People Are Trapped in History and History is Trapped in Them

Blue2112

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There was a recent thread where I think the question was asked does it bother you the amount of stick we get in the media and it was split with people saying no fuck them and others saying yes it gives us an unfair and bad image. I think if we were all truthful with ourselves inside it hurts even if only a little. Pep's (barbed) words last night rightly or wrongly and whether they have been misconstrued or not once again has only added more fuel to the fire of those who want to keep poking the lion. One day hopefully we will bite back not just on the pitch but off it.

In the meantime here's a very lengthy read of something i posted in 2012 if you can be bothered. Stand up tall and proud every one of us because we have a better history than most if not all. History does not equal trophys won.

1865 – 30th November St. Marks Church, Clowes St, West Gorton was consecrated by the Bishop of Manchester.
1870’s – Miss G. Connell the daughter of the reverend suggests a working men’s club, which leads to a cricket team and a lending library.
1880 – A football club was founded and on 13th November played its first game which they lost 2-1 (Typical St. Marks)
1881 – St. Marks becomes West Gorton and they lose their first ever game to Newton Heath on the 12th November (Typical West Gorton).
1884 – West Gorton splits apart and becomes two new clubs, West Gorton Athletic which eventually fades away and the newly formed Gorton A.F.C. which was driven forward by two men from the original St. Marks.
1887 – Gorton A.F.C. becomes Ardwick A.F.C. nicknamed ‘The Brewerymen’ (Love it) and Ardwick lose their first game 4-2 to Hooley Hill from Denton (Typical Ardwick).
1894 – Ardwick A.F.C. slips away and on the 16th April Manchester City Football Club, become a registered company with the new motto ‘Even in our own ashes live our wonted fires’.
1894 – 1st September v Bury and City lose their first ever fixture 4-2 (Typical City). City’s goalkeeper that famous day – Charlie Williams – also had the distinguished prescence to have played for Arsenal in their first ever League fixture v Newcastle the previous year.
1894 – Legendary Welsh Wizard Billy Meredith signs for ‘The Blues’ and is defeated in his first game 5-4 at Newcastle (Typical Meredith).
1895 – The Blues beat Lincoln City 11-3
1898/99 – Division 2 Champions

1902/03 – Division 2 Champions
1904 – FA Cup Winners – City beat Bolton 1-0 with a goal from Meredith to lift the Cup for the first time. Attendance 61,372 played at The Crystal Palace.
1906 – City was fined excessively over Billy Meredith’s allegations of over payment and for his attempts at trying to fix a match v Aston Villa. With 17 players suspended and fined, two directors suspended and fined and the manager and former chairman suspended from English football some people really thought the FA had it in for City for becoming too popular (Sounds familiar?).
1909/10 - Division 2 Champions

1920 – New Year’s Day and Max Woosnam makes his City debut v Bradford. Woosnam has been described as Britain’s Greatest Sportsman and his list of achievements include winning an Olympic gold and silver at the 1920 Summer Olympics, winning the doubles at Wimbledon, making a century at Lord’s Cricket Ground, captaining the British Davis Cup team,captaining the England national football team and of course captaining Manchester City.
1920 – March 27th and King George V attends Hyde Road, the home of the Blues for the visit of Liverpool I a game City won 2-1 (Untypical City).
1921/22 – Billy Meredith returns for a second spell after leaving the Rags.
1923 – August 25th and Maine Road plays host for the first time in a 2-1 victory over Sheffield United with Max Woosnam as captain in front of 56,993.
1924 – 1st March and a 49 year old Billy Meredith plays for the first time at Maine Road to become the only footballer to appear at four major Manchester venues as a home player – Hyde Road, Maine Road, Clayton and Old Trafford. One week later he appeared for the Blues in a cup tie at home to Cardiff in front of a then record crowd of 76,166 with thousands of Welshmen making the trip to see ‘The Footballing Pride of Wales’.
1926 – FA Cup Finalists losing to Bolton 0-1 at Wembley in front of 91,547
1927/28 – Division 2 Champions
1929 – (Sir) Matt Busby makes his City debut in 3-1 defeat of Middlesbrough.

1933 – FA Cup Finalists losing 0-3 to Everton at Wembley in front of 92,950
1933 – Christmas Day and the legendary Frank Swift made his City debut but concedes four goals (Typical Swift).
1934 – Record attendance outside of Wembley Stadium of 84,569 v Stoke City FA Cup 6th March
1934 – FA Cup Winners for the second time with a 2-1 victory over Portsmouth at Wembley in front of 93,258 fans
1936/37 – Football League Champions for the first time. Alongside Frank Swift was the Northern Ireland international Peter Doherty, a player which many older City supporters consider to be one of our greats. Doherty later went on to manage Northern Ireland where he led them to the 1958 World Cup Finals reaching the quarter finals.
1937 – Charity Shield Winners.
The war Years – During the War Old Trafford was bombed and City offered our close neighbours the use of Maine Road to play their games. Remember without us they’d be nothing.

1946/47 – Division 2 Champions. Alongside Frank Swift was the great Joe Fagan who 40 years later took Liverpool to so many successes’….and we have no histree la.
1948 – Frank Swift becomes the first goalkeeper to captain England in the 20th century in a victory over Italy in Turin.
1949 – 7th October 1949 and ex prisoner of war Bert Trautmann signs for the club as an amateur, turning professional shortly after. History they want history, does it get any bigger than Bert Trautmann.

1951 – 18th October and Don Revie, later to become the legendary Leeds United manager and England national manager.
1953 - The Revie Plan was a tactical system in used by City in the 1950s. The system was named after Don Revie, who had the most important role in it.
In 1953 English football was astounded by the Hungarian team which beat England 6-3 at Wembley Stadium. The Revie plan was a variation on the tactics used by the Hungarians, involving Don Revie playing as a deep lying centre forward. Revie started attacks by coming into the centre of the field to receive the ball, drawing the opposing centre-half out of position.
The system was first implemented by the City reserve team, who using the system went unbeaten for the last 26 games of the 1953-54 season. Before the start of the 1954-55 season, City manager Les Mcdowall called his team into pre-season training two weeks early to try the new tactic. City lost their first game using the system 5–0, but as the players became more used to the system it started to become more successful.
1955 – FA Cup finalists losing 3-1 to Newcastle. Using the Revie Plan City reached the Cup Final, but lost in front of a 100,000 crowd at Wembley.
1955 – Don Revie wins Football Writers footballer of the year.

