1995–96 Manchester City F.C. season

Manchester City

1995–96 season
Chairman	David Bernstein
Manager	Alan Ball, Jr.
Stadium	Maine Road
FA Premier League	18th (relegated)
FA Cup	Fifth round
League Cup	Third round
Top goalscorer	League: Uwe Rösler (9) All: Uwe Rösler (13)
Highest home attendance	31,436 (vs. Liverpool, 5 May)
Lowest home attendance	23,617 (vs. Wimbledon, 22 November)
Average home league attendance	27,869
← 1994–95 1996–97 →

During the 1995–96 English football season, Manchester City competed in the FA Premier League (known as the FA Carling Premiership for sponsorship reasons).

Team kit

The team kit was produced by Umbro and the shirt sponsor was Brother.

True products of the nineties, the two kits used in the 1995–96 season were over-designed, with the away kit in particular leaving a legacy as being one of the worst kits of Premier League history. The home kit, while on the face of it a classic plain blue shirt with white shorts, in fact had a pattern inlaid in such a way as was only visible when caught by the light, which contained an outer circle similar to the club badge at the time, with the word "City" in giant capital letters over the top. The away kit was intended as a tribute to the classic red and black stripes which City had worn as an away kit on a number of occasions previously, but for no apparent reason had two-tone grey shoulder stripes as well as an embossed shield which was more suited to the shape of the club's badge after its redesign in 1997 (by which point the shirt was no longer being worn) than the circular badge of the time.

Home

Away

Season summary

When Alan Ball was named as Manchester City manager at the start of the new season, he said that his job was "the envy of millions". But it quickly appeared to be a poisoned chalice, as a City side in the middle of a major transition (with many older players being transferred to make way for the club's promising set of youngsters) failed to win any of their first 11 Premiership games. Then game four wins from their next five games, which lifted City out of the relegation zone, regularly passing through the revolving door of third place from bottom.

A 2-2 home draw with third-placed Liverpool on the final day of the season looked to have secured their survival. But positive results and a greater goal difference for the two sides directly above them - Coventry City and Southampton - condemned the club to relegation after seven years in the top flight.

Final league table

Main article: 1995-96 FA Premier League

Pos	Team	Pl	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
1.	Manchester United	38	25	7	6	73	35	82
2.	Newcastle United	38	24	6	8	66	37	78
3.	Liverpool	38	20	11	7	70	34	71
4.	Aston Villa	38	18	9	11	52	35	63
5.	Arsenal	38	17	12	9	49	32	63
6.	Everton	38	17	10	11	64	44	61
7.	Blackburn Rovers	38	18	7	13	61	47	61
8.	Tottenham Hotspur	38	16	13	9	50	38	61
9.	Nottingham Forest	38	15	13	10	50	54	58
10.	West Ham United	38	14	9	15	43	52	51
11.	Chelsea	38	12	14	12	46	44	50
12.	Middlesbrough	38	11	10	17	35	50	43
13.	Leeds United	38	12	7	19	40	57	43
14.	Wimbledon	38	10	11	17	55	70	41
15.	Sheffield Wednesday	38	10	10	18	48	61	40
16.	Coventry City	38	8	14	16	42	60	38
17.	Southampton	38	9	11	18	34	52	38
18.	Manchester City	38	9	11	18	33	58	38
19.	Queens Park Rangers	38	9	6	23	38	57	33
20.	Bolton Wanderers	38	8	5	25	39	71	29

Key
Qualified for the Champions League
Qualified for the UEFA Cup
Qualified for the Cup Winners' Cup
Relegated to Division One

