Welcome Newcomers: Introducing Manchester City

18 Yard Box has a look at the new big spenders of the Premier League. 

Continuing with our series on title contenders, in this article, 18 Yard Box covers the team which belongs to the blue half of: Manchester City F.C. A new season with a new manager and an array of new stars, Manchester City will hope to overcome their next door neighbours and regain the Premier League crown.

History

The club was founded in 1880 as St. Mark’s and was later renamed as Ardwick Association Football club in 1887. The name Manchester City was adopted in 1894. Before being renamed the Etihad stadium their home ground was called The City of Manchester Stadium. Manchester City were at the pinnacle of their success during the late 1960 to early 1970 period when they won the FA cup, League cup, European Cup Winners’ Cup. This period from 1967 to 1976 was a historic period for Manchester City. However, the club was relegated in 1983, 1987, 1996 and in 2001. However, the club has risen each time with a new vigour and a strong management team. The club was recently purchased by the Abu Dhabi United Group in 2008 and became one of the wealthiest clubs in the world.

Three major historic moments 

1. The Mercer-Allison Era

Happier times

Following relegation to the lower leagues in 1963, Manchester City was in deep trouble and needed a revival plan to avoid any further deterioration of fortunes. In the summer of 1965, the club appointed Joe Mercer and Malcolm Allison to manage the club. It sparked a beginning of a glorious period for Manchester City. In 1967, they won the League Division with odds of 200-1. In the following seasons, they won the 1969 FA cup, 1970 League cup and cup winners’ cup. The heart of this revival was due to the signing of key players like Colin Bell, Mike Summerbee and Francis Lee. But a power struggle between the two led to the resignation of Joe Mercer in 1972 and subsequently Malcolm Allison the following summer.

2.  Relegation Troubles

Disappointed supporters

Manchester City were one of the founding members of the Premier League but the club struggled to stay afloat in the highest division and saw themselves sink to the lower divisions in 1996 and 2001.Two successive promotions saw the club rise back to Premier League under David Bernstein from the third tier of English Football in 1998. After the relegation in 2001, city returned to the premier league once again under Kevin Keegan and never looked back again.

3. The Sheikhs of England

Sheikh Mansour with his return on investment

Following the ousting of Thai PM Thakshin Shinawatra from his country, Manchester City were acquired by the supremely wealthy Abu Dhabi United Group. This acquisition sparked another period of city dominance not on the pitch but in the transfer market. The club rapidly acquired stars and bid heavily to get the best players money can buy. In the summer of 2009 alone Manchester city spent 100m pounds in the transfer market. When this spending did not yield results Mark Hughes was ousted and replaced by the Italian Roberto Mancini. City continued buying and selling players on the transfer market to consolidate their squad. This exercise finally gave results in the form of the English Premier League title in 2012. However, the disappointments in Europe and failure to retain the title led to the sacking of Mancini and the arrival of Manuel Pellegrini. City seem to have adopted the ‘perform or perish’ principle of Chelsea.

Three Major Players

Although there were many who came and went, three players stood out for City amongst them. Here they are

1. Francis Lee

Lee in Action

One of the major players during the Mercer Allison era, Francis Lee was signed from Bolton Wanderers for a mind boggling 60,000 pounds in 1967. He not only won many trophies but also many penalties for his club. He set an English record of 15 goals from penalties earning the nickname ‘Lee Won Pen’. Lee left city in 1974 and moved to Derby County where he continued his goal scoring streak and won the league title in 1974. He is also joint top scorer in the Manchester Derby with 10 goals.

2. Richard Dunne

4 time player of the season for City

The sturdy Irish defender has been at the heart of city’s defence and the fans. Acquired from Everton for 3m Pounds, he has seen the god days and the bad days at the club. In his debut season City were relegated and the Irishman was part of the squad which clawed its way back to the league. Dunne is good at man marking his opponents and putting in timely tackles for his team.  He won the player of the season for Manchester city for 4 consecutive years from 2004 to 2008. But with arrival of big stars like Vincent Kompany, Kolo Toure and Joleon Lescott, Richard Dunne was finally sold to Aston Villa in 2009. His respect for the club and the fans continued even after his move to Villa which is demonstrated by his refusal to celebrate after scoring against them.

3. Sergio 'Kun' Aguero

Lean Mean scoring machine

In 2011, Manchester City announced the signing of Argentine talisman Sergio Kun Aguero for 38m Pounds from Athletico Madrid. An all out centre forward, Aguero dazzled on his debut with 4 goals against QPR. Aguero is supremely gifted with agility, pace, acceleration and strength. Sharp and clever in front of goal, Aguero can score with either foot. Many describe his game as being better than that of compatriot Carlos Tevez. His iconic last minute goal against QPR in the last game of the season earned city the Premier League Title after decades. In his short time at Etihad stadium he has already emerged as a crowd favourite and has never let down his team.

The Major Trophy-1970 European Cup Winners’ Cup

European Glory: A thing of the past??

The recent Premier League title in 2012 is still fresh in the minds of city fans but it is their triumph way back in 1970 which is still recalled with great pride. In just their second appearance at the European level, City reached the final with wins against Athletic Bilbao, Lierse S.K, Coimbra and Schalke 04. Up against Gornik Zabrze, the club was missing talismanic winger Mike Summerbee but Francis Lee ensured his team would not miss out on this chance at glory as he created the first goal for team mate Neil Young before going on to score a penalty himself. Gornik managed to score a goal in the second half but could not match the might of city. Even today, the club with its infinite resources yearns for the top prize in Europe.

Style of play

Mancini's actical formation

Manchester City are spoilt for choice when it comes to players but Roberto Mancini had a certain system in which he fit his stars. Talented youngster Joe Hart has become a regular between the sticks. Young Belgian Vincent Kompany established his position in the heart of defence. City’s fullbacks have been dangerous on the attack and alert at the back. Gael Clichy, Pablo Zabaleta and Kolarov have been instrumental to the success of the club with pacy bursts down the wing and freekicks. Yaya Toure as the holding midfielder and David Silva as the playmaker dictate city’s midfield flow. With strikers like Edin Dzeko and Sergio Aguero, city have brilliant strikers with the ability to score goals at will. However, with the arrival of Pellegrini and stars like Stephan Jovetic, Jesus Navas and Fernandinho, City have reverted more to an attacking mindset. The 5-3 win against Milan and the 3-1 loss against Arsenal in the pre season clearly shows that Pellegrini needs to work on his defensive tactics if he is to fight for the title.

A club yet to reach its full potential, Manchester City look to start the Pellegrini era with loads of trophies and other accolades. They have the resources and the tactical think tank but will they do it is another question all together.

Written by,

Pranav Shenoy

Pranav is a contributor/writer for 18 Yard Box.