Khaldoon is now the 9th longest-serving chairman in City's history

Khaldoon Al Mubarak has overtaken David Bernstein as the 9th longest-serving chairman in City's history.

There have only been 19 chairmen of City since 1894. The table below lists the dates of each tenure, and
how much success on the pitch they brought. It's noticeable that by the time our longest-serving chairman,
Peter Swales, stood down in 1994 he had been chairman for 22 of City's 100-year history.

In seven years time Khaldoon could become our 2nd longest serving chairman. I've never heard any
whispers of him moving on (not that we'd hear about it anyway) and it struck me that, as he's only in his
late 30s, Khaldoon may end up as our longest serving chairman ever.

Chairman	From	To	No. of seasons	Won	Other	Av. Lge pos.
John Chapman	1894	1902	8			17th
Edward Hulton Jr	1902	1904	2	FAC	League RU	10th
C H Waterhouse	1904	1904
Waltham Forrest	1904	1905	1			3rd
John Allison	1905	1906	1			5th
W A Wilkinson	Jun 1906	1914	8			14th
John Chapman (second spell)	Dec 1914	1920	2*			6th
Lawrence Furniss	May 1920	1928/29	9		League RU FAC SF FAC Final	13th
Albert Hughes	1928/29	1935	7	FAC	FAC SF FAC Final	8th
Bob Smith	Jul 1935	1954	12*	League		16th
Walter Smith	1954	1956	2	FAC	FAC Final	6th
Alan Douglas	1956	1964	8		LC SF	17th
Albert Alexander	Aug 1964	Nov 1971	7	League  FAC    LC  CWC		15th
Eric Alexander	Nov 1971	Oct 1972	1			4th
Peter Swales	Oct 1972	Feb 1994	22	LC	League RU FAC Final LC SF	14th
Francis Lee	Feb 1994	Mar 1998	4			28th
David Bernstein	Mar 1998	Mar 2003	5			23rd
John Wardle	May 2003	Jul 2007	4			13th
Thaksin Shinawatra	Jul 2007	Sep 2008	1			9th
Khaldoon Al Mubarak	Oct 2008	present	5	FAC League	FAC Final	4th

* League interrupted by war.

FAC = FA Cup, LC = League Cup, CWC = Cup Winners Cup, RU = Runners-up, SF = semi-final

Another thing that stands out from the table is the fact we had three chairmen in 1904 and five between
1904 and 1906. The reasons for that is something I'll be talking about tomorrow.

I've always been fascinated about the impact chairmen have on football clubs, and the role that each of ours
have played at the club is a subject I'll be coming back to in a lot more detail in the coming months.

Tomorrow: Why City have the Greatest History in World Football 

A new book on the origins of Manchester City on sale now

My first book on City's history, A Man's Game: The Birth of Mancunian Football and the Origins of 

Manchester City FC  is now on sale, published in paperback by Books & Doxey Press.

Revealing significant new evidence about City's formative years, the 218-page paperback book also
explains how football became established in Manchester, including newly-discovered details of the first
ever match played in the city.

A Man's Game also provides a social history of Victorian Manchester, examining how football was
promoted by social reformers, with the aim of promoting a "Muscular" Christianity. It throws up many
surprising finds, including the violent suicide of a St Mark's clergyman, a transvestite sex scandal and a
lacrosse game involving Iroquois Indians. It also solves the mystery of why Manchester City's forerunner,
Gorton Association, wore a Maltese Cross on their shirts, tells the story of a women's football match that
sparked riots, and reveals how the city almost hosted a rugby World Cup in 1880.

                         A Man's Game costs £9.75 plus £2.75 post and packing (UK only).

                All copies purchased through the 'Buy Now' button are signed by the author. 

                      UK Customers:

             

Also available at Amazon.co.uk           Worldwide customers:  h                    Amazon.com        or Amazon's Createspace

                         Reviews                                                                                          

MCFC Official Programme

"An essential purchase for any fan interested in the early days of association
football in Manchester.

Old Newspaper clippings and Ordnance Survey maps from the 19th century provide
a glimpse into the past, with Keenan's considered commentary and analysis adding
fascinating insights into the formation of the club, and even the naming of Maine Road".

New light on an Old Subject 

Emeritus Professor Steve Rigby (Manchester University School of History)

Andrew Keenan manages to unearth a mass of new material about the origins of the
club and offers a number of important and original interpretations of City's genesis, in
particular challenging familiar views about the part played by St Mark's church, West
Gorton, in the club's formation.

Keenan locates the development of football in Victorian Manchester in the wider context of the city's political
and social history but his background in journalism means that the book never becomes dry or overly
academic even though it is based on original research into the primary sources.
(Steve's two-page review is in the current issue of King of the Kippax, available here.)

Brilliantly Researched & Well Worth A Read
Lee Hayes (co-owner, ManCityFans.net)

This book is not just for fans of Manchester City, anybody with an interest in the
history of the beautiful game will find it to be a brilliant and interesting read.

The amount of research that has gone into the book is staggering, and is backed
up with evidence such as newspaper cuttings and old maps. As well as introducing
new evidence on some aspects of City's history it also challenges important information such as how and
when the club actually came into existence.

If you think you know all about the history of MCFC, read this book and I guarantee you will learn
something new.


Great Read
Jon Camden (assistant headmaster and former history teacher)

I love social history and I love football and if, like me, you do you'll love this book. A Man's Game is an
extremely well researched, interesting read. Keenan successfully weaves the story of the origins of
Manchester City with the wider social history of Lancashire and Manchester to produce a fresh, fast
paced, and fascinating account of the beginnings of Association Football in the North West. Sex, religion,
politics and football: a winning combination.

 I read this relatively short book cover to cover in a few hours and found it hard to put down. And no,
you don't have to be a die-hard City fan to appreciate it, I'm a South London Palace fan, this book has
a broad appeal to anyone interested in the history of football.

An Original, Well-Researched and Engaging Read
Michael Marriott (history graduate, Exeter University)

'A Man's Game' ... skilfully weaves the club's history in to Manchester's rich
socio-religious past. The author is not afraid to slaughter sacred cows; the book
reveals shocking truths about Arthur Connell, one of the Eithad's historical heroes.

What is most notable, however, is the way in which the author substantiates his arguments
with an impressive array of original contemporary sources; newspapers, correspondence and photographs
are all used to better illustrate his points. It is through this fastidious research that Andrew Keenan succeeds
in providing a more nuanced and sophisticated history of Manchester City Football Club.