Personal information | ||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Date of birth | 15 December 1942 | |||||||||||||
Place of birth | Preston, England | |||||||||||||
Position(s) | Winger, Forward | |||||||||||||
Senior career* | ||||||||||||||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||
1959–1965 | Swindon Town | 218 | (40) | |||||||||||
1965–1975 | Manchester City | 357 | (47) | |||||||||||
1975–1976 | Burnley | 51 | (0) | |||||||||||
1976 | Blackpool | 3 | (0) | |||||||||||
1977–1979 | Stockport County | 87 | (6) | |||||||||||
1980 | Mossley | 0 | (0) | |||||||||||
Total | 716 | (93) | ||||||||||||
International career | ||||||||||||||
1968–1973 | England | 8 | (1) | |||||||||||
Managerial career | ||||||||||||||
1978–1979 | Stockport County (player-manager) | |||||||||||||
Medal record
| ||||||||||||||
*Club domestic league appearances and goals |
Michael George Summerbee OBE (born 15 December 1942) is an English former footballer, who played as a forward in the successful Manchester City side of the late 1960s and early 1970s.
Summerbee was born in Preston, Lancashire, and raised in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. He attended Naunton Park Secondary Modern School where he was influenced by sports teacher, Arnold Wills, with whom he was publicly reunited 50 years later when Summerbee was Guest of Honour at the 150th anniversary celebrations of Cheltenham YMCA, to which both had belonged in their youth. Summerbee made his league debut playing for Swindon Town in 1959 at the age of 16. He made more than 200 appearances for the Wiltshire club, scoring 38 goals. In 1965 Manchester City manager Joe Mercer signed Summerbee for a fee of £35,000. In his first Manchester City season, Summerbee started every match, the only Manchester City player to do so that season.
Playing on the right wing, Summerbee was one of the most influential players in the Manchester City side which won four trophies in three seasons from 1968 to 1970. Something of a practical joker, Summerbee (or "Buzzer" as teammates nicknamed him) was also known for a fiery temperament, a trait described by teammate Francis Lee as "retaliating first". Summerbee left Manchester City in June 1975, moving to Burnley, for a £25,000 fee, after making more than 400 appearances for City.
Summerbee signed for Blackpool on Christmas Eve 1976. The transfer had been the Blackpool chairman's idea, not that of manager Allan Brown. Summerbee later admitted that he should not have joined the club. [1] He made just three League appearances for the Seasiders. [1]
Summerbee ended his footballing career at Stockport County, where he was player-manager in the 1978–79 season. In 1980, he returned to the game for a single match, playing for non-League Mossley in their single goal FA Cup defeat of Crewe Alexandra.
Over a five-year period, which encompassed the 1970 World Cup Summerbee played for England eight times. He made his international debut against Scotland in front of 134,000 spectators at Hampden Park on 24 February 1968, and helped to secure a 1–1 draw to clinch qualification to UEFA Euro 1968. [2]
Off the pitch, Summerbee has been involved with a number of business ventures with varying degrees of success, including a period where he co-owned a menswear business with George Best. [3] Summerbee is now the Club Ambassador for Manchester City.
Summerbee also starred in the cult film Escape to Victory alongside Sylvester Stallone, Michael Caine and Pelé. [4] [5]
Summerbee's son, Nicky, was also a professional footballer, [5] who followed in his father's footsteps by playing for both Swindon Town and Manchester City before joining Sunderland. His father, George, and uncle, Gordon, were both lower-division players [5] whose careers were affected by the outbreak of war.
Club | Season | League | FA Cup | Other | Total | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
Swindon Town | 1959–60 | Third Division | 15 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 1 |
1960–61 | Third Division | 45 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 51 | 8 | |
1961–62 | Third Division | 43 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 48 | 4 | |
1962–63 | Third Division | 37 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 43 | 6 | |
1963–64 | Second Division | 37 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 44 | 8 | |
1964–65 | Second Division | 41 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 43 | 13 | |
Total | 218 | 39 | 13 | 0 | 13 | 1 | 244 | 40 | ||
Manchester City | 1965–66 | Second Division | 42 | 8 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 52 | 10 |
1966–67 | First Division | 32 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 38 | 7 | |
1967–68 | First Division | 41 | 14 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 49 | 20 | |
1968–69 | First Division | 39 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 51 | 8 | |
1969–70 | First Division | 33 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 15 | 3 | 50 | 6 | |
1970–71 | First Division | 26 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 37 | 4 | |
1971–72 | First Division | 40 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 45 | 3 | |
1972–73 | First Division | 38 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 46 | 3 | |
1973–74 | First Division | 39 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 12 | 1 | 53 | 4 | |
1974–75 | First Division | 27 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 31 | 3 | |
Total | 357 | 47 | 34 | 11 | 61 | 10 | 452 | 68 | ||
Burnley | 1975–76 | First Division | 39 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 45 | 0 |
1976–77 | Second Division | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 16 | 0 | |
Total | 51 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 61 | 0 | ||
Blackpool | 1976–77 | Second Division | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
Stockport County | 1977–78 | Fourth Division | 42 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 47 | 5 |
1978–79 | Fourth Division | 33 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 39 | 1 | |
1979–80 | Fourth Division | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 15 | 1 | |
Total | 87 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 101 | 7 | ||
Career total | 716 | 92 | 54 | 12 | 91 | 11 | 861 | 115 |
National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
---|---|---|---|
England | 1968 | 3 | 0 |
1969 | 0 | 0 | |
1970 | 0 | 0 | |
1971 | 1 | 1 | |
1972 | 3 | 0 | |
1973 | 1 | 0 | |
Total | 8 | 1 |
Source: [6]
Team | From | To | Record | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
P | W | D | L | Win % | |||
Stockport County | 1 March 1978 | 17 October 1979 | 83 | 24 | 19 | 40 | 28.9 |
Total | 83 | 24 | 19 | 40 | 28.9 |
Manchester City
England
Individual
Summerbee was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2022 Birthday Honours for services to association football and charity. [9]
Dennis Frank Wise is an English former professional football player and manager who played as a central midfielder. He is best known for having spent the majority of his career at Chelsea, from 1990 to 2001.
