Manchester City FC Overview

Manchester City FC, originally named originally named St Mark's (West Gorton) FC, was founded in 1880 by Anna Connell, William Beastow, and Thomas Goodbehere. The team became professional in 1887, changed it name to Ardwick A.F.C, and eventually they became Manchester City FC to represent where they were from. They played in Maine Road for 80 years, before the construction of the City of Manchester Stadium in 2002. The worst years for the team were during the eighties and nineties, and their most successful years were during the fifties, sixties and the early seventies (a period that saw the team win their only UEFA title in 1970). This decade has seen the team rise back to respectability. The purchase of the club by a Dubai sport investment group headed by billionaire Dr. Suleiman al-Fahim makes the club the wealthiest in the world and their stated aim is to make City one of Europe's elite once again.

Club History

Manchester City FC was founded by Anna Connell, and Wardens William Beastow and Thomas Goodbehere, of St. Mark’s Church in 1880, in the district of Gorton, East Manchester. They sought to provide activities for men, in order to reduce the amount of alcoholism and violence in the area. When the club was originally founded it was named St Mark's (West Gorton) FC. Their first match was in November 13 1880 against another Baptist church’s football team from Macclesfield. In 1887 the club turned into a professional football team, moved to the stadium Hyde Road, and was renamed Ardwick A.F.C, in order to reflect their new location in the eastern part of the city.

The team earned its first professional award in 1891 as they defeated Newton Heath 1-0 in order to win the Manchester Cup. This victory led Ardwick into joining the Football Alliance league during the 1891/92 season. That same year the Football League and Football Alliance merged in order to form the Division Two league. A year later Ardwick A.F.C was renamed Manchester City, with Manchester City Football Club Limited formally becoming a registered company on April 16, 1894.

In 1899 Manchester City joined the First Division after winning the Second Division league and had a successful start. The club won its first FA Cup in 1904 after defeating the Bolton Wanderers 1-0 at Crystal Palace. The Blues almost had a double season as they finished runners-up in the First Division League competition.

Following their victorious season, the team went though controversy, as game against Aston Villa resulted in a widespread investigation into the club’s finances. The organization almost got destroyed as the chairman, manager, two directors, and 17 players were suspended and fined. A lot of the players that were suspended started playing for local rivals Manchester United. However, this did not stop the team from winning another championship in 1910.

Ten years after the investigation, in 1920 King George V visited Hype Park, and months after his visit the stadium got burned down. The team opened up a new stadium named Main Road, located in Moss Side, Manchester.

From the 1930’s till 50’s Manchester City became very successful, despite being relegated in 1938. They went to the FA Cup finals four times, and won two of them. Frank Swift, Peter Doherty, and Bert Trautmann became the superstar athletes of that era, as they helped the team to come back from relegation. The team often used a tactic know as the Revie Plan, named after Don Revie, which helped them defeat hard opponents.

During the sixties Manchester City continued its streak of success, despite being relegated in 1963 after a poor winter and many losses. In order to get back up the First Division the club appointed the management team of Joe Mercer and Malcolm Allison. In only their first season, Manchester City FC became Division Two Champions ,signed Mike Summerbee and Colin Bell, and got promoted to First Division. In 1968 the team won the First Division, and in 1969 won the FA Cup.

This steak of success continued from the early 1970’ till 1983. They won the League Cup in 1970 and 76 with Peter Barnes and Dennis Tueart becoming the superstars of that era. The Blues went to the one hundredth FA Cup final in 1981. However, despite their success, the team went through several staff changes, as Peter Swales gained control of the company, and Johnny Hart and Ron Saunders took management positions. However, in 1979 Malcolm Allison rejoined the organization for the second time.

A period of failure from the mid 80’s till early 90’s followed the success of the 70’s and early 80's. Their hardships started in 1983 when the team got relegated. Under the management of Billy McNeil, the team was promoted in 1985, but was relegated again in 1987 after a 10-1 defeat by Huddersfield Town. McNeill left the organization, and was, succeeded by Jimmy Frizzell, who eventually was replaced by Mel Machin. Machin guided the organization back into the First Division, after they finished runners up in the Second Division in 1989. After only a year with the organization Machin was fired because the team was again on the brink of relegation. Everton FC manager Howard Kendall took over the position, but was shortly replaced by Peter Reid. Under Reid the team finished fifth place in the league and did not qualify for the UEFA Cup, leading to his firing.

Between 1993 and 1998 Manchester City FC went through another period of decline, and changed staff several times. The chairman Peter Swailes handed control of the company over to former player Francis Lee. Brian Horton was appointed to the manager position and under him the team got 17th place, two spots clear of the drop. Andrew Ball took over Horton’s position and was not successful in rebuilding the team despite acquiring new and promising players. Steve Coppell replaced Ball, and after a short time Nottingham Forest manager Frank Clark took over the position. Under Clark the team ended in 14th place, and Everton FC manager Joe Royle soon took over his the position. Despite a 5-2 win over Stoke FC, the team still was relegated to the Second Division at the end of the season.

