| Revision as of 09:08, 3 June 2006 view sourceOldelpaso (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users17,226 edits →History: copyedit, move material to history article, rm POV← Previous edit | Revision as of 14:47, 3 June 2006 view source 195.93.21.97 (talk)No edit summaryNext edit → | ||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
| city are crapper than johnny copes mum | |||
| {{Football club infobox | | |||
| clubname = Manchester City | | |||
| image = ] | | |||
| fullname = Manchester City Football Club | | |||
| nickname = The Citizens or The Blues| | |||
| founded = 1880, as<br />''West Gorton (St. Marks)'' | | |||
| ground = ],<br />] | | |||
| capacity = 48,000 | | |||
| chairman = {{flagicon|England}} ] | | |||
| manager = {{flagicon|England}} ] | | |||
| league = ] | | | |||
| position = Premier League, 15th | | |||
| season = ] | | |||
| shirtsupplier= | | |||
| shirtsponsors= | | |||
| pattern_la1=_blacktriangle|pattern_b1=_whiteshoulders|pattern_ra1=_blacktriangle| | |||
| leftarm1=ffffFF|body1=AAD0FF|rightarm1=ffffFF|shorts1=AAD0FF|socks1=AAD0FF| | |||
| pattern_la2=|pattern_b2=_thinwhitesides|pattern_ra2=| | |||
| leftarm2=000033|body2=000033|rightarm2=000033|shorts2=000033|socks2=000033| | |||
| }} | |||
| '''Manchester City Football Club''' is a ] club based in ], ]. Formed in 1880 as '''West Gorton (St. Marks)''', they went on to become '''Ardwick A.F.C.''' in 1887 before finally becoming Manchester City F.C. in 1894. The club have won the ] twice, the ] four times, the ] twice and the ] once. Manchester City's most successful period came in the late 1960s and early 1970s, when they acquired several trophies under the management team of ] and assistant ] and with great players such as ]. | |||
| In more recent years, the club have fallen on harder times, and have not won a major honour since 1976. The club's decline culminated in getting ] twice in three years in the 1990s, meaning City spent one year in the third tier of ]. However, they have since regained their ] status, putting them back in the top flight, the division in which they have spent the majority of their history. Despite being often overshadowed by the success of local rivals ], City enjoy a large fanbase, regularly attracting more than 40,000 fans to their home ground, the ]. | |||
| ==History== | |||
| {{details|History of Manchester City F.C.}} | |||
| <!-- This section is meant to be just a summary. Please do not add too much detail - the ] article is intended for detailed additions. --> | |||
| Manchester City were founded as '''West Gorton (St. Marks)''' in 1880 by two wardens of St. Marks church in ], a district in south-east Manchester. In 1887 they moved to a new ground at ], in ] in the east of the city, and were renamed '''Ardwick A.F.C.''' to reflect their new location. Ardwick joined ] as founder members of the ] in 1892. Financial troubles in the 1893-94 season led to a reorganisation within the club, and Ardwick were reformed as Manchester City. | |||
| City gained their first honours by winning the Second Division in 1899; with it came promotion to highest level in English football, the ]. They went on to claim their first major honour on ], ], beating ] 1-0 at ] to win the ]; City narrowly missed out on a League and Cup ] that season after finishing runners-up in the League. In the seasons following the FA Cup triumph, the club were dogged by allegations of financial irregularities, culminating in the suspension of seventeen players in 1906, including captain ]<ref>James, pp 59-65.</ref>. A fire at Hyde Road destroyed the main stand in 1920, and in 1923 the club moved to ] in ]. | |||
| In the 1930s Manchester City reached two consecutive FA Cup finals, losing to ] in 1933, before claiming the Cup by beating ] in 1934. The club won the First Division title for the first time in 1937, but were relegated the following season, despite scoring more goals than any other team in the division<ref>{{cite web | title=England 1937/38| work=league table from RSSSF | url=http://www.rsssf.com/engpaul/FLA/1937-38.html| accessdate=December 29 | accessyear=2005 }}</ref>. 20 years later, a City team inspired by a tactical system known as the '']'' reached consecutive FA Cup finals again, in 1955 and 1956; just as in the 1930s they lost the first one and won the second. The 1956 final, in which Manchester City beat ] 3-1, is one of the most famous finals of all-time, and is remembered for City goalkeeper ] continuing to play after fracturing his neck. | |||
