Welcome...

Maine Road was City's home for 80 years before the Club upped sticks and moved across Manchester to what was then commonly known as Eastlands.

That was 20 years ago, and the Etihad Stadium has very much become our new home.

But, in this special edition of the City Magazine, we celebrate the 100th anniversary of when the Blues first started life at Maine Road.

Here, we look back at City's life during our 80 years in Moss Side, along with some of the games and people that made it such a special place.

You can only put a snapshot of that time, but hopefully we've captured the essence and spirit of Maine Road in the pages that follow.

Hopefully, we will bring back many happy memories and raise a few smiles along the way and we hope you enjoy our City Magazine Maine Road tribute...

MAINE ROAD'S First Game...

City 2-1 Sheffield United

August 25, 1923, Division One

City: Mitchell, Cookson, Fletcher, Hamill, Woosnam, Pringle, Donaldson, Roberts, Johnson, Barnes, Murphy.

Sheffield United: Gough, Milton, Cook, Pantling, Waugh, Green, Mercer, Sampy, Johnson, Gillespie, Tunstall

 Attendance: 56,993

It was a proud day for Manchester City and their fans when the Blues walked out into their brand new Moss Side home for the first time in August 1923.

The crowd of 56,993 was a new attendance record for the club who had left the far less grand surroundings of Hyde Road a few months earlier.

Their old home and its unique atmosphere had not been completely forgotten, though. Goal posts and several turnstiles were integrated at Maine Road whilst the old main stand roof was transported to Halifax Town’s The Shay stadium to keep the rain off an entirely new set of shivering souls.

The total cost of the new stadium is almost impossible to trace but various reports seem to suggest it was in the region of £150,000. Designed by Manchester architect Charles Swain and built by Sir Robert McAlpine builders in less than twelve months, the whole ambitious project was a tribute to all concerned in both its design and construction.

Maine Road’s capacity was more than double that of Hyde Road and was built to house approximately 80,000. Only Wembley Stadium, opened just months earlier, could hold more fans in England. The vast bank of terracing facing the players as they ran out was known originally as the ‘popular side’ (later to become the Kippax) and was where the main bulk of City fans gathered for the opening match – a trend that would continue until the ground’s closure eighty years later.

With only the Main Stand roofed, much of the noise generated by the crowd was lost to the open air above their heads but there was still a tremendous atmosphere as Ernest Magnall’s side took to the field of play. Legendary all-round sportsman Max Woosnam was named as captain and it was he that led the Blues out as the assembled band played ‘Ours is a nice house, ours is’.

Woosnam had missed the whole of the 1922/23 campaign with a leg fractured whilst colliding with a wooden fence at Hyde Road and also missed the chance to defend his Wimbledon doubles title during his absence! No doubt immensely proud, the captain rallied the side to ensure the first game at Maine Road began with a victory. The Lord Mayor of Manchester was then introduced to the players before ceremoniously kicking the match off before Tommy Johnson did it for real moments later on referee Howcroft’s whistle, beginning a whole new era began for the Blues.

Sammy Cookson and Eli Fletcher, like Woosnam, had returned after lengthy lay-offs and Alec Donaldson, a recent signing from Bolton Wanderers, made his full league debut. Sheffield United were more than capable of ruining the day and had taken three out of the four points available the previous season’s corresponding fixtures.

A tight first half ended without either side testing the new netting, despite Tommy Johnson and Horace Barnes forcing the visitors’ keeper Gough into a couple of decent saves. City came out for the second half determined to see off the Blades’ challenge and the prestigious honour of the first ever goal scored at Maine Road went to the prolific Barnes on 68 minutes after connecting with debutant Donaldson’s cross.

Strike partner Johnson made it 2-0 just three minutes later and the Blues could have really begun life with a Manchester 14 postcode in style when they were awarded a penalty and a chance to go 3-0 up shortly after.

But, just as Barnes forever etched his name into the record books by scoring the first goal, Frank Roberts followed suit by becoming the first player to miss a penalty at the new ground despite the new introduction of the arc on the edge of the box which allowed the taker a good run up to the spot. He hit his shot straight at Gough to give the visitors an unlikely lifeline.

The Blades, reduced to ten men through injury, duly scored in the 88^th minute through Harry Johnson to ensure a tense finish – one of hundred’s to follow – but City held out for a victory the huge crowd had demanded.

For skipper Woosnam it was to be his only league appearance of the season – no doubt his desire to lead out his team for such an historic occasion had clouded his judgement regarding the extent of his injury or rather he was determined to play at any cost. His decision had not adversely affected the day’s play and Maine Road was up and running with the best start possible.

THE MAINE ROAD: TRIVIA GUIDE

 Our Maine Road Trivia Guide is a home for some of the more unusual aspects of our former home.

 A mixture of bits and pieces, oddities and stuff that doesn’t really have a home anywhere else, here is a list (in alphabetical order) of the strange and fantastic that helped make up the DNA of Maine Road…

D IS FOR DOGS

Several Moss Side strays have enjoyed a moment of fame by doing a lap of the Maine Road pitch and evading stewards with a feign and burst of pace that would inevitably have the Kippax roaring for the current manager to ‘Sign him up!’ One cheeky mutt, possibly leaning towards the red side of Manchester, once ran up to the goal posts at the Platt Lane end and promptly cocked his leg up and relieved himself, much to Joe Corrigan’s amusement.

E IS FOR EDDIE THE EAGLE

‘Eddie the Eagle’, the plastic suspended bird that dangled from the new Kippax Stand roof, also known as ‘Hudson Hawk’ and no doubt a few more monikers, was placed there to prevent pigeons nesting and subsequently pooping on the punters below. It was associated, by some, with a return to better times at Maine Road since its introduction and there are rumours that Eddie made it to the City of Manchester Stadium for the 2002–03 season.

 

F IS FOR FANZINES

The fanzines produced by Manchester City fans were among the best in the country. Well written, self-effacing and full of the gallows humour that has long epitomized what it really meant to be a Blue. The first and longest-surviving is Dave Wallace’s King of the Kippax – the broadsheet of the City fanzines. Noel Bayley’s Bert Trautmann’s Helmet was well produced and a little more vociferous with its opinions, while City ’til I Cry and Chips and Gravy enjoyed a brief existence.

Blue Print played a huge part in the late 1980s plastic banana invasion and its editor Bill Borrows became a high-flier on the editorial team of lads mag Loaded. Also gone, but not forgotten, are Main Stand View, This Charming Fan and Blue Murder. Credit is due to the fanzine editors for the hard work and efforts they put in for little reward. Standing on corners on match days in the pouring rain is no fun but it goes with the territory. There was no shortage of talent, either, with the main writers who contributed to the publications.

 

FLOODLIGHTS

The four floodlight pylons that used to tower out of Maine Road and the surrounding area for decades have long since gone and were replaced by sophisticated lighting from the top of the Kippax and Main Stand. The four iron constructions had been in place since 1953 and caused City fans who ever stood close to them to think the same thought as they gazed up at the never-ending ladder that sometimes seemed to disappear into the low-lying cloud base: ‘Thank God I don’t have to change the lightbulbs!’

The floodlights were first turned on for a friendly against Hearts on 14 October 1953. The Blues wore special ‘shiny shirts’ for the evening and won an entertaining game 6–3 in front of a healthy 23,979 crowd. With good comes bad and the innovative lighting brought Manchester United back to Maine Road to play various friendlies and cup games until Old Trafford had their own installed in 1957. Not, however, before Maine Road became the first English ground to play host to a European Cup match in 1956 – and the Blues weren’t even involved! United beat RSC Anderlecht 10–0 in a close-fought game.

G IS FOR  GENE KELLY STAND

The two temporary stands erected at either side of the new Kippax Stand – once popular corner terrace sections – were introduced to try and satisfy the thousands of fans wishing to watch the Blues during the 1990s and beyond. The stand next to the North Stand had no roof and was known by City fans as the ‘Gene Kelly Stand’ because, invariably, during a downpour the City fans housed in their free plastic coveralls have nothing to do but sing in the rain. The temporary stand between the Kippax and the Platt Lane was known as ‘Windy Corner’ and is more to do with weather conditions than the results of eating the half-time fayre that was on offer.

GIBSON, STAN

Stan Gibson, was the head groundsman at Maine Road from August 1960 onwards. Stan was a legendary figure at Maine Road and was quite simply, one of the finest groundsmen that this country has ever produced. Coveted by a whole host of clubs including Manchester United and indeed by England, Stan had blue blood running through his veins and was totally committed to making Maine Road into the best playing surface in the country – a feat he managed comfortably, year after year. The pitch always looked like velvet for the first home game of the season – a perfect playing surface that, one would imagine, must have been a joy to play on. Club secretary Bernard Halford said: ‘Stan could grow grass on concrete,’ and that just about summed up his magical abilities with the Maine Road pitch. Stan passed away at his home close to Maine Road on Christmas Eve, 2001 aged 76 and his friendly face and generous personality are greatly missed.

 GOLDEN GOAL

Long before certain cup competitions were settled by the Golden Goal rule (or ‘next goal wins!’ as every schoolkid used to shout as the playtime bell rang), City used to have their own version of the Golden Goal. A stamped four-figure number would be inside the match-day programme and when the first goal was scored, the number of seconds was calculated and that was the Golden Goal. It was easy to identify the winner after a 0–0 draw because there was always one time printed as ‘0000’. The winner won a cash prize and the North Stand scoreboard would announce the four digits that represented the opening goal timing.

I IS FOR INTERNATIONAL MATCHES

There were only a couple of international matches at Maine Road since the Second World War and England had a 100 per cent record for their appearances in Moss Side. The first time the national squad played at City’s home ground was on 13 November 1946, when they beat Wales 3–0. Just over three years later on 16 November 1949, England crushed Northern Ireland 9–2 in a World Cup qualifier. There have been numerous England Under-21 games played at the ground, many during the late 1970s when the side was sprinkled with talented City youngsters such as Peter Barnes and Gary Owen.

 J IS FOR JUNIOR BLUES

During our tenure at Maine Road, City were the first club to set up a junior supporters’ club, the Junior Blues, and it proved to be the role model that other clubs aspired to over the following years. Based loosely around an idea by Malcolm Allison, the project came to light under the chairmanship of Peter Swales in 1973. The Junior Blues held monthly meetings, sent newsletters, and enjoyed Christmas parties each year. The values were simple – discipline and good behaviour towards each other and other youngsters, particularly from other clubs, and to have as much fun as possible. The success of the Junior Blues has led to other clubs – believed to be as many as 70 – contacting the Blues for advice and guidance to enhance their own junior schemes.

 

K IS FOR KIPPAX STAND

Home to thousands upon thousands of City fans since 1923, this famous, much-loved old terrace was often the extra man for the Blues as the supporters roared them on to success. It could also mean the end of a player if the poor soul wasn’t performing well over a period of time. Many an opposing winger has turned a pasty shade of white at the sight of a packed Kippax terrace.

It was more than 35 years before a roof was erected to keep the regular Mancunian drizzle off the supporters’ heads and, with a smart new covering, the side of the ground known as the ‘Popular Side’ was officially named the Kippax Stand. In its pomp, it was home to 32,000 loyal Blues, though this was reduced to 26,155 when the North Stand was completed in 1971. Further reductions meant that only 18,300 City fans stood in the cavernous old stand near its lamentable demise.

The Taylor Report, a government-backed investigation into the safety of standing areas at football grounds, recommended that all terracing become seated areas, effectively signaling the end for the Kippax as a terraced stand. City supporters paid their final respects to their favourite part of the ground on 30 April 1994 when City took on Chelsea. Fancy dress, flags and balloons festooned the Kippax and celebrated its 71-year life. Many shed a tear after the final whistle and attempted to chip bits of concrete off steps as a souvenir.

A couple of days later, the demolition teams moved in, and pictures appeared in the local media of rubble and steel girders where the Kippax had once stood proudly. From the dust and debris arose the new Kippax, three tiers high and visible for miles around. The new stand was opened to City fans for the first home game of the 1995–96 season. Many fans groaned as they took their seats in the second and the top tier on first inspection – nothing to do with the perfect view of the pitch, but because Old Trafford was now visible in the distance!

M IS FOR MOVIES

The film There’s Only One Jimmy Grimble starring Robert Carlyle and Ray Winstone was based around a young boy and his dream to one day play for Manchester City. Many scenes were filmed in and around Maine Road and the final portion featured Jimmy Grimble finally realising his dream and playing on the hallowed turf. Christopher Ecclestone starred in the last drama to be filmed at Maine Road in 2003 – the ITV production The Second Coming was shot at our former home.

N IS FOR NEUTRAL GROUND

Maine Road has played host to a number of games that didn’t involve the Blues. Manchester United played many times in Moss Side after Old Trafford was bombed during the Second World War and there have been several FA Cup semi-finals held at the ground prior to the Kippax becoming an all-seater stand. A memorable game from the late 1970s involved non-league Altrincham FC, who took on Tottenham in an FA Cup replay. Having held the north Londoners to a 1–1 draw at White Hart Lane, a large crowd containing thousands of City fans saw Spurs win the game 3–0. Several Rugby League games of varying importance have also been held at Maine Road.

 NORTH STAND

Formerly the Scoreboard End, the North Stand was completed for the 1972–73 season and reduced the Maine Road capacity by some 12,000. Seats replaced terracing and, with a smart new roof, the North Stand looked slightly out of place with the ageing Main Stand, Platt Lane, and Kippax terrace. It boasted a new electronic scoreboard in tradition with the stand it replaced but the stand lacked atmosphere.

While the New Kippax was being built, many of the more vociferous supporters were temporarily housed in the North Stand and, with no space for away fans, it took on a new, vibrant life. Many remained in the stand when the Kippax was completed and as the Blues go into their final season at Maine Road, the North Stand, which also housed around 2,500 visiting supporters, ended its life as the liveliest and loudest of the four stands.

PUBS

The pubs around Maine Road held many memories for City fans who enjoyed a pre-match pint before a home game. The Gardeners Arms and The Osborne on Summer Place to the rear of the Kippax were two of the most popular, while The Claremont, The Welcome, The Beehive and The Friendship could be found full of home fans on match days. The Parkside was another favourite and was the closest pub to the ground. Many of these pubs have long since gone.

R IS FOR RELEGATION

City were relegated nine times during our time at Maine Road. In 1925–26 City lost 3–2 and missed a penalty on the final day to Newcastle United after requiring a point to survive, and the two clubs beneath, Leeds and Burnley, both won, sending the Blues down. With 89 goals scored during the ill-fated campaign, City still hold the record for the greatest number of goals scored for a relegated club.

Even more dramatically, City won the First Division Championship in 1936–37 and then were relegated the next season! Again, this had never happened before or since. Only City! Other occasions when the Blues slipped out of the top flight were the 1949–50 and 1962–63 seasons. Twice in the 1980s City went down. The first occasion was in 1982–83 when a Raddy Antic goal five minutes from time spared Luton Town and City slipped into the bottom three for the only time that season. In 1986–87 the club failed to win any of the 21 away games, again losing their top-flight status.

In 1995–96, City lost top-flight status after failing to beat Liverpool at Maine Road and arguably, the lowest point in the history of Manchester City came when, despite the final day 5–2 win at Stoke City, the Blues were relegated to Division Two, now the third tier of English football, for the very first time. The 2000–01 was the last relegation the Club suffered.

