City Vault: From Mercer to Manuel - 60 years of matchday programme manager notes!

Maresca follows in the footsteps of Pep Guardiola who said in his debut column that he had ‘big expectations’ – and they were certainly fulfilled during a decade of dominance for the Blues.

But before Maresca and his predecessor Guardiola, other Blues bosses of yesteryear offered their thoughts in the popular publication.

Today, we’re opening the City Vault and republishing some of the best - and most interesting - columns from the last 60 years, tracing all the way back to the legendary Joe Mercer.

Fernandinho is maybe the surprise package 

Manuel Pellegrini 
City 5-0 Newcastle - 19 August 2013

First of all, I would like to say a big thank-you to all City fans for the warm and generous welcome that I have received from you since I arrived here in Manchester. It has been very special and my staff and I are very appreciative.

Supporters of Manchester City have the reputation of being a big family and I am delighted to be part of it. I know from those people that I meet around the town that there is great goodwill towards me, the staff and the players. My job now is to win trophies, take the team forward and make you all proud of our achievements.

From the outside this is a very big club with a great history but when you live inside the club it is even more impressive with big aims in many different departments as well as on the pitch. I am enjoying leaming about all the aspects of Manchester City.

We now start a new cycle after Roberto Mancini’s work from the previous seasons. He created history here, brought the club its first silverware in a long time and the first title in 44 years. He will never be forgotten and shouldn’t be.

But football moves on and evolves, it has always been that way and now we have a new era starting tonight with some new players. We had a good squad before I got here but I think we have bought well and bought wisely during the summer.

Jesus Navas and Alvaro Negredo are players that I know well from my days in Spain, Stevan Jovetic Is a very talented young player who I am sure will develop here and Fernandinho is maybe the surprise package. Not many people may have seen him as he has been playing in the Ukraine but I have seen his Champions League performances and he is a very good player.

They have all played a part in preseason when we did a lot of travelling and played seven games. The results were up and down but we learned a lot about each other as a group and all the players have worked hard embracing a different approach and style of play. My job was to prepare the whole squad, not just 11 starters, and we have done that. The aim has been to build a group that has two top-class players for each position; we are fighting for trophies on four fronts so we will need everyone at some stage.

The Premier League can be won by one point and that point can depend on having a squad with strength and depth. Part of my job is to manage the fitness and freshness of the players to give us the best possible chance of winning all those trophies for which we compete. Of course, the new players - and even the manager and staff - all need to time to get to know each other and I am sure that we will improve as the season progresses. But we do not have that time; we have to hit the ground running and that starts tonight against Newcastle United. For us, the fight for the title begins to be won and lost from 8pm this evening.

We have had to sit and watch the rest of the Barclays Premier League kick off their season but at least this Monday game has given us an extra few hours after the international break. I am pleased to be at home to sample the special atmosphere of a City crowd for the first time, but I know already that there is no such thing as an easy game in this league.

Newcastle is a team I faced before with Villarreal and, of course, I know them well because they have had Chilean internationals Jorge Robledo and Clarence Acuna playing for them. Jorge was there 60 years ago and Clarence much more recently.

Newcastle is a team with many good players and I am expecting an open and entertaining game this evening. We will be without Nastasic through injury but hopefully everyone else will have come through the international games uninjured.

Finally I would like to say a few words about Bert Trautmann this evening. Everyone in football knows of his bravery, his broken neck in the FA Cup final and what an important figure he was for this club - not to mention how big a figure he was in world football. There are 24 members of his family here this evening and they will see just how much Bert meant to this club and cur fans.

Tonight we pay tribute to a great goalkeeper and a great man.

I extend a warm welcome to fellow manager Alan Pardew, his staff and all from Newcastle.

Enjoy the game,
Manuel

I want to stay here for many years and win trophies 

Roberto Mancini
City 2-0 Stoke - 26 December 2009

First of all I must say thank you to the City fans for the welcome they have given me since l arrived at the club and emphasise how proud l am to be the manager of this great club.

I have already felt the passion among the supporters and understand well the desire for success.

Manchester is a lot like Milan in that respect. It is a football capital, a place where the people live and breathe the game. The fact that the City of Manchester Stadium has been so full on many occasions this season tells me something of the desire and size of this club.

I have felt, too, the ambition of the owner, the chairman and the board and l am here to try and win things for City. At my last club, Inter, I was lucky enough to win the league title three times in succession after the club had not won the league title for a long time. I am hoping that history repeats itself here. My immediate target is to take City into the top four in the Premier League.

My reasons for coming here are simple. City is a great club. I want to stay here for many years and win trophies.

I know the supporters here are among the most loyal you can find and l hope we do a good job for them. The response by the players to training this week has been positive which is what I would expect from top professionals. We have a lot of talent at the club, most of them are internationals. They are a talented group.

We are ready for what is a demanding period of matches, starting with today’s visit of Stoke City and I can promise everyone that we will be working as hard as we possibly can to make sure we improve our league position and continue the great form in the Carling Cup.

Before we all meet again in this wonderful stadium for the semi-final against United – a tie I know is hugely important and close to every fan’s heart – we will be playing at Middlesbrough in the FA Cup and I want us to have a long run in that competition, too.

In my homeland the cups do not become that important until you reach the semi-final stage but I know that the FA Cup is a great tradition in England and we want to win every game we play.

I believe that the mix of English clubs and Italian managers is a good one and I have told the players that the most important things for them now is to believe in themselves and improve their concentration.