| In 1965 the management team of ] and ] were appointed. In the first season under Mercer, City won the Second Division title and made important signings in ] and ]. Two seasons later, in 1967-68, Manchester City claimed the League Championship for the second time, clinching the title on the final day of the season with a 4-3 win at ]. Further trophies followed: City won the FA Cup in 1969, before achieving European success by winning the ] in 1970, beating ] 2-1 in ]. City also won the ] that season, becoming the first English team to win a European trophy and a domestic trophy in the same season. | |||
| The club continued to challenge for honours throughout the 1970s, finishing just one point behind the league champions on two occasions and reaching the final of the 1974 League Cup. One of the matches from this period which is most fondly remembered by supporters of Manchester City is the final match of the 1973-74 season against arch-rivals Manchester United, who needed to win to stand a chance of avoiding relegation. Former United player ] scored with a backheel to give City a 1-0 win and confirm the relegation of their rivals.<ref>Other results meant United would have been relegated if the match had been drawn, but neither team knew this at the time.</ref> The final trophy of the club's most successful period was won in 1976, when Newcastle United were beaten 2-1 in the League Cup final. | |||
| A long period of decline followed the success of the 1960s and 1970s. Malcolm Allison rejoined the club to become manager for the second time in 1979, but squandered large sums of money on unsuccessful signings, such as ]. A succession of managers then followed – seven in the 1980s alone. City reached the 1981 FA Cup final but lost in a replay to ]. The club were twice relegated from the top flight in the 1980s (in 1983 and 1987), but recovered to finish fifth in Division One twice in succession under the management of ]. However, this was only a temporary respite, and following Reid's departure Manchester City's fortunes continued to fade. City were founder members of the ] upon its creation in 1992, but were relegated to Division One in 1996. After two seasons in Division One, City fell to the lowest point in their history, when they became the first ever European trophy winners to be relegated to English football's third tier. | |||
| ] | |||
| The 2002-03 season was the last at Maine Road, and included a 3-1 derby victory over their Manchester rivals ], ending a run of 13 years without a ] win. City also qualified for the ] through the "fair play league", earning the club's first entry into European competition in 25 years. In the 2003 close season the club moved to the new ]. | |||
| In March 2005 Kevin Keegan left the club, and ] took over as ], leading his side to an eight-match unbeaten run at the end of the season as they just missed out on European qualification. Pearce was rewarded by being given the manager's position on a permanent basis. The ] started brightly for Manchester City; the club held a top-six position until November. However, form deteriorated in the second half of the season, and the club finished 15th. | |||
| ==Colours and crest== | |||
| ]Manchester City's home colours are sky blue and white. Their traditional away kit colours are either maroon or red and black, however, in recent years several different colours have been used. Through the 2004-06 campaigns the team will wear an all-navy away kit. The current third kit is yellow. The origins of the club colours are unclear, but there is evidence that the club have worn blue since 1892 or earlier. A booklet entitled ''Famous Football Clubs - Manchester City'' published in the 1940s indicates that West Gorton (St. Marks) originally played in scarlet and black, and reports dating from 1884 describe the team wearing black jerseys bearing a white cross, showing the club's origins as a church side.<ref>James, pp. 14-15</ref> | |||
| The current club crest was adopted in 1997, a result of the previous crest being ineligible for registration as a ]. The badge is based on the ] of the ], and consists of a shield in front of a ]. The shield features a ship on its upper half, representing the ], and three diagonal stripes in the lower half. The bottom of the badge bears the ] motto ''Superbia in Proelio'', which translates as ''Pride in Battle''. Above the eagle and shield are three stars. | |||
