![[Home]](../gfx/m_home.gif){kind=small}
![[Prev]](../gfx/m_prev.gif){kind=small}
![[Mail]](../gfx/m_mail.gif){kind=small}
![[Help]](../gfx/m_help.gif){kind=small}
MANCHESTER CITY FAQ 1996/97
This FAQ covers the 1996/97 season.
CONTENTS
[ 1 ] Fixtures & Results [ 1.1 ] What are City's fixtures/results for 1996/97? [ 1.2 ] What are City's pre-season results? [ 1.3 ] What are City's reserve team fixtures/results for 1996/97? [ 1.4 ] What are City's youth team fixtures/results for 1996/97? [ 2. ] Manchester City First Team Squad [ 2.1 ] Who is in the first team squad? [ 2.2 ] Who has played and scored goals for City in 1996/97? [ 2.3 ] Which players have City bought since the 1995/96 season? [ 2.4 ] Which players have City sold since the 1995/96 season? [ 2.5 ] Who has been loaned to City since the 1995/96 season? [ 2.6 ] Who have City loaned out since the 1995/96 season? [ 2.7 ] Who are City's key players? [ 2.8 ] Who are City's players to watch in 1996/97? [ 3. ] Basic Details [ 3.1 ] What is the club's full name? [ 3.2 ] What are the club's nicknames? [ 3.3 ] When was the club formed? [ 3.4 ] Who is City's chairman? [ 3.5 ] Who is City's managing director? [ 3.6 ] Who are City's other directors? [ 3.7 ] Who is City's team manager? [ 3.8 ] Who is City's assistant team manager? [ 3.9 ] Who is City's chief scout? [ 3.10] Who is City's first team coach? [ 3.11] Who is City's reserve team coach? [ 3.12] Who is City's youth team coach? [ 3.13] Who are the other major staff members? [ 3.14] Who are the club's major sponsors? [ 3.15] What does the club's crest look like? [ 3.16] What do City's kits look like? [ 3.17] What is the club's address? [ 3.18] What are the club's telephone numbers? [ 3.19] What is the capacity of Maine Road? [ 3.20] Will I need a membership card to buy a ticket? [ 3.21] How much do tickets cost? [ 4. ] Fanzine Information [ 4.1 ] What City fanzines are currently available? [ 4.2 ] Which City fanzines are no longer available? [ 5. ] Internet Information [ 5.1 ] What is the Manchester City Mailing List and how do I join it? [ 5.2 ] Where are City on the World Wide Web? [ 5.3 ] Any other addresses I should know about? [ 6. ] Club Honours [ 6.1 ] When have City won the English League Championship? [ 6.2 ] When have City won the English Second Division Championship? [ 6.3 ] When have City won the F.A. Cup? [ 6.4 ] When have City won the F.A. Charity Shield? [ 6.5 ] When have City won the Football League Cup? [ 6.6 ] What European Trophy have City won? [ 6.7 ] When have City won the F.A. Youth Cup? [ 6.8 ] What is City's biggest League win? [ 6.9 ] What is City's heaviest defeat? [ 6.10] Who is City's record goal-scorer? [ 6.11] Who is City's record signing? [ 6.12] Who is City's record sale? [ 7. ] Recent History [ 7.1 ] What has happened to the club in the last decade or so? [ 7.2 ] What happened last season? [ 7.3 ] What are City fans' expectations for the 1995/96 season? Contributors
[ 1. ] FIXTURES & RESULTS
[ 1.1 ] What are City's fixtures/results for 1996/97?
Nationwide League 1st Division.
August 1996
Fri 16 Ipswich Town H W 1-0 (1-0) 25' Lomas 29,126 Tue 20 Bolton Wanderers A L 1-0 (0-0) 18,257 Sat 24 Stoke City A L 2-1 (2-0) 58' Rösler 21,116
September 1996
Tue 3 Charlton Athletic H W 2-1 (0-1) 83' Rösler (pen) 87' Creaney 25,963 Sat 7 Barnsley H L 1-2 (0-0) 73' Clough 26,464 Tue 10 Port Vale A W 0-2 (0-1) 10' Rösler 68' Dickov 10,770 Sat 14 Crystal Palace A L 3-1 (2-0) 80' Kavelashvili 17,638 Tue 17 Lincoln City (CCC2-1) A L 4-1 (2-1) 1' Rösler 7,599 Sat 21 Birmingham City H W 1-0 (0-0) 89' Kinkladze (pen) 26,757 Wed 25 Lincoln City (CCC2-2) H L 0-1 (0-1) 14,242 Sat 28 Sheffield United A L 2-0 (1-0) 20,867
October 1996
Sat 12 Queens Park Rangers A D 2-2 (2-1) 31' Brightwell 81' Kinkladze (pen) 16,265 Tue 15 Reading A L 2-0 (1-0) 11,724 Sat 19 Norwich City H W 2-1 (1-0) 31' Clough 54' Dickov 28,269 Sun 27 Wolverhampton Wanderers H L 0-1 (0-0) 27,296 Tue 29 Southend United A W 2-3 (0-1) 43' Rösler 59' Kinkladze 72' Kinkladze (pen) 8,707
November 1996
Sat 2 Swindon Town A L 2-0 (0-0) 14,374 Wed 13 Oxford United H L 2-3 (2-2) 14' Dickov 16' Brightwell 23,079 Sat 16 Portsmouth A L 2-1 (2-1) 16' Rodger 12,841 Tue 19 Huddersfield Town H D 0-0 (0-0) 23,314 Sat 23 Tranmere Rovers H L 1-2 (0-0) 53' Summerbee 26,531 Wed 27 West Bromwich Albion H W 3-2 (3-1) 8' Rösler 21' Kinkladze (pen) 37' Kinkladze (pen) 24,200
December 1996
Sun 1 Wolverhampton Wanderers A L 3-0 (0-0) 23,911 Sat 7 Bradford City H W 3-2 (2-1) 3' Kinkladze (pen) 12' Dickov 60' Jeff Whitley 25,035 Sat 21 Oldham Athletic A L 2-1 (0-1) 37' Kinkladze 12,992 Thu 26 Port Vale H L 0-1 (0-1) 30,344 Sat 28 Barnsley A L 2-0 (2-0) 17,159