I am delighted that Brian Kidd has become my assistant. I know Brian as a boss in English football. I know well his record as a top player for City, Everton and United. He was a striker, I was a striker: we share the same football philosophy. He also has great coaching experience. I am sure we will gel very well.

In addition to Brian’s knowledge and experience, especially of the English game, I have brought in a fitness coach, Ivan Carminati, who knows some of the players very well already through his work with the England national team under Sven-Goran Eriksson.

Coach Fausto Salsano, who played for Roma and Sampdoria, is also here with me and goalkeeping specialist Massimo Battara has joined us, too. They are equally thrilled by the challenges ahead of us.

Every manager has their own approach to the game and the fans can expect an attacking style from our team. You cannot win games without scoring goals. At the same time you can also expect them to be hard working because you don’t win anything without that ingredient.

I would like to welcome the players and officials from Stoke City for today’s game and, finally, hope that all our fans have had a good Christmas and enjoy a happy and healthy New Year.

The aim, quite simply, is the Premiership

Kevin Keegan 
City 3-0 Watford – 11 August 2001

The challenge for anyone who is given the chance to become manager of Manchester City is to fulfil the club’s enormous potential. I am excited at the prospect of meeting that challenge.

After I resigned as England coach, many people, nice people with big ideas came to see me and offered me opportunities in management. I didn’t take them because they were not right for Kevin Keegan.

But when the Manchester City chairman came to see me, he didn’t have to ‘sell’ his club to me. I knew it was the one. The right job. The only club.

I have only played at Maine Road a few times and watched the odd game but it is a transparent club – you can see from the outside what you are getting.

Everyone knows about the tremendous fan base, the incredible loyalty, the underachievement for so many years and the potential. So much potential. Fulfilling it is what matters and that’s really all I want to talk about.

We all have our memories. City fans from different eras will remember the great teams of the past, the Revie years, the glory years when Lee, Bell and Summerbee were heroes, that play-off final against Gillingham at Wembley, the fans on the hill at Blackburn on the last day of the season a year later.

And I know how popular Joe Royle was here and how hard he worked to get this club back in the Premiership.

I have my memories, too, as a player and as a manager, but I am not one for looking back. All my energy is concentrated on what the future will bring.

I asked the chairman what his ambitions were for City after the disappointment of being relegated last season. He said ‘We must get back to the Premiership and we want to be a top-six club’.

Those two goals, I believe, are achievable within the period of my contract. Five years. Not easy but achievable.

I am not promising anything EXCEPT that I will give it everything and more. That is the way I am. I have never lost my enthusiasm for the game and I enjoy club management.

The aim, quite simply, is the Premiership. It has to be. And when we get back there, which we will, there will be other targets.

How we do it and how long it takes depends on all of us pulling together. Players, staff, directors, supporters. The standards we are going to set will be high. They have to be reached.

Inevitably, there will be changes. Some have taken place already. We have a new fitness coach, Juan Carlos Osario, a new chief scout in Arthur Cox, although he will be much more than that, a new goalkeeping coach in Peter Bonetti and Stuart Pearce as player-coach.

Willie Donachie has stayed on and I am delighted about that. I like his training methods and his attitude. Les Chapman and Asa Hartford are still here, too, so we have a strong team.

There has not been a big turnaround of players during the summer. That would have been unfair. But we have brought in three notable signings, Stuart Pearce, Eyal Berkovic and Simon Colosimo.

We go straight into a high-profile opening game against Watford, under their new manager Gianluca Vialli. I like him and accept that he faces a similar challenge to myself because he is at a club that feels it should be in the Premiership.

Our aim is to start the season with a win and hope that with hard work and a bit of luck we can give you all what you want – promotion.

I doubt if there is another club in the land with supporters as loyal as ours 

Joe Royle
City 1-0 West Brom - – 28 February 1998

I want to thank all of you for the kind sentiments which you have shown since I arrived here 11 days ago.

It has been a whirlwind 11 days for me and the club, but as you well realise no time can be lost in putting this club back on the path to safety.

Your support is crucial. The backing you have given the team this season has become one of the talking points of the whole sport.

I doubt if there is another club in the land with supporters as loyal as ours, and for my part I am going to do everything possible to keep this team in the First Division. It has been a nightmare season for the club, one which started with so much promise that we would be back in the Premier Division, and which has disintegrated so badly.

I have always thought you can judge a club’s support by the backing it receives at away games. The support you gave both at Swindon at the weekend and then Reading on Tuesday was amazing, especially after the disappointment of the midweek defeat by Ipswich Town.

In hindsight that match was always going to be difficult for the players. It had been a traumatic day for all concerned and maybe the added pressures told on the fitness of some of them.

I did not want my comments after the match to be construed as criticism of the previous management. My initial reaction was that some players lacked fitness to last the pace of the full 90 minutes. But after two days rest and light training those same players looked as sharp as ever in the victory over Swindon Town.

Ipswich made us chase the ball for long periods in the second half, and that is something we must work on in the weeks ahead.

That match was probably as tough a start as you can get in the First Division at present. Ipswich have been knocking goals in for fun recently, and they highlighted one or two problems which we need to put right as quickly as possible.

I was concerned that the side was unbalanced with no recognised left full-back, so l asked Ron Atkinson at Sheffield Wednesday whether we could take Lee Briscoe on a month’s loan.

Ron kindly agreed and I must say Lee made an outstanding debut for us considering he had only been with his new team-mates for a matter of hours.

Lee’s arrival also allowed Craig Russell to revert to his usual position in the front line.