| City have previously worn two other crests on their shirts. The first, introduced in 1970, was based on designs which had been used on official club documentation since the mid-1960s. It consisted of a round badge which used the same shield as the current crest, inside a circle bearing the name of the club. In 1972 this was replaced by a variation which replaced the lower half of the shield with the red rose of ]. | |||
| On occasions when Manchester City play in a major cup final, they do not use their usual crest, and instead wear shirts bearing a badge of the arms of the City of Manchester as a symbol of pride in representing the city of Manchester at a major event. This practice originates from a time when the players' shirts did not normally bear a badge of any kind, but has continued throughout the history of the club.<ref>David Clayton, ''Everything Under the Blue Moon'' (Mainstream Publishing, 2002), 21.</ref> | |||
| ==Stadium== | |||
| :''Main articles: ], ], ]'' | |||
| ] | |||
| Manchester City's current stadium is the ], a newly constructed state-of-the-art 48,000-seater stadium situated in East Manchester, leased from Manchester City Council after the ]. The City of Manchester Stadium has been home to City since the end of the ], when the club moved from ]. | |||
| Before moving to the stadium, Manchester City spent about £35million on upgrading it and lowering the field of play from ground level (where it was during the Commonwealth Games) to below ground level, adding an additional tier of seating around the entire pitch and also building the new North Stand. The inaugural match at the new stadium was a 2-1 win over ] in a ], with the first goal at the stadium scored by ].<ref>{{cite web | title=Man City vanquish Barca| work=BBC article | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/m/man_city/3139231.stm| accessdate=December 28 | accessyear=2005 }}</ref> | |||
| Manchester City have also used several other grounds during their history. After playing home games at five different grounds between 1880 and 1887, the club settled at ], where they stayed for 36 years. After a fire destroyed the Main Stand in 1920, the club decided to look for a new site, moving to the 84,000-capacity Maine Road in 1923. On ] ], Maine Road hosted the largest-ever crowd at an English club ground, when 84,569 attended an FA Cup tie against ]<ref>{{cite web | title=True Blue facts about Manchester City| work=BBC article | url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/manchester/sport/2002/11/08/city_facts.shtml| accessdate=December 28 | accessyear=2005 }}</ref>. Maine Road was redeveloped several times over its 80-year lifespan, though by 1995 its capacity was restricted to 32,000, prompting the move to the City of Manchester Stadium. | |||
| ==Supporters== | |||
| Manchester City have a large fanbase in relation to their comparative lack of success on the pitch. Since moving to the City of Manchester Stadium, Manchester City's average attendances have been in the top four in England<ref>{{cite web | title=Top 30 English Football Clubs by League Attendances| work=footballeconomy.com attendance table 2002-2005 | url=http://www.footballeconomy.com/stats/stats_att_04.htm| accessdate=December 30 | accessyear=2005 }}</ref>. Even in the late 1990s, when the club were relegated twice in three seasons and playing in the third tier of English football (then Division Two, now ]), home attendances were in the region of 30,000, compared to an average for the division of less than 8,000<ref>{{cite web | title=Average Attendances - English Football Divisions - 1994/95-2004/05| work=footballeconomy.com division attendance table 1995-2005 | url=http://www.footballeconomy.com/stats/stats_att_01.htm| accessdate=December 30 | accessyear=2005 }}</ref>. Research carried out by Manchester City estimates a fanbase of 400,000 in the United Kingdom and a total in excess of 2 million worldwide<ref>{{cite web | title=Customer Success - Manchester City Football Club| work=Hewlett-Packard case study| url=http://h20219.www2.hp.com/services/cache/78471-0-0-225-121.html| accessdate=December 30 | accessyear=2005 }}</ref>. | |||
| Manchester City have a number of supporters organisations, of which three have official recognition: the Official Supporters Club, the Centenary Supporters Association and the International Supporters Club. There are also several ]s published by supporters, the most well-known are ''King of the Kippax'' and ''Bert Trautmann's Helmet''. | |||