S IS FOR SCOREBOARDS

In an interview in 2001, comedian Bernard Manning said: ‘We didn’t have a scoreboard when I began going to watch City. They used to have this poor bloke who had to go around the ground with a board on his back. I always felt sorry for the poor devil.’

Technology has come a long way since then but up until a few years before the Blues left Maine Road, City fans could have been forgiven for thinking they had been passed by. The ‘Scoreboard End’, the terrace that once stood where the North Stand is now situated, earned its name from the ‘ABC’ scoreboard located at the back of the terrace. Fans would check the programme and next to each letter of the alphabet would be a match. For instance, at half-time ‘A’ might have read 1–0 on the board. A glance at the programme would reveal match ‘A’ was Arsenal versus Wolves, and so on.

Once the North Stand was finished, an electronic scoreboard was fitted at the back of the stand just under the roof. It worked well for several years but towards the end of its life it became the Norman Collier of scoreboards as various bulbs seemed to blow and not be replaced, and some scores and messages became almost a challenge to decipher.

Local brewery Greenhalls sponsored a lethargic electronic scoreboard for many years that sat in-between the Kippax and the Platt Lane stands. It seemed to give up in the early 1990s and a smart new high-tech board was placed in the Platt Lane end just above the Family Stand. It occasionally went haywire and overloaded – usually after a goal was scored – but it paled in comparison to the state-of-the-art boards at the Etihad -but if asked, many would admit to missing the eccentric old boards – however useless they were!

SONGS AND CHANTS

City supporters have sung many songs over the years, but it wasn’t until 1990 that ‘Blue Moon’ became the fans’ anthem. Both Peterborough United and Crewe Alexandra claim they serenaded their respective teams with the anthem first, but it has most definitely become City’s over the years.

The 1970s were a great time for new songs and the Kippax favourites included the following: from the tune of ‘Lily the Pink’ came ‘Colin the King’ for Colin Bell; ‘Sha-la-la-la-Summerbee’ – self-explanatory; Dennis Tueart’s song was ‘Dennis Tueart King of all Geordies’; and ‘Rodney, Rodney’ for Rodney Marsh, who later admitted it gave him goosebumps every time he heard it.

The ever-inventive Blues’ fans were always coming up with original songs like a customised version of the Oasis classic ‘Wonderwall’, ‘I’m Dreaming of a Blue Wembley’ and ‘City ’til I Die’. The arrival of Shaun Goater, though, spawned two favourite fan songs: ‘Who Let the Goat Out?’ and possibly one of the best ever, ‘Feed the Goat (and he will score)’.

SPONSORS

City had five sponsors during our time at Maine Road. Shirt sponsorship began in time for the 1982–83 season. The first was Scandinavian car company Saab, who were unfortunate to be involved with the Blues at one of the club’s lowest ebbs. Much the same could be said of Dutch electronic giants Philips, owners of PSV Eindhoven – City achieved little while wearing their name on the front of the players’ shirts. Brother’s 10-year relationship was fruitful for both parties, with the Blues in the Premier League for much of the time. Electronic games giants Eidos were sponsors from 1998 to 2002 resulting in a few personal visits from Lara Croft. First Advice, a new financial advice company based in Manchester, became sponsors in July 2002 for a brief period. The full list is:

 1982–85: Saab

1985–88: Philips

1988–98: Brother

1998–02: Eidos

2002–03: First Advice

STREET NAMES

Any South Manchester postman will be able to reel off the ten streets named after former City stars. Manchester City Council made the decision to name several streets surrounding Maine Road after the heroes from yesteryear in 1977. It was a popular idea, and the streets are almost all – to our knowledge – are still in existence. The list of streets is as follows: Horace Barnes Close, Eric Brook Close, Tommy Browell Close, Sammy Cookson Close, Sam Cowan Close, Billy Meredith Close and Fred Tilson Close. There is also Frank Swift Walk, Billy Meredith Close (below) and Max Woosnam Walk.

T IS FOR TELEVISION

The very first televised game from Maine Road was on 15 December 1956, when City lost 3–2 to Wolves in front of more than 30,000 fans. The highlights were featured on BBC Television’s Sports Special on the same evening. The result was symptomatic of the years ahead when for a long time the Blues seemed to freeze in front of the cameras, especially live broadcasts. In what would be the first of many games televised live from Maine Road featuring the Blues, City lost 2–0 to Chelsea on 4 May 1984. The first live Monday night Premiership fixture on Sky Sports was a 1–1 draw between City and QPR – memorable for those who were there for Tony Coton’s decision to ignore the new back-pass rule by illegally picking up the first back pass that came his way. The referee turned a blind eye and it was as if it never happened!

TESTIMONIALS

With many footballers in today’s game relatively well paid, the testimonial game has all but disappeared. The last testimonial at Maine Road was thoroughly deserved and a crowd of more than 25,000 turned out to pay tribute to Paul Lake, whose battle against injury stretched over five long years. United were the opponents in a game that ended 2-2. Joe Corrigan had a benefit match on 7 November 1979 as City beat Werder Bremen 4–0 at Maine Road. Paul Power, Mike Doyle, and Colin Bell have all had testimonial games during the 1970s and 1980s but one of the biggest crowds for a tribute match was for Bert Trautmann. Around 47,000 turned out for the game in 1964 and Maine Road was jam-packed with people eager to pay homage to the legendary German goalkeeper who broke his neck helping City lift the FA Cup in 1956.

 Y IS FOR YOUTH CUP

City won the 1986 FA Youth Cup for the first time in 1986, beating Manchester United over two legs. The first leg, watched by just 7,602, ended 1–1 at Old Trafford with Paul Lake scoring for City. The second leg at Maine Road was watched by 18,164 partisan City supporters, who roared the young Blues on to a 2–0 win, with goals from Moulden (below) and Boyd. City had previously reached the final in 1978–79 and 1979–80, with one leg of the final played at Maine Road each time but on both occasions were aggregate losers to Millwall and Aston Villa respectively.

MANCHESTER CITY:
THE MAINE ROAD YEARS

1923-1953

Tracing the trials, tribulations and celebrations of 80 years in our former home...

Ambitious plans were drawn up by architect Charles Swain to create a 120,000-capacity stadium on a patch of waste ground just off Maine Road in Moss Side. Now manager of Manchester City, Ernest Mangnall had played a major part in United moving from Newton Heath to Old Trafford whilst he was in charge of the Reds. and now he was using that transitional experience to help the Blues into a ground that was to be the finest in the country.

The club had considered the Belle Vue Leisure Park close to their original home in Ardwick, but the new site was perfect and by the beginning of the 1923/24 season, City’s new home was ready for Division One football. Only the Main Stand was covered and housed seating as proud team captain Max Woosnam led the Blues out in front of a club record crowd of 56,993.

It took 68 minutes for the first goal to be scored at Maine Road and the honour went to City striker Horace Barnes as the home side beat Sheffield United 2-1.  The next home game brought the first home defeat with Aston Villa winning 2-1.

The crowds at Maine Road were huge. A fourth round FA Cup tie against Cardiff attracted more than 76,000 fans to the new ground and the Blues went on to reach the semi-final before losing out to Newcastle United. The cup run apart, it would be a pretty average season for Mangnall’s side who finished in eleventh place.

The 1924/25 season began with David Ashworth at the helm. The former Oldham manager had steered to Liverpool to the title two years earlier and jumped at the chance of becoming City boss when offered the chance. City finished tenth in his first campaign and were steady but unspectacular throughout and the first-ever Maine Road Manchester derby ended 1-1 with Sam Cowan scoring the Blues’ goal. The FA Cup brought much needed relief for the 1925/26 season with City going all the way to Wembley to face Bolton Wanderers. Along the way there was an incredible tie against Crystal Palace with the Blues triumphing 11-4 - a scoreline that would never be bettered at Maine Road. In the League, a bizarre set of results saw City beat Burnley 8-3 and then – unbelievably – lose 8-3 two days later to Sheffield United!

In just our third season at Maine Road, City were relegated and manager Ashworth was replaced by Peter Hodge who almost guided the club to promotion at the first attempt in 1926/27 with the Blues finishing in third place in the cruellest of circumstances.

City and Portsmouth were level on points going into the final game and with both sides winning their matches, Pompey went up by the merest fraction on goal average (which preceded goal difference), leaving the Blues to face another season in Division Two.

"In Hodge, though, the club had an excellent manager and in 1927/28 the pain of the previous campaign was forgotten as City went up as champions, averaging 38,000 at Maine Road – the highest figure anywhere in the country."

Hodge had brought in Barnsley forwards Fred Tilson and Eric Brook for £6,000 towards the end of the season and both men would become integral parts of the club’s future.

Season 1928/29 was all about consolidation and the finish of eighth place was satisfying for all concerned but particularly for crowd idol Tommy Johnson who scored 38 league goals in 39 league games – a record that still stands today.

A young Matt Busby had made his debut for City the following season as Hodge’s men chased the league and cup double. Impressive they eventually finished third some thirteen points adrift of the champions Sheffield Wednesday and lost out to Hull City in the FA Cup 5^th round.

A 10-1 home victory over Swindon Town and a 6-1 win at Liverpool were the highlights but Hodge’s decision to sell Tommy Johnson to Everton was greeted with disbelief by his army of fans at Maine Road. The Toffee’s had obviously not forgotten Johnson’s heroics the previous season when he bagged five of City’s goals in a 6-2 win at the-then champions’ own ground.

Hodge came in for his first real taste of criticism as the Blues’ boss when goals were hard to come by for the 1930/31 campaign. Eric Brook ended top scorer with sixteen put strike partner Tilson was injured for much of the campaign and Johnson’s replacement Tommy Tait had left for Bolton Wanderers. David Halliday had been signed from Arsenal and added another fourteen strikes but the momentum had been lost somewhere along the line.

1931/32 brought even less to smile about and though the Maine Road crowds were still huge and Hodge managed to field the same side for most of the campaign, the Blues finished in fourteenth place - but at least City had reached the semi-final of the FA Cup with only the mighty Arsenal able to halt City’s progress winning 1-0 at Villa Park. Halliday top-scored with 32 in all competitions but the Tommy Johnson saga was still to take one more twist.

Hodge left Maine Road in 1932 to return to one of his former clubs, Leicester City. He had taken City as far as he could and Wilf Wild, a former assistant manager and more of a club secretary, was promoted to manager, somewhat reluctantly. His first season in charge was memorable in many ways – if not in the league where City would slump to sixteenth -–but rather the FA Cup, which was an entirely different story. Gateshead, Walsall, Bolton, Burnley and Derby were dispatched en route to Wembley to face Everton and former hero Tommy Johnson. If that wasn’t enough, the legendary Dixie Dean was also leading the line for the Merseyside giants. Everton triumphed 3-0 on the day but City skipper Sam Cowan vowed to return the following year and lift the trophy for the Blues. Few thought it was anything other than high hopes considering the club’s fortunes in the league, but Cowan was determined to make his prophecy come true.

1933/34 saw Wild’s men improve in the league and again thrive in the FA Cup – a competition the Blues were rapidly becoming specialists in. In the league things were steady up until Christmas when Wolves ruined many City fans' festivities by beating the Blues 8-0 at Molineux.  Wild decided to give young goalkeeper Frank Swift his debut two days later but it was to be an unhappy start to his career as Derby beat City 4-1 on Christmas Day. If the youngster feared for his place, he must have been terrified a week later as West Brom thrashed the Blues 7-2 at Maine Road. It was a sticky period for the club but twelve days later the FA Cup-tie with Blackburn offered the opportunity to put a smile back on everyone’s faces. Driven on by Cowan, City won 3-1 and then saw off Hull and Sheffield Wednesday – both after away draws – before taking on Stoke City at Maine Road.

"It was a game that would be forever etched into the record books as 84,569 fans crammed into the Blues’ home ground to see the game - a figure that has never been topped outside of Wembley Stadium."

Stoke had a young Stanley Matthews in their team but it was Eric Brook who won the day for the Blues scoring the only goal of the game with his cross looping over the visitors’ ’keeper for the winner.

Then it was on to the semi-final for a third successive year to face cup favourites Aston Villa. Three goals in five first half minutes had settled the tie by the break with City going in 4-0 to the good. Fred Tilson bagged four on the day as City eventually routed Villa 6-1 – this was a team with a mission and the chance to avenge Portsmouth who had pipped them to promotion by the slenderest of margins seven years earlier was an added incentive.

Pompey employed roughhouse tactics to try and shake City out of their stride with Tilson and Herd the target of some nasty challenges and it was the south coast side who led 1-0 at the interval. Cowan roared his team-mates to show the spirit needed to become champions and it worked wonders as the brilliant Tilson scored two second half goals to win the game and the FA Cup for City by a core;line of 2-1. Sam Cowan, just as he’d predicted twelve months earlier, lifted the trophy to the jubilant hordes from Manchester.

City continued their excellent progress under manager Wilf Wild into the 1934/35 season and for a time looked as though they may go on to win the Division One title. The side was settled and started with mostly the same players throughout the campaign. Frank Swift was maturing into a fine prospect and the defensive back line that included Jackie Bray, Sam Barkas, Matt Busby, Billy Dale and skipper Sam Cowan was solid and adventurous whilst further forward the talents of Toseland, Brook, Marshall and Herd created many headaches for opposing sides.

With only one defeat in the opening nine matches, the Blues travelled to Highbury to face the might of Arsenal. 68,145 witnessed a comfortable home win and City also lost their next two games. It was to be a familiar pattern of winning runs intermingled with pockets of defeats. In February 1935 the Blues once again faced Arsenal, but were now just a point behind the Gunners who were in second position. An incredible 79,491 fans packed Maine Road to cheer City on but the points were to be shared in a 1-1 draw. Effectively Wild’s men had needed a win to maintain a serious challenge and ultimately finished in a very respectable fourth place – however there was to be no FA Cup glory for the holders this time having bowed out at the first hurdle to Tottenham.

There were several personnel changes of note the following term with Robert Donnelly arriving from Partick Thistle and Peter Doherty from Blackpool whilst and Sam Cowan and Matt Busby both departed before the season’s end. Cowan and Busby had given sterling service to City and the loss of such talent was bound to be felt. In new signing Doherty, the Blues had managed to capture one of the games brightest talents for £10,000 – a huge fee at the time. His influence in the coming years would more than justify the investment. The club finished in ninth place and reached the FA Cup fifth round but there were still several huge crowds during the season and particularly in the FA Cup which clearly held the City fans in something close to awe each time a tie was played at home – almost 66,000 saw their heroes triumph 2-1 over Luton Town.

1936/37 was a wonderful season for Manchester City but it began poorly with only three wins in their first fourteen games including a first derby defeat since 1931 at Old Trafford. Doherty was beginning to show he was regarded as such a class act and with Brook, Tilson and Herd all finding the net on a regular basis the Blues strung together four successive wins to haul themselves away from the lower reaches of the table. Two away defeats followed in which five goals were twice conceded but they would be the last time City failed to take anything from a game all season.

