1996–97 Manchester City F.C. season
| 1996–97 season | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Chairman |
 Francis Lee
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| Manager |
Alan Ball, Jr. (until August) Steve Coppell (from October to November) Frank Clark (from December)
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| Stadium | Maine Road | ||
| First Division | 14th | ||
| FA Cup | Fifth round | ||
| League Cup | Second round | ||
| Top goalscorer |
League: Rösler (15) All: Rösler (17) |
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| Highest home attendance | 30,729 vs. Oldham Athletic (8 March 1997) | ||
| Lowest home attendance | 23,079 vs. Oxford United (13 November 1996) | ||
| Average home league attendance | 26,753 | ||
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During the 1996–97 English football season, Manchester City F.C. competed in the Football League First Division.
Alan Ball was sacked soon after Manchester City's 1996-97 Division One campaign got underway. Despite decent form under caretaker manager Asa Hartford, the board opted to appoint former Crystal Palace manager Steve Coppell as Ball's successor, only for him to resign after just 6 matches in charge and 33 days as manager, claiming that the job was too much pressure for him. Phil Neal took over on a caretaker basis for 10 games; however he lost 7 of these and by Christmas, City were in the bottom half of Division One and had turned to former Nottingham Forest manager Frank Clark to arrest the decline. Manchester City finished 14th in the final table.
NB In the Football League goals scored (F) takes precedence over goal difference
Manchester City's score comes first
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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