1956 – FA Cup Winners for the third time beating Birmingham 3-1 again in front of 100,000 fans. The final is famous for the courage of Bert Trautmann who suffered a broken neck but managed to play on and see the Cup won. Some of the great names in that cup winning side alongside Bert were captain Roy Paul, Bobby Johnstone one of our goalscorers who became the first player ever to score in successive finals, Don Revie, Ken Barnes and Roy Clarke.
1956 – Bert Trautmann wins Football Writers footballer of the year. Boys own stuff!
1956/57 – For the second time in their history United used Maine Road as their home ground. United had accepted an offer to play European football but realised they had no floodlights and they eventually had to accept City’s offer and play three of their games at Maine Road. Like I said earlier they’d be nothing without City.
1957/58 - City scored 104 goals and conceded 100 in Division 1, the only occasion that a club has both scored and conceded 100 goals in a league season.
1958 - February 6th and Frank Swift is tragically a victim of the Munich Air Disaster.
1959 – Alan Oakes signs on amateur terms in 1958 at the age of fifteen, signing as a professional a year later. His first-team debut came on 14 November 1959 in a 1–1 draw with Chelsea. The quiet and unassuming Oakes played throughout City’s golden period and was an ever present in the 60’s and 70’s finishing his career with a record 669 appearances including cup competitions.

1960 – March and Denis Law signs for the Blues in a then record British transfer fee £55,000 and scores on his debut in a 4-3 victory over Leeds.
1965 – 13th January sees City’s lowest ever League attendance of 8,015 v Swindon.
1965 – Joe Mercer and Malcolm Allison are appointed as manager and assistant manager. Allison famously told Matt Busby’s son ‘Your father has got a 20 year start, but I’ll pass him in three’.
1965/66 – Division 2 Champions
1967 – December and ‘The Ballet On Ice’ where City beat Tottenham 4-1 on a snow covered Maine Road in what was a truly remarkable performance and a sure sign of what was to come.
1967/68 – Football League Champions for the second time. Winning the title at Newcastle on the final day of the season whilst United lost the title by losing at home to Sunderland made success all the more sweeter and in doing so we became the last ever club to win it with a full 11 English born players. K.Mulhearn, T.Book, G.Pardoe, M.Doyle, G.Heslop, A.Oakes, F.Lee, C.Bell, M.Summerbee, N.Young, T.Coleman. and of course Malcolm Allison and Joe Mercer who said ‘I shall personally take great pleasure in walking down to Old Trafford on Sunday morning to pick up the trophy’.
1968 – Charity Shield Winners.
1969 – 26th April FA Cup Winners for the fourth time beating Leicester City 1-0 in front of another capacity 100,000 crowd at Wembley Stadium.

1970 – 7th March League Cup Winners 1970 beating WBA 2-1 at Wembley Stadium in front of 97,963 fans.
1970 – 29th April European Cup Winners Cup beating Gornik Zabrze 2-1 in Vienna.
1972 – Charity Shield Winners.
1974 – 3rd March League Cup Finalists losing to Wolves 1-2 at Wembley Stadium in front of 100,000 fans.
1974 – 27th April in front of 56,996 fans at Old Trafford, Denis Law in his second spell at City backheeled the ball past Alex Stepney to send United into the old second division. Who cares that they’re relegation was a formality due to results elsewhere Denis sent them down and in typical Rag fashion they couldn’t take it and invaded the pitch and the game was abandoned with 5minutes left on the clock but the result stood.
1976 – 28th February 1976 and again in front of a sold out Wembley Stadium of 100,000 fans City lift the League Cup for the second time by beating Newcastle 2-1 with Dennis Tuearts famous overhead kick.
1970’s – Some wonderful players pulled on the sky blue shirt and many went on to represent their international countries, Joe Corrigan, Rodney Marsh, Dave Watson, Dennis Tueart, Asa Hartford,Joe Royle, Mick Channon, Willie Donachie, Brian Kidd, Peter Barnes (1976 PFA Young Player of the Year), Kaziu Deyna, Gary Owen and Paul Power to name a few. Memorable European games versus the likes of AC Milan, Juventus, Widzew Lodz, Standard Liege and Borussia Monchengladbach. The return of Malcolm Allison and the £1m plus signing of Steve Daley are all part of our rich and turbulent history.

1981 – The 100th Centenary Cup Final and we’d have won it but for an own goal. Tommy Hutchinson, Gerry Gow and Bobby Mcdonald all instrumental in John Bond’s rebuilding after Malcolm’s departure. With youngsters like Tommy Caton and Nicky Reid the future for City looked bright. Step up Ricky Villa and although he scored the second best goal in the replay (Steve Mackenzies was ultimately superior) it was the Argentines that will forever be remembered. A fantastic Cup Final and well worthy of the 100th, typical City we lost it!
1981 – Trevor Francis signed and I played truant to be one of the massed throng outside the Maine Road gates to get his signature, I still have it alongside the likes of Martin O’Neil (how well as he done) Mick Macarthy and Kevin Bond (all plying their trade in today’s Premiership)
1982/83 – Luton Town and David Pleat and those shoes and Brian ‘Who’ Horton only bloody City could do this.
1984/85 – That Charlton game, you know the 5-1 bloody marvelous are City….aren’t they? Will we ever have a pitch invasion again?

1986 – Full Members Cup Finalists and what a game losing 5-4 to Chelsea the day after we drew 2-2 at Old Trafford in the league derby. Would we ever play two games in two days again?
1986 – Winning the FA Youth Cup Final over United with Steve Redmond, Paul Lake, Andy Hinchcliffe, Ian Brightwell, David White, Paul Moulden and Ian Scott.
1987 – 7th November and it’s a case of ‘re mem mem remember re mem, re mem mem remember when when City scored ten’. Yes City gave Huddersfield a good hiding that day 10 -1 with three hat tricks, a record, from David White, Paul Stewart and Tony Adcock with our other goal coming from, can anyone remember…..? Ex City Player Andy May scored their only goal but it was Neil Mcnab who scored City’s.
1989 – May at Valley Parade in Bradford and it was Super Trevor Morley that scored a later equaliser to send the following City faithful into raptures and another famous pitch invasion, we were getting good at those, bloody great days they were.
1989 – September 23rd a date forever etched into my memory. With a first 11 containing no less than 5 of the 1986 youth cup winning side City recorded the biggest derby win at Maine Road 5-1 and who could ever forget Ian Bishop arms held wide celebrating the third goal and Andy Hinchcliffe’s ‘Chance at the far post’ and his five fingered salute to the departing rag faithful, funny that, how they always seem to leave quickly when they’re getting beat. Surprise surprise they even tried to cause a mini riot at the start.

