cityguide6

MANCHESTER CITY

GUIDE TO FOOTBALL PROGRAMMES

ISSUE NO 6 - 1951/52

ISSUE 6 CONCENTRATES ON THE 1951/52 SEASON WHICH WAS CITY'S FIRST SEASON BACK IN THE FIRST DIVISION AFTER AN ABSENCE OF JUST ONE SEASON. CITY FINISHED THIS SEASON IN A FAIRLY RESPECTABLE 15^TH PLACE. IT WAS NOT AN ENCOURAGING FINISH TO THE SEASON THOUGH AS CITY STRUGGLED IN THE 2^ND HALF OF THE SEASON SCORING 2 OR MORE GOALS IN ONLY 2 OF THERE LAST 17 GAMES.

IN REGARD TO CITY'S PROGRAMME THEY HAD AN UNOFFICIAL NEW SPONSOR FOR THE FRONT COVER WHICH WAS NOW THE "STONE-DRI" COATS WHO HAD REPLACED "SMALLMANS CATERERS"!!

CITY RETAINED THOUGH THE TOP HALF FRONT PAGE FROM THE PREVIOUS SEASON WHICH PERSONALLY APPEARS AND STANDS OUT AND IS A GREAT DESIGN - IT’S A PITY THEY HAD TO HAVE THE REST OF THE PROGRAMMES IN THOSE DAYS WITH AN ADVERT.

ANYWAY AGAIN THE PROGRAMME WAS STILL PRICED AT TWOPENCE AND STILL HAD 8 PAGES AND ALSO HAD ALL THE USUAL FEATURES. 1951/52'S HOME PROGRAMMES THOUGH INCLUDED A NICE SECTION NORMALLY ON PAGE 3 OF "YOUR FAVOURITES", THIS INCLUDED A PICTURE OF ONE OF THE PLAYERS INCLUDING A WRITE UP ON THAT PLAYERS CAREER TO DATE. THE FIRST ISSUE DOES NOT HAVE ONE AND SOME TOWARDS THE END OF THE SEASON DID NOT HAVE THIS SECTION EITHER. WATCH OUT THOUGH AS I'VE NOTICED THAT IN THE PAST SOME HAVE BEEN CUT OUT THUS LEAVING THE PROGRAMME WORTHLESS!!!

CITY'S TWO FRIENDLY GAMES HAD A PICTURE OF OUR OPPONENTS INSTEAD OF THE "YOUR FAVOURITES" SECTION.

FOR THIS SEASON THERE WERE 24 NUMBERED 1^ST TEAM STYLE PROGRAMMES ISSUED, THIS CONSISTED OF THE 21 LEAGUE GAMES, 1 FACUP GAME - ANOTHER EARLY EXIT IN THE 3^RD ROUND, AND 2 FRIENDLY GAMES - ORGANISED AGAIN PROBABLY DUE TO GOING OUT OF THE CUP EARLY AGAIN!!

NO POSTPONED PROGRAMMES SO EVERYONE'S SAFE AGAIN THERE BUT SOME OF THIS SEASON'S PROGRAMMES CAN BE QUITE HARD TO COME ACROSS WITH A NUMBER OF THEM APPEARING ON OFFERS LISTS.

UNITED WOULD BE THERE ABOUT'S REGARDING AN OFFERS LIST FOR OBVIOUS REASONS BUT THE REAL HARD ONE'S ARE STOKE, BURNLEY, WEST BROM, LIVERPOOL AND BOLTON. WITH THE STOKE AND WEST BROM THESE WOULD CERTAINLY BE ON OFFERS LISTS AND I WOULD EXPECT THESE TO FETCH MAYBE EVEN £30 - £40. BOTH ARE HARD DUE TO VERY POOR GATES - 20,000 AND 13,000. ALL THE OTHER GAMES I WOULD EXPECT YOU WOULD PAY ANYTHING BETWEEN £7 AND £15.

