On this day (30 December) in 1996 Frank Clark became the Manchester City manager. These were odd days for the Blues. There’s more on Frank Clark elsewhere on the site, such as:
Tag Archives: Frank Clark
The 1960s: 1967-1968 Leeds v Manchester City
On this day (23 March) in 1968 came a game between two title challenging teams – Leeds Utd and Manchester City. The view was that this game could knock City out of the title race if it went Leeds’ way. So what happened? Here’s film of the game:
You can find out more aboutthe potential impact of this game by reading this subscriber article on Manchester City during the 1967-68 season. If you’d like to read this 7,600 word article (yes, 7,600 words on one season!), plus all other articles on the site, then please subscribe (see below). As with most of the other features in this series it includes words from interviews I have performed with those who were there.
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The 1960s: Summerbee Treble
On this day (31 January) in 1968 Manchester City defeated Reading 7-0 in a FA Cup replay. As the players left the field the Elm Park tannoy announcer claimed: ‘Ladies and Gentlemen, you have just seen one of the greatest teams England has produced in a long time.’
Goalscorers were Mike Summerbee (3), Colin Bell, Tony Coleman, George Heslop and Neil Young. This photo is of the Bell, Lee & Summerbee statue at the Etihad today.
Dozens of letters arrived at Maine Road commenting on City’s performance. Many Reading fans wrote in saying they could have watched the Blues all night. Other letters arrived commenting on how well behaved the City supporters were, while fans themselves commented on the cheerfulness of the Reading police.
These points may seem trivial today, but in 1968 football had already begun to enter its hooligan period. Football supporters had started to be seen as trouble causers and incidents of violence, or of vandalism, soon found their way into national newspapers. Although City supporters were never totally blameless, during the late 1960s Blues fans continued to gain commendations rather than condemnation.
You can read more on this remarkable, trophy winning season below. If you’d like to read this 7,600 word article (yes, 7,600 words on one season!), plus all other articles on the site, then please subscribe (see below). As with most of the other features in this series it includes words from interviews I have performed with those who were there.
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The 1960s: 1967-1968 Congratulations
Continuing the series of features on the 1960s, here’s a subscriber article on Manchester City during the 1967-68 season. A trophy winning season. If you’d like to read this 7,600 word article (yes, 7,600 words on one season!), plus all other articles on the site, then please subscribe (see below). As with most of the other features in this series it includes words from interviews I have performed with those who were there.
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Read more of this content when you subscribe today. It costs £3 per month (cancel anytime) or sign up for a year at the discounted price of £20 per year (works out £1.67 per month). Subscribers access the 1000+ articles posted so far and the others scheduled during the life of your subscription.
The 1990s: 1997-1998 A New Low
The series of articles covering Manchester City in the 1990s continues today with an indepth article on the 1997-98 season. The article is almost 9,500 words long – there’s so much to say! Some people write entire football club histories that are shorter than that. It’s available to subscribers, so why not subscribe and relive this season and an extraordinary decade? As with all these 1990s subscriber features it contains material from interviews I’ve performed with key figures from that time.
Here’s the 9500 word article on that season:
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This series of articles and features will run throughout March with indepth articles some days and smaller ‘on this day’ style posts on others. There will be flashbacks to great games, players and more. Every day in March will offer something to enjoy.
Subscribers will get access to everything, while some on this day material will be free for all to view.
If you want to know more on this incredible decade for Manchester City Football Club then why not subscribe and read it all? If you’d like to know more about subscribing then see:
The 1990s: 1996-1997 Further Managerial Changes
The series of articles covering Manchester City in the 1990s continues today with an indepth article on the 1996-97 season. If you don’t know what happened then brace yourself! The article is almost 4,900 words long. It’s available to subscribers, so why not subscribe and relive this season and an extraordinary decade? As with all these 1990s subscriber features it contains material from interviews I’ve performed with key figures from that time, including Phil Neal who talks about Steve Coppell’s shock resignation.
