Newcastle-Online.com forum regular Dr Spectrum gives us the lowdown on his beloved Manchester City…

Newcastle’s first game of 2008 sees Manchester City make the journey north-east for a Wednesday night game. City’s superb home form has not been reflected on their travels, so the match represents a chance to avenge September’s 3-1 defeat at the City of Manchester Stadium.

History

Manchester City can trace their roots to the formation of church team from the Gorton area in the east of the City in 1880. The daughter of the local rector, seeking to take the minds of the local gentlemen away from alcohol, started a football team to co-exist with the cricket team that only played in the summer. The team was named for the church - St Marks (West Gorton). The team was renamed Ardwick FC upon relocation and the advent of professionalism in 1887. Ardwick became founder members of the 2nd division of the football league soon after, before financial difficulties led to reorganisation within the club, and the official birth of Manchester City FC.

City’s first major success, in 1899, was the second division championship. It was followed by an FA Cup victory in 1904; however, a series of financial irregularities led to no less than 17 players being suspended from playing for the club - most promptly signed for Manchester United and formed the foundation of that club’s first successful team. A lean period followed for the blues, and in 1920 the main stand at their Hyde Road ground was destroyed in a fire. While part of the ground still exists - as part of Halifax’s “The Shay” - the decision was made to move, and in 1923 the club moved into its home for the next 80 years, Maine Road. At the time its construction, Maine Road was the largest club ground in England, and it still holds the record for attendance for an English club game outside of Wembley.

It took until 1933 for City to rediscover a hint of past glories - the club reached the FA Cup final, although they lost to Everton. A year later they returned to Wembley, beating Portsmouth to record the 2nd of the clubs 4 triumphs in the competition. The clubs first league championship followed in 1937, although they were remarkably relegated the season after despite scoring 80 goals, more than anyone else in the league, including champions Arsenal. The outbreak of the Second World War prevented further calamity, but the blues again returned to Wembley for consecutive cup finals in the 1950’s. A side featuring future Leeds manager Don Revie as its focal point in an imitation of sorts of the great Hungarian side that had embarrassed England, first reached Wembley in 1955, where they lost 3-1 to Jackie Milburn’s Newcastle. They were back again a year later, defeating Birmingham City by the same scoreline in a game best remembered for Bert Trautmann playing the final 15 minutes with a broken bone in his neck. Further success eluded this particular side, although in 1958 they managed the unique double of both scoring and conceding 100 goals in the league season.

The most glorious era of City’s history began in 1965. Joe Mercer was appointed as manager, and Malcolm Allison his assistant, with the club languishing in the second division. In their first season in charge, the duo led the blues to the second division title, and following a series of important signings, notably the trio of Francis Lee, Colin Bell and Mike Summerbee, the first division title followed two years later - the championship being secured with a memorable 4-3 victory at St James’ Park on the last day of the season. A glut of honours followed - the FA Cup was secured in 1969, and in the following season that success was followed up with victory over Gornik Zabrze in the final of the European Cup Winners Cup. Having earlier won the League Cup, City became the first English club to win a domestic and European honour in the same season. The successful management team was broken up a year later, with Mercer moving upstairs in a precursor to the days of Directors of Football, and Allison took over the team. The 71/72 season began well, but the signing of Rodney Marsh unbalanced the side and the title slipped away. Mercer subsequently left the club and Allison followed soon after. After the ensuing managerial merry-go-round - which included the man who would build the side that led Aston Villa to the European Cup, Ron Saunders, losing his job after less than a season in charge, the managers job fell to the captain of Mercer’s side, Tony Book, who led the club to its last major honour, a 2-1 victory over Newcastle in the 1976 League Cup final, the winning goal a spectacular overhead kick scored by former Sunderland winger Dennis Tueart.