1993 – Not for the first time City fans vent their frustrations at Peter Swales but this time we have a hero to take the reins, step forward Francis Lee. Swales brings in John Maddock and peter Reid is dismissed as manager to be replaced by Brian Horton – WHO? Now where have I seen him before?
1994 – After months of campaigns, fans fury and much publicity, some good, some bad, Frannie takes control on the 5th February amidst lots of promises, the future looked bright, we should have known better. ‘Cups for Cock ups’ now remind me who once said that?
1994/99 – Notable players to grace the sky/laser Blue shirt of this period we had the likes of Niall Quinn, Uwe Rosler, Paul Walsh and the mercurial talents of Gio Kinkladze and oh that goal v Southampton. We also had Alan ‘I’ve got a world cup medal’ Ball managing the team, as well as Frank Clark, Steve Coppell and Phil Neal. Now that’s some history.

1999 – After winning the play off semi final v Wigan which enabled us all to have another riotous Maine Road pitch invasion we all set off to Wembley Stadium. 76,935 were there at the start but by the 90th minute there was considerably less owing to the number of Blues who simply could just not stomach anymore heartache as Gillingham 2-0 upwere almost home and dry and promoted to division one when referee Mark Halsey allowed 5 extra minutes to be played. Even when Kevin Horlock pulled a late consolation back I was more angry than anything else because it was ‘Typical City’ to just go and do that, all too little too late. Then something happened, call it divine intervention, the stuff of dreams, could have been God high up in heaven looking down upon us and realising enough suffering had been done, as if watching United win the Holy Grail with 2 last gasp goals in midweek wasn’t bad enough, then surely being condemned to another season in the wastelands of Division two was a step too far for this once great sleeping giant. Weaver kicked the ball to somebody to take a throw in, the ball was thrown to Wiekens who launched it forward, Gareth Taylor I think flicked it on,might have been Horlock touched it to Goater who was beaten in the tackle and the ball rolled into the path of DICKOVVVVVVV. 13 years later and I still watch it and think he’s going to miss. The heart still beats like crazy but it happened and it was a pivotal moment in our clubs history. So was the Stoke game on Boxing Day, something changed after half time and there was a belief that carried us through. Lots of heroes wearing Blue, Nicky weaver (who could forget his Wembley runaround) Captain Andy Morrison(Led by example), Richard Edgehill (Brave enough to take a Penalty) Paul Dickov, Kevin Horlock, Gerard Wiekens and the one and only Mr. Shaun Goater.

2000 – We raided Gilligham for Super Bobby Taylor or was it Big Fat Bobby Taylor but he scored an important goal at home to Birmingham, cue another great pitch invasion for promotion to the Premiership. Then the following week on 7th May City went goal crazy and won a second consecutive Promotion away to Blackburn with a 4-1 victory and guess what followed – Another great example of a City pitch invasion.

2001/02 - League Division One Champions with 99pts and 108 goals scored. A well deserved return to the top flight.

2002 - The final derby at Maine Road, it meant everything to me that we won that one and for’The Goat’ to get two goals including his 100th for the club made it all the more special, that Gary Neville played his part in assisting was the icing on the cake. We became quite flamboyant with the likes of Nicholas Anelka, Eyal Berkovic and Ali Bernarbia whom were all wonderful talents and we had a manager in Kevin Keegan as large as life. MVF and no 23.
2003 – We moved into the new Stadium as the club continues to grow and adapt to a new era and battered United 4-1 in the first derby game to be held at COMS, Eastlands or the newly named Etihad Stadium. It took a while but it feels like home again.

2000’s – Then there was Stuart Pearce, Sven Goran Eriksson, Mark Hughes and now Roberto Mancini. Say what you like about City we can attract a manager or two. There was John Wardle and David Makin, David Bernstein, Thaskin Shinawatra but that’s all history as they say. There was 35 years, and Bananas, inflatable paddling pools, sharks, gorillas, not one but 2 Frankensteins (?) bucket hats, ‘The Gypsy’s Curse’, Blue Moon, The Kippax, Oasis, Helen ‘The Bell’ Turner, Fanzines and always but always us the fans in large numbers all over the country every week at every ground. We made our own history and I know it, you know it, we all know it, that this club has always been something special, something you only feel when you become a part of it. If you don’t understand that then you don’t get it. Loadsamoney but equally Loadsahistory and we’re all a part of it because we all shared it and made it happen.

As a footnote to the above we all know we've gone on to dominate English football rhe past 10 years breaking all manner of records along the way and making positive progression in the CL creating another piece of history with last nights victory over Leipzig becoming the fastest English team to win 50 games.

Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.

Confucius
 
There was a recent thread where I think the question was asked does it bother you the amount of stick we get in the media and it was split with people saying no fuck them and others saying yes it gives us an unfair and bad image. I think if we were all truthful with ourselves inside it hurts even if only a little. Pep's (barbed) words last night rightly or wrongly and whether they have been misconstrued or not once again has only added more fuel to the fire of those who want to keep poking the lion. One day hopefully we will bite back not just on the pitch but off it.

In the meantime here's a very lengthy read of something i posted in 2012 if you can be bothered. Stand up tall and proud every one of us because we have a better history than most if not all. History does not equal trophys won.

1865 – 30th November St. Marks Church, Clowes St, West Gorton was consecrated by the Bishop of Manchester.
1870’s – Miss G. Connell the daughter of the reverend suggests a working men’s club, which leads to a cricket team and a lending library.
1880 – A football club was founded and on 13th November played its first game which they lost 2-1 (Typical St. Marks)
1881 – St. Marks becomes West Gorton and they lose their first ever game to Newton Heath on the 12th November (Typical West Gorton).
1884 – West Gorton splits apart and becomes two new clubs, West Gorton Athletic which eventually fades away and the newly formed Gorton A.F.C. which was driven forward by two men from the original St. Marks.
1887 – Gorton A.F.C. becomes Ardwick A.F.C. nicknamed ‘The Brewerymen’ (Love it) and Ardwick lose their first game 4-2 to Hooley Hill from Denton (Typical Ardwick).
1894 – Ardwick A.F.C. slips away and on the 16th April Manchester City Football Club, become a registered company with the new motto ‘Even in our own ashes live our wonted fires’.
1894 – 1st September v Bury and City lose their first ever fixture 4-2 (Typical City). City’s goalkeeper that famous day – Charlie Williams – also had the distinguished prescence to have played for Arsenal in their first ever League fixture v Newcastle the previous year.
1894 – Legendary Welsh Wizard Billy Meredith signs for ‘The Blues’ and is defeated in his first game 5-4 at Newcastle (Typical Meredith).
1895 – The Blues beat Lincoln City 11-3
1898/99 – Division 2 Champions

