Joe Mercer Era

Lore & Background

When Joe Mercer and Malcolm Allison were appointed in the summer of 1965, the club had just been relegated to the Second Division in 1963 and had a record low home attendance of 8,015 against Swindon Town in January 1965. In their first season, City won the Second Division title. Two seasons later, in 1967–68, City claimed the league championship for the second time, beating Manchester United to the title on the final day. Further trophies followed: the FA Cup in 1969 and the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1970, along with the League Cup that same year, making City the second English team to win a European trophy and a domestic trophy in the same season.

In Their Own Story

The rain lashed against the terraces of Maine Road, but inside the dressing room, the air was warm with anticipation. Joe Mercer stood before his players, not shouting, but speaking with a quiet intensity that commanded absolute silence. He looked at Colin Bell, then Mike Summerbee, and finally Francis Lee. 'They say we are too soft,' he said, his voice cutting through the hum of nervous energy. 'Let them think what they want. Tonight, we play our game. We play with our heads up.'

On the pitch, the floodlights cut through the drizzle, casting the squad as silhouettes of determination ready to defy every expectation.

Reader's Guide

The club's first major period of success came in the late 1960s and early 1970s under Joe Mercer and Malcolm Allison, winning the league title, FA Cup, League Cup, and European Cup Winners' Cup. After losing the 1981 FA Cup final, the club declined, being relegated to the third tier in 1998. They regained promotion to the top tier in 1999–2000 and have remained in the Premier League since 2002–03. Major financial investment after the August 2008 takeover by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan through the Abu Dhabi United Group started a new era of success, winning the FA Cup in 2011 and the Premier League in 2012. Under Pep Guardiola between 2016 and 2026, the club won 20 honours, including a domestic treble in 2018 and a continental treble in 2023, and four consecutive league titles from 2020–21 to 2023–24.

Did You Know?

• Manchester City won their first major honour, the FA Cup, in 1904.
• The club's record home attendance of 84,569 was set in 1934 and stood until 2016.
• City became the first English men's team to win a domestic treble in 2018.
• The club topped the Deloitte Football Money League in 2021–22 with revenue of approximately €731 million.