A long period of decline followed. It began in 1979 with the return of Malcolm Allison as manager, who proceeded to gut the team of its most important players and waste large sums of money on a series of poor replacements - Notably Steve Daley, a British record transfer from Wolves. A series of managers followed, as did a Cup final replay defeat and a couple of relegations to the second division. The club returned to the top flight in 1989, and under the stewardship of Peter Reid were established in the top half leading into the formation of the Premiership. However Reid lost his job just two games into the 93/94 season, and his replacement Brian Horton was unable to climb the league despite producing an entertaining side. The fans turned their wrath onto chairman Peter Swales, who had been in charge since the 70s, and he was forced aside for legendary player turned loo roll magnate Francis Lee. Lee replaced Horton with Alan Ball, who despite the signing of cult hero Georgiou Kinkladze, led the club to relegation, infamously ordering his players to hold the ball in the corners while drawing the final game of the season against Liverpool, despite needing a win to survive. More managers followed after Ball was sacked early in the following season - Steve Coppell resigned after a month - the job came to former Newcastle fullback Frank Clark, who had tasted success while managing Nottingham Forest. Clark was sacked after a little over a year in charge and replaced with Joe Royle, but he was powerless to prevent the club sliding into the third tier for the first time in its history.

Royle’s City bounced back immediately, first snatching a penalty shootout victory from the jaws of defeat in the playoff final, before marching straight back into the Premiership automatically a season later. Relegation followed for the ill-prepared side, and Royle was sacked, but replacement Kevin Keegan immediately led City back into the top flight after a remarkable season that saw the blues win the first division championship with ease. In the following season, their last at Maine Road, the club finished 9th. However Keegan’s spending had stretched the club beyond their means and led to serious debt problems in the years that followed, and despite big money sales of star players Shaun Wright-Phillips and Nicolas Anelka, the club were uncompetive in the transfer market and slipped towards relegation, finishing 16th in the first season at the City of Manchester Stadium, and 15th and 14th under Keegan’s incompetent replacement Stuart Pearce.

In the summer of 2007, after a long search for new investment, the club was sold to former Thai prime-minister Thaksin Shinawatra, whose first act was to appoint former England manager Sven-Göran Eriksson as manager. Eriksson quickly spent the money “Frank” (As he is known to City supporters, a nod to soundlike Frank Sinatra) had provided him to add a serious injection of quality to the City side, that has so far defied expectation and is now well positioned to challenge for a European place in the months ahead.

Key players

Although the game takes place almost immediately after the opening of the January transfer window, City have already added Mexican forward Nery Castillo to their possibilities for the game. What role, if any, he - or indeed any other new signings - will play remains to be seen. Even if he is given a chance from the start, it’s a team game and the opposition will be still be dependent on the same group of players who have performed so well over Eriksson’s first few months in charge.

Elano

The Brazilian international, an £8m summer signing from the relative obscurity of Shaktar Donetsk, has proved to be key to much of City’s attacking play. A man-of-the-match performance in the return fixture was the highlight of a wonderful start to life in the Premier League, where his eye for a pass and ability from dead ball situations quickly caught the eye. His impact of late has dimmed through a combination of jet lag, a hamstring injury, and opposition wariness, but he remains the biggest danger man City possess in the final third.

Dietmar Hamann

The former Newcastle midfielder, now 34, has been a revelation in the midfield anchorman position. After a series of poor performances in the 2006-07 season, he looked to be on the way to the scrapheap, but under Eriksson’s stewardship he has been reborn. Aside from being an extremely competent destroyer, despite his advancing years, the Germans experience is a key component of the possession football preferred by Sven. He won’t leave the centre circle, but he won’t give the ball away either.

Richard Dunne

The powerful centre half, a £3m signing from Everton in 2000, has overcome the serious off field problems that threatened his early career to such an extent that he won the fans player of the season award for the past 3 years, beating off competition from the likes of Shaun Wright-Phillips and Antoine Sibierski. Deceptively quick, the reliable Irishman is never afraid to stick his head in where it hurts, and although he has the turning circle of the proverbial submarine in a bathtub, his experience is vital to an otherwise young City backline.