January 1997
Wed 1 Birmingham City A Postponed due to frozen pitch Sat 4 Brentford (FAC3) A Postponed due to frozen pitch Sat 11 Crystal Palace H D 1-1 (0-0) 64' Tuttle (o.g.) 27,395 Tue 14 Brentford (FAC3) A Postponed due to frozen pitch Sat 18 Huddersfield Town A D 1-1 (0-1) 43' Lomas 18,358 Sat 25 Brentford (FAC3) A W 0-1 (0-0) 62' Summerbee 12,019 Wed 29 Sheffield United H D 0-0 (0-0) 26,551
February 1997
Sun 2 Oxford United A W 1-4 (0-2) 28' Gilchrist o,g. 33' Kinkladze 65' Kinkladze 88' Rösler 8,824 Wed 5 Watford (FAC4) H W 3-1 (1-0) 24' Heaney 61' Summerbee 71' Rösler 24,031 Sat 8 Southend United H W 3-0 (0-0) 49' Rösler 57' Kinkladze 71' Rösler 26,261 Sat 15 Middlesbrough (FAC5) H L 0-1 (0-0) 30,462 Sat 22 Swindon Town H W 3-0 (1-0) 16' Horlock 66' Summerbee 69' Rösler 27,262
March 1997
Sat 1 Bradford City A W 1-3 (0-0) 50' Rösler (pen) 52' Horlock 69' Rösler 17,609 Wed 5 Portsmouth H D 1-1 (0-0) 47' Horlock 26,051 Sat 8 Oldham Athletic H W 1-0 (0-0) 58' Rösler 30,729 Tue 11 Birmingham City A L 2-0 (0-0) 20,084 Sat 15 Grimsby Town A D 1-1 (1-1) 32' Kavelashvili 8,732 Tue 18 Tranmere Rovers A D 1-1 (0-0) 86' O'Brien (o.g.) 12,019 Sat 22 Stoke City H W 2-0 (0-0) 65' Atkinson 68' Lomas 28,497
April 1997
Sat 5 Charlton Athletic A D 1-1 (1-0) 74' Brannan 15,000 Wed 9 Bolton Wanderers H L 1-2 (1-1) 24' Kinkladze 28,026 Sat 12 West Bromwich Albion A W 1-3 (1-3) 3' Rösler 23' Horlock 35' Rösler 20,087 Wed 16 Grimsby Town H W 3-1 (0-1) 52' Atkinson 76' Summerbee 84' Summerbee 23,334 Sat 19 Queens Park Rangers H L 0-3 (0-0) 27,580 Tue 22 Ipswich Town A L 1-0 (1-0) 15,824 Fri 25 Norwich City A D 0-0 (0-0) 14,080
May 1997
Sat 3 Reading H W 3-2 (1-2) 34' Dickov 66' Rösler 78' Heaney 27,260
Fixtures Copyright © 1996 of the Football League Ltd.
[ 1.2 ] What are City's pre-season fixtures/results?
July 1996
Fri 19th Athlone Town A W 1-3 (0-1) 15' Rösler 73' Quinn 80' Quinn Sat 20th Cork City A W 1-3 (1-2) 15' Kernaghan 45' Quinn 84' Kavelashvili Sat 27th Tianjin (China) A D 1-1 (1-0) 57' Creaney Tue 30th Dalian (China) A Cancelled due to flooding
August 1996
Fri 2nd Sechuan (China) A Cancelled due to flooding Sat 3rd Scarborough A D 2-2 (0-0) 71' Kinkladze (pen) 81' Quinn Thu 8th Exeter City A W 1-3 (0-1) 39' Quinn 65' Lomas 90' Kavelashvili Sat 10th Plymouth Argyle A L 1-0 (0-0)
[ 1.3 ] What are City's reserve team fixtures/results for 1996/97?
Pontin's League 2nd Division.
Note: some reserve team home games are played at Wincham Park, the ground of Witton Albion which is near Northwich in Cheshire. Directions: Leave M6 at juntion 19 and follow A556 for 3 miles towards Northwich. Turn right at the beginning of the dual carriageway onto the A559 and then right again after 3/4 mile at crossroads signposted Wincham, Gt. Budworth & Warrington. After a further 3/4 mile, turn left opposite the Black Greyhound Inn into Wincham Lane. The ground is then 1/2 mile on the left.
August 1996
Wed 28th Wrexham H D 1-1 (1-0) Creaney
September 1996
Wed 4th Burnley A L 3-2 (0-0) Greenacre, Kelly Wed 11th Rotherham United H W 1-0 (0-0) Kelly Wed 18th Shrewsbury Town A W 1-2 (1-1) Creaney, Greenacre Tue 24th Barnsley H W 2-1 (2-0) Jeff Whitley, Greenacre
October 1996
Tue 8th Grimsby Town H L 0-2 (0-1) Tue 22nd Hull City H D 1-1 (1-0) Phillips
November 1996
Tue 5th Bradford City A W 0-1 Kelly Wed 13th Carlisle United H W 3-1 Kelly 2, Greenacre Thu 28th York City H D 1-1 (0-1) Brown
December 1996
Wed 4th Stockport County A W 1-3 (1-0) Brown, Kelly, Kavelashvili Wed 11th Rotherham United A L 2-1 (1-0) Tarpey Mon 23rd Tranmere (PLC) H W 1-0 (1-0) Brown
January 1997
Thu 16th Stockport (PLC) H L 0-1 (0-0) Sun 19th Stoke City (PLC) A W 0-1 (0-0) Brown Tue 21st Shrewsbury Town H D 0-0 (0-0) Mon 27th Mansfield Town A W 0-2 (0-2) Crooks, Kavelashvili
February 1997
Wed 5th Hull City A W 0-3 (0-1) Greenacre, Foster, Kelly Wed 12th Wrexham (PLC) A L 2-1 (2-1) Dickov Tue 18th Bradford City H L 3-4 (1-1) Heaney 2, Beagrie
March 1997
Tue 4th Mansfield Town H W 3-1 (2-0) Kavelashvili 2, Phillips Wed 19th York City A W 0-1 (0-0) Atkinson Tue 25th Burnley H W 3-1 (3-0) Dickov, Beagrie, Scott o.g.
April 1997
Wed 2nd Wrexham A W 2-4 (2-2) Kernaghan, Creaney, Dickov, Beagrie Mon 7th Barnsley A W 1-2 (0-2) Creaney, Kavelashvili Thu 17th Grimsby Town A D 2-2 (1-1) Creaney, Greenacre Tue 29th Stockport County H D 1-1 (1-0) Dickov
May 1997
Thu 1st Carlisle United A W 0-1
[ 1.4 ] What are City's youth team fixtures/results for 1996/97?
Lancashire League 2nd Division.
Note: Home games are played at the Platt Lane training complex, kicking off at 11:00am.
