On this day 1995......

[Abattoir Blue]

I remember after the 2 seasons of finishing 5th, 90 Minutes magazine made us their tip to win the League the following season!

Ha! I thought it was Sheff Wed they tipped in 92/93...weirdly seem to remember the quote 'Tricky Trev's men to go all the way to the title' next to a projected table!

 

[Abattoir Blue]

I remember the quarter final against Spurs in 92/93. I don't think I'd ever been as shattered after a loss up until that day (Although worse was to come) I remember going home and drinking a bottle of my dad's Glenfiddich and then causing murders outside the Farmyard on Rochdale Rd later on. Then there was the terrible Blackburn away quarter final which was one of the most gutless performces I've ever seen. I remember thinking, please get to a semi, just a semi. Then there was the quarter final of the league cup against Ipswich when Horlock got his head nearly booted off but wasn't given a penalty. We've come a long way and I celebrate every cup(whichever it is) like it's our first and possibly last. Never forget blues.

Yep. I was only 13 for Spurs but it crushed me. As did Palace in LC in 95. Both times I really felt we'd win the cup.

Most upsetting/depressing was the Blackburn one. With fans fighting each other and the woeful performance, it is frightening to think where we'd be now without Thaksin+SM.

 

[gordondaviesmoustache]

I'm going to post this later on my Facebook but am posting it here first instead. It's a really important point that might generate some debate.....

Today in 1995 – Despite a goal from Niall Quinn and a penalty from Keith Curle Manchester's Blues were defeated 3-2 by QPR on the final day of the season. City ended the season 17th in the Premier League and Brian Horton was dismissed. The Blues had to wait until 2003 before they finished higher than this. Now people often talk of MCFC as a failed club prior to 2008 and this 'on this day' suggests that, however, a few points worth remembering. City had finished 5th two years running at the start of the decade and were an established PL team by 1995. It is what followed that caused City to be a failing club. City had recovered from the 1980s problems (although new chairman Francis Lee discovered lots of issues and odd financial agreements so that was still going on)

The sacking of Horton may or may not have been the right thing but the appointment of Alan Ball as his replacement was the catalyst for the fall. Ball's City struggled and, well we know the rest. BUT let's put all of this in perspective - Let's say the struggles started today in 1995 for arguments sake. That means City were a failing club from May 1995 to May 2002 (when Keegan's team won the 1st Division title). After May 2002 City became re-established as a PL team but football had moved on. The financial situation created by the PL and the growth in the CL made the successful clubs of that era rich and the others were left behind. So, City's low of the late 1990s and period as a 'failing' club was in total about 7 years. If we look at the successes we've had in recent years they've already lasted longer than 7 years, so let's stop talking of MCFC as if those late 1990s were typical - that would be as wrong as saying the last 7 years are totally representative of our total history - instead let's start talking of that period as being the blip; the period out of character with MCFC's history.

If the last eleven years are supposedly out of character with our history (I'd argue against that to some extent) then the much shorter period of struggle is certainly out of character. Let's start reminding people of facts like these.

Very well said, Gary - as usual.

 

[The Lightbowne Cowboy]

Yep. I was only 13 for Spurs but it crushed me. As did Palace in LC in 95. Both times I really felt we'd win the cup.

Most upsetting/depressing was the Blackburn one. With fans fighting each other and the woeful performance, it is frightening to think where we'd be now without Thaksin+SM.

It was the hope that killed us.