What was the most toxic period at City?

[M23 Citizen]

Agree, Pearce era was toxic level boredom for fans but club was fairly well run and professional. Just didn't have any money to spend.

Early 90s, Kendal / Reid era, was pretty bad for booze culture as described by various players from the time.

Brian Horton improved the vibe, Alan Ball was then a disaster but I think from Horton onwards the club slowly modernised and became more professional even though we subsequently got relegated. We were behind the curve and just following what others were doing we dragged ourselves out of the 1970s level approach to professional sport.

It was three decades of constantly seeming to be touching distance away from building a good team and then selling all our best players and seeing us decline.

Late 70s saw us finish second in the league and do alright in the UEFA Cup and looked like we were heading somewhere, only to see: Royle, Kidd, Channon, Bell, Barnes, Owen, Watson all get sold/retired with us going from 2nd and 4th to 15th and 17th.

After the FA Cup final defeat in 1981, we looked to be building a half decent side again, only to see: Donachie, Deyna, Hartford, O’Neill, Francis (the latter two after just a year) all get sold with inferior replacements. That saw us go from looking alright to being a yo-yo club.

That early ’90s Kendal/Reid era, we were just a few players away from having a really good side again, we finished 5th, 5th and 8th. But again, we kept selling all our best players: Hinchcliffe, Hendry, Clive Allen, White, Lake was struggling with his injuries and eventually retired. Then a few years later: Quinn, Flitcroft, Coton… with inferior replacements which saw us eventually sink and sink again to the third tier.

The midst of that era was the most toxic. Like you say, from Ball to Coppell to Neal to Clark. We’d had enough of it. It was the shittest era in the club’s history and certainly the most toxic.

Early ’00s, there was loads of positivity around the club after back-to-back promotions under Royle, the most exciting season in decades under Keegan, the last season at Maine Road, the move to the CoMS, we finished 9th in our last season at Maine Road with Keegan and 8th two years later with Pearce, but then we sold: Shauny Wright, David James, Barton, Distin… all with inferior replacements because our finances were rock bottom.

However, this time we did manage to stay up reasonably comfortably. Despite the football being mind-numbing, there wasn’t the kicking off seen by the fans around the previous declines that saw us relegated. And that time we knew what state our finances were in so we were more forgiving of the board.

 

[Gone for a Burton]

It was three decades of constantly seeming to be touching distance away from building a good team and then selling all our best players and seeing us decline.

Late 70s saw us finish second in the league and do alright in the UEFA Cup and looked like we were heading somewhere, only to see: Royle, Kidd, Channon, Bell, Barnes, Owen, Watson all get sold/retired with us going from 2nd and 4th to 15th and 17th.

After the FA Cup final defeat in 1981, we looked to be building a half decent side again, only to see: Donachie, Deyna, Hartford, O’Neill, Francis (the latter two after just a year) all get sold with inferior replacements. That saw us go from looking alright to being a yo-yo club.

That early ’90s Kendal/Reid era, we were just a few players away from having a really good side again, we finished 5th, 5th and 8th. But again, we kept selling all our best players: Hinchcliffe, Hendry, Clive Allen, White, Lake was struggling with his injuries and eventually retired. Then a few years later: Quinn, Flitcroft, Coton… with inferior replacements which saw us eventually sink and sink again to the third tier.

The midst of that era was the most toxic. Like you say, from Ball to Coppell to Neal to Clark. We’d had enough of it. It was the shittest era in the club’s history and certainly the most toxic.

Early ’00s, there was loads of positivity around the club after back-to-back promotions under Royle, the most exciting season in decades under Keegan, the last season at Maine Road, the move to the CoMS, we finished 9th in our last season at Maine Road with Keegan and 8th two years later with Pearce, but then we sold: Shauny Wright, David James, Barton, Distin… all with inferior replacements because our finances were rock bottom.

However, this time we did manage to stay up reasonably comfortably. Despite the football being mind-numbing, there wasn’t the kicking off seen by the fans around the previous declines that saw us relegated. And that time we knew what state our finances were in so we were more forgiving of the board.

J & D were our financial saviours.

If anyone deserves statues it's them & David Bernstein !!

