According to Eric Thornton, the Manchester Evening News's City correspondant in the 1950s and 60s, the 1956 FA Cup-winning side had cost £160,000 to assemble. To put that in perspective, the record transfer fee in the mid-1950s was £34,500, and Thornton estimated that there were only 14 players in the country worth £25,000 or more. In present-day money that's roughly the equivalent of a £150million squad.
1976 League Cup-winning side
Joe Corrigan – b Manchester (youth team)
Ged Keegan – b Bradford (youth team)
Willie Donachie – b Glasgow (youth team)
Mike Doyle - b Manchester (youth team)
Dave Watson - b Nottinghamshire (£275,000 from Sunderland)
Alan Oakes - b Cheshire (youth team)
Peter Barnes - b Manchester (youth team)
Tommy Booth b Manchester (youth team)
Joe Royle – b Liverpool (£170,000 from Everton)
Asa Hartford - b Clydebank (£250,000 from West Brom)
Dennis Tueart - b Newcastle (£250,000 from Sunderland)
Sub
Kenny Clements – b Middleton (youth team)
£945,000
1981 Cup final side (both games)
Joe Corrigan – b Manchester (youth team)
Ray Ranson – b St Helens (youth team)
Bobby McDonald – (Scottish, £270,000 from Coventry)
Nicky Reid – b Manchester Urmston (youth team)
Tommy Caton – b Liverpool (youth team)
Paul Power - Manchester (youth team)
Gary Bennett – b Manchester? (youth team)
Gerry Gow (Scottish, £227,000 from Bristol City)
Steve McKenzie - b Essex (£250,000 from Crystal Palace)
Tommy Hutchinson (Scottish, £47,500 from Coventry)
Kevin Reeves - b Hampshire, (£1,250,000 from Norwich)
£2,044,500
Subs
Tony Henry - b Tyne & Wear (youth team)
Dennis Tueart – b Newcastle (£250,000 from Sunderland)
£2,294,500
Soriano
esade
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Partnership in International Management
Reckitt Benckiser
Cluster Consulting
a management consulting firm he co-founded in 1993 that became a market leader on strategic consultancy for the telecommunications industry.
Barça: The Making of the Greatest Team in the World
Poble Nou - "The Catalan Manchester"
DiamondCluster
Acquired by PwC
Published works
Goal: The Ball Doesn't Go In By Chance: Management Ideas from the World of Football
(First 15 pages) Amazon page
Goal: The Ball Doesn't Go In By Chance: Management Ideas from the World of Football
(First 15 pages) Amazon page
Ferran Soriano Compte archive
ECA
based on the
2010 UEFA Team Ranking
"I don't understand Rummenigge's behaviour against Manchester City," he said. "This has been six months now that he talks against us. He says he hopes Napoli get through to the second stage [instead of City]. I don't understand what has happened with Rummenigge, and tomorrow I want to ask him."
I noticed that Mancini was unable to speak to Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, and ask him why he's constantly griping about City.
Boss looks ahead on video
at 01:02 on a video at the official site
"I didn't meet him," Mancini said. "I may have the time to meet him in the future."
But I suspect what he was actually thinking was: "What a pussy."
You'd think that
So is Karl-Heinz Rummenigge really just a big birl's blouse?
Home Grown
"I don't understand Rummenigge's behaviour against Manchester City," he said. "This has been six months now that he talks against us. He says he hopes Napoli get through to the second stage [instead of City]. I don't understand what has happened with Rummenigge, and tomorrow I want to ask him."
I noticed that Mancini was unable to speak to Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, and ask him why he's constantly griping about City.
Boss looks ahead on video
at 01:02 on a video at the official site
"I didn't meet him," Mancini said. "I may have the time to meet him in the future."
But I suspect what he was actually thinking was: "What a pussy."
You'd think that
So is Karl-Heinz Rummenigge really just a big birl's blouse?
1904 FA Cup winners
John "Jack" Hillman (Signed from Burnley 1901)
Johnny McMahon (Signed from Preston NE 1902)
Herbert Burgess (Manchester born)
Sammy Frost (Signed from Millwall 1901)
Tom Hynds (Signed from Celtic 1901)
Sam Ashworth ?
Billy Meredith (signed 1894, b Chirk Wales)
George Livingstone (Signed from Liverpool 1903)
Billy Gillespie (Signed from Lincoln City 1897)
Sandy Turnbull (Amateur) (Signed fromHurlford 1902)
Frank Booth (Signed from Stockport 1902)
1937 title winners
Jack Percival (Signed from Durham in Oct 1932)
Billy Dale (Signed from Man United in Dec 1931 - Manchester born)
Alex Herd (Signed from Hamilton Academicals in May 1933)
Sam Barkas (Signed from Bradford City in Apr 1934)
Fred Tilson (Signed from Barnsley in Mar 1928)
Peter Doherty (Signed from Blackpool in Feb 1936)
Jackie Bray (Signed from Manchester Central in Oct 1929)
Ernie Toseland (Signed from Coventry in Mar 1929)
Bobby Marshall (Signed from Sunderland in Mar 1928)
Frank Swift (Signed from Fleetwood in Oct 1932)
Eric Brook (Signed from Barnsley with Fred Tilson in 1928)
1956 FA Cup winners (Newcastle)
Bert Trautman (born Germany, signed 1949)
Jimmy Meadows (Signed from Southport Mar 1951)
Roy Little (born Manchester)
Ken Barnes (Signed from Stafford Rangers 1950-51 for £7,000 )
Dave Ewing (born in Logierait, Perthshire, signed as 20-year-old from Luncarry Juniors)
Roy Paul (Signed from Swansea in summer 1950 for £19,500 )
Billy Spurdle (signed from Oldham)
Joe Hayes (born Kearsley, near Bolton, signed as 17-year-old)
Don Revie (Signed from Hull in Oct 1951 for £25,000)
Bobby Johnstone (b Selkirk, Signed from Hibernian in Mar 1955 for £25,000)
Joe Fagan (born Liverpool, signed as 17-year-old)
1957/58 squad
Barlow bManchester
Barnes b Birmingham
Bourne no entry
Branagan b Salford
Cheetham b Eccles
Clark Welsh signed for £12,000 in 1947
Davidson sq pl
Dyson b Oldham
Ewing Scottish
Fagan b Liverpool
Faulkner Scottish
Fidler ?
