Welcome to the February issue of our official digital City Magazine.

January proved to be a much more enjoyable month for City than November and December and let's hope that continues into this month.

There's still so much to play for and a definite upsurge in optimism and confidence after our poor run.

As ever, the City Magazine aims to give you a good start the month ahead.

For our latest edition, we decided to let our new signings settle in a bit before we have a catch up with them and with that in mind, who better to be our main interview and cover star than Oscar Bobb?

Our exciting Norwegian winger has spent the first six months of the season sidelined with a leg fracture, but he's back now and raring to make up for lost time.

Former skipper Andy Morrison takes on City vlogger MCFC Lads in the latest instalment of the 'This Month' score predictions battle. It has been a low-scoring affair this season and you can check out the cumulative score to date at the end of the latest round of verdicts on our upcoming matches.

Next up, new Manchester City Women signing Kerolin Nicoli is in the spotlight along with new team-mate Lily Murphy as Gareth Taylor's side aim for silverware.

The news that legendary Radio 1 duo Mark and Lard are touring the country at the moment felt like the perfect excuse to sit down and chat with Mark Radcliffe about his and City Mag columnist Marc Riley's long-awaited reunion.

We also have an archive interview with James Bond actor Timothy Dalton about his lifelong love of Manchester City. 007 being a Blue is no real surprise, of course...

Elsewhere, our Random Match Generator has been at it again, this time recounting a painful trip to Meadow Lane and a game against Notts County that went horribly wrong.

There's a Vintage Q&A with Dennis Tueart and Nicolas Anelka is the subject of 'Sometimes They Come Back'.

All the above, plus, The Last Word, Under-18s and EDS interviews, Technical Area and another wonderful slice of Mancunian history in Kevin Cummins' A to Z of Manchester - and loads more besides...

OK, on with the show!

Oscar Bobb is back – and keen to make up for lost time…

It’s fair to say that Oscar Bobb had shown enough promise last season to cause a considerable amount of excitement.

The 21-year-old Norwegian had shown plenty moments of magic to make him an immediate favourite among City fans, and clearly the Club were equally excited at his potential having handed him a long term contract until 2029.

Hi electric cameo away to Newcastle a year ago, where his audacious 91st-minute winner gave City a 3-2 win enhanced his reputation further, but it was on our US tour last summer that Pep Guardiola identified Bobb as a major part of his plans for 2024/25.

Oscar scored twice during our trip to the States, but his overall performances suggested the youngster had quickly moved to another level.

Named as a starter in the FA Community Shield, Bobb was outstanding, tormenting the left side of the Manchester United defence throughout and in the final minute, his magical turn in the box to leave his marker motionless and cross for Bernardo to head home the equaliser was a major part of the Blues going on to win on penalties.

The youngster form Oslo, with the ability to drift past an opponent as if he weren’t there and the technique to play killer passes, was about to set the Premier League on fire – and no doubt still will – until a freak injury in training on the eve of the new league season.

The momentum he’d built up in the weeks before, was all put on pause until the new year. That was then, this is now.

“I really enjoyed pre-season,” began Bobb.

“A lot of our other players were missing on tour, and I played all of the games, so it was a big opportunity for me to impress.

“Confidence helps a lot and being a regular member of the first team was a new role for me in a way, but it was very nice as well.

“Though we had a lot of the guys at the Euros, we still had Erling, Jack, Kalvin and Rico on the tour, so there were a few senior players available, but to be among them for every game was really nice and it made me feel like one of them.”

Pep waxed lyrical about  Bobb’s performances in the States - and rightly so - but the City winger was unaware of the praise at the time.

He said: “Did I hear that? Not really, but whatever the manager says, you listen and take it in - but I wasn’t really aware of what he was saying at his press conferences at the time.”

Naming Bobb in the starting XI against United was evidence enough of the belief the boss had in his young charge, and his assist and performance that day was  a fitting payback for such faith.

Then came the news shortly after that Bobb had fractured his leg in training and, as with many of the lengthier injuries players sometimes suffer, it didn’t involve anyone else.

Did he know straight away that something was badly wrong?

“Yeah, it was quite clear,” he recalled.

"I had a bad slip, and my foot got stuck in the turf and I heard it go. It was really painful, so I knew I’d done something - I had a few scans to find out exactly what it was, and then it was all about dealing with it and working hard from there on to get back.

“I called my mum and my girlfriend to tell them first – my girlfriend said, ‘Right, you’ve done that, and we know what it is – but you are probably at the best place in the world to deal with it’ so it was all about positivity from the word go and that really helped.

“It wasn’t the worst injury in the world – just a few months on the sidelines and I was still in a good place with good people, so it was all good.”

Oscar admits watching the team struggle in November and December was difficult, but feels if he’d been on the pitch, it might have been even worse in terms of how he felt.

“I think it would have been more frustrating if I’d been playing, doing my best and the results still hadn’t been going our way either through bad luck or whatever,” he said.

“Things didn’t go our way very often during that run, but now I’m close to getting back, the spirit among the players is growing again, we have players coming back and things are looking positive.

“It’s very exciting being back knowing I’ve been out for five months and had to wait to return.

“My focus is that I have to be right first, no matter how much I want to play and help my team-mates. I need to make sure I’m right and ready so I can come back,  and my main objective is to be able to play a part and to do that I need be physically ready to go because if I’m feeling good, I know I can help.”

And City’s gain will once again be Norway’s, too, with our Scandinavian neighbours an emerging force in European football.

Erling Haaland, Martin Odegaard, Antonio Nusa and Bobb – to name but a few -it is exciting times for Norwegian football.

On his international ambitions, Oscar said: “Obviously it’s all been paused for a few months because I’ve been injured, but it’s all good – like City, the national team is full of good people and good professionals. I’ve been in regular touch with them and I’m looking forward to playing for my country again.”

Oscar is an affable, hugely likeable and laid-back lad who has become a huge fan favourite – imagine what that special bond could be like in a year or two if his star continues to rise?

It’s already led to a regular crowd chant that has been sung throughout his absence – the ‘Oscar Bobb, Bobb, Bobb!’ song to the tune of Arrow’s 1982 hit ‘Hot, Hot, Hot.’

And, not surprisingly, Oscar says he loves to hear it.

“It’s so nice – I love it, and the song is really catchy,” he beamed.

“I think the support this season has been great in spite of it being a tough campaign. It shows what our fans are made of and how great they are, especially in our away games where they have been phenomenal.

“My message to them is to keep going and I think the team will try and match our fans’ performance in the coming months.”

Interview: David Clayton

Our esteemed former skipper is taking on a trio of YouTube City vloggers in his predictions feature this season in the shape of MCFC Lads, Esteemed Kompany and Prime Mutton. Taking on Mozzer this time is Luke from MCFC Lads...

ARSENAL v CITY

Sunday 02 February 16:30 kick-off
Emirates Stadium

Mozzer verdict: This is really tough and I’m not sure how well our new players will have integrated into the team, but I’m going to be positive and go for a draw because, towards the end of January, we were starting to look much more like our old selves again.

Mozzer prediction: Arsenal 2-2 City

Vlogger verdict: To be perfectly honest, I don’t think Arsenal have been up to the standards they have set the previous two seasons in the league. Although they are above us, I feel with a good run of form we can finish ahead of them. They lack a clinical striker – at the time of writing - and that’s where I think they will come undone in a big game.

Vlogger prediction: Arsenal 0-1 City

LEYTON ORIENT v CITY

FA Cup 4th round
Saturday 8 February 12:15 kick-off
Brisbane Road

Mozzer verdict: This will be slightly different to the Salford tie because Orient have a bit more talent and obviously we are playing away from home, but this is a competition we have a good chance of winning and I think the lads are keen to put right our defeat to United in the final last season.

