City's 1960s team

[nellyonthewing]

Yes there were no run away winners in the 60's. Great days but even then the scum were always there trying to steal or overshadow our glory. That's what makes these Pep years so special seeing those tw&ts in our rear view mirror eating our dust.

 

[ancoats]

Title
FA Cup
League Cup
ECWC
Charity Shields
They did pretty well I think.
Would have probably done better if the Mercer-Allison relationship had been better managed by the club.
And if they hadn’t bought Rodney bloody Marsh.

i think the boardroom struggles late 60s early 1970s was the downfall Frank Johnson was selling up and had enough
also Allison wanted the managers job and Mercer was given a general manager role ? and swales happened

 

[dickie davies]

Maybe but finishing bottom half the season after is hard to fathom though, similar to Leicester these days, or a Leeds when they won it.

You will have players explain the FA Cup was more prestigious than the league then, similar to Atherton saying the big games were the one day cup games never the county championship.

Franny Lee said that at the start of the 68/69 season following winning the league, they won the Charity shield at a canter and the whole team just got the cigars out thinking they'd stroll the league, when in fact every match was a battle as everyone wanted to beat the Champions

 

[bobbyowenquiff]

I was pondering this this morning and I'm wondering for those that had the chance to see the 60s City team of Bell Lee and Summerbee, is it fair to say that they didn't achieve as much as perhaps they should have, given the level of talent they had? and if so what would you put it down to?

We should have won more. Certainly the league titles in 76/77 (Dave Watson OG against Liverpool killed us) and 71/72 (signing of Rodney Marsh) We missed both these titles by one point and in my view were the best team in England both seasons. We also battered Wolves in the League Cup Final 74 but lost. The 68 team was brilliant attacking (bit like Keegan's side) but dodgy at the back. I have to say that Pep's teams are vastly superior to the late 60s side and the quality of football in England generally is much better in the the modern era. A lot of the cloggers from the 60s and 70s would be lucky to play in League One these days because of their low skill levels and lack of pace.

 

[Lavinda Past]

A few good comments made up to now...

If you look at the 60s, you have to take into account the whole decade. My memory of 60/61 and 61/62 is vague at best. The 62/63 relegation season was obviously poor and was effectively (as the song says) the end for the sky blues.
63/64 and 64/65 were 'wilderness seasons' - City were becoming a solid 2nd division club with a few decent local lads playing, but seemingly destined for mid-table obscurity.

Joe and Malcolm arrived, and the world changed... 65/66 was probably my favourite ever season. The brilliant Johnny Crossan, winning the 2nd division title, a great cup run... Giddy at the possibility of actually going to a semi-final, only to be dashed by Everton after three games, and the arrival of the wonderful Summerbee and Bell.

66/67 was a season of change.. A few old favourtes moved on, some youngsters came to the fore, and we sat relatively comfortably (for then City) in mid-rable. The thing was,the general feeling 'on the terraces' was that there was more to come, and 67/68 (with the arrival of Franny Lee) proved us right.

Top-level English football was VERY different in the late 60s - The league was more balanced than nowadays; you could expect to see any one of 8 or 9 teams thinking, quite reasonably, that they may win the league. Games were more competetive, and every week we witnessed many of the greatest players that the English game has ever produced.

Take away the FA cup win, and it has to be said that 68-69 was a poor season for City - A season of erratic performances topped off with a cup win. 69-70 was much the same.

In hindsight, the 60s wasn't the 'wonderful' decade many of us City fans like to remember, but it was infinitely better than the 70s, 80s, 90s,and most of the 00s. Joe and Malcolm very nearly had the world of football at their feet, but didn't quite make it... In my opinion, Malcolm Allison's over-inflated ego and blind ambition destroyed what could have been - He stabbed Joe in the back and caused disruption in the Board room that escalated into farce over the next 20 years.

Let's face it - Football was better. I loved watching 'rollercoaster' City in the 60s, and I wouldn't change one second of it.

 

[denislawsbackheel]

Factors probably include:

• A greater number of teams were realistically competing for the League title.
• Managers didn’t field weakened teams in the FA and League Cups. Although nice to win, both competitions have seriously devalued since then,
• Only one (or was it two?) team qualified for the European Cup, so we only had one crack at it.

The European cup was for champions only, not like the shite competition they have now.

 

[christened at st marks]

They had the 1st team plus sub Dave Connor then not much else Chris Glennon, Stan Bowles had his problems and a few injury's which we had 69/70 hence the following league position after winning the title

 

[Prater70]

Early sixties awful. Late sixties fantastic. Biggest disappointment for me " We will terrify Europe" said Big Mal. Fenerbace knocked us out first round.

 

[Ribchester]

Always remember it was a lot harder to win away, especially against the top 10 teams, I remember us only winning 5 or 6 and even worse some seasons.
A point away and win at home was the standard to win the league, remember a point away was one point dropped

 

[Ribchester]

Always remember it was a lot harder to win away, especially against the top 10 teams, I remember us only winning 5 or 6 and even worse some seasons.
A point away and win at home was the standard to win the league, remember a point away was one point dropped

can anyone explain goal average by the way.?