Results

Manchester City's score comes first

Legend

Win

Draw

Loss

FA Premier League

Date	Opponent	Venue	Result	Attendance	Scorers
19 August 1995	Tottenham Hotspur	H	1-1	30,827	Rösler
23 August 1995	Coventry City	A	1-2	15,957	Rösler
26 August 1995	Queens Park Rangers	A	0-1	14,212
30 August 1995	Everton	H	0-2	28,432
10 September 1995	Arsenal	H	0-1	23,994
16 September 1995	Newcastle United	A	1-3	36,501	Creaney
23 September 1995	Middlesbrough	H	0-1	25,865
30 September 1995	Nottingham Forest	A	0-3	25,620
14 October 1995	Manchester United	A	0-1	35,707
21 October 1995	Leeds United	H	0-0	26,390
28 October 1995	Liverpool	A	0-6	39,267
4 November 1995	Bolton Wanderers	H	1-0	28,397	Summerbee
18 November 1995	Sheffield Wednesday	A	1-1	24,422	Lomas
22 November 1995	Wimbledon	H	1-0	23,617	Quinn
25 November 1995	Aston Villa	H	1-0	28,027	Kinkladze
2 December 1995	Leeds United	A	1-0	33,249	Creaney
9 December 1995	Middlesbrough	A	1-4	29,469	Kinkladze
18 December 1995	Nottingham Forest	H	1-1	25,660	Rösler
23 December 1995	Chelsea	H	0-1	28,668
26 December 1995	Blackburn Rovers	A	0-2	28,915
1 January 1996	West Ham United	H	2-1	26,024	Quinn (2)
13 January 1996	Tottenham Hotspur	A	0-1	31,438
20 January 1996	Coventry City	H	1-1	25,710	Rösler
31 January 1996	Southampton	A	1-1	15,172	Rösler
3 February 1996	Queens Park Rangers	H	2-0	27,509	Clough, Symons
10 February 1996	Everton	A	0-2	37,354
24 February 1996	Newcastle United	H	3-3	31,115	Quinn (2), Rösler
2 March 1996	Blackburn Rovers	H	1-1	29,078	Lomas
5 March 1996	Arsenal	A	1-3	34,519	Creaney
12 March 1996	Chelsea	A	1-1	17,078	Clough
16 March 1996	Southampton	H	2-1	29,550	Kinkladze (2)
23 March 1996	West Ham United	A	2-4	24,017	Quinn (2)
30 March 1996	Bolton Wanderers	A	1-1	21,050	Quinn
6 April 1996	Manchester United	H	2-3	29,688	Kavelashvili, Rösler
8 April 1996	Wimbledon	A	0-3	11,844
13 April 1996	Sheffield Wednesday	H	1-0	30,898	Rösler
27 April 1996	Aston Villa	A	1-0	39,336	Lomas
5 May 1996	Liverpool	H	2-2	31,436	Rösler (pen), Symons

FA Cup

Main article: 1995–96 FA Cup

Round	Date	Opponent	Venue	Result	Attendance	Goalscorers
R3	6 January 1996	Leicester City	A	0-0	20,640
R3R	17 January 1996	Leicester City	H	5-0	19,980	Rösler, Kinkladze, Quinn, Lomas, Creaney
R4	7 February 1996	Coventry City	A	2-2	18,709	Busst (own goal), Flitcroft
R4R	14 February 1996	Coventry City	H	2-1	22,419	Clough, Symons
R5	18 February 1996	Manchester United	A	1-2	42,692	Rösler

League Cup

Main article: 1995–96 Football League Cup

Round	Date	Opponent	Venue	Result	Attendance	Goalscorers
R2 First Leg	19 September 1995	Wycombe Wanderers	A	0-0	7,443
R2 Second Leg	4 October 1995	Wycombe Wanderers	H	4-0	11,474	Rösler (2), Quinn, Curle (pen)
R3	25 October 1995	Liverpool	A	0-4	29,394

Squad

[1] Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player 2 DF Richard Edghill 3 DF Michael Frontzeck 4 MF Steve Lomas 5 DF Keith Curle 6 DF Giuseppe Mazzarelli (on loan from FC Zürich) 7 MF Georgi Kinkladze 8 FW Gerry Creaney 9 FW Niall Quinn 11 MF Peter Beagrie 12 DF Ian Brightwell 13 GK Martyn Margetson 14 DF Kit Symons 15 DF Alan Kernaghan 16 MF Nicky Summerbee 17 MF Michael Brown

No. Position Player 18 FW Nigel Clough 19 MF Martin Phillips 20 DF Lee Crooks 21 GK Eike Immel 23 MF David Kerr 24 DF Scott Hiley (on loan from Birmingham City) 25 GK Andy Dibble 26 MF Scott Thomas 27 DF Rae Ingram 28 FW Uwe Rösler 29 DF John Foster 30 DF Chris Beech 31 MF Aled Rowlands 32 FW Mikhail Kavelashvili

Sold during season

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player 1 GK Tony Coton (to Manchester United) 3 DF Terry Phelan (to Chelsea) 3 MF Ronnie Ekelund (on loan from Barcelona) 6 DF Michel Vonk (to Sheffield United) 8 FW Paul Walsh (to Portsmouth) 10 MF Garry Flitcroft (to Blackburn Rovers)

No. Position Player 14 FW Carl Griffiths (to Portsmouth) 18 DF David Brightwell (to Bradford City) 19 FW Fitzroy Simpson (to Portsmouth) 24 FW Adie Mike (to Stockport County) 31 MF Paul Lake (retired) 32 DF Eduard Abazaj (on loan from Benfica)

Statistics

Starting 11

Considering starts in all competitions

No.	Pos	Nat	Name	MS	Notes
21	GK		Eike Immel	41
2	RB		Richard Edghill	16	Michael Brown has 16 starts
12	CB		Ian Brightwell	29
5	CB		Keith Curle	35
14	LB		Kit Symons	41
16	RM		Nicky Summerbee	34
10	CM		Garry Flitcroft	26
4	CM		Steve Lomas	35
7	LM		Georgi Kinkladze	40
9	CF		Niall Quinn	27
28	CF		Uwe Rösler	28

References