August 1996
Sat 17th Blackburn Rovers 'B' A W 0-1 Sat 24th Burnley 'B' H D 1-1 Sat 31st Burnley 'B' A L 2-0
September 1996
Sat 7th Blackpool 'A' H W 2-1 Sat 14th Marine Youth H W 5-1 Sat 21st Wigan Athletic 'A' A W 0-2
October 1996
Sat 5th Chester City 'A' A D 2-2 Mon 7th Rochdale (LFAYC1) A W 0-2 Sat 12th Rochdale 'A' H W 1-0 Sat 19th Carlisle United 'A' A L 3-1 Sat 26th Manchester United 'B' A L 2-0
November 1996
Sat 2nd Bury 'B' H W 1-0 Tue 5th Blackpool (LFAYC2) A L 2-1 Sat 9th Tranmere Rovers 'B' A W 1-3 Sat 16th Crewe Alexandra 'A' H W 2-0 Sat 30th Everton 'B' A L 4-3
December 1996
Sat 7th Tranmere Rovers 'B' H W 3-1 Wed 11th Walsall (FAYC2) H D 2-2 Mon 16th Walsall (FAYC2) A W 2-4 Sat 21st Oldham Athletic 'B' A W 0-1
January 1997
Tue 7th Leeds United (FAYC3) H L 1-2 Sat 18th Everton 'B' H W 1-0 Sat 25th Crewe Alexandra 'A' A D 1-1
February 1997
Sat 1st Oldham Athletic 'B' H D 1-1 Sat 8th Marine Youth A W 4-1 Sat 22nd Blackpool 'A' A D 0-0 Tue 25th Carlisle United 'A' H W 3-1
March 1997
Sat 1st Blackburn Rovers 'B' H W 1-0 Tue 11th Manchester United 'B' H D 1-1 Sat 15th Bury 'B' A D 0-0 Sat 22nd Liverpool 'B' A L 2-1 Sat 29th Chester City 'A' H W 3-0
April 1997
Sat 5th Stockport County 'A' A L 1-0 Sat 12th Stockport County 'A' H L 0-1 Sat 19th Wigan Athletic 'A' H W 4-0 Tue 22nd Rochdale 'A' A W 3-4 Sat 26th Liverpool 'B' H W 2-1
[ 2. ] MANCHESTER CITY FIRST TEAM SQUAD
[ 2.1 ] Who is in the first team squad?
Note: City are not using the squad number system in 1996/97.
Goalkeepers
Eike Immel (Former German international goalkeeper) Andy Dibble (Experienced Welsh goalkeeper) Martyn Margetson (Former Welsh U21 international goalkeeper) Tommy Wright (Northern Ireland international goalkeeper)
Defenders
Richard Edghill (Former England U21 international defender) Kit Symons (Very reliable Welsh international central defender) Ian Brightwell (Utility player, son of Olympic medallists Robbie Brightwell and Ann Packer) Alan Kernaghan (Irish international stopper) Scott Hiley (Attack-minded full back, can play either side) John Foster (Defender, central or right-back) Rae Ingram (Young central defender, usually used as left back) Eddie McGoldrick (Utility man, also plays in midfield) Paul Beesley (Solid stopper)
Midfield/Wing Players
Nicky Summerbee (Right back/winger, son of Mike) Georgiou Kinkladze (Immensely talented Georgian international midfielder) Peter Beagrie (Winger with a nice line in celebrations) Michael Brown (Tenacious young midfielder) Nigel Clough (Intelligent former England international striker, son of Brian) Martin Phillips (Skilful young winger) Lee Crooks (Youth team midfielder on verge of first team) Jeff Whitley (Skilful young midfielder, born in Zambia) Neil Heaney (Quick winger) Kevin Horlock (Midfielder, can also play in defence) Ged Brannan (Industrious midfielder, can also play centre-back when needed)
Forwards
Mikhail Kavelashvili (Georgian international striker, quick and deadly) Gerry Creaney (Scotland 'B' international striker) Uwe Rösler (Popular German striker, 1994/95 Player of the Year) Paul Dickov (Short but tricky former Scotland U21 striker) Chris Greenacre (Promising young striker) Dalian Atkinson (Powerful and skilful striker on loan from Fenerbache)
A squad picture is also available on the City Supporters' WWW server.
[ 2.2 ] Who has played and scored goals for City in 1996/97?
League F.A.Cup League Cup Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Dalian Atkinson 7(1) 2 - - - - 7(1) 2
Peter Beagrie -(1) - -(1) - - - -(2) -
Paul Beesley 6 - - - - - 6 -
Ged Brannan 11 1 - - - - 11 1
Michael Brown 7(4) - 1 - 1(1) - 9(5) -
Ian Brightwell 36(1) 2 2 - - - 38(1) 2
Nigel Clough 18(5) 2 - - 2 - 20(5) 2
Gerry Creaney 1(4) 1 -(1) - - - 1(5) 1
Lee Crooks 8(7) - 2 - -(1) - 10(8) -
Andy Dibble 12(1) - - - 2 - 14(1) -
Paul Dickov 25(4) 5 -(1) - 2 - 27(5) 5
Richard Edghill - - - - - - - -
John Foster 3 - - - - - 3 -
Michael Frontzeck 8(3) - - - 1 - 9(3) -
Chris Greenacre -(4) - - - - - -(4) -
Neil Heaney 10(5) 1 2 1 - - 12(5) 2
Scott Hiley 2(1) - - - - - 2(1) -
Kevin Horlock 18 4 - - - - 18 4
Eike Immel 4 - - - - - 4 -
Rae Ingram 13(5) - 3 - 1 - 17(5) -
Mikhail Kavelashvili 6(18) 2 - - -(1) - 6(19) 2
Georgiou Kinkladze 39 12 3 - 1 - 43 12
Alan Kernaghan 9(1) - 2 - - - 11(1) -
Steve Lomas 35 3 3 - 2 - 40 3
Martyn Margetson 17 - 3 - - - 20 -
Eddie McGoldrick 33 - 3 - 1 - 37 -
Martin Phillips 1(3) - - - -(1) - 1(4) -
Simon Rodger 8 1 - - - - 8 1
Uwe Rösler 43(1) 15 3 1 2 1 48(1) 17
Nicky Summerbee 43(1) 4 3 2 2 - 48(1) 6
Kit Symons 44 - 3 - 2 - 49 -
Darren Wassall 14(1) - - - 2 - 16(1) -
Jeff Whitley 12(11) 1 - - 1 - 13(11) 1
Tommy Wright 13 - - - - - 13 -
Own Goals:
- David Tuttle, vs. Crystal Palace, 11th January 1997 at Maine Road.
- Phil Gilchrist, vs. Oxford United, 2nd February 1997 at the Manor Ground.
- Liam O'Brien, vs. Tranmere Rovers, 18th March 1997 at Prenton Park.