| The City fan's song of choice is a rendition of "]", which despite its melancholic theme is belted out with gusto as though it were a heroic anthem. City supporters tend to believe that unpredictability is an inherent trait of their team, and label unexpected results "typical City"<ref>{{cite web | title=FA Cup preview| work=ESPN Star article| url=http://www.espnstar.com/facup/facup_gamedetails_1660559.html| accessdate=March 24 | accessyear=2006 }}</ref> <ref>{{cite web|title=Typical City!|work=Unofficial supporters homepage|url=http://www.uit.no/mancity/club/typical.html|accessdate=March 25|accessyear=2006}} </ref>. Events that fans regard as "typical City" include City being the only reigning English champions ever to be relegated (in 1938), or the more recent example that City were the only team to beat ] in the 2004-05 Premiership, yet in the same season they were knocked out of the FA Cup by old local rivals ], a team now two divisions lower. | |||
| Manchester City's biggest rivalry is with neighbours ], against whom they contest the ]. Unlike football rivalries in some other cities, such as ] and ], the rivalry between City and United does not have its origins in religion or politics, and before the ], when travel to away games was rare, many Mancunian football fans watched both teams. As travel became easier, support for both teams became unusual and the rivalry developed. | |||
| A common stereotype is that City fans come from Manchester, while United fans come from elsewhere. A 2002 report by a researcher at ] found that a higher proportion of City season ticket holders come from Manchester ] areas; however United had a higher number of season ticket holders living in Manchester, as they had more season ticket holders overall. However, the report contained a ] stating that the number of City season tickets has since increased (the report was compiled before City's move to the City of Manchester Stadium). The study also found that City had the highest proportion of support in the south and east of the city, and United had the highest proportion in the north and west of the city.<ref>{{cite web | title=Do You Come From Manchester?| work=Manchester Metropolitan University study | url=http://www.mipc.mmu.ac.uk/docs/seasonticketreport.pdf| accessdate=January 22 | accessyear=2006 }}</ref>Please note Manchester post codes also cover Salford , located to the northwest of Manchester. | |||
| In the late 1980s, City fans started a craze of bringing ] objects to matches, primarily oversized ]s. The craze had its origins in a match against ] when chants from fans calling for the introduction of ] as a substitute mutated into "Imre Banana". Terraces packed with inflatable-wielding supporters became a common sight in the ] as the craze spread to other clubs, with the phenomenon reaching a peak at City's match at ] on ], 1988, a match declared by fanzines as a fancy dress party.<ref>{{cite web | title=The Inflatables Craze| work=Manchester City Football Club Supporters' Homepage | url=http://www.uit.no/mancity/bananas.html| accessdate=December 30 | accessyear=2005 }}</ref> | |||
| ==Playing squad== | |||
| ''As of ], ]:'' | |||
| {{football squad start}} | |||
| <!-- For help using the below template, please see ] --> | |||
| {{football squad player| no= 1| nat=England | pos=GK| name=]}} | |||
| {{football squad player| no= 3| nat=Wales | pos=DF| name=]}} | |||
| {{football squad player| no= 5| nat=France | pos=DF| name=]}} (captain) | |||
| {{football squad player| no= 6| nat=United States| pos=MF| name=]}} | |||
| {{football squad player| no= 8| nat=England | pos=MF| name=]}} | |||
| {{football squad player| no= 9| nat=England | pos=FW| name=]}} | |||
| {{football squad player| no=10| nat=France | pos=MF| name=]}} | |||
| {{football squad player| no=11| nat=England | pos=FW| name=]}} | |||
| {{football squad player| no=12| nat=England | pos=GK| name=]}} | |||
| {{football squad player| no=16| nat=England | pos=DF| name=]}} | |||
| {{football squad player| no=17| nat=China | pos=DF| name=]}} | |||
| {{football squad player| no=18| nat=England | pos=DF| name=]}} | |||
| {{football squad player| no=20| nat=Greece | pos=FW| name=]}} | |||
| {{football squad mid}} | |||
| {{football squad player| no=22| nat=Ireland | pos=DF| name=]}} | |||
| {{football squad player| no=26| nat=England | pos=DF| name=]}} | |||
| {{football squad player| no=28| nat=England | pos=MF| name=]}} | |||
| {{football squad player| no=38| nat=Ireland | pos=MF| name=]}} | |||
| {{football squad player| no=40| nat=England | pos=MF| name=]}} | |||
| {{football squad player| no=41| nat=England | pos=DF| name=]}} | |||
| {{football squad player| no=42| nat=England | pos=FW| name=]}} | |||