I have also decided to make some changes off the field which I feel will be for the immediate benefit of the club. Willie Donachie has come from Sheffield United to be my head coach. He will work with myself and Asa Hartford with the first team squad. I have dispensed with the notion of first team players and reserves in separate units. Everyone will be involved in the first team squad.

Willie and I have had a first-rate relationship throughout our careers and as you know were team-mates here in the Seventies. Like me he is desperate to put this club back at the top where it belongs.

Another change I made was to second Jim Cassell from his duties with the youth teams to work directly with me on looking for first-team players until the end of the season. Jim has done a fantastic job with the youth this season, and will continue to do so, but I felt we needed his expertise to make a change in the scouting set-up immediately.

By next Saturday we will have played seven games in 21 days, so this could be a make-or-break part of the season.

Today we face West Bromwich Albion, and I would like to give a warm welcome to their manager Denis Smith and his players and supporters.

Like ourselves, they had a poor result in midweek and we must be on our guard that we are not the victims of a backlash.

I was very disappointed with our performance at Reading, especially after the excellent showing we had made only a few days earlier. Reading started brightly and took their chances, while our finishing was poor. Instead of losing 2-0 at half-time it could have been 3-3 quite easily.

But I do not kid myself about the problems we face here and which must be addressed in our remaining 12 games.

The welcome I have been given nothing short of amazing

Frank Clark 
City 1-1 Crystal Palace - 11 January 1997

My first game in charge at this great club and I can hardly wait for the action to start this afternoon.

The welcome I have been given so far has been nothing short of amazing. I cannot put into words how grateful I am to those of you who have made me feel so at home since | arrived a fortnight ago.

I was staggered by the number of fans who turned up at the training ground to meet me on my first day. When I left for the Press Conference at Maine Road there seemed to be hundreds more waiting outside the ground. The weather was appalling - bitterly cold with snow and sleet - and yet so many of you went out of your way to make me feel welcome.

No manager could have been given a better first day and it is something I shall surely remember for the rest of my career.

But once the introductions were made it was down to work with the players and my backroom staff to ensure that we put this club back in its rightful place among the elite of the country.

That will take time, of course, as l know you realise. My immediate aim is to improve our League position as quickly as possible. I believe our performances in our home matches will be the key to whether we manage to string together enough victories to get into the play-offs. With hard work and some strengthening of the squad we can do it.

Firstly we must make Maine Road the ground where teams fear playing. I also want to bring some stability to the club again.

You do not need me to remind everyone of how traumatic the past few weeks have been here. I want the club to flourish and I know that I must restore the confidence of a number of my players.

I have brought in Alan Hill and Richard Money from Nottingham Forest. Alan will be my assistant while Richard will work with Asa Hartford as first team coach. I have known them both for many years and I know they will make a valuable contribution to improving the team’s performance.

Tony Book has had to leave us, but I want to put on record what a tremendous servant he has been to the game in his 30 years here. I have had many dealings with Tony over the years, and there is no one more highly regarded both by his fellow managers and by the scores of players who have benefited from his coaching over the years.

The dreadful weather over the past week or so has been a mixed blessing. Both the League match against Birmingham City and then the FA Cup tie with Brentford were called off, which has meant that I have not been able to see the squad in competitive play. But the break has also given us some breathing space as we try to get more players back from injury. Peter Beagrie had his first game last week as he makes his recovery and Alan Kernaghan cannot be too far off a return to action. He now needs as many games as possible to sharpen up his fitness.

Many of you have asked me how I am going to approach the task of improving our results. Firstly there are a number of things which we must do on the training ground to eradicate some of the errors which have cost us dearly this season.

And I shall also be looking to strengthen the squad in certain key departments.

On paper we may have a strong squad but the reality we only had 16 fit professionals available for the game against Birmingham and they have included four strikers and two goalkeepers. So one of my first tasks has been to search for the right kind of player to bring in.

I am aware that my knowledge of the First Division is limited but I am learning its strengths and weaknesses quickly. Yet today’s opponents need no introduction.

They are up near the top of the Division, with a reputation as one of the toughest opponents to beat.

I welcome Dave Bassett, their manager, and his players to Maine Road.

I am sure my team will be in the right frame of mind for such an important game. I have told everyone this week that I will expect nothing less than 100% from every player in every game. This should be an afternoon to remember.

I was apprehensive about how I would be received because of my background at Old Trafford 

Steve Coppell 
City 2-1 Norwich - 19 October 1996

I would like to thank everyone who had made me feel so welcome in my first few days at this great club.

I don’t mind admitting that I was apprehensive about how I would be received by some of you because of my background at Old Trafford. But I have been overwhelmed by the genuine warmth which I have encountered since I arrived at Maine Road last week.

I had been expecting some fans to be sceptical about my decision to take the manager’s job here. But I can say that the reaction from every one of you has been superb.

Now that the initial euphoria is over, it is down to the hard business of putting the club back at the top. But it is a challenge which I am relishing.

I know that today is going to be extra special as I take charge of a City side at Maine Road for the first time. It will be an occasion which I know I will remember for the rest of my career. And I am sure that you will be doing everything possible to ensure that it is a winning occasion both for me and my team.

I know that we are at the start of a long road to restore City initially to the Premier League and ultimately to be challenging for honours again. Along the way there are bound to be setbacks, but I expect us to overcome those obstacles. The momentum of everything we do must be to take the club forward.

I would like to thank my players for working as hard as they have in the short time I have been with them. They have made it so much easier for me to settle in.

Sometimes when a new manager takes over there is suspicion on all sides. But nothing could be further from the truth here. All my players have been receptive to my ideas and I am confident that we can make progress.