A SELECTION OF AWAY PROGRAMMES FROM 1951/52 SEASON

ALL THE CITY AWAY'S FROM 51/52 ARE MAINLY THE SAME IN REGARDS TO GETTING HOLD OF THEM WITH THE FEW EXCEPTIONS. STOKE YOU WILL PROBABLY FIND TO BE THE HARDEST - STOKE PROGRAMMES FROM THE 40'S AND EARLY 50'S CAN BE HARD TO OBTAIN AND THE STOKE GAME FROM THIS SEASON WOULD BE AVAILABLE BUT ONLY ON AN OFFERS BASIS. I'D EXPECT IT TO BE HEADING FOR AROUND THE £50 MARK.

OTHER HARD PROGRAMMES TO COME ACROSS ARE AS USUAL SUNDERLAND ALONG WITH MIDDLESBORO WHICH IS PROBABLY NEXT HARDEST AFTER THE STOKE. BOTH OF THESE WOULD BE AROUND £30-£35. ANOTHER THAT WOULD FETCH THIS PRICE WOULD BE WOLVES AND THE CUP GAME AGAINST THEM ASWELL.

THE NEXT ONE'S ON A PRICE SCALE DOWNWARDS WOULD BE HUDDERSFIELD, DERBY, PORTSMOUTH AND MAN.UTD - ALL POSSIBLY REACHING BETWEEN £25-£30.

THE REST OF THE AWAY'S WOULD ALL BE FAIRLY EASY TO COME ACROSS AND WOULD ALL BE OBTAINABLE AT BETWEEN £8 AND £25.

REGARDING THE PROGRAMME FRONT COVER AWARD THE ONE OPPOSITE OF SUNDERLAND IN MY BOOK WIN'S HAND'S DOWN. AN ABSOLUTE BELTER OF A FRONT COVER WITH SO MUCH CHARACTER AND DESIGN IN IT - A VERY WORTHY WINNER.

IN THE PRICE STAKES CHELSEA AND ARSENAL, NOW WHERE HAVE I HEARD THIS BEFORE WERE THE MOST EXPENSIVE PROGRAMME TO PURCHASE FOR 51/52 SEASON. BOTH WERE 6d ALTHOUGH TO COMPENSATE BOTH HAD GOOD WRITTEN CONTENT AND SOME ACTION PICTURES FROM PREVIOUS GAMES, ALONG WITH 16 PAGES - EXACTLY DOUBLE CITY'S PRODUCTION. OTHER HIGH PRICED PROGRAMMES WERE THE FULHAM AND MAN.UTD PROGRAMMES - BOTH PRICED AT 4d.

ONE OF THE MOST BORING FRONT COVERS OF 51/52 THOUGH HAS TO BE PRESTON'S. IT HAS A PICTURE UNDERNEATH THE PRESTON SIGN WHICH SHOWS A MAN FISHING ON HIS KNEES CASTING INTO A CANAL AT GARSTANG!! EVEN FUNNIER IS THE ADVERT THAT ITS TO WITH THAT STATES - "THERE'LL ALWAYS BE AN ENGLAND… AND HARRISON'S BREAD"!!! IS HARRISON'S BREAD STILL AROUND ??

ALONG WITH THE HOME PROGRAMMES THERE ARE NO POSTPONED PROGRAMMES AND JUST ONE FACUP AWAY PROGRAMME WHICH WAS FOR THE GAME AGAINST WOLVES.

BELOW IS 51/52'S FRIENDLY AND MINOR CUP GAMES AND IF A PROGRAMME (*) WAS PRODUCED

PUBLIC PRACTICE MATCH

BARROW

RIVER PLATE

MANCHESTER UNITED

HIBERNIAN

BURY

SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY

SEVILLE

ZARAGOZA

BARCELONA

11/08/51

18/10/51

25/10/51

02/02/52

23/02/52

08/03/52

26/03/52

29/04/52

18/05/52

25/05/52

02/06/52

1^ST TEAM V 2^ND TEAM (*)

LANCASHIRE SENIOR CUP 1^ST ROUND

LANCASHIRE SENIOR CUP 1^ST ROUND REPLAY (*)

