History

_1852372_huckerby300new

FA Cup Winners: 1904, 1934, 1956, 1969

League Cup Winners: 1970, 1976

First Division Champions: 1937, 1968 (Pre Premier League)

UEFA Cup Winners Cup Champions 1970

Manchester City Football Club in 1887 and played at Hyde Road. The club was then known as Ardwick FC. And after winning the Manchester Cup in 1891, the club was admitted to the second division of the Football league in 1892.

The Ardwick FC was renamed Manchester City FC in 1894 and won the Second Division achieving promotion for the first time in 1899. In 1904 City won the FA Cup as well as finishing second in the First Division. Billy Meredith was the key player for City in this era, and he concluded his first stint with the club in 1906 having scored 129 official match goals.

In 1920 the main stand at Hyde Road was destroyed in a fire, and thus City moved to Maine Road in 1923, a ground which became on of the legendary backdrops for football in England.

In the 1930s, City reached the FA Cup Final in 1933 and lifted the trophy in 1934 after defeating Portsmouth. After winning the league in 1938, City were relegated the following year. When the UK and France declared war on Germany in September 1939, the Football League suspended play until the 1945-46 season. That year, City were promoted back to the First Division.

The 1950s were a glorious era for Man City. The decade was typified by Burt Trautman’s continued presence in the 1956 FA Cup final versus Birmingham City despite a broken neck. City won the final 3-1. Les McDowall, City’s manager at the time refined tactical football in England forever with his adaptation of a strategy that employed using the centre forward to come back and receive service in the midfield thus drawing the oppositions central defense forward and allowing the other strikers the space to make runs behind them.

After relegation and promotion once again, City entered the most glorious era in the club’s history. The team won four trophies between 1968 and 1970, and was led by the great Colin Bell. The mid 1970s were a tumultuous time for City both on and off the pitch with ownership and backroom staff changes abound and the signing of controversial and colorful Rodney Marsh. The great moment of this period came in the final match of the 1973-74 season when City sent arch rivals Manchester United down to the second division with a 1-0 victory. Soon after Marsh departed to play his club soccer in the United States and City despite a League Cup triumph in 1976 was headed for another City like era.

The era from 1978 to 1983 can be easily summarized by the sale of Peter Barnes and the then record British signing of Steve Daley. More often than not during this era, City was a midtable side not threatening the top of the league. Then in 1983 City fell to the second division for the first time in almost 20 years.

Peter Reid, an active player took over as City’s manager in 1990 and brought success back to Maine Road. Back to back fifth place finishes was followed up with a ninth place finish in the first season of the Premiership. Reid’s City clubs were entertaining and highly successful. As the Premier League and big TV entered English Football, it appeared as if City would be a fixture among the big clubs.

However this was not the case as City entered a period of unmistakable decline after Reid was sacked, which the club has still arguably not recovered from. The club slipped to barely avoiding relegation when England World Cup winning legend Alan Ball was appointed as manager. Under Ball the club was relegated, and two years later City became the first side that had previously won a UEFA competition to be relegated to the third tier of domestic football.

Joe Royal the new City manager struggled in year one in the Second Division (now League One). City despite having by far the largest ground in the league at Maine Road struggled to make the playoffs finishing 6th. Paul Dickov’s goal against Gillingham to take the playoff final to a shoot out which City won came just a few days after cross town rivals United won the Champions League. Had City lost to Gillingham, the club would have faced the indignity of continuing third flight football while rival United were the kings of Europe.

Royal’s 1999-2000 team was promoted to the Premier League behind the great forward play of Shaun Goater, one of the all time fan favorites of the club. In 2001 City was once again relegated and in 2002 under Kevin Keagan the club was once again promoted with Darren Huckerby leading the way. However, this roller coaster ride ended in the 2002-2003 season as City qualified for Europe via the Fair Play Table and finished 9th in the table, The following August Keagan made a number of significant signings: World Cup veterans Steve McManaman, Michael Tarnet, and Claudio Reyna joined Nicolas Anelka, Paulo Wanchope and Robbie Fowler in what appeared to be a star studded side. But City fell to 16th in the table after a solid start and were fortunate not to be relegated. The next season saw Keagan depart and Stuart Pearce finish the season as manager doing an outstanding job leading City to an outstanding final few months of the campaign.

Pearce however struggled the next few seasons as finances became tight and City could not keep up with all of the spending other Premier League clubs engaged in. Against this backdrop, Pearce employed negative tactics but they were successful as City avoided the drop in both 2006 and 2007.

Sven Goran Eriksson’s lone season in charge of the club brought much hope, but like the Keagan years quick starts resulted in late struggles and the former England manager was sacked after just one season and replaced by former United star Mark Hughes.

Managerial History

2008- Mark Hughes

2007-08 Sven Goran Eriksson

2005-07 Stuart Pearce

2001-05 Kevin Keagan

1998-01 Joe Royle

1996-98 Frank Clark

1996 Steve Coppell

1995-96 Alan Ball

1993-95 Brian Horton

1990-93 Peter Reid

1990 Howard Kendall

1987-89 Mel Machin

1986-87 Jimmy Frizzell

1983-86 Billy McNeill

1983 John Benson

1980-83 John Bond

1979-80 Malcolm Allison

1974-79 Tony Book

1973-74 Ron Saunders

1973 Johnny Hart

1972-73 Malcolm Allison

1965-71 Joe Mercer

1963-65 George Poyser

1950-63 Leslie McDowall

1947-50 John ‘Jock’ Thompson

1946-47 Sam Cowan

1932-46 Wilf Wild

1926-32 Peter Hodge

1924-25 David Ashworth

1912-24 Ernest Magnall

1906-12 Harry Newbould

1902-06 Tom Maley

1895-02 Sam Omerod

1893-95 Joshua Parlby

  • Subscribe via Email

      Enter your email address:

      Delivered by FeedBurner

  • Recent Posts