city books

[ChrisNUFC]

You know the older I get and the more I analyse City in the 80s and 90s the more I realise that the Club treated those talented young players appallingly. At least 5 of the FA Youth Cup team of 1986 could have gone on to be recognised as truly great footballers had they been nurtured in the manner that the following generation at Utd were.

City pushed them all into the 1st team too quickly because City were skint and desperate. McNeill wanted to phase them in and to rest them at appropriate times but instead he had to get them all in the side asap and 'hope' they survived.

Lake's injury was not, of course, caused by one person or issue, but it was typical that so much was expected of so many youngsters without the right sort of long term planning and protection that they needed.

We all wanted to see Redmond, Moulden, Lake, Brightwell, Hinchcliffe, White and the others, but those teenagers were expected to get us out of a gruelling Second Division. I know that experienced pros were brought in, but someone at a very senior level in the Club should have considered the impact on them.

Also, when problems did arise the Club's approach was appalling. Lake was treated abysmally, while others (including Moulden & Redmond) were not particularly well looked after.

Fortunately, we are now in a much better position, but it does now sadden me that we had a very talented group of players who, through no fault of their own, were never able to develop together as a unit that could bring City real glory. We had the lead in finding talent back then, but once it became good enough for the 1st team it was thrown in at the deep end and left to sink or swim - Utd had the opposite (though that may have been more by fortune than design I admit).

Yes, excellent post. Fully agree with that. It's heartbreaking to read of the way Lakey was treated, but I'm sure he wasn't the only one of the crop to suffer poor treatment at the hands of the club.

In a thread about books, it might also be appropriate to add that I always had a vague fancy for the idea of writing about the 1986 Youth Cup winning side - which I always identified with because they were more or less the same age as me. Obviously it would be interesting for City fans to follow the story of why the lads didn't quite make it as big as people back then would have expected.

However, if done right, it could be a terrific human story as well. You could look at any group of young people with long-shot dreams (hopefuls on the books of a modelling agency, for instance, or a wave of young bands signing to a top record label). I'm fascinated by the idea of what dictates in that situation who makes it and who doesn't.

Anyway, I'm never going to be able now to write this. If you fancy it, Gary, feel free to take the idea. :)

Not a blue as you may of guessed from my name but I would be interested in reading that

 

[LongsightM13]

Didn't the dreaded dismalist Shindler do something similar to that, with a book once again featuring in its title a player from a club who would not be very popular with most City fans?
Alcoholic Wifebeater and 21 Others, I think it was called

 

[Gary James]

Thank you. As mentioned found it a very intriguing read and nice to see that despite all the wealth (sic) knocking about now the club still look after their own.

This is one of the ironies about claims of our club 'losing its soul' from certain observers, including the odd long-time City fan (look for the latest release by an author called Colin Shindler). Never have the heritage of the club and individuals who helped to create it, such as the former players, been treated with the level of respect they are now.

In contrast, when we were skint and had owners who were business people from Manchester or its environs, the attitude towards those things was often pretty shoddy. I'm reluctant to claim to speak for most Blues, but I'd be surprised if these comments cause much controversy.

I absolutely totally agree with that. Occasionally City do get it wrong these days when it comes to heritage but when they do it's usually a genuine mistake not a deliberate attempt at changing history.

In the past some only cared about 'today' and that's why some of our biggest names and stories were not promoted or known nationwide. Other clubs promoted their history, City often hid it away because it was usually 'better' than the success the club was having at the time (for example, I was told we could not celebrate the 30th anniversary of the League Cup in 2006 because it would 'remind' everyone that we were a good side back then!).

Nowadays it would be easy to ignore the past - we've won the FAC & PL in 2 years why bother? - but the fact is that our chairman and owner know that heritage is important. With a football club the knowledge of its past helps shape its future - I've always said this but until Thaksin arrived (yes, despite his issues he understood that history was important) and then of course Garry Cook and Khaldoon, some given responsibility for developing the Club could not grasp that.

 

[petrusha]

Didn't the dreaded dismalist Shindler do something similar to that, with a book once again featuring in its title a player from a club who would not be very popular with most City fans?
Alcoholic Wifebeater and 21 Others, I think it was called

Yes, he did: http://www.amazon.co.uk/George-Best...154X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1340635270&sr=8-1.

I actually thought that, title aside, it was a good book. However, I'd actually spoken with a publisher about the 1986 version back in about 2003, before this came out. It was in abeyance anyway while I looked at something else that had nothing to do with MCFC, but obviously the appearance of Shindler's book would have put an end to it anyway.

