The Manchester City A- Z E-Book

Rob Mason

• Herausgeber: G2 Rights
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 152

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2024

Beschreibung

This is Manchester City's golden age.City have a long history of success from being FA Cup winners: In 1904, through the stars of the thirties who won league and cup, the Revie Plan cup winners of the fifties and into the halcyon era when Colin Bell, Francis Lee and Mike Summerbee brought five different trophies to the club in the space of five years beginning in the late sixties. But in the last decade City have emerged as the dominant force of the era.In 2023 Manchester City achieved the phenomenal success of winning the FIFA Club World Cup, the UEFA Super Cup, the UEFA Champions League, the FA Cup and the Premier League, taking the Premier League for the third season in a row and incredibly a fifth Premier League title in the last six years.Silverware only tells some of the story. Under Pep Guardiola Manchester City have produced a way of playing that is the envy of the footballing globe. Pace and fluidity of movement characterise City's style and this guide to the Best of Manchester City gives you an at a glance A to Z guide to the story of the most glamorous club of the twenties

Leseprobe

First published in the UK in 2007. Second edition 2012. Updated and reprinted in 2024.

ISBN: 978 1 78281 9349

eISBN: 978 1 80075 4188

© G2 Entertainment Ltd 2024 · www.G2ent.co.uk

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A

ACADEMY

Winning Premier League 2 and the Under-18 Premier League National League in style in 2021 illustrated that for all the big money buys in the City first team the production line providing home grown is still in magnificent order. The 7,000 capacity Sportcity is where the Academy sides hone their skills and match play. Enzo Maresca and Carlos Vicens were the men in charge of the Elite Development Squad and the Under 18s in 2020-21.

KELECHI IHEANACHO V AC MILAN DURING A PRE-SEASON FRIENDLY, JULY 2014

Maresca played in England for West Bromwich Albion between 1998 and 2000. He went on to list Juventus, Fiorentina, Seville and Olympiacos amongst his playing CV which ended in 2017 at Verona and included 45 appearances and 13 goals for Italy across six age groups from Under 15 to Under 21 level. At City for just the 2020-21 season, after joining from West Ham where he had been assistant manager, Maresca’s success at City helped lead to him taking over as manager of Parma.

JADON SANCHO IN FA YOUTH CUP FINAL SECOND-LEG ACTION WITH CHELSEA'S MASON MOUNT, APRIL 2017

Vicens is a UEFA Pro-License coach and has a Professional Master degree in Football by FC Barcelona and the National Institute of P.E. He also possesses a Post-graduate degree in High Performance in Football Coaching obtained at the University of Lisbon. Carlos came to Manchester in 2017 originally as the assistant coach to the Under 12s and 13s and has since made similar personal progress to the talented players he has helped.

LEFT: KIERAN TRIPPIER V CHELSEA, 2008 FA YOUTH CUP FINAL FIRST LEG

PHIL FODEN CELEBRATES SCORING AGAINST EVERTON, MAY 2021

Since the modern day City Academy was established in 1998 its success has seen it bring through more professional footballers than any other club in the Premier League. Phil Foden, Micah Richards, Kieran Trippier, Jadon Sancho, Kasper Schmeichel and Kelechi Iheanacho are just some of the big names to come through the City system.

AGUERO

Manchester City’s all-time record goal-scorer with a phenomenal 260 goals. These were made up of 43 in Europe, 20 in the FA Cup, eleven in the League Cup, two ‘other’ goals and 184 in the Premier League. This makes ‘Kun’ the highest ever non-English Premier League scorer and fourth top Premier League marksman in total. Not only is Sergio City’s all-time top-scorer, he also holds that title for Argentina with 41 goals in 100 internationals to June 2021.