[ 2.3 ] Which players have City bought since the 1995/96 season?
- Paul Dickov, £1,000,000 from Arsenal.
- Eddie McGoldrick, £300,000 from Arsenal.
- Neil Heaney, £500,000 from Southampton.
- Kevin Horlock, £1,250,000 plus £250,000 after 50 appearances from Swindon Town.
- Paul Beesley, £500,000 from Leeds United.
- Tommy Wright, £450,000 from Nottingham Forest.
- Ged Brannan, £750,000 from Tranmere Rovers.
- Gerard Wiekens, £400,000 from Veendam (Holland).
- Nick Weaver, £200,000 from Mansfield Town.
[ 2.4 ] Which players have City sold since the 1995/96 season?
- David Nurse, free transfer to Millwall.
- David Kerr, £20,000 to Mansfield Town.
- Keith Curle, £650,000 to Wolverhampton Wanderers.
- Niall Quinn, £1,300,000 to Sunderland.
- Michael Frontzeck, £80,000 to Freiburg (Germany).
- Steve Lomas, £1,600,000 (rising to over £2,000,000 depending on appearances) to West Ham United.
[ 2.5 ] Who has been loaned to City since the 1995/96 season?
- Darren Wassall (central defender), from Derby County.
- Eddie McGoldrick (utility player), from Arsenal.
- Simon Rodger (midfield), from Crystal Palace.
- Tommy Wright (goalkeeper), from Nottingham Forest.
- Dalian Atkinson (forward), from Fenerbache.
[ 2.6 ] Who have City loaned out since the 1995/96 season?
- Gerry Creaney (forward), to Ipswich Town.
- Chris Beech (left back), to Chesterfield.
- Nigel Clough (midfield), to Nottingham Forest.
- Andy Dibble (goalkeeper), to Sheffield United and Glasgow Rangers.
- Michael Brown (midfield), to Hartlepool United.
- Sammy Harris (forward), to Altrincham.
- Nathan Freeman (goalkeeper), to Fulham.
[ 2.7 ] Who are City's key players?
- Kit Symons (Centre Half)
- Kit (Christopher) was already an established Welsh international when he joined City from first division Portsmouth just before the start of the 1995/96 season. He rapidly established a good partnership with Keith Curle and looks set to be at the heart of City's defence for many years to come. He's quick, strong, good in the air and very reliable. He also gets forward to good effect and not just at set pieces, as he's very comfortable on the ball and is capable of bringing it through midfield himself. Appointed club captain in the summer of 1996.
- Georgiou Kinkladze (Midfielder)
- Like Kit Symons, Georgiou also joined City just before the start of the 1995/96 season and made his début in the same game against Tottenham Hotspur. Also known as Kinky (though he prefers Gio or Georgi), he cost City £2,000,000 from his home town club, Dynamo Tbilisi in Georgia. He immediately became a big hit with the City fans, his close control, passing and dribbling ability leading to comparisons with the Club's all-time greats such as Peter Doherty. Currently only 23 years of age, Georgiou could well become one of the world's best players and should prove far too good for most 1st Division sides.
- Nigel Clough (Midfield/Forward)
- Son of the legendary Brian Clough, Nigel started his career at Nottingham Forest and quickly earned full England international recognition. A big-money move to Liverpool followed but injury forced him out of the side and his place was taken by Robbie Fowler. After three years spent mostly in the reserves, he joined City for £1,500,000 early in 1996 and has proved to be a very good buy. He is very sharp in the penalty area and has scored some important goals for City as well as helping the younger members of the side through games with his constant advice and encouragement. He is a thoughtful player capable of sublime passes but is always willing to get in the tackles too. An invaluable member of the squad.
[ 2.8 ] Who are City's players to watch in 1996/97?
- Mikhail Kavelashvili (25)
- Mikhail was signed in March 1996 for £1,400,000 from Russian champions Spartak Vladikavkaz (now known as Alania Vladikavkaz) after being recommended by his Georgian countryman, Georgiou Kinkladze. He is a quick, skilful, sharp and hard-working forward and he scored on his début against Manchester United at Maine Road a week after signing. The signing of Paul Dickov from Arsenal early in the 1996/97 season could threaten his place in the City side, though it is possible that he will drop back into midfield alongside Kinkladze, a pairing regularly used by the Georgian national side.
- Lee Crooks (18)
- Born and raised in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, Lee decided to sign for City despite the attentions of a number of other clubs. A ball-winning midfield player, he hopes to follow in the footsteps of Garry Flitcroft, a predecessor of his at both City and the F.A. School of Excellence at Lilleshall. Lee was on the substitutes' bench for City's trip to Middlesbrough in December 1995 and can reasonably expect to make his full début before the end of 1996, though a foot injury sustained just before the start of the season may delay his breakthrough.
[ 3. ] BASIC DETAILS
[ 3.1 ] What is the club's full name?
Manchester City Football Club plc
[ 3.2 ] What are the club's nicknames?
The Blues or (less commonly) The Citizens.
[ 3.3 ] When was the club formed?
The club started out as St. Marks of West Gorton in 1880 and changed name slightly the following year to West Gorton (St. Marks); in 1884 they became simply Gorton and then in 1887, Ardwick. A financial crisis in 1894 led to the creation of Manchester City and that name has remained ever since.
[ 3.4 ] Who is City's chairman?
Francis Lee.
[ 3.5 ] Who is City's managing director?
Colin Barlow.
[ 3.6 ] Who are City's other directors?
There was a restructuring of the board during the summer of 1996, with the original Football Club board being dissolved and the PLC board taking full control of the Club. Along with Francis Lee and Colin Barlow, David Holt, Andrew Thomas (the Greenalls representative), Ashley Lewis (proxy for Stephen Boler and the widow of Peter Swales), John Dunkerley and David Bernstein make up the new board of directors.
[ 3.7 ] Who is City's team manager?
Alan Ball resigned on Monday 26th August after three games of the 1996/97 season which had yielded one win and two defeats. Asa Hartford was caretaker manager for six weeks until the appointment of Steve Coppell on Monday 7th October. However, after only a month in charge, Coppell sensationally resigned on Friday November 8th as the pressure of the job was making him ill. Coppell's assistant manager Phil Neal has took over as caretaker boss but resigned on 29th December when it became clear that there was no place for him in new manager Frank Clark's backroom team. Asa Hartford is now the first team coach.
[ 3.8 ] Who is City's assistant team manager?
Asa Hartford started the season in this rôle but is now on the coaching staff. The position is currently held by Alan Hill, who was at Nottingham Forest for 25 years before joining the Blues.
