WILF WILD AND FRANK SWIFT

We are nearing the end of the season! Well we should be; Covid-19 has decided the fate of footy in 2019-2020. I have to write a report for Hepworth United FC this week, so the "Village Magazine" can have a record of the season. What to write? I'll put that to one side for a while and concentrate on this day's "Blog".
How many of you know about Wilf Wild? Frank Swift?
Born 1893 Died 1950.
Manager Man City 1932-46.
He started his career at City as a secretary and one way and another became manager in 1932.
His first season saw a 1933 FA Cup Final defeat by Everton and Dixie Dean-0-3.
In 1933-4 City beat Portmouth in the Final 2-1 and came 5th in the League.
(Matt Busby at right half)
This season Wild appointed Frank Swift as goalkeeper, who became a hero for 16 years. He won 19 caps for England (interrupted by the War), retired in 1949 to become a journalist and doing that job, he died in the Munich air crash. Swift won the FA Cup winners' medal in 1934 and fainted under the strain at the end of the game as he picked up his cap from the goal. A photographer behind the goal was counting down the seconds raising the tension!  Frank had big hands!

Stanley Rous was the 1934 referee, who held the whistle. He became FA Secretary, was Knighted and later became president of FIFA.
1934-5 4th in Div 1
1935-6 9th and then....CORONATION YEAR 1937
In 1936-7 season Manchester City topped the First Division (top one!) by 3 points from Charlton, with Arsenal queuing up in third a further 2 behind. The City playing record was:
P42 W22 D13 L7 F107 A61 Pts 57.

In 1937-8 City, the reigning champions, were relegated in second to bottom place (21/22) above WBA on GOAL DIFFERENCE....and the City playing record was:
P42 W14 D8 L20 F80 A77 Pts 36.....note a positive goal difference!
WBA also with 36 pts had a goal difference of 74-91...more appropriate for a bottom end team.

Man City were 2 points behind Grimsby, Portsmouth, Birmingham, Stoke all on 38....the top team Arsenal earned 52 points.

In 1938-9 City were 5th in the Second Division scoring more goals than the Champions, Blackburn Rovers. City were "Gung-ho" again scoring 96 goals (more than anyone else in the division) and conceding 72.

In 1946-7, the first season after the War, City win the Second Division title, with Sam Cowan as manager and Wild (below) happy as secretary until 1950, when he died.
 and here are City's managers

• Hopkinson (1880–82)
• Kitchen (1884–87)
• Chew (1887–89)
• Furniss (1889–93)
• Parlby (1893–95)
• Ormerod (1895–1902)
• Maley (1902–06)
• Newbould (1906–12)
• Committee (1912)
• Mangnall (1912–24)
• Ashworth (1924–25)
• Committee (overseen by Albert Alexander Sr.) (1925–26)
• Hodge (1926–32)
• Wild (1932–46)
• Cowan (1946–47)
• Wild^c (1947)
• Thomson (1947–50)
• McDowall (1950–63)
• Poyser (1963–65)
• Committee (1965)
• Mercer (1965–71)
• Allison (1971–73)
• Hart (1973)
• Book^c (1973)
• Saunders (1973–74)
• Book (1974–79)
• Allison (1979–80)
• Book^c (1980)
• Bond (1980–83)
• Benson (1983)
• McNeill (1983–86)
• Frizzell (1986–87)
• Machin (1987–89)
• Book^c (1989)
• Kendall (1989–90)
• Reid (1990–93)
• Book^c (1993)
• Horton (1993–95)
• Hartford^c (1996)
• Ball (1995–96)
• Coppell (1996)
• Neal^c (1996)
• Clark (1996–98)
• Royle (1998–2001)
• Keegan (2001–05)
• Pearce (2005–07)
• Eriksson (2007–08)
• Hughes (2008–09)
• Mancini (2009–13)
• Kidd^c (2013)
• Pellegrini (2013–16)
• Guardiola (2016–)