1902/03 – Division 2 Champions
1904 – FA Cup Winners – City beat Bolton 1-0 with a goal from Meredith to lift the Cup for the first time. Attendance 61,372 played at The Crystal Palace.
1906 – City was fined excessively over Billy Meredith’s allegations of over payment and for his attempts at trying to fix a match v Aston Villa. With 17 players suspended and fined, two directors suspended and fined and the manager and former chairman suspended from English football some people really thought the FA had it in for City for becoming too popular (Sounds familiar?).
1909/10 - Division 2 Champions

1920 – New Year’s Day and Max Woosnam makes his City debut v Bradford. Woosnam has been described as Britain’s Greatest Sportsman and his list of achievements include winning an Olympic gold and silver at the 1920 Summer Olympics, winning the doubles at Wimbledon, making a century at Lord’s Cricket Ground, captaining the British Davis Cup team,captaining the England national football team and of course captaining Manchester City.
1920 – March 27th and King George V attends Hyde Road, the home of the Blues for the visit of Liverpool I a game City won 2-1 (Untypical City).
1921/22 – Billy Meredith returns for a second spell after leaving the Rags.
1923 – August 25th and Maine Road plays host for the first time in a 2-1 victory over Sheffield United with Max Woosnam as captain in front of 56,993.
1924 – 1st March and a 49 year old Billy Meredith plays for the first time at Maine Road to become the only footballer to appear at four major Manchester venues as a home player – Hyde Road, Maine Road, Clayton and Old Trafford. One week later he appeared for the Blues in a cup tie at home to Cardiff in front of a then record crowd of 76,166 with thousands of Welshmen making the trip to see ‘The Footballing Pride of Wales’.
1926 – FA Cup Finalists losing to Bolton 0-1 at Wembley in front of 91,547
1927/28 – Division 2 Champions
1929 – (Sir) Matt Busby makes his City debut in 3-1 defeat of Middlesbrough.

1933 – FA Cup Finalists losing 0-3 to Everton at Wembley in front of 92,950
1933 – Christmas Day and the legendary Frank Swift made his City debut but concedes four goals (Typical Swift).
1934 – Record attendance outside of Wembley Stadium of 84,569 v Stoke City FA Cup 6th March
1934 – FA Cup Winners for the second time with a 2-1 victory over Portsmouth at Wembley in front of 93,258 fans
1936/37 – Football League Champions for the first time. Alongside Frank Swift was the Northern Ireland international Peter Doherty, a player which many older City supporters consider to be one of our greats. Doherty later went on to manage Northern Ireland where he led them to the 1958 World Cup Finals reaching the quarter finals.
1937 – Charity Shield Winners.
The war Years – During the War Old Trafford was bombed and City offered our close neighbours the use of Maine Road to play their games. Remember without us they’d be nothing.

1946/47 – Division 2 Champions. Alongside Frank Swift was the great Joe Fagan who 40 years later took Liverpool to so many successes’….and we have no histree la.
1948 – Frank Swift becomes the first goalkeeper to captain England in the 20th century in a victory over Italy in Turin.
1949 – 7th October 1949 and ex prisoner of war Bert Trautmann signs for the club as an amateur, turning professional shortly after. History they want history, does it get any bigger than Bert Trautmann.

1951 – 18th October and Don Revie, later to become the legendary Leeds United manager and England national manager.
1953 - The Revie Plan was a tactical system in used by City in the 1950s. The system was named after Don Revie, who had the most important role in it.
In 1953 English football was astounded by the Hungarian team which beat England 6-3 at Wembley Stadium. The Revie plan was a variation on the tactics used by the Hungarians, involving Don Revie playing as a deep lying centre forward. Revie started attacks by coming into the centre of the field to receive the ball, drawing the opposing centre-half out of position.
The system was first implemented by the City reserve team, who using the system went unbeaten for the last 26 games of the 1953-54 season. Before the start of the 1954-55 season, City manager Les Mcdowall called his team into pre-season training two weeks early to try the new tactic. City lost their first game using the system 5–0, but as the players became more used to the system it started to become more successful.
1955 – FA Cup finalists losing 3-1 to Newcastle. Using the Revie Plan City reached the Cup Final, but lost in front of a 100,000 crowd at Wembley.
1955 – Don Revie wins Football Writers footballer of the year.

1956 – FA Cup Winners for the third time beating Birmingham 3-1 again in front of 100,000 fans. The final is famous for the courage of Bert Trautmann who suffered a broken neck but managed to play on and see the Cup won. Some of the great names in that cup winning side alongside Bert were captain Roy Paul, Bobby Johnstone one of our goalscorers who became the first player ever to score in successive finals, Don Revie, Ken Barnes and Roy Clarke.
1956 – Bert Trautmann wins Football Writers footballer of the year. Boys own stuff!
1956/57 – For the second time in their history United used Maine Road as their home ground. United had accepted an offer to play European football but realised they had no floodlights and they eventually had to accept City’s offer and play three of their games at Maine Road. Like I said earlier they’d be nothing without City.
1957/58 - City scored 104 goals and conceded 100 in Division 1, the only occasion that a club has both scored and conceded 100 goals in a league season.
1958 - February 6th and Frank Swift is tragically a victim of the Munich Air Disaster.
1959 – Alan Oakes signs on amateur terms in 1958 at the age of fifteen, signing as a professional a year later. His first-team debut came on 14 November 1959 in a 1–1 draw with Chelsea. The quiet and unassuming Oakes played throughout City’s golden period and was an ever present in the 60’s and 70’s finishing his career with a record 669 appearances including cup competitions.

1960 – March and Denis Law signs for the Blues in a then record British transfer fee £55,000 and scores on his debut in a 4-3 victory over Leeds.
1965 – 13th January sees City’s lowest ever League attendance of 8,015 v Swindon.
1965 – Joe Mercer and Malcolm Allison are appointed as manager and assistant manager. Allison famously told Matt Busby’s son ‘Your father has got a 20 year start, but I’ll pass him in three’.
1965/66 – Division 2 Champions
1967 – December and ‘The Ballet On Ice’ where City beat Tottenham 4-1 on a snow covered Maine Road in what was a truly remarkable performance and a sure sign of what was to come.
1967/68 – Football League Champions for the second time. Winning the title at Newcastle on the final day of the season whilst United lost the title by losing at home to Sunderland made success all the more sweeter and in doing so we became the last ever club to win it with a full 11 English born players. K.Mulhearn, T.Book, G.Pardoe, M.Doyle, G.Heslop, A.Oakes, F.Lee, C.Bell, M.Summerbee, N.Young, T.Coleman. and of course Malcolm Allison and Joe Mercer who said ‘I shall personally take great pleasure in walking down to Old Trafford on Sunday morning to pick up the trophy’.
1968 – Charity Shield Winners.
1969 – 26th April FA Cup Winners for the fourth time beating Leicester City 1-0 in front of another capacity 100,000 crowd at Wembley Stadium.