"Again the crowds at Maine Road were huge and 64,682 witnessed Alec Herd score the only goal of the return Manchester derby. "

Wild’s men were on a roll going into the New Year and going into March they were on course for a league and cup double whilst United were headed for Division Two – surely a dream come true for any Blue! The FA Cup sixth round paired the league leaders with Third Division Millwall at The Den and surely an easy passage into the semi-final. But the Blues’ annoying habit of shooting themselves in the foot resurfaced and the Lions played out of their skins to win 2-0. City sought solace in the league once more and seemed to take most of their frustration out on Liverpool, winning 5-0 at Anfield and three days later thrashed them 5-1 at Maine Road.! Almost 75,000 saw Arsenal leave Moss Side the victims of a rare league double in April and with two games to go, the Blues had the chance to win the title on their own ground with the visit of Sheffield Wednesday.

It was a champion’s performance for the gathered 55,000 as Brook and Tilson gave City a 2-0 lead. Then Doherty added a superb third before the break and despite the visitors pulling one back in the second half, the lethal Brook added a late fourth to seal a wonderful day’s work and the league championship trophy was deservedly City’s for the first time in our history.

Across the city, United slipped into Division Two and sank further into the sizeable shadow being cast across at Maine Road.

But City were about to confound just about everybody in the 1937/38 season with a truly amazing turnaround in the fortunes of the Manchester clubs. The league champions began in fearsome form at Maine Road, winning six and drawing one of their opening seven home games, scoring 17 and conceding four. Away from Manchester 14 and it was the opposite  - relegation form – losing seven and drawing three of the first ten away trips. It was a crazy season and when City’s home form began to stutter, the defending champions sank towards the foot of the table. It was inexplicable! This was virtually the same side that had swept all before them on the way to becoming the best team in England, but the Blues were only occasionally able to click into gear - often hammering opponents when they did.

A run of four defeats going into the New Year was ended with successive away wins – 4-1 at Leicester and 7-1 at Derby County - completing a league double over both sides. City then drew and won matches at Maine Road before failing to win any of their next eight. Liverpool, so humiliated the previous campaign completed a league double at Anfield in late March and Blues fans realised the unthinkable was possible as the champs turned chumps slumped towards Division Two.

Home wins over Chelsea and Charlton followed but Wild’s men were in the quagmire at the bottom and two more losses followed and despite a 7-1 win over West Brom, Bolton completed a league double two days later. A point at Charlton and a resounding 6-2 win at home to Leeds still meant City needed something from their final game of the season away to Huddersfield Town. The home side had just lost the FA Cup final and needed a win themselves to stay up. The Blues would face similar situations in future years but unfortunately, the outcome would invariably be the same. In a tight match, Herd hit the bar (Peter Doherty would later claim it had crossed the line) but the Blues’ luck was out and twelve minutes from time, Town struck the winner.

The City players returned to the dressing room not knowing if they had been relegated or not. They needed at least one of Grimsby, Birmingham, Portsmouth or Stoke to have failed to win to survive on goal average but as the results filtered through, it transpired all four had won their games. City, defending champions were relegated as the division’s top scorers and just to rub salt in the gaping wounds, United had gained promotion on the final day. What a difference twelve months had made!

There was to be no quick fix for Wilf Wild who added Bert Sproston and Eric Westwood in the 1938/39 season. Peter Doherty missed a third of the season through injury and despite the occasional highlights – wins of 9-3 and 5-2 over two days at Christmas – it was a fairly mundane campaign that finished with City in fifth. Plans of a return to top-flight football became the least of many City fans’ worries when after just three games of the 1939/40 season War broke out with Germany. League football was suspended as the nation and much of Europe dug in for a long conflict.

A number of regional divisions were hastily arranged but they were little more than friendly games watched by an handful of fans. On March 11, 1941, Old Trafford scored a direct hit from a German bomb rendering United’s home unsafe for the public.

"City offered to share Maine Road and the Reds, now managed by former Blue Matt Busby were grateful of their neighbours’ generosity and accepted."

In October 1943, England – with City goalkeeper Frank Swift in goal and future boss Joe Mercer playing - defeated Scotland 8-0 in front of around 60,000 fans as the War continued to rage. Wilf Wild continued as boss as City played in the North Regional League with a bewildering number of players representing the club. League football and D-Day were still several years away.

1944-1953

As the War continued, football tried its best to put a smile back on the face of the British people. Leagues were still regionalised for obvious reasons but a trip to watch the local side in action was a welcome relief from the fear and daily struggles of wartime Britain and a welcome distraction for those with loved ones fighting overseas.

Manchester City were no different from any other club in their efforts to maintain some kind of normality for their supporters. An endless list of guest players continued to play for the club but this in turn would lead to problems. The Blues’ shining star Peter Doherty was keen to appear for other teams but the City directors put a block on his efforts because he had missed so many games at Maine Road that they felt he could have perhaps played in.

The argument continued and a parting of the ways was inevitable, especially when City told the talented Irishman he could guest for United! The catch? United were still playing at Maine Road and if he could have played for them he most certainly could have played for City. The situation encapsulated the frustration and hardships of the period but nonetheless was a sad demise to the career of one of the club’s best ever players.

Doherty joined Derby County for £7,000 in December 1945 and boss Wilf Wild, still holding the fort in Moss Side, faced up to life without his jewel. The 1945/46 season had a much more familiar look to it: 42 games beginning in August and ending in May complete with the FA Cup. The ‘Football League North’ league consisted of 22 sides based north of Birmingham and teams generally played each other in quick succession.

City finished tenth with the prolific Jimmy Constantine bagging 25 goals and bowed out of the two-legged FA Cup competition when Bradford reversed a 3-1 home defeat to win 8-2 at Maine Road. With the War finally over and the whole country still celebrating victory over Germany, the Blues began the new season full of hope and determination to escape the Second Division that they had become entombed in during the conflict.

The health of Wilf Wild – perhaps the only man who could have steered the club through such an awful period - had begun to deteriorate and though the Blues began well, by November Wild had decided to concentrate on the sizeable administrative role behind the scenes at Maine Road and step down as manager and the City directors sought a former hero to restore their club’s fortunes.

Sam Cowan, hero of the 1930s and former FA Cup-winning skipper was now running a successful physiotherapy practice in Hove near Brighton. He accepted the offer of becoming City’s new manager but chose to commute from his home on the South Coast rather than relocate to Manchester - decision that would cause issues in the months ahead.

He officially took over in the first week of December 1946 and the Blues embarked on an amazing run under the new boss remaining unbeaten in his first eighteen league games. With an already solid foundation, City were now firmly on course for First Division football again with future Liverpool boss Joe Fagan settling in well in the side.

The weather was playing havoc with the league programme but by the final match of the campaign City had won the title by four points and were back where they belonged again. ForCowan, however, it was the end to his brief managerial career. The director’s felt his commuting was untenable for a sustained period and after issuing an ultimatum, Cowan opted to return to his practice in Hove. How high City may have flown under his stewardship can only be guessed at.

Jock Thomson took over as boss as City began the 1947/48 season. It was around this point that Manchester United’s gates began to outnumber those attending City matches for the first time with United reaching the FA Cup final and finishing second to Arsenal in the league. With City’s demise shortly before War broke out, plus United playing their home games at Maine Road for a number of years, the timing of their success couldn’t have been bettered.

The Blues were still getting healthy gates but as United returned to Old Trafford for the 1949/50 season, City were once again struggling with life at the top. Thomson’s first season had been steady, with the Blues finishing in tenth and the following campaign saw City finish in seventh. Goals had been hard to come by in 1948/49 and in 31 of the 42 fixtures City played in, they failed to score more than one goal.

The problems increased the following season and City were eventually relegated having scored just 36 league goals all season and failing to find the net at all in nearly half the games played. Frank Swift had decided to called time on a fantastic career and former prisoner-of-war Bert Trautmann was now keeping goal for the Blues – a move that understandably caused a huge fuss at the time.

It was typical of the club to make such a bold decision but it was one that they would be greatly rewarded for in future years as the big German served the Blues with bravery and distinction to become – perhaps – the best City goalkeeper ever. Trautmann suffered a lot of abuse at away matches but one performance in particular at Fulham, highlighted in Gary James’ Manchester – the Greatest City, actually turned a baying crowd and earned the respect of a full house and a standing ovation from the Craven Cottage faithful.

Some believed Trautmann did much to help relations between Britain and Germany and to some extent, this must be true. How hard life was for him in the early days, one can only imagine but it is testament to his courage and character that he came through it at all.

City faced up to the 1950s a Division Two side and once again turned to a former player to help restore fortunes. Les McDowall had been with the club for 11 years before moving into management at Wrexham and he had impressed enough to be invited back as a replacement for Thomson. He wasted no time in dipping into the transfer market and his acquisition of Welshman Roy Paul was inspired.

The Blues soon made their intentions known by winning their first three fixtures and remaining unbeaten until October. With Paul magnificent throughout the campaign, plus the likes of Roy Clarke, Johnny Hart and Billy Spurdle impressive, promotion was confirmed on the final day of the season with City pipping Cardiff by a point.

The 1951/52 saw the signings of Ivor Broadis and Don Revie but it was a disappointing return to top-flight football with a position of fifteenth achieved by the end of the season. The crowds were flocking back to Maine Road and despite another poor campaign during 1952/53, McDowall was steering the club in the right direction again - but City only just avoided the dreaded drop finishing in 20^th position.

MAINE ROAD GOES BANANAS!

Bizarre as it may seem, it was the inflatable banana that brought City supporters to the attention of the national media, Europe and then the world.

Maine Road, in effect, had gone bananas.

There are various reasonable claims as to how it all began but it is difficult to pin the source down to the founder of probably the most endearing and genuinely funny trends City or any football club have introduced over the years. The defunct fanzine Blue Print seemingly played a large part in the arrival of our bendy yellow plastic accessories, and if it is indeed the case, Bill Borrows and Frank Newton take a bow.

One school of thought is that former City striker Imre Varadi played a major role in this urban legend, with theorists reckoning that some City fans chanted ‘Imre Banana’ on the Kippax as a variation to his name. He was around at the right time so maybe it’s possible, but it’s more likely the name adaptation occurred after the arrival of the yellow perils.

Matchdays during the 1988/89 season were a colourful affair, especially on the Kippax or at away grounds and the Blues’ faithful were rightly praised by the media for bringing some much-needed humour back to a bit of a dull period for the club and football in general. Who could forget the fights between the inflated Frankenstein and the green Dinosaur? The blow-up doll, ET, a giant claw-hammer and a hundred other variations. Particularly impressive was the pink pterodactyl (ahem!) but I can’t imagine who owned that.

The craze caught on and supporters at other clubs had their own varied themes, one of the best being Stoke City and their legions of Pink Panthers, Grimsby Town and their ‘Harry the Haddocks’ and Norwich City with their yellow canaries.

It was a fun time when football needed it most after a series of tragedies, banning orders and other issues off the pitch and it put a smile back on the face of supporters everywhere for a time.

MANCHESTER CITY:
THE MAINE ROAD YEARS

1953-74

Having just beaten the dreaded drop to Division Two, City began the 1953/54 season with a run of results that again suggested a long, painful nine months ahead. The Blues lost their opening three fixtures, conceding nine goals without reply.

Again it appeared the forward line was going to struggle to find the net with any regularity but, perhaps sensing the need for that trademark unpredictability, City won their next match at Sunderland 5-4!

Manager McDowall had been toying with giving the talented, but hardly prolific striker Don Revie a new role within the side. The poor start to the campaign convinced him to give what would become known as ‘The Revie Plan’ a go.

It meant that Revie would play in a position behind the forward line but ahead of the midfielders thus making him somewhat elusive to the stoic defenders of the day to mark. It was, in effect, the birth of what we call today 'the false nine'.

It would be some time before the City players themselves became used to the system but they would stick with the formation inspired by the all-conquering Hungarian side of the early 1950s.

By Christmas Day 1953, the Blues were once again in trouble having won just five of their 24 Division One games. McDowall tried various tactics to turn the poor run around with little effect but there was enough talent in the team to grind out a series of draws and narrow wins to stave off the threat of relegation.

With Revie in a more withdrawn role, Johnny Hart needed a new strike partner and McDowall signed Irish forward Billy McAdams in January 1954 to bolster the attack. McAdams scored a hat-trick on only his second appearance for the Blues as City progressed to the next round of the FA Cup against Bradford City.

McAdam would end the season with 11 in 19 appearances, just one behind joint top scorers Revie and Hart as City finished in seventeenth position. It wasn’t the best of times at Maine Road but things were about to get much, much better…

McDowall's side would enjoy an excellent 1954/55 season which could, and perhaps should, have ended with a second top tier title and FA Cup glory.

In a season where even the eventual champions Chelsea would lose 10 league games, the title was very much alive for several clubs going into the final months of the campaign.

The Blues had the added distraction of a fine FA Cup run which has seen neighbours United eliminated 2-0 at Maine Road and a 1-0 win over Sunderland booked a final spot against Newcastle United.

With five league matches to go, City fans were dreaming of a league and cup Double, but the Blues hit a sticky patch at the worst time, winning just one of the remaining matches.

In the penultimate game, City fans were left stunned as relegation-threatened Blackpool thrashed the Blues 6-1 at Maine Road.

McDowall's side ended seventh, but just six points behind champions Chelsea and the poor form continued into the FA Cup final where Newcastle comfortably won 3-0 at Wembley.

Like Sam Cowan before him, City skipper Roy Paul vowed to lead his team back the next year and win the FA Cup.

City attempted to dust themselves down from that disappointment, but began the 1955/56 season like a team with a severe hangover. Successive 2-2 draws and a 7-2 hammering at Wolves must have left boss Les McDowall wondering where his side were heading.

It was only a temporary blip as skipper Paul set about waking his team-mates up to the job in hand with great effect with a 1-0 win over United in front of nearly 60,000 fans at Maine Road.

By Christmas the Blues were sat in mid-table looking at another unremarkable season. At least Paul had the FA Cup to aim for and he had a promise to fulfil.

City had drawn Blackpool at home and were level at 1-1 when the game was abandoned due to severe weather. The match was replayed four days later with Bobby Johnstone and Jackie Dyson scoring the goals in a 2-1 win. Southend away was a tight-fought tie with Joe Hayes scoring the only goal of the game at Roots Hall. So far, so good for Paul’s prophecy.

The Blues’ league form also picked up and McDowall’s men were climbing the table accordingly. A home fifth round pairing with Second Division Liverpool seemed a comfortable draw and 70,640 fans packed Maine Road, expecting to cheer their heroes into the last sixteen.

But the Reds clung on for a 0-0 draw and the prospect of a hostile Anfield for the replay suddenly looked a daunting proposition - but goals from Hayes and Dyson clinched a 2-1 win and a home draw with Everton.

Cup fever was gripping the City fans and more than 76,000 watched a 2-1 home win with goals from Hayes and Johnstone. City beat Everton 3-0 at Maine Road in the league four days later but just over 15,000 bothered turning out for that game!

Two games from glory, Paul was not about to let his dream slip away and he was inspirational in the semi-final as City beat Spurs 1-0 to return to Wembley for the second successive year. Their opponents would be Birmingham City who had already beaten and drawn City earlier in the campaign.

The Blues wound-up their league season finishing an impressive fourth – our best for 20 years. The team was confident and there was a feeling that this was our year in the Cup.

The team to face Birmingham had a good solid look about it but a late injury to Billy Spurdle meant a chance for Don Revie to play. McDowall had memorably employed ‘The Revie Plan’ in the final against Newcastle and had been roundly criticised for doing so - but he was determined to prove the doubters wrong.