 

[pace89]

Nicky Summerbee’s name has been mentioned a few times here and it’s true that he was a main target of abuse at a particularly toxic period in the club’s history, nevertheless I’m going to stick up for him a bit. It seemed pretty obvious that his confidence was very shaky and for large parts of his time at City he was devoid of any self-belief. However, in the second half of the 96/97 he rehabilitated himself considerably to the extent that he used to have his name sung at Maine Road - people will say that never happened but it did. Along with Rosler he was the only player in the side on the same wavelength as Kinkladze and they became very effective for a time. Unfortunately, Frank Clarke ripped up what had worked quite well, signed Ged Brannon and promptly swapped Summerbee for Craig Russell. Summerbee scored in a play-off final and was eventually promoted with Sunderland, becoming very popular with their supporters along the way. We were relegated.

That said, Colin Schindler’s assertion that Summerbee was unpopular at City because he didn’t celebrate a goal away at QPR as fulsomely as some others might is probably the most disingenuous piece of nonsense about a City player ever committed to print. When Summerbee’s head went down so did his work rate and at times his performances were poor. However, the idea that he didn’t try at City because he grew up supporting the rags is equally absurd.

 

[Jamshopbridge]

Totally agree with this. Apathy and resignation had crept in by the Pearce season. Crowds were dropping like a stone and the stadium was silent.

The real toxic periods were under Swales before he went and then Franny lee. Probably the worst was the season we were relegated to division 2 when the crowd would routinely break into "We're shit and we're sick of it" and "You're not fit to wear the shirt". There was a reprise of this in the winter of 1998 when we weren't in the promotion frame which culminated in Willie donnachie writing an article in the Evening News about how poisonous the fanbase had become.

I'll never forget those chants and the lad stepping onto the pitch tearing his season ticket up. We were a basket case of a club back then.

 

[Gone for a Burton]

Agree, Pearce era was toxic level boredom for fans but club was fairly well run and professional. Just didn't have any money to spend.

Early 90s, Kendal / Reid era, was pretty bad for booze culture as described by various players from the time.

Brian Horton improved the vibe, Alan Ball was then a disaster but I think from Horton onwards the club slowly modernised and became more professional even though we subsequently got relegated. We were behind the curve and just following what others were doing we dragged ourselves out of the 1970s level approach to professional sport.

David Bernstein was the catalyst for some change & improvement, but it was a hell of a task.

Dennis Tuaart & Jim Cassel also did great work with the youth set up at Platt Lane.

 

[Spanishbob]

Dark days indeed. And look at us now.

 

[Citizen Mike]

Nicky Summerbee’s name has been mentioned a few times here and it’s true that he was a main target of abuse at a particularly toxic period in the club’s history, nevertheless I’m going to stick up for him a bit. It seemed pretty obvious that his confidence was very shaky and for large parts of his time at City he was devoid of any self-belief. However, in the second half of the 96/97 he rehabilitated himself considerably to the extent that he used to have his name sung at Maine Road - people will say that never happened but it did. Along with Rosler he was the only player in the side on the same wavelength as Kinkladze and they became very effective for a time. Unfortunately, Frank Clarke ripped up what had worked quite well, signed Ged Brannon and promptly swapped Summerbee for Craig Russell. Summerbee scored in a play-off final and was eventually promoted with Sunderland, becoming very popular with their supporters along the way. We were relegated.

That said, Colin Schindler’s assertion that Summerbee was unpopular at City because he didn’t celebrate a goal away at QPR as fulsomely as some others might is probably the most disingenuous piece of nonsense about a City player ever committed to print. When Summerbee’s head went down so did his work rate and at times his performances were poor. However, the idea that he didn’t try at City because he grew up supporting the rags is equally absurd.

I do remember the guy behind me in the Kippax shouted "You're a wanker Summerbee" when he was playing for Sunderland. It was a tremendous feat because he kept it up for the entire game. I think he assisted for them and they beat us.

 

[East Level 2]

Staring into the abyss or what! Then, as if by magic, we’re the world champions. No other club in the world has gone on a journey like that - not even remotely close.

Hmm, Villa - From third division to league title and European champions in under ten years. The CL may be more difficult to win than the old EC, but the old First Division and Premier League are similarly difficult.
Luton - From top division to non-league and back again.
Oldham - From 4th tier to top division and now non-league.
Northampton - 4th Division to First Division and back again in seven seasons.

 

[abu13]

I'd say whenever the matchday thread is active.

 

[Gone for a Burton]

Hmm, Villa - From third division to league title and European champions in under ten years. The CL may be more difficult to win than the old EC, but the old First Division and Premier League are similarly difficult.
Luton - From top division to non-league and back again.
Oldham - From 4th tier to top division and now non-league.
Northampton - 4th Division to First Division and back again in seven seasons.

.....and non of them sustained the ascents.