Malcolm Allison

johnevans said:
When Mercer & Allison arrived at Maine Road, we'd been through three years of absolute dross including the relegation season of 1962-63.

Every so often you'd think we'd reached the nadir of our fortunes, only for us to go and scratch another line we shouldn't cross.. yet cross it we did! (eg getting thrashed 6-1 home and away by West Ham; being beaten at home in the League Cup by Mansfield Town; losing the FA Cup replay at Shrewsbury Town; the lowest ever home attendance against Swindon Town; and so on and so on..)

And all the while that lot across town were recovering from the Munich disaster and winning the FA Cup and the League title. No local bragging rights for us, especially at school!

But then, all of a sudden 'Genial Joe' and 'Big Mal' began turning it around. The football got better, as did the players (most notably Neil Young, Alan Oakes and Glyn Pardoe) The press and TV were beginning to take notice of us.

And that was largely down to 'Big Mal'. Joe was a genius manager but 'Big Mal' was the genius coach, always introducing new coaching techniques, new ways to motivate and improve the squad (from the Swedish system of 'Fartlek training' to designing the cool second strip of red and black stripes borrowed from AC Milan..)

But he was also bullish and genius communicator. He took no prisoners when it came to talking up 'his' club, all in the name of getting us noticed and talked about.

There were loads of examples of him taking our part, of him 'getting' what City fans were about but here's just one; Paddy Crerand over at the Red Filth publicly stated City would never again attract a crowd over 30000 again and be destined to live in 'United's shadow', so 'Big Mal' took him up on it with a bet.. within a few weeks of that promotion season of 65/66 beginning City got 32000+ against Norwich in a table-topping clash in midweek no less; cue 'Big Mal' telling the press that City were going to be a force to reckon with.. and my, how we loved him for it!

And then the results and the trophies began to come our way, as 'Big Mal' had predicted all along, bringing with them with plenty of bragging rights over the Red Filth after years of putting up with them crowing over us!

Believe me, it was one of the coolest times ever to be a Blue!

That decade or so that Mercer & Allison set up for us to enjoy was, in many ways, as good as everything we've been privileged to enjoy since 2008. And 'Big Mal' should always be thanked and remembered by us all for his part in what the two of them did for us.
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And 47171 against Huddersfield on New Years day 1966, the second highest in all the leagues that day. Even the Kippax looked full! Better still, the cup quarter final match v Everton attracted 63034.
City were back.
 
Gary James said:
13 years ago today Malcolm died:
gjfootballarchive.com

Malcolm Allison

Today (14 October) marks the anniversary of the death of legendary Manchester City coach Malcolm Allison. He passed away in 2010. I've interviewed Malcolm often over the years and you can listen to one of those interviews here...
gjfootballarchive.com gjfootballarchive.com

Many of us remember and talk about his second spell at City but it would be great if we could hear the views of those who were adults when he first arrived with Joe in 1965. How did it actually feel as City went through that glorious era?
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I was only 11 when Joe and Malcolm were appointed, but I knew that life was going to get better.

Joe was the typical genial football manager but Malcolm really was 'larger than life'. He arrived at Maine Road as if he owned the game of football and immediately endeared himself to fans of all ages.

Malcolm was a genius and crackers and we loved him for it. Then he stabbed Joe in the back...

I met him many times over the years, the last time when he was managing Bristol Rovers. As much as I hated what he did to Joe, I couldn't be angry with him. Every time I spoke with him, I always walked away with a smile on my face.

Along with Joe, he was a huge part of my youth, and produced my favourite City team ever.
 
I think that Malcolm Allison might have been a half-decent manager in the current framework at City with a Director of Football in charge of transfers. He had good results with Sporting as a Continental-style coach. Keep him away from the transfer side and let him focus on coaching and he was fine.

Having said that, his ego would have precluded such happening.

However his time working with Joe Mercer was brilliant while it lasted as the trophy haul testifies. Mercer didn’t have that much managerial success apart from the six years he worked with Allison. A perfect combination while it lasted!
 
He put it around a bit and gave Christine Keeler and Fiona Richmond (her private car reg was FU 2) one as well to add to his coaching abilities. Respect.
 
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I saw Malcolm drag Tony Coleman (not literally) out of the Princess Hotel one Sunday night. It is that long ago I cannot remember if we had a game on the Monday, I often wonder who grassed him up.
 
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