SERGIO IS THROWN IN THE AIR BY TEAMMATES AS THEY CELEBRATE WINNING THE PREMIER LEAGUE AFTER HIS LAST MATCH AT THE ETIHAD STADIUM AS A CITY PLAYER, MAY 2021

At City, Aguero won five Premier League titles, the League Cup six times, the FA Cup, the Community Shield three times and made the last of his 320+70 appearances in the 2021 Champions League final. City Player of the Year in 2012 and 2015 he was named in the PFA Team of the Year three times and was Player of the Month on seven occasions.

BELOW: AGUERO CELEBRATES SCORING V ARSENAL DURING THE FA CUP SEMI FINAL, APRIL 2017

It was at the Emirates Stadium in London that Aguero made his full international debut as an 18-year old in September 2006 against Brazil. He went on to play at the FIFA World Cup finals in 2010, 2014 and 2018 as well as the Copa America in 2011, 2015 (when he played in the final), 2016, 2019 and 2021.

Born on 2 June 1988 in Buenos Aires Sergio started with Independiente for whom he debuted when he was only 15 years and 35 days on 5 July 2003. After 23 goals in 54 league games Aguero moved to Europe in May 2006 when Atletico Madrid invested their record fee of €20m. In 2010 he set up both goals as Fulham were defeated 2-1 in the Europa League final and also reached the final of the Copa del Rey in the same season. He then scored one and made one as Inter Milan were beaten when Atletico lifted the UEFA Super Cup.

AGUEROOOO'S TITLE-WINNING LAST GASP STRIKE AGAINST QPR, MAY 2102

It was on 28 July 2011 that Sergio signed for City, Madrid almost doubling their money when he was sold for a reported £35m. Almost exactly a decade later on 1 July 2021 he returned to Spain with Barcelona. He had become a City legend with so many goals and so many great moments, but above all he will always be remembered not just at City but in Premier League history for his goal against QPR in the dying seconds of the 2011-12 season. As the ball hit the back of the net the destination of the Premier League Trophy switched from United to City with Sky commentator’s Martin Tyler’s yelling of, ‘Agueroooo!’ becoming one of the defining moments of modern day football.

ALLISON

Brash, loud-mouthed, arrogant but brilliant. Malcolm Allison was a one of a kind football coach who, it is widely acknowledged, was many years ahead of his time. Innovative and tactically brilliant, Big Mal was the perfect foil for the more steadying fatherly figure of Joe Mercer. In July 1965, Mercer approached upcoming Plymouth Argyle boss Allison and offered him the position of head coach at Maine Road.

With a desire to work at a higher level, he accepted and so began one of the most successful management partnerships English football has ever seen. Though the pair were like chalk and cheese, together they were a dream team, steering the Blues to the second Division Championship in their first season and within two years, City were crowned First Division Champions for only the second time in the club’s history.

Allison was often in trouble with the authorities for his touchline antics and was banned time and time again by the FA - if Big Mal had something to say, he said it and to hell with the consequences.

Coveted by a host of other clubs - Leeds and Juventus among their number - he felt he needed to be his own man and in 1972 was given the chance to prove himself by City. Just nine months later, the flamboyant champagne-drinking cigar-smoking manager had left for Crystal Palace, believing he could no longer motivate the City players. In fact, his managing skills could never match his ability on the training ground and in July 1979 he returned for a second spell at the club, but it proved nothing short of disastrous and he was sacked in October 1980. He would manager Crystal Palace, Sporting Lisbon, Yeovil Town, Middlesbrough and Bristol Rovers before retiring.

In his later years, he was never far from his beloved Blues. Malcolm died on October 14, 2010 at the age of 83 and at his funeral had a City scarf draped over his coffin. He once said: “I used to shout that I was the greatest coach in the world.” Few, especially the City players and fans who were around in the late 1960s, would disagree.

ARDWICK FC

When the skipper of Gorton Football Club discovered an ideal patch of ground for his team to make their home, the club upped sticks and moved the short distance to Ardwick. With a new ground and neighbourhood, it was agreed it made sense to change the name from Gorton FC to Ardwick FC and a new club was formed.