Mozzer prediction: Leyton Orient 1-5 City

Vlogger verdict: For me, the most exciting thing about this tie is ticking off a new ground! Leyton Orient did well to knock out Derby County in the last round, but hopefully this is where their FA Cup run ends. I reckon they might sneak a goal though, against a possibly changed City side, but that will be as good as it gets.

Vlogger prediction: Leyton Orient 1-4 City

CITY v REAL MADRID

Tuesday 11 February 20:00 kick-off
Etihad Stadium

Mozzer verdict: This is so hard to call and in many ways, the flip of a coin to decide who comes out on top. If the best version of Manchester City turns up, I believe we will win over two legs. Of course, when you play Real Madrid, you take on their history and Champions League aura but it's all about fine margins.

Mozzer prediction: City 2-0 Real Madrid

Vlogger verdict: This one will be tough. I think Real Madrid will set up for a draw and I don’t see too many goals in this game. Hopefully they will pick up one or two suspensions ahead of the second leg.

Vlogger prediction: City 1-0 Real Madrid

CITY v NEWCASTLE

Saturday 15 February 15:00 kick-off
Etihad Stadium

Mozzer verdict: Another really tough one, but I’m hoping our new arrivals will be bedded in by then and we will also have a few players back from injury. Newcastle blow hot and cold, and I think they will be in a cold patch when they visit us. That’s partly the reason I’m going for a City win, but regardless of where Newcastle are at, if we are anywhere near our best, we are winning this, even though they are a very good team on their day.

Mozzer prediction: City 3-1 Newcastle

Vlogger verdict: Newcastle have been very good lately, especially Alexander Isak up top. His goal scoring form puts him in great contention for the golden boot. However, they have stumbled lately and may be caught out by their focus on the cup competitions. I think we’ll get the better of them.

Vlogger prediction: City 3-1 Newcastle

REAL MADRID v CITY

Wednesday 19 February 20:00 kick-off
Bernabeu Stadium

Mozzer verdict: If the first leg has gone as I predicted, I think we go to their backyard and give a mammoth defensive performance. A lot of people want to write us off and that may suit us. It will be a huge task, but I'm backing us to go through.

Mozzer prediction: Real Madrid 1-1 City

Vlogger verdict: Hopefully with an advantage, we can go to the Bernabéu and finish the job. This will be more high scoring, as I think Real will go for it with a strong home crowd behind them. They may have the advantage after extra time, but I think we will be still level and win on penalties.

Vlogger prediction: Real Madrid 2-1 City

CITY v LIVERPOOL

Sunday 23 February 16:30 kick-off
Etihad Stadium

Mozzer verdict: At this stage of the season, it could be more about upsetting their title charge, which is not something we are familiar with.  They have been very good this season, but we are still the Premier League champions, and we will be up for this. At the very least, I think Liverpool won’t win this game, but I am going for a closely-fought draw.

Mozzer prediction: City 1-1 Liverpool

Vlogger verdict: Liverpool have without doubt been the best team in the league this season. The Premier League table is a fair reflection of that. Hopefully by this point we’ll have picked up some more form to give them a far better game than at Anfield in December. This will be a tough one.

Vlogger prediction: City 1-1 Liverpool

TOTTENHAM v CITY

Wednesday 26 February 19:30 kick-off
Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

Mozzer verdict: Spurs have had massive injury problems this season – much like we have – and it’s been incredible to see what both teams have had to deal with. Their defence has been as disrupted as ours has, but there’s no telling who will be available for either side when this game comes around. If we are both at full strength, it will be closer than the score I am going for, but if not, and they are still struggling, we will win by a couple of goals and avenge that 4-0 defeat at the Etihad.

Mozzer prediction: Spurs 1-3 City

Vlogger verdict: Our 4-0 home loss to Tottenham in November ages worse and worse as the weeks go by!  Spurs are genuinely not far off becoming embroiled in a relegation battle. They’ll obviously have too much to go down, but they’ve struggled for quite some time. We simply have to take all three points here, as every other team seems to have done well against them in the past few months!

Vlogger prediction: Tottenham 0-2 City

JANUARY RESULTS 
* 1 point for result, 3 for a correct score

Mozzer: 4-5 Prime Mutton

For the THIRD month in succession, there were no correct scores predicted. Both Mozzer and Prime Mutton got the wins over West Ham, Salford, Ipswich and Brugge correct, but the scores wrong. Prime also went for a win over Chelsea while Andy went for a draw meaning the Vloggers edge slightly further ahead.

Overall scoreboard after 36 games: 

Mozzer 17pts Vloggers 20pts

There are a number of impressive ‘firsts’ when it comes to the career of City’s new recruit, Kerolin...

For one, she’s the Blues’ first-ever Brazilian player since our professional relaunch in 2014, making her debut off the bench in a 4-2 WSL win over Aston Villa in January.

Kerolin is also the first South American to win the Player of the Year award in the United States’ top tier – something she achieved with former club North Carolina Courage in 2023.

A direct, dynamic forward, those firsts are backed up by an impressive record of stepping up to the plate in big matches.

During her three seasons in the US, the 25-year-old scored the opening goal in successive NWSL Challenge Cup finals as the Courage beat Washington Spirit in 2022 and then Racing Louisville the following year.

But for an Anterior Cruciate Ligament injury at the end of the latter campaign, she would surely have been in the running to defend her coveted crown as the NWSL’s Most Valuable Player.

Kerolin’s footballing journey isn’t just about trophies and ‘firsts’ though, it’s also one of hard work, adaptation and overcoming adversity.

An ACL rupture is enough of a setback in itself, but when you take a period in hospital at the age of 11 with osteomyelitis – a form of bone infection – and cellulitis in her leg, it puts her achievements into greater perspective.

A move to the Barclays Women’s Super League, therefore, is simply seen as the next challenge for Kerolin to overcome.

“When I look at my journey, I really like to be challenged and develop myself, so I think being here is a great place to be” she explains.

“It is amazing. When I look at other countries, the league is hard but when I look to England everyone says this is the best place to be.

“To have more of a vision of the world, England is the best and to play in the Champions League is going to help so much.

“I think there were a lot of reasons why I chose City and one of those was to play in the Champions League.

“Also, I want to try to become the best player in the world and I know here I can be better at soccer, learn how to play in England and, as I say, be the best player in the world.”

Don’t take Kerolin’s desire to become the best as overambition. She’s proven time and again at club and international level that she has what it takes to mix with the best.

Her achievements in the US speak for themselves, but the forward has also made a significant impact on her home nation, Brazil, during her young career to date.

As a teenager, she helped Corinthians / Audax win the 2017 Copa Libertadores – scoring a penalty in the shootout win over Chilean side Colo Colo in the final – before being named the Brasileirao Feminino Championship’s Breakthrough Player at Ponte Preta.

A senior Brazil debut would follow at just 18 when Kerolin came off the bench to face an England side containing her new captain, Alex Greenwood, before she firmly established herself in the national team.

She helped the Seleção win the Copa America in 2022, starting all of Brazil’s matches en route to glory.

And two years later, not too long after recovering from that ACL injury, she helped her national team grab a silver medal at the Paris Olympics.

In a common theme, Kerolin stepped up in the big moments, scoring in their 4-2 win over world champions Spain to book a spot in the final, and while they couldn’t get the better of the US to claim gold, the forward remains realistic about their incredible run to silver.

She said: “For soccer players, it is a dream, and it was basically a dream come true.

