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Spot on! I think there’s some revisionism about Maine Rd often used to say the ground wasn’t that special. It absolutely was and while we can (and I do) criticise Swales & Niven for how the club was run they did tend to try and make the place look decent. Most football clubs treated their...

Totally. I’d love to see it back.

The City FC flag: https://gjfootballarchive.com/2025/05/28/the-city-fc-flag/

It was against Sheffield United ( https://bluemoon-mcfc.co.uk/History/Matches/Match.aspx?id=3111 ) but you did get to see Francis Lee's last competitive goal for City at Oldham.

Lots of myths about that day. Whenever anyone says 'yes, but he didn't actually relegate Utd' then it's worth reminding people of the emotion of our Agueroooo Day. Prematch City looked likely to win the League. All we needed to do was match Utd's result. Simple! However, during the course of...

Good spot. Typo, which may even have been how Citizen/Cityzen began.

There were other uses of Cityzens not simply that cartoon. That’s just an example. But whether it’s Citizens or Cityzens it’s never been something most fans have used when talking. There was also the Cityzen (or was it Citizen?) mag produced by the supporters club back in late 80s. So I guess it...

Although…. I tend to agree with you about Citizens and Cityzens but surprisingly Cityzens was also used over 100 years ago to refer to the club or it’s fans (as this cartoon shows): https://gjfootballarchive.com/2024/04/01/manchester-city-nicknames/ Personally I prefer Blues anyway.

No, he didn’t play then: https://bluemoon-mcfc.co.uk/History/Matches/Match.aspx?id=3230 He returned on Boxing Day 77 so if you attended games from then on you may have seen him.

In some ways it was the 1976 return that did the long term damage. He was rushed back too soon. They had been planning to bring him back in February for the league cup final. The club’s hierarchy wanted him back but it was needless. Those games in 76 didn’t need him and so why risk him? Really...

50 years ago today Colin Bell scores in 2nd comeback game (follow the link): https://gjfootballarchive.com/2026/04/17/fifty-years-ago-today-colin-bell-scores-in-2nd-comeback-game/

So important to use the facts not the fiction that often surrounds City when they play Arsenal. First team to achieve success (by decades!); highest record attendances (by over 10,000) and so much more.

History, Tradition, Class... I'm sure we'll hear a lot on that from Arsenal, the media, Arsenal fans over the coming days, so I've done this City v Arsenal comparison of historical achievements. It might be useful to shut people up or remind them...

I wrote about the Boxing Day 77 return and the emotion of that day a while back. It can still be read here: https://gjfootballarchive.com/2021/12/26/manchester-city-hall-of-fame-colin-bells-significant-game/ Enjoy reliving that remarkable day.

It’s funny isn’t it how times change. There’s Eddie Cavanagh the Everton fan who invaded the pitch in the 60s at Wembley and he often gets celebrated for it, but only a decade or so later they’d have gone mad at Wembley for that.

I was in Platt Lane too. Similar memories, especially James!

It’s funny because I’ve interviewed players who have given match details of Colin’s return, talking of Newcastle 77, but occasionally they inadvertently give details of this day (score and certain match details). Memories have been muddled at times. Boxing Day ultimately overshadowed this day...

That’s one of the myths. He played a small number of games towards the end of the 75-76 season. He was brought back too early, but the crowd for this game was significant because we wanted to see Colin return. The Boxing Day 77 game is rightly remembered as his return but this one deserves...

50 years ago today… the day Colin Bell was crowned. I’ve tracked down a photo from the day a City fan placed a crown he’d made on Colin’s head. The crown went on to be one of the most treasured items in Colin’s collection. Like so many things in football history there are lots of myths and...

I really enjoyed the interview. I don’t often talk about my own support so it was great doing that and I ended up going down pathways I didn’t expect. Before the chat I didn’t realise how 1984-85 was actually the key year that would influence my research and writing for ever more. Without that...