This year marks the 50th anniversary of a season that ended with a thud Manchester City fans would rather forget. And yet it’s the season that changed everything.
Although the final 1966/67 league table would not reflect it – City finished 15th – the campaign marked the beginning of a golden era, the most successful run in the club’s history to that time.
In 1965/66, City dominated the Second Division to win promotion. They lost just five games and remained unbeaten at home. This was also their first season under a dugout duo that would become legendary: Manager Joe Mercer and assistant manager/coach Malcolm Allison. But more on them later.
Following 1966/67, City went on an incredible run of victories and achieved lasting glory. The club would claim the Football League First Division title, the FA Cup, the Football League Cup twice, the Charity Shield twice and the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup all within the space of the next 10 years.
And it all started exactly 50 years ago.
The ultimate buddy movie
Let’s start with the unlikely pair of Mercer and Allison.
Mercer was in his early 50s when he took over running Manchester City in 1965. As a top-flight player, he had made more than 430 appearances for Everton and Arsenal in a career that ran from 1932 to 1955 (with seven years lost to World War 2). He started managing at Sheffield United in 1955, then moved to Aston Villa.
His stint at Villa was quite remarkable. He took over the Villains in 1958 when they were bottom of the First Division. Despite leading them to the FA Cup semifinal, Mercer’s side were relegated. However, he led them right back to the top flight the next season by winning the Second Division.
In 1960/61, Villa won the League Cup under Mercer. Four years later, however, he experienced a cruel double blow. First, he suffered a stroke. Then Villa sacked him in the summer of 1964 following a 19th-place finish. But Villa’s loss was City’s gain.
After being hired to manage City, one of Mercer’s first decisions was to bring on Allison as his assistant.
Allison was nine years younger than Mercer and had played nearly 300 professional matches – the vast majority for West Ham. As the two-headed monster in charge of City, Mercer and Allison complemented each other perfectly.
Mercer was the experienced, calming, media-savvy elder statesman. Allison was the young, brash, tactically inventive ideas man doing the hands-on coaching.
A season to forget, an era to remember
While their partnership would rewrite City’s history, the 1966/67 season was more of a learning experience.
The campaign started positively with two wins in three matches, including a 2-1 victory over Liverpool in front of nearly 51,000 supporters at Maine Road. But then the wheels fell off. The Sky Blues would lose seven of their next nine games to tumble down the table.
They were awful during the turn of the new year, as well. Between 3rd December 1966 and 25th February 1967, they won just one match and drew six. In fact, City were cursed by draws that season, with a total of 15. They did manage to win three FA Cup ties before bowing out to Leeds in the sixth round.
Their overall record of 12-15-15 netted them 39 points — level with West Bromwich Albion and Burnley, but only good enough for 15th on goal average, and just three points clear of West Ham and Sunderland down in the league’s bilge. Even worse, City’s 43 goals scored was their lowest total since the 1949/50 relegation season.
The beginning of The Holy Trinity
While the 1966/67 results were not memorable, several players from that era would come to carve their name into club lore. That season is part of the origin story of The Holy Trinity.
Mike Summerbee was signed from Swindon Town in 1965 for £35,000, one of the first transfers of the Mercer era. By 1966, Summerbee was a regular starter. He would go on to make more than 350 appearances for the Sky Blues.
Signed to join him towards the end of the 1965/66 season was Colin Bell, who ultimately became arguably the club’s greatest player. Mercer closed a £45,000 deal for Bell just in time for him to help City win the Second Division and earn promotion. King Colin would eventually make 501 appearances and score 153 goals during a 13-year career.
It would be one more season until Francis Lee came along. He was acquired from Bolton Wanderers in October 1967 for a club-record £60,000. He would go on to lead the club in scoring for five consecutive years.
In time, the trio would become City’s Holy Trinity as they led the club to seven heavenly trophies.
Today, when supporters visit the Etihad, they’re graced by the presence of a statue of Summerbee, Bell and Lee outside the Colin Bell Stand. This season, every one of those supporters should take a few extra moments to pause and reflect on a time 50 years ago, when City were on the verge of entering a golden age of joy that will never be forgotten.