The performance against Queens Park Rangers on Saturday was exceptional. Georgiou Kinkladze and Mikhail Kavelashvili had trained with me for only 30 minutes on the day before the match. In fact I had not had the whole squad together for more than a brief glimpse. In the circumstances it was remarkable that we managed to play as well as we did at Loftus Road, coming back from two goals down.

I would hope that given time I will be able to build a framework around which we can play consistently to a high standard.

I said last week that the first four games of my managership were going to be vital as l try to determine the character of my players. We are halfway through that programme, but we now have two matches at home against clubs who aim to be challenging us for a promotion place at the end of the season.

These matches should answer a number of questions about the quality of the players I have at my disposal and their ability to win matches. By next Sunday when we play Wolves I should have a good idea of where we are and what we need.

Norwich are acknowledged by most people to be among the hot favourites for promotion. Their performances this season have been consistently exciting because of the nature of their young players who are attracting the attention of scouts from all the top Premiership clubs.

Today will be a severe test for us if we want to be considered as good enough to get maximum points to climb the table. Looking at the First Division in general there is a glut of teams clustered around the middle of the cable as the quality start to pull away at the top. The rest are trying desperately to chase the top sides and sadly, at present, we are one of the rest.

Confidence is the vital ingredient which we require. Confidence breeds success.

The only staff change which I have made is to bring in Phil Neal, a former England playing colleague and trusted ally. I hope we can forge a partnership with the existing staff to give City a positive future.

Deliberately I have kept the staff intact because many good judges told me that in terms of ability and dedication they would be difficult to improve upon.

My final thoughts are with you the supporters. I know how desperate you are to have a successful team, and you too can play your part. I want you to give the side all the vocal backing you can muster to ensure that any side coming to Maine Road will have an experience to remember.

After the defeat at Reading on Tuesday, I will want to see a marked improvement today, especially in our passing. I had been impressed with that part of our game against QPR, but at Elm Park we were for too laboured and deliberate.

The sending-off of Steve Lomas is another setback for us. He was trying to ride a tackle and there was no real malice in the incident. I want to see what the referee says in his report.

The signing of Georgiou Kinkladze will be a major acquisition for the team 

Alan Ball 
City 1-1 Tottenham - 19 August 1995

It is a very proud man who writes his first programme notes as manager of this magnificent club.

The warmth I have felt from everyone since I arrived in Manchester with my wife and family has been second to none.

In return I promise you all that I will do my level best to provide top-class, entertaining football and eventually trophies and honours for this great club.

The ambitions of the chairman and the supporters need to be fuelled and I know the task ahead of me is going to be tough. I was born in the North of England and I know that life can be hard. But I have never shirked from any challenge.

In the short time I have been at City I have realised that if we all pull together we can achieve almost anything.

The stadium you see now ranks among the best in the country. The facilities are superb, the envy of many lesser clubs in the Premier League. You can be justly proud of what the chairman and his directors have attained off the field.

Let us keep the stadium full, and to manage that the players have a responsibility to entertain you, fight for you, to play with passion for you, and win games for you.

That being the criteria, together we can go places.

I have been counting the days in the run-up to the new season. And what a start is in prospect. We welcome Tottenham Hotspur this afternoon, one of the most glamorous names in the game. I can hardly wait for the action to begin. I would also like to extend the warmest of greetings to their manager, Gerry Francis. I have had many exciting battles against his teams over the years. Like me, he believes football is a game to be enjoyed by the players and the supporters.

And I know that Spurs will play their part in an excellent curtain-raiser to the season. Spurs are a footballing side and a good side. I doubt whether we can have asked for a better opening.

We have not enjoyed the best of preseason preparations. There has been extensive building work at our Platt Lane training ground which has hampered much of our planning. But the inconvenience should prove worthwhile when the complex is completed. It promises to be a fantastic set-up.

We have also suffered more than our share of injuries from the first moment the players reported back after their summer break. Roy Bailey, who you all know well, returned during the summer as our physiotherapist, and he has been one of the busiest men in the club, treating a collection of injuries and illnesses.

I have taken on to my coaching staff Asa Hartford, another City favourite from the past. Asa and I are looking forward to spending many hours with the players on the training ground in the coming weeks.

The injuries have robbed us of five or six players at a time in the pre-season games. It has been frustrating but it has given me a chance of taking an early look at the squad we have available.

We have a large complement of players but I believe that we must be looking for ways to strengthen our resources with the right players.

I know you will want to see the best at Maine Road, and I believe that the signing of Georgiou Kinkladze will be a major acquisition for the team. He comes with a world-class pedigree and I am sure you will soon take him to your hearts. Give him a fantastic Manchester welcome this afternoon.

He arrived back last weekend after problems over his work permit had been solved and after watching him in training on Monday I had no hesitation in including him in my plans for today.

We want to make a winning start. Let us hear plenty of vocal support from the fans again, especially the young supporters who are the future of this club. Let us hope that this will be the start of better thing for City and a day we will all want to remember. 

This is one of the greatest jobs in the game 

Brian Horton 
City 3-0 QPR - 11 September 1993

I must thank immediately all of you who have given me such a warm welcome since I came to the club. You have all been fantastic.

I could not have wished for a better start to my career with City. This is one of the greatest jobs in the game and I know that you will give both myself and my assistant, Dave Moss, every opportunity to settle into our new roles.

It is never easy to go straight into any managerial job after someone has been dismissed. My immediate aim is to bring some stability to the club after all the upheavals in recent weeks. Also, we must start to climb the Premier Division quickly.