Hayes gave City a dream start with a goal after two minutes but Noel Kinsey equalised for Birmingham after a quarter of an hour. Revie was causing all kinds of problems for the Midlands club and he again played a part in City’s second goal midway through the second half scored by Dyson.

Two minutes later and City were 3-1 up through Bobby Johnstone and the victory was effectively sealed - but there was more drama to come. On 75 minutes Bert Trautmann made a typically brave save at the feet of Brum striker Peter Murphy, but his knee the big German’s neck in the ensuing collision. Trautmann was treated for several minutes before soldiering on in great agony.

With no substitutes in those days, had Trautmann left the field – as he should have done – City could well have still lost the game with no goalkeeper. Trautmann had actually broken his neck but stayed until the final whistle, with his team-mates defending stoutly to protect him as best they could and the Blues saw out the remaining time having conceded no more goals.

Skipper Paul collected the FA Cup, just as he’d promised he would, and the Blues returned to Manchester as heroes - but none more so than Trautmann whose bravery became the stuff of legend has never been forgotten by the City fans.

A PHOENIX FROM THE FLAMES

The FA Cup triumph of 1957 would be the last real high for City as almost a decade of misery and under-achievement followed.

McDowall's City managed a fifth-place finish in 1957/58, in a crazy campaign that saw the Blues score 104 goals and conceded 100! It was the first - and only time - any side had bagged and shipped a century or more of goals in one season.

But the following campaign could - and perhaps should - have ended in relegation.

The Blues imploded towards the end of the season, losing seven out of eight matches to slip into the relegation mire. A crucial 0-0 draw with Aston Villa and a 3-1 win over Leicester on the final day saw City escape the drop by the skin of their teeth.

1959/60 followed a similar pattern, with McDowall's side winning two of the last three games to escape the drop by just three points.

McDowall would oversee four more unremarkable seasons of mid-table mediocrity before inevitably, City were relegated.

As ever, it was a final day drama that saw the Blues go into the last couple of games with our destiny in our own hands. Three points clear of second bottom Birmingham, two wins would keep City up and send the Midlanders down.

One of those remaining matches was against Manchester United, who were in equal peril of the drop, and a hard-fought 1-1 draw at Maine Road benefited the Reds more than the Blues.

City's had to better Birmingham's result on the final day to stay up, but a 6-1 loss at West Ham and Birmingham's 3-2 win over Leicester relegated McDowall's men whose luck had finally run out.

McDowall's tenure ended as a result - he had given the club almost 26 of service, 12 as a player and 13 as a manager, and George Poyser took the reins for two disappointing campaigns when the club was arguably at an all-time low.

Poyser was shown the door at Maine Road and former Aston Villa boss Joe Mercer was given the opportunity to revive City's ailing fortunes. Mercer employed brash young coach Malcolm Allison as his No.2 and, in doing so, forged a partnership that would oversee the Blues' dramatic upturn in fortunes.

With City crowned Division Two champions in the first season under Mercer, expectation levels were raised once again after a fairly miserable decade. for the club

Allison was a big hit with the players and Mercer provided the more respected, public face of the management team. It was Allison who pushed for the signing of a player who, at 32, seemed to lack experience in football at the highest level and was – quite frankly – a gamble at what was an advanced age for a footballer.

But Allison convinced Mercer that Tony Book was the man to lead City back to the glory days and in July 1966, the Plymouth Argyle defender joined the Blues. With the promising local youngsters such as Alan Oakes, Glyn Pardoe, Neil Young and Mike Doyle all blossoming, plus new additions Colin Bell and Mike Summerbee looking like bargain buys, the Blues began the 1966/67 with a definite spring in their step.

More than 50,000 packed Maine Road for the opening home game of the season and they left happy after goals from Bell and Jimmy Murray gave them a 2-1 win over Liverpool. Another home win over Sunderland three days later saw City loftily placed in the first published league table.

Six defeats in the next eight soon dampened the enthusiasm and some wondered if the club were even heading straight back down again and but for the handful of points in the autumn, we may well have been. A miserable Christmas and New Year period with the Blues failing to score in four league games hardly helped matters but they weren’t conceding too many either.

The feeling was City were probably just a couple of players short of being a very good side. Mercer already had a few ideas on who he’d like to bring in and Allison and targeted a winger and a striker who he felt were the missing pieces of the jigsaw.

"A final placing of fifteenth in the league probably pleased Mercer and Allison after a year of consolidation and they could sense something very special was on the horizon."

It came in the shape of a first top flight title for 31 years. During 1967/68, the Blues played with a swagger the supporters loved and Maine Road was once again a happy place to be.

Inspired by three players nicknamed 'The Holy Trinity' - Bell, Lee and Summerbee - City and Manchester United battled to be champions and - in typical City style - that battle would go to the last day when both Manchester teams were locked on 56 points.

The scenario was simple - if City could beat Newcastle at St James' Park, United's result against Sunderland wouldn't matter, with the Blues' goal average far superior.

An estimated 20,000 City fans invaded the north east to witness a breathless encounter that City edged 4-3. The Reds lost 2-0 against Sunderland, but it didn't matter. Mercer and Allison's side were champions and it had taken the managerial duo just three years to turn an ailing mid-table Division Two side into the best team in England.

CHAMPIONS AGAIN!

An exhausting post-season tour of the USA seemed to drain the champions who started the 1968/69 season slowly and would end up relinquishing the title long before the end of the campaign.

Focus instead was on the FA Cup, where the Blues looked confident and determined to make a disappointing season into something special - and so it proved, with City going all the way to the final where Neil Young's thunderous finish secured a 1-0 win over Leicester at Wembley.

City fans were in dreamland.

And there was no end to the silverware arriving at Maine Road for the 1969/70 season. The league was again seemingly secondary to the Blues’ prowess in cup competitions and though City crashed out as holders of the FA Cup to United in the fourth round, the League Cup and European Cup Winners’ Cup would prove an entirely different matter.

There were no major personnel changes to the side but Tony Coleman left a few games into the new season to begin his wanderings once again. ‘TC’ had more than played his part in City’s glorious spell and it was perhaps a pity that he left before he had yet more medals to add to his collection.

In defence, Tommy Booth was becoming a vital part of the back-line and would play in all bar one of the league fixtures. With the lessons of Fenerbahce in the European Cup two years prior learned (City exited in the first round against the Turkish side), the Blues entered the Cup Winners’ Cup with a steely determination to prove coach Malcolm Allison had been right to say his men would “terrify Europe”. A fantastic 3-3 draw away to Athletic Bilbao was followed by an equally impressive 3-0 home victory in the second leg. In the League Cup, City had dispatched Southport and Liverpool. The two competitions would run in tandem all season.

By November City had seen off Everton and QPR to line up a tasty two-legged semi-final with Manchester United. It was to be a painful season for the Reds in derby games as City thrashed them 4-0 in the league in November with Colin Bell grabbing a brace.

Belgians Lierse were dumped out 8-0 on aggregate in the Cup Winners' Cup leaving the Blues to look forward to further action the following Spring.

Back in the League Cup United went down again at Maine Road 2-1 and two weeks later City booked an immediate return to Wembley with a 2-2 draw at Old Trafford. The New Year brought United some respite with the 3-0 FA Cup 4^th round victory and was part of a miserable ten-match run without a victory for the Blues but they would return to form in time for Europe and the League Cup final.

Paired with Portuguese outfit Academica Coimbra, City played out a bruising 0-0 draw away in the first leg and then flew back to face West Brom at Wembley three days later. Joe Mercer described the surface for the final as “a pig of a pitch” following the Horse of the Year Show days earlier. The sapping mud bath plus the previous exploits still didn’t get the better of the Blues as Glyn Pardoe hit an extra-time winner. The League Cup had become the third major trophy Tony Book had lifted in just under three years – an incredible achievement – and there was more to come.

Tony Towers scored the only goal of the return with Academica and nine days later City completed the league double over United with a 2-1 win at Old Trafford.

And though Schalke won the first leg of the Cup Winners’ Cup semi-final 1-0 in Germany, the Blues were awesome in the return, winning 5-1 in front of an ecstatic Maine Road. They would now travel to Austria to face Polish side Gornik Zabrze in the final.

The Blues had finished in tenth in Division One by the time they walked out on a rain-sodden Vienna evening. With the majority of the estimated 10,000 uncovered souls from Manchester, City set about the Poles and Neil Young and Franny Lee scored the goals in a memorable 2-1 win. Book again lifted another major trophy and Allison later claimed he’d been right all along about his side but had just got it a year wrong!

The City fans kept pinching themselves to believe it was all really happening. The Blues first full season in the 1970s was also the beginning of the end of the glory years at Maine Road. Malcolm Allison was becoming more frustrated with his position and craved the power he believed he’d been promised by Joe Mercer when the pair first teamed up.

It would be a while before the resentment would bubble to the surface but it was there and it began to destabilise a great team. Yet 1970/71 began with the Blues in superb form dropping just two points from their opening eight fixtures and conceding just three goals. It was the form of champions but it wouldn’t last.

Carlisle United ended City’s interest in the League Cup they’d won just a few months earlier with a 2-1 victory at Blundell Park and their defence of European Cup Winners’ Cup almost ended in shock fashion when only the away goals rule saw City edge past Irish minnows Linfield. Then a run of just two league wins in eleven matches saw Mercer’s side tumbling down the table.

Honved were confidently dispatched amidst the poor league form with an excellent 1-0 win in Hungary and a 2-0 victory at Maine Road. The draw for the next round paired them with old foes Gornik Zabrze in the quarterfinals. City had beaten the Polish giants to win the trophy the previous season and knew it would be a tough test in their quest to retain the cup but they would have to wait until March – four months away – to play them.

Back in the league the Blues returned to their best to thrash United 4-1 at Old Trafford to continue their dominance in the city. Franny Lee bagged a hat trick and City then scored four more on their travels away to Burnley. Behind the scenes, a takeover battle was raging and caused serious division within the board and between manager and coach. The players were unhappy at the way things were shaping, too and most held Allison accountable for the unrest.

Matters came to a head when chairman Albert Alexander informed Allison he was to be sacked but when Joe Mercer stood up for his number two, claiming he would leave if Allison was axed, the board relented and allowed things to continue. City’s chances of league and FA Cup success diminished amidst all the uncertainty and had it not been for such a bright start, the Blues could well have slipped out of the First Division, so poor were their results.

In the Cup Winners’ Cup, things also looked bleak following a 2-0 defeat to Gornik in Poland when City were outclassed on the night. The Blues were much improved for the Maine Road return and won 2-0 with goals from Ian Mellor and Mike Doyle. Bizarrely, a replay was arranged for Copenhagen - but it didn’t stop City’s progress with a fine 3-1 to set-up an all-English semi-final with Chelsea.          

Having already drawn 1-1 at Stamford Bridge earlier in the season, City knew they were capable of getting a result in London but injury rocked the Blues with the loss of Doyle, Heslop, Summerbee, Oakes and Bell – a devastating quintet to be absent yet a brave performance allowed Chelsea to take only a 1-0 lead to Maine Road. A few days later a rehearsal was played out in the league with honours even at 1-1.

There were several key players again absent from the second leg played in front of a crowd of almost 44,000 but it was to be a disappointing evening for the Blue hordes as reserve goalkeeper Ron Healey turned a cross into his own net for the only goal of the game. Chelsea went on to win the cup beating Real Madrid in the final.

For City what had started out a season full of promise had ended with bitter disappointment. One league win from the final eighteen matches placed them in eleventh and irreparable damage had been done to the Mercer-Allison partnership A cold wind was blowing around Maine Road…

Despite the rumblings behind the scenes, Joe Mercer was still the manager of City for the beginning of the 1971/72 season but by October Malcolm Allison was effectively in charge with Mercer becoming General Manager.

On the pitch the Blues were doing well with only two defeats in their opening nineteen fixtures. Franny Lee was making the headlines for his success from the penalty spot and often won the awards with what many considered dives. Lee shrugged off accusations and continued to score with or without penalties.

November saw a fantastic Manchester derby watched by more than 63,000 fans at Maine Road with Summerbee scoring at the death to earn his side a share of the spoils in a thrilling 3-3 draw. Wyn Davies was now leading the line for the Blues and many believed City were on their way to another league title.

However, Mercer was becoming more and more disillusioned with his treatment by the City board and – quite rightly – felt he deserved more respect. The problem would not go away and continued throughout the season.

By the middle of March City were four points clear at the top of the table and looked a good best for the title. For the final push, Allison signed entertainer supreme Rodney Marsh for a club record fee of £200,000. It meant a change of style and tenor for the team and critically, resulted in just four wins from the final nine.

City finished fourth and many blamed the arrival of Marsh for the disappointing finish. There was no doubt his style of play meant slower build-ups where City’s strength had previously been quick counter-attacking football. Nobody will ever know if it was the reason or whether it was simply a dip in form at the wrong time. At least Franny Lee set a new record for penalties scored in a season – 13 – in an impressive tally of 33.

In June 1972 Joe Mercer left Maine Road to become General Manager at Coventry City leaving the majority of fans disappointed at the club’s handling of a man who had made their side one of the best in Europe for several years. What could have ended a memorable season had ended with a whimper and anger.

Malcolm Allison’s official promotion to team manager and Mercer’s departure had rocked a previously steady boat and the Blues began season 1972/73 with five defeats in the opening six matches.

A couple of wins interspersed with two heavy away losses left Allison’s side floundering near the foot of the table. Behind the scenes Peter Swales was in the process of becoming chairman in the wake of events over the previous 12 months.

City finally strung a run together to claw their way up the table with a run of five wins, two draws and one defeat in eight games and by the end of the campaign, the Blues would be grateful of the form that would be enough to keep them clear of relegation. But just three wins in the next sixteen had convinced Big Mal he could no longer motivate the players and he quit Maine Road for Crystal Palace. The Mercer-Allison era had ended somewhat sourly considering their past glories.

Johnny Hart, a star of the 1950s City side was promoted to manager from the coaching staff but he too would soon be forced to vacate the hot seat. He guided the side to finish in eleventh place, losing only one of the last seven league matches.

Various pressures soon took their toll on the popular Hart, but he still pulled off a major coup in the close season by picking up Scottish international Denis Law on a free transfer from United, much to the dismay of the Reds’ fans. Law made an instant impact by scoring twice on his second debut – having first played for the Blues back in 1960/61 - in a 3-1 win over Birmingham. With Lee, Summerbee, Marsh and Bell, he had joined - without doubt - the most exciting (though ageing) forward line in England.

Hart was finally forced to step down as manager in the autumn as his condition worsened and Tony Book stepped in until a new man was found. The team was inconsistent but was progressing well in the League Cup by the time Ron Saunders was appointed as the boss. Saunders was a dour disciplinarian who failed to establish a rapport with the players but still helped guide the club to the 1974 League Cup final against Wolves.

City lost 2-1, but signed Dennis Tueart and Mick Horswill from Sunderland with some of the cup run profits. Saunders was sacked after just a few months in charge and left Maine Road shocked and angry. Chairman Peter Swales had shown he wasn’t afraid to act quickly if he felt things weren’t right. He offered the post to Tony Book, the players’ choice, and the former skipper was only too happy to take on the role.

City’s season ended with a derby at Old Trafford with United needing a win and results elsewhere going in their favour. In an unbelievable twist of irony, Law scored the only goal of the game, his last as a professional player and United were relegated. The Blues, meanwhile, looked forward to a new era under Book.