“Of course we wanted to win the gold medal, but we are in the right process. Playing for the national team and having the silver medal is the best thing I could do in my life right now.

“I have so much confidence, but I know it’s going to be really hard so I need to keep working hard to be great here.

“I know there will be some differences between here and where I’ve played before, but I’m really excited.

“I spoke with the coach a little bit and I know what he wants from me, and I will try to do my best to help the team.”

But what’s so exciting for both Brazilians and – more pertinently – City fans, is that Kerolin’s time in the game is just beginning.

The key takeaway from her first interview as a Blue was that the pride she feels in what she’s achieved so far is clearly matched by a keen desire for more.

For Brazil, that means a potential starring role at the 2027 World Cup, which they’re set to host.

For City, the objective is clear. Create history.

“When I was viewing the warm-up at the derby, I was thinking ‘this is crazy’ because I was looking at the players who were starting,” she continues.

“On the field, I was just looking at normally, playing in the Champions League and now also playing against them and they were so good.

“I couldn’t believe this is happening in my life and I just need to be grateful and ready to play with them and do history with this big club.

“When I was looking at the league, here I think the players are really technical and the teams are compact.

“I want to be better, to learn different things and to come here to be challenged and also play against the defenders who will play in the next World Cup in Brazil in 2027.

“It makes me confident to be prepared for the next World Cup in Brazil.”

Feature: George Kelsey

The latest piece in our series highlighting key figures from our past that were adored in the blue half of Manchester but perhaps not given their dues by the rest of the footballing world reminds us of a fierce defender from the Netherlands...

City needed some steel at the start of the 1997/98 season.

A bloated squad and three managers had failed to gain promotion back to the top-flight in the previous campaign and it was clear that this historic club was not in its greatest moment.

Enter: Gerard Wiekens.

At 24, the defender and holding midfielder was ready to leave his native Netherlands and City were an attractive option, even with our relative difficulties at the time.

A tough-tackler and leader from an early age, Wiekens appeared the perfect man to make a cohesive unit out of a large, disparate group of players.

With a shock of blonde hair and standing at just over six foot, Wiekens would draw the eye even in a crowded penalty area.

His imposing physique also fit the mould of a player ready built to succeed in the lower leagues of English football at the time.

It wasn’t to be in the first season, as City suffered relegation to the third tier.

Only Kit Symons played more for us than Wiekens in that campaign and while there wasn’t much initial cause for optimism, the arrival of Joe Royle as manager would ultimately prove a turning point.

Wiekens had been welcomed by the Kippax however, with his relentless work ethic and willingness to put his body on the line bound to earn the respect of any group of fans.

Down in the third tier in 1998/99, Wiekens partnered at the back with another determined winner in Andy Morrison in front of promising young goalkeeper Nicky Weaver.

The 1998/99 season is remembered for one day in particular – the play-off final victory over Gillingham at Wembley.

Paul Dickov and Weaver took the headlines that day, with Dickov scoring the last-minute equaliser to send the game to extra time and then Weaver coming up trumps in the penalty shootout.

However, it was Wiekens who was named Player of the Season once the dust settled.

With City only conceding 33 times in 46 league games, our defence had very much been the backbone of that success and Wiekens’ 53 appearances made him the central component of that.

That he was named our best player due to his consistency rather than producing special moments perhaps speaks to the very nature of this feature.

For opposition fans or casual observers, there would be little to make him stand out but for fans watching him every week, Wiekens played the game how we would all hope to if we were lucky enough to wear the City shirt.

The momentum was well and truly behind City after that playoff victory and the 1999/00 season continued in a similarly impressive vein.

Wiekens again remained very central to everything Royle’s team did, this time alongside Richard Jobson for much of the season.

Our Dutch defender played 38 times in total as we picked up 89 points and conceded just 40 goals to earn promotion to the Premier League.

After back-to-back promotions, our season in the top-flight perhaps came too soon as we finished 18th and returned to the second tier.

Only Alfie Haaland played more than Wiekens that time around as he remained a model of consistency even against the very best the game had to offer.

"It was a big moment for me," said Wiekens reflecting on that first taste of the Premier League.

"Especially the way we went up to the Second Division with the play-off final you didn't expect us to get automatic promotion straight away but we had a good team and a good season and won so many games.

"It felt like the club belonged in the Premier League and we tried to stay there, but it wasn't to be. It was always going to be difficult because you know that the opponents are much better than what you have played against.”

Kevin Keegan’s appointment in 2001 saw us eye an immediate return to the top table, with Wiekens now partnering Richard Dunne.

He played 32 times as we swept through the division, claiming 99 points with an incredibly attacking style that Keegan had made his mantra.

While a great moment to be back in the Premier League, it did open the door for Keegan to attract stellar talent.

That’s exactly what happened with Sylvain Distin coming in to play alongside Dunne at the back.

Wiekens struggled for game time thereafter as Distin and Dunne formed a partnership that most of the Premier League looked upon enviously.

Injuries also played their part at this point, reducing him to just nine appearances in his last two seasons.

However, leaving City in 2004 after our move to the Etihad Stadium and as a newly established Premier League club, Wiekens had seen it all.

With 213 City games in total, Wiekens remained adored in the stands until the very end.

Joining at our lowest point, the Dutch defender was a reliable pillar during some dark times and helped return to the club to where it always felt it belonged.

As is often said about the team that Royle and Keegan navigated back from the precipice, the City we see today would not have been possible without the likes of Wiekens.

"I spent seven years at the club and when I came over it was a big club but when you look now it's nice to be a part of the history of one of the biggest clubs in the world now," he said to the Manchester Evening News in 2020.

"If I have time to go back and see the club playing it is still wonderful.

"My sons are City-mad and they watch all of the games. We try to go back as often as we can to see some games and the fact that people still remember us I really do appreciate.

"It's a great feeling. We played at the lowest point but with Dickov, Goater, Weaver and all the other lads, and the chairman and the coach, it was a team that had a lot of pride and played with that and cared about the club.

“That's why the fans still appreciate it."

Feature: Jack Wilson-Mumford

To celebrate the arrival of Uzbek defender Abdukodir Khusanov, and Egyptian forward Omar Marmoush, here is a Best XI made up of players who have all been sole representatives of their respective nations at City. It’s a squad chock full of strikers so we’ve had to be a little creative!

The starting XI:

Arnie Arason (ICELAND)
Talented keeper who never really had a chance at City despite his heroics against Spurs in 2004. The Iceman cometh? Not on this occasion.

Oleksandr Zinchenko (UKRAINE)
Popular left-back and occasional midfielder, Zinchenko enjoyed his time at City.

Abdulkadir Khusanov  (UZBEKISTAN)
Our new, powerful centre-back – what a talent this lad looks!

Jihai Sun (CHINA)
Our one and only Chinese international so far, the wonderful marauding full-back Sun Jihai – though he’ll have to play central, here.

Hatem Trabelsi (TUNISIA)
Our only Tunisian star to date, he once scored a worldy for City at Old Trafford.

Fitzroy Simpson (JAMAICA)
Our very own Reggae Boyz star Fitzroy Simpson, a bundle of energy and industry as a central midfielder.

Terry Dunfield (CANADA)
Our sole Canadian – though with most of our entrants we cannot be 100% sure going back into the history books – Terry Dunfield had a handful of appearances

Kaziu Deyna (POLAND)
Incredibly, still our only Polish international – but what a player – skilful, graceful and a delight to watch.

Shaun Goater (BERMUDA)
The Goat and for many, The GOAT. Our legendary goal-poacher fresh from the Bermuda Triangle!