[ 3.9 ] Who is City's chief scout?
Jimmy Frizzell.
[ 3.10] Who is City's first team coach?
Asa Hartford and Richard Money are the joint first team coaches.
[ 3.11] Who is City's reserve team coach?
Kevin Bond.
[ 3.12] Who is City's youth team coach?
Neil McNab.
[ 3.13] Who are the other major staff members?
- Sidney Rose (life president)
- Raymond Donn (vice president)
- Michael Horwich (honorary president)
- Bernard Halford (general secretary)
- Ian Niven (director of stadium administration)
- Geoff Durbin (commercial manager)
- Michael Peek (marketing and merchandise manager)
- Mike Summerbee (sales manager)
- Joanne Parker (publications manager)
- John Clay (public relations officer)
- Terry Farrell (youth development officer)
- Colin Bell (youth development officer)
- Roy Bailey (physiotherapist)
- Norman Luft (club doctor/honorary medical officer)
[ 3.14] Who are the club's major sponsors?
Brother, a Japanese electronics company making a wide variety of goods ranging from knitting machines to microwave ovens to personal computers.
[ 3.15] What does the club's crest look like?
A gold ship on a blue background above a red rose on a white background.
[ 3.16] What do City's kits look like?
- Home Kit
- Sky blue shirt with a white and dark blue striped collar and dark blue V-neck. Dark blue Umbro logo on left upper chest. Club crest on large sky blue badge with dark blue border on right upper chest. Brother logo in black lettering with white outline across chest. `CITY' text and club logo woven into fabric. White shorts with blue vertical hip stripes. Club badge on left front side; Umbro logo on right front side. White socks.
- Away Kit
- Maroon shirt; front is split into two sections diagonally with left upper being white and right lower maroon. The two sections overlap slightly to give the effect of a maroon and white stripe diagonally across the shirt. The left sleeve is maroon and the right sleeve is white. All logos and badges are centered horizontally; starting from the top there is the "UMBRO" manufacturer's name in navy blue, followed by the club crest on a large navy blue badge with a gold border, then a large Brother logo in gold lettering on a maroon background and finally, in small text, "MANCHESTER CITY F.C." in gold lettering. The shorts are maroon with two diagonal white stripes and a smaller version of the club crest badge on the right leg and the "UMBRO" text in gold lettering on the left leg. Socks are white with maroon hoops near the top.
- Third Kit
- White shirt with thin black vertical stripes. Navy blue shorts. White socks.
[ 3.17] What is the club's address?
Manchester City F.C., Maine Road, Moss Side, Manchester M14 7WN.
[ 3.18] What are the club's telephone numbers?
- General enquiries: 0161 224 5000
- Facsimile: 0161 248 8449
- Ticket Office, general enquiries: 0161 226 2224
- Ticket Office, Dial-A-Seat: 0161 227 9229
- Ticket Office, Fax-A-Seat: 0161 226 1037
- Ticket Office, Ticketcall: 0891 12 15 91
- City Supporters' Travel Club: 0161 226 5047
- Supporters' Club Travel Line: 0891 88 18 19
- Manchester City Social Club: 0161 226 3330
- Manchester City Social Club (facsimile): 0161 232 8204
- Football in the Community: 0161 226 1782
- Football in the Community (facsimilie): 0161 226 7754
- Platt Lane Complex: 0161 257 0009 or 0161 248 6610
- Platt Lane Complex (facsimilie): 0161 257 0030
- Development Office: 0161 226 3143
- Cashmaker Office: 0161 226 3237
- Commercial Department: 0161 248 9999
- Commercial Department (facsimilie): 0161 248 4144
- Manchester City Prize Line: 0891 12 10 20
- City Clubcall: 0891 12 11 91
- City TEAMtalk: 0891 31 39 70 (unofficial information line)
- Souvenir Shop: 0161 232 1111
- Arndale Centre Souvenir Shop (120 Marsden Way): 0161 834 4609
- Merchandise Mail Order: 0161 226 6000
- Witton Albion F.C. (venue for reserve team home games): 01606 43008
[ 3.19] What is the capacity of Maine Road?
Maine Road's capacity is currently 32,147, split as follows:
Main Stand 8,782 North Stand 7,525 Kippax Stand 10,837 Umbro Stand 5,003
Although plans have been drawn up to extend the ground's capacity to around 45,000, this is seen as a very long term objective and most fans are firmly in the "I'll believe it when I see it" camp on this matter. There were also plans to erect a temporary stand in the gap between the North Stand and the Kippax Stand ("Windy Corner") so as to extend the space avallable for visiting fans to over 3,000 places but this was shelved following City's relegation in May 1996. There are no plans to do any further work on the ground until the Club has regained its place in the Premiership.
[ 3.20] Will I need a membership card to buy a ticket?
A membership card may be required to buy tickets, which are available up to kick off. Membership costs five pounds and cannot be obtained on the day of a game. Membership cards for the 1994/95 and 1995/96 seasons are still valid for the 1996/97 season, provided they are the type with a photograph on. Contact the ticket office to find out whether any particular game is restricted to members only. Games are only usually made members-only if the visiting club sells their entire allocation of tickets.
[ 3.21] How much do tickets cost?
League games are categorised as either "A" or "B" category, with the following prices:
Category "A" Category "B" Main Stand blocks B & C £16.00 £17.00 Main Stand block G (OAPs only) £5.00 £5.00 Main Stand other blocks £15.00 £16.00 Kippax Upper £14.00 £15.00 Kippax Lower £11.00 £12.00 Umbro Stand £11.00 £12.00 Family Stand (adult) £8.00 £9.00 Family Stand (juniors/OAPs) £6.00 £6.00 North Stand (adult) £10.00 £11.00 North Stand blocks K & L (juniors/OAPs) £5.00 £5.00 North Stand other blocks (juniors/OAPs) £7.00 £7.00
[ 4. ] FANZINE INFORMATION
[ 4.1 ] What City fanzines are currently available?
- King of the Kippax
- Edited by Dave & Sue Wallace of 25 Holdenbrook Court, Leigh, Greater Manchester, WN7 2HL (Tel: 01942-515739). KK is around 40 typewritten A4 pages with no advertisements and is City's best-selling fanzine. Regular features include a very substantial part of the 'zine given over to readers' letters, brief match reports of the games played since the previous edition, a look forward to forthcoming games, short stories with characters based on well-known local football figures, comment & opinion by a number of regular contributors and interviews with celebrity City fans. Sue's illustrations of away grounds are widely copied by other clubs' fanzines. Subscriptions cost £7.00 for 5 issues in the UK, £9.00 elsewhere. Please state which issue you wish the subscription to start with. Cheques payable to 'King of the Kippax'. All back issues are available, though many are reprints.
