da doce： The highly anticipated Manchester Derby is just days away, with both club’s set to field players who will become iconic figures within their respected club.
da gbg bet： However, one man stands above the rest when discussing legendary status. Labelled by many as “football’s first superstar”, Billy Meredith represented both sides for fifteen years each and this is the story as to why he remain’s Manchester’s greatest superstar.
Many of us are too young to remember Meredith, in-fact unless you have a memory dating back ninety-two years you definitely will not remember the Welsh-born forward.
Born in 1874, ‘the Welsh Wizard’ still had the ability to draw the masses to stadia until his retirement at the age of 49. Carrying a trademark toothpick in-between his lips during games, he represented Manchester City between 1894-1906 and 1921-1924. It wasn’t just City he represented during his illustrious career, though, as he spent a total of fifteen seasons at bitter rivals Manchester United – who were close allies at the time.
When Northwich Victoria dropped out of the football-league in 1894 due to financial problems, a newly-branded Manchester City were keen to snap up an unknown 19-year-old Billy Meredith. Once deemed too slow, Manchester City secretary-manager (as it was known in those days) Joshua Parlby traveled to Wales to convince him to sign for City rather than Bolton and Ardwick – who were both keen on signing him.
His home-debut saw him come to battle against Newton Heath (now Manchester United) in the Football League’s first Manchester Derby. Meredith scored both goals as City lost 5-2 at Hyde Road, showing supporters why the club were so keen to snap up the part-time miner. He turned professional just a few months after joining City in January 1895 and ended his first-season with 12 goals in 18 games.
The following season he was appointed the club’s captain aged just 21, and remained City’s youngest ever captain until Steve Redmond took the armband in 1986. He also ended the 1895-1896 as the club’s top-scorer as City finished 2nd in the Second Division.
Meredith established himself as the club’s star player and fans came to see Meredith like never seen before. He guided City to promotion in 1898-1899, where he scored 30 goals in just 35 games. A turbulent few seasons lay in-store as Meredith’s City were relegated and promoted before 1904. This was the season that cemented Meredith’s status as City’s first legendary figure. An FA Cup run ended with the chance of success against a mid-table Second Division Bolton side in the FA Cup final. The game was to be played in Crystal Palace and the match meant City were the first Manchester club to win the FA Cup.
The Great Central Railway took the opportunity to decorate the streets of Manchester with posters proclaiming that City would beat Bolton and illustrated with a picture of Meredith scoring the winning goal, “Billy Meredith secures the Cup. He wants you to see the match and travel in comfort by the Great Central Railway’s Cheap Excursions.” Meredith scored the winning goal 23 minutes into the match to secure the victory for City.
On the final day of the 1904-1905, Meredith apparently offered to throw the game against Aston Villa which resulted him being banned for the entire following season. City transfer listed Meredith in May 1906 and he moved to Manchester United, signing for £500 at the age of 29. Further investigations meant he was unable to play until January 1907, but Meredith maintained his innocence his entire life. His grievance with the decision to cost him a year of his career forced Meredith to form the Players’ Union (now known as the PFA), further showing Meredith’s iconic legacy.
With Manchester United he continued his record breaking career. By the end of the 1907-1908 Manchester United won their first top-flight title and also the first league title success seen in Manchester. Only a few short months later, Meredith’s legendary status with United was confirmed as he was crucial to his side’s 4-0 win over QPR in the first ever Community Shield.
Meredith’s off-field battles continued with the FA as he continued to push the release of a maximum wage. In response, the FA ordered the players to withdraw from the Union or face having their league registration withdrawn. Hundreds of players withdrew but many of United’s players remained loyal to Meredith in a saga that was covered by the national press. The fight to release a maximum wage was fought until 1961, three years after Meredith’s death.
During the 1910-11 season Meredith helped United to their second title. Despite his off-field activities, his legend at both Manchester clubs remained unsullied and, in 1912, a benefit match was played between the two sides at Old Trafford that saw 50,000 fans attend and an estimated £2,000 raised.
The club dropped to 14th spot in 1913–14, and only avoided relegation on the last day of the 1914–15 season after bribing Liverpool to lose 2–0 at Old Trafford. The outbreak of the First World War saw no league football for a number of years. Meredith took to the field on 7th May 1921, close to his 47th birthday, and he became United’s oldest ever player when he played in a league game against Derby County – a record that still remains.
He returned to Manchester City aged 47. He featured just once during the club’s final season at Hyde Road before the club moved to Maine Road in 1923. His last ever game for City came during the club’s FA Cup semi-final against Newcastle United, and he remains the oldest player to play for City.
Meredith retired as one of the games true greats. Goals, assists, off-field displays, record-breaking seasons and achievements – no player has represented either side and had a bigger impact. Legends such as Bobby Charlton, Ryan Giggs, Tony Book and Colin Bell achieved remarkable things for their respected Manchester clubs, but no player had a greater impact on and off the field.
Clocking up 740 appearances for both Manchester club’s, his battle for player-power and his unbridled success on the field maks Billy Meredith Manchester’s Greatest Superstar!
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