Joseph Mercer was an English footballer and manager. Mercer, who played as a defender for Everton and Arsenal in his footballing career, also went on to manage Aston Villa and Manchester City, and was the caretaker manager of the England national football team.
Gary Ian Ablett was an English professional footballer and manager. He played as a defender from 1985 until 2001.
Paul Emerson Carlyle Ince is an English professional football manager and former player who was most recently manager of EFL Championship side Reading. A former midfielder, Ince played professionally from 1986 to 2007, starting his career with West Ham United and later representing Manchester United, Liverpool, Middlesbrough, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Swindon Town and Macclesfield Town in England, as well as Inter Milan in Italy. With a combined total of 271 league appearances for the two, Ince is one of the few players, especially in the Premier League era, to have represented both of arch rivals Liverpool and Manchester United.
Henry Gregg was a Northern Irish professional footballer and manager. A goalkeeper, he played for Manchester United during the reign of Sir Matt Busby, with a total of 247 appearances for the club. He was a survivor of the Munich air disaster in 1958. Gregg also played for Doncaster Rovers and Stoke City, as well as making 25 appearances for the Northern Ireland national team between 1954 and 1963, including at the 1958 FIFA World Cup. He later went into management with Carlisle United, Crewe Alexandra, Shrewsbury Town and Swansea City.
Alan Arthur Oakes is an English former footballer who holds Manchester City's all-time record for appearances. Oakes is a midfielder who, in total, played 776 in the Football League matches – the tenth most in history. He is a cousin of former teammate Glyn Pardoe, an uncle of defender Chris Blackburn, and the father of former goalkeeper Michael Oakes.
Anthony Keith Book is an English retired footballer and manager. A former defender, Book spent a large part of his career in Non-League football with his home town club Bath City, before entering league football with Plymouth Argyle. At the age of 31, he joined First Division Manchester City, where he became captain. Under Book's captaincy, Manchester City won four major trophies, making him the second-most decorated Manchester City captain of all-time. Book had a five-year tenure as Manchester City manager from 1974 to 1979, and subsequently held various coaching roles at the club until 1996.
Nicholas Summerbee is an English former professional footballer, sports television pundit and commentator.
Michael John Samuel Flynn is a Welsh professional football manager and former player who played as a midfielder. He is currently the manager of EFL League Two side Cheltenham Town.
Neil James Young was an English footballer who made more than 400 appearances in the Football League playing as a striker for Manchester City, Preston North End and Rochdale.
Robert Kennedy is a Scottish former footballer, who played as a wing half or full back.
George Neil Farm was a Scottish professional football goalkeeper and manager.
Ian Bowyer is an English former footballer who played mostly as a midfielder, best known for many honours in his career at Nottingham Forest. At Nottingham Forest he won the 1977–78 Football League and 1977–78 Football League Cup. The following season he won the 1979 European Cup final and 1978–79 Football League Cup. He was part of Forest's successful retaining of the European Cup the season after. Other honours at Forest included the 1976–77 Anglo-Scottish Cup, 1976 promotion from the English second tier to the top flight, the 1978 FA Charity Shield and the 1979 UEFA Super Cup. At all clubs, in the league alone he played 599 first team games scoring 102 goals in a playing career spanning four decades.
The 1967–68 season was Manchester City Football Club's seventy-sixth season of league football and their second consecutive season in the First Division. In the third full season under the management of Joe Mercer and Malcolm Allison, Manchester City were unfancied at the start of the season due to a mid-table finish a year before. However, following the signing of forward Francis Lee, the Blues embarked on an unbeaten run that saw them challenge for the top of the table. A televised victory against Tottenham Hotspur in snowy conditions proved particularly notable, becoming known as the Ballet on Ice.
The 1965–66 season was Manchester City F.C.'s seventy-fourth season of league football, and second consecutive season back in the Football League Second Division. The three-season stay in the Second Division was City's longest run of seasons outside the top flight since the 1890s, which would not be broken again until their four-season run from 1996 to 2000.
This page chronicles the history of Manchester City in further detail from 1965 to 2001. See History of Manchester City F.C. for a history overview of Manchester City.
Sean Michael Murray is a professional association footballer who plays as a midfielder for League of Ireland First Division club Cork City, on loan from NIFL Premiership club Glentoran.
Jonathan Peter Smith is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder.
Alex Charles Henshall is an English footballer who plays as a winger for Southern League club Melksham Town.
Stephen Joseph McMahon is an English football manager, former professional footballer and current television pundit.