- Bert Trautmann's Helmet
- Formerly know as Electric Blue, this 'zine has been renamed to Bert Trautmann's Helmet following the threat of legal action from the proprietors of another publication with the same name. Edited by Noel Bayley of 217 Dumers Lane, Radcliffe, Manchester M26 2GE. The 'zine is usually 28 or 32 typeset A4 pages with no advertisements, using a small but clear font in navy blue ink. Regular features include a long-ish editorial, some amusing press cuttings relating to City or United ('Rubber News'), comment & opinion by a number of regular contributors, a feature on the fortunes of one City fan's Fantasy Football team, Pastiche Notes (a mickey-take of the Guardian's Pass Notes) and a letters page; Noel usually prints all the letters he receives. Subscriptions are available at £1.40 per issue up to the end of the current season. Small stamps, giant cheques, IMOs and Postal Orders accepted, made payable to 'N.E. Bayley'. A few back issues are available, at discounted prices.
- This Charming Fan
- Edited by Phillip A Gatenby, PO Box 4, Manchester M40 9AP. TCF is around 20 A5, word-processed pages which appears occasionally, although it appeared as a section of Blue Print during the 1993/94 season. The 'zine consists mainly of editorial comment and a few jokes at United's expense. The few back issues are sold out but the editor will photocopy them if you really want them for £1.00 per issue. Phillip Gatenby has also produced 'Standing Ovation - A Tribute to the Kippax', a 32-page A5 pamphlet containing reminiscences of various people of their experiences of the Kippax, plus some photographs and news clippings. This costs £1.40 including P&P.
- The Fightback
- This 'zine has recently been re-launched by Dante Friend. Subscriptions are £6.00 for 5 issues (Britain), £9.00 for 5 issues (rest of Europe) including P&P, from Friends, 2 Old Hall Road, Gatley, Stockport, Cheshire SK8 4BE, England. Cheques payable to "D. Friend" and state which issue you want your subscription to start from. Issue 1 consists of 32 A5 typewritten pages with various photographs, cartoons and newspaper clippings but it is likely that the format will change as the 'zine becomes more established. The content is the usual fanzine mix of reports, opinions, humorous items etc. but is probably aimed at a younger audience than the other City 'zines.
[ 4.2 ] Which City fanzines are no longer available?
The other City fanzines that have been and gone (some only lasted one edition) were:
- Blue Print
- Singing The Blues
- Main Stand View
- Cityzen (Official Supporters' Club magazine)
- Blue Murder
- Rodney, Rodney! (not really a City 'zine actually)
- Wigout!
- One for the Road
[ 5. ] INTERNET INFORMATION
[ 5.1 ] What is the Manchester City Mailing List and how do I join it?
The Manchester City mailing-list/newsletter, Man City Info Via The Alps is run by Ashley Birch, formerly a resident in Switzerland but now living in Chapel en le Frith, Cheshire. To split the workload, however, Steve Bolton (sbolton@buxtonrd.u-net.com) handles all subscriptions. To join, send him an e-mail stating your full name and geographic location (e.g. Fred Bloggs, Manchester, England).
[ 5.2 ] Where are City on the World Wide Web?
City's official web site, CityNet is now online at <URL:http://www.mcfc.co.uk/> It is a commercial site featuring merchandising as well as press releases, player info etc.
The Manchester City Supporters' Home Page <URL:http://www.uit.no/mancity/> is run by Svenn Hanssen in Norway. This includes news, match reports, opinions, book and video reviews, player details and much more.
The Blue View Discussion Page <URL:http://homepages.enterprise.net/dbennett/blueview.html> has been set up by Doug Bennett (a.k.a. Wonderball) to provide City fans with a forum for the rapid interchange of news and views.
For information on the Official Manchester City Supporters' Club and its various branches throughout the world, check out Bob Young's site at <URL:http://user.itl.net/~dylan/mcfcsc2/>. There is also a site for the Centenary Supporters' Association at <URL:http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~sef/>, run by Shaun Sefton.
With the Football League now being sponsored by the Nationwide Building Society, there is now a Nationwide Football Site <URL:http://www.football.nationwide.co.uk/> which has sections on all Nationwide League clubs including City.
The Manchester City pages on Soccernet <URL:http://www.soccernet.com/> provide news, match reports, previews and other miscellaneous information, though they are not updated as often as they were when City were in the Premiership.
A similar service is provided by BSkyB, who have a section on Manchester City at <URL:http://www.sky.co.uk/sports/football/division1/mancity/>.
MS Windows users may like to check out the Pride of Manchester site <URL:http://www.users.dircon.co.uk/~dg-yates/html/the_pride_of_manchester.html> created by David Yates, which features the Manchester City Icon Collection.
There is also a page on City within Virtual Manchester, <URL:http://www.manchester.com/sport/mancity.htm>.
Finally there's a page of City-related links maintained by Col Surrey (a.k.a. Wookie) at <URL:http://www.wookie.u-net.com/city.htm>.
[ 5.3 ] Any other addresses I should know about?
You can write to CITY Magazine via email at citylife@mcr1.poptel.org.uk.
[ 6. ] CLUB HONOURS
A more complete list of club records can be found on the City Supporters' WWW honours page <URL:http://www.uit.no/mancity/honours.html>.
[ 6.1 ] When have City won the English League Championship?
League Champions: 1937, 1968
[ 6.2 ] When have City won the English Second Division Championship?
Second Division Champions: 1899, 1903, 1910, 1928, 1947, 1966
[ 6.3 ] When have City won the F.A. Cup?
FA Cup Winners: 1904, 1934, 1956, 1969
[ 6.4 ] When have City won the F.A. Charity Shield?
FA Charity Shield Winners: 1937, 1968, 1972
[ 6.5 ] When have City won the Football League Cup?
League Cup Winners: 1970, 1976
[ 6.6 ] What European Trophy have City won?
European Cup Winners' Cup Winners: 1970
[ 6.7 ] When have City won the F.A. Youth Cup?
FA Youth Cup Winners: 1986
[ 6.8 ] What is City's biggest League win?
Biggest League Win: 11-3, vs. Lincoln City (H), Div.2, 23rd March 1895
Biggest League Margin of Victory: 10-1, vs. Huddersfield Town (H), Div.2, 7th November 1987
[ 6.9 ] What is City's heaviest defeat?
Heaviest Defeat: 9-1, vs. Everton (A), Div.1, 3rd September 1906
[ 6.10] Who is City's record goal-scorer?
Record Goal-scorer: 178 by Eric Brook (1928-39)
[ 6.11] Who is City's record signing?