| {{football squad player| no=43| nat=England | pos=FW| name=] }} | |||
| {{football squad player| no=44| nat=Ireland | pos=MF| name=]}} | |||
| {{football squad player| no=45| nat=England | pos=DF| name=]}} | |||
| {{football squad player| no=xx| nat=England | pos=GK| name=]}} | |||
| {{football squad player| no=xx| nat=Scotland | pos=FW| name=]}} | |||
| {{football squad end}} | |||
| ;Players out on loan | |||
| {{football squad start}} | |||
| {{football squad player| no=33| nat=Denmark | pos=GK| name=] | other=on loan to ]''}} | |||
| {{football squad blank column}} | |||
| {{football squad end}} | |||
| ===Number 23=== | |||
| Since 2003, Manchester City have not issued the squad number 23. It was retired in honour of ], who was on loan to the club from ] at the time of his death on the field of play playing for ] in the ]. | |||
| ==Notable former players== | |||
| {{details|List of Manchester City F.C. players}} | |||
| ''Listed according to year of Manchester City first-team debut (year in parentheses)'' | |||
| * pre-1920: ] (1894). | |||
| * 1920s: ] (1924), ] (1928). | |||
| * 1930s: ] (1933), ] (1936). | |||
| * 1940s: ] (1946), ] (1949). | |||
| * 1950s: ] (1950), ] (1951), ] (1953), ] (1958). | |||
| * 1960s: ] (1960), ] (1961) ] (1964), ] (1965), ] (1966), ] (1966), ] (1967), ] (1967). | |||
| * 1970s: ] (1974), ] (1975). | |||
| * 1980s: ] (1981), ] (1987), ] (1987) | |||
| * 1990s: ] (1990), ] (1994), ] (1995), ] (1996), ] (1998), ] (1999). | |||
| * 2000s: ] (2001), ] (2002), ] (2002). | |||
| == Notable former managers == | |||
| {{details|List of Manchester City F.C. managers}} | |||
| ''Listed according to when they became managers for Manchester City (year in parentheses):'' | |||
| * ] (1912-1924) | |||
| * ] (1950-1963) | |||
| * ] (1965-1971) | |||
| * ] (2001-2005) | |||
| ==Honours== | |||
| *''']''' (old format)<ref>Up until 1992, the top division of English football was the Football League First Division; since then, it has been the FA Premier League. At the same time, the Second Division was renamed the First Division, and the Third Division was renamed the Second Division.</ref> | |||
| **Champions 1937, 1968 | |||
| **Runners-up 1904, 1921, 1977 | |||
| *''']''' (old format), '''First Division''' (new format) | |||
| **Champions 1899, 1903, 1910, 1928, 1947, 1966, 2002 | |||
| **Runners-up 1896, 1951, 1989, 2000 | |||
| *'''Second Division''' (new format) | |||
| **Play-off winners 1999 | |||
| *''']''' | |||
| **Winners 1904, 1934, 1956, 1969 | |||
| **Finalists 1926, 1933, 1955, 1981 | |||
| *''']''' | |||
| **Winners 1970, 1976 | |||
| **Runners-up 1974 | |||
| *''']''' | |||
| **Winners 1970 | |||
| *''']''' | |||
| **Winners 1937, 1968, 1972 | |||
| **Runners-up 1934, 1956, 1969, 1973 | |||
| *''']''' | |||
| ** Runners-up 1986 | |||
| ==Records== | |||
| *'''Record League victory''' — 11-3 ''v.'' ] (], ]) | |||
| *'''Record FA Cup victory''' — 12-0 ''v.'' Liverpool Stanley (], ]) | |||
| *'''Record League defeat''' — 1-9 ''v.'' ] (], ]) | |||
| *'''Record FA Cup defeat''' — 0-6 ''v.'' ] (January 1897 ) | |||
| *'''Highest attendance''' — 84,569 ''v.'' ] (], ]) | |||
| *'''Most League appearances''' — 561 + 3 sub, ] 1958-76 | |||
| *'''Most appearances overall''' — 668 + 4 sub, ] 1958-76 | |||
| *'''Most goals scored overall''' — 178, ] 1928-40 | |||
| *'''Most goals scored in a season''' — 38, Tommy Johnson 1928-29 | |||
| *'''Record transfer fee paid''' — £13 million to ] for ], June 2002<ref>The figure of £13 million includes the valuation of ] , who went to Paris Saint-Germain as part of the deal.</ref> | |||
| *'''Record transfer fee received''' — £21 million from ] for ], July 2005 | |||
| ==References== | |||
| *{{cite book | | |||
| author=James, Gary | | |||
| title=Manchester: The Greatest City | | |||
| id=ISBN 1899538097 | | |||
| publisher=Polar Publishing | | |||
| year=2002 }} | |||
| *{{cite book | | |||
| author=Goble, Ray and Ward, Andrew | | |||
| title=Manchester City: A Complete Record | | |||
| id=ISBN 187362641X | | |||
| publisher=Breedon Books | | |||
| year=1993 }} | |||
| ==Footnotes== | |||
| <div class="references-small"> | |||
| <references/> | |||
| </div> | |||
| ==External links== | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| {{BBC Football Info|BBClinkname=m/man_city}} | |||
| * | |||
| {{FA_Premier_League}} | |||
| {{Featured article}} | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
Revision as of 14:47, 3 June 2006
city are crapper than johnny copes mum