Boxing Day 2009: "City!" Malcolm Allison’s Televised Downfall

Posted on 26 December 2009 by JamesHamilton

In 1981, Manchester City, a club in Salford whose big spending hadn’t brought results, allowed in the television cameras. Not entirely by coincidence, he chose the same period to sack championship-winning City coach Malcolm Allison in favour of John Bond, who’d take them to the FA Cup Final. Twenty years earlier, Bond had been a disciple of Allison’s, part of a group including Bobby Moore and Noel Cantwell who grew up in Big Mal’s exuberant shadow at West Ham.

It’s all here. Compelling, saddening, and embarrassing all at once:

Part One:

Part Two:

Part Three:

Part Four:

Part Five:

Part Six:

3 Comments For This Post

  1. Tim newman Says:
    December 27th, 2009 at 5:20 am

    I don’t think Manchester City was in Salford in 1981, they’d been at Maine Road since 1923 which was definitely Manchester (Moss Side, to be precise). Old Trafford, on the other hand, is arguably in Salford.

  2. Jeremy Jacobs Says:
    December 27th, 2009 at 1:39 pm

    Allison, could have been England’s manager

  3. Carl Says:
    December 28th, 2009 at 9:09 pm

    John Bond’s analysis of Big Mal towards the end is spot on.

    I can highly recommend David Tossell’s biography from last year:

    http://www.amazon.co.uk/Big-Mal-Malcolm-Allison-Football/dp/184596330X

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