Edin Dzeko (BOSNIA)
What can we say about the Bosnian Diamond who City fans still sing about today? A terrific club servant.

Paulo Wanchope (COSTA RICA)
The languid, tricky and completely unpredictable Central American who was capable of anything.

Subs: Gunnar Nielsen (FAROE ISLANDS), Emmanuel Adebayor (TOGO),
Roque Santa Cruz (PARAGUAY),
Felipe Caicedo (ECUADOR),
Andrei Kanchelskis (RUSSIA),
Chris Killen (NEW ZEALAND),
Georgios Samaras (GREECE),
Benjani (ZIMBABWE),
Tomas Galvez (FINLAND)

MANAGER: Manuel Pellegrini (CHILE)

Formation: 4-3-3

Legendary Radio 1 duo and lifelong Blues Mark & Lard are back – CITY MAG finds out this longed for reunion came about…

City fans of a certain age will recall the halcyon days when Radio 1’s breakfast show was hosted by two staunch Blues – Mark Radcliffe and Marc Riley – known simply as 'Mark & Lard' - and the irrepressible pair were on the nation’s top station from 1991 until 2004 before going their separate ways.

Mark went to Radio 2, introduced Glastonbury and did various other projects, while Marc has spent the past 21 years presenting his own show on BBC 6 Music – as well as being a City Magazine columnist for a good part of that time.

But the duo, famed for their catchphrase and sketches, have reunited for a nationwide tour. A sort of ‘evening with’ that is currently in progress.

To discuss how it all came about and what’s happened in the interim – and City, of course - we caught up with Mark Radcliffe.

In the words of the boys… stop! Carry on!

CITY MAG: So Mark & Lard are back…

MARK RADCLIFFE: “Marc and I have never fallen out, but we just haven’t seen that much of each other since the show finished. Our lives have gone in different directions, and we never really thought about  doing anything together during that time. Marc was keen to move on from being Lard, to become Marc Riley, which you can understand, and it was different from him because I was still Mark on the show, but he wasn’t – he was Lard. He had more of an adjustment to make, where as I sort of just plodded on. So we left it and out of the blue, he sent me a photograph of us when were performing as The Shirehorses in a sort of red bucket hat and jacket that were actually made by Paul Smith. He asked if I fancied doing one last ride out with The Shirehorses and I asked if he was joking because we’d done nothing for 20 years, but he asked if I fancied one last trot out with our occasional band. I said I didn’t fancy that, but maybe we could look at a sort of ‘evening with’ because it had been 20 years since our last Mark & Lard show. Those sort of shows are more popular these days because people are used to going to see podcast shows at the theatre or suchlike so there’s an audience that wasn’t there in 2004. I thought that could work, and then we were asked if we could do a photo for a Greater Mancunians exhibition that was on at Central Library, so we did a photo at the Lass O’Gowrie in the city centre – a pub where we used to have a pint after the show – and I put it on my Twitter – or X account – which I don’t get much interest in as a rule. By the next morning, that picture had received more than 1.4 million views! We thought, ‘hang on, something is going on here’ and we reckoned if we could get each one of those people to give us one pound, we were on to a winner! The idea of an ‘audience with’ grew from that and clearly there is such a lot of love and affection for the show which hasn’t gone away, despite us not doing a thing for two decades, and that’s how it all began.”

How did things progress?

“Well, we weren’t sure what the response would be because it’s a long way from liking a photo on social media to actually going and buying a ticket for something. So we did a small, intimate show in Hale that held about 250 people just to see what the reaction would be. We spoke about it on Craig Charles Music radio show on 6 Music and while we were on, the show sold out in 10 minutes. So, we added a matinee show which sold out in 40 minutes which led to us talking to our friends at Live To Your Living Room who did a lot of stuff during the pandemic and started selling remote viewing tickets for those gigs and sold another 1400 for that. That gave us the confidence to carry on and we then worked with a promoter called Nigel Macintyre who does a lot of spoken word shows and he helped us organise various venues to form a tour. We just turn up and talk, play clips and while it was quite rude and probably not that suitable for daytime radio, it wasn’t offensive – more just daft, which I quite liked about it! It actually surprises me that nobody has got onto daytime radio and tried to reconstruct what you can do, which is shame. I don’t mean copy what we did, but maybe something similar in their own way. If I listen to pop radio today, it is just people just talking about who has been voted out on Love Island or whatever. The amount of work we put into creating new, inventive stuff every single day was incredible, and it was sad when we finished – but there was also a sense of relief we didn’t have to keep doing that as well.”

The tour has gone really well – could it lead to anything else for Mark & Lard?

“I don’t know because I don’t know what that would be. It was so much of its time and it’s fine going out and talking about it and all the nostalgia that goes with that, but where we would start with a blank piece of paper thinking about what a new Mark & Lard show might be, I genuinely wouldn’t know what to write on that piece of paper or where to begin. We certainly wouldn’t want to tarnish the love for what we did. I suppose we’re taking out the family jewels, having a look, giving them a polish and then putting them back again. Our last show is in July in Lancaster and there is nothing planned after that.”

And the reaction to the show – how’s that been?

“Phenomenal. You can really feel the love in the room and people are just really pleased to see us back together.  I think it was good for them to know that we are still friends and get some laughs out of it.  There’s been lots of laughter and a lot of belly laughs and it’s really heart-warming that people are genuinely pleased to see us and will pay for the privilege. We are tweaking things as we go along and we are getting suggestions as we go, so it is evolving, and you absolutely know when something is funny, but it is different every time. We know when to leave space for each other and don’t talk over one another which is something that seems to have survived. I was always the anchor, and Marc did all the characters which he was very good at. Funnily enough, one of the audience favourites is Fat Harry White, which actually is me and not Lard who everyone assumed it was. There are lots of old favourites in the show and things like Lard’s Classic Cuts have gone down really well.”

You two go back a long way, don’t you?

“We do – back to the early 1980s. I first met Marc when I was working in London on the John Peel Show when I produced a session for Marc’s band The Creepers. Though we knew a lot of the same people in Manchester, we’d never met, but we did then, got on well and that was 40 years ago. It’s nice to see Marc regularly again and it’s very convivial. We have been out for a few pints, and I think sometimes people are disappointed we didn’t fall out. We left each other alone and didn’t overwork our friendship which probably helped and now we’ve picked up where we left off and it feels kind of fresh which has worked to our advantage, I think. We are doing gigs where we can fit them in because we both work and work at different times, but we’re not planning anything else at the moment. It is what is and if that is all we do, that will be enough. If someone offered us something, we’d look at it, but nobody has so far. I’m 66 now and I want to keep going until I’m 71 because I’ll have done 50 years in radio. That’s my next big target.”

Finally, on to the Blues…

“I’m very up to date. I don’t get to as many games as I’d like because I work at the weekends where Marc is very loyal and has a season-ticket. It’s been an oddly compelling season and Rodri’s absence has really hit us hard. I’m looking forward to seeing how Pep starts to rebuild the team and how we go in the second half of the season and beyond.”

For details on Mark & Lard’s tour visit Mark & Lard tour dates & tickets 2025 | Ents24

Interview: David Clayton

This season I’m taking you on an A-to-Z tour of Manchester and possibly taking a few liberties with the alphabet. Expect lots of musicians, an occasional session with a footballer and whatever else I can find in my archive.

This issue we’re up to the letter R and I thought I’d take you on a trip to a long-lost iconic Manchester venue: The Russell Club aka The Factory.

Set on the edge of the Hulme Crescents on Royce Road, The Russell Club was a West Indian nightclub that Tony Wilson took over in May 1979, and rechristened it The Factory.