1970 – 7th March League Cup Winners 1970 beating WBA 2-1 at Wembley Stadium in front of 97,963 fans.
1970 – 29th April European Cup Winners Cup beating Gornik Zabrze 2-1 in Vienna.
1972 – Charity Shield Winners.
1974 – 3rd March League Cup Finalists losing to Wolves 1-2 at Wembley Stadium in front of 100,000 fans.
1974 – 27th April in front of 56,996 fans at Old Trafford, Denis Law in his second spell at City backheeled the ball past Alex Stepney to send United into the old second division. Who cares that they’re relegation was a formality due to results elsewhere Denis sent them down and in typical Rag fashion they couldn’t take it and invaded the pitch and the game was abandoned with 5minutes left on the clock but the result stood.
1976 – 28th February 1976 and again in front of a sold out Wembley Stadium of 100,000 fans City lift the League Cup for the second time by beating Newcastle 2-1 with Dennis Tuearts famous overhead kick.
1970’s – Some wonderful players pulled on the sky blue shirt and many went on to represent their international countries, Joe Corrigan, Rodney Marsh, Dave Watson, Dennis Tueart, Asa Hartford,Joe Royle, Mick Channon, Willie Donachie, Brian Kidd, Peter Barnes (1976 PFA Young Player of the Year), Kaziu Deyna, Gary Owen and Paul Power to name a few. Memorable European games versus the likes of AC Milan, Juventus, Widzew Lodz, Standard Liege and Borussia Monchengladbach. The return of Malcolm Allison and the £1m plus signing of Steve Daley are all part of our rich and turbulent history.

1981 – The 100th Centenary Cup Final and we’d have won it but for an own goal. Tommy Hutchinson, Gerry Gow and Bobby Mcdonald all instrumental in John Bond’s rebuilding after Malcolm’s departure. With youngsters like Tommy Caton and Nicky Reid the future for City looked bright. Step up Ricky Villa and although he scored the second best goal in the replay (Steve Mackenzies was ultimately superior) it was the Argentines that will forever be remembered. A fantastic Cup Final and well worthy of the 100th, typical City we lost it!
1981 – Trevor Francis signed and I played truant to be one of the massed throng outside the Maine Road gates to get his signature, I still have it alongside the likes of Martin O’Neil (how well as he done) Mick Macarthy and Kevin Bond (all plying their trade in today’s Premiership)
1982/83 – Luton Town and David Pleat and those shoes and Brian ‘Who’ Horton only bloody City could do this.
1984/85 – That Charlton game, you know the 5-1 bloody marvelous are City….aren’t they? Will we ever have a pitch invasion again?

1986 – Full Members Cup Finalists and what a game losing 5-4 to Chelsea the day after we drew 2-2 at Old Trafford in the league derby. Would we ever play two games in two days again?
1986 – Winning the FA Youth Cup Final over United with Steve Redmond, Paul Lake, Andy Hinchcliffe, Ian Brightwell, David White, Paul Moulden and Ian Scott.
1987 – 7th November and it’s a case of ‘re mem mem remember re mem, re mem mem remember when when City scored ten’. Yes City gave Huddersfield a good hiding that day 10 -1 with three hat tricks, a record, from David White, Paul Stewart and Tony Adcock with our other goal coming from, can anyone remember…..? Ex City Player Andy May scored their only goal but it was Neil Mcnab who scored City’s.
1989 – May at Valley Parade in Bradford and it was Super Trevor Morley that scored a later equaliser to send the following City faithful into raptures and another famous pitch invasion, we were getting good at those, bloody great days they were.
1989 – September 23rd a date forever etched into my memory. With a first 11 containing no less than 5 of the 1986 youth cup winning side City recorded the biggest derby win at Maine Road 5-1 and who could ever forget Ian Bishop arms held wide celebrating the third goal and Andy Hinchcliffe’s ‘Chance at the far post’ and his five fingered salute to the departing rag faithful, funny that, how they always seem to leave quickly when they’re getting beat. Surprise surprise they even tried to cause a mini riot at the start.

1993 – Not for the first time City fans vent their frustrations at Peter Swales but this time we have a hero to take the reins, step forward Francis Lee. Swales brings in John Maddock and peter Reid is dismissed as manager to be replaced by Brian Horton – WHO? Now where have I seen him before?
1994 – After months of campaigns, fans fury and much publicity, some good, some bad, Frannie takes control on the 5th February amidst lots of promises, the future looked bright, we should have known better. ‘Cups for Cock ups’ now remind me who once said that?
1994/99 – Notable players to grace the sky/laser Blue shirt of this period we had the likes of Niall Quinn, Uwe Rosler, Paul Walsh and the mercurial talents of Gio Kinkladze and oh that goal v Southampton. We also had Alan ‘I’ve got a world cup medal’ Ball managing the team, as well as Frank Clark, Steve Coppell and Phil Neal. Now that’s some history.

1999 – After winning the play off semi final v Wigan which enabled us all to have another riotous Maine Road pitch invasion we all set off to Wembley Stadium. 76,935 were there at the start but by the 90th minute there was considerably less owing to the number of Blues who simply could just not stomach anymore heartache as Gillingham 2-0 upwere almost home and dry and promoted to division one when referee Mark Halsey allowed 5 extra minutes to be played. Even when Kevin Horlock pulled a late consolation back I was more angry than anything else because it was ‘Typical City’ to just go and do that, all too little too late. Then something happened, call it divine intervention, the stuff of dreams, could have been God high up in heaven looking down upon us and realising enough suffering had been done, as if watching United win the Holy Grail with 2 last gasp goals in midweek wasn’t bad enough, then surely being condemned to another season in the wastelands of Division two was a step too far for this once great sleeping giant. Weaver kicked the ball to somebody to take a throw in, the ball was thrown to Wiekens who launched it forward, Gareth Taylor I think flicked it on,might have been Horlock touched it to Goater who was beaten in the tackle and the ball rolled into the path of DICKOVVVVVVV. 13 years later and I still watch it and think he’s going to miss. The heart still beats like crazy but it happened and it was a pivotal moment in our clubs history. So was the Stoke game on Boxing Day, something changed after half time and there was a belief that carried us through. Lots of heroes wearing Blue, Nicky weaver (who could forget his Wembley runaround) Captain Andy Morrison(Led by example), Richard Edgehill (Brave enough to take a Penalty) Paul Dickov, Kevin Horlock, Gerard Wiekens and the one and only Mr. Shaun Goater.

