Memorable Sky Blue debuts... (1 Viewer)

The Great Eastern said:

Speedo's first league appearance for us was against Spurs at HR. Scored a classy goal as well.

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My bad memory.
Dug the programme out.
Remember it now because Mabbutt got the Spurs goal. Lovely irony.

ccfcrob said:

Paul Telfer, 95-96 home to Man City first game of the season. Got both goals

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Did he? Well it was all downhill from there......

SBchimp said:

Big Mo, away at Spurs, first tackle put a Tottenham player in the stands

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Is it just me as I thought Konjic was average at best? For some reason managed to get this “cult hero” status for reasons I’m not sure. Was it another sob story in the Bigirimana mould?

Has anyone mentioned Chris McGuire banging 2 free kicks in at MK Dons after coming on as a sub??

Adge said:

Is it just me as I thought Konjic was average at best? For some reason managed to get this “cult hero” status for reasons I’m not sure. Was it another sob story in the Bigirimana mould?

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I seem to remember a story that he’d played in a game, prior to signing for us, where he’d broken his arms and carried on playing in agony. That sort of stuff, and having a nose that had clearly received cosmetic surgery via the application of a frying pan, endears players to fans.
However, I’d agree, for us he wasn’t all that; he played more like his legs were broken. Give me Peter Billing any day of the week.
Having said that did anyone else’s heart skip a beat when they first saw that a P Billing was playing for Huddersfield? “Surely not....”!?!

Arr Peter Billing I don’t know where he got his reputation from tough but not particularly dirty but I swear every centre forward who played against looked scared stiff,

Irish Sky Blue said:

Home defeat to Everton in the relegation season I think. He had a terrible game.

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He signed two seasons before that but hardly played. He was dreadful, cost £2m and only really got in the side regularly once we went down

Magwitch said:

Arr Peter Billing I don’t know where he got his reputation from tough but not particularly dirty but I swear every centre forward who played against looked scared stiff,

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He certainly looked menacing. Kinda like a Ray Reardon without the waistcoat...A Ray Reardon that you wouldn’t trust not to wrap his snooker cue round your head.
Like you say though, I don’t remember him being dirty at all. I saw him have some decent games as well.

A couple I can remember from the early eighties were Jim Melrose scoring a hat trick v Everton in a 4-2 win and Rudi Kaiser scoring in the first 10 minutes of his home debut. Both did very little after that!

I started going regular 66/67 season so have seen many cracking centre halves play for City. The perfect centre half debut saw Larry LLoyd at Derby away 1974. He won every ball in the air just like loads of City centre halves before him. The difference with Lloyd though was that every header won was directed perfectly to the foot of a City player. Obviously schooled the right way from his previous club Liverpool. He stayed a couple of years then went to Forest and won everything.

The title is "Memorable debuts" not best so we have to consider Eric McManus's debut as a goalie at Bayern Munich

I was at Bayern away. Had a beer with the injured Bill Glazier in the club house before the game. To be fair to McManus it pissed down before and during the game making the conditions horrendous for saving goals and he was up against DerbBomber Gerd . Muller.

Esoterica said:

One of the less obvious ones is the 2-1 win vs Middlesborough on the opening day of the 92/93 season. Remember John Williams scoring 10 mins into his debut and then a young Phil babb coming on for his debut with 20 mins to go and looking very classy. This naive teenager thought we were going to be in for an amazing season...

EDIT: Just googled that and the opening day of the season attendance was 12,681...

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Williams was sensational.

Considering how we ended the previous season, we *did* have an amazing season. All things are relative!

The Great Eastern said:

Speedo's first league appearance for us was against Spurs at HR. Scored a classy goal as well.

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Lol at my 6 year old attempt at wit in the description :woot:

johnb said:

I was at Bayern away. Had a beer with the injured Bill Glazier in the club house before the game. To be fair to McManus it pissed down before and during the game making the conditions horrendous for saving goals and he was up against DerbBomber Gerd . Muller.

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Johnb. Bloody hell. Now that is a real claim to fame and I tip my hat off to you. There can't be many posters on here or anywhere for that matter to watch City play in European competition away. That was our second and last ever European away game. How many City attended the game in Bayern from memory?

The closest I've come to watch City play in "Europe" was in the 1st leg of the 'Anglo-Scottish Challenge Cup' in 1987 vs. St. Mirren. The last ever Anglo-Scottish Cup game. The second leg was never played. I think should we should play it in 2027 and set a new world record for the longest time between the first and second legs in Cup games.

tisza said:

My bad memory.
Dug the programme out.
Remember it now because Mabbutt got the Spurs goal. Lovely irony.

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Double irony, his goal was via a deflection.

MusicDating said:

Lol at my 6 year old attempt at wit in the description :woot:

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I was at that game and the atmosphere was absolutely electric. Brilliant scenes to welcome the Cup winners home.

As a point of interest, I believe John Sillett (Sir John in my eyes) regretted signing Speedie. Not for his ability on the pitch but for disrupting the dressing room. I personally felt the signings post 87 never quite worked for various reasons.

Whenever I do re-watch matches of the 80s, I'm always incredibly impressed by Benno. Again in my eyes I think perhaps we under-rated how good he really was - for me an all time City legend. I remember games (such as away at Luton in 85?) in which he terrorised defences - he had everything both as a creator and finisher. Benno was and always will be one of our most popular players but in footballing terms I think he's one of our very best.

Danny. We took a plane load from Luton airport , so about two /three hundred plus a few who made their own way, some hitched their way there. I was 15 at the time and wagged a day off school. Loads of us drinking in the Munich beer halls pre game . Bayern ground then was old and wooden , was before their Olympic stadium. As the game about to start we were in the side covered end and loads of Bayern fans from the open end behind the goal came towards us to get out of the rain. All hell then broke loose and the Daily Mirror headline the day after was something like, “Coventry fans try to start WW2 all over again..”. It was a different football and fan era.
Anyways, got to go and get ready for tonight’s game. Block 16 , still go home and away , same as ever.