The confirmation of the signing of Pep Guardiola as manager of the Blues this month was no big surprise. It had been much trumpeted in the pre and post Christmas period as a move destined to take place, despite the initial defending of Pelligrini by the chairman that all was well and there were no plans to replace him.
Guardiola brings much hope to the club in that he’s already being called the greatest manager to head to Manchester City as well as currently being one of the best managers in the world.
Whilst the media may already be crowning him with these dubious titles, the main question to ask is how does he shape up when compared to the greats of the past? He has form, it’s true and he’s already receiving nods of approval with his plans to buy several new players. He also has those who are keen to follow him to become part of the team, Paul Pogba of Juventus has already thrown his hat into the ring as being keen to be noticed and to make the journey to the Etihad stadium. When you look into the history of the club, however, how does the new boy at the top shape up against those who were the kings of the past?
Two names in particular who are widely regarded to be the best managers at Manchester City ever are the well-known name of Joe Mercer and the not so well known but perhaps number one boss – Wilf Wild.
Wilf Wild; manager from 14 March 1932 – 1 November 1946
The longest serving manager ever, Wilf Wild was the most successful at Manchester City in the pre-Mercer period. Not only was he the first manager of the Blues to win the title, he was also the first to win the FA Cup for the club. He’d started his career in 1920 as the club secretary at a time when many roles had more than one function and over the coming decade he slowly carved himself a niche role which became the full title of manager in 1932. With two FA Cup final appearances in his first two seasons, the previously thought of unusual approach of someone focused just on management now seemed obvious. He had the Midas touch and in 1937 they secured their first title with their playing style heralded by all as both entertaining and revolutionary.
Joe Mercer OBE; manager from 13 July 1965 – 7 October 1971, general manager until June 1972
A world class player for Arsenal and Everton, Mercer honed his management skills at Sheffield Utd and Aston Villa. He became known for his bold and stylish football and turned down the job of England manager in the early 60s. Teaming up with Malcolm Allison, he came to Maine Road with the eyes of the fans and journalists watching. They were not to be disappointed as he made the club the most exciting to watch of the era.
Promotion to the First Division in 1966 and a solid FA Cup run showed the stuff Mercer was made of and he capitalised on this by winning the League in 1968. The next season was the winning of the FA Cup and 1970 eclipsed this by taking the League again as well as the European Cup Winners Cup.
Guardiola then is stepping into some big shoes and there’s a list of online bookmakers here offering odds on if he can take the club to the Premier title this season; he may be being seen as the saviour of Manchester City but only time will tell if he can emulate the greatness of Wild and Mercer and keep the Blues where they belong – at the top.
