of club and so a number of people over the years have tried to produce a definitive ‘all-time’ attendance table. Several years ago analysis by a member of the Association of Football Statisticians claimed that if stadium capacity was not an issue for any club City would be the fourth biggest side in terms of attendance. That analysis compared postwar attendance detail with performance on the pitch.
In 2002 writer Brian Tabner calculated an all-time attendance table based on each club’s average attendance position during seasons 1925-2002. His top ten were: Arsenal, Liverpool, United, Everton, Tottenham, Newcastle, City, Chelsea, Villa and Sunderland. Since 2002 several clubs have increased their capacities of course and this will have a positive impact on each club’s standing in a more up to date analysis.
Figures can be manipulated in many different ways, but City should feel proud that they have many attendance firsts that can never be matched by today’s perceived biggest clubs.
The Seasons City Have Topped the Divisional Charts
The following figures show the seasons when City were the best supported side in their division and the Club’s highest individual crowd that season. Those crowds marked in italics were also the highest individual crowds for the entire division that season (crowds pre-1925 are inconsistently recorded and so have not been highlighted). It is fair to say that when an average crowd is within 4,000 of the highest then the stadium is likely to have been full for the majority of games with the size of away support varying.
Average Season Highest Crowd
10,000 1895-96 30,000 (Liverpool)
10,000 1898-99 25,000 (N. Heath)
16,000 1902-03 30,000 (United)
18,275 1909-10 40,000 (Oldham)
26,000 1910-11 40,000 (Liverpool)
21,000 1914-15 40,000 (Oldham)
32,000 1925-26 62,994 (United)
30,848 1926-27 49,384 (Bradford C)
37,468 1927-28 59,500 (Preston)
31,715 1928-29 61,007 (United)
35,016 1950-51 45,842 (Hull)
27,739 1965-66 47,171 (Huddersfield)
24,220 1984-85 47,285 (Charlton)
23,500 1988-89 40,070 (Chelsea)
26,753 1996-97 30,729 (Oldham)
28,273 1998-99 32,471 (York)
32,001 1999-00 33,027 (Blackburn)
33,059 2001-02 34,657 (Portsmouth)
With the increase in capacity at the Etihad coming this year it will be interesting to see how attendances develop. No doubt I’ll post more on this as the season progresses. Undoubtedly City will establish a new record average attendance in 2026-27.
European Span of Success 2025: Will Villa & Arsenal Move Up The Table?
Each year, following the end of the UEFA football season I update the UEFA European Span of Success table. What is this? It’s a list of those clubs who have won two or more (sorry Palace) major UEFA tournaments showing the span between their first UEFA success and their most recent. The list may surprise some who think that football is all about those perceived as European giants with ‘history’. This is how the table stands today (19 May 2026). Chelsea and Tottenham have moved up the table in recent seasons.
I can imagine a few Arsenal fans looking at this and saying ‘Why aren’t we on there?’ They won the Fairs Cup in 1970 and the ECWC in 1994 BUT the Fairs Cup wasn’t a UEFA tournament and had some odd entry rules over the years! For your benefit here’s a table including the Fairs Cup lower down on this page. The above table includes the four major UEFA tournaments: European Cup/Champions League; European Cup Winner’s Cup; UEFA Cup/Europa League & the Europa Conference League. It does not include non-UEFA tournaments such as the Mitropa Cup and Fairs Cup. Nor does it include the Intertoto Cup or similar.
So why are they excluded… I recognise that the Mitropa Cup had some significant clubs competing in it. However, it was predominantly an East European competition and participants were not spread over the entire continent.
With the Fairs Cup… It is true that this was later transformed into the UEFA Cup and I have included all UEFA Cup finals in my analysis. But the Fairs Cup had an odd series of entry rules at times. Cities, rather than clubs, often entered with Barcelona beating London in one final for example. It was set up as a friendly type of competition with cities that had staged trade fairs playing each other. As time wore on entry came via the League Cup or League position in England, which added significance to it. But two teams from the same city were not allowed to participate, which meant that teams finishing way down the table could be (and were) included if those above them were multiple clubs from the same city.