MAINE ROAD HISTORY:
PART 3

1974-2003

The 1974/75 campaign saw several changes in personnel as Book moulded the side into his image. Francis Lee was transferred to Derby County and Asa Hartford arrived from West Brom and the Blues began to once again look like a strong, settled side.

We would end in eighth position and repeat the feat for the 1975/76 campaign by which time Joe Royle and Dave Watson had been added to a squad club legend Mike Summerbee had now departed. Rodney Marsh was transferred to Tampa Bay Rowdies amidst much controversy and Colin Bell had been lost to a crippling knee injury in a League Cup tie against United but the Blues went on to win the trophy with a wonder goal from Tueart against Newcastle United and secure a first trophy in six years.

Youngsters Kenny Clements, Gary Owen and Peter Barnes were exciting emerging talents coming through and Book's side were now looking like title contenders.

There were more new arrivals for the 76/77 campaign with Brian Kidd and Jimmy Conway joining Book’s side and long-serving defender Alan Oakes leaving the club after 18 years at Maine Road. Paul Power was yet another promising youngster that was making a name for himself as City prepared an all-out assault on the league title.

The Blues began with only two defeats in their first 25 games with Joe Corrigan and his defenders keeping thirteen clean sheets. UEFA Cup interest had ended in the first round against a wily Juventus and Aston Villa and Leeds had been responsible for domestic departures from cup competitions. With only the league to concentrate on, it was Liverpool and the Blues neck and neck on the run-in.

However, City would suffer a few crushing blows as the finish line cam,e into view. United completed the double over Book’s men at Old Trafford and in April Liverpool beat City 2-1 at Anfield. Worse was to come as Derby thrashed City 4-0 at the Baseball Ground and both Villa and Everton took a point off Book's men. By the end, Liverpool had won the league by a point and the Blues were left to rue missed opportunities during an otherwise excellent campaign.

Mike Channon was the only notable close-season purchase for the start of 1977/78. City were again consistent but were again knocked out of the UEFA Cup at the first hurdle. Despite leading 2-0 with ten minutes left against Poles Widzew Lodz, the game ended 2-2 and a 0-0 draw in Poland sent Book’s side out on away goals. In the league, things were much brighter and City were again challenging strongly. Dennis Tueart had scored three hat-tricks by time Newcastle had been sent packing 4-0 on Boxing Day – the day Colin Bell made an emotional return to first team football after an agonising fight to save his career.

"The win over the Geordies was the first of seven successive league victories keeping the pressure on Brian Clough’s Nottingham Forest but the gap would never be closed and City – now without a New York-bound Tueart – finished in fourth."

The highlight of a largely disappointing 1978/79 season was the arrival of Polish World Cup captain Kaziu Deyna and a terrific run in the UEFA Cup. City beat FC Twente and Standard Liege to win a plum tie with Italian giants AC Milan. The first game in Italy was postponed due to fog but re-arranged for the following afternoon. The Blues raced into a 2-0 lead at the San Siro with Paul Power scoring an amazing solo goal but the tie ended 2-2. The second leg found the Blues in imperious form and goals from Kidd, Booth and Hartford gave us a 3-0 lead at the break - and secured a place in the quarter-finals.

Deyna showed only glimpses of the brilliance that had made him a legend in his homeland but his skills were, on occasion, a joy to watch. Meanwhile, concerned at the Blues’ dip in fortunes, Swales decided there was only one man who could help turn things around. By the start of 1979 Malcolm Allison was back at Maine Road as coach – a move that was warmly greeted by the City fans. Dennis Tueart returned from New York Cosmos two thirds of the way through the programme but a humiliating loss to Shrewsbury Town in the FA Cup, a 4-2 aggregate loss against Borussia Monchengladbach in the UEFA Cup and a finish of fifteenth saw Allison promoted to 'coaching overlord' with Book effectively nudged aside in all but his job title.

It was the beginning of a devastating period for the club punctuated by incredible highs and soul destroying lows. Kevin Reeves became the latest million pound signing for the Blues but it altered little. Allison guided City into the 1980s with a 1-0 defeat to Fourth Division Halifax Town – a preview of the misery to come and tore out the heart of a side that had possibly - at best - only needed a few minor alterations. Mightily close to going down at one stage, City finished in 17^th place with the side unrecognisable from just a season or so ago. Things seemed to be running out of control and Swales began to wonder if bringing Big Mal back had been a mistake.

The first full season of the 1980s would be unforgettable for City fans as the club – even by its own standards – went from extreme to another. Big Mal was clinging on to his job for dear life and really should have been replaced in the summer, but such was his almost hypnotic hold on chairman Peter Swales and the board, he earned at least one more crack at revitalising the team.

It wasn’t that he’d lost his talent as a coach – the ability he had on the training ground could never diminish – it was more to do with the timing and lack of a steadying Joe Mercer figure alongside him. He was steering a sinking ship into deeper waters and signing players who simply weren’t good enough.

The first dozen games of the 1980/81 season were painful for all concerned City fans had to endure some terrible matches before Swales finally relieved Allison and Book of their positions. Four draws and seven defeats in and City were anchored to the foot of the table headed for Division Two football. Swales returned to Norwich City in search of a personality big enough to save his club and build a brighter future. Enter John Bond; every bit the flamboyant larger than life character Swales felt was needed to erase the memory of a painful couple of years. Bond quit Carrow Road and headed north to take up the reigns of a club teetering on the brink.

The effect the new man had was nothing short of miraculous and undoubtedly his signing of three Scottish veterans for a total outlay of under £500,000 was one of the main reasons for the club’s incredible turnaround. Gerry Gow was drafted from Bristol City and Bobby McDonald and Tommy Hutchison arrived from Coventry City. The trio were well respected within the game as good players but none had set the world on fire with their previous sides, but all that was about to change.

City began life under Bond with a closely fought battle with Birmingham City at Maine Road but a last minute Archie Gemmill penalty proved to be the only goal of the game. Bond was still in the process of bringing the three Scots to the club and again had to make do with what he already had for the visit of Spurs. He gave teenager Gary Buckley his debut feeling width was needed for his side and City played with style to win our first game of the season 3-1.

From there on in, the Blues were a different team, climbing steadily away from the foot of the table with a series of impressive wins and made progress in both cup competitions. For the League Cup, Bond’s new signings were cup-tied so he was basically playing the same team Allison had been putting out before he was sacked and for a while, it seemed as though there were two teams at Maine Road, both playing equally well. City reached the semi final of the League Cup but went out controversially to Liverpool 2-1 over two legs with at least one unbelievably bad refereeing decision robbing the Blues of a vital first leg goal.

In the FA Cup, there were a series of ironic pairings with Crystal Palace – Allison’s new team and then Norwich City – Bond’s old team, in rounds three and four. Both were easily dispatched 4-0 and 6-0 respectively. A Tommy Booth header saw off the challenge of Fourth Division Peterborough at London Road and then an epic tussle with Everton, - 2-2 at Goodison and then 3-1 at Maine Road - eased City into the semi-finals where they faced Bobby Robson’s buoyant Ipswich Town at Villa Park.

It was an unforgettable day for City fans as the Blues, underdogs to beat title-chasing Ipswich - won 1-0 with a glorious Paul Power free kick in the 100^th minute of the centenary FA Cup competition. Surely City’s name was on the trophy? All the irony and victories against the odds suggested it must be.

Thousands of City fans queued at Maine Road for hours for their cup final tickets as excitement reached fever pitch in the blue half of Manchester but there were nowhere near enough to meet the demand. With a comfortable mid-table league position secured the Blues walked out with Tottenham onto the lush Wembley turf for the 100^th FA Cup Final. The game ended 1-1 after Tommy Hutchison put City ahead and then the same player bizarrely deflected a Glenn Hoddle free kick past Joe Corrigan for a late own goal. City still had chances to win the match in extra time but it wasn’t to be.

The replay five days later was one of the most exciting the old stadium had ever witnessed and despite leading 2-1 with not much more than fifteen minutes left, the Blues lost 3-2 after a wonderful solo goal from Argentinean Ricky Villa knocked the stuffing out of Bond’s side. The dream was over and all the omens were proved wrong. It wasn’t the storybook ending such a fairytale season had demanded.

Bond’s second campaign in the hot seat, for a time, looked as if it may be more even more exciting, especially when England striker Trevor Francis was signed from Nottingham Forest. Francis was one of the best strikers in the country and his debut at Stoke attracted a 10,000 travelling army of Blues supporters - and he didn’t disappoint the Mancunian hordes scoring twice in a 3-1 win.

Four weeks later and – just as Dennis Tueart had done 18 months earlier – another former hero re-signed for the Blues. Asa Hartford, one of the big-name casualties of Malcolm Allison’s purge, had never wanted to leave City in the first place and the midfielder was happy to return. The manager then signed his son Kevin from Seattle Sounders to bolster the defence. By Christmas the Blues were challenging at the top of the table and a fantastic display at Anfield on Boxing Day gave Bond’s men a 3-1 win – their first victory there for almost three decades. Two days later and the Blues went top with a 2-1 over Wolves but they could not maintain their challenge and like a racehorse that hits the front too soon, City fell away dramatically with just five more wins from the final 22 games.

Bond’s magic seemed to be fading as was his infectious enthusiasm. Trevor Francis was sold to Sampdoria and some even suggested the smart new roof on the Main Stand was the reason that City sold their crown jewel, all denied by chairman Swales, of course, who was regularly in the headlines for one reason or another. Only Bobby McDonald remained from the famed tartan trio and the players coming in were in general an odd assortment of bargain basement journeymen and lower league unknowns.

The writing was on the wall for all to see and a 4-0 thrashing in the FA Cup 4^th round at Brighton was the final straw for Bond who promptly resigned. His assistant John Benson was promoted to manager and subsequently City slipped towards the relegation trapdoor. The final match of the season was at home to Luton Town who needed a win to stay up while City needed just a draw. For 86 tense minutes it appeared as though 0-0 would be enough, but as the ball came to substitute Raddy Antic on the edge of the box, the future of Manchester City was about to take a dramatic change.

"Antic shot low and hard past Alex Williams for the only goal of the game. City were down and David Pleat’s victory jig was not what more than 43,000 mortified home supporters wanted to see ...."

So began the real misery of the 1980s. Billy McNeill was installed as new boss for the 1983/84 season but he couldn’t inspire an instant return with City finishing in fourth but for the final game of the 1984/85 campaign, a win would be enough to send the club back to Division One. Charlton Athletic were the visitors and 47,000 crammed into Maine Road for one of the stadium’s greatest games.

City were 2-0 at the break but few believed the game was over – the Blues never seemed to take the easy option on such occasions! This time, however, they did just that with three more goals before the hour-mark and an eventual 5-1 win. Promotion achieved but McNeill knew the club was in no real position to strengthen the squad and a dull return to top-flight football ended safely in sixteenth position. A trip to Wembley lightened the mood and despite the beating the competition had taken from all quarters, City and Chelsea walked out at Wembley for the Full Members Cup final and served up a thrilling match with the Londoners winning 5-4. A crowd of 68,000 – around half from Manchester - enjoyed a great day out.

A few weeks later and the Blues at last had silverware on the sideboard as our youth team beat United 2-0 in the second leg of the final at Maine Road after the first leg had ended 1-1. More than 18,000 watched the second leg and the crop of youngsters City had produced included David White, Andy Hinchcliffe, Ian Brightwell, Paul Moulden, Steve Redmond, Ian Scott and Paul Lake. Their emergence couldn’t have been timed any better with the Blues in serious financial trouble.

The dark clouds returned to Maine Road seven games into the 1986/87 season with Billy McNeill quitting to become Aston Villa boss. Like Bond before him, he could see what was coming and didn’t want to be around when it did. His assistant Jimmy Frizzell took over but he couldn’t stop the inevitable relegation and once again, the Blues faced life in the second tier.

For the third time in his controversial role as chairman, Peter Swales turned to the manager of Norwich City to revive the Blues. This time, it was the quietly spoken Mel Machin, respected in the game as one of the most promising coaches of the time. With Imre Varadi and Paul Stewart leading the line, there were plenty of goals in his first season (1987/88) including an amazing 10-1 win over Huddersfield Town at Maine Road, but the finish of ninth was still disappointing. Reaching the quarterfinals of both domestic competitions suggested better things were on the horizon, especially as the club’s talented youngsters were now first team regulars .

Inconsistency during the 1988/89 season meant that – for the third time during the Eighties – everything depended on the last game of the season. City needed a point at Bradford City, but with just four minutes left, the Blues trailed 1-0. With Crystal Palace winning their game, Machin's side looked set to miss out on a return to the top division.

In a last desperate push, Paul Moulden set David White away down the left, he looked up and whipped in a low cross that was poked home by Trevor Morley to make it 1-1 and send the travelling thousands wild at Valley Parade. Again, City were back - in typically dramatic fashion - but the fans again wondered one thing: for how long this time?

The inflatable banana craze that had peaked during 1988/89 was slowly on the decline as Machin began to strengthen his team in the close season of 1989 by signing Bournemouth midfielder Ian Bishop for £465,000. Bishop had inspired his old side to almost wreck City’s promotion hopes in the penultimate game of the previous campaign by coming back from 3-0 down to draw 3-3 at Maine Road.

Also brought on board for £1.1 million was Bordeaux striker Clive Allen who had earned a reputation as one of the best finishers since Jimmy Greaves. It would be Allen’s first goal that would give his new club their first win since returning to Division One some five games into the 1989/90 campaign.

A couple of games later and United were back at Maine Road for the first time since 1986 for the Manchester derby. Both sides were struggling near the foot of the table and needed a morale-boosting win, but there was little clue prior to the match of the dramatic events that would give City fans a day they would never forget.

The Blues were simply irresistible from start to finish and by the time the referee blew for full-time, City had beaten United 5-1. It was an unbelievable result and one some thought may even cost Alex Ferguson his job. in contrast, Machin must have thought he had a job for life and the freedom of the city, but football can be a particularly cruel sport and just six league games later, following a 6-0 mauling by Derby County, Machin was sacked.

In between managers, Colin Hendry was signed from Blackburn Rovers for £700,000 but one point from the next four games increased pressure on Swales to find a new manager and by mid-December, they believed they had found the right man. Howard Kendall agreed to take over the wobbling Blues after Joe Royle had turned Swales’ somewhat clumsy approach down and the new man  immediately began dismantling Machin’s side.

Flair and imagination were replaced by grit and determination and City climbed to safety with Arsenal striker Niall Quinn joining towards the end of the season. Fourteenth spot was a job well done by the new management team who now drew plans for the 1990/91 season bringing in Tony Coton and Neil Pointon. The popular Quinn was to soon forge a formidable partnership with David White and City began the new campaign impressively losing only one of the first eleven games but also suffering the devastating loss of starlet Paul Lake with a knee injury that would effectively be the beginning of the end for a player who seemed to have had the world at his feet.

Then, completely out of the blue, Kendall quit to return to Goodison Park stating that City had been an affair while Everton was a marriage.

This time, Swales did not have to look too far for the new man as a wave of fan pressure made Peter Reid the only candidate for the job. He took to his new role as player/manager like the proverbial duck to water and steered City to finish in fifth place and above United for the first time since the late 1970s. Keith Curle and Steve McMahon were significant recruits during 1991/92 and again the Blues finished in fifth.

