I actually agree with this and have posted before: that entire period which led to our relegation in 1998 was the lowest point. I remember the Bury defeat very well. The whole crowd turned on the team too. this was the days when the loudest songs were "We're shit and we're sick of it", "you're not fit to wear the shirt" and the old classic which used to rise in the Main Stand to a howl around the ground: "What the fuck is goign on?".
However the lowest moment of them all only lasted about 5 minutes: the period between Gilliangham going 2-0 up and dickov's equaliser.
I remember every single one of those. The Jamie Pollock OG was bad. I remember us going to Reading and losing 3-0 at the same time. As you say, it felt like a couple of wins would save us but we just went on losing week after week, right up to the Stoke game when we finally did win but it was too late.A few candidates for the lowest point that season:
Stockport County Away, November 1998 - the 3-1 defeat
Crewe away - Boxing Day 1998 - lost 1 nil away.
They preceded that Bury game.
Toward the end of that season we had a bad run where any half decent record would have seen us get out of trouble. Birmingham beating us 0-1 at home with the last kick of the game was one of them. A classic typical city moment.
My lowest point of that season was Lincoln away. Where we played the worst I had ever seen. In stark contrast the York trip was a brilliant day and night out culminating in a drinking spree by the river. I thought we actually played ok at York but were unlucky to lose. We didn't play any better in the next match at Wrexham but managed to get the points...and the rest is history (even though we don't have any history apparently). People joke about York away but it really was a great turn-out of Blues and most of them enjoyed the piss-up from what I can recall (unless it was just me)I always had the loss at Macc away down as my lowest point of being a City fan. But that's 'cos I worked with a Director who was on the board at Macc and took the piss constantly after we lost to them.
Might have something to do with me confidently predicting we would dick them 10-0 at their cabbage patch of a ground.
I bet less people watch the documentaty than were there on the night (isn't it 400,000 and climbing?)
I actually agree with this and have posted before: that entire period which led to our relegation in 1998 was the lowest point. I remember the Bury defeat very well. The whole crowd turned on the team too. this was the days when the loudest songs were "We're shit and we're sick of it", "you're not fit to wear the shirt" and the old classic which used to rise in the Main Stand to a howl around the ground: "What the fuck is goign on?".
However the lowest moment of them all only lasted about 5 minutes: the period between Gilliangham going 2-0 up and dickov's equaliser.
Nothing comes near the Stockport 3-1 for me, so many mates suddenly supporting County and then giving me grief after never seeing a football game before. That's why I now have a hatred of the club....A few candidates for the lowest point that season:
Stockport County Away, November 1998 - the 3-1 defeat
Crewe away - Boxing Day 1998 - lost 1 nil away.
They preceded that Bury game.
Toward the end of that season we had a bad run where any half decent record would have seen us get out of trouble. Birmingham beating us 0-1 at home with the last kick of the game was one of them. A classic typical city moment.
I agree, definitely my lowest point of supporting City( since 1968). I spent most of my younger days growing up in Whitefield, so getting beat by Bury, was like Bury getting beat by Prestwich Heys. To make matters worse we walked back in to Manchester went in a bar on Peter St. Was having a drink around 6pm, in walks Jeff Whitley with I presume girlfriend or wife, he goes to toilet and she's at the bar, I go up to her and say to her that's Jeff isn't it? How does he feel? He must be gutted? She replied, and it's something you never forget, he's fine, he's actually quite pleased, he thought he played really well. I could not believe it, finished my drink and left, that was us in those days.Well, now could be the time I make myself really unpopular with City die hards!
First off I really enjoyed the City+ video and have total respect for those thousands of City fans who turned out that day at York to cheer on the lads only to witness a 2-1 defeat in December 98. I was a season ticket holder then but was based in the midlands and my away games during those dark days were all around here - Oxford, Shrewsbury, and Walsall stick in the memory for different reasons. I don't claim to have the badge of honour that is York away, and as I said, have total respect for those that were.
You will know there's a but coming..........
But I don't think York away was our lowest point. The facts are against me. As we all know, that defeat at the end of 1998 was in the third tier of English football and was followed by a gradual upturn in 1999 leading to the classic Wembley play off final victory against Gillingham. However, 10 months before, in the previous season, was my personal low point and there were many more thousands of City fans to witness it.
On Valentine's Day 1998, City were beaten 0-1 at home in a second division (now Championship of course) game against Bury FC. I was a season ticket holder in the North Stand at that time and the visiting Bury supporters shared that stand. They brought about 3,000 that day - their numbers no doubt swelled by Rags rejoicing in our demise. Those fans, their players, and their backroom staff and substitutes celebrated on the Maine Rd pitch like they had won the league, FA Cup and European Cup all rolled into one. And why not? (As Barry Norman would say). It was total and utter humiliation on our own turf against a side we hadn't played in the league for over 30 years and louder than Bury celebrated our fans jeered a truly awful City performance. Apparently (if my research is correct) it was 72 years since they had last won a league game against us and (sadly) they no longer exist as a professional club. My dad and I sat in our seats long after the final whistle watching on as the Shakers celebrated. Numb. Disbelieving. Broken.
Three days later Frank Clark was sacked and replaced by Joe Royle. And right there was the turning point. Joe Royle's appointment turned it around. Not immediately, we were relegated that season of course, but eventually. So great credit to the York crew but I swear that the folk who left Maine Rd after the Bury defeat felt it more painfully.
It does bear thinking though that had we won that game, we might have stayed up; the Gillingham final might never have happened; and all the consequent events leading up to Sheikh Mansour's takeover may not have come to pass.
Who knows? But that February day in 1998 was my lowest point as a City fan.
I remember every single one of those. The Jamie Pollock OG was bad. I remember us going to Reading and losing 3-0 at the same time. As you say, it felt like a couple of wins would save us but we just went on losing week after week, right up to the Stoke game when we finally did win but it was too late.
I was at Elm park Reading 68 midweek when we beat them 7-0 fa cup replay,our biggest ever away win,fack York.