I think it might be viable to make a go of it now, though, because it's a long time since Shindler's book was published, City are very big news these days, and a part of the story is very different: whereas several City players Shinder described went on to great success (Doyle, Pardoe, Young), with the 1986 crop you're describing what a mess the club was, resulting in it failing to capitalise on this superb group of young players and the same malaise effectively causing the club to disintegrate in the decade that followed.

Which presents a nice counterpoint with the present day. And very glad I am to say that, too. :)

 

[Mad Eyed Screamer]

Yes, excellent post. Fully agree with that. It's heartbreaking to read of the way Lakey was treated, but I'm sure he wasn't the only one of the crop to suffer poor treatment at the hands of the club.

In a thread about books, it might also be appropriate to add that I always had a vague fancy for the idea of writing about the 1986 Youth Cup winning side - which I always identified with because they were more or less the same age as me. Obviously it would be interesting for City fans to follow the story of why the lads didn't quite make it as big as people back then would have expected.

However, if done right, it could be a terrific human story as well. You could look at any group of young people with long-shot dreams (hopefuls on the books of a modelling agency, for instance, or a wave of young bands signing to a top record label). I'm fascinated by the idea of what dictates in that situation who makes it and who doesn't.

Anyway, I'm never going to be able now to write this. If you fancy it, Gary, feel free to take the idea. :)

I wasn't going to mention this as a little premature, but seeing as it has been brought up here.........

I (with another City fan) have just written a book on this very subject.
The Title is ''Teenage Kicks'' and hopefully will be out by Xmas.
Gary has been aware of this, as i asked him (and one or two others) if they were doing anything on this topic / knew of anyone doing it and Gary has been very helpful with the odd questions here and there!

The text of the book has been completed (yesterday as it happens) - starting from when the first of the squad of 14 played in the A team right up to when Ian Brightwell played his final game in the reserves (for the record, it covers 14 years, 5 months and 10 days!)
My colleague has then written a profile of how each player came to City and what became of them once leaving City.

So far, there is only one of the 14 who we don't have a contact for (you may have seen my thread the other week asking if anyone in Dublin / Ireland knows of John Clarke.)
There are still 5 players left to contact (which will be done this week) but we know where they are.
Actually, there is one other player we haven't been able to contact as sadly he died 6 years ago, but have been in touch with his family who have been brilliant and really want to have his story in the book.

Each player will be given their own questions based on their own experience at the club and then these will be added into the text at the relevant time.

It's shaping up quite nicely, and I'll leave it at that!
Thanks

 

[Walkbustaxi]

This is one of the ironies about claims of our club 'losing its soul' from certain observers, including the odd long-time City fan (look for the latest release by an author called Colin Shindler). Never have the heritage of the club and individuals who helped to create it, such as the former players, been treated with the level of respect they are now.

In contrast, when we were skint and had owners who were business people from Manchester or its environs, the attitude towards those things was often pretty shoddy. I'm reluctant to claim to speak for most Blues, but I'd be surprised if these comments cause much controversy.

Exactly why I didn't get the David Conn book 'Richer Than God'. He should be off investigating real issues like Rangers than writing about the shock horror that City is owned by a billionaire and therefore not a club like FC United. It wasn't when Swales and Lee were ruining it either but let's wait till we're successful and then bring out the book.



Sent from my thingymajig using Tippytappy

 

[Don Howe]

Another shameless plug - but the ending's pretty good!


Only available on Kindle, sadly

This Is How It Felt To Be City: Manchester City 2011/12 Season Review

"The thing about obituaries is that it's better to publish them after the subject has died..."

The 2011/12 English Premier League football season provided one of the most thrilling climaxes to a title race in the history of the game. For Manchester City, Sergio Aguero's injury-time winner capped off a roller-coaster season for the club, that cuminated in their first top-level title in 44 years. Through the articles written by the author throughout the year, as the club moved from one controversy to another, you can relive the most amazing of seasons, from drug bans, to player strikes, from Derby day drubbings to the key moment in premiership history - there was rarely a dull moment..

http://www.amazon.co.uk/This-How-Felt-City-ebook/dp/B0087FJQGE

Also includes archived articles since our takeover, player ratings and some classic quotes from the City-haters, and the final minutes of the season via Twitter.



oh and Andy Morrison autobiog is a great read too! (and Paul Lake's obviously)

 

[salfordpaul]

And yes, he'd have definitely been an England player (was due for a call up when he got the injury), IMO probably a regular over several seasons. Only question would have been if City could have kept hold of him: at the time, Italy was the big league both in terms of money and prestige, and if he'd lived up to his potential, a big Serie A club would have come in for him sooner or later.