The relegation zone is no place for a club of City’s aspirations, and it was evident against Swindon Town that the players and those supporters who travelled to the game knew that it was time matters were put right on the pitch. I cannot praise too highly the backing we were given from the fans who made the journey.

They were magnificent, and the players responded in the best way possible. It was a dream start for me, and it showed what a big part supporters can play when things are not always going right. We fell behind and responded positively with three goals. I was pleased that we scored from a set-piece after spending training the day before the match working on our set play.

Niall Quinn’s effort was a beauty. He showed good control and beat the ‘keeper with a shot of real pace. Adie Mike’s goal will have done him a power of good after coming into the squad at the last moment when Terry Phelan went down sick on the morning of the game. I was delighted for the lad.

The victory gave everyone a much needed tonic, but we must start to believe that we can win every game. I sensed that there was a lack of confidence among some players. If we start winning games regularly then the team will grow in confidence.

Since I arrived at the club I have been told by many supporters that they want to see the team play with style. City fans have been brought up on good footballing sides over the years. I can assure them that I want to see City win with flair as well as commitment. The team must display passion and a willingness to play attractive football when the opportunity arises.

It is no use banking on one stereotype tactic. When the opposition set out their stall to counter it you are lost. We must work on developing a number of styles. I want players who can pass the ball accurately and swiftly, long and short.

The long ball tactic has as many critics as supporters but there will always be a case of moving the ball quickly from one end of the field to the other to catch the opposition on the break. There is a time to play the long ball, and a time to stroke the ball around. I want our players to develop both styles naturally.

The win of Swindon was the perfect way to start any new job, but I want to give a mention also to the reserves who beat Burnley 2-1 away from home. If is vital that a club of this size is challenging for honours throughout the season, and to achieve that we must have a continuous supply of good players coming through the ranks. We do not have enough reserves who can step into the first team and do a job. That has to be put right.

Today’s visitors are Queen’s Park Rangers, one of the Division’s more attractive sides. Gerry Francis has been assembling a squad of players who could soon be the envy of many managers. Les Ferdinand deserved his call-up into the England squad and he should prove a stern test of how well our defence can cope with top-quality strikers.

I think Peter Reid’s got a chance of getting on the teamsheet as long as he is fit 

Peter Reid 
City 2-3 Leeds - 10 November 1990

Life goes on. Everyone’s job at Manchester City now is to get our heads up. It is all about doing it on the pitch.

It was a big shock to me when Howard Kendall broke the news after training on Tuesday morning that he was returning to Everton but we have got to carry on.

Playing football is the easy part and after the turmoil of the past few days, this afternoon should be the best moments of the week. It will be a relief for us all to get out on the pitch and I’m sure all the players will be welcoming the chance to have a game against Leeds United.

These things happen in football but I have to admit that this has been one of the biggest shocks I have ever been involved in.

I never thought that Howard would end up as manager of Everton again after Colin Harvey’s dismissal last week. I didn’t even have an inkling and if you asked me to name the next Everton manager I wouldn’t have put Howard in my top 92! I wouldn’t have picked him no matter how long I had studied the form!

But I do wish him all the best - except, of course, when we play them on January 12th.

As soon as the news broke that was one of the first things I checked on, when we would be meeting on opposite sides again.

I think Howard has done a terrific job for the club and for evidence of that you only have to look where Manchester City were when Howard and myself came and where we are now.

That speaks volumes for what has happened here in less than 12 months and you can’t argue with results.

Look how the lads have performed on the pitch - no side relishes playing against Manchester City now and that is the way it should be.

The lads had a couple of days off this week, because they had worked so hard in training and also because the Leeds match is on a Sunday. That had been arranged by Howard before he went and I saw no reason to change it.

I am sure all the players were happy with Howard and hopefully they will have learnt something and will keep on learning. It has been a happy club and long may it continue.

I’m an experienced player and obviously I have been working with Howard on the training pitch so it didn’t come as such a big surprise to be asked to take over as caretaker manager.

At the moment that only lasts until today and anything beyond that is in the hands of the chairman and the directors.

Howard used to pick the team although I gave my opinions. Managers pick the teams, that’s what being in the hot seat is all about. But I’ll pick today’s team and while I know it is hard to combine the two jobs, it is a great honour as well. I think Peter Reid’s got a chance of getting on the teamsheet as long as he is fit!

I can also clear up any doubts about my future at Maine Road. I’m on a contract as a player and that has got another two-and-a-half years to run (that’ll keep me up to 45!).

Joking apart, hopefully I will be able to see that out. I’m happy where I am and it has always been that way since day one when I walked into the club.

I managed to keep a low profile after the bombshell on Tuesday and went out with a friend of mine, Liew Griffiths, who is a great City fan. He had a dinner arranged at Oldham where Paddy Crerand was the speaker and while there were a few questions flying around, in general, people were okay and didn’t give me too much hassle over what has happened

But it’s fair to say that everybody was taken aback by the events and I think that applies to every single person at the club. But Howard had a good backroom team around him and they are still here and we will all pull together for the club that matters, Manchester City.

Leeds United will come here today hoping to take advantage of what has been happening during the week. It is up to us to show what we can do and continue our fine start to the new season.

Howard Wilkinson has done a great job at Elland Road and he will be happy with the start they have made. He has got a lot of quality players on his staff and we will have to play a bit to beat them.

But have a look at the First Division League table and you will see how good we are. I’m not saying we are a great side but we are a very difficult side to beat and no team will fancy playing us.

The way things are going now is alright but, hopefully, we can get even better. Everyone is different in their style but I have worked with Howard for a few years and I have learnt from him so don’t expect any dramatic changes today in the way we play.