The Factory gigs were only going to be held a couple of nights a week to help the ailing Russell Club owners out financially, and to be a showcase for Factory Records (and Manchester) bands. The opening night on 19 May – in typical Wilson fashion – didn’t feature a major act, but The Durutti Column and Jilted John. The Peter Saville-designed poster arrived late, and the venue was misspelt on it, as Russel Club – a mistake that was repeated on other occasions.

It was hardly a raging success either. It was – to put it mildly – quite a dodgy area, even in daylight – and Manchester’s elite weren’t easily enticed out of the city centre. Once Tony [Wilson] had got over his idiosyncratic booking policy and started to look further afield for bands, the club became a great regular night out. Joy Division played several gigs – included one just prior to the release of Unknown Pleasures, where Martin Hannett live-mixed the sound. A gig noted as a defining career moment in the short life of the band.

The Cure played an amazing gig to a half full room, The Human League, Cabaret Voltaire, and many more turned up to this rough edge of town. The Bunnymen opened for The Fall, which enticed John Peel to come down to see what the fuss was about. Iggy played there, too, in another astonishing night for us spoiled Mancunians. It couldn’t last. The club finally closed its doors after two action-packed years with plans afoot to build a new venue in the city centre: The Haçienda. A huge former yacht showroom, hugely convenient for transport, a state-of-the-art superclub. What could possibly go wrong...?

Item 1 of 4

Some covers you’re proud of and some you wish had never happened...

The August 2004 cover was most definitely a cover to forget.

My editor-in-chief, Peter Spencer, rarely got involved with our covers. He trusted us and had enough on his plate as the Sports Editor of the Manchester Evening News.

But when the Club provided exclusive pics of a team bonding session – a white water rafting trip in North Wales (I think), the indication was that there was a desire from the communications department at City to get one of these pics on the cover ahead of the new season.

As the magazine content and design was supplied by the MEN until 2009, we had to go with the Club’s wishes.

Like Spencer, the comms at City rarely requested a specific cover - they usually just signed off what we’d created - but this time, they were insistent.

The designer and I pored through the available images of this fun day on the river with a heavy heart.

We always did our best to come up with something stylish, but what we were staring at here was a ‘camel’ – in other words, a horse designed by a committee.

I really liked Spencer. He gave me a break as City Magazine editor in 2001 when few others in his position would have, given my experience at the time.

Simon – our designer (and still is today) – and myself are massive Jaws nerds, with a sad obsession with Steven Spielberg’s shark blockbuster.

We nicknamed Spencer ‘The Shark’ – not out of disrespect – but because when he had an edgy story to publish or an idea he wanted to see become a reality, we’d say his eyes would roll black like a shark moving in for the kill.

This was one such occasion.

Spencer came down to personally make sure this cover aligned to his vision, and that  the headline and sub-headline as well.

“All hands on deck,” he proclaimed as he looked at Simon’s computer screen.

OK, not terrible – it portrayed the team spirit and the cover image of the players in a raft.

But then he added, “and put ‘wacky white water rafting trip sets up Blues for new season.”

With that, he was gone. Back upstairs to the sports desk to oversee various transfer stories for City and United.

I looked at Simon. We knew there was no way out of his. We were going to have to use the word ‘wacky’ on the cover of the official Manchester City Magazine.

Given the freedom we normally had, it seemed petulant to try and argue against this very rare input from our boss, so that’s what we did.

I hate this cover with a passion.

I hate the word wacky even more.

Needless to say, I wished this month away quicker than any before or since, until the August 2004 cover had left the shelves of the newsagents forever…

DC

Next up in our series delving deep into the experiences of True Blues is Lee Hayes. I met Lee through social media and immediately recognized him as not only a good sort - but also a Blue through and through.

Lee - in his own words...

"I have supported City all my life, there was never any other choice. I love music and City, feel they go hand in hand. I work for a homeless charity after years of being a builder. Happy with my career change and it’s so rewarding helping people get back on their feet."

WHAT IS YOUR EARLIEST MEMORY OF GOING TO A FOOTBALL MATCH?
A home match at Maine Road with my brother and Dad. Our first visit, chips and gravy then a walk down a cobbled alleyway to see the most beautiful stadium I’ve ever seen. It appeared like magic to us. Guess I was five. 

WHAT IS THE MOST PECULIAR  OR MEMORABLE THING THAT HAS EVER HAPPENED TO YOU AT A CITY GAME?
Curly Watts away at Lincoln, he was all over the papers having a rough time. We were 4-0 down, and I remember a blue telling Curly this wasn’t helping his mood.

WHAT IS THE MOST MEMORABLE CITY GOAL YOU HAVE WITNESSED? (Aguerooooooooo…”  aside…)
So many to choose from but Yaya’s winning goal in the semi final v United. Felt like we had arrived!

HAVE YOU EVER MET ONE OF YOUR MAN  CITY HEROES… IF SO - WHO…AND HOW WAS THE EXPERIENCE?
Yes, we met Paul Lake. He was my favourite player. Met him in the rain after losing to Wigan in the FA Cup final. Made up for a rubbish match. He just said ‘ we have had worse days' ! 

WHAT ARE YOUR MEMORIES OF THE LAST MATCH AT MAINE ROAD?
Tears and too much to drink, fitting that we lost!!

AS YOU LEFT THE GROUND WHAT WERE YOUR EMOTIONS?
I don’t think it sank in that we wouldn’t be going back. Remember feeling sad but it hit harder months later.

WHAT DO YOU MISS MOST ABOUT MAINE ROAD?
The pubs, the alleyways, the atmosphere in and around the ground. Standing on the Kippax then later the North Stand. It will always feel like home in my memories.

WHATS YOUR MOST DISASTROUS AWAY GAME EXPERIENCE?
Again, too many to mention but losing 5-0 at Old Trafford and having to sit in their end. Everyone laughing at us. One old lady felt so sorry for us she offered us some of her boiled sweets!

WHO IS YOUR MOST FAVOURITE CITY PLAYER OF ALL TIME?
Paul Lake, could have been future England captain 

IF YOU COULD PICK ONE CURRENT CITY PLAYER TO BE ON YOUR PUB QUIZ TEAM - WHO WOULD IT  BE - AND WHY?
Depends how serious it is. Jack Grealish for great company and questions about symmetrical faces! Akanji for the win.

Meet one of Gareth Taylor's rising stars...

City starlet Lily Murphy says she’s hoping to build on her sparkling Manchester derby display throughout the remainder of the season.

The blisteringly quick winger scored and registered the assist for Laura Coombs’ opener in our battling 2-1 win over Manchester United which booked a place in the Subway League Cup semi-finals.  

It’s the latest highlight in the lifelong Blues’ fledgling career so far in a term which has seen her sign a professional contract and net in the Champions League.

And Murphy says she’s working hard to deliver when presented opportunities following her recent senior exposure.

“It’s an incredible feeling [to score and assist], to do it in front of the fans as well who came down, it’s unreal,” she declared.

“I saw her [Coombs] so I just whipped it in and hoped for the best really and I tried it [the shot], but it didn’t work so I was determined to do it again and it paid off.

“It just gives you more fight to do it again and hopefully I will.

“I think stepping up is the biggest part. I’m just trying to take the opportunities where I can and hopefully do well.”

City’s League Cup quarter-final triumph over our cross-city rivals came after our narrow defeat to Marc Skinner’s side in the Barclays Women’s Super League three days before.

Since then we’ve booked our place in the last-four of the competition before beating Aston Villa 4-2 in our following league assignment.

And Murphy says Taylor’s team used the WSL loss to Manchester United as fuel our successive victories.

