Manchester City

2002–03 season
Owner	Publicly traded company
Chairman	David Bernstein (until 5 Mar. 2003) John Wardle
Manager	Kevin Keegan
Stadium	Maine Road
Premier League	9th
FA Cup	Third round
League Cup	Third round
Top goalscorer	League: Nicolas Anelka (14 goals) All: Nicolas Anelka (14 goals)
Highest home attendance	35,141 (v. Liverpool, 28 September 2002)
Lowest home attendance	21,820 (v. Crewe Alexandra, 1 October 2002)
Average home league attendance	34,564
Home colours Away colours Third colours
←  2001–02 2003–04 →

Results summary - all competitions
	Wins	Draws	Losses	Win %
Home	10	2	9	47.6%
Away	6	4	10	30.0%
Both	16	6	19	39.0%

Results summary - Premier League
	Wins	Draws	Losses	Win %
Home	9	2	8	47.4%
Away	6	4	9	31.6%
Both	15	6	17	39.5%

The 2002–03 season was Manchester City Football Club's first season back playing in the Premier League again after having been relegated from it at the end of the 2000–01 season. This was the club's sixth season playing in the Premier League since its initial formation as the top tier of English football ten years earlier, with Manchester City as one of its original 22 founding member clubs. Overall, this was Manchester City's 111th season playing in any division of English football, most of which have been spent in the top flight.

Season review

This season was the team's first one playing in the Premier League under the stewardship of Kevin Keegan who, having taken over the helm as manager from Joe Royle after the club had been relegated to the Football League First Division fifteen months earlier, had led the club to an immediate promotion back to the top flight. In fact, the previous season had seen Manchester City promoted in style, with the team breaking many prior club records as it became the new First Division champions. This successful campaign allowed Keegan to delve into the transfer market in the summer and he brought in a number of high-profile players - such as striker Nicolas Anelka, defender Sylvain Distin and goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel - in an effort to ensure that the team was strong enough to remain in the Premier League now that it was back there again.

By spending the £13m transfer fee required to bring Anelka to Manchester City from Paris Saint-Germain the club broke its previous transfer record. Sylvain Distin also transferred over to Manchester City from PSG for £5m, while Peter Schmeichel joined the club on a free transfer from Aston Villa. Some of the other players Keegan brought in during the newly introduced summer transfer window were Marc-Vivien Foé, who joined the club on a season-long loan from Lyon, Vicente Matías Vuoso (from Independiente) and Mikkel Bischoff. Additionally, Robbie Fowler, David Sommeil and Djamel Belmadi were also signed by Keegan a few months later during the 2003 January transfer window.

The new year would also see the man that had been the main impetus behind the hiring of Kevin Keegan, chairman David Bernstein, fall out with his new hire and leave the club following a boardroom dispute over finances and managerial structure that followed closely on the back of the previous week's resignation of the club's managing director. The initial cause of this dispute had occurred back in January concerning the protracted transfer saga of Robbie Fowler (which Bernstein had originally brokered). ^[1] He was succeeded as club chairman by former deputy chairman John Wardle. ^[2]

This season's campaign would finally see Manchester City win its first Manchester Derby in over 13 years, allowing Peter Schmeichel to establish an exceptional record where he has never been on the losing side in a derby game. During his nine years playing with Manchester United the Reds were unbeaten against Manchester City, while in his single final season playing with the Blues, City won the derby game played at Maine Road and drew the one played at Old Trafford. This was also to be Manchester City's last season playing at its historic Maine Road ground before moving to its current home at City of Manchester Stadium. Consequently, the last game of the season was also the last game ever played at the club's old ground, and Marc-Vivien Foé would have the distinction of being recorded in the soccer annals as the player who scored the last ever goal for Manchester City at Maine Road.

Team kit

The team kit was produced by Le Coq Sportif and the shirt sponsorship was provided by the financial and legal services group First Advice. ^[3]

Home

Away

Third

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (November 2010)

First-team squad

Squad at end of season ^[4]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK   DEN Peter Schmeichel 2 DF   FRA David Sommeil 3 DF   DEN Niclas Jensen 4 DF   NED Gerard Wiekens 5 DF   FRA Sylvain Distin 6 MF   NIR Kevin Horlock 7 FW   ENG Darren Huckerby 8 MF   ALG Ali Benarbia 9 FW   CRC Paulo Wanchope 10 FW   BER Shaun Goater 11 FW   ENG Jon Macken 12 GK   ENG Nicky Weaver 13 MF   FRA Christian Negouai 14 DF   ISR Eyal Berkovic 15 DF   NOR Alfie Haaland 16 DF   SCO Paul Ritchie 17 DF   CHN Sun Jihai 19 MF   AUS Danny Tiatto 20 GK   ENG Carlo Nash

No. Pos. Nation Player 21 FW   ARG Vicente Matías Vuoso 22 DF   IRL Richard Dunne 23 MF   CMR Marc-Vivien Foé (on loan from Lyon) 24 DF   ENG Steve Howey 25 DF   CMR Lucien Mettomo 27 DF   DEN Mikkel Bischoff 28 DF   NED Tyrone Loran 29 MF   ENG Shaun Wright-Phillips 30 DF   IRL Paddy McCarthy 31 MF   ALG Djamel Belmadi (on loan from Marseille) 32 GK   DEN Kevin Stuhr-Ellegaard 33 FW   ENG Robbie Fowler 34 DF   ENG Stephen Jordan 35 GK   IRL Brian Murphy 36 MF   IRL Glenn Whelan 39 FW   FRA Nicolas Anelka 40 MF   ENG Chris Shuker 41 MF   ENG Joey Barton

Left club during season

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 18 MF   NIR Jeff Whitley (released) 31 DF   FRA Laurent Charvet (to Sochaux) 33 FW   NZL Chris Killen (to Oldham Athletic) 33 GK   ENG Tim Flowers (on loan from Leicester City)

No. Pos. Nation Player 37 MF   CAN Terry Dunfield (to Bury) 38 MF   WAL Rhys Day (to Mansfield Town) 44 MF   ALG Karim Kerkar (released)

Historical league performance

Prior to this season, the history of Manchester City's performance in the English football league hierarchy since the creation of the Premier League in 1992 is summarised by the following timeline chart–which commences with the last season (1991–92) of the old Football League First Division (from which the Premier League was formed).