Finally, a word about our fans, who have been brilliant since I got here. You are a big influence - ask any successful team what are the ingredients for that success and they will always say that supporters have their part to play.

You are vitally important. Please do get behind us this afternoon.

Why did I take the job? Because it was too good to turn down 

Howard Kendall 
City 1-0 Norwich - 25 December 1989

Let me say how delighted I am to be the new manager of Manchester City.

I have joined a big football club, with tremendous and loyal support. Naturally, I was aware of that before I came back from Spain after two and a half years with Athletic Bilbao.

Even so, I was amazed by the incredible support City had at both Southampton and Everton, considering the current League position.

The results during the first half of the season may not have put you in the mood for celebrating this Christmas but perhaps we can do something to help make it a Happy New Year!

The first job has to be to make sure we survive in the First Division and I have to believe that we can do just that. There were encouraging signs in the games at The Dell and at Goodison Park, a place with which I am quite familiar!

I was not involved in the Southampton game, apart from meeting the players at the hotel before the match and wishing them well. I had to return to Spain for a tew days, after taking the City job, and only flew back on the Saturday morning, just in time to get down to The Dell.

Officially, I wasn’t due to start in the job until the Monday morning, so I didn’t select the team or involve myself in the tactics. Watching the match, the first thing that struck me, apart from the marvellous support, was the attitude of the players. And I felt they were desperately unlucky not to get something out of the game.

The players have responded brilliantly since l arrived at Maine Road. Naturally, the ones who are in the team are happier than those who have been left out but. they know that decisions have to be taken in football and I have asked that they be patient until things settle down.

I had to act with a certain amount of haste because, from what I had seen of City on Spanish television, then the Southampton game when I came back, they were conceding far too many goals. Teams were getting through the middle quite easily and getting at the defence. So it was important to tighten things up.

My first move, when I got the job, was to approach Queen’s Park Rangers for Peter Reid. I felt it was very important to get Peter here, someone I knew would be inspirational on and off the field. He was keen to involve himself on the coaching side, so it was perfect for me.

Then I signed Alan Harper, another player I had under my wing at Everton, where he did a tremendous job in several different positions. By all accounts, he was not having the best of times at Sheffield Wednesday.

I signed players I knew because doing otherwise, when I had been away from the British game for two-and-a-half years, would have been a risky business. Some people thought Alan was taking a bit of a gamble, leaving one lowly club for another. But maybe the lad thinks that, for the first time in his career, he has a genuine chance of holding down a regular first-team place.

I used him as a ‘sweeper’ in the game at Everton and he finished up with the champagne as ITV’s choice for Man of the Match. Personally, I would have gone for Steve Redmond but Alan did a fine job, as I knew he would.

It may not have looked much of a game on TV but we went to Goodison to do a job and my only disappointment was that we didn’t pose Everton many problems when we were going forward. But the amount of effort and concentration the players put in to contain Everton’s attack was brilliant.

That doesn’t mean we’re going to play the same way every week. A string of drawn games won’t keep us in the First Division and it is to be hoped we cause Norwich plenty of anxious moments this afternoon.

But I felt we did a sound job at Everton and came away with a valuable point.

Since taking over the manager’s chair here, it has been a considerable time before my first home game has arrived. But it’s here now and I am looking forward to it.

Norwich are having another very good season so we will be in for a difficult game. We need the points badly.

People have been looking to excuse some of City’s poorer performances on the grounds that so many of the players are “young and inexperienced”. But some have been in the first team for a number of seasons and really ought to be establishing themselves by now.

There is quality in the side, make no mistake. And enough of it to get the club up the table.

Why did I take the job? Because it was too good to turn down

Almost as soon as I had arrived back in this country, I was linked with different clubs. But my initial discussions with City were not made public because there were a few problems which might have prevented me from coming to Maine Road. And neither the chairman, nor myself wanted it to look as if the next person they approached, would be second choice.
There were certain things to be sorted out before I could take the job but when they had been, I was delighted to sign a three-year contract. Forget about get-out clauses. My commitment is to Manchester City.

Mel Machin and John Deehan laid a good foundation here, in spite of disappointing results. John has also left the club now, because I made it clear I wanted to bring in Peter Reid as coach. These things happen in football but I believe he has got fixed up already at another club, and I wish him well. The challenge facing me, on my return to English football, is a big one. But I’m looking forward to it. 

They pass the ball about too much

John Bond 
City 3-1 Tottenham - 22 October 1980

Not very pleasant to end my first match in charge at Maine Road with the team anchored at the very bottom of the First Division.

Particularly since it was an 88th minute penalty for Birmingham City that caused the 1-0 defeat last Saturday which put us there.

But I didn’t see everything as gloom and despondency from the performance, which was my first opportunity this season to see the City team in a full match. Some of the views which I had formed from my recollections of TV highlights were confirmed and left me under no illusions about the amount of work which has to be done quickly. But while the result was a disappointment and I was aware that the fans are deserving of far better entertainment for their money, there were aspects of the play which I enjoyed.

I recognised that there is a natural footballing ability in the side, a natural aptitude to play the ball about especially in tighter areas. Yes, I was quite pleased with all the little things I saw.
But the team lacked positiveness in their play going forward. It looked to me like a lack of basic know-how to turn the skill factor into something incisive and rewarding.

They pass the ball about too much - far too many passing movements were involved in build-ups and left me with a feeling that they weren’t going to get anywhere in the end. One early lesson they must learn is that the build-up can be far more effective with less passes. There has got to be more directness about the play.