You know the older I get and the more I analyse City in the 80s and 90s the more I realise that the Club treated those talented young players appallingly. At least 5 of the FA Youth Cup team of 1986 could have gone on to be recognised as truly great footballers had they been nurtured in the manner that the following generation at Utd were.

City pushed them all into the 1st team too quickly because City were skint and desperate. McNeill wanted to phase them in and to rest them at appropriate times but instead he had to get them all in the side asap and 'hope' they survived.

Lake's injury was not, of course, caused by one person or issue, but it was typical that so much was expected of so many youngsters without the right sort of long term planning and protection that they needed.

We all wanted to see Redmond, Moulden, Lake, Brightwell, Hinchcliffe, White and the others, but those teenagers were expected to get us out of a gruelling Second Division. I know that experienced pros were brought in, but someone at a very senior level in the Club should have considered the impact on them.

Also, when problems did arise the Club's approach was appalling. Lake was treated abysmally, while others (including Moulden & Redmond) were not particularly well looked after.

Fortunately, we are now in a much better position, but it does now sadden me that we had a very talented group of players who, through no fault of their own, were never able to develop together as a unit that could bring City real glory. We had the lead in finding talent back then, but once it became good enough for the 1st team it was thrown in at the deep end and left to sink or swim - Utd had the opposite (though that may have been more by fortune than design I admit).

united certainly didn t look after norman whiteside and certainly may have pushed him from an early age ?? this is not from fact of course more gossip or rumour

 

[BTH]

Yes, excellent post. Fully agree with that. It's heartbreaking to read of the way Lakey was treated, but I'm sure he wasn't the only one of the crop to suffer poor treatment at the hands of the club.

In a thread about books, it might also be appropriate to add that I always had a vague fancy for the idea of writing about the 1986 Youth Cup winning side - which I always identified with because they were more or less the same age as me. Obviously it would be interesting for City fans to follow the story of why the lads didn't quite make it as big as people back then would have expected.

However, if done right, it could be a terrific human story as well. You could look at any group of young people with long-shot dreams (hopefuls on the books of a modelling agency, for instance, or a wave of young bands signing to a top record label). I'm fascinated by the idea of what dictates in that situation who makes it and who doesn't.

Anyway, I'm never going to be able now to write this. If you fancy it, Gary, feel free to take the idea. :)

I wasn't going to mention this as a little premature, but seeing as it has been brought up here.........

I (with another City fan) have just written a book on this very subject.
The Title is ''Teenage Kicks'' and hopefully will be out by Xmas.
Gary has been aware of this, as i asked him (and one or two others) if they were doing anything on this topic / knew of anyone doing it and Gary has been very helpful with the odd questions here and there!

The text of the book has been completed (yesterday as it happens) - starting from when the first of the squad of 14 played in the A team right up to when Ian Brightwell played his final game in the reserves (for the record, it covers 14 years, 5 months and 10 days!)
My colleague has then written a profile of how each player came to City and what became of them once leaving City.

So far, there is only one of the 14 who we don't have a contact for (you may have seen my thread the other week asking if anyone in Dublin / Ireland knows of John Clarke.)
There are still 5 players left to contact (which will be done this week) but we know where they are.
Actually, there is one other player we haven't been able to contact as sadly he died 6 years ago, but have been in touch with his family who have been brilliant and really want to have his story in the book.

Each player will be given their own questions based on their own experience at the club and then these will be added into the text at the relevant time.

It's shaping up quite nicely, and I'll leave it at that!
Thanks

That's fantastic news! I'll look forward to panning it then without giving any reasons other than it's by you (certainly seems to be your MO), but only after it's been remaindered at £1.99 in a discount book shop, and even then I'll almost certainly steal it, so you don't make a shiny penny piece out of me. ;-)

 

[Walkbustaxi]

That's fantastic news! I'll look forward to panning it then without giving any reasons other than it's by you (certainly seems to be your MO), but only after it's been remaindered at £1.99 in a discount book shop, and even then I'll almost certainly steal it, so you don't make a shiny penny piece out of me. ;-)

Remaindered. Trying to think of that word for days the other month about a book I couldn't get hold of. You sound like a penurious bibliophile who knows his stuff. Kill the sales with reviews and then steal from the bargain bin. Love it!