2000 – We raided Gilligham for Super Bobby Taylor or was it Big Fat Bobby Taylor but he scored an important goal at home to Birmingham, cue another great pitch invasion for promotion to the Premiership. Then the following week on 7th May City went goal crazy and won a second consecutive Promotion away to Blackburn with a 4-1 victory and guess what followed – Another great example of a City pitch invasion.

2001/02 - League Division One Champions with 99pts and 108 goals scored. A well deserved return to the top flight.

2002 - The final derby at Maine Road, it meant everything to me that we won that one and for’The Goat’ to get two goals including his 100th for the club made it all the more special, that Gary Neville played his part in assisting was the icing on the cake. We became quite flamboyant with the likes of Nicholas Anelka, Eyal Berkovic and Ali Bernarbia whom were all wonderful talents and we had a manager in Kevin Keegan as large as life. MVF and no 23.
2003 – We moved into the new Stadium as the club continues to grow and adapt to a new era and battered United 4-1 in the first derby game to be held at COMS, Eastlands or the newly named Etihad Stadium. It took a while but it feels like home again.

2000’s – Then there was Stuart Pearce, Sven Goran Eriksson, Mark Hughes and now Roberto Mancini. Say what you like about City we can attract a manager or two. There was John Wardle and David Makin, David Bernstein, Thaskin Shinawatra but that’s all history as they say. There was 35 years, and Bananas, inflatable paddling pools, sharks, gorillas, not one but 2 Frankensteins (?) bucket hats, ‘The Gypsy’s Curse’, Blue Moon, The Kippax, Oasis, Helen ‘The Bell’ Turner, Fanzines and always but always us the fans in large numbers all over the country every week at every ground. We made our own history and I know it, you know it, we all know it, that this club has always been something special, something you only feel when you become a part of it. If you don’t understand that then you don’t get it. Loadsamoney but equally Loadsahistory and we’re all a part of it because we all shared it and made it happen.

As a footnote to the above we all know we've gone on to dominate English football rhe past 10 years breaking all manner of records along the way and making positive progression in the CL creating another piece of history with last nights victory over Leipzig becoming the fastest English team to win 50 games.

Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.

Confucius
Thats say nowt about running out of chips by half time does it
 
There was a recent thread where I think the question was asked does it bother you the amount of stick we get in the media and it was split with people saying no fuck them and others saying yes it gives us an unfair and bad image. I think if we were all truthful with ourselves inside it hurts even if only a little. Pep's (barbed) words last night rightly or wrongly and whether they have been misconstrued or not once again has only added more fuel to the fire of those who want to keep poking the lion. One day hopefully we will bite back not just on the pitch but off it.

In the meantime here's a very lengthy read of something i posted in 2012 if you can be bothered. Stand up tall and proud every one of us because we have a better history than most if not all. History does not equal trophys won.

1865 – 30th November St. Marks Church, Clowes St, West Gorton was consecrated by the Bishop of Manchester.
1870’s – Miss G. Connell the daughter of the reverend suggests a working men’s club, which leads to a cricket team and a lending library.
1880 – A football club was founded and on 13th November played its first game which they lost 2-1 (Typical St. Marks)
1881 – St. Marks becomes West Gorton and they lose their first ever game to Newton Heath on the 12th November (Typical West Gorton).
1884 – West Gorton splits apart and becomes two new clubs, West Gorton Athletic which eventually fades away and the newly formed Gorton A.F.C. which was driven forward by two men from the original St. Marks.
1887 – Gorton A.F.C. becomes Ardwick A.F.C. nicknamed ‘The Brewerymen’ (Love it) and Ardwick lose their first game 4-2 to Hooley Hill from Denton (Typical Ardwick).
1894 – Ardwick A.F.C. slips away and on the 16th April Manchester City Football Club, become a registered company with the new motto ‘Even in our own ashes live our wonted fires’.
1894 – 1st September v Bury and City lose their first ever fixture 4-2 (Typical City). City’s goalkeeper that famous day – Charlie Williams – also had the distinguished prescence to have played for Arsenal in their first ever League fixture v Newcastle the previous year.
1894 – Legendary Welsh Wizard Billy Meredith signs for ‘The Blues’ and is defeated in his first game 5-4 at Newcastle (Typical Meredith).
1895 – The Blues beat Lincoln City 11-3
1898/99 – Division 2 Champions

1902/03 – Division 2 Champions
1904 – FA Cup Winners – City beat Bolton 1-0 with a goal from Meredith to lift the Cup for the first time. Attendance 61,372 played at The Crystal Palace.
1906 – City was fined excessively over Billy Meredith’s allegations of over payment and for his attempts at trying to fix a match v Aston Villa. With 17 players suspended and fined, two directors suspended and fined and the manager and former chairman suspended from English football some people really thought the FA had it in for City for becoming too popular (Sounds familiar?).
1909/10 - Division 2 Champions

1920 – New Year’s Day and Max Woosnam makes his City debut v Bradford. Woosnam has been described as Britain’s Greatest Sportsman and his list of achievements include winning an Olympic gold and silver at the 1920 Summer Olympics, winning the doubles at Wimbledon, making a century at Lord’s Cricket Ground, captaining the British Davis Cup team,captaining the England national football team and of course captaining Manchester City.
1920 – March 27th and King George V attends Hyde Road, the home of the Blues for the visit of Liverpool I a game City won 2-1 (Untypical City).
1921/22 – Billy Meredith returns for a second spell after leaving the Rags.
1923 – August 25th and Maine Road plays host for the first time in a 2-1 victory over Sheffield United with Max Woosnam as captain in front of 56,993.
1924 – 1st March and a 49 year old Billy Meredith plays for the first time at Maine Road to become the only footballer to appear at four major Manchester venues as a home player – Hyde Road, Maine Road, Clayton and Old Trafford. One week later he appeared for the Blues in a cup tie at home to Cardiff in front of a then record crowd of 76,166 with thousands of Welshmen making the trip to see ‘The Footballing Pride of Wales’.
1926 – FA Cup Finalists losing to Bolton 0-1 at Wembley in front of 91,547
1927/28 – Division 2 Champions
1929 – (Sir) Matt Busby makes his City debut in 3-1 defeat of Middlesbrough.