In 1970 Manchester City’s Mike Doyle joked that by winning the League Cup he was satisfying his aim of ‘keeping United out of Europe’ (he joked about creating car stickers with that slogan!) because it appeared at that time that United’s only chance of Europe had gone with City’s qualification for the Fairs Cup.
City went on to win the ECWC that season, meaning that Fairs Cup place was opened up to League position, but United had finished lower down the table anyway and qualified for the Watney Cup instead. Actually, the Watney Cup is one worth talking about, but I’ll save that for another day. In 1970 Fourth placed Derby County qualified for the Watney Cup, while 5th to 7th (Liverpool, Coventry and Newcastle) all got a Fairs Cup place, alongside 12th placed Arsenal (Fairs Cup winners). I’ve not investigated this fully but it does seem odd that the Watney Cup took precedence over the Fairs Cup.
Arsenal’s 1970 Fairs Cup success was their first European trophy but is not included in the span, neither are those Fairs Cup wins of Barcelona. However, as quite a few Arsenal fans seemed to get a bit upset when the table was posted the other year I’ve decided to include the Fairs Cup in the following version of the table. So this table is the winners of the main UEFA competitions I mentioned earlier plus the Fairs Cup with its odd rules:
| Club | First Major European trophy won | Span | First Major European success | Most Recent Major European trophy won |
| Real Madrid | EC | 68 | 1956 | 2024 |
| Tottenham | ECWC | 62 | 1963 | 2025 |
| Roma | Fairs | 61 | 1961 | 2022 |
| West Ham | ECWC | 58 | 1965 | 2023 |
| Barcelona | Fairs | 57 | 1958 | 2015 |
| Atletico Madrid | ECWC | 56 | 1962 | 2018 |
| Chelsea | ECWC | 54 | 1971 | 2025 |
| Bayern Munchen | ECWC | 53 | 1967 | 2020 |
| Manchester City | ECWC | 53 | 1970 | 2023 |
| Manchester United | EC | 49 | 1968 | 2017 |
| Liverpool | UEFA | 46 | 1973 | 2019 |
| Inter Milan | EC | 43 | 1964 | 2007 |
| Valencia | Fairs | 42 | 1962 | 2004 |
| Eintracht Frankfurt | UEFA | 42 | 1980 | 2022 |
| AC Milan | EC | 40 | 1963 | 2003 |
| Feyernoord | EC | 32 | 1970 | 2002 |
| Real Zaragoza | Fairs | 31 | 1964 | 1995 |
| Borussia Dortmund | ECWC | 31 | 1966 | 1997 |
| Paris Saint-Germain | ECWC | 29 | 1996 | 2025 |
| Arsenal | Fairs | 24 | 1970 | 1994 |
| Ajax | EC | 24 | 1971 | 1995 |
| Porto | EC | 24 | 1987 | 2011 |
| Juventus | UEFA | 19 | 1977 | 1996 |
| Sevilla | UEFA | 17 | 2006 | 2023 |
| Dynamo Kyiv | ECWC | 11 | 1975 | 1986 |
| PSV Eindhoven | UEFA | 10 | 1978 | 1988 |
| Anderlecht | ECWC | 7 | 1976 | 1983 |
| Parma | ECWC | 6 | 1993 | 1999 |
| Borussia Moenchengladbach | UEFA | 4 | 1975 | 1979 |
| Leeds United (BOTH FAIRS CUP) | Fairs | 3 | 1968 | 1971 |
| Benfica | EC | 1 | 1961 | 1962 |
| Nottingham Forest | EC | 1 | 1979 | 1980 |
Obviously, neither table shows the number of major trophies won, but it does indicate trophy-winning longevity for those who obsess over ‘my cup’s bigger than yours’ and similar debates. Personally, I think we should all be proud of our club’s achievements and not worry about what a rival has won.
