Manchester City F.C.

Manchester City Football Club is a football club based in Manchester, United Kingdom. Having been formed in 1880 as West Gorton Saint Marks, it went on to become Ardwick A.F.C. in 1887 and moved to Hyde Road, before finally becoming Manchester City F.C. in 1894. The club has won the League Championship twice, the F.A. Cup four times, the League Cup twice and the European Cup Winners Cup once. They currently play in the FA Premier League, and have spent the majority of their history in the top division.

History

In 1892 Ardwick A.F.C. joined the Football League as founder members of Division Two. Financial troubles in the 1893/94 season led to a reorganisation within the club, and Ardwick turned into Manchester City, with Manchester City Football Club Limited formally becoming a registered company on April 16, 1894.

Related Topics:
1892 - The Football League - Division Two - April 16

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Winning the Second Division in 1899 gave the club their first honours. They went on to claim their first 'major' honour in 1904, beating Bolton Wanderers to claim the FA Cup. In 1923 they moved to Maine Road in Moss Side, Manchester.

Related Topics:
Second Division - 1899 - 1904 - Bolton Wanderers - FA Cup - 1923 - Maine Road - Moss Side - Manchester

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They first claimed the First Division title in 1937. The next time was in 1968 - the start of their "golden era" when they acquired much silverware in the late 60s and early 70s under manager Joe Mercer and his assistant Malcolm Allison with England forwards Francis Lee, Colin Bell, and Mike Summerbee, and their captain Tony Book. Their most significant moment in Europe was capturing the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1970 by beating Gornik Zabrze 2-1 in Vienna.

Related Topics:
First Division - 1937 - 1968 - 60s - 70s - Joe Mercer - Malcolm Allison - Francis Lee - Colin Bell - Mike Summerbee - Tony Book - Europe - Cup Winners' Cup - 1970 - Gornik Zabrze - Vienna

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Following the success of the 1960s and 1970s came a long period of decline. The club were twice relegated from the top flight in the 1980s, but recovered to finished fifth in Division One twice in succession under the management of Peter Reid. However, this was only a temporary respite, and Manchester City's fortunes continued to fade through the 1990s, reaching their lowest point in 1998, when City became the first ever European trophy winners to be relegated to the third tier of English football.

Related Topics:
Peter Reid - 1998

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Subsequent to relegation, off the field upheaval took place, with a new chairman taking over. City were promoted at the first attempt, achieved in dramatic fashion in a playoff against Gillingham F.C.. Plans to move to a new stadium were announced, and for the first time in many years an air of optimism was present. A second successive promotion saw City return to the top division, but this proved to have been a step too far for the recovering club, and the 2000/01 season saw City relegated once more. Kevin Keegan arrived as the new manager in the close season, bringing immediate success, as City won the 2001/02 Division One championship, breaking club records for the number of points gained and goals scored in a season in the process. This meant the final season at Maine Road would take place in the top division.

Related Topics:
Gillingham F.C. - Kevin Keegan - 2001/02

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One of the highlights of the last season in the old Maine Road stadium (now demolished) was a 3-1 derby victory over their Manchester rivals Manchester United to end a run of 13 years without a derby win. A goal from Nicolas Anelka and two from Shaun Goater, gave City full points. In 2003 they moved to The City of Manchester Stadium, a newly constructed state of the art 48,000 seater stadium situated in East Manchester, which they lease from the local council. In the 2002-2003 season they came 9th in the Premiership and qualified for the 2003-2004 UEFA Cup through the "fair play league".

Related Topics:
Manchester United - Nicolas Anelka - Shaun Goater - City of Manchester Stadium - Premiership - UEFA Cup

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In the pre-season of 2002-2003 the club spent £13,500,000 (US$20,000,000) on Anelka. Their rise was rapid; from being in the third tier of English football in 1999, to being in European competition, having a large stadium, with top facilities and having world class players in their squad. In February 2005, a report by accountants Deloitte & Touche ranked Manchester City as the 16th richest club in the world in terms of turnover.

Related Topics:
Third tier - 1999 - February - 2005 - Deloitte & Touche

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One of the more distinguishing characteristics of the club is a tendency for unpredictability, sometimes bordering on the comical. A brilliantly-headed own-goal scored from some distance when playing Queens Park Rangers in 1998 was not only voted by QPR fans as their goal of the season, it was also instrumental in Manchester City's subsequent relegation. The club is also the only English side to have been relegated whilst being reigning league champions, achieving this dubious feat in 1938.

Related Topics:
Queens Park Rangers - 1998 - 1938

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