Things began to go awry for Reid the next season despite the capture of Eire defender Terry Phelan and Tottenham’s hoodoo over City that season played a significant spoiling role as the North Londoners completed a league double and knocked the Blues out of both cup competitions with the FA Cup defeat at Maine Road.. .

The football had become a little stale and a finish of ninth was a definite backward step for Reid’s side. Pressure to quit was also reaching unprecedented levels for chairman Swales, but a few games into the 1993/94 season and things went completely off the scale. Former journalist John Maddock had been brought in initially as a PR officer and then was quickly elevated to role of general manager. He made it clear he was no puppet and claimed he could hire and fire as he wished. Few believed this to be anything other than a Swales ploy to deflect criticism of any imminent actions. Sure enough, days later Reid and his assistant Same Ellis were dismissed. ave Swales removed reached fever pitch.

Maddock was soon busying himself seeking a replacement for Reid. Many top names were mentioned but there was surprise when Oxford United boss Brian Horton was revealed as City’s new manager. There was disbelief and anger amongst fans that a bigger name hadn’t been employed but, somewhere amidst all the madness, Horton emerged not as the culprit but rather as somebody caught up in the middle of a boardroom mess. It was still Swales the fans wanted to go and a campaign to remove him from Maine Road was gathering momentum.

If Horton and assistant David Moss were worried how the supporters would react to their arrival, they needn’t have and were warmly welcomed for their first game at Swindon. A 3-1 win eased some of the misery but away from the field of play events were about to take a dramatic turn.

Francis Lee, multi-millionaire businessman and one of the greatest players to have ever pulled on a sky blue jersey was preparing a bid to take over the club. For City fans, it was manna from heaven. Who better to save their beloved club than a former hero? A long and sometimes painful campaign to install Lee and his consortium to power ensued until finally, on 29 November 1993, Peter Swales quit as chairman after 20 years in the seat paving the way for Lee to assume the mantle for himself. It had been a particularly fraught time in the club’s history and especially so for Swales, a man whose love for City eventually proved his own undoing.

Meanwhile Horton was desperately trying to keep the Blues a top-flight club and the signing of David Rocastle proved to be an inspired one. With Lee now installed, many wondered how long the likeable Horton would keep his job for but towards the end of the season, Peter Beagrie, Paul Walsh and Uwe Rosler were signed and their significant contributions eased City away from the drop zone. For Maine Road’s most famous stand – the Kippax – it was also the end of an era. A 2-2 draw with Chelsea was the last time City fans would stand on this much-loved old terrace before the developers moved in to build a new all-seater stand.

With a severely reduced capacity, of initially around 21,000 City entered season 1994/95 with Brian Horton still manager. Maine Road was to witness several thrilling home games such as a 5-2 win over Tottenham and a 3-3 draw with Southampton. The team, which now included Mike Summerbee’s son Nicky and German maverick midfielder Maurizio Gaudino, were playing exciting, attacking football . The Blues were still near the wrong end of the table and for all the goals and entertainment, City finished in seventeenth that season with the miserable 3-2 home loss to QPR to be Horton’s last game in charge.

Lee sacked him a few days after the QPR game and many felt he’d always been on borrowed time due to the circumstances of his arrival and subsequent events in-between. He had at least won the respect of the supporters and over the years has been fondly remembered as one of the most popular managers of that era. Once again, City were making the headlines again for activities away from the playing field and speculation was rife as to who would become the new Maine man and with Lee in control, a big name was expected.

Whether the chairman was keen to employ his own man or whether he genuinely felt Horton was not the right man to lead the Blues is unclear. It seemed he must have somebody lined up already and each day passed with supporters expecting an announcement any day. George Graham, still embroiled in a FA investigation seemed to be the clear favourite but with no definite end to his saga the longer time passed the less likely it seemed. May turned to June and as thoughts began to turn to pre-season training, City fans wondered just when a new man would arrive to take over their club.

Then, at the end of June, it was announced Alan Ball was to be the Blues’ new boss - an appointment that again came out of the blue. Two weeks after Ball’s arrival City beat off a host of top European clubs to sign Georgian midfielder Georgi Kinkladze. ‘Kinky’ had been apparently on the club’s wanted list for sometime and Ball soon drooled: “He’ll have them hanging from the rafters at Maine Road.” And he would be proved correct.

Also signed were Kit Symons and Eike Immel and the opening day draw with Tottenham suggested a promising season lay ahead, particularly with Kinkladze’s sparkling debut. What followed was nothing short of disastrous – eight successive league defeats in a row saw City anchored to the foot of the Premier League table. A home draw with Leeds temporarily halted the run but a League Cup tie and league match at Liverpool within the space of three days suggested Ball's team were quickly becoming cannon fodder. The cup tie ended 4-0 to the Reds and the league match was even worse with the the Blues thrashed 6-0.

Ball angered City fans by later claiming that “he’d enjoyed the Liverpool display.” Many thought it would be his last match in charge, but surprisingly, it wasn’t.

In a complete turnaround and inspired by the new crowd idol Kinkladze, City enjoyed an excellent November, winning three games and drawing another as Ball picked up the Manager of the Month award! From one extreme to the other! By the end of January City were still embroiled in a relegation battle.

Then league leaders Newcastle arrived at Maine Road and despite the previous week’s result, the Blues put on a thrilling performance and were a shade unlucky to only take a point out of a 3-3 draw. Kinkladze was by now a god to City fans who could scarcely believe that he one of the best players in the world was strutting his stuff in a sky blue shirt.

In the final few weeks of the season, Oasis played two concerts at Maine Road and the pitch suffered quite badly – all this before the final home game of the season against Liverpool. City lay third bottom and needed to better the result of Southampton or Coventry to stay up. It was a surreal day from start to finish. Peter Swales had sadly died a few days earlier and the one minute silence was impeccably observed by the City faithful who recognised that despite his stubbornness, he was just another City fan like they were.

The surface of the pitch played its part in the opening goal as Steve Lomas sliced the ball into his own net from a corner. Liverpool appeared laid back and there for the taking – there was muted celebrations for the opening goal and again for the second from Ian Rush. All seemed lost – City needed at least a point to have a chance at all of survival but couldn’t seem to get going. Then a piece of Kinky magic won a penalty on 70 minutes that Uwe Rosler dispatched and eight minutes later Symons cracked home the equaliser. Maine Road was in raptures but with other results going against us, City still needed to fashion a winner. Rumours were rife Coventry were losing and amazingly, it seemed most of the City bench took that to be a fact and encouraged the side to waste time as the clocked ticked towards 90 minutes.

Lomas wasted precious moments in the corner, before Niall Quinn raced down the touchline to shout that a draw wasn;t enough - but it was too late. The game ended 2-2 and with both Southampton and Coventry picking up a point, City were down again.

A summer of discontent followed with Ball allowed to continue as manager. Garry Flitcroft, Coton, Phelan, Quinn and Curle were sold as part of a wage-trimming exercise and the weakened Blues began life in Division One with a 1-0 win over Ipswich Town but defeats at Bolton and then Stoke were the final straw and Ball who resigned shortly after. His last act as boss had been to sign Paul Dickov and it was also one of his best. The former Arsenal man would repay the £800,000 fee over many times over the next six years.

Asa Hartford valiantly filled the void until Steve Coppell was installed. He lasted exactly one month and was replaced by his assistant Phil Neal who lasted six weeks before Frank Clark finally became boss in December 1996. City's managerial merry-go-round had reached its tipping point.

Clark steered City away from relegation and to a comfortable mid-table position culminating in a final home game win over Reading. The game itself wasn’t memorable but the reception for the injured Kinkladze, who deserved a bigger stage to display his extraordinary talent – not that City fans didn’t deserve such a player – far from it. Undoubtedly the best supporters in England merited another ten Kinkladze’s.

The whole of Maine Road stayed to clap the players as usual for the final home game but the Georgian flags, banners and songs chanted throughout the game were all pleading him not to leave. He looked taken back as he walked around the pitch in his suit and overwhelmed by the adulation. Perhaps too loyal to those who worshipped him, he then decided to stay and try and help the club back to the Premier League. It would be a mistake that would take his career down a far less glittering path than is surely deserved.

Clark’s first full season in charge for 1997/98 would also be his last. Another incredible chapter was written in the history of Manchester City as Clark’s ailing troops stumbled from one mishap to another and by February, he’d been sacked. Joe Royle was City’s next manager and an extremely popular one at that. He brought back Ian Bishop from West Ham, Jamie Pollock from Bolton and also signed future hero Shaun Goater from Bristol City.

Chairman Francis Lee resigned and David Bernstein took over, but despite all the changes and the fact that there had seemed to have been enough time to save the club from relegation, a 5-2 win at Stoke on the final day was not enough to keep City in Division One.

The Blues had been relegated to the third tier of English football for the first time in our history. Kinkladze, clearly never in Royle’s plans for the future was allowed to join Ajax and Rosler returned to Germany.

As Royle’s brave new Blues began the 1998/99 season, few would have believed it could end so dramatically. Patchy form leading up to Christmas had seen the Blues off the pace at the top and facing a battle to even make the play-offs but a game many believe was to shape the club’s future took place on December 28 when Stoke City were the visitors. Trailing 1-0 at half-time, the introduction of Paul Dickov and a crunching tackle from Tony Vaughan early into the second period fired the players and crowd not just to go on and win 2-1 win, but all the way to the play-off semi-finals. There, City faced Wigan Athletic over two legs, drawing the first 1-1 despite going behind after just 20 seconds. The return match went City’s way with new hero Shaun Goater grabbing the only goal to send the club to Wembley for the first time since the Full Members Cup final in the mid-eighties.

The play-off final began evenly but gradually opponents Gillingham threatened more and more until they took a second half lead though Carl Asaba. Worse was to follow with four minutes left when Robert Taylor made it 2-0. for the Gills. Many of the 40,000 City fans left Wembley in tears unable to watch anymore and as the clock ticked just shy of ninety minutes, Kevin Horlock pulled a goal back. The referee then indicated there would be an additional five minutes extra time and suddenly there was everything to play for. In the 94^th minute, seconds from time, the ball arrived at Dickov’s feet and he dispatched a powerful drive past Vince Bartram for the most unlikely and incredible equaliser. Seldom, if ever, have the Blues’ fans celebrated with such delirious abandonment. From there on in, it was always going to be City’s day and the Blues went on to win the penalty shoot-out confidently with young goalkeeper Nicky Weaver outstanding.

Fast forward 12 months later and another wonderful season hinged on a victory in the final game of the season away to Blackburn.

It was another ‘only City’ type afternoon as possibly more than 15,000 Mancunians took over Ewood Park and the surrounding hills with the prospect of back-to-back promotions for Royle's side. With Ipswich awaiting any slip-up to take the second automatic spot, City trailed 1-0 at the break and were lucky it wasn’t many more after a series of woodwork strikes by the hosts.

But the second half belonged to Royle’s men and after Goater collected his 29^th of the campaign to level scores, an own goal soon followed and Mark Kennedy drilled home the third before the talismanic Dickov added a fourth to send City back to the Premier League and spark incredible scenes of joy on the Ewood Park pitch. The celebrations lasted all summer.

The return to the top flight would be a disappointing one despite the signings of Paulo Wanchope and superstar George Weah. The 4-0 opening day defeat at Charlton was hard to stomach and seemed to set the tone for the season ahead. Wanchope grabbed a hat-trick on his home debut against Sunderland - along with a rare Alfie Haaland goal - but in truth it was one of only a few highlights with Weah soon on his travels again and the Blues went straight back down after a poor campaign.

Lessons hadn’t been learned on the pitch and though Royle was eternally in credit with the City fans, chairman Bernstein took a brave decision in sacking the still popular boss shortly after relegation was confirmed. Royle had worked wonders with the City side but had perhaps taken us as far as he could.

Within three days the Blues announced Kevin Keegan was the new manager of Manchester City. It was an amazing coup by the City board and one that excited the fans. Here was a man who had done it all and was respected throughout the world as one of England’s best-ever players. The gloom of relegation was replaced by expectancy and optimism and the 2001/02 campaign began with Eyal Berkovic and Stuart Pearce in the team and the opening fixture, a Saturday evening home match with Watford fairly crackled with electricity. Some called it the ‘KK Factor’ – whatever it was Maine Road was alive again and the manner in which City dispatched Watford 3-0 suggested happy days were ahead. They were.

Keegan’s attacking philosophy certainly saw City ship a few goals along the way, but his team almost always scored more than they conceded. The arrival of Ali Benarbia gave the Blues – with Berkovic – a creative midfield supply many Premier League sides could not match, let alone other Division One sides. Goater and Wanchope linked well in attack and were feasting on goals and there were several breathtaking performances, notably 4-2 at Burnley and 6-2 at Sheffield Wednesday. With Pearce as captain, the midfielders on another planet and the strikers on fire, the Blues coasted to the Division One championship with records falling all over the place. 108 goals were scored during one of the most enjoyable seasons in living memory.

And with the prospect of City moving into a new home for the start of the 2003/04 campaign, it was an exciting time to be a Blue.

Keegan made it clear he wasn’t interested in plodding along as a Premier League also-ran and wasted no time adding world class talent, the likes of which most at Maine Road had never seen before such as Nicolas Anelka, Sylvain Distin, Robbie Fowler and Peter Schmeichel.

City fans soaked up the final season at Maine Road, with the last Manchester derby at our old home ending 3-1 to the Blues who would go on to end the season in ninth.

Marc Vivien Foe would score the last City goal in a 3-0 win over Sunderland, and the final match at our home of 80 years would end with a 0-1 defeat to Southampton and the club, after years of preparation finally left Maine Road in the summer to reside in their new home, the City of Manchester Stadium ain East Manchester.

Yet City’s old ground will never be forgotten and the bricks and mortar that made it home from 1923 to 2003 may be long gone, but the memories of those who were lucky enough to go there regularly linger on.

MAINE RoaD CULT HEROES

The story behind a few of our more 'colourful' players that graced Maine Road over the years...

Rodney Marsh: 1972-1975

Socks rolled down his ankles, trudging towards the dressing rooms, Rodney Marsh cut a lonely figure when he decided to snub the presentation ceremony at the end of the 1974 League Cup final. Marsh had done his best, but City had lost 2-1 to Wolverhampton Wanderers and the disappointment hit him hard.

While the other City players stayed to applaud Wolves as they collected the trophy, Marsh was even booed by his own supporters for this unsporting behaviour. But Marsh was, and always has been a law unto himself. Was he trying to attract attention to himself, even in the midst of a morale-crushing defeat?

Only Rodney could answer that. He foraged a lonely path for most of his career – but one thing that could never be denied was that Rodney Marsh was an entertainer and football is a spectator sport, after all. He put bums on seats and the fans lapped it up. Capable of genius and - and the odd lacklustre display - there wasn’t much middle ground with the man whose name echoed around the Kippax long after he’d gone.  

“I never wanted to sign Rodney, you know Tommy. It was all Malcolm’s doing.” Joe Mercer squinted into the Hoylake sunshine and struck his ball towards the tiny patch lush green turf in the distance. The 'Tommy' in question was Mike Doyle - his nickname after his dad - and Genial Joe had a captive audience. Doyle had never liked Marsh – he thought he could play, but there was something about him he could never take to. Too flash for his liking.

