FREE ARTICLE - Most influential figure in MCFC?

[gary james]

EDIT: I've hijacked this thread I started on Joshua Parlby to provide info on my latest article:

I know that a few on here have been supportive of my writing and research over the years, and so I thought I'd let you all know that my latest academic article has been published. It is free to download for a limited period, so you may as well download it and have a scan through it while it's free. This one builds on the theme of Manchester's football birth (part of my PhD) and focuses on 3 pioneering figures in Manchester football:

Jonathan Nall (Hulme Athenaeum - earliest known footy team in Lancs; and president of Manchester FA; man who presented Ardwick AFC with the first trophy this club ever won)
Fitzroy Norris (former Nottm Forest player and Bolton Wanderers manager who established Manchester's 2nd prominent team, Manchester Association)
and Joshua Parlby (the 1st manager of MCFC and recognised as the most significant influence in the club's formative years - very important man to us).

The Parlby stuff may be of interest. The paper is not written in the style of my usual books, due to the demands of the journal it's published in, so apologies if it's not quite what you'd expect, but it's definitely worth downloading.

You can download it for free here: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10. ... 7#abstract

Get it while you can. Thanks Gary


****************************Original message text********************************

120 years ago this morning Mancunians were waking up with headaches & hangovers after a giant celebration in the city to mark the opening of the ship canal by Queen Victoria. But some were also celebrating a very important anniversary in the history of MCFC- of immense significance! In fact MCFC may never have achieved anything without the actions of Joshua Parlby 120 years ago yesterday.

Basically at the League AGM, held roughly where Cafe Rouge is near the National Football Museum in Manchester now, Parlby made a passionate speech about the newly formed MCFC as he tried to get the club admitted to the Football League. The club had no players, little finance, no guaranteed ground and little else at this point but Parlby used his full range of skills to persuade the others that his Manchester City would finally give the League a Manchester club to be proud of. It helped that the meeting was held in the city on the same day that Queen Victoria opened the Ship Canal and there were widespread celebrations and he directly refered to the Queen's visit in his speech. Josh, of course, managed to get City accepted into the League.

Without Josh where would we be? A true Manchester football legend.

[mr fu]

I found it odd that the club appeared to ignore this milestone but then went on to acknowledge that NYCFC were 1 year old yesterday!?!

[Ted Hughes]

I wonder what he would make of it all today ?

[Peter Doherty (AGAIG)]

It'd probably involve a cake, Ted.

[Wonderwall]

I found it odd that the club appeared to ignore this milestone but then went on to acknowledge that NYCFC were 1 year old yesterday!?!

I notice that the club never really acknowledge the 1880 date as the merchandising is all 1894.

but on the OS when they have the articles about ON THIS DAY down the years on whatever date, the picture has dates starting 2014 going through 1900's back to 1880 (no 1894)

http://www.mcfc.co.uk/News/On-this-day/ ... ies-22-May

[mr fu]

The club does appear a little confused on the matter? Swales chose to mutely celebrate City's centenary in 1994 going off the age of MCFC, consequently ignoring Gorton Saint Marks and Ardwick

[gary james]

To be fair to the club the date of 21st May is only really about being accepted into the League as MCFC not the club's formation, and until I published the story of the AGM in Manchester The City Years I don't really think the specific date had been given any prominence.

In terms of the confusion... 1894 is the main hard formation date that can be proved. 1880 - well we know of a game in November but there could have been an earlier one that didn't get reported (I'm still searching because I find it hard to accept that the club's 1st ever game would be against a church from a different denomination that had to travel from Macclesfield to Gorton; there were other religious groups in Manchester who had played the game from 1870s and as Newton Heath played their 1st known game 7 days after St Mark's and were based only 3 miles or so away at that time I think there's more scope St Mark's would have had a kickabout more locally).

There are plenty of other dates between 1880 and 1887 when the club was restructured, re-formed etc. so which do you chose. Then 1887 is significant because of formation of Ardwick - and that's really when the modern club was born. But even that is an issue because in 1894 when MCFC was formed it was made clear that this was a different club to Ardwick and the two co-existed for a time (Ardwick played after MCFC was formed as well).

Personally, I wish we'd added a strapline saying "playing football since 1880" but to say founded 1880 isn't true for MCFC itself because it's not the same club as 1880. However, I believe quite firmly in the heart of the club being its people and so we can easily trace the involvement of key figures from 1880 and the early years through to Ardwick and on to MCFC (some still involved from 1880s in 1940s!). As with AFC Wimbledon, Rangers and others, the modern day club may not be the same legal entity as an earlier one but as far as those connected with their clubs they are the same organisation.

It's a minefield, but let's celebrate all key dates as being part of our story.

[Hazy2]

Sorry Gary, are you sure, According to the North London bitters We were dropped on the plannet a few years ago with a shed load of dough. Great read btw.