1933 – FA Cup Finalists losing 0-3 to Everton at Wembley in front of 92,950
1933 – Christmas Day and the legendary Frank Swift made his City debut but concedes four goals (Typical Swift).
1934 – Record attendance outside of Wembley Stadium of 84,569 v Stoke City FA Cup 6th March
1934 – FA Cup Winners for the second time with a 2-1 victory over Portsmouth at Wembley in front of 93,258 fans
1936/37 – Football League Champions for the first time. Alongside Frank Swift was the Northern Ireland international Peter Doherty, a player which many older City supporters consider to be one of our greats. Doherty later went on to manage Northern Ireland where he led them to the 1958 World Cup Finals reaching the quarter finals.
1937 – Charity Shield Winners.
The war Years – During the War Old Trafford was bombed and City offered our close neighbours the use of Maine Road to play their games. Remember without us they’d be nothing.

1946/47 – Division 2 Champions. Alongside Frank Swift was the great Joe Fagan who 40 years later took Liverpool to so many successes’….and we have no histree la.
1948 – Frank Swift becomes the first goalkeeper to captain England in the 20th century in a victory over Italy in Turin.
1949 – 7th October 1949 and ex prisoner of war Bert Trautmann signs for the club as an amateur, turning professional shortly after. History they want history, does it get any bigger than Bert Trautmann.

1951 – 18th October and Don Revie, later to become the legendary Leeds United manager and England national manager.
1953 - The Revie Plan was a tactical system in used by City in the 1950s. The system was named after Don Revie, who had the most important role in it.
In 1953 English football was astounded by the Hungarian team which beat England 6-3 at Wembley Stadium. The Revie plan was a variation on the tactics used by the Hungarians, involving Don Revie playing as a deep lying centre forward. Revie started attacks by coming into the centre of the field to receive the ball, drawing the opposing centre-half out of position.
The system was first implemented by the City reserve team, who using the system went unbeaten for the last 26 games of the 1953-54 season. Before the start of the 1954-55 season, City manager Les Mcdowall called his team into pre-season training two weeks early to try the new tactic. City lost their first game using the system 5–0, but as the players became more used to the system it started to become more successful.
1955 – FA Cup finalists losing 3-1 to Newcastle. Using the Revie Plan City reached the Cup Final, but lost in front of a 100,000 crowd at Wembley.
1955 – Don Revie wins Football Writers footballer of the year.

1956 – FA Cup Winners for the third time beating Birmingham 3-1 again in front of 100,000 fans. The final is famous for the courage of Bert Trautmann who suffered a broken neck but managed to play on and see the Cup won. Some of the great names in that cup winning side alongside Bert were captain Roy Paul, Bobby Johnstone one of our goalscorers who became the first player ever to score in successive finals, Don Revie, Ken Barnes and Roy Clarke.
1956 – Bert Trautmann wins Football Writers footballer of the year. Boys own stuff!
1956/57 – For the second time in their history United used Maine Road as their home ground. United had accepted an offer to play European football but realised they had no floodlights and they eventually had to accept City’s offer and play three of their games at Maine Road. Like I said earlier they’d be nothing without City.
1957/58 - City scored 104 goals and conceded 100 in Division 1, the only occasion that a club has both scored and conceded 100 goals in a league season.
1958 - February 6th and Frank Swift is tragically a victim of the Munich Air Disaster.
1959 – Alan Oakes signs on amateur terms in 1958 at the age of fifteen, signing as a professional a year later. His first-team debut came on 14 November 1959 in a 1–1 draw with Chelsea. The quiet and unassuming Oakes played throughout City’s golden period and was an ever present in the 60’s and 70’s finishing his career with a record 669 appearances including cup competitions.

1960 – March and Denis Law signs for the Blues in a then record British transfer fee £55,000 and scores on his debut in a 4-3 victory over Leeds.
1965 – 13th January sees City’s lowest ever League attendance of 8,015 v Swindon.
1965 – Joe Mercer and Malcolm Allison are appointed as manager and assistant manager. Allison famously told Matt Busby’s son ‘Your father has got a 20 year start, but I’ll pass him in three’.
1965/66 – Division 2 Champions
1967 – December and ‘The Ballet On Ice’ where City beat Tottenham 4-1 on a snow covered Maine Road in what was a truly remarkable performance and a sure sign of what was to come.
1967/68 – Football League Champions for the second time. Winning the title at Newcastle on the final day of the season whilst United lost the title by losing at home to Sunderland made success all the more sweeter and in doing so we became the last ever club to win it with a full 11 English born players. K.Mulhearn, T.Book, G.Pardoe, M.Doyle, G.Heslop, A.Oakes, F.Lee, C.Bell, M.Summerbee, N.Young, T.Coleman. and of course Malcolm Allison and Joe Mercer who said ‘I shall personally take great pleasure in walking down to Old Trafford on Sunday morning to pick up the trophy’.
1968 – Charity Shield Winners.
1969 – 26th April FA Cup Winners for the fourth time beating Leicester City 1-0 in front of another capacity 100,000 crowd at Wembley Stadium.

1970 – 7th March League Cup Winners 1970 beating WBA 2-1 at Wembley Stadium in front of 97,963 fans.
1970 – 29th April European Cup Winners Cup beating Gornik Zabrze 2-1 in Vienna.
1972 – Charity Shield Winners.
1974 – 3rd March League Cup Finalists losing to Wolves 1-2 at Wembley Stadium in front of 100,000 fans.
1974 – 27th April in front of 56,996 fans at Old Trafford, Denis Law in his second spell at City backheeled the ball past Alex Stepney to send United into the old second division. Who cares that they’re relegation was a formality due to results elsewhere Denis sent them down and in typical Rag fashion they couldn’t take it and invaded the pitch and the game was abandoned with 5minutes left on the clock but the result stood.
1976 – 28th February 1976 and again in front of a sold out Wembley Stadium of 100,000 fans City lift the League Cup for the second time by beating Newcastle 2-1 with Dennis Tuearts famous overhead kick.
1970’s – Some wonderful players pulled on the sky blue shirt and many went on to represent their international countries, Joe Corrigan, Rodney Marsh, Dave Watson, Dennis Tueart, Asa Hartford,Joe Royle, Mick Channon, Willie Donachie, Brian Kidd, Peter Barnes (1976 PFA Young Player of the Year), Kaziu Deyna, Gary Owen and Paul Power to name a few. Memorable European games versus the likes of AC Milan, Juventus, Widzew Lodz, Standard Liege and Borussia Monchengladbach. The return of Malcolm Allison and the £1m plus signing of Steve Daley are all part of our rich and turbulent history.