Here’s the 4900 word article on that season:
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Read more of this content when you subscribe today. It costs £3 per month (cancel anytime) to access everything posted since 1 October 2022 or there’s a special annual rate below which gives greater access and works out much cheaper.
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Read more of this content when you subscribe today. It costs £3 per month (above) or £20 a year (here) to access everything posted since the site was created in December 2020. This special rate works out about £1.67 a week and gives access to everything posted, including PDFs of 3 of my books.
This series of articles and features will run throughout March with indepth articles some days and smaller ‘on this day’ style posts on others. There will be flashbacks to great games, players and more. Every day in March will offer something to enjoy.
Subscribers will get access to everything, while some on this day material will be free for all to view.
If you want to know more on this incredible decade for Manchester City Football Club then why not subscribe and read it all? If you’d like to know more about subscribing then see:
The 1990s: Rosler Winner
The series of articles covering Manchester City in the 1990s continues with a game against near neighbours Oldham Athletic on this day (8 March) in 1997. The Blues had been unbeaten in 8 consecutive League games since the arrival of Frank Clark in December. There had also been 2 victories in the FA Cup during that time (plus a frustratingly controversial 1-0 defeat at home to Middlesbrough) and so Clark was actually restoring some positivity to the club after a dismal start of the season had seen two permanent managers (Alan Ball and Steve Coppell) precede Clark. There were also temporary managerial spells by Asa Hartford and Phil Neal which lasted longer than Coppell’s permanent role! I’ll save all of that for another day! In the meantime more on the game with Oldham…
The match was watched by 30,729 – the third highest crowd of the day and only about 8,000 less than title challengers Arsenal (the best crowd of the day). Not bad for a second tier team that was struggling overall!
Uwe Rosler scored the only goal of the game but was booked afterwards for an over enthusiastic celebration. Oldham boss Neil Warnock wasn’t happy, claiming the goal should not have been allowed. Oh the days before VAR and the ability of both managers to be absolutely certain that what they say is the truth (wait a minute… VAR hasn’t resolved that even when the cameras prove the truth!). Here’s the match report….
For more on the 1990s why not subscribe and see everything I’m posting? You can start with this 1,300 word article on the end of the 1989-90 season. It is available to subscribers below. Enjoy!
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Rock Bottom!
What a Valentine’s Day this was: Here’s a 1500 word article on a major turning point in the fortunes of Manchester City. I’ve called this ‘Rock Bottom!’ because that’s what we all felt that day but it did get worse! On this day (14 February) in 1998 City were defeated 1-0 by near neighbours Bury at Maine Road. It was a 2nd tier game and this defeat brought home the realisation that the Blues could be relegated to the third tier for the first time. There are lots of angles to the story and my article includes quotes from interviews I have performed with some of the key figures. John Wardle talks about the situation and there are also quotes from that weekend from David Makin and Frank Clark. City have moved on a lot since then but it’s important to remember that day and how we felt. Here’s the subscriber article:
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Managerial Merry-Go-Round
Due to the general downward trajectory of Manchester City during the late 1990s the 1996-97 season often gets overlooked but it is important to remember that, even in the darkest of seasons, there can be positive moments, experiences and wonderful performances by talented players. Even at the bleakest of times a young fan may be experiencing their club for the first time and, no doubt, in 1996-97 the magic of watching Manchester City for the first time was experienced by Blues who, as adults today have enjoyed some of the greatest football ever seen. Today (25 January) is the anniversary of one positive moment in the dreadful 1996-97 season: City’s FA Cup victory over Brentford. You can read about that game and the season’s FA Cup run below.
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Sorry About This On This Day
On this day (30 December) in 1996 Frank Clark became the Manchester City manager. I don’t really want to say anything else about that! There’s more on Frank Clark elsewhere on the site, such as:
Gary James' Football Archive 