Ian Penney - Legends of Manchester City

The Legends of Manchester City

Ian Penney

First published in hardback in 2002 by The Breedon Books Publishing Company Limited ISBN 1-85983-326-8

This edition published in 2011 by The Derby Books Publishing Company Limited ISBN 978-1-908234-66-7

3 The Parker Centre, Mansfield Road, Derby, DE21 4SZ.

Ian Penney 2002
All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior permission in writing of the copyright holders, nor be otherwise circulated in any form or binding or cover other than in which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent publisher.

This book is dedicated to Lonnie Yates.
A true friend and one who will be missed.

Contents

Malcolm Allison a man ahead of his time
Sam Barkas full-back for City, inside-right for England
Horace Barnes forever in the record books
Ken Barnes best uncapped wing-half in the country
Peter Barnes the one that got away
Colin Bell the most complete City player
Ali Benarbia The best free transfer ever?
Ian Bishop the crowd loved him twice!
Tony Book - the grand old man of football
Tommy Booth local boy made good
Ken Branagan so close and yet so far
Jackie Bray in at the deep end
Ian Brightwell I just wellied it!
Eric Brook all-time leading goalscorer
Tommy Browell always a boy.
Matt Busby fruit boiler

Tommy Caton things might have been so different
Mike Channon it didnt quite work out
Roy Clarke 100 per cent Manchester City
Kenny Clements unsung but always reliable
Tony Coleman We cant have him!
Sam Cookson always there and ever dependable
Joe Corrigan just rewards for so much hard work
Tony Coton another one in a long line
Sam Cowan Well be back next year
Johnny Crossan is he really trying?
Keith Curle coolness personified
Bill Dale another who missed out
Paul Dickov scorer of that goal
Peter Doherty nothing he couldnt do
Willie Donachie - admired as a player, respected as a coach
Harry Dowd reflexes and agility
Mike Doyle a Blue through and through
Jackie Dyson the best jobs in the world

Dave Ewing All stop at Daves
Joe Fagan steadiness and loyalty
Fionan Paddy Fagan a real livewire
Eli Fletcher more than his fair share of tragedy
Lawrence Furniss a man for all seasons
Stan Gibson could grow grass on concrete
Billy Gillespie a bit of a boy
Shaun Goater keep feeding him
Jim Goodchild what mysteries lay underneath?
Johnny Hart a most unlucky footballer
Asa Hartford ever ready, tenacious and abnormal
Joe Hayes Can I have my bus fare home please?
Alex Herd like father, like son
George Heslop well worth the wait
Andy Hinchcliffe a beautiful cross-field ball
Tommy Hutchison nice while it lasted

Tommy Johnson a record that may never be broken
Bobby Johnstone part of Wembley folklore
Billy Lot Jones tricky, erratic and loyal
Bobby Kennedy Well, its his own fault!
Georgiou Kinkladze jewel in a tarnished crown
Paul Lake a loss to the nation
Denis Law Denis has done it!
Francis Lee final piece of the jigsaw
Bill Leivers another rock at the back
Roy Little stuck like glue
Billy McAdams goal, goal, goal
Mick McCarthy bark and bite
Les McDowall boot room to boardroom
Jimmy McMullan a real Scottish wizard
Neil McNab tremendous value for money
Ernest Mangnall look to the future
Rodney Marsh a great entertainer
Bobby Marshall a fine conversion job
Joe Mercer OBE a true ambassador for the game
Billy Meredith the Welsh Wizard
William Spud Murphy keep on runnin

Alan Oakes dependable in every way
Glyn Pardoe a one-club man
Roy Paul a red dragon of Wales
Terry Phelan genuine pace
Paul Power totally committed to the cause
Niall Quinn Ole, ole, ole
Steve Redmond good enough and old enough
Nicky Reid not all the judgements were wrong
Peter Reid a leader by example
Don Revie always in space, always had time
Frank Roberts goalscorer supreme
Uwe Rosler Citys German bomber
Joe Royle too much too soon?

Cliff Sear style, culture and a great sliding tackle
Bert Sproston Isnt he on the wrong side?
Mike Summerbee I wouldnt last a half today!
Frank Swift hands like frying pans
Fred Tilson nothing to worry about
Ernie Toseland model of consistency
Bert Trautmann steppes to Wembley
Dennis Tueart skilful, pacey, direct
Dave Watson truly a rock
Nicky Weaver the best is yet to come
Eric Westwood a man for all seasons
David White supplier and scorer
Wilf Wild 30 years of loyalty and devotion
Alex Williams MBE still in safe hands
Max Woosnam gentleman footballer
Neil Young the sweetest of left feet

Introduction

LEGENDS, aka folklore, myths and tradition.
Or in footballing terms, players that played for your team over a substantial period, cheered up many a wintery afternoon of your youth and who now reflect warmly in the autumn of your mind; people who the fans regularly looked forward to seeing play and were disappointed when their favourite names were scrubbed out of the programme with a bright yellow, school issue biro. Entertainers, goalscorers (and goalkeepers), creative midfielders and solid, rock-like defenders, each kind of player different in his own way and yet a personal favourite of thousands. Any newcomer having the audacity to replace one of these legends had a huge task to perform even before a ball was kicked.
People, sadly some no longer with us, who made ordinary, run-of-the-mill football clubs into world-famous names.
Hopefully this book captures the essence of some 100 of these people connected with Manchester City, although some entries included herein had no impact whatsoever on the 90 minutes of kicking a ball about once or twice a week. For all that, though, their efforts behind the scenes warrant inclusion at the expense of some much more vaunted players, many of whom wore the shirt and promised plenty, but unfortunately delivered a lot less. Each and every one of this personal selection of 100 names has contributed hugely to the successes and history of Manchester City.
Some will obviously be much better known than others. Some, of course, will be of a much more recent vintage than others. Some will undoubtedly cause discussion along the lines of, Whats he included him for? whilst missing entries will no doubt raise the inevitable, Why isnt he in?
Apart from one season, Manchester City Football Club has played more than 100 years in the top two divisions of English football, collecting championships, cups and a European prize along the way.
Hopefully it will bring back some happy memories for fans who saw their heroes play and will provide an insight into the days of Meredith and Furness, the days before the wireless let alone interactive cable television.
If fans dont like the text, at least theyll have a beautifully produced autograph book and with it, an ideal way to record a piece of Manchester Citys history.

Ian Penney
July 2002

Malcolm Allison a man ahead of his time

WHEN Malcolm Allison received a phone call and job offer from Joe Mercer in the summer of 1965, no one could have realised the amazing success they would bring to Manchester City. With Mercers calmness at the helm and Allisons brilliant coaching abilities, the two embarked on the greatest period ever in the clubs history.
In his younger days Allison had been a useful centre-half and had joined Charlton Athletic as an 18-year-old in 1945. Six years later he moved to West Ham United where, like many of his playing contemporaries at Upton Park, he developed a passion for all aspects of tactics and coaching. His playing career ended at Sheffield one day in 1958 when, in his own words, Their guy just ran away from me. I had no breath left to catch him. The 31-year-old Allison had developed tuberculosis; a disease that cost him a lung and forced him to spend 12 months in a sanatorium.