ONE OF THE GROUND STAFF WATCHES A TRAINING SESSION, 1951

Under manager Lawrence Furniss, the profile of the team began to rise and Ardwick twice won the Manchester Cup, beating Newton Heath 1-1 in 1891, who later became their cross-town rivals Manchester United.

However, beset by financial problems, in 1893-94 the club was forced into bankruptcy and in 1894 the phoenix that arose from the ashes of Ardwick FC was Manchester City Football Club, thanks in no small way to Secretary Joshua Parlby. City would at least continue to play in Ardwick, and their dilapidated Hyde Road ground, until 1923 when the club relocated to Maine Road.

ATTENDANCES

The 1934 FA Cup tie between Manchester City and Stoke City still holds the record for the biggest crowd in a competitive English match outside games played at Wembley Stadium. Some 84,569 people were crammed into Maine Road that day to see Eric Brook’s solitary goal send City through to the next round. A decade earlier, 76,166 fans packed Maine Road to watch City draw 0-0 with Cardiff City. As late as 1956, two crowds of 76,129 and 70,640 watched the Blues take on Everton and Liverpool respectively in the FA cup.

City would win the trophy that season having no doubt been buoyed by the tremendous support they had received. The Blues’ record League crowd was set on 23 February 1935 when 79,491 fans watched City and Arsenal slug out a 1-1 draw.

The lowest crowd on record is 3,000 in 1924 when Nottingham Forest were the visitors and they took full advantage of the sparse surroundings by beating City 3-1. A poor City side attracted just 8,015 people in January, 1964 for a Second Division clash with Swindon Town, the post-war record low.

At the City of Manchester Stadium (currently known as the Etihad Stadium for sponsorship reasons) the record attendance of 54,693 was set in February 2016 for the visit of Leicester City. A £300 million redevelopment programme of the existing North Stand has been approved with the construction of a new hotel, covered fan park for 6,000 people and increased net capacity to 61,474 (allowing for seats blocked off for fan separation). Construction was expected to commence in 2023 and be completed by the end of 2026.

B

BARNES

Peter Barnes had no fewer than 28 moves but will forever be synonymous with City where he started his career. Having debuted for City away to Manchester United on 9 October 1974 he didn’t hang up his boots until 1992-93 when he played for Cliftonville.

Peter played more than 150 games for City scoring 22 times, the most famous of which came as City beat Newcastle United in the 1976 League Cup final. Barnes’ last appearance for City came at home to Wolves on 22 September 1987 during a second stint with the club.

Peter won the first 14 of his 22 England caps during his first spell with City, one of his four international goals while a City player coming in a 3-1 Wembley win over Scotland in May 1979.

PETER BARNES OPENS THE SCORING IN THE 1976 LEAGUE CUP FINAL 2-1 VICTORY OVER NEWCASTLE UNITED

One of the best out-and-out wingers ever to pay for Manchester City, her terrorised defences for three seasons and was one of the originators of the step over dummy. Influenced by the likes of Mike Summerbee and Rodney Marsh, whom he watched from the terraces as a boy, Barnes had the ability to cross the ball from seemingly impossible angles.

His father Ken was also a legend at Maine Road in the 1950s and was famously dubbed ‘the best uncapped wing-half in England’. Barnes senior later became City’s chief scout and had to look no further than his own back garden to find an outstanding talent in waiting.

BELL

Even Kevin de Bruyne, David Silva or Sergio Aguero would struggle to rival Colin Bell when the accolade of City’s greatest ever player is considered. During Colin’s era at City, which lasted from 16 March 1966 to 10 April 1980, the club enjoyed a golden era when they won Division Two, the league title, the FA Cup, the League Cup and Charity Shield twice each and the European Cup Winners’ Cup. Mike Summerbee, Francis Lee and Alan Oakes were amongst the great players in that side but undoubtedly Colin was the king-pin.

