Pep to surpass McDowall record for most games managed as City boss | OneFootball

In his final game as Manchester City boss, Pep Guardiola will reach another incredible milestone when we host Aston Villa on Sunday.

Guardiola, now with a remarkable 20 trophies during his 10-year tenure with our Club, will have taken charge of more games than any other City manager when we entertain Unai Emery’s side.

Villa will be Pep’s 593rd match as Manchester City manager, surpassing Les McDowall’s 592 games set between 1950 and 1963 – and he will achieve the feat in three years fewer than McDowall due to the additional competitions clubs play in the modern era and, of course, our unprecedented success under the Catalan.

It is, perhaps, unfair to compare the teams McDowall and Pep had as the 1950s were a completely different time and were largely unproductive for the Blues who struggled to compete for silverware.

McDowall’s reign was more about firefighting and survival with his win ratio of 37.16 an indication of where the Club were at back then.

But of any Manchester City manager, Pep’s win ratio of 70.3% is more than 10% higher than nearest challengers Manuel Pellegrini (59.88) and Roberto Mancini (59.16).

Sam Cowan took the team for one season in 1947-49 and achieved a win ratio of 66.67, but that was only for a partial campaign that lasted 30 games on the way to the Second Division title.

Pep’s City have scored 1422 at an average of 2.4 per game, conceding less than a goal per game.

It’s yet another wonderful moment for our manager who will bid an emotional farewell at the Etihad and then at Monday’s parade and After Party event at the Co-op Live.

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But we should also remember McDowall’s incredible longevity and, on more than one occasion, triumph over adversity.

A player and then a manager for the Club India-born McDowall’s association with Manchester City stretched an incredible 25 years, save for one year in-between at Wrexham.

It was the 1930s depression that first brought McDowall into the spotlight.

An aircraft draughtsman, McDowall was laid off due to lack of work and was playing a match with other unemployed men when a scout from Sunderland spotted him.

He signed for Sunderland and played 13 games for the Roker Park outfit until City came in with a bid of around £7,500 in 1938.

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Within a year McDowall was skipper at Maine Road until World War 2 broke out, putting his football career on hold while he returned to his former trade.

Not long after the conflict had ended, he was appointed manager of Wrexham.

A little over a year later and City returned for their former captain – this time with the offer of being manager with an immediate challenge of hauling the club out of Division Two.

It would be an historic appointment in many ways with his tenure was never short of excitement  -or drama.

In charge for some 13 years, he was also just one year short of leading the Club for a record length of time.

After winning promotion at the first attempt, the next three years in Division One were more about survival than challenging at the top and the Blues never finished above 15th in that time, regularly flirting with relegation.

However, the completion of the 1954-55 and 1955-56 seasons saw City finish in seventh and fourth respectively.

There would be one more campaign with a top-ten finish – 1957-58 – and the rest were all 12th or below – but that is only from a league perspective.

Like Pep, McDowall was never afraid to adopt innovative ideas, he was in charge for the famous ‘Revie Plan’, which saw Don Revie playing as what is today known as a ‘false No.9’ position.

This had helped City win promotion at the start of McDowall’s tenure.

He also tried the little-publicised ‘Marsden Plan’, which involved Keith Marsden acting as a sweeper – but when the next two games ended 6-1 to Preston and 9-2 to West Brom, the plan was indefinitely shelved!

The Revie Plan, however, was far more successful.

His greatest moments as Blues’ boss were in the mid-50s when he guided the Club to successive FA Cup finals in 1955 and 1956; the latter, of course, became known as ‘The Trautmann Final’ and ended with a 3-1 win over Birmingham City.

Players such as Denis Law were signed and his £55,000 transfer fee in 1960 was a British record with McDowall at the helm.

City eventually were relegated in what would be McDowall’s final campaign – an unlucky thirteenth – and he left for Oldham Athletic in 1963, where he would stay for two years.

This magnificent Club servant passed away in 1991 aged 78.

It’s