She added: “I think we all had that fire in us. We wanted to be strong, but I think we put it all out there and did great.

“I think [the result] just shows the resilience we’ve got to bounce back as a team and the group we are.”

Interview: Sam Cox

City’s Trophy Tour is a project the Club are extremely proud of.   

Pioneers of the concept and continuously taking it to new levels with five trophies travelling the world – something no English club has done - giving fans the unforgettable experience of celebrating City’s success by seeing the trophies up close is what makes our Trophy Tour so special.   

Helping send our silverware around the globe is Marketing Executive Lucy Crookall. 

Lucy kindly agreed to catch up with the City Magazine to talk about her role and the magic of our latest project, our 4-In-A-Row Trophy Tour.   

CITY MAG: Lucy it’s great to see you. First of all, could you tell us about how you came into your role, and what an average day looks like?  

LUCY: Hello! Yes of course so I started as an intern three years ago, mostly working on our #SameGoals campaign. Then I got promoted to Marketing Assistant and that’s when I started taking on more responsibilities and projects including the trophy tour. Now I’m a Marketing Executive!   

And how a day looks for me, I know it’s a cliché saying but two days are never the same and that also depends on where we are in the season. The past few campaigns we’ve been really fortunate enough to win trophies, so we use the off season to plan how we can take our trophies around the world to all our international and local fans, and make that experience the best it can be. Then once the season starts we roll it out and start taking the trophies on the road to visit our fans in Manchester and beyond! My role within the trophy tour involves a lot of planning and communication with other departments in the Club to create a schedule which engages our fans, Official Supporter Club members, broadcasters and partners; liaising with the Legends who travel on each stop; and then helping execute our activations and content in market.  

But while trophy tour is ongoing we also have lots of other exciting projects both in Manchester and internationally which the team and I are excited to work on.   

CITY MAG: We’ve really paved the way for the idea of Trophy Tour with other organisations and clubs following in our footsteps since we took it around the world. We’re also the first English club to travel with five trophies, allowing our fans to see our success in person. That is a fantastic achievement for you and the team.  

LUCY: You’re right, when you take a step back and reflect on the hard work of the team you do get to see how many lives Trophy Tour has impacted from here in Manchester to all the way in Australia, and for us that’s what the project is all about. The project obviously has its logistical challenges, but to see the fans’ reactions makes them all worth it! 

CITY MAG: And I’m sure you get asked this a lot on each stop of Trophy Tour. Are they the real trophies?!  

LUCY: Ha, ha! Yes we do get asked that a lot! And I can confirm they are the real trophies. No one ever believes us, we always get the line of ‘oh you wouldn’t bring the real trophies to us’. But that’s the exact reason we do Trophy Tour! It’s amazing to be able to get a real trophy to the far corners of the world, especially for people who might not be able to come and celebrate our success at the Etihad Stadium with us. It makes it a little stressful travelling with such important cargo but it’s worth it every time to see the smiles on people's faces.   

CITY MAG: Finally, you’ve done a fair bit of travelling for the Trophy Tour. Do you have a favourite stop? And do any fan moments stick out in your mind when we’ve surprised a Cityzen with our silverware?   

LUCY: That’s a tough question! Every stop is amazing for different reasons. My first Trophy Tour stop was in Seoul, which was a fantastic experience. At the time, I was relatively new and I’d never done a trip away for work, so I was really grateful for the experience and I definitely learnt a lot. South Korea is an amazing country and I think because it was also my first trip it stands out a lot. I also recently went to India which was great, I’d never been there before. Just experiencing a different culture, and seeing how passionate our fans there were, was really interesting.    

We’ve also done a number of stops across Europe and one that stands out was our trip to Portugal. We went to Bernardo [Silva’s] and Ruben [Dias’] old schools. And that was just super because their teachers were so grateful and so emotional about us being able to take the trophies to them. Ruben’s family also came to his old school too so it was really nice.   

Our local trophy moments also have something incredibly special. We've surprised many fans who are close to the Etihad but unfortunately can't come to the games because of health personal reasons, often sadly because of their health. One that sticks out in my mind is when we've taken the trophies into a hospice and knowing we gave fans that moment in the latter stages of life is just really important to us and again, what makes the Trophy Tour so special.   

Interview: Holly Percival

In November 2011, City Mag spoke with James Bond star Timothy Dalton about his lifelong love affair with the Blues. What better reason to talk with a real-life 007 (not forgetting his portrayal as the sleazy Simon Skinner from Hot Fuzz), about his journey from Maine Road to Hollywood…

Timothy Dalton has had a wonderful acting career and, if anything, he is perhaps more popular than he’s ever been before in his long distinguished career.

Internationally, his star rose to its highest point when he took on the role of 007 in the late 1980s, playing James Bond in The Living Daylights and again in Licence to Kill – movies that took close to $300,000,000 worldwide.

Since then he’s played everything from Lord President Rassilon in Dr Who, to Mr Pricklepants in Toy Story 3. He is arguably one of City’s most famous supporters, so where did it all begin?

“I remember being very little, probably about eight-years-old, and me and my friend used to get on the bus to Platt Lane and walk through towards the Stadium,” recalled Dalton. “We’d always try and get into the game by sneaking through the legs of the fans and under the turnstiles so that we could watch without having to pay. We used to watch from what we called the ‘Popular Stand’ which eventually became the Kippax. We lost the first match I went to – I can’t recall who we played - but I’ll never forget watching those blues shirts playing on that lush, green pitch.”

While remembering who those first opponents were has flitted from his memory banks, Dalton is crystal clear when it comes to his first hero.

“Without question it was Bert Trautmann,” he said. “He was fantastic. He was a hero for great reasons. He saved City on more occasions than you’d care to remember and I remember one player unleashing an almighty volley and Trautmann didn’t even have to move, he simply put one hand up and caught the ball. Not only that, but as that famous FA Cup final proved, he had bravery as well as brilliance.

“Oddly enough, I didn’t want to follow in Bert’s footsteps. As a kid, scoring goals was always the more attractive option and though I did practice goalkeeping every now and again, scoring goals was always more fun.

“It was a wonderful time of my life. I was living in Cheadle and going to Gatley Primary School. It wasn’t that far from Maine Road – maybe five miles, if that - and I’d go as often as I could, which was pretty much every week until we left Manchester when I was about 11 and moved out to Derbyshire.

“Me and my dad still drove up to watch City play, though. It wasn’t until I moved down to London when I was 18 that I stopped going to the ground to watch them play. I still followed the team, but obviously being down in London made it difficult to come back up to watch City play. When I came up to see my family, I would always make the effort to go and see them, but that was only two or three times a year so I caught the away games in London whenever I could instead.”

Though dreams of playing for City were in his heart, Dalton knew his true vocation was on the stage rather than on the pitch. It was King Lear rather than King Colin that beckoned the promising young actor.

“I moved into acting as soon as I left school – it was what I’d always wanted to do,” he said. “As a kid, I loved going to the cinema and seeing these stories that you could only dream of and I just wanted to be a part of that. My passion came from wanting to tell those stories myself or at least be a part of it.”

And become part of it he did. The young, quintessentially English actor got his first major break in the TV series Sat’day While Sunday and then went on to play Heathcliff in a 1970 production Wuthering Heights as a career of brooding leading men beckoned.

Over the next 15 years, he split his acting career between the stage and movies, though appeared in numerous TV series, most notably Jane Eyre, while appearing in the under-rated film The Doctor and the Devils shortly after.