Fleet
Grey
Hart Wigan
Hayes b Bolton
Horridge
Johnstone Scottish signed for £25,000
Kirkman
Leigh
Leivers b Derbyshire
Little b Manchester
Marsden
Matthews
Meadows
Murray
McAdams b Belfast N Irish
McClelland
McDonald
McLardy
McTavish Scottish
Pennington
Phoenix
Rucker
Savage
Sear
Taylor
Trautmann German
Warhurst
1962-63 side
Harry Dowd (b. Salford, signed at 19 as amateur)
Bobby Kennedy (signed from Kilmarnock for £45,000)
Barrie Betts (signed from Stockport)
Cliff Sear (youth team then re-signed from Oswestry Town)
John Benson (youth team signed as apprentice from Stockport Boys)
Roy Cheetham (youth team)
Bill Leivers (signed from Chesterfield for £10,000)
Jackie Plenderleith (signed from Hibernian for £16,500)
Alan Oakes (youth team)
Grahame Chadwick (youth team)
Neil Young (youth team)
Colin Barlow (youth team)
Peter Dobing (signed from Blackburn for £37,500)
Alex Harley (signed from Third Lanark for £18,000)
Matt Gray (signed from Third Lanark)
George Hannah (signed from Lincoln City for £20,000)
Joe Hayes (born Kearsley, near Bolton, signed as 17-year-old)
David Wagstaffe (youth team)
1968 title winners (v Newcastle)
Mulhearn - Liverpool
Book - Bath
Pardoe - Winsford, Cheshire (Acadamy)
Doyle - Manchester (Reddish) (Acadamy)
Heslop - Wallsend, Tyne and Wear
Oakes - Winsford, Cheshire (Acadamy)
Lee - Westhoughton, Bolton
Bell - Hesleden, County Durham
Summerbee - Preston
Young - Manchester (Fallowfield) (Acadamy)
Coleman - Liverpool
Sub
(Kennedy - Motherwell)
1976 League Cup-winning side
Joe Corrigan - Manchester (Acadamy)
Ged Keegan - Bradford (Acadamy)
Willie Donachie - Glasgow (Acadamy)
Mike Doyle - Manchester (Reddish) (Acadamy)
Dave Watson - Stapleford, Nottinghamshire
Alan Oakes - Winsford, Cheshire (Acadamy)
Peter Barnes - Manchester (Acadamy)
Tommy Booth - Manchester (Langley) (Acadamy)
Joe Royle - Liverpool
AsaHartford - Clydebank
Dennis Tueart - Newcastle
Sub
Clements - Middleton, Lancs (Acadamy)
1981 Cup final side (both games)
Corrigan - Manchester (Acadamy)
Ranson - St Helens (Acadamy)
McDonald - Aberdeen
Reid - Manchester (Urmston) (Acadamy)
Caton - Liverpool (Acadamy)
Power - Manchester (Acadamy)
Bennett - Manchester? (Acadamy)
Gow - Glasgow
McKenzie - Romford, Essex
Hutchinson - Cardenden, Fife
Reeves - Burley, Hampshire
Subs
Henry - Houghton-le-Spring, Tyne & Wear (Acadamy)
Tueart - Newcastle Books Best City books
Manchester the Greatest City: Complete History of Manchester City Football Club (Gary James, Polar 1997)
496 pages, hardback
McVittee review
Amazon
Malcolm Allison: Colours of my Life (Malcolm Allison and James Lawton, Everest 1975)
192 pages
Amazon
This Simple Game: The Footballing Life of Ken Barnes (Jimmy Wagg, Empire 2005)
190 pages, hardback
Amazon
Manchester - A Football History (Gary James, James Ward 2008)
520 pages, hardback
Amazon
The Battle for Manchester City (Alec Johnson, Mainstream 1994)
Hardback, 187 pages
McVittee review
Amazon
Blue Moon - Down Among the Dead Men with Manchester City (Mark Hodkinson, Mainstream 1999)
McVittee review
Amazon
Maine Man: The Tony Book Story (Tony Book and David Clayton, Mainstream 2004)
208 pages
Amazon
Manchester City: Meredith to Mercer and the F.A. Cup (Eric Thornton, Hale 1969)
191 pages
Amazon
Manchester City: The Complete Record (Gary James, Breedon Books 2006)
Blue Moon Rising - The fall and rise of Manchester City (Andy Buckley and Richard Burgess, Milo Books 2000)
McVittee review
Amazon
Blue Blood: The Mike Doyle Story (Mike Doyle and David Clayton, Bluecoat Press, 2006)
Amazon
Priceless: My Autobiography (Rodney Marsh, Headline 2002)
352 pages paperback, 288 pages hardback
Amazon
Football Wizard: Billy Meredith Story (John Harding, Robson Books 1998)
262 pages, hardback
Amazon
General
Manchester City Football Club - Souvenir History (Fred Johnson, Holtes 1930)
Farewell To Maine Road: The Official History of Manchester City's Grounds (Gary James, Polar 2003)
Hardback
Amazon
The Maine Road Encyclopedia: an A-Z of Manchester City FC (Ian Penney, Mainstream 1995)
Manchester City Football Club: 125 Years of Football (Gary James, At Heart 2007)