I didn’t see enough players making definite runs for the ball to be played into them. It harks back to the old football cliche, but it’s a fact that they were guilty of not making things happen when they were in control of the play.

I need more evidence to support my early judgements, but one player I do know all about is Kevin Reeves, whom I sold from Norwich to City earlier this year. Now I found him very disappointing on the day, certainly not the same player I remember from his days as a thrilling striker in my team at Norwich. Against Birmingham I felt that Kevin had lost the ability to make himself available for the ball played forward. He had misplaced that talent which he has to put opponents under pressure - and to win things in the vital area. In effect, he appeared to me to have lost a bit of his determination.

I mention Kevin as an example of the ailments which I saw, and only do so because I have a clear focus of his capabilities based on past knowledge. I know I can get far more from him.

I take into account that it was a day of apprehension for the players, turning out in front of a new manager for the first time and already suffering the pressure of not having won a League game this season and therefore being near the foot of the table. But there’s skill in quite a few areas, probably more in this respect than I had at my disposal at Norwich. The almighty task ahead is to channel it in the right direction, to improve the approach.

Some individuals disappointed me because I thought they were capable of far more, but if we all get together and pull in the same direction then we’ve got a chance. I’m going to demand the maximum from every player because the new back-room team I have brought into the club, and myself, will be giving just as much, if not more. I haven’t time to suffer fools or temperamental outbursts and I hope there won’t be any.

All my advance thoughts are confirmed. It’s a big, big club and it’s a major job I face. I know it will be an enormous struggle to survive without buying because I don’t think we have the depth of experienced senior players that it is essential for a club of this size to operate on.

My sympathy on Saturday was with the supporters. Not the management, or the directors. They are the ones who are paying to suffer. And I am aware how past promises of silver linings has sustained their interest for so long; how they have been asked for patience and have responded by giving it.

I’m asking for more of that tolerance now. The new regime needs it. It will do the team no good at all if the fans suddenly turn on the team-and it’s encouraging to be told that it is something which the City supporters have not done over the past few seasons even though there has been little to cheer.

I am not looking for time for myself. Excuses are not being prepared and never will be with my style of management. But the players will need to re-adjust and will need the goodwill of the City fans if we are all to come through this on the right side.

It’s difficult. Some fans may feel they’ve exhausted their patience, that the last thing they want to hear now is somebody exhorting them to more tolerance. But we need their solid backing as much as we need anything to get it all right.

It’s been an incredible first week. Everything has happened so quickly. But when I search back for memories of my opening week at Maine Road there is something that will stand at the forefront of those events. And that concerns the warm reception I received from the City fans when I walked out of the players tunnel before our first match last Saturday.

Remember, I’m a southern lad and this is the first time in my career I’ve moved to a job in the north - and yet the supporters welcomed me as though they’d always had me in their midst. The gave me a great feeling; it was impressive and I was touched by it.

Now our task is to give them a great feeling.

Asa Hartford my first piece of gold

Tony Book 
City 1-0 Tottenham – 21 August 1974

The first major signing, the vital one to the re-building plans I have in mind for City, is now behind us. The arrival of Asa Hartford is what the team has needed - I would go so far as to say he’s the type of player we could have done with even at the peak of some of City’s triumphs.

And now that the fuss about the club making its third £200,000 plus forward capture is beginning to subdue we can get down to the serious work of correcting the problems which have been developing and threatening to hold back our progress.

I introduced Asa to the news media last week as my “first piece of gold”. That was not flattery aimed at settling him down quickly and giving the newspapers a lavish headline. He is going to be a key figure in planning and since I liken him to Billy Bremner as a midfield dynamo - a lad who never knows when to quit - I am highly contented at the value for money we have got yes, even at the sizeable price which had to be paid. That’s real gold!

Many people were pointing out something up front urgently required attention and l readily agree that we have got to be putting the ball in the net. Yet l firmly believe that the talent which has been required at Maine Road has been a person to put his foot on the ball. Somebody to dictate from midfield. In other words, an Asa Hartford.

Even when I was playing I felt we needed this style of player in the side. He’s a lad of great vision, has great control, can put his personality on the game, and has got an immense competitive attitude. He wants to be a winner - and I want that calibre of player, with those single-minded thoughts, on my staff.

I witnessed sufficient in the pre-season preparation games to leave me with a feeling near enough to certainty what is needed to rebuild City. That was the reason for prompt action.

When you get the type of disappointing results like we had in the Texaco Cup competition it gives a warning that attention has to be given to restructuring part of the policy – or suffer the consequences and risk the kind of slide that often happens to teams that require additional parts to keep functioning properly and don’t heed the signs.

Having played for many years with virtually all the staff I must admit that my thoughts as a manager had taken shape before we embarked on games with Blackpool, Sheffield United and Oldham in the Texaco competition. But I wanted to look hard and long from my new angle as manager to have those opinions rubber-stamped. Or re-shaped.

The situation is quite close to my earliest opinions. However, as a ‘spectator’ I recognised a difference in several aspects of the game compared to the views I held while playing.
It came home to me hard how really difficult it is for strikers in the modern mood. As a player and defender I thought the game was easier if strikers were just moving about all the time. As an observer, I now realise it is difficult for front-men to get in these positions because of defenders who crowd spaces.

Apart from new views like this, which have opened up me, I believe I have got down to the priorities with the signing of Asa Hartford. Obtaining a player of this nature is a great start to any rebuilding process.

Now I feel I should take a little time to see the pieces fitting before attempting further signing activity. Thought much will depend on whether players in my ratings suddenly become available.