Hopefully, those Arsenal fans who were somewhat upset last year will now be happy. Note that both Roma and Barcelona have moved up the table. Both ‘Rome’ and ‘Barcelona’ won the Fairs Cup when it was city based and not club based, adding to the questionable nature of including the Fairs Cup. ‘London’ once competed in it!
Arsenal are now 20th in this combined table, behind their fellow English clubs Tottenham, West Ham, City, Chelsea, United and Liverpool. But they could move up, as could Aston Villa.
As an example of the odd qualification rules in place for the Fairs Cup at times it’s worth looking at the 1969 qualification via the English League system.
In 1969 champions Leeds entered the European Cup. The ECWC place went to FA Cup winners Manchester City and the Fairs Cup places went to: Arsenal (4th), Southampton (7th) and Newcastle (9th). Swindon had won the League Cup, beating Arsenal in the final, but the Fairs Cup organisers wouldn’t allow them to participate as they were not a top flight club! This adds to the reason the competition is usually excluded. It is certainly not a UEFA competition in any case.
Similarly, Everton (3rd), Chelsea (5th), Spurs (6th) and West Ham (8th) who all finished above Newcastle were denied because of the rule that only one club from each city be allowed. So Liverpool and Arsenal’s inclusion meant their rivals stood less chance of winning the trophy than Newcastle simply because there were multiple clubs in their cities.
That rule does make me wonder what would have happened if both Manchester clubs had qualified for the competition as City are within the city of Manchester boundaries and United are not. Would the two clubs have challenged any decision not to include one of them based on the age old argument of Manchester’s boundaries?
Maybe I’ll post more on the odd rules of football competitions and tell the story of some of those long forgotten competitions.
If you’re interested in the wider span of success for English clubs (listing those who have the longest span between their first trophy and most recent, not simply European trophies) then take a look at this I posted Sunday:
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The 2010s: Victory over Sunderland
Manager Roberto Mancini knew that victory over Sunderland on this day (3 April) in 2011 would lift Manchester City to third place in the League. Despite early season optimism that a League title could be possible that opportunity had faded and now the target, as far as the League was concerned, was to finish third or better. While fourth place would bring a Champions League play-off place, third would bring automatic qualification.
City took a ninth minute lead, but it wasn’t until Carlos Tevez doubled that lead via a penalty six minutes later that Mancini’s team looked in total control. An adventurous looking City pushed and pressed Sunderland and further chances came from Tevez and Balotelli before the break, but it remained 2-0. That changed in the second half as the Blues’ dominance brought reward.
Three goals in ten minutes made this an extremely positive day with City looking at their absolute best. In the 63rd minute a shot from Balotelli rebounded for David Silva to send home the rebound. Four minutes later Aleksandar Kolarov fired across goal following a corner and Patrick Vieira slid in to steer the ball in at the back post. Vieira had only come on as substitute two minutes earlier.
The fifth and final goal was slotted in by Yaya Toure in the 73rd minute. The win meant third placed City were a point clear of fourth placed Chelsea (though they had a game in hand) and ten behind leaders United. Mancini’s team were six points clear of fifth placed Tottenham with seven games left for the Blues.
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Manchester City 1 Wigan 0
A difficult League game at home to Wigan saw the Blues win 1-0 on this day (5 March) in 2011, but it had been a laboured victory with City looking somewhat tired. Journalist Paul Wilson described the goal: ‘City got lucky when the normally reliable Ali al-Habsi allowed David Silva’s tame first-half shot to slip through his fingers and trickle between his legs, though in the context of the way Arsenal dropped two home points on the same afternoon luck is not something to be sniffed at. At least City had the gumption to settle for the points and a flat performance, instead of taking risks trying to be entertaining.’
City were suffering with several injuries and manager Roberto Mancini believed his side had been performing exceptionally well considering the issues. He claimed the squad was thin compared to the other title challengers: ‘Every other team has 20 or 22 players to choose from and you need that if you are playing every three days. We only have 15 or 16 at present. When we recover all our players it will not be a problem, but since January we have been unlucky with niggling injuries and now we have just lost Kolo [via a suspension].’