Amazon
Champions: Manchester City 1967-1968 (Phil Goldstone and David Saffer, NPI 2005)
128 pages, paperback
Amazon
Century City (David Wallace, King of the Kippax, 2007)
210, hardback
Amazon
Manchester City: A Complete Record 1887-1987 (Ray Goble, Breedon Books
McVittee review
Amazon
Manchester City, a Complete Record (Ray & Andrew Ward, Breedon Books 1993)
McVittee review
Amazon
Attitude Blue: Manchester City F.C. and P.L.C. (Chris Murray, Chris Murray Publications 2002)
308 pages, paperback
Amazon
Manchester City Centenary Brochure: 1894/95-1994/95 (edited by Joanne Parker, Manchester City Football Club PLC)
McVittee review
Manchester City - Moments to Remember (John Creighton, Sigma)
McVittee review
The Pride of Manchester: A History of the Manchester Derby Matches (Steve Cawley and Gary James, ACL & Polar 1991)
McVittee review
Amazon
Manchester City: The Mercer-Allison Years (Ian Penney, Breedon Books 2008)
224 pages, paperback
Amazon
From Maine Men to Banana Citizens (Gary James, Temple Printing 1989)
Amazon
The Essential History of Manchester City FC (Ian Penney, Headline 2002)
Amazon
Manchester United Versus Manchester City: The Great Derby Matches (Michael Heatley and Ian Welch Dial House 1996)
160 pages, hardback
Amazon
Manchester City Story (Andrew Ward, Breedon Books 1984)
100 pages, paperback
Amazon
Cups for Cock-Ups (Ashley Shaw, Empire 1998)
McVittee review
Amazon
Manchester City Football Club: Seventy of the Finest Matches (Andrew Waldon, Tempus 2001)
Biography / autobiography
Fowler: My Autobiography (Robbie Fowler, Pan Books 2006)
352 pages, paperback
Amazon
Feed the Goat (Shaun Goater and David Clayton, History Press 2007)
226 pages, paperback
Amazon
Kinkladze: The Perfect 10 (David Clayton, Parrs Wood Press, 2005)
240 pages, paperback
Niall Quinn: The Autobiography (Niall Quinn, Headline 2002)
320 pages, hardback
Amazon
Big Joe: The Joe Corrigan Story (Joe Corrigan and David Clayton, Fort Publishing 2008)
240 pages, hardback
Amazon
My Dear Watson - The Story of a Football Marriage (Penny Watson, Littlehampton 1981)
134 pages, hardback
McVittee review
Amazon
Colin Bell: Reluctant Hero (Ian Cheeseman, Mainstream 2006)
208 pages, paperback
Amazon
Soccer Round The World (Francis Lee, Readers Union 1972)
McVittee review
Manchester City: My Team (Mike Doyle, Souvenir Press 1977)
McVittee review
Amazon
Mike Summerbee: The Autobiography (Mike Summerbee, Century 2008)
288 pages, hardback
Amazon
Catch a Falling Star: The Autobiography of Neil Young (Neil Young, Empire 2004)
224 pages, hardback
Amazon
Kicked into Touch: Plus Extra Time (Fred Eyre, Mainstream 2006)
304 pages, paperback
Amazon
Bobby Johnstone: The Passing of an Age (John Leigh, Breedon Books 2007)
192 pages, hardback
Amazon
Soccer's Happy Wanderer (Don Revie, Museum Press 1955)
110 pages
McVittee review
Amazon
Trautmann: The Biography (Alan Rowlands, Breedon Books 1990 & 2005)
256 pages, paperback
McVittee review (1990 edition)
Amazon
Steppes to Wembley (Bert Trautmann, Robert Hall 1956)
McVittee review
Amazon
Football from the Goalmouth (Frank Swift, Sporting Handbooks 1948)
McVittee review
Amazon
Spotlight on Football (Peter Doherty, A&E 1947)
118 pages
McVittee review
Amazon
Managers
Kevin Keegan: An Intimate Portrait of Football's Last Romantic (Ian Ridley, Simon & Schuster 2008)
320 pages, hardback
Amazon
My Autobiography: Kevin Keegan (Kevin Keegan, Time Warner 1998)
432 pages, hardback
Amazon
Joe Royle, the Autobiography (Joe Royle, BBC 2005)
256 pages, hardback
Amazon
Frank Clark: Kicking with Both Feet (Frank Clark and Nick Kehoe, Headline 2000)
288 pages, paperback / 256 pages, hardback)
Amazon
Alan Ball: Playing Extra Time (Alan Ball, Sidgwick & Jackson 2004)
320 pages, hardback
Amazon
Allison Wonderland: Mastermind of Maine Road's Golden Age (Steve Mingle, History Press 2008)
288 pages
Amazon
Big Mal: The High Life and Hard Times of Malcolm Allison, Football Legend (David Tossell, Mainstream 2008)
336 pages
Amazon
Football with a Smile: The Authorised Biography of Joe Mercer OBE (Gary James, Polar 1994)
McVittee review
Amazon
The Great Ones (Joe Mercer, Sportsmans Book Club 1964)
McVittee review
Amazon
also
My Name is Len Davies, I'm a Football Scout (Peter Shelton and Len Davies, Firebird 2000)
192 pages, paperback
Amazon
Reference / miscellany
The Man City Miscellany (David Clayton, History Press 2007)
134 pages, hardback
Amazon
The Little Book of Man City (David Clayton, Carlton 2002)
160 pages
Amazon
The Manchester City Quiz Book (John Maddocks, Mainstream 1988)
160 pages, paperback
McVittee review
Amazon
Maine Road Favourites: Where Are They Now? (Ian Penney and Fred Eyre, Sutton 2006)
192 pages, paperback
Amazon
The Official Manchester City Football Club Hall of Fame (Gary James, Hamlyn 2005)
176, hardback
Amazon
Blue Heaven -Manchester City's Greatest Games (Ian Penney, Mainstream 1996)
McVittee review
Amazon
Living the Dream: From West Gorton Street to the City of Manchester Stadium - Manchester City Almanac (Dean Hayes, 90 Minutes 2004)
170 pages, hardback
Amazon
Everything Under the Blue Moon: The Complete Book of Manchester City FC - and More! (David Clayton, Mainstream 2002)
208 pages, paperback
Amazon
Manchester City: An A-Z (Dean Hayes, Sigma 1995)
150 pages, paperback
Amazon
Manchester City Greats (Ian Whittell, John Donald Publishers 1997)
180 pages, paperback
Amazon
The Legends of Manchester City (Ian Penney, Breedon Books 2005)
208 pages, hardback
Amazon
Manchester City's Cult Heroes (David Clayton, Know The Score, 2007)
256, hardback
Amazon
Crowd Idols: Manchester City Heroes 1966-2006 (David Clayton, Mainstream 2006)
224 pages
Amazon
The Grounds of Manchester City (David Burton, Arima 2005)
64 pages, paperback
Amazon
Standing Ovation: A Tribute to the Kippax (Phillip Gatenby)
McVittee review
The Kippax: a Celebration (Noel Bayley, Electric Blue 1994)
59 pages, paperback (limited edition,1,000 copies)
The Blues: A Concise Post War History of Manchester City (Dean Hayes, Parrs Wood 1999)
128 pages, paperback
Amazon
Manchester City Classic Matches (David Saffer and Andrew Waldon, NPI 2002)
160 pages, paperback
Amazon
Photos
Manchester City Football Club - Archive Photographs (David Saffer, NPI Media 2002)
128 pages, paperback
Amazon
The Manchester City Official Pictorial History (Mike Hill, Diverse Media 1997)
146 pages, hardback
McVittee review
Amazon
Full Time at Maine Road (Len Grant 2004)
McVittee review
Amazon
We're Not Really Here: Manchester City's Final Season at Maine Road (Kevin Cummins, Dazed Books 2003)
416 pages, paperback
Amazon
Fans
Stop Making Sense: Manchester City, Mother Russia and Me (Peter Brophy, Parrs Wood 2002)
224 pages, paperback
Amazon
Manchester United Ruined My Life (Colin Shindler, Headline 1998)
McVittee review
Amazon
Lows, Highs and Balti Pies: Manchester City Ruined My Diet (Steve Mingle, History Press 2004)
320 pages, paperback
Amazon
City 'til I Die (David Chidlow,Polar 1999)
132 pages, paperback
My Blue Heaven (Dante Friend, Empire 2004)
184 pages, paperback
Amazon
Maine Road Voices (Andrew Waldon, History Press 2002)
128 pages
Amazon
Waiting for the Whistle: the Last Season at Maine Road (Andrew Waldon, History Press 2003)
192 pages, paperback
Amazon
Hooligan books
Guvnors: Story of a Soccer Hooligan Gang by the Man Who Led It (Michael Francis with Peter Walsh, Milo 1997)
McVittee review
Amazon
Sully: The Inside Story of Manchester City's Notorious Mayne Line Service Crew (Tony Sullivan, Empire 2008)
211 pages, paperback
Amazon
The Young Guvnors (Rodney Rhoden, AuthorHouse 2008)
316 pages, paperback
Amazon
Not published yet
The Worst of Friends: Malcolm Allison, Joe Mercer and Manchester City (Colin Shindler, Mainstream March 2009)
City - Heart & Soul: What Makes Manchester City Special (Gary James, James Ward Sep 2009)
304 pages, hardback
Also
The Manchester City Football Books (edited by Peter Gardner)
(1969 to Is Mark Hughes Kevin Keegan in disguise?
a goal difference of +4 is the sixth best in the league
12 places below where we should be
Hughes at Blackburn
Before he took over - 6 games / 2pts
first 18 games - 23pts
NOTW (Aiden Magee Dec 20)
Some of the older players feel they are being sidelined by Hughes.
They believe he wants to surround himself with younger players who will not question his methods or raise questions about tactics, formations and training methods.
One source close to several City stars said: “The players are furious Robinho swans around doing basically what he wants — and the boss lets him get away with it.
Independent (Ian Herbert - Dec 20)
Hughes, who finds himself facing a relegation scrap at The Hawthorns tomorrow with Robinho doubtful, is known to be nursing a severe sense of frustration about some of the players he inherited, some of whom he feels have got "too comfortable" at the club and are failing to set the right example. The Brazilian midfielder Elano is, in particular, considered lazy and a negative influence. Micah Richards, who has made little headway for the last season and a half, is considered a poor trainer, too interested in the time in the weights room which has contributed to his ballooning muscle bulk. Michael Johnson is at the club each day to do the rehabilitation work on his abdominal injury but is lacking the conviction to recuperate.
Hughes, whose exacting demands on players was part of the culture which brought success at Blackburn, also feels that some of the experienced players are not putting in enough effort. The City manager fell out with Dietmar Hamann early on and believes both his and Richard Dunne's laid-back approach to match preparation is setting a bad example to younger players. Hughes has pulled no punches and this is understood to have alienated some players. There are unconfirmed suggestions from some sources of factionalism – with older players like Darius Vassell and Dunne simply out of kilter with the new City revolution. The language hints at that. Hughes constantly talks of his "young team".
Hughes' management style / abilities
TLDORC
Uefa-cup effect
We've played
Times resolve league
The Al-fahim effect
I feel I've been labouring under an illusion.
basing his managemenet style on Sir Alex Ferguson
Hughes on a knife-edge
disciplinarian
Who's calling the shots?
Citymancs
get rid now - 14 (23.3%)
give him 3 more games to sort it - 3 (5%)
replace him before January - 3 (5%)
stick with him - 40 (66.7%)
Total Voters: 60
(Nov 14)
Bluemoon
Should Mark Hughes remain as City manager?
Yes 82% [448]
No 17% [95]
(Nov 14)
Mancityfans
Sack him now?
Now 38% [58]
Give him a few more games 13% [21]
Evaluate in May 30% [46]
This is a 2-3 year project leave him be 17% [27]
Total votes : 152
(Nov 16)
Lee Dixon
4-1-5
V Newcastle Oct 20
Man City: Hart ,Richards (Onuoha ,58 ) ,Ben-Haim ,Dunne ,Garrido (Sturridge ,83 ) ,Wright-Phillips ,Kompany ,Hamann (Evans ,64 ) ,Ireland ,Jo ,Robinho
Subs not used Schmeichel,Elano,Fernandes,Berti,
Sturridge, Evans, Jo, Robinho, Ireland, SWP,
3-1-6
The Sun
Dive-bombing
Irish Independent
Irish Herald
Redknapp at Spurs
McVittee
Do forwards make good managers?
Mark Hughes - Forward - Prem / Spain L1 / L1 Germany PFA Player of the Year
Yellow cards record
Luiz Felipe Scolari - Defender
Arsène Wenger - Defender / sweeper - France L1 (3 games)
Martin O'Neill - Midfielder
Paul Ince - Midfielder
Gary Megson - Midfielder
David Moyes - Centre half
Roy Hodgson - Left back
Phil Brown - Right back - England L3 / L4
Rafael Benítez - Midfielder - Spanish L3 / L4
Sir Alex Ferguson - Forward - Scottish Prem
Gareth Southgate - Centre Half - Prem (England International)
Joe Kinnear - Full back - Prem (Ireland international) 26 caps - FAC Uefa 2 LCs
Tony Adams - Centre half - Prem (England International)
Tony Pulis - Centre half - L2
Roy Keane - Midfielder - Prem
Harry Redknapp - Winger - Prem
Tony Mowbray - Centre half- Prem /L1 Scot Prem
Gianfranco Zola - Forward - Prem
Steve Bruce - Centre half - Prem
Team Nat From To Record
G W L D Win %
West Ham United Flag of England 15 September 2008 Present 9 2 6 1 22.22
Centre half - 6
Full back - 3
Defender - 2
Midfielder - 5
Winger - 1
Forward - 3
Football Focus poll
1. Paisley: 28% - half back
2. Clough: 27% - striker
3. Stein: 18% - centre half
4. Fergie: 15% - striker
5. Shankly: 6% - wing back
6. Nicholson: 4% - wing half (def mid)
7. Busby: 1% - Right half, Inside forward (att mid)
8. Chapman: 1% Inside forward (att mid)
Is it time for a new badge?
There's been plenty of discussion about this on the talkboards over the last few days, fuelled by this highly dubious Sunday Mirror story, which claims that Thaksin is going to give our badge a Thai-makeover, incorporating an elephant / mythical creature / Bangkok ladyboy, or whatever, into the design.
Considering that this is the paper that brought us the classic 'Thaksin Asks Players To Bow' nonsense, and that photos of next season's kit, if genuine, have the current badge on them, I'm guessing the story is largely mischief-making by a disgruntled - and possibly former - employee.
However, the possibility of a change of badge was raised at a Points of Blue meeting earlier in the year, attended by City's head of operations Sara Billington, and the matter appears to be under review. Certainly, with the club under new ownership a change of badge might be appropriate, particularly as there are plenty of fans, myself included, who have never been happy with the current one.
Although the introduction of the new badge in 1997 made good sense (Francis Lee revealed at the time that we weren't getting royalties on the old one), I do think it's a very flawed design. While the overall look of the badge is not bad, it hardly screams either "City" or "Manchester". Here it is close up:
My first gripe is that the eagle looks too much like the back of US quarter, or worse, a Nazi symbol. According to the original press release, the eagle was "taken from the Badge of the City of Manchester, dating from 1957". I'm not sure which badge this refers to, as Manchester has been using the same coat of arms since 1842 (pictured lower down) and that certainly doesn't contain an eagle.
The three stars "have no significance and are purely decorative", according to Mcfc.co.uk, and there's even doubts about the meaning, and spelling, of the Latin motto. The original press release claimed the motto was "Superbia In Proelio", but on the badge it is clearly spelt "Praelia", while I've also seen "Praelia" used. And to cap it off, "superbia" best translates as arrogance, according to this item from the McVittee archive.
Below are the designs that have been used throughout the club's history, starting with the Ardwick AFC badge dating from 1887:
That design was ditched after Ardwick evolved into Manchester City in 1894, and the official coat of arms of Manchester was adopted as the club crest. United also used this crest until the late 1960s though it appears that, unlike City, they needed permission on each occasion. "Concileo et Labore" loosely translates as "wisdom and effort":
The only other design I've seen used before the 1970s is this odd one that appeared on season tickets in the 1920s. Thankfully, it doesn't appear to have lasted that long:
The 1970s saw a redesign of the official Manchester crest which, for some reason, involved losing a stripe:
Traditionally only worn for Cup finals, the crest was used on shirts from 1977 to 1981:
I love both the look and the idea of using the Manchester coat of arms on shirts, but the fact that the club can't copyright it means it's unlikely to make another appearance. I'm presuming that copyright was also the reason the classic round badge was introduced, with clubs recognising the potential in club merchandising by the 1960s.
According to Gary James' Manchester: The Greatest City, the original version of this badge first started appearing in programmes and club documentation in the mid-1960s, but wasn't used on the shirt until the 1971-72 season:
In January 1972, a modified version of the badge was introduced. Surprisingly, this particular design has only been used on shirts for 19 seasons (compared to 11 seasons for the new badge) though somehow it feels much longer than that. Maybe my feelings about it are largely shaped by nostalgia, but I just think it is a thing a beauty:
Personally, I'm with Sir Ron Manager at Citymancs, who believes we should revert to this design. It's not clear who currently owns the copyright on the badge, but it might still be Eddie Phillips, who ran the old souvenir shop. According to this interview with Francis Lee, Phillips bought the rights to the badge from Peter Swales in the 1980s and also paid an annual flat fee for control of the souvenir shop, worth just £60,000 a year to the club in 1994.
That deal was terminated in 1995 when City took back control of the Maine Road souvenir shop and Phillips moved out (the redeveloped merchandise operation was making an estimated £2.5 million-a-year by 1998). It appears he took his badge with him, although there are still a few items at the City Store with it on.
Considering how much design consultants charge, you do wonder whether it would be just as cheap for the club to buy back the copyright. PR doesn't come cheap either, and reverting to the classic badge would certainly be a great publicity coup for our controversial owner.
Another option is a new badge that's close to the traditional design, such as this one posted by Wheelsy OSC Sydney at Bluemoon.
Or failing that we could just go the whole hog, with this design posted by MaineRoadMemories at Mancityfans:
~ I found an an excellent site called Behind The Badges, which has the history of the club badges for 98 English league teams.
~ You can see a graphic of every City home kit since 1884 at Historical Kits. Glazers
It might be my imagination, but I'm detecting a growing sense of unease from our rivals from Stretford. Aside from the fear of trailing seven points behind after Sunday's game, United's debt mountain appears to be becoming a genuine problem for them.
Last year the debt increased from £559m to £663m, and now clocks up £62m-a-year in interest charges (details). The Glazers also spent £272m of their own money to buy United which, if also borrowed, would take the total debt up to £935m.
United's debt falls into the 'subprime' category, which effectively means it is seen as a high risk and so attracts much higher interest rates than normal. John Robson & Andrew Selsby, from RH Asset Management, offered this fascinating insight into how the subprime market works:
One of the reasons subprime borrowers had previously been unable to afford mortgages was that market driven interest rates made them unaffordable. To overcome this, the bank would offer them an especially low, artificial rate of interest for say three years. The underpaid interest would accrue as additional debt. At the end of the ‘teaser’ interest rate period, a proper market rate would then apply to the whole of the increased loan. The increased debt level would be more than covered by the presumed appreciated value of the house. However, the borrower would yet again be faced with an unaffordability issue.
The crazy and doomed scheme was thought foolproof because everyone stupidly believed that the rate by which the unpaid interest accumulated would be less than the rate by which the property would appreciate - a process that would continue indefinitely.
To put it another way, it is rather like putting a huge amount of debt on a credit card that has a special introductory offer, then hoping to switch to another card with another artificially low introductory rate each time an offer expires.
The Glazers have done this once, increasing the debt last year in return for a lower interest rate. They were hoping to refinance again last month before problems in the global debt market caused these plans to be scrapped. The proposed refinancing package would have increased the debt to around £700m.
United's chief executive, David Gill, insists the debt is manageable (where have we heard that before) and maybe it is - as long as they continue to make United fans pay through the nose. Ticket prices at Old Trafford rose by 14% this year on top of the 12% hike last year, while some season ticket holders have taken the club to court over the club's policy of forcing them to buy tickets for cup games. And according to The Telegraph's David Bond even this summer's transfer spending spree isn't quite what it seems.
But I'll leave the final word to Roy Kaitcer, a director at Manchester stockbrokers Brewin Dolphin, who gave this assessment of the takeover to Business Week in 2005: "The logic isn't something that stares you in the face," he said.
~ You can read more about United's finances at the Manchester United Supporters Trust
The man bags and the sad Rags
There was an interesting story in The Guardian last week that claims the redevelopment of United's training ground facilities will include extra locker space specifically to house the players' 'man bags', which apparently are 'vanity cases containing gels, lotions and pomades'.
And finally, I have a question regarding United fans' habit of referring to CoMS as 'the council house'. Did they also use that tag for the San Siro (owned by Municipality of Milan) during their 3-0 defeat there in May?
A closer look at our attendance figures
City's attendances are up by an average 5.5% so far this season - or 2,193 fans per game.
The table (below) shows how our average attendances have compared to other Premiership clubs since 2003-04 (seasons in the Championship are in italics):
Comparing this season's attendances to the first eight games from last season gives an even bigger increase. Last season's fixtures against Portsmouth, Arsenal, West Ham, Sheff Utd, Boro, Newcastle, Fulham and Watford attracted an average gate of 38,770, which means we've been attracting an extra 3,420 fans per game so far (an increase of 8.8%).
Another way to look at the figures is to make a fixture-by-fixture comparison with last season:
Overall, if you compare the Derby, Birmingham and Sunderland attendances to last season's fixtures against relegated Watford (35,915), Sheff Utd (42,192) and Charlton (41,424) attendances are up by 1,747 fans per game - an increase of 4.3% per game.
The variation in kick-off times makes a proper comparison tricky though. In fact, only the Reading match kicked off on the same day and time as last season. That game attracted 5,137 more fans than last year (a 13% increase), though that has to be put in the context of the free transport Reading offered to its fans and the reports of tickets being given away to members of Manchester's Thai community.
To get an idea of the effect that the day and time of a match has on attendances here's a breakdown of the fixtures for the past four seasons. The + / - figure shows how the attendances for each kick-off time compare with the average attendances for the other kick-off times.
And here are the combined figures for the four seasons (derbies and holiday games excluded):
Every dog has its day
I've added another item to the online store on the suggestion of my brother (who's also a big Blue) which is pictured below. Personally, I didn't realise that dogs wore T-shirts but as my brother currently owns four dogs I'll bow to his judgement on this one.
There are now 31 items for sale at the store. Delivery takes 8 to 10 business days.
Click here to visit the Purelymancity store Amid all the alarming reports of arrest warrants being issued in Thailand it's worth pointing out that Thaksin has not actually been charged with any crime yet.
The warrants relate to an alleged abuse of power by Thaksin and his wife, Pojaman, regarding a £12.1m (772 million baht) land deal. According to The Guardian, Thailand’s Supreme Court issued them 'on the grounds that they had sought to evade corruption charges'.
The next court hearing is set for Sept 25, with the BBC reporting that 'Thailand's attorney-general and the prosecution have indicated that they could seek Mr Thaksin's extradition from the UK if he does not return'.
Whether their intent is to keep Thaksin out of the country during the elections that are planned for December is unclear, but a successful extradition appears to be highly unlikely at this stage.
Any request would fall under Part 2 of the Extradition Act 2003, which would require prima facie evidence to be presented. According to Wikipedia that means their case has to be 'self-evident from the facts'.
The new Home Secretary, Jacqui Smith, would have to decide whether to pass the case to a judge, who would have to ensure it met the requirements of the 2003 Act before passing it back to her for the final decision.
According to the Guardian's south-east Asia correspondent, Ian MacKinnon, British law has no equivalent to the one Thaksin is being charged under, meaning the Thai authorities 'would have 'virtually no hope of success'. The Telegraph claimed that any extradition process would be 'fraught with potential embarrassment for the Thai junta', but revealed that if the Home Secretary passed the request to the courts Thaksin would be arrested before the case is heard.
The Thai authorities are certainly turning the screw on the former PM, yesterday announcing that it is also launching an investigation into the extra-judicial killings of suspected drug dealers in 2003.
But more startling Thaksin news comes from a new book called
Thaksin, Where Are You?. It reveals our new owner has been going on shopping trips with 20-year-old Thai pop star Lydia (pictured below).
It's claimed the two were introduced by Thaksin's son Panthongthae. According to this site Thaksin’s lawyer, Noppadol Pattama, has admitted that Lydia and Thaksin are ‘very close’ but claimed there was 'no hanky-panky' involved.
"She is like another daughter to him," Panthongthae told the Bangkok Post.
Which reminds me of a line from the late Bernard Manning during a gig he gave for Guy Ritchie and Madonna. 'Aren't you lovely," he told the singer. 'If you were my daughter I'd still be bathing you'.
Don't have a cow, man
Another blow to Thaksin was dealt by the Thai government's announcement that it is scrapping the One Million Cows project. The populist scheme was set up by Thaksin in 2005 with the aim of lending one million cows to farming families in three years, but to date only 21,684 calves had been distributed.
And in a final bit of animal-related Thai news, I found this bizarre story last week revealing that Thai police officers who break the rules are being made to wear a pink armband adorned with the Japanese cartoon character Hello Kitty.
Khaldoon Al Mubarak has overtaken David Bernstein as the 9th longest-serving chairman in City's history.There have only been 19 chairmen of City since 1894. The table below lists the dates of each tenure, and
how much success on the pitch they brought. It's noticeable that by the time our longest-serving chairman,
Peter Swales, stood down in 1994 he had been chairman for 22 of City's 100-year history.
In seven years time Khaldoon could become our 2nd longest serving chairman. I've never heard any
whispers of him moving on (not that we'd hear about it anyway) and it struck me that, as he's only in his
late 30s, Khaldoon may end up as our longest serving chairman ever.
| Chairman |
From
|
To
|
No. of
seasons
|
Won
|
Other
|
Av.
Lge
pos.
|
| John Chapman |
1894
|
1902
|
8
|
17th
| ||
| Edward Hulton Jr |
1902
|
1904
|
2
|
FAC
|
League RU
|
10th
|
| C H Waterhouse |
1904
|
1904
| ||||
| Waltham Forrest |
1904
|
1905
|
1
|
3rd
| ||
| John Allison |
1905
|
1906
|
1
|
5th
| ||
| W A Wilkinson |
Jun 1906
|
1914
|
8
|
14th
| ||
John Chapman
(second spell) |
Dec 1914
|
1920
|
2*
|
6th
| ||
Lawrence Furniss
|
May 1920
|
1928/29
|
9
|
League RU
FAC SF
FAC Final
|
13th
| |
Albert Hughes
|
1928/29
|
1935
|
7
|
FAC
|
FAC SF
FAC Final
|
8th
|
| Bob Smith |
Jul 1935
|
1954
|
12*
|
League
|
16th
| |
| Walter Smith |
1954
|
1956
|
2
|
FAC
|
FAC Final
|
6th
|
| Alan Douglas |
1956
|
1964
|
8
|
LC SF
|
17th
| |
Albert Alexander
| Aug 1964 |
Nov 1971
|
7
|
League
FAC
LC
CWC
|
15th
| |
| Eric Alexander |
Nov 1971
|
Oct 1972
|
1
|
4th
| ||
Peter Swales
|
Oct 1972
|
Feb 1994
|
22
|
LC
|
League RU
FAC Final
LC SF
|
14th
|
| Francis Lee |
Feb 1994
|
Mar 1998
|
4
|
28th
| ||
| David Bernstein |
Mar 1998
|
Mar 2003
|
5
|
23rd
| ||
| John Wardle |
May 2003
|
Jul 2007
|
4
|
13th
| ||
| Thaksin Shinawatra |
Jul 2007
|
Sep 2008
|
1
|
9th
| ||
| Khaldoon Al Mubarak |
Oct 2008
|
present
|
5
|
FAC
League |
FAC Final
|
4th
|
FAC = FA Cup, LC = League Cup, CWC = Cup Winners Cup, RU = Runners-up, SF = semi-final
Another thing that stands out from the table is the fact we had three chairmen in 1904 and five between
1904 and 1906. The reasons for that is something I'll be talking about tomorrow.
I've always been fascinated about the impact chairmen have on football clubs, and the role that each of ours
have played at the club is a subject I'll be coming back to in a lot more detail in the coming months.
Tomorrow: Why City have the Greatest History in World Football
1904 and 1906. The reasons for that is something I'll be talking about tomorrow.
I've always been fascinated about the impact chairmen have on football clubs, and the role that each of ours
have played at the club is a subject I'll be coming back to in a lot more detail in the coming months.
Tomorrow: Why City have the Greatest History in World Football
A new book on the origins of Manchester City on sale now
My first book on City's history, A Man's Game: The Birth of Mancunian Football and the Origins of
Manchester City FC is now on sale, published in paperback by Books & Doxey Press.
Revealing significant new evidence about City's formative years, the 218-page paperback book alsoexplains how football became established in Manchester, including newly-discovered details of the first
ever match played in the city.
A Man's Game also provides a social history of Victorian Manchester, examining how football was
promoted by social reformers, with the aim of promoting a "Muscular" Christianity. It throws up many
surprising finds, including the violent suicide of a St Mark's clergyman, a transvestite sex scandal and a
lacrosse game involving Iroquois Indians. It also solves the mystery of why Manchester City's forerunner,
Gorton Association, wore a Maltese Cross on their shirts, tells the story of a women's football match that
sparked riots, and reveals how the city almost hosted a rugby World Cup in 1880.
A Man's Game costs £9.75 plus £2.75 post and packing (UK only).
All copies purchased through the 'Buy Now' button are signed by the author.
UK Customers:
