MANCHESTER CITY
GUIDE TO FOOTBALL PROGRAMMES
ISSUE NO 10 - 1955/56
WELCOME TO ISSUE 10 - A BELATED ISSUE - APOLOGIES THERE - I'VE BEEN QUITE BUSY OF LATE!! - THIS ISSUE CONCENTRATES ON THE 1955/56 SEASON. THIS WAS THE FIRST SEASON OF THE DREADED - FOR PROGRAMME COLLECTORS OF A FUSSY PERSUASION - OF THE ADDITION IN THE PROGRAMME OF A TOKEN. THIS WAS NORMALLY FOR THIS SEASON FOUND ON PAGE 3 OF THE PROGRAMME. THIS WAS BROUGHT IN DUE TO THE PROBLEMS FROM THE PREVIOUS SEASON WITH CITY GETTING TO THE CUP FINAL. THUS IT WAS DECIDED TO INTRODUCE THE TOKEN IN THE PROGRAMME TO HELP FANS AS A WAY OF COLLECTING THE TOKEN AND STICKING THEM IN A TOKEN SHEET TO INDICATE THEY HAD BEEN TO THE GAME INCASE CITY GOT TO THE CUP FINAL IN THE FUTURE. UNSURPRISINGLY CITY GOT THERE AGAIN IN 55/56!! THUS FINDING HOME PROGRAMMES WITH A TOKEN IN AND IN GOOD CONDITION CAN BE A NIGHTMARE. FORTUNATELY FOR ME THIS NIGHTMARE HAS BEEN SOLVED NOW FOR A FEW YEARS REGARDING GETTING THEM WITH A TOKEN. AS WITH OTHER MINOR SCHEMES AS THIS CITY WERE THE FORERUNNERS IN HAVING A TOKEN SCHEME IN THE OFFICIAL PROGRAMME.
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DIFFERENT IN DESIGN AGAIN AS PER LAST SEASON THE FRONT COVER HAS ONCE AGAIN CHANGED. THE COVER IS DOMINATED BY A PICTURE OF THE GROUND IN THE CENTRE WITH THE CITY HEADING AT THE TOP AND DETAILS OF THE OPPONENTS AT THE BOTTOM ALONG WITH THE CLUB HONOURS. ALONG WITH THE NEW TOKEN ON PAGE 3 IS THE EDITORS COMMENTS, ALSO WITHIN THE PROGRAMME WAS THE MAINE ROAD GOSSIP AND NOTES ON THE VISITORS. ADDED TO THIS IS THE HALF TIME SCOREBOARD AND TEAM LINE UPS IN THE MIDDLE PAGES. THE 2ND HALF OF THE PROGRAMME COVERS THE FIXTURES, THE PLAYING STAFF AND RESULTS PAGE OF ALL GAMES PLAYED. THE PROGRAMME REMAINED AT 12 PAGES. IT ONLY REMAINED LIKE THAT THOUGH FOR THE FIRST 5 LEAGUE GAMES OF THE SEASON THOUGH. FOR THE PRESTON GAME ON 15TH OCTOBER IT WAS UPGRADED TO 16 PAGES. THE 4 NEW PAGES ALL CONTAINED NEW FEATURES AND NON OF THEM WERE ADVERTS. TWO OF THE NEW PAGES WERE ARTICLES FROM SPORTS JOURNALISTS ABOUT CITY OR FOOTBALL IN GENERAL, ONE OF THE JOURNALISTS WAS NORMALLY ARTHUR WALMSLEY, THE OTHER ARTICLES ROTATED WITH COMMENTS FROM DIFFERENT SPORTS EDITORS. THE OTHER TWO PAGES WERE A "SPORTMANS CORNER" - THIS WAS BASED ON QUESTIONS THAT CAME FROM FANS WHO MAYBE WANTED AN ANSWER SETTLING BETWEEN THEM AND A FRIEND, OR SOME COMMENTS ABOUT CITY. |
SOME OF THE QUESTIONS WERE FOR EXAMPLE "WE KEEP READING ABOUT CUP GIANT KILLING, WHAT IN YOUR OPINION WAS THE BIGGEST SHOCK EVER KNOWN IN THE CUP?" CURIOUS OF HIGHER BLACKLEY!! IT WENT ON TO STATE THAT WALSALL BEATING ARSENAL IN 1933 2-0 WAS PROBABLY THE BIGGEST BUT ALSO WORKSOP DRAWING 0-0 WITH SPURS AT WHITE HART LANE IN 1923.
