TOP 100 SOCCER SITES
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| Beckham laments his United departure As he prepares to return to Old Trafford as an AC Milan player, former Manchester United favourite son David Beckham has revealed regret at leaving the famous English club. foxsports.com.au |
Live Chat Replay: Jason de Vos CBC Sports soccer commentator Jason de Vos interacted with CBCSports.ca readers during a special one-hour chat on Friday. Read the full transcript. cbc.ca |
1975, Dennis Tueart and City's last pot Manchester City thrashed United 4-0 on their way to the 1976 League Cup, but they have won nothing of note ever sinceFor Manchester City fans of a certain age tonight's Carling Cup showdown with United, under floodlights in a winter midweek, casts memories back to the miraculous November night when City beat United 4-0 on the way to winning the League Cup in 1976. It stands still as a highlight of City's history in the time since they were last truly a trophy-winning team (in 1968-70) and, for some fortysomethings, of a Manchester childhood itself.The crowd was so vast we parked miles away, on some crescent the far side of Rusholme I have never seen again. My Dad was not really a football fan, but he had taken me gamely to early initiations, to Old Trafford at the fag-end of George Best's time, and to City, who had somehow claimed me. That night, we managed to see the first goal only because my Dad took me up the wrong steps at the back of the Platt Lane stand, and when we emerged, to see the floodlights and the wondrous green of the pitch, Dennis Tueart, pictured right, scored for City, after 35 seconds.We eventually found our seats, and marvelled at it all; Asa Hartford scoring the next, Tueart again, Joe Royle nailing a fourth. City went on to reach Wembley, and in his magnificent history of the club, Manchester, the Greatest City, Gary James includes a copy of a terrace ticket for that final, its price £1.50. United fans gleefully document in the Stretford End that it was City's last trophy for more than 33 years, but that omits the majesty of Tueart's overhead-kick winner in the 2-1 beating of Newcastle. My Dad said we couldn't go to Wembley, so I missed it, but I've forgiven him.City were a top side then, as United became again following their relegation in 1974 and promotion the season after. City fans never imagined that could possibly be it, for so long, nor that just three years later the club would be dismantled. The chairman, Peter Swales, reacted to a rocky patch under manager Tony Book by reappointing Malcolm Allison, assistant to Joe Mercer in the glory years, and allowing a clutch of internationals to leave while signing Preston's Michael Robinson for £750,000 and Steve Daley, from Wolves, for £1.43m.City's plummet after that was due, too, to the absence of Colin Bell, the maestro of midfield elegance. He had sustained his career-shortening injury, awful damage to his right knee, on the night of the 4-0 victory over United.I can still remember the sinking silence when Bell was stretchered off, following the tackle by Martin Buchan which Bell always insisted was an accident. Then the game played on and we were carried away.That in itself became a formative experience, the realisation that truly bad things can happen. The club soon had the Swales-Allison lunacy, never won a trophy since, and enjoyed a first ever stint in League One, in 1998-99. United, of course, have experienced real tragedy, at Munich in 1958, and, on the field, suffered relegation, but somehow, as a football club, they returned to forge stories of heroic recovery and reclaimed greatness. In City's club histories, the 1976 League Cup win and 4-0 victory over United always receive star billing. In United's modern histories, City barely get mentioned.This semi-final, whatever Sir Alex Ferguson or Gary Neville say, does mark a moment of potential historical change. City, 30 years since Allison's return, look finally to be seriously on the rise.United, indomitable Premier League and European champions in the 90s and noughties, appear to be wobbling. As this is turbo-commercialised English football in the 2010s, City's sudden ability to compete is courtesy of the very un-City-like fortune of £400m (so far) poured in by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al-Nahyan, whose Abu Dhabi childhood was probably a little different from mine.United are at risk of unfolding due to their very un-United-like misfortune, £700m debts walloped heartbreakingly on the club by the Glazers.This floodlit semi-final night does have the mark of significance, a landmark towards Manchester's clubs drawing more equal, as they were in November 1975, when City won 4-0, but were never the same again.Carling CupManchester CityManchester UnitedDavid Connguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Fowler overshadows derby draw A 1-1 draw between North Queensland Fury and Brisbane Roar has been overshadowed by an apparent fallout between the Fury and star striker Robbie Fowler. foxsports.com.au |
Man City prepared to let Robinho leave on loan Manchester City is negotiating with Santos and Sao Paulo over the Brazilian teams' desire to sign Robinho on loan. cbc.ca |