2002–03 Manchester City F.C. season
| Manchester City | |
| Season 2002–03 | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Publicly traded company |
| Chairmen |
David Bernstein (until 5 Mar. 2003) John Wardle |
| Manager | Kevin Keegan |
| Team captain | Ali Benarbia |
| Home stadium | Maine Road |
| PremierLeague | Ninth |
| League Cup | Third round |
| FA Cup | Third round |
| Top goalscorer |
League: Nicolas Anelka (14 goals) (7th highest in Premier League) All comps: Nicolas Anelka (14 goals) |
| Average home attendance |
34,564 – over 19 PL home games (11th highest in Premier League) |
| Highest home attendance |
35,141 v Liverpool 28 September 2002 |
| Highest away attendance |
67,646 v Manchester United 9 February 2003 |
| Lowest home attendance |
21,820 v Crewe Alexandra 1 October 2002 |
| Lowest away attendance |
15,007 v Wigan Athletic 5 November 2002 |
← 2001–02  2003–04 →
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| 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.
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.
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