THE OTHER SECTION WAS "IT’S A FACT" ONE STORY MENTION'S ABOUT AN ARCHIE HUNTER WHO JOINED ASTON VILLA WHEN THE CLUB WAS OBSCURE AND SET IT ON THE ROAD TO GLORY, AT THE HEIGHT OF HIS FAME HE WAS STRUCK DOWN WITH ILLNESS AND ASKED THAT HIS BED BE PLACED NEAR AN OPEN WIINDOW SO HE COULD HEAR THE CROWD GOING TO THE GAME!!. WHEN HE DIED HE WAS LAID TO REST IN THE "VILLA CORNER" AT WITTON WHERE SEVERAL OTHER EARLY PLAYERS WERE BURIED…..
ON THE PLAYING FRONT CITY HAD ONE OF THERE MOST SUCCESSFUL SEASONS TO DATE POST WAR - ALTHOUGH NEVER IN WITH A CHANCE OF THE TITLE CITY FINISHED 4TH AND WON THE FACUP - POST WAR THE NEAREST CITY HAVE COME TO THE DOUBLE!! THE MAIN FACTOR OF THIS WAS UNDOUBTEDLY THE REVIE PLAN - A BRILLIANT PLAN DEVISED BY MANAGER LES MCDOWALL WHICH HE'D COPIED FROM THE MAGICAL HUNGARIAN SIDE OF THE EARLY TO MID FIFTIES.
NON OF THE HOME PROGRAMMES ARE PARTICULARLY HARD TO COME ACROSS. THERE WERE 25 HOME PROGRAMMES PRODUCED - THE USUAL 21 HOME GAMES AND 4 FACUP PROGS. THE FOUR INCLUDES THE ABANDONED GAME AGAINST BLACKPOOL IN THE 3RD ROUND, THE REARRANGED GAME AND THE 5TH AND 6TH ROUND GAMES AGAINST LIVERPOOL AND EVERTON. THE TWO MOST EXPENSIVE HOMES WOULD BE AGAINST MAN.UTD AND EVERTON. THESE WOULD BE AROUND £8 - £10. THE EVERTON GAME WAS ANOTHER WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON GAME - 4 DAYS AFTER THE CUP GAME AGAINST THEM. THE FACUP GAME WAS WATCHED BY 76,129 THE LEAGUE GAME 15,227 !!! ALL THE OTHERS WOULD GO FOR AROUND £5 EACH CERTAINLY WITH THE TOKEN IN.
A SELECTION OF AWAY PROGRAMMES FROM 1955/56 SEASON
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NOW WE'RE INTO THE MID-FIFTIES THE PROGRAMMES START GETTING THAT LITTLE BIT EASIER TO GET FOR THE NORMAL LEAGUE PROGRAMMES. THE LONDON CLUBS ARE NOT A PROBLEM AT ALL AND THE LIKES OF ARSENAL, CHELSEA, CHARLTON AND TOTTENHAM ARE READILY AVAILABLE AT BETWEEN £5-£7 EACH. THE NEXT BRACKET IS TOWARDS THE £10 AREA WHERE YOU WOULD EXPECT TO PICK UP THE LIKES OF BIRMINGHAM, ASTON VILLA, WEST BROM AND LUTON.
LUTON INCIDENTALLY ALONG WITH TOTTENHAM WERE STILL BEHIND THE TIMES WITH CONTENT OR PRODUCTION AND HAD PROBABLY THE WORST PROGRAMMES FOR THIS PARTICULAR SEASON. LUTON'S WAS ONLY 8 PAGES OF WHICH ONE WAS READING MATERIAL AND TOTTENHAM'S WAS ONLY 4!!