1981 – The 100th Centenary Cup Final and we’d have won it but for an own goal. Tommy Hutchinson, Gerry Gow and Bobby Mcdonald all instrumental in John Bond’s rebuilding after Malcolm’s departure. With youngsters like Tommy Caton and Nicky Reid the future for City looked bright. Step up Ricky Villa and although he scored the second best goal in the replay (Steve Mackenzies was ultimately superior) it was the Argentines that will forever be remembered. A fantastic Cup Final and well worthy of the 100th, typical City we lost it!
1981 – Trevor Francis signed and I played truant to be one of the massed throng outside the Maine Road gates to get his signature, I still have it alongside the likes of Martin O’Neil (how well as he done) Mick Macarthy and Kevin Bond (all plying their trade in today’s Premiership)
1982/83 – Luton Town and David Pleat and those shoes and Brian ‘Who’ Horton only bloody City could do this.
1984/85 – That Charlton game, you know the 5-1 bloody marvelous are City….aren’t they? Will we ever have a pitch invasion again?

1986 – Full Members Cup Finalists and what a game losing 5-4 to Chelsea the day after we drew 2-2 at Old Trafford in the league derby. Would we ever play two games in two days again?
1986 – Winning the FA Youth Cup Final over United with Steve Redmond, Paul Lake, Andy Hinchcliffe, Ian Brightwell, David White, Paul Moulden and Ian Scott.
1987 – 7th November and it’s a case of ‘re mem mem remember re mem, re mem mem remember when when City scored ten’. Yes City gave Huddersfield a good hiding that day 10 -1 with three hat tricks, a record, from David White, Paul Stewart and Tony Adcock with our other goal coming from, can anyone remember…..? Ex City Player Andy May scored their only goal but it was Neil Mcnab who scored City’s.
1989 – May at Valley Parade in Bradford and it was Super Trevor Morley that scored a later equaliser to send the following City faithful into raptures and another famous pitch invasion, we were getting good at those, bloody great days they were.
1989 – September 23rd a date forever etched into my memory. With a first 11 containing no less than 5 of the 1986 youth cup winning side City recorded the biggest derby win at Maine Road 5-1 and who could ever forget Ian Bishop arms held wide celebrating the third goal and Andy Hinchcliffe’s ‘Chance at the far post’ and his five fingered salute to the departing rag faithful, funny that, how they always seem to leave quickly when they’re getting beat. Surprise surprise they even tried to cause a mini riot at the start.

1993 – Not for the first time City fans vent their frustrations at Peter Swales but this time we have a hero to take the reins, step forward Francis Lee. Swales brings in John Maddock and peter Reid is dismissed as manager to be replaced by Brian Horton – WHO? Now where have I seen him before?
1994 – After months of campaigns, fans fury and much publicity, some good, some bad, Frannie takes control on the 5th February amidst lots of promises, the future looked bright, we should have known better. ‘Cups for Cock ups’ now remind me who once said that?
1994/99 – Notable players to grace the sky/laser Blue shirt of this period we had the likes of Niall Quinn, Uwe Rosler, Paul Walsh and the mercurial talents of Gio Kinkladze and oh that goal v Southampton. We also had Alan ‘I’ve got a world cup medal’ Ball managing the team, as well as Frank Clark, Steve Coppell and Phil Neal. Now that’s some history.

1999 – After winning the play off semi final v Wigan which enabled us all to have another riotous Maine Road pitch invasion we all set off to Wembley Stadium. 76,935 were there at the start but by the 90th minute there was considerably less owing to the number of Blues who simply could just not stomach anymore heartache as Gillingham 2-0 upwere almost home and dry and promoted to division one when referee Mark Halsey allowed 5 extra minutes to be played. Even when Kevin Horlock pulled a late consolation back I was more angry than anything else because it was ‘Typical City’ to just go and do that, all too little too late. Then something happened, call it divine intervention, the stuff of dreams, could have been God high up in heaven looking down upon us and realising enough suffering had been done, as if watching United win the Holy Grail with 2 last gasp goals in midweek wasn’t bad enough, then surely being condemned to another season in the wastelands of Division two was a step too far for this once great sleeping giant. Weaver kicked the ball to somebody to take a throw in, the ball was thrown to Wiekens who launched it forward, Gareth Taylor I think flicked it on,might have been Horlock touched it to Goater who was beaten in the tackle and the ball rolled into the path of DICKOVVVVVVV. 13 years later and I still watch it and think he’s going to miss. The heart still beats like crazy but it happened and it was a pivotal moment in our clubs history. So was the Stoke game on Boxing Day, something changed after half time and there was a belief that carried us through. Lots of heroes wearing Blue, Nicky weaver (who could forget his Wembley runaround) Captain Andy Morrison(Led by example), Richard Edgehill (Brave enough to take a Penalty) Paul Dickov, Kevin Horlock, Gerard Wiekens and the one and only Mr. Shaun Goater.

2000 – We raided Gilligham for Super Bobby Taylor or was it Big Fat Bobby Taylor but he scored an important goal at home to Birmingham, cue another great pitch invasion for promotion to the Premiership. Then the following week on 7th May City went goal crazy and won a second consecutive Promotion away to Blackburn with a 4-1 victory and guess what followed – Another great example of a City pitch invasion.

2001/02 - League Division One Champions with 99pts and 108 goals scored. A well deserved return to the top flight.

2002 - The final derby at Maine Road, it meant everything to me that we won that one and for’The Goat’ to get two goals including his 100th for the club made it all the more special, that Gary Neville played his part in assisting was the icing on the cake. We became quite flamboyant with the likes of Nicholas Anelka, Eyal Berkovic and Ali Bernarbia whom were all wonderful talents and we had a manager in Kevin Keegan as large as life. MVF and no 23.
2003 – We moved into the new Stadium as the club continues to grow and adapt to a new era and battered United 4-1 in the first derby game to be held at COMS, Eastlands or the newly named Etihad Stadium. It took a while but it feels like home again.

2000’s – Then there was Stuart Pearce, Sven Goran Eriksson, Mark Hughes and now Roberto Mancini. Say what you like about City we can attract a manager or two. There was John Wardle and David Makin, David Bernstein, Thaskin Shinawatra but that’s all history as they say. There was 35 years, and Bananas, inflatable paddling pools, sharks, gorillas, not one but 2 Frankensteins (?) bucket hats, ‘The Gypsy’s Curse’, Blue Moon, The Kippax, Oasis, Helen ‘The Bell’ Turner, Fanzines and always but always us the fans in large numbers all over the country every week at every ground. We made our own history and I know it, you know it, we all know it, that this club has always been something special, something you only feel when you become a part of it. If you don’t understand that then you don’t get it. Loadsamoney but equally Loadsahistory and we’re all a part of it because we all shared it and made it happen.

As a footnote to the above we all know we've gone on to dominate English football rhe past 10 years breaking all manner of records along the way and making positive progression in the CL creating another piece of history with last nights victory over Leipzig becoming the fastest English team to win 50 games.

Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.

Confucius

Mega post OP. Sadly it will go unread by most I reckon.
 

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