Writing in the Guardian Paul Wilson had some sympathy: ‘Mancini could be right about the team finding themselves in a difficult moment. The Europa League demands a trip to Kiev on Thursday, just about the last thing a team in need of a rest would fancy, and after the return leg the next league fixture is Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. A home FA Cup tie against Reading on Sunday ought to provide some respite, though City will only arrive back in the country in the small hours of Friday morning and on the evidence of their efforts against Wigan no one will be taking anything for granted.’
The 1940s: Film of City v Chelsea 1948
There’s a wonderful film of Manchester City’s 2-0 victory over Chelsea in the FA Cup on 24 January 1948 which really needs to be seen. I’d urge everyone to watch this, even if it’s just for Frank Swift’s reaction to a decision. You’ll also see some wonderful coverage of Maine Road too. The film can be seen here: https://www.britishpathe.com/asset/84094/
The City scorers were Billy Linacre and George Smith.
If you’d like to find out more on the 1947-48 season then the following 1000 word subscriber article can be read by subscribing below.
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MCFC v Chelsea Today
City v Chelsea today (4 January 2026 at 5.30pm). This has been an important fixture over the decades with European semi finals played between the sides decades ago for example. Many of these are featured on this website, so why not have a search around. Here’s a link to all articles tagged Chelsea on here: https://gjfootballarchive.com/tag/chelsea/
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Top Two Divisions Attendances and Table From 40 Years Ago!
Last week I posted the top flight attendances for this last week forty years ago and this led to a number of comments/questions and so to answer some of those I’ve now posted the top two divisions attendances together with the two League tables AND the end of season average attendances. People asked for clarity on how the figures compared to the second tier and whether League position played its part in affecting crowds. As a reminder here’s last week’s attendances…
And here’s this week’s (published 24 November 1985) and the League table too.
Obviously, these are only snapshots from that season but to add a bit more context here are the end of season averages here are the top 46 best supported clubs in order that season (hopefully it might make those who sing songs like ‘Where Were You?’ think about the crowds at their own clubs first):
A few notable League positions for those who do sing ‘Where Were You?’… The top eight clubs in the League were: Liverpool (champions), Everton, West Ham, Man Utd, Sheff Wed, Chelsea, Arsenal and Forest. Manchester City (who were 4th best supported club) were 15th (only 4 points above relegation zone), Spurs were tenth, Newcastle 11th and Aston Villa 16th.
In the Second Division best supported club Sunderland were 18th (avoiding relegation by 4 points); the top four were Norwich, Charlton, Wimbledon and Portsmouth.
If you’d like to know more about Manchester City at this time, here’s a 2,500 word subscriber feature on the 1985-86 season. Enjoy!
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Attendances 40 Years Ago!
These two results tables for top flight football in November 1985 make interesting reading. I’ve included the details published today (17 November, for games played the previous day) in 1985 and also the week after’s details too. This gives an idea of what the top clubs were attracting back then. Notice West Ham’s game attracted more at home than Arsenal’s and that Liverpool were over 26,000 less than Manchester United. Arsenal’s crowd was 6,000 less than struggling Manchester City and Tottenham attracted more than Arsenal too. Reigning League champions Everton were some way ahead of the London clubs and only about 600 behind Liverpool. Obviously, these are only snapshots from two weekends but hopefully it might make those who sing songs like ‘Where Were You?’ think about the crowds at their own clubs first.
the Marwood scoring for Sheffield Wednesday was of course Brian Marwood who went on to play a key part in Manchester City’s modern return to glory. If you’d like to know more about Manchester City at this time, here’s a 2,500 word subscriber feature on the 1985-86 season. Enjoy!
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4-4 at Chelsea
It’s worth reminding ourseleves of this game from 12 November 2023 when Manchester City drew 4-4 at Chelsea. It was heralded as a great game by the media but 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 that 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 that game wasn’t the first time City had drawn 4-4 at Chelsea and, coincidentally I’d tweeted about this before the 2023 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!
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Gary James' Football Archive 