The men played their game but the revelation had come as no surprise to Doyle. Marsh had Big Mal stamped all over him and the pair were two of a kind, some might label them Champagne Charlie’s but nobody doubted their ability and they stuck together - when Big Mal, by then manager of the Blues, was under severe pressure from the board towards the end of his tenure, Marsh stated “If Malcolm goes, I’ll quit, too.”

Born October 11, 1944 in London’s East End, Marsh was a docker’s son from Stepney. He lived and breathed football from an early age and always wanted to be the star man in the team, practicing tricks and blessed with a natural ability that made him stand out a mile in junior matches. A bright lad, he turned down the chance to go to grammar school because they only played rugby, which he hated.

He knew his path to stardom was assured and he wouldn’t do anything that might end his dream of becoming a professional footballer. He began his career aged 17, when he signed for Fulham and made his debut against Aston Villa in 1963 and he made an immediate impression. “We won 1-0 and I scored the only goal,” he recalled. “Was it a good goal? No, it was a brilliant goal – a right-foot volley 25 yards out into the top corner on 61 minutes.”

Rodney not only played a good game, he talked a good game, too. He learned his trade at Craven Cottage under the watchful eye of the great Johnny Haynes, Marsh’s idol, and the raw youngster studied Haynes’ technique and learned all he could from him. “His standards were incredibly high,” he said of Haynes, “both in what he asked of himself and of others.”

In 1966, aged 21, Marsh transferred to QPR and it was while at Loftus Road that his star really began to shine. Rangers may have been in the Third Division, but Marsh’s signing seemed to be the icing on the cake for a side that would cause one of the biggest cup upsets of all time.

“There was a time, between 1967 and 1969, when QPR were unbeatable,” said Marsh. “We won promotion in successive seasons and also reached the League Cup final in ’67 where we played West Bromwich Albion.”

A spectacular goal at Wembley often does wonders for one’s career and if anyone was likely to seize the moment, it was Marsh. Though West Brom led 2-0 at the break, Rangers fought back and it was Marsh who levelled the scores with a goal that remains as crystal clear in his mind today as it were yesterday. “I picked up a long pass out of defence about 40 yards from their goal,” he recalled. “I turned my marker, went to the left, went to the right, beat a couple of other players along the way and them suddenly, from 25 yards, hit a shot that skimmed across the Wembley surface, hit the inside of the post and went in. It was pandemonium.”

He continued to enthral, frustrate and delight in equal measure before winning his first England cap against Switzerland in 1972. Shortly after he became only the fourth player to transfer for a fee of £200,000 or more when Malcolm Allison brought the mercurial forward to Maine Road, just 24 hours before the transfer deadline, for what seemed likely to be the title run-in for City. It was March 1972 and the Blues were clear at the top of the table with just nine games to go. Six wins would land the title and Allison reckoned Marsh’s arrival would be coup de grace his team needed, but the move was to spectacularly backfire.

The deal was clinched in a 45-minute meeting a London hotel and it was a club record for City. Allison, who had tracked the player for four years, was convinced Marsh could be City’s answer to George Best and he thought he’d also add 10,000 to the gate at Maine Road. Joe Mercer wasn’t convinced that Marsh would be good for the team and besides, why even take the risk of failure when things were going so well? But Joe trusted Malcolm’s reasoning and he put up a great case for Marsh’s signing.

“This has been a tremendously successful day for me,” said Allison. “I’m delighted we came to a quick agreement with QPR. Rodney is a great character and a Cockney. That means there will be two Cockneys at Maine Road – him and me. We can keep each other company.”

Marsh would no longer be the big fish in the small pond, either. He was joining a club brimming with talent and in Colin Bell, Francis Lee and Mike Summerbee, three of the greatest talents of the era. Lee saw no harm at all in Marsh’s arrival and said: “To bring the best out of his style of play, I think City is the only club he could go to. I think his signing is an exciting prospect.”

Yet he was joining a squad of largely tough northerners with a tremendous work ethic. They played as a team and despite the talent at the club, there were no superstars and all got on well together. It was an ageing side, but they certainly had on last hurrah in them and a desire to prove the cynics wrong by landing the league championship for a second time in just four years. The Blues topped the division through hard work, though there were plenty of match winners in the team. Young Tony Towers had broken into the side and was having a fantastic season – many felt it was City's title to lose and in that respect, Allison was taking a spectacular gamble. The irony was, City had nearly signed Marsh before the start of the season for a fee of £154,000 – and had he enjoyed a pre-season with his new team-mates, learned how they played and the team understand better how he played and could fit into the side, things may have been very different. The offer, however, was considered too low and the deal was put on ice.

Allison couldn’t wait to get Marsh into the side and despite not quite recovering from a slight groin strain and not being totally fit, he was plunged into the home game with Chelsea, with Towers relegated to the bench. More than 53,000 turned out to see his home debut – some 10,000 above the average attendance that season, and City edged the game 1-0. Yet it was clear from the word go that Marsh’s arrival was interrupting the fast counter-attacking style of the team, with Marsh collecting the ball out wide and holding up the ball as he attempted to beat his marker.

During the next three games, City took just one point, drawing at Newcastle before losing at home to Stoke City and then at Southampton. The impetus had been lost and the Blues were off the top. Marsh showed his talent in the next game, scoring twice in a 3-1 home win over West Ham, but was on the bench at Old Trafford for the Manchester derby. Allison had told Marsh he would play at least half the game and Mike Doyle was the man to make way. City won 3-1 and Marsh scored again, though he was left out of the side that drew at Coventry he was back for the trip to Ipswich, where the title hopes completely disappeared in a 2-1 defeat. The Blues ended the campaign by beating champions Derby 2-0, but ended fourth in the final standings.

The finger was pointed squarely at one man – unfairly, of course – but it was Rodney Marsh who was blamed for losing the title in 1972. Marsh later admitted he was the reason behind the slump in form. “I changed the way Manchester City played football,” he said. “When I joined them they were a well-oiled machine, well coordinated and well organized. But what they didn’t have, and I hate to say this, was star quality and that was what I was supposed to provide and although I provided it, it was to the detriment of team play.

“They started to play around me and we lost the focus of what we were trying to do. I hold my hand up to say I was the responsible for City losing the championship in 1972.”

An amazing, honest admission from a man never afraid of speaking the truth.

The dye had been cast and his relationship with the club, supporters and team-mates would be filled with controversy from there on in. It would never be dull, though.

To Marsh, Manchester had something of a claustrophobic feel to it. Back then, there wasn’t that much to do and wherever he went, he was under the spotlight. His clothes were different, his hair was different, his car was different and his outlook on life was different. Yet Rodney Marsh was perhaps the closest thing to a living embodiment of Manchester City Football Club.

He was mercurial, unpredictable and a lovable rogue. To not like Marsh was to not like football. He was, at times, magical to watch and pure entertainment. The fans fell in love with him and though at times it was a rocky affair, it was in many ways a match made in heaven. Fate had set a course for City and they weren’t meant to win the league title that year, end of story. It wasn’t the end of Rodney Marsh, however, whose colourful stay with the Blues had only just begun.  

He would continue to produce moments of magic, frustration and everything in-between until a parting of the ways in April 1976 when he signed for Tampa Bay Rowdies in the USA.

Rodney Marsh and Tampa Bay - what could possibly go wrong?!

Tony Coleman: 1967-69

Punching a referee, throwing furniture out of a window at Lilleshall and generally causing mayhem wherever he went – meet Tony Coleman, the scouse winger who arrived to play his role in City’s halcyon days before moving on like the free spirit he undoubtedly was.

Coleman was regarded, in football circles, as trouble with a capital T.. He had a reputation for mischief-making and had served a lengthy ban from the game for giving a ref a right-hook on one occasion. He was also, of course, a very good footballer and Malcolm Allison - who had once described Coleman as "the nightmare of a delirious probation officer”, was acutely aware of what Coleman could bring to the City team down the right side, but it’s fair to say he had to use a major charm offensive to convince Mercer to sanction the move.

City paid £110,000 for Coleman who arrived in April 1967 in time to make his debut against Stoke at Maine Road. City won 3-1 that day with Colin Bell bagging a rare hat-trick and the Blues lost just one of the remaining eight games.

The Kippax loved his cocky swagger and bad boy reputation – plus he was one of the first players to sport a genuine ‘Beatles haircut’ though he looked more like a gritty method actor from any number of northern kitchen sink dramas of the era.

In season 1967/68 Coleman added balance and poise to City’s attacks but was a feisty devil – part of a team of winners and despite his wayward nature, he’d found his spiritual home. The club he’d joined was just like he was – unpredictable, mesmeric with a delight to delight and infuriate in equal measure.

As Joe Mercer’s side clicked into an unstoppable groove, Coleman was doing his bit, though rarely stealing the limelight from the likes of Bell, Summerbee and Lee. He rarely scored vital winners but he was playing his part to the full and as the Blues began their final push for the championship, Coleman missed two games against Chelsea and Wolves and City failed to score in either of them.

As the winners medals were dished out, he’d earned his as much as anybody else. He played much of the less glorious 1968/69 campaign, but still stacked up enough appearances to be considered a regular.

But beneath the mischievousness, the frequent misdemeanours and quick wit (he once asked Princess Anne ‘how’s your mam?’ while being introduced before the 1969 FA Cup final), there was a talented footballer who perhaps never quite got the credit he deserved for the role he played for City in the Mercer/Allison glory years.

But he fell out of favour for the ’69/70 campaign, as was his nature, and he played his final game for City in a League Cup tie against his hometown club Liverpool. That was the end for 'T.C ', who then left Maine Road to seek his fortune at Sheffield Wednesday, but of course, it didn’t last that long and he gradually faded from the scene all together.

Perhaps fittingly, of all the glory years’ team, it is Coleman who has proved most elusive. He’s not been seen around the club for decades and there were various reports of him living in South Africa while others have him residing in Australia. Wherever he is, he is a true City enigma – perhaps the finest – and it’s only right he remains as mysterious today as he ever was in his pomp.

Would we want it any other way?

Andy Morrison: 1998-2001

Few players have had quite the impact Andy Morrison did when he first arrived at City, initially on loan from Huddersfield Town.

With an imposing physical presence, the strapping centre-half looked more like an army drill instructor, or perhaps a nightclub bouncer than a professional footballer but if anyone thought he’d be better-suited to those particular roles, within a couple of appearances for the Blues they had evaporated into thin air.

As the old saying goes, if you were in the trenches, you’d want somebody like Andy Morrison in there alongside you. For any centre forward that was even slightly feint of heart, Morrison cut a menacing figure. Built like a brick outhouse with a shaved, flat top hairstyle, he was straight out of a Vietnamese war movie. Tough as old boots, he went in where it hurt and when he hit players in the tackle, they stayed hit. In the nicest possible way, he was an inspirational beast of a player.

He was also the perfect man to help resurrect an ailing City team who were floundering in Division Two, a ship without a captain. Joe Royle brought Morrison in on a month’s loan and his impact was nothing short of seismic He scored in both of his first two games for City – one a last gasp winner against Colchester and the other a screamer at Oldham and he galvanised a lightweight back four that had been soldiering on with young Nick Fenton at centre back. In this dog-eat-dog division, youngsters like Fenton were something of a liability and often an easy pickings to some of the gnarly journeyman strikers lying I wait.

Royle moved quickly to seal a permanent move for Morrison and at just £80,000, the Blues had at last acquired a genuine leader to take halt the slide and resurrect their fading hopes of promotion. 'Mozzer' hated slackers and was forever shouting, cajoling and organising the defence – in short, he was a natural leader the team desperately needed.

City’s form turned slowly but surely and they lost just two of their final 25 games (both defeats at home) as they powered their way to the play-off decider against Gillingham. Morrison - playing against advice after a painful injection in his failing knee joints - was injured early on at Wembley and had to be substituted, but he was able to collect the trophy at the end  after the Blues triumphed on penalties – and boy, did he enjoy it.

He was a good footballer, too and could pick 50-yard passes with precision and weight that Glenn Hoddle would have been proud of. He was also dominant in the air but was the first to admit his anger sometimes got the better of him, resulting in the occasional dust-up with the opposition.

But the City fans loved him for it. He was wholehearted and dedicated to the cause and he was finally earning the recognition he deserved after many years in the lower leagues. Why it took him so long to climb the ladder is a mystery.

City began the new season like a runaway train and Morrison played his part to the full, but following a 2-1 win over Port Vale in October 2000, he picked up a nasty knee injury that ruled him out of the remainder of the campaign.

For Mozzer, after finally finding a club he could make real progress with, it was a devastating blow that he understandably didn’t take too well. He also missed the first half of the Blues’ return to the Premier League, but was fit for the first game of the New Year.

It was a different Andy Morrison who returned, however, looking unusually hesitant and making the odd uncharacteristic mistakes with the pain in his knees clearly restricting his normal game. He scored in his second comeback game, much to the delight of the ecstatic Maine Road crowd, but it was clear that his injury wasn’t entirely cleared up and it was just his heart and desire that was pushing him on. City’s 4-2 defeat at Liverpool in the FA Cup was to be his last game for the club, just six games into his return. He then went on loan to Blackpool, Crystal Palace and Sheffield United in a bid to convince Royle that he could compete with new signings Steve Howey and Richard Dunne, but despite 14 games with other clubs, he was never selected again and left City in the autumn of 2001, retiring shortly after.

A wonderful servant to the club, his enthusiasm and efforts have never been forgotten by the City fans and he undoubtedly inspired a team heading for anonymity to win promotion in successive seasons become the powerhouse we are today.

Tommy Hutchison: 1981-84

Tommy Hutchison was a football genius – no more, no less. He was a class act and he should have gone down in history as a member of the select Wembley Winning Goals Club, but more of that later...

John Bond signed 'Hutch' for peanuts from Coventry City, along with full-back Bobby McDonald and around the same time as midfield warrior Gerry Gow - combined the fee was less than £500,000 - and never have three signings galvanised a side in quite the way these three veteran Scots did. While McDonald was brutish effort and endeavour, and Gow was gnashing teeth and, bloodthirsty tackles and gnarled nous, Hutch was the ballet star, aesthetically beautiful to watch and full of grace.

It’s well-documented the effect these three players had, but while it was easier to understand that McDonald and Gow had forged semi-successful careers making the most of what they had, Hutchison was something of a mystery. The first thing most City fans wondered when Hutchison made his home debut against Norwich was, ‘how come we’ve never heard or seen much of this guy before?’

In the days before Sky TV, there were a number of players that you only occasionally saw on Match of the Day or read about. For many kids, you learned about the majority of players via the bubblegum football cards. Yet, aged 33, Hutch was no spring chicken when he joined City, so where had he been hiding all those years? Well, the answer to that was Coventry City. He spent eight years there, winning 17 caps for Scotland but the 'other' Sky Blues had a lower profile than City with less exposure or expectation.

Hutch was voted Coventry's all-time favourite player of the old First Division era in a recent poll, but it was still a mystery as to why he hadn’t been snapped up by a top club – until City came in, of course. Hutch had something you can’t teach kids – an ability to seemingly have all the time in the world every time he got the ball. There was rarely a wasted ball from a man who’s physical appearance wouldn’t have looked out of place in the Wild West!