Bell had everything. He was the perfect box to box midfielder. His vision and ability to open up defences combined with his pace, willingness to bolster the defence and ability to score all came wrapped up with the bonus that he possessed the most supreme stamina. Nowadays teams are often rotated and key players are frequently substituted when games look as if they are safely won. In Bell’s day substitutes had just been introduced and there was only one, so almost always a starting appearance meant a full 90 minutes. Additionally, factor in that there were four more league games at the top level than there are now, often on heavy pitches and in an era when tackling could be much more aggressive than is allowed in modern day football. Through all this Colin was ever present in the league in 1966-67 and 1974-75, missed just one game in 1973-74 and in a spell of eight seasons topped 40 appearances seven times with three of those campaigns seeing him play between 50 and 55 times. In total his 491+3 games for the club places him fifth in the all-time list while his 152 goals had only been bettered by two players when Colin left - despite him not being a striker.

Colin was capped 48 times while with City, scoring nine goals. Debuting against Sweden at Wembley in May 1968 his first goal came against Brazil in Rio the following year. Bell played against Brazil again in one of three appearances he made at the 1970 FIFA World Cup finals and captained his country against Northern Ireland at Wembley in 1972.

Born in Cold Hesleden near Sunderland on 26 February 1946, Bell began with Bury in 1963 scoring 25 goals in 63 league games for the Shakers before a fee of £47,500 brought him to Maine Road. Undoubtedly he would have played well over 500 games but for missing almost two years after an horrendous injury sustained in a League Cup derby with Manchester United in November 1975. He was not able to play at all in 1975-76 when City finished a point behind champions Liverpool. Had Colin been fit then that season may well have been a title winning year.

COLIN DURING THE 1969-70 PRE-SEASON PHOTOCALL

Understandably he was not the same player after fighting back from his knee injury and finished his career in the USA where he played five NASL games for San Jose Earthquakes who he signed for on 10 April 1980.

Nicknamed, ‘Nijinsky’ after one of the greatest racehorses of all time, who was dominating that sport whilst Bell was playing, Colin had the West Stand of what is now the Etihad Stadium named in his honour in 2004 and was entered into English Football’s Hall of Fame the following year when he was also awarded the MBE. He passed away on 5 January 2021, shortly before what would have been his 75th birthday.

BOND

John Bond arrived at Maine Road in October 1980 to pick up the pieces of Malcolm Allison’s whirlwind second stay as City boss. Having achieved success at Bournemouth and Norwich City, the flamboyant but highly regarded Bond left the tranquil surrounds of Carrow Road for the crisis-torn Blues. Within weeks, Bond had transformed a doomed side into a team worthy of a top three place.

Few managers have had such an instant effect on a side and after watching his troops from the stand lose 1-0 to Birmingham, a result that left City bottom with no wins in 12, he inspired the players to produce a stirring 3-1 win over Spurs just four days later and the juggernaut was off and running. Only a linesman’s flag denied City a place in the League Cup Final that season and only a coat of paint saved Spurs in the FA Cup Final as Bond’s City became the nations’ premier cup team. Signings such as Gerry Gow, Bobby McDonald and Tommy Hutchison combined to play the best football of their careers and inspire the rest of the side to greater heights, and the side that had looked like relegation bankers ended in twelfth spot.

The following campaign saw the arrival of Trevor Francis for £1.2 million and caused great excitement among supporters. The Blues went into the New Year at the top of the table, with many believing the seemingly impossible quest for the league title might just happen. It didn’t, and a dramatic slump in form would eventually see City finish tenth.

Bond lasted just over five months of the 1982-83 season with his magic aura fading by the week and he resigned after a 4-0 FA Cup fourth round defeat at Brighton and Hove Albion and four months later the Blues were relegated. His son Kevin played for his father at City amassing more than 100 games for the club before leaving to join Southampton. John Bond passed away on 25 September 2012, aged 79.

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