[mr fu]

The important question is...

Was Joshua Parlby at York away?

[littlebig]

What's all this talk of history?! I'm confused.

Joshua Parlby, sounds like a character straight out of the pages of a Dickens novel

[Hutch's Shoulder]

The important question is... Was Joshua Parlby at York away?

Yes but he was pissed

[gary james]

More on Josh....

I've written another article for an academic journal. This time it's about 3 pioneering figures in Manchester's footballing story - Jonathan Nall, Fitzroy Norris and Joshua Parlby.

The article is only free to download if you have university, further education or library access to the journal, but I'm hoping I can persuade the publishers to make it free for a limited period. I'll let you know if I succeed.

The article is here: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10. ... 15.1055727

These 3 men each took Manchester football on to its next level and, in the main, their stories have been ignores. Parlby has received some credit over the years from City fans, but not beyond Blues, yet he helped strengthen Manchester's position as a footballing city from the moment he arrived in Ardwick.

Norris is a former Nottm Forest player who also managed Bolton, but in between those 2 period he did all he could to establish Manchester football.

Nall was the secretary of the region's first football club, Hulme Athenaeum, and it is his story that links the roots of football in Manchester in the early 1860s with City's (Ardwick's) first trophy success.

All three need to be remembered, promoted and understood for their acheivements, hence my paper. I'll let you know if/when I get it available via a free download. Thanks.

[Im_Spartacus]

More on Josh....

I've written another article for an academic journal. This time it's about 3 pioneering figures in Manchester's footballing story - Jonathan Nall, Fitzroy Norris and Joshua Parlby.

The article is only free to download if you have university, further education or library access to the journal, but I'm hoping I can persuade the publishers to make it free for a limited period. I'll let you know if I succeed.

The article is here: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10. ... 15.1055727

These 3 men each took Manchester football on to its next level and, in the main, their stories have been ignores. Parlby has received some credit over the years from City fans, but not beyond Blues, yet he helped strengthen Manchester's position as a footballing city from the moment he arrived in Ardwick.

Norris is a former Nottm Forest player who also managed Bolton, but in between those 2 period he did all he could to establish Manchester football.

Nall was the secretary of the region's first football club, Hulme Athenaeum, and it is his story that links the roots of football in Manchester in the early 1860s with City's (Ardwick's) first trophy success.

All three need to be remembered, promoted and understood for their acheivements, hence my paper. I'll let you know if/when I get it available via a free download. Thanks.

Thanks Gary, I have access to both UCL's and Oxford Brookes' libraries, however neither are so upto date to be able to access such a recent paper - something I suspect is the case for most universities these days sadly.

I'm slowly making my way through Manchester: The City Years at the moment, I think i'm just past Billy Meredith's (final) retirement but it's pretty heavy going as the detail within the book is fantastic. Can you tell me how it ends ;0)

I particularly enjoyed reading about the parallels between the incredibly similar treatment of the footballing authorities of the nouveau riche 100 years ago, and the approach taken by UEFA and the premier league today to stop the same club....doing the same thing. It would appear that there is material within that to justify a book in itself if you could use your contacts within the club to unearth some of the shit UEFA are trying to pull behind the scenes.

Good luck with your studies

[gary james]

Thanks for that. Yes, agree with all you say about the early days and today. Nothing new in football. Back then it was protectionism by Everton, Villa and Stoke (if my memory is working). I bet none of those sides ever expected to be in the positions they are today.

Studies - finished now (well, formally finished but I carry on learning!). At the start of this month I finished my PhD and am officially Dr Gary James now. It's been tough at times, but it was something I had to do. Thanks to all those who have supported me in some way over the last few years. It's appreciated.

[Peter Doherty (AGAIG)]

Thanks for that. Yes, agree with all you say about the early days and today. Nothing new in football. Back then it was protectionism by Everton, Villa and Stoke (if my memory is working). I bet none of those sides ever expected to be in the positions they are today.

Studies - finished now (well, formally finished but I carry on learning!). At the start of this month I finished my PhD and am officially Dr Gary James now. It's been tough at times, but it was something I had to do. Thanks to all those who have supported me in some way over the last few years. It's appreciated.

Congratulations on your PhD, mate. That's quite an achievement and I'm sure it's a weight off your shoulders.

[City64]

1880 ? 1894 ? All I can say is thank fuck we were never called Newton Heath !

[mr_nool]

Congrats Gary!

[gary james]

Thanks for the comments about my PhD. Much appreciated. Cheers

[Wonderwall]

Thanks for the comments about my PhD. Much appreciated. Cheers

Well deserved Gary!

Incidentally, I had a meeting with City recently and they asked me what I thought about the representation of Citys History on the Official Site. In summary I told them to commission you to write a succinct article on the history of City for them. Starting from 1880 :-)

[dazby]

Thanks Gary.