He had an innate talent to look graceful in possession and seemed to glide with the ball rather than run. He was hardy, too, for a winger, with no shortage of Scottish grit and passion.

He fitted into John Bond’s team like a glove and City were soon climbing the league and embarking on an unforgettable FA Cup run. The City fans loved Hutch – he was an archetypal Manchester City player and he played his part in saving the Blues from almost certain relegation during that first season and he started every cup-tie on the road to Wembley. The cup final was a fitting coup de grace for this most elegant purveyor of the game and when fairytale-land beckoned with a spectacular goal against Spurs, few who knew him begrudged him a well-earned moment in the spotlight.

Yet what happened later in that same game is now the stuff of legend. With the match entering the final ten or so minutes, Hutch, desperate to keep out a Spurs free kick peeled slightly to the left of a defensive wall as he’d heard Glenn Hoddle indicate he was going to bend it around the right of the wall. His decision resulted in him being just close enough to connect with the well-struck ball and totally redirect the flight of the ball into his own net and past Joe Corrigan.

He sunk to his knees for a moment or two, trying to absorb the moment and its implications. Spurs 1, City 1 with still time to play, but both teams were dead on their feet and there were no more goals in normal or extra time. A replay was arranged for the following Thursday. Hutch still managed to provide the cushioned header that set up Steve Mackenzie’s wonderful volley to make the score 1-1 in that game, but, despite leading 2-1 at one stage, the Blues lost 3-2 thanks to two late Tottenham goals. It was a miserable day. Nobody (bar perhaps Hutch himself) held the City winger responsible for the eventual outcome.

He came back for another season and, for a while, helped the club to top the table and go into the New Year as leaders. But he was injured in the 2-1 defeat at Southampton a week into 1982 and he never played for City again. He’d begun with a win on the south coast with a 2-1 win over Brighton and he’d ended it a few miles away at The Dell. Without him, City won just four times in 18 games and plummeted from pole position to tenth. On July 1, Hutch moved to Hong Kong club Bulova and then headed off to Seattle Sounders for a while. Later, he became Swansea’s manager for a short while and is in the Swans’ record books as the oldest player ever to turn out aged 43 years, five months and 19 days old. His role in City’s recent history will not be forgotten - a classy footballer.

 David Rocastle 1993-94

The tale of David Rocastle is ultimately a tragic one. The former Arsenal and England midfielder arrived at Maine Road via a short stay with Leeds United. David White moved to Elland Road in December 1993 and Rocastle moved to City in a straight swap valued at £2m and he made his debut against Blackburn in a 1-1 draw just before the New Year.

He was an instant hit with the fans and his class was immediately apparent in a side that included the likes of David Brightwell, Alan Kernaghan, Kare Ingebrigtsen, Alfonse Gronendijk, Carl Shutt and Carl Griffiths. In fact, it was a City side seemingly headed for relegation, though the Blues would muster enough points to ultimately delay that particular treat for a couple of years.

Rocastle shone like a beacon at times in a poor City side..

Fans clung to him like a life raft on a sinking ship and he didn’t disappoint, but everybody knew it was to be a brief affair. It had to be. Even though Rocky was on the his own personal career descent, he still had what it took and against Ipswich produced one moment of Brazilian skill that won over any doubters in a second. with a delightful drag-back and cross that resulted in a Carl Shutt goal.

He continued to ooze class, even when he was having an off-day and the oft-heard comment around Maine Road was “imagine if we’d have got him five years ago.” Rocky played just 23 games for City and it’s amazing he made such a big impact given that he was only with the club for eight months – but he did and there was a great deal of disappointment when he was allowed to join Chelsea a few weeks before the 1994/95 season. He was undoubtedly one of the big-earners at Maine Road but the truth was that Rocky was finding life away from Highbury difficult and he looked a little lost at times in his post-Gunners career. His time with the Blues proved that, on his day, he was still one of the best English midfielders of his generation.

Things didn’t work out for him at Chelsea, and he went on loan to Norwich and Hull while still a Stamford Bridge player. He even tried his hand in Malaysia, but it was a mere stoking of the dying embers of a top class career. Winning league titles and a host of trophies one minute and fighting relegation the next had not been the swansong he must have hoped for.

Then, in February 2001, it was announced that he was suffering from non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and just two months later, he passed away aged only 33. Rocky left behind a wife and three children and though his time as a City player was short, he left a lasting impression on the pitch, and off it, where he proved equally popular. Respected and missed by those who knew him, he could have been a huge star with the Blues under different circumstances.

Ian Bishop 1989 & 1998-2001

Stylish, skilful and possessing the sort of vision that made him stand out a country mile alongside some of the journeymen around him.

All that and the long hair that made him look more like a rock star than a footballer.

The first time he really came to City fans’ notice was when, needing a win to secure promotion during the 1988/89 campaign, City raced into a 3-0 half-time lead against Bournemouth at Maine Road.

The party began on the Kippax because even City couldn’t throw this away… could we?

Bishop then played his part in securing we did, with Luther Blissett equalising from the spot in something like the 97th minute to make it 3-3 - so when anyone asks for explanations of the ‘typical City’ tag, this game pretty much sums it up.

Nonetheless, Mel Machin liked what he had seen and snapped up the midfielder for £700,000 following City’s last-gasp promotion clincher the following week at Bradford and Bishop jumped at the chance to move to Maine Road.

He was an instant hit with City fans, locking horns in one particular game with Paul Gascoigne – then in his pomp – and edging the battle with clever passing, dummies and even a nutmeg that infuriated Gazza  as it received the biggest roar of the day.

Cityzens Giving For Recovery: Find out more

In fact Bishop wasn’t just popular, he was idolised by the City fans during his first spell. pulling the strings in the 5-1 win over United September 1989 and scoring a diving header to make it 3-0.

He later played an inch perfect lofted ball that David White raced on to and crossed for Andy Hinchcliffe to make it five.

Bishop scored another header the following week in a 3-1 win over Luton Town – bizarre considering heading just wasn’t his forte at all - but it further cemented his tag as firm fan favourite.

But things soon went wrong for the City and following a 6-0 loss at Derby County not long after, Machin was fired.

Howard Kendall who had once had a spat with Bishop when he was an apprentice at Goodison Park for having hair that was too long and who also subsequently released the player - took over and quickly signed dogged midfield battlers he felt would save City from the drop.

Peter Reid, Alan Harper were signed and Gary Megson was recalled to the side – Bishop, all too predictably was dropped.

As Christmas approached, Kendall decided to bring in Mark Ward from West Ham and to the City fans’ dismay, Bishop was part of the exchange deal.

With the writing on the wall, he played his last game against Norwich and when substituted for the last time, he saluted the Maine Road faithful and left the pitch in tears.

Bishop was afforded warm receptions on his return to Maine Road in the claret and blue of West Ham and he went on to become a real favourite at Upton Park.

He was very much in the West Ham mindset of slick passing and attacking football. 

Meanwhile the City fans watched Megson and Harper patrol Kendall’s midfield – wholehearted competitors, yes, pleasing to the eye, sadly not.

Incredibly, the best part of an entire decade passed when, with Joe Royle now in charge at Maine Road, Bishop was made available on a free transfer by the Hammers.

Who better, thought Royle, than Bishop to orchestrate his team, now in the nation’s third tier, back to the upper echelons of English football?

The transfer was warmly received and for many, it was a treat to see Bish back where many felt he belonged.

The trouble was, he was at the wrong end of his career, now and the years had taken the sharpness out of his play, though he could still pick a pass.

His guile and vision played a major part of City’s dramatic return to the First Division where he again played his part in a second successive promotion.

The Premier League was maybe asking too much, though, and the then 34-year-old Bishop left for the USA to play for Miami Fusion, though returned to run a pub in Southport for a while.

In different circumstances, he’d have probably been with the Club for most of his career – as it was, City fans were given a brief cameo at the beginning and a cultured veteran at the back end of his playing days.

Both spells proved what a class act he was - on and off the pitch.

THE greatest: colin bell

City have been blessed with truly world class talent over the past decade.

Kevin De Bruyne, David Silva, Sergio Aguero Yaya Toure, Vincent Kompany… the list goes on.

But rewind to the mid-1960s and there is little argument about who City’s greatest player was… the one and only, Colin Bell.

And alongside today’s modern-day legends, Bell sits comfortably among a pantheon of extraordinary footballers, all of whom can lay claim to be City’s greatest all-time player, and with good reason.

Yet he might have never worn the iconic sky blue jersey, but for a clever bit of kidology from City coach Malcolm Allison who was hellbent on ensuring other suitors were put off as the Club tried to raise the necessary transfer fee to prise away Bury’s midfield diamond.

Famously, Allison sat in the stand at Gigg Lane among other scouts and managers, loudly expressing his doubts over Bell’s ability.

In fact, Big Mal questioned every aspect of the 20-year-old’s game.

“He can’t pass it,” he’d say absently (but just loud enough for those sat nearby to hear); “He can’t tackle,” he’d add and then, shaking his head while puffing on his cigar, “and he’s no good in the air.” He even left early, muttering that his visit to Gigg Lane had been a waste of time.

Whether anyone was fooled by Big Mal's bluster is unknown, but it certainly bought enough time for City to snap up Bell soon after once a deal had been agreed.

At £47,500, Bell – who had scored 25 goals in 83 games for the Shakers – was worth every penny of that fee plus much more.

Wearing the No. 10 shirt, he made his City debut against Derby County and scored one of the goals in a vital 2-1 win. He played in all 11 remaining league games – with ironically the only loss being a 1-0 defeat away to Bury – as the Blues went on to be crowned second tier champions and it had been Bell’s winner in a hard-fought 1-0 win at Rotherham that had clinched promotion

Signing the Hesleden-born youngster was already proving a very sound investment just two months into his career at Maine Road.

Bell was an ever-present during his first full season, making 50 starts and finished top scorer with 14 goals as the Blues limped to a final placing of fifteenth in the table - but that was merely the warm-up for the incredible years that still lay ahead.

Though he changed shirt numbers during his first 18 months, the No.8 jersey would eventually become his own and with a full top flight campaign under his belt, he set about shifting up another gear, as did many of his team-mates.

Francis Lee had joined the club partway through the 1967/68 season and for many, this represented the final piece of the Mercer-Allison jigsaw.

Suddenly, Manchester City were playing a stylish, aggressive style that had a definite swagger in it.

The balance was perfect from back to front, with big personalities such as Mike Summerbee, Tony Coleman, Francis Lee and Mike Doyle complimenting those who preferred to stay in the shadows as much as possible – Bell, Tony Book and Neil Young among them.

City won the league title for the first time in 31 years with Bell inspirational throughout the campaign. He was here, there and literally everywhere and the fans loved his incredible athleticism and seemingly limitless stamina and  despite being in a team of winners, he was an easy choice for the 1967/68 Manchester City Player of the Year.

He was the beating heart of Mercer’s side and along with Lee and Summerbee, formed the so-called ‘Holy Trinity’ of players who would inspire the Blues to as yet uncharted heights.

Bell also won his first England cap in 1968 – the first of 48, which for several decades, was a Manchester City record.

Bell never scored winning goals in cup finals and rarely took the headlines for being anything other than brilliant – not unlike David Silva  in years to come - though he bore more similarities to the playing style of Kevin De Bruyne. He was a fantastic footballer and a quiet, family man off the pitch, too, never seeking adulation or press coverage, even though he’d more than earned it. In fact, he positively shunned the limelight.

While Summerbee, Lee and Doyle would happily wind-up the opposition, the press and opposing fans, Bell quietly ticked along in the background, painfully shy, preferring to let his feet do the talking – and they never stopped talking!

Fittingly, he earned the nickname of a thoroughbred horse of the day (and that of a world renowned ballet dancer) ‘Nijinsky’ and the City fans on the Kippax serenaded their idol, singing he was ‘Colin the King’ to the famous hit of the time ‘Lily the Pink’.

He was to Manchester City what George Best was to Manchester United – the golden boy, the untouchable, the prodigal son. A legend.

As the years ticked by, Bell’s influence seemed to grow even stronger rather than fade and while the press and pundits claimed Rodney Marsh’s signing cost City the 1971/72 league title, few noted that Colin Bell had missed nine games through injury at a crucial period of the campaign where City won just four of those matches.

Bell was fantastically loyal to City and there was never the slightest suggestion that he would ever leave the club. Undoubtedly, every top club in Europe coveted the Blues’ No.8 but as the successful late sixties team slowly began to fragment, Bell powered on missing just three league games in three-and-a-half seasons.

Then came the infamous 1975 League Cup tie with Manchester United and the moment indelibly etched in the minds of all who witnessed it. Bell, attacking the Platt Lane end of Maine Road, was caught in two minds as to what to do as he approached Martin Buchan on the edge of the Reds’ box. He opted to cut inside and was strongly challenged by the United man, with the impact effectively destroying his knee joint and, in reality, ending his career.

Of course, he didn’t give up.

He returned later that season and was again on the end of a nasty challenge, this time during a 3-1 win over Arsenal at Maine Road – that injury was, many believed, equally as damaging as Buchan’s challenge. He was sidelined for the next 18 months doing everything he possibly could do work his way back to fitness.

Quietly and stoically, he continued the long, painful road back to some kind of fitness, pounding the streets around Maine Road as some mobility returned to his badly damaged joint before he was finally passed fit to begin training again.

He was forced to miss the entire 1976/77 season, with Tony Book’s side finishing second to Liverpool by a single point – few doubted that with a fully-fit Colin Bell, the title would have been coming back to Maine Road that season.

But with medical science back then a long way from today’s methodology and thinking, he stood little chance of resuming the career he had once had.

He made an emotional comeback against Newcastle United as a second half sub on Boxing Day 1977 and received perhaps the most emotional ovation ever witnessed at Maine Road as a crowd of more than 45,000 stood as one to salute his sheer bloody-mindedness and determination to overcome the odds that had been stacked against him.

Bell’s appearance that day galvanised his team-mates and the crowd and City scored four goals to win the game 4-0.

He played sporadically after that but, understandably, he was never the same again, with the injury making the free-flowing running style that was a huge part of his game look awkward and painful.

His bravery, though, was admired by all in football and at City, he was revered like no other player before him.

Ultimately,, the pain and heartache of never being able to move fluidly on a pitch again forced his retirement with his final appearance coming as a sub against Aston Villa in May 1979 aged 33.

He played 501 times for City in all competitions and scored 153 goals – an injury-free Bell would have no doubt played well over 600 games and probably scored 200 goals.

Though he briefly tried his hand in the USA, his playing days were effectively over and after officially handing his boots up. he returned to City as part of the youth team set-up for a time and after being awarded the MBE in 2004 for his services to football and the Club recognised his incredible contribution by naming one side of the Etihad Stadium ‘The Colin Bell Stand’ that same year.

Colin was a regular fixture at the Club on matchdays in the years that followed, as part of the matchday hospitality team that included other former crowd favourites.

But ill-health in his later years meant his appearances became fewer in his later years and his passing came at a time football was being played behind closed doors.

The first game after his death was a FA Cup tie against Birmingham City – one can only imagine what the emotion of a full Etihad Stadium would have been like that day.

Fittingly for a man who graced the No.8 jersey for so many years with such distinction, City opened the scoring after… eight minutes.

The great man would no doubt have allowed himself a wry smile at the uncanny coincidence.

A true Manchester City legend in every sense of the word and one who will never be forgotten by this football club.