FRIENDLY (*)

MANCHESTER SENIOR CUP 1^ST ROUND (*)

FRIENDLY (*)

TOUR SPAIN

CITY HAD 4 FRIENDLY/MINOR CUP HOME GAMES IN SEASON 51/52. OF THESE THERE WAS THE USUAL NOW PUBLIC TRIAL GAME BETWEEN THE BLUES AND MAROONS. THE GAME MUST HAVE BEEN QUITE GOOD, 4-3 TO THE BLUES WHICH WAS ALWAYS DESCRIBED AS THE 1^ST TEAM. THE PROGRAMME ITSELF WAS A RESERVE TYPE 4 PAGE ISSUE - IT MENTIONS IN THE INSIDE PAGES THAT A ALEXANDER WHO WAS A DIRECTOR HAD JUST RETIRED AND HAD BEEN PRESENTED WITH AN OIL PAINTING OF HIMSELF!! THE VALUE OF THE PROGRAMME WOULD BE AROUND £40 PLUS AND WOULD BE ON AN OFFERS LIST.

CITY'S OTHER FRIENDLY GAMES WERE AGAINST RIVER PLATE (PICTURED OPPOSITE) AND HIBERNIAN, FOR BOTH GAMES 1^ST TEAM STYLE PROGRAMMES WERE PRODUCED - NUMBERED 16 AND 19 RESPECTIVELY. BOTH PROGRAMMES FEATURE AS PREVIOUSLY STATED ABOVE THE USUAL INFO AND FEATURES FROM NORMAL FIRST TEAM PROGRAMMES BUT INCLUDE A PICTURE OF THE OPPOSING TEAMS. BOTH PROGRAMMES WOULD FETCH BETWEEN £15 TO £20 EACH.

CITY'S OTHER HOME GAME WHERE A PROGRAMME WAS PRODUCED WAS FOR THE MANCHESTER SENIOR CUP GAME AGAINST BURY. AS PER OTHER SIMILAR FIXTURES FROM PREVIOUS SEASONS THEY ARE VERY HARD TO OBTAIN AND THIS PROGRAMME IS NO DIFFERENT AND WOULD FETCH £100 PLUS.

TWO GAMES AGAINST BARROW WERE THE START OF THE AWAY FRIENDLY AND MINOR CUP GAMES DURING 51/52. BOTH GAMES WERE PLAYED AT BARROW EVEN THOUGH THE SECOND WAS A REPLAY IN THE LANCASHIRE SENIOR CUP.

UNUSUALLY NO ONE KNOWS IF A PROGRAMME FOR THE FIRST GAME BUT THE REPLAY THERE IS!! I'M SURE THERE WOULD BE ONE FOR THE FIRST GAME, EVEN SO BOTH ARE VERY RARE AND MUST BE APPROACHING AROUND £100 EACH IF THEY BECAME AVAILABLE.

THE NEXT GAME DURING THAT SEASON WAS A FRIENDLY AGAINST MAN.UTD IN FEBRUARY. THE PROGRAMME WAS A NORMAL UNITED ISSUE, NUMBERED NO 17 AND AS IT STATES ON THE FRONT - 2 BIG TEAM PHOTOS INSIDE!! THE PROGRAMME GOES FOR NOW BETWEEN £70 AND £90.

THE OTHER FRIENDLY WAS AGAINST SHEFF WED, THIS WAS PLAYED AT KENDAL - IT IS EXTREMELY HARD TO OBTAIN AND IS IN THE REGION OF £200 - A DEFINATE OFFERS PROGRAMME.

THE LIST OF GAMES IS COMPLETED WITH 3 GAMES AGAINST SPANISH TEAMS FROM AN END OF SEASON TOUR THERE IN MAY AND JUNE. NOTHING IS KNOWN AS TO IF PROGRAMMES EXIST BUT THE CONSENSUS IS THAT NOTHING WAS PRODUCED. IF ANYONE KNOWS DIFFERENT LET ME KNOW!!