I am aware, and so are my directors, that it could finally take up to £600,000 to obtain to the answers to the problems I feel exist in the squad of players that is needed for a top First Division side. That is the price of quality these days and two or three players of substance would exhaust that amount of money.

Yet as crazy as a football jigsaw can be - and that’s what it is in putting the correct pieces together - I might find one signing can tie everything together again.

The rebuilding process is an exacting thing. It demands patience as much as anything. I am prepared to play it this way.

As a player who enjoyed a certain amount of longevity in his career, I am not obsessed, as some critics might be, with the age factor. I will always maintain that ability is the principle consideration. But I know that it is important that I temper this attitude towards seniority and for City’s needs in certain positions the rebuilding has got to be done on age factor.

My moves for key players have got to bring the age factor down. This is what has been achieved with Asa, who is still only 23-years-old.

The thing I am mostly looking for with City is consistent results away from home. We’ve not had this for a long time. Too long. And it is essential to have it to succeed.

It is not boastful when I say that seven times out of ten times I can field a City team capable of winning at Maine Road. But it is from our travels that we have fallen down and I must demand more consistency in that respect.

Away form of teams has puzzled many experts. I think that difference is the pressure you are put under defensively when you are away from home. And reaction to it and the make-up of the individuals involved.

Tactically there is nothing I would like better than to field five forwards and play in this exciting manner at home and away. But the final result matters. If the City goalscoring column does not improve then I have got to make sure that everything is in order at the other end.

One aid to me in this rebuilding is the knowledge that one or two players have scope to adapt to other positions which might help bring an all-round improvement. I quote Mike Horswill’s name as an example of a player willing to make an adjustment. And that’s the key to this particular situation.

I’m willing to take the can for adapting players to new positions as long as those players are willing and will do their best for City. It’s no good to me a player having a chip on their shoulder if he is switched in the team. I would only make such moves in the best interests of the team and that player.

If I take measures of this nature during the process of change, the blame is mine. The players simply have to do their best and I want no excuses from them once they get the blue shirt over their heads.

As I write these notes the situation is quite fluid on both fronts of the transfer track – incoming more than outgoing.

City’s aim is to succeed and have settled planning. This is my target. And I hope that in bidding for it, we give all spectators plenty to feel satisfied about.

My final word is to wish all Manchester City fans a happy and interesting season. 

Haven’t they got anything else to talk about? 

Johnny Hart
City 3-1 Sheffield United - 14 April 1973

A lot of people have asked me what my objects are for the rest of the season. They are quite simple. I want to win as many points as possible... to get the club into a much more respectable position. We’ve a good side here, make no mistake. My main job is to get them to show the ability we all know they have - and to make it produce results.

One or two other things are not quite so simple. You’ll know all about Rodney Marsh. From my point of view I don’t want anyone to leave. I want to keep the best set of players possible and have a strong pool. But we can’t hang on to anyone who is unhappy here.

I had a good talk with Rod. Yes I do feel a bit sorry for him. I don’t particularly want him to leave. But I also want players who are dedicated to Manchester City, whether they shout at one another or not, whether they are quiet types or extroverts.

I don’t know why people keep going on about morale at Maine Road. Haven’t they got anything else to talk about? I’ll ask you a question - what was the morale like against Leeds? It was very high. I thought the work-rate of our lads was exceptional that day. I was delighted with it and I told them so afterwards. enjoyed the game... two good sides having a go at each other. I thought we always looked the more likely to break the deadlock. But apart from the result I think it showed that there’s nothing wrong here - and that we have some fine players.

Ipswich? The lads worked hard, very hard. We were the better side in the first half and then came under a lot of pressure. But they applied themselves and you can’t ask for more than that.

One or two other points I want to make. We have withdrawn from the Youth team tournament in Portugal. I say “we” because it was a joint decision after talking it over for a long time with the Chairman and the experienced men who work with me. These are the reasons we’ve withdrawn. The club has had nothing on paper, in contract form, to guarantee the playing or financial side of things. You can’t be taking a group of young players abroad, many for the first time, unless you are absolutely certain what you are committed to.

Also I didn’t particularly want so many of the staff out of the country when the season was still on.

I know this must have been disappointing for the young players who already had made plans to go to Portugal. I’m sorry about that. But I’m sure there will be other-and less insecure trips for them, if they work for it.

One other point...publicity and what you read about Manchester City... which has been plenty just lately. I think it’s important to have good relations with the press. We’ve always been a club which tries to give them a good deal. But I’d like to see a bit of diplomacy ... honest but think first before voicing an opinion. Anyhow, that’s enough to be going on with. Let’s concentrate on the football.

I hope we shall get to know one another as time goes by 

Joe Mercer 
City 2-1 Wolves - 25 August 1965

Good evening ladies and gentlemen, and may I take this early opportunity of saying “hello” to all City supporters. During the course of the season it will be my pleasure to speak to you through the medium of our Programme and I hope we shall get to know one another as time goes by.

I am not an absolute stranger to Maine Road and throughout the years I always enjoyed playing on such a fine ground, and I am thrilled and very proud to be back here as the new Team Manager of this famous Club.

Our target is a simple one. The First Division as quickly as possible!

Easier said than done, but I am sure that if we all pull together as a team with each section giving a 100% effort - Directors directing, Manager managing, Secretary administrating, Players playing and Supporters supporting in the truest sense of the word - then I am confident that we can make City a great Club once again.

This evening it is our pleasure to welcome the Wolves who need no introduction from me. All I can say is that I know they will give us a hard game and who better to open the new season at Maine Road than this fine Club whose honours list is so impressive.