Games

Premier League

Position in final standings

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification or relegation
7	Everton	38	17	8	13	48	49	−1	59
8	Southampton	38	13	13	12	43	46	−3	52	Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round [a]
9	Manchester City	38	15	6	17	47	54	−7	51	Qualification for the UEFA Cup qualifying round [b]
10	Tottenham Hotspur	38	14	8	16	51	62	−11	50
11	Middlesbrough	38	13	10	15	48	44	+4	49

Results summary

Overall								Home						Away
Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD
38	15	6	17	47	54	−7	51	9	2	8	28	26	+2	6	4	9	19	28	−9

Results by round

Individual match reports

League Cup

Second round

Third round

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FA Cup

Third round

Statistics

Appearances and goals

No.	Pos	Nat	Player	Total		Premier League		FA Cup		League Cup
				Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Goalkeepers
1	GK	DEN	Peter Schmeichel	31	0	29	0	1	0	1	0
20	GK	ENG	Carlo Nash	10	0	9	0	0	0	1	0
Defenders
2	DF	FRA	David Sommeil	14	1	14	1	0	0	0	0
3	DF	DEN	Niclas Jensen	36	1	32+1	1	1	0	2	0
4	DF	NED	Gerard Wiekens	8	0	5+1	0	1	0	0+1	0
5	DF	FRA	Sylvain Distin	36	0	34	0	1	0	1	0
17	DF	CHN	Sun Jihai	31	2	25+3	2	1	0	2	0
22	DF	IRL	Richard Dunne	26	0	24+1	0	0	0	1	0
24	DF	ENG	Steve Howey	26	2	24	2	0	0	2	0
25	DF	CMR	Lucien Mettomo	6	0	3+1	0	1	0	1	0
27	DF	DEN	Mikkel Bischoff	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0
34	DF	ENG	Stephen Jordan	1	0	0+1	0	0	0	0	0
Midfielders
6	MF	NIR	Kevin Horlock	33	0	22+8	0	1	0	1+1	0
8	MF	ALG	Ali Benarbia	36	3	21+12	3	1	0	2	0
14	MF	ISR	Eyal Berkovic	29	2	27	1	0+1	0	1	1
19	MF	AUS	Danny Tiatto	13	0	10+3	0	0	0	0	0
23	MF	CMR	Marc-Vivien Foé	38	9	35	9	1	0	2	0
31	MF	ALG	Djamel Belmadi	8	0	2+6	0	0	0	0	0
40	MF	ENG	Chris Shuker	3	0	1+2	0	0	0	0	0
41	MF	ENG	Joey Barton	7	1	7	1	0	0	0	0
Forwards
7	FW	ENG	Darren Huckerby	19	2	6+10	1	0+1	0	0+2	1
9	FW	CRC	Paulo Wanchope	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
10	FW	BER	Shaun Goater	29	7	14+12	7	0+1	0	2	0
11	FW	IRL	Jon Macken	5	0	0+5	0	0	0	0	0
29	FW	ENG	Shaun Wright-Phillips	34	1	23+8	1	1	0	1+1	0
33	FW	ENG	Robbie Fowler	13	2	12+1	2	0	0	0	0
39	FW	FRA	Nicolas Anelka	41	14	38	14	1	0	2	0

Goal scorers

Information current as of 11 May 2003 (end of season)

Transfers and loans

Transfers in

Date	Position	Player	From club	Transfer fee
20 May 2002	DF	Sylvain Distin	PSG	£4,000,000 [7]
24 May 2002	FW	Nicolas Anelka	PSG	£13,000,000 [8]
June 2002	GK	Peter Schmeichel	Aston Villa	Free [9] [10]
August 2002	DF	Tyrone Loran	Volendam	£60,000 [11] [12]

Transfers out

Exit date	Pos.	Player	To club	Transfer fee
17 October 2002	DF	Laurent Charvet	Sochaux	Released [13]
7 March 2003	MF	Jeff Whitley	Sunderland	Released [14] [15]
15 May 2003	GK	Peter Schmeichel	Retired [16]

Loans in

Date from	Date to	Pos.	Player	From club
16 August 2002	16 November 2002	GK	Tim Flowers	Leicester City [17]
3 January 2003	11 May 2003	MF	Djamel Belmadi	Olympique de Marseille [18]

Loans out

Date from	Date to	Pos.	Player	To club
20 September 2002	22 December 2002	DF	Paul Ritchie	Portsmouth [19] [20]
23 November 2002	22 February 2003	DF	Paddy McCarthy	Boston United [21] [22]
1 January 2003	31 May 2003	DF	Tyrone Loran	Tranmere Rovers [12]
27 Mar. 2003	27 April 2003	DF	Paddy McCarthy	Notts County [23]
27 Mar. 2003	5 May 2003	DF	Paul Ritchie	Derby County [19]

See also

• Manchester City F.C. seasons

References