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THE NEXT AREA OF COSTS ARE THE ONES THAT WOULD BE BETWEEN £10 AND £20. DUE TO THE POPULAR FACUP RUN OF WHICH AS PREVIOUSLY STATED CITY WON, THE CUP PROGRAMMES ARE VERY SORT AFTER TO GET FROM THE GAMES OF THE CUP RUN. THE SOUTHEND PROGRAMME IS PROBABLY ACTUALLY AROUND £25, AND AN EXCELLENTLY PRODUCED PROGRAMME. THIS WAS THE GAME THAT BERT TRAUTMANN PLAYED OUT OF HIS SKIN AND MOST PEOPLE BELIEVE TO BE HIS BEST EVER GAME FOR CITY. CITY SCRAPED THROUGH 1-0. THE OTHER AWAY CUP GAME WAS LIVERPOOL IN A 5TH ROUND REPLAY. THIS GOES FOR TOWARDS £20. SO THEN TO THE OTHER LEAGUE GAMES AND AS ABOVE BETWEEN £10 - £20 YOU'D EXPECT TO GET HOLD OF THE LIKES OF PORTSMOUTH, NEWCASTLE, SUNDERLAND, PRESTON, BLACKPOOL, CARDIFF, BOLTON, BURNLEY, EVERTON, SHEFF UTD, HUDDERSFIELD AND WOLVES. THERE'S ONLY MAN.UTD AWAY THAT MIGHT JUST SCRAPE OVER £20 BUT THE ONLY REMAINING GAME NOT MENTIONED IS FOR THE SEMI FINAL AGAINST TOTTENHAM ONCE AGAIN AS PER LAST SEASON PLAYED AT VILLA PARK. NO DIFFERENCE TO LAST SEASONS EITHER - SAME LAYOUT THROUGHOUT WITH PEN PICS OF BOTH TEAMS AND THE LINE UPS IN THE CENTRE. THIS WOULD GO FOR AROUND £25 ON A LIST. |
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THIS LEADS US NICELY TO THE CUP FINAL WHICH CITY WON 3-1. JUST LIKE THE SEMI FINAL PROG THE FINAL IS NO DIFFERENT TO THE PREVIOUS SEASONS. 20 PAGES - THE FIRST HALF OF THE PROGRAMME COVERS THE DETAILS OF BIRMINGHAM SUCH AS A TEAM GROUP AND PEN PICS. THIS IS MIRRORED WITH THE OTHER HALF OF THE PROG WITH CITY'S DETAILS AND PEN PICS. THIS WOULD FETCH £25 TO £30 IN GOOD/EXCELLENT CONDITION. I ALSO HAVE A PIRATE PROG FOR THE FINAL - PICTURED RIGHT. A BIT MORE OF AN EXCITING FRONT COVER SORRY FOR HOW IS SCANNED!! THIS WAS PRODUCED BY VICTOR OF LONDON AND IS OF A CARD FORMAT WITH 4 PAGES WITH THE TEAMS IN THE MIDDLE. |
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I'VE NEVER COME ACROSS ANOTHER COPY SO QUITE HARD TO GET HOLD I'D EXPECT AND WOULD PROBABLY GO FOR THE SAME AMOUNT AS THE FINAL ITSELF.
BELOW IS 55/56'S FRIENDLY AND MINOR CUP GAMES AND IF A PROGRAMME (*) WAS PRODUCED
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GREAT BRITAIN XI PUBLIC PRACTICE MATCH GLASGOW RANGERS HIBERNIAN BURNLEY BURNLEY BARROW BOLTON WANDERERS P MUNSTER EINTRACHT NORDHERN WERDER BREMEN MUNICH 1860 PSV PFORZHEIM STERK DUSSELDORF |
H H H A H A A A A A A A A A |
10/08/55 13/08/55 12/10/55 01/11/55 14/12/55 19/12/55 05/04/56 30/04/56 10/05/56 12/05/56 13/05/56 16/05/56 20/05/56 23/05/56 |
FRIENDLY 1ST TEAM V 2ND TEAM (*) FRIENDLY (*) FRIENDLY (*) LANCASHIRE SENIOR CUP 1ST ROUND (*) LANCASHIRE SENIOR CUP 1ST ROUND REPLAY LANCASHIRE SENIOR CUP 2ND ROUND (*) MANCHESTER SENIOR CUP SEMI FINAL TOUR GERMANY TOUR GERMANY TOUR GERMANY (*) TOUR GERMANY (*) TOUR GERMANY TOUR GERMANY (*) |
