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I’ve just tweeted BBC Sport and Dan Roan to complain. They need to get their act together!

Sad news. Tony was a really nice guy. For younger fans who wonder who he was and why he’s important here’s a piece on him: https://gjfootballarchive.com/2025/01/14/tony-book/

As if by magic…. It goes back to 1894. Though it’s not a name us fans seem to have picked. https://gjfootballarchive.com/2024/04/01/manchester-city-nicknames/ Oh and that link includes the drawing @Citizen of Legoland mentioned. Cityzen spelling was possibly the preferred spelling in 1890s too.

It had previously appeared in my biography of Joe Mercer and before that was a well known tale that Joe used to tell on the after dinner circuit.

By such an awful coincidence Bobby died this weekend. Here’s an interview I did with him a few years back: https://gjfootballarchive.com/2025/01/12/remembering-bobby-kennedy/ He was proud to have played his part in that title success and it’s a real shame he and Stan Horne had to wait so long...

Sorry to hear the news about Bobby Kennedy. To remember him here’s an interview I did with him almost 20 years ago (follow the link for this free interview): https://gjfootballarchive.com/2025/01/12/remembering-bobby-kennedy/ The Bobby Kennedy shooting story…. Eric Alexander always laughed...

People often think we had an all English team when we won the League but Bobby Kennedy played that season and he was Scottish.

Mergers don’t tend to work in football. This was a definite possibility and meetings were held. It was Utd who turned City down though.

First time I can recall but it’s one of those ‘what ifs’ that may have been discussed at other times. What made this different is that it’s a leading MCFC director who suggested it AND met with mufc officials too. Imagine if Ferran did that!

About that time. This led to his interest and the establishment of his group.

It seems incredulous today but during 1963-64 City directors (yes, that’s right!) suggested MCFC & MUFC should merge as Manchester isn’t ‘big enough’ for 2 major teams. Follow the link for the story: https://gjfootballarchive.com/2025/01/09/the-1960s-1964-1965-a-possible-merger/

For those who have been interested in the Manchester Corinthians research I’ve been doing over the last decade…. The book has now been published. I’ve self funded it and it’s a non profit making book so if anybody is interested then please get it ordered direct from me. You can do that here...

When City won the League in 2012 the soundtrack could’ve been At Last by Etta James.

Maybe it’s time to challenge all those in the media who claimed football was over/dull/doped because City ‘have more money’, ‘it’s not fair’ etc. Many of those journalists who are now sticking the boot in because City have bad results are the same who claim it’s unfair when we manage an...

It’s one of my photos from that day. Nudge me in a few weeks when I get chance and I’ll see if the others show the area you’re in.

It drives me mad that the Varadi story still does the rounds. It’s down to that Granada report where they went in the old shop. The video has reappeared in recent years so the story took off again. Frank’s the man and the true story is much better than the Varadi story anyway.

That’s my photo from Stoke. I’ve used it in a couple of my books.

More or less but numbers did vary at times. I reckon the Macc Baptists turned up with 12 so they said they’d play 12 so that no one missed out.

St Mark’s as a football club had long gone by 1894. Have a read of the article and watch the video via the link as I go through it all there. Lots of reincarnations, new clubs and turning points along the way. It’s fascinating but myths develop...

It was a new company. St Mark’s and every other iteration is absolutely important and must not be forgotten but in 1894 MCFC was a new company (and briefly Ardwick played on after MCFC established). The issue is that MUFC should never use 1878 - the club was established in 1902 in a similar way...