Will history repeat itself? When Manchester City were forced to sell all their players it was the local rivals who benefitted the most
In 1904, Manchester City won the FA Cup, becoming the first Manchester side to do so. A season later they almost did the Double but following which Billy Meredith was fined £100 and suspended by the FA without pay for seeking to bribe Aston Villa captain Alec Leake during the final league match of the season.
A furious Meredith then reacted by blowing the lid on Manchester City’s breaking of the maximum wage rule. This was bound to alert the FA, who once again was forced to carry out another lengthy investigation into the financial activities of Manchester City. Manager Tom Maley was interviewed and he admitted that he had followed, by secretly withholding some of the gate receipts, what seemed like standard English practice at time of making additional payments to all the players.
He claimed that if all First Division clubs were investigated ‘not four would come out unscathed’.
Meredith supported such a statement saying that “clubs
are not punished for breaking the law, They are punished for being found out.”
As a result of their investigation, the FA report on June 4th 1906 led to Tom Maley being suspended from football for life. Seventeen players were
fined and suspended until January 1907, after which, with the FA ruling that
they could not play for City again, they were to be sold. In protest, Billy
Gillespie, centre-forward in the 1904 FA Cup final but now primarily a reserve
team player, refused to pay his fine and instead emigrated to the United
States, where he continued playing football till he died in 1942.
Manchester City were forced to put the offending players up
for sale at an auction at the Queen’s Hotel in Manchester, which, despite the
transfer rules barring players being approached in advance before 1
December,1907, appears to have been rigged in
advance.
“Turnbull is sure to join Meredith at United.” Athletic News - Monday 3rd December 1907
Four of the best were snapped up by the 8th of December by the bowler-hatted Manchester United boss Ernest Mangnall, with City getting nothing for Meredith, who had scored 145 goals in 338 games. This was something of a bargain to put it mildly. In return for the loss of his City service benefit match, Meredith was given £500 by his new club who also paid his £100 fine.
Mangnall’s other purchases were Herbert Burgess, who such
was his standing was almost as sought after as Meredith, Alex ‘Sandy’ Turnbull
and Jimmy Bannister.
Other City players were sold to Bury who paid £750 for
McMahon and Booth, reserve keeper Edmonson was sold to Bolton for £250 while
Hynds was swapped for Blair at Arsenal. Frost went back to Millwall whilst
Livingstone joined Rangers. The first great Manchester side had been broken up.
How long would there be for a second? Manchester City had accrued £2,000 from
sales and so now had monies to spend, could they outwit United and its new
players?
Mangnall had outfoxed his rivals by arranging the deals
with Manchester City in advance. United already had a relationship with
Meredith by dint of the fact that the money he had obtained to set up his
sports equipment shop in St Peter’s Square in the city had come from its owner Henry Davies.
With his new players forming the bedrock of his team, Mangnall led United to two title wins and an FA Cup success between 1908 and 1911. It was Manchester United's first Halcyon era. Meanwhile, City were relegated in 1910 although they did win promotion the following season.
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