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14 GAMES/PROGRAMMES TO TALK ABOUT IN THE 55/56 SEASONS FRIENDLY'S AND MINOR CUP GAMES. THE FIRST GAME COVERED WAS AGAINST A GREAT BRITAIN XI BUT ITS UNKNOWN IF A PROGRAMME WAS PRODUCED FOR THIS GAME. THE NEXT MATCH THOUGH WHICH WAS A PRACTICE GAME BETWEEN THE BLUES AND MAROONS WE FINALLY DO NOW KNOW A PROGRAMME WAS PRODUCED, BECAUSE I'VE GOT IT!! FOR A LONG TIME LIKE THE PREVIOUS SEASON IT WAS UNKNOWN IF A PROGRAMME WAS PRODUCED - I HAD ALREADY WORKED IT OUT FROM MY RESERVE ISSUES THAT THERE WAS ONE BUT NOW I'VE GOT IT THERE CERTAINLY IS!! I'D EXPECT THIS TO POSSIBLY REACH BETWEEN £80 - £100. ONE OF THE RARER PRACTICE MATCH GAMES OF THE 50'S. NUMBERED VOL 10 NO 1, A RESERVE STYLE ISSUE. THE NEXT HOME GAME COVERED WAS A FRIENDLY AGAINST RANGERS - A NORMAL FIRST TEAM ISSUE WAS PRODUCED - NO 6. THIS GOES FOR BETWEEN £20-£25. LESS THAN A MONTH LATER CITY TRAVELLED TO SCOTLAND TO FACE HIBERNIAN. A MASSIVE SIZED PROGRAMME - SEE OPPOSITE - 8 PAGES ALTOGETHER AND GOOD CONTENT - I'D EXPECT THIS TO HAVE BEEN THEIR STANDARD LEAGUE ISSUE. EVEN THIS PROGRAMME NOW WOULD FETCH £40-£50 IN GOOD NICK. |
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WE THEN HEAD INTO THE MINOR CUP GAMES THAT CITY PARTICIPATED IN. NOT A GREAT DEAL OF SUCCESS AGAIN FOR CITY IN EITHER THE LANCS OR MANCHESTER SENIOR CUPS. THE LANCS CUP CAME FIRST AND CITY ENTERTAINED BURNLEY AT MAINE ROAD. THE PROGRAMME IS PICTURED OPPOSITE - A RESERVE STYLE ISSUE NUMBERED NO 14. AN EXTREMELY DIFFICULT PROGRAMME TO GET HOLD OF AND I'D EXPECT THIS TO FETCH TOWARDS £100. IF YOU THOUGHT THAT WAS HARD IT SHOULD HAVE ORIGINALLY BEEN PLAYED ON NOV 16TH AND A PROGRAMME SIMILAR TO THE ONE OPPOSITE WAS PRODUCED NUMBERED NO 11. A POSTPONED LANCS CUP GAME - WHAT AN ABSOLUTE NIGHTMARE - IF IT EVER WAS TO COME UP THIS WOULD FETCH A SIMILAR IF NOT HIGHER FIGURE. ONCE THE GAME WAS PLAYED IT WAS A DRAW THUS A REPLAY AT TURF MOOR - I DON'T KNOW OF ANYONE THAT HAS THIS AND ITS STILL UNKNOWN AS TO IF A PROGRAMME WAS PRODUCED. CITY TRIUMPHED AND PLAYED BARROW AWAY WHERE A PROGRAMME WAS PRODUCED AND IS HARDER TO GET THAN THE PREVIOUS SEASON SO ANOTHER HIGH FIGURE AND THE PROGRAMME WOULD BE ON OFFER. FINALLY CITY WERE AWAY TO BOLTON IN THE MANCHESTER SENIOR CUP AND AGAIN ITS UNKNOWN IF ANYTHING WAS PRODUCED. |
SO THEN CITY WOUND UP THE SEASON WITH ANOTHER EUROPEAN TOUR BUT ONLY TO GERMANY THIS TIME. SIX GAMES WERE PLAYED OVER 13 DAYS AND ITS KNOWN THAT 3 OF THE GAMES HAD PROGRAMMES PRODUCED. ITS LIKELY THAT THE OTHERS WOULD HAVE ISSUED BUT I'M UNAWARE OF ANYONE THAT HAS THEM IN THEIR COLLECTION.
THE ISSUERS WERE WERDER BREMEN, MUNICH 1860 AND STERK DUSSELDORF - STERK DUSSELDORF ACTUALLY PRODUCED 2 PROGRAMMES!! ALL OF THEM WOULD FETCH PROBABLY OVER £150 EACH AND ARE VERY SOUGHT AFTER.
