Let's hope Devaney doesn't do an Alan Ball!

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Alan Ball, a World Cup winner with England, was appointed as Manchester City manager in the summer of 1995 having led Southampton to a 10th-place finish in the top-flight the previous season.

The move was met with animosity by both fanbases. Saints supporters were upset that Ball had left the club and whenever he returned to The Dell in later years he was met with abuse by some sections of the crowd.
Meanwhile, City fans were suspicious that the 50-year-old had only been given the job because of his friendship with chairman and former England teammate Francis Lee.

Ball’s tenure at Maine Road couldn’t have started much worse. He failed to win any of his first 11 league games – losing nine of them – and City were rooted to the bottom of the table.

They were beaten 4-0 and 6-0 by Liverpool in the space of three days in the Premier League and League Cup and supporters called for Ball to be sacked.

Alan Ball had suffered a tough debut season at Maine Road, with his side battling the drop on the last day of the season
Alan Ball had suffered a tough debut season at Maine Road, with his side battling the drop on the last day of the season

However Lee stuck with his friend and City’s fortunes improved. Ball won the Manager of the Month award in November and dragged the club to the brink of safety.

Back-to-backs wins over Sheffield Wednesday and Aston Villa in April meant they headed into the final day with a chance of staying up.

Bolton and Queens Park Rangers were already down, with City fighting with Coventry and Ball’s old side Southampton to avoid being the final team relegated.

All three clubs began the day level on points, but City’s goal difference was seven worse than their rivals.

They were level with Ball's former side Southampton and Coventry on 37 points - but were worse off by seven goals - ahead of taking on third-placed Liverpool
They were level with Ball's former side Southampton and Coventry on 37 points - but were worse off by seven goals - ahead of taking on third-placed Liverpool
“The build up to the game was huge, with various permutations and scenarios mulled over in the press, but we still felt confident that we could pull off what would be, considering the awful start we’d made to the season, the great escape.”

And the Reds took the lead at City's ground, with a Steve Lomas own goal and Ian Hunt strike putting them 2-0 up at half time
And the Reds took the lead at City's ground, with a Steve Lomas own goal and Ian Hunt strike putting them 2-0 up at half time
But a Kit Symons strike and Uwe Rosler penalty put City back on level terms
But a Kit Symons strike and Uwe Rosler penalty put City back on level terms

“I am confident we will stay up, because we have prepared well and we are ready,” Ball said at the time.
Famous last words.
Liverpool were 1-0 up inside six minutes at Maine Road as Steve Lomas turned Steve McManaman's cross into his own net.
Ian Rush, in his last league game for Liverpool, doubled the lead just before halftime.

At the break, City had a mountain to climb while the games at Coventry and Southampton were both goalless.

However hope arrived when Rosler converted a penalty on 71 minutes, and Kit Symons equalised eight minutes later. City had 11 minutes to find a winning goal, complete a dramatic turnaround and stay up.

One fan in the stands heard over the radio that a draw would be enough for City to stay up
One fan in the stands heard over the radio that a draw would be enough for City to stay up
’That:s if they didn’t think they were already safe.

A supporter at Maine Road, seemingly listening to the other scores come through on a portable radio, spread a message around the ground that the draw would be enough to keep City in the Premier League.

Word reached Ball, who took the information as gospel and told his players to protect the point which he believed to be so precious.

“We needed a third, but with a few minutes remaining, we got an instruction from the bench to hold the ball in the corner and waste time as they’d heard Wimbledon had taken the lead at Southampton,” Rosler said.

And the messaged was passed onto Ball's bench, ordering the team to keep the ball in the last minutes
And the messaged was passed onto Ball's bench, ordering the team to keep the ball in the last minutes
“Alan Ball called me over and said, ‘We're up, kill this game off, just do whatever you can’”, captain Lomas recalled.

Following the instructions of his manager, Lomas dribbled the ball to the corner flag and held it there as the seconds ticked down to City’s seemingly impending survival.

But the message that Ball had been fed was false. Wimbledon had not scored at The Dell and it was still goalless at Coventry too, meaning City were still in the bottom three. Niall Quinn was the man to deliver the bad news to his teammates.

But it was not the case as Southampton were drawing 0-0 with Wimbledon...
But it was not the case as Southampton were drawing 0-0 with Wimbledon...
While Coventry were drawing with Leeds, meaning a win was needed for City to stay up
While Coventry were drawing with Leeds, meaning a win was needed for City to stay up

The Irish striker had been taken off injured earlier in the game and was watching the other scores come in on television. Realising the club were not yet safe, Quinn sprinted out onto the touchline in his smart shirt and trousers to tell the team to stop time-wasting.

“I had gone off after about an hour and was watching it on TV, so I knew what the situation was,” Quinn recalled.

“I had to run up the tunnel and get the message on that we needed another.”

“Quinny raced from the physio room and up the touchline and yelled at us that we needed another goal, but we’d already wasted a few valuable moments,” Rosler said.

It saw the injured City forward Niall Quinn run down to the pitch and tell the players to score
"If it wasn't so serious there was great comic value in seeing big Niall running half-dressed down the touchline to say a draw wasn’t enough,” Lomas said.

“It's the quickest I had ever seen Niall run! He told us we needed to win so it was just crazy.”

But it was too late to save City. Just when they realised they had to score another, the referee blew for full-time, confirming their relegation on goal difference as Southampton and Coventry had both drawn 0-0.

But it was too late as Ball's side could not find a winner, ending the match 2-2
It saw City end a seven-year stay in the top flight of English football

 

Was there an echo where you wrote this.

 

Haha Cut and pasted

 

Fell asleep reading all that. Was any of it relevant to Barnsley?

 

Av read war and peace quicker

 

Ball. There was one on the pitch today.