In 1998 David Bernstein became the new chairman of the organization and shaped the club back into winning form. He helped the team get back to the Premiership as Manchester City FC won the Division Two playoffs in 98, and finished runners up in Division One in 1999/00. However, after a struggling season, the team got relegated once again in the 2000/01 season, and Kevin Keegan replaced Royle for the managing position. He brought in Eyal Berkovic, Ali Benarbia and Stuart Pearce to play for the team. Under Keegan the club won the Division One in 2001/02, and qualified for the UEFA Cup in their first year back in the Premiership League. They relocated from historic Maine Road to the new City of Manchester Stadium in 2002. Unfortunately, Keegan quit in 2005, but was replaced by Stuart Pearce. After two unsuccessful seasons, former Thailand Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra bought the club in 2008 and brought in former England boss Sven-Goran Eriksson. Shinawatra's stated goal was to bring the club to the Champions League within three years. The season saw the club atop the table in November but injuries and a loss of form led to a mid-table finish. However, the club did qualify for the opening rounds of the UEFA Cup through the Fair Play award. In a move that disappointed many fans, the impatient Shinawatra replaced Eriksson with former United star and Blackburn manager Mark Hughes.

The club shocked the world when Shinawatra, facing frozen financial assets and a corruption trial in Thailand, sold the club to the billionaire Abu Dhabi United Group. This move makes Manchester City the richest club in the world. The new owners immediately showed their commitment to improving the club by bringing in star Brazilian forward Robinho for a record £32.5 million transfer fee, surprising presumed signing favorite Chelsea FC. Other new additions include fellow Brazilian Jo, Vincent Kompany and the returning Shaun Wright-Phillips. The club is expected to be extremely active in the upcoming transfer season.

Club Rivalries

Manchester United

The rivalry between Manchester United and Manchester City is called the Manchester Derby. It traces back all the way to November 12th 1881, when Manchester City was name St Marks hosted Newton Heath (the future Manchester United). The reason for this rivalry is the close proximity in which the two teams are located in the city of Manchester. Whenever the two teams play it often results in a heated battle. One of the most remembered moments in the rivalry’s history is when former Manchester United player Denis Law kicked the ball into his own goal and sent the team into relegation. The 2007/08 season saw Manchester City take both ends of the Manchester derby for the first time in 35 year.

Stars of the Current Squad

Stephen Ireland - Ireland is the starting attacking midfielder for Manchester City, and also plays for Ireland’s national team. He has played with the team since 2005. His biggest accomplishment so far is scoring twice during the FA Cup run against Preston and Sheffield Wednesday.

Darius Vassell - Vassell transferred to Manchester City on July 2005. He has a made a huge impact on the team immediately scoring eight goals in 35 appearances and helping them reach the FA Cup quarterfinals. He also plays for the English national team.

Richard Dunne - Dunne is the captain of Manchester City. He was named captain in the 2006/07 year, when he also earned the OSC Player of the Year award. He also plays for Ireland’s national team.

Robinho - Robinho joined the club in a surprise move on 1 September 2008. Expected to go to Chelsea FC, Man City put in a record transfer fee to get the Brazilian star forward.

Club Legends

William Henry "Billy" Meredith

• Position: Forward
• Goals: 151 Appearances: 394
• He has a fan favourite and won the FA Cup with the team in 1909. He allegedly paid Manchester City's Alec Leake £10 to lose a match and in 1904 and was hit with an 18 month ban from playing for City.

Neil Young

• Position: striker
• Goals: 107 Appearances: 412
• He played with The Blues from 1961-72. He scored the only goal of the 1969 FA Cup.

John Paul Hart

• Position: Forward
• Goals: 78 Appearances: 178
• He is the only player to both manage and play for the team. He was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by the club.

Most Appearances

Most Goals

Player Recognition & Awards

Team Honours

First Division (old format)

• Champions 1937, 1968
• Runners-up 1904, 1921, 1977

Second Division (old format), First Division/Championship (new format)

• Champions 1899, 1903, 1910, 1928, 1947, 1966, 2002 (7 times, record holders)
• Runners-up 1896, 1951, 1989, 2000

Second Division (new format)

• Play-off winners 1999

FA Cup

• Winners 1904, 1934, 1956, 1969
• Finalists 1926, 1933, 1955, 1981

League Cup

• Winners 1970, 1976
• Runners-up 1974

European Cup Winners' Cup

• Winners 1970

Charity Shield

• Winners 1937, 1968, 1972
• Runners-up 1934, 1956, 1969, 1973

Full Members Cup

• Runners-up 1986

Club Management

Owners - The Abu Dhabi United Group, controlled by Dr. Suleiman al-Fahim, bought the club on 1 September 2008. This move makes Manchester City the richest football club in the world. Previous owner and former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra remains an honorary president.

Manager - Mark Hughes was named manager of Manchester City in the summer of 2008. He replaced Sven-Göran Eriksson. Hughes was a star player for City rival Manchester United and for the Welsh national side. He came to MCFC after serving as Blackburn boss.

Uniforms

home colors

away colors

Stadium

The City of Manchester Stadium opened on 25 July 2002 for the Commonwealth Games. It is located in Eastlands, Manchester, Lancashire. Manchester City FC started play there in 2003 after moving from Maine Road, where they had played since 1923. The stadium was built and designed by Arup, the same company that built the Millennium Bridge in London. It has a capacity of 47,726 spectators. Recently, it has been given the nickname of "Middle Eastlands" due to the purchase of the club by a Dubai investment group.

Sponsors

• Thomas Cook
• Singha Beer
• Digi Bet
• John Smith’s Beer
• Key103
• Williow Water

Important Links

• http://www.mcfc.co.uk/ (official team site)
• http://www.premierleague.com/ (official league website)

References

• http://www.mcfc.co.uk/
• http://www.mcfcosc.com/
• http://www.mcfc.co.uk/default.sps?pagegid={CFE9542C-55A3-4F75-A396-D3C46CC44FC3}
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manchester_City_F.C._statistics
• http://happyaxeman.co.uk/mcfc/?page=5.3
• http://www.mcfcstats.com/
• http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/town/park/yfh45/mancity.htm#Fans%20Reviews