Record Signings:
- Keith Curle, £2,500,000 from Wimbledon in August 1991.
- Terry Phelan, £2,500,000 from Wimbledon in August 1992.
[ 6.12] Who is City's record sale?
Record Sale: Garry Flitcroft, £3,200,000 to Blackburn Rovers in March 1996.
[ 7. ] RECENT HISTORY
[ 7.1 ] What has happened to the club in the last decade or so?
Throughout its history, City has been a club which has regularly switched between the top two divisions (though never falling into the old 3rd Division; indeed never spending more than 3 seasons at a time outside the top division) and the last decade has been no different in this respect. City currently share the record for number of (old) 2nd Division Championship wins (six) with Leicester City and will be hoping to take the record outright this season. Another recurring theme has been the high turnover of managers; former chairman Peter Swales was once described on the cover of When Saturday Comes as a serial employer, though Francis Lee has kept the rate steady since his takeover 3 years ago. In the last ten years, City has been managed by seven different managers (Billy McNeill, Jimmy Frizzell, Mel Machin, Howard Kendall, Peter Reid, Brian Horton and Alan Ball) and that's not even counting caretaker managers or Alan Ball's successor. With what seems to be a revolving door on the manager's office, there has been no stability or cohesion at the club and it's little wonder that success has totally eluded us. The last major trophy in the Maine Road cabinet was the League Cup, now twenty years ago. The club has become famous for underachieving, and living in the shadow of our Red neighbours has been difficult in recent years. Yet still City has one of the biggest followings in the country.
At the end of the 1986/87 season, a City side packed with young players (five regular first teamers were in the F.A. Youth Cup winning side the previous season) was relegated. Manager Billy McNeill jumped ship part-way through the season, joining Aston Villa who were also relegated. Assistant Manager Jimmy Frizzell took over but was moved aside to the position of "General Manager" at the end of the season. The new man was Mel Machin, a highly-regarded young coach from Norwich City. Continuing with the young players he inherited, Machin fashioned an attractive, high-scoring side. In November 1987 City scored 26 goals in 7 matches, including a 10-1 thrashing of Huddersfield Town, which remains City's record league margin of victory to this day. However, he couldn't find consistency and the Blues ended the season in a disappointing 9th place.
City started the 1988/89 season poorly with two defeats and then two draws but eventually got going, and, backed by a large army of inflatable-banana-wielding fans, clocked up a club record 11 away wins before ending the season in second place, clinching the automatic promotion spot behind champions Chelsea. As usual, City made the fans sweat; leading 3-0 against Bournemouth at half time in the penultimate game of the season, City contrived to draw the game 3-3, with the equaliser coming in the 7th minute of injury time from the penalty spot. This left City needing a point at Bradford City in the final game to clinch promotion. City went behind in the 24th minute and despite dominating the game, took until the 86th minute before Trevor Morley struck the goal which put City up.
The first season back saw City struggle to match the First Division clubs and somehow City managed to scrape into 17th place (only one place behind United). There was a managerial casualty in November: Mel Machin was shown the door by Peter Swales because he couldn't communicate with the fans. The softly-spoken Machin was clearly struggling at this level but he had shown that he could handle the big occasion when, two months before his sacking, his City side thumped United 5-1 at Maine Road. Unfortunately this was the last time to date that City have won a derby game. The man to replace Machin was Howard Kendall, a highly-respected manager with a good track record from his time at Everton. Kendall made some unpopular decisions such as selling fans' favourite Ian Bishop and bringing in several ex-Everton players but he succeeded in making City difficult to beat, avoided relegation and built the foundations of a solid team.
The following season saw him build on the team and City reached a creditable 5th place, one place above rivals United; the first time the Blues had finished higher than the Reds for 14 years. However, Kendall was not there to witness the celebrations; in November 1990 he left Maine Road to rejoin his "beloved" Everton, a decision he would later admit was a big mistake. On a crest of popular support, Peter Reid was installed as player-manager. He continued the work started by Kendall and finished 5th again in his first full season in charge. However, things were not all rosy at Maine Road. The supply of young talent from the youth team slowed to a trickle, £5 million was spent on two defenders from Wimbledon without making much improvement to City's goals against column, there were clear personality clashes with senior players like Clive Allen and Colin Hendry who were both sold at knock-down fees and the team began to rely extensively on long-ball tactics utilising the height of Niall Quinn and the speed of David White. Much of the blame for this was aimed at Assistant Manager Sam Ellis, but as Reid said at the time, he was the boss and the buck stopped with him.
An alarming slip in form during the second half of the 1992/93 season saw City finish down in 9th place, finishing with an embarrassing 5-2 home defeat at the hands of Everton. Two months earlier, 200 City fans invaded the pitch just before the end of the F.A. Cup quarter-final against Spurs in front of a "live" national television audience. The axe fell on Reid after only 4 games and one point at the start of the 1993/94 season, though even then Peter Swales appointed someone else, John Maddock, to do his dirty work for him.
Reid was replaced by the then Oxford manager Brian Horton, which was not exactly the big name manager the fans were hoping for. However, he did his job admirably under immense pressure during the boardroom battle for control of the club and the fans' initial hostility. He managed to keep City up once again but it was a close run thing. Right up until the final week City could have been sunk but the fighting spirit shone through and City managed to survive. Peter Swales' near 20-year reign at Manchester City eventually ended after an ignominious F.A. Cup exit at Cardiff City. The new man was Francis Lee, a former City hero who arrived on a tide of popular support. As successful in business as he had been in football, Lee was seen as the man to lead the club back to the glory days.
After surviving the season and the take-over, Horton must have thought he'd weathered the storm when City managed to reach 6th place in early December 1994. However, City's form took a nose-dive and with only one win in the next 15 league games, City were dragged back into another relegation dogfight. Each game was labelled `make or break' for Horton, whose job was the focus of intense media speculation. For the second season running, good results at Easter meant that City avoided relegation in the last week of the season. It was too much for the board though, who decided to part company with Horton the week after the end of the season.
After several weeks and a few hotly-denied rumours, Alan Ball was installed as the new man in the hot seat. This was both a shock and a disappointment to the fans given Ball's appalling track record in management. However, most were willing to back Francis Lee's judgement, at least for a while. Lee's judgement was looking very shaky by the end of October. City had made their worst ever start to the season and had accumulated only two points. A run of 8 consecutive defeats (another club record) had hit morale badly and City looked certain to be relegated. City then proceeded to win 13 points from the next 15, a run which earned Ball the Manager of the Month award. City were playing well and the fans had a new hero in Georgi Kinkladze, a young Georgian midfield player signed for £2,000,000 from Dinamo Tbilisi the day after Ball's appointment. Sadly, City's form dipped again and the Blues were dragged back into the relegation dogfight. This time there would be no escape; a win against Liverpool on the last day of the season would have saved City but the final result was a 2-2 draw. Alan Ball's relegation jinx had struck again.
[ 7.2 ] What happened last season?
City started the season with very little preparation, having sacked manager Brian Horton early in the close season and then taking several weeks to appoint a replacement, It was clear that the man eventually appointed, Alan Ball, wasn't even one of the board's top three choices. The day after Ball's appointment, City signed an unknown Georgian midfielder, Georgiou Kinkladze for £2,000,000 from Dinamo Tbilisi. Two other players were signed a few days before the start of the season, defender Kit Symons from Portsmouth and goalkeeper Eike Immel from Stuttgart. All three new players made their débuts in the first game of the season against Spurs at Maine Road. The game ended 1-1, though there was plenty to be optimistic about given the number of new faces in the side.
Things then took a turn for the worse, to put it mildly. City lost the next eight League games (a club record run), scoring only two goals in the process. Some were unlucky (Arsenal's last-minute winner came after a very debatable free-kick award and Nick Barmby's winning goal for Middlesbrough looked decidedly offside) but in other games City had to thank Immel for keeping the score down. City's confidence was visibly dropping game by game and the club became the butt of many jokes (what's the difference between Man City and a cocktail stick? A cocktail stick has two points.). City did manage a win in the Coca-Cola Cup during this period, a 4-0 win over Wycombe Wanderers, but only just over 11,000 were at Maine Road to see it. The run eventually came to an end with a goalless draw at home to Leeds United, though this was followed by two trips to Anfield in the space of 4 days: the Blues lost 4-0 in the Coca-Cola Cup and then 6-0 in the League.
City were well adrift at the bottom of the league by now, so the next game, at home to fellow strugglers Bolton Wanderers, would be crucial. On November 4th, City finally registered their first League win of the season, Nicky Summerbee scoring the only goal of the game after good work by Niall Quinn and Georgiou Kinkladze. The little Georgian was fast becoming a hero to the City supporters with his wonderful dribbling skills, though it had taken a while for the rest of the team to get on the same wavelength as him. The following week City registered their first away point of the season with a 1-1 draw at Sheffield Wednesday. Four days later a last-minute goal by Niall Quinn was enough to beat Wimbledon and then high-flying Aston Villa were beaten by the same scoreline. This sudden change of form was enough to win Alan Ball the Manager of the Month award for November and lift City out of the bottom three for the first time since August.
Things continued to go well at the start of December as City won 1-0 at Elland Road with arguably the side's best performance of the season. A wonder goal by Georgi Kinkladze put City one up at Middlesbrough but then City slipped into some of the old ways and eventually lost 4-1. Kinkladze's performance won him the best visiting player of the season award from readers of the Middlesbrough programme though. City's purple patch had come to an end though; a draw at home to Nottingham Forest was followed by defeats against Chelsea and Blackburn Rovers.
The first game of the new year brought a 2-1 win against West Ham United but then the Blues lost at Spurs and dropped vital points against fellow strugglers Coventry City and Southampton, both games ending 1-1. In the F.A. Cup, City needed a replay to dispose of first division Leicester City, but this was done emphatically, the Blues winning 5-0 at Maine Road. Kinkladze scored one and set up the other four in a quite outstanding personal performance. This gave City a tie against Coventry City in the 4th Round but the game was postponed due to a frozen pitch and by the time the rearranged fixture was played, the draw for the 5th Round had given the winners a trip to Old Trafford. Once again a replay was needed, City winning 2-1 at Maine Road to set up a big F.A. Cup derby match.
The game at Old Trafford was televised live on BBC TV and City got off to a great start when Uwe Rösler chipped City into an early lead. However, on 39 minutes a highly controversial penalty (described by Alan Hansen on TV as a disgrace) allowed the Reds back into the game which they went on to win 2-1. In fact they went on to win the League and Cup double :-(
With the distraction of the F.A. Cup out of the way, City were free to concentrate on Premiership survival. The next game was at home to league leaders Newcastle; three times City took the lead; three times Newcastle came back. It was probably the best game of the season at Maine Road but may be remembered more for a couple of incidents involving City's Keith Curle and Newcastle's Faustino Asprilla which made the headlines that evening. This was followed by a disappointing 1-1 draw with Blackburn and another defeat at Arsenal. City badly needed wins now but could manage only draws at Chelsea and Bolton and a 4-2 defeat at West Ham. A win against Southampton was essential; two goals from Georgi Kinkladze ensured that City won, the second being runner-up in BBC TV's Goal of the Season competition.
In the previous few seasons, good results at Easter had pulled City out of the mire. A target of four points from the two games this season seemed necessary but City boths games, losing 3-2 at home to Manchester United in quite a close game but then falling 3-0 at Wimbledon with an abysmal performance.
City were now in very serious trouble but managed victories at home to Sheffield Wednesday and away at Aston Villa (City's only league "double" of the season) to set up a grand finale in the last game of the season against Liverpool at Maine Road. City needed to get a better result than either Coventry (playing Leeds) or Southampton (playing Wimbledon). Despite Liverpool not looking to have their hearts in it, the men from Merseyside went in 2-0 up at half time. City rallied round to equalise with 10 minutes to go, but then started to waste time - a rumour that Coventry or Southampton were losing had reached the players. The rumour was not true, City couldn't find a winner and were relegated. Alan Ball had struck again. With local rivals United winning the double, it could hardly have been a worse season.
[ 7.3 ] What are City fans' expectations for the 1995/96 season?
Nothing less than promotion really. Preferably the Championship. Despite losing the likes of Niall Quinn, Garry Flitcroft and Keith Curle in recent months, City should still have enough talent available to reclaim a Premiership place at the end of the season; this is essential for the club's long-term future given the growing financial gap between the Premier League and the Football League. This may seem to be arrogance the likes of which is not usually seen in the blue half of the city but is representative of the feelings of most City fans. However, this will all depend on who succeeds Alan Ball as manager. If the team continues to decline (or even fails to improve) as it has done over the last year, a long and unhappy stay in the Nationwide League awaits us.
This FAQ was compiled by Paul Howarth (paul@city-fan.org), with contributions from Anthony Johnson, Martin Ford (mford@fs1.li.umist.ac.uk), Svenn Hanssen (svenn@hanssen.priv.no) and Ashley Birch (mcivta@tollbar.u-net.com).
The information was obtained from various match magazines, the Complete Record book and some long memories.
Paul Howarth, paul@city-fan.org