Gary James
Well-Known Member
I was told the sad news yesterday that Ray Goble has died. Most people won't know who Ray is but all City fans owe him a debt of gratitude. Ray was one of three statisticians/historians who welcomed me into their research community in the 1980s (the others were John Maddocks and Dennis Chapman). Between them these three men discovered the lineups & match details for all City's games from foundation onwards. They achieved this by researching original newspapers in archives in, often, restricted spaces. I joined them and added my own research but it was these men who provided the material that today forms part of the Bluemoon history database: https://bluemoon-mcfc.co.uk/History/Matches/Default.aspx and EVERY statistical record on MCFC that appears ANYWHERE whether that be in print or online.
Ray, in particular, produced the first MCFC Complete Record book in 1987 - prior to that match data on our club simply did not exist in the public domain at all. I was fortunate in 2005 when Ray gave me his permission to produce my own version of his classic work.
Ray had not been well for a while and, according to his wife, he was in so much pain recently that death was a relief in the end. Obviously, Ray's death saddens me personally but it does give us one last opportunity to thank him and his family for all of his work over the years. Ray was the last of the club's elder historians/statisticians. Together with John & Dennis he inspired me enormously and supported my own research. Without them my own work would be so much poorer. In addition, without their efforts we may still be in the dark about lineups and attendances from our past.
Thanks Ray for all you've done for me but, most importantly, for your efforts in cataloguing and uncovering Manchester City's history. It really is appreciated.
Ray, in particular, produced the first MCFC Complete Record book in 1987 - prior to that match data on our club simply did not exist in the public domain at all. I was fortunate in 2005 when Ray gave me his permission to produce my own version of his classic work.
Ray had not been well for a while and, according to his wife, he was in so much pain recently that death was a relief in the end. Obviously, Ray's death saddens me personally but it does give us one last opportunity to thank him and his family for all of his work over the years. Ray was the last of the club's elder historians/statisticians. Together with John & Dennis he inspired me enormously and supported my own research. Without them my own work would be so much poorer. In addition, without their efforts we may still be in the dark about lineups and attendances from our past.
Thanks Ray for all you've done for me but, most importantly, for your efforts in cataloguing and uncovering Manchester City's history. It really is appreciated.