With a burgeoning CV and all the qualities needed to carry off the most famous secret agent on the planet, Dalton won the role of James Bond for two successful instalments and would have had a third outing in Goldeneye had a legal wrangle at MGM not halted filming for five years, by which time all parties felt a new man should take on the part of 007.

After such a lucrative leading role, the obvious question is what would Dalton do if he was offered a straight choice between reprising the role or seeing City win the FA Cup?

“I’ve played James Bond and there’s no need to play him again so that’s an easy question to answer, but why stop at the FA Cup! We should be hoping to win the League title and the Champions’ League. Let’s shoot big!”

(Dreams do come true, Tim - Ed)

Dalton is a fan’s fan. There’s no occasional appearance at a match just to keep up a hobby or pretence. He’s a dyed-in-the-wool City fan, as his efforts to keep tabs on the Blues from Los Angeles bear testament.

“With the internet and satellite television, I can watch about half of City’s games live,” he said. “A number of US channels cover Premier League matches, but if they don’t cover a particular game then I’ll go to the City website and listen to the radio coverage on there.

“I get to the games on rarely these days because of work and the fact I live in California, but I was back for the Blackpool game on New Year’s Day and I had a fantastic day. Mike Summerbee took me around the stadium and it took my breath away. I went down to the pitch and to say it took me back to my boyhood days isn’t enough. It was more than that.

“When you stand in that arena, even though it’s a different stadium than the one I started my passion in, it carries with it all the glory, the challenge and the history of that team through the years. Even though there was Maine Road before it, the whole history of Manchester City is contained within those walls. The fortunes of City are a constant theme of my life. The high and the lows of the club, backed by tens of thousands of passionate, roaring fans and so to be back amongst it all was fabulous.

“To meet those City legends, Colin Bell, Mike Summerbee, Tommy Booth - they were the men who I watched for years and who brought me great happiness when the club were doing so well. I remember my dad taking me into the tunnel before a game once when I was a child and the players were like giants, like gods, so going back onto the pitch contains all of those memories and the feeling was magic.

“It is hard to get back but I do, as and when I can. Mostly I’m in the US so that’s why it was so special for me to be there on New Year’s Day at the Blackpool game and it was only thanks to the club being able and generous enough to organise my visit that made it possible.. I thoroughly enjoyed the whole day.”

Dalton’s more recent career is sprinkled with cameos in blockbusting movies such as Toy Story 3, The Tourist and the hugely successful Dr Who Christmas specials in 2009 and 2010. For many, though – and this writer in particular – it was his role as the slimy, conniving supermarket boss Simon Skinner in the 2008 UK smash Hot Fuzz that showed Dalton’s versatility to the full. To steal a film from Simon Pegg and Nick Frost is no mean feat, and it has perhaps reminded the movie industry – if it was ever needed in the first place – that Dalton is one of the UK’s finest character actors.

“I really enjoyed playing Simon Skinner, it was great fun,” he said. “David Threlfall was also in the film – another City fan of course – but I’m not sure we talked about football. I don’t think I was around much when he was on set. I loved playing that part and it is easy to enjoy a role like that. Almost everyone working on that movie were people that I’d grown up with in film and even gone to drama school with.”

As for Dr Who and voicing the role of Mr Pricklepants, he admits it’s opened up a new, younger audience and he is looking forward to more of the same in the coming years.

“It was a really fun year,” he said. “I also got chance to play a cameo role in The Tourist which was enjoyable. The fact is that when you get to a certain age, you no longer play the leading roles anymore and so you tend to play smaller parts in more projects. As long as you’re working and enjoying your work, then that’s great. I’d been watching Doctor Who since I was a kid so when someone asked me to be on that show, I had to say yes.”

So after a lifetime of supporting the Blues, what is Tim Dalton’s definition of supporting Manchester City Football Club. It’s not an easy question to answer, but he makes a valiant effort at summing up the highs, lows, more lows and rollercoaster ride that is being a Blue down the years,

“I could talk for a long time about what my favourite thing about being a City fan is,” he began. “They constantly surprise you, they’re never predictable, and you’re always on tenterhooks. It’s great when we win, but the loyalty of these supporters, given that the club has not been successful for such a long time, is something special. When we are successful then the feeling of triumph and excitement is doubly so for City fans. They take you from the heights to the depths and back to the heights again with effortless ease. They’re an exciting, wonderful team to watch. That team has been responsible for giving us fantastic feelings and emotions through their football throughout our lives and that is something truly wonderful. I think we are nearing a very exciting period in our history and I’ll be there in spirit constantly and in the flesh whenever it’s possible.”

Interview: David Clayton

Manchester City Academy Director Thomas Kruecken has mapped out his aims and ambitions looking to 2025 and beyond.

Kruecken officially took up the reigns of the key position towards the end of 2023 and has had a hugely positive and successful first 14 months or so in the role.

Not only did City go on to secure a fourth FA Youth Cup final success last May – the ultimate barometer of success at Academy level – but that success filtered further down the age ranks.

All told, City won 19 national competitions and five international tournaments to sit alongside that FA Youth Cup success.

Meanwhile across the calendar year of 2024 six youngsters were afforded first team debuts by City boss Pep Guardiola – further illustration of the rich production line of talent constantly being overseen by the Academy, with Divin Mubama adding to that tally when featuring – and scoring – against Salford in the FA Cup last month.

And 2024 also ended with both our Elite Development Squad and Under-18s pushing hard for success in Premier League 2 and the Premier League Under-18 North with both teams having also made encouraging starts to 2025.

Reflecting on the 12 months as a whole, our Academy Director was full of praise for the efforts of players and staff alike highlighting their collective hard work and talent.

But, as always, the focus was also trained on looking ahead with Thomas also highlighting what would be the Academy’s key aims and priorities looking ahead to both 2025 and beyond.

“Looking ahead, we have identified a number of areas,” the Academy Director revealed.

“The first is to further develop the Future Player Programme in detail. To give you an example in the interface football and psychological is about scanning so to develop a scanning methodology because we believe scanning is a big foundation for better decision making.

“So, what does it mean for wingers, for midfielders and like making a deeper dive and developing our programme. This is one part of it. 

“The second [area] is staff development.

“We talk about not just having the best players in place and develop them in the best possible way, for me it's also about staff development.

“So, the idea is that we create a competency model on the foundation of our purpose.

“We identify core competencies and role specific competencies because a Foundation Phase coach has totally different competencies than the coach who works with Under-18 or EDS players, or the physiotherapist or the analyst or the psychologist.

“We have so many roles so what are the role specific competencies in developing these players in different age groups and the future academy.

“We want to create an idea of how we implement new technologies and artificial intelligence in our programme for let’s say squad planning or for cognitive training, these things to be ahead of others. 

“Finally, it's to learn from the best

“To learn from other businesses, other sports and to have a close relationship to clubs who are great in developing young players.

“And this is what we do, and this stuff is really motivating.

“We want to do our best to do everything that we can to keep this Academy where it is at the moment, on the top and to be the best in the UK and with the vision to stay and try to be the best even in the world.”

Interview: Neil Leigh

In the fourth of a new, occasional series, we look back at former players who came back to haunt us…

It’s fair to say Nicolas Anelka’s three seasons at City were largely happy and successful.

The French striker became our record signing when he joined from Paris Saint-Germain in 2002 and would go on to score a very respectable 45 goals in 103 appearances – the best goals ratio of his career.

Anelka was something of a nomadic footballer, rarely staying anywhere for more than a couple of seasons but the striker nicknamed ‘Le Sulk’ seemed at home in Manchester.

Perhaps the quieter lifestyle than that of London, Madrid and Paris suited him, and under Kevin Keegan, he became a popular figure among the City fans.

But the Blues were struggling financially  and Anelka’s wages were becoming a burden, so when Fenerbahce offered £7million in January 2005, the forward was once again on his way.

Keegan left the club a couple of months after and Stuart Pearce took over, while Anelka would stay in Turkey for 18 months before Sam Allardyce’s Bolton Wanderers brought him back to the Premier League for a club record £8million.

While the Trotters were on the up, Pearce’s City were on the down and when the two teams met at the Etihad two days before Christmas 2006, the majority of the 40,157 crowd knew what was coming.

Just eight minutes into his return to the stadium he had once lit up, Anelka was fed the ball on the right and tucked an angled shot past Nicky Weaver to make it 1-0.

Paul Dickov thought he’d levelled almost immediately when his header was clawed out by Jussi Jaaskelainen – and TV replays suggested he had – but with no goal-line technology to hep the officials, the ‘goal’ could not be awarded.

On 25 minutes, Anelka, who had mildly celebrated his first goal was at it again.

Henrik Pedersen cut inside Joey Barton’s challenge before teeing up Anelka who made no mistake from 10 yards out.

The French striker hadn’t been booed on his return, and his celebration was again somewhat muted as he made it 2-0.

Surely he wasn’t going to get a hat-trick on his first game against the Blues since his departure?

Thankfully, he didn’t.

But that was the only crumb of comfort on a thoroughly miserable, damp Saturday afternoon in East Manchester which was compounded late on by a Barton red card for a nasty challenge on Abdoulaye Faye.

All in all, a day to forget.

Feature: David Clayton


As our Vintage Q&As get harder to track down, we’ve gone a little off-piste here. We’ve found a classic Shoot Magazine Q&A with future City legend Dennis Tueart. As this was circa 1971/72, bear in mind that the man our fans called the ‘King of all Geordies’ had never kicked a ball for the Blues as yet – or won the FA Cup with Sunderland in 1973 - but it is a fascinating snapshot of life in the early 1970s...

Full name: Dennis Tueart

Birthplace: Newcastle

Birthdate: November 11, 1949

Height: 5' 7"

Weight: 11 stone

Previous clubs: None

Married: No

Car: Ford Escort 1100

Famous relations: None

Favourite player: Alan Ball (Everton)

Favourite other team: Everton

Most difficult opponent: Bob McNab of Arsenal

Most memorable match: Against Man United in the 1966 FA Youth Cup quarter-final

Biggest thrill: My first league goal against Stoke City in 1968

Biggest disappointment: Two weeks' suspension

Best country visited: Italy

Favourite food: Steak, most Chinese dishes

Miscellaneous likes: Cricket, tennis, dancing

Miscellaneous dislikes: False people

Favourite TV shows: The Untouchables, Top of the Pops, plus any sports programme

Favourite singers: Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye

Favourite actors: Clint Eastwood, Judy Geeson

Best friend: Derek Forster (Sunderland FC)

Biggest influence on career: My school teacher

Biggest drag in soccer: Training

International honours: None yet

Personal ambition: to reach the highest possible rung in he football ladder

Professional ambition: As above

If you weren't a footballer? Probably a PE instructor

Who would you most like to meet in the world? Lulu and Roger Moore

We put another Academy player’s quick thinking to the test in our Get to Know questions. This time, Elite Development Squad winger Emilio Lawrence was in the spotlight…

Tell us one thing no one at the Club knows about you.
This can be anything? The person I was most looking forward to playing with was Justin Oboavwoduo. He's just an exceptional player and the stuff he does on and off the pitch, he's a true professional. 

What is your idea of paradise?
Just going away on holiday, lying by the beach and doing nothing. 

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you pick?
I've been lucky to go to a lot of places but I'd probably pick somewhere I've not been before. I really want to go Rio [De Janerio] in the summer so I'd say there. 

If you had to choose a food to eat for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Give me Five Guys burger and chips and I'll be happy. 

Favourite Netflix programme?
Lupin. 

Hobby you enjoy outside of football?
Hanging out with my friends, playing video games with them. 

If you weren't a footballer, what would be your dream job?
I'd be a Formula 1 driver.

A video game you can't live without?
I think I'm the best FC player in the world so probably that. I play with the lads here and they would say the same. 

Cats or dogs?
Dogs. I just don't like cats.

If you made it into the first team what squad number would you choose?
I'd keep my 99 shirt. 

Is there a skill a team-mate has that you wish you had in your locker?
Justin Oboavwoduo does this move where he fake shoots, hits the ball against the floor, chips it up over the defender's legs and then he just smacks it in. I'd take that. 

Minutes are the main thing on Oliver Tevenan’s mind as City work towards the business end of the season.

The Under-18s defender made the step up to Oliver Reiss’ squad in the summer and after an injury-ridden 2023/24 with the Under-16s, Tevenan is just enjoying getting to spend time building up competitive minutes.

The full-back celebrated his 17th birthday in December. Before then, and before the first game of 2025, Tevenan made eight league appearances as he continues to become a key figure in Reiss’s matchday squad.

And with City undefeated in every match he has played in in the league, it’s clear Tevenan is settling into the Under-18s well.

“I’m enjoying it a lot because obviously I didn’t get much football last year due to injury so I’m just getting my feet back on the ground and becoming a part of the team,” began Tevenan.

“Competitive games are also much better I think, we’re playing every week for three points and we are developing a lot as a team.

“And I’m having to develop a lot quickly because our squad is so big with a lot of high-quality players. You’ve got to be ready to change the way you play or get what the coach says quick to be a part of the team so it’s pushing me more to continuously improve.

“And I think that fits with who I am as a player. I’m hard working, I like to give my all.

"And I’d also say I’m good technically - I consider myself to be a neat player so I can do both sides of the game. But also have that leadership side and helping the team, and I’d do anything for the team.”

Tevenan moved to Manchester at Under-14s. Before transferring to the City Football Academy, the aspiring defender was playing Sunday League football in his hometown in Essex.

 And it may surprise City fans to learn he began his footballing journey as a goalkeeper!

But Tevenan is now really enjoying life at left-back, a demanding role in Reiss’ set-up, and is linking up well on the left with his team-mates Reigan Heskey and Divine Mukasa – a trio that has proved a real threat against our opponents.

“Olli [Reiss] has come in and he’s really big on full-backs,” said Tevenan.

“He sees it as a key role so full-backs and midfield move where you’re needed.

“Modern day full-backs get a lot of freedom now so that’s one thing I want to add to my game this year, more assists, more goals, just get higher up the pitch and become more of a key player in our attacks.

“I think Reigan [Heskey], Divine [Mukasa] and I are really good together.

“We all understand each other and play the same sort of way with quick one- twos. My job mainly is to give it to them and let them do their thing but I always try to help out as well.

“I’ve played with Reigan before but this is my first season with Divine and I like playing with him a lot, he’s easy to play with.”

At the time of writing, City will be looking to extend our winning run to 10 in the Under-18 Premier League North and will be fighting in the knockout stage of both the Under-18 Premier League Cup and FA Youth Cup.

But for Tevenan, whilst silverware would be a fantastic way to end the 2024/25 campaign, his focus is on his personal growth and improvement before the curtain falls on the season.

“I’d like to play in the FA Youth Cup,” said Tevenan.

“And just be a key player across all the Under-18 competitions and gain as many minutes as I can is the main thing.

“I’d also like to try and make my UEFA Youth League debut. I still believe there is a chance I could feature this season. Age doesn’t matter, Kaden [Braithwaite] made his senior debut for example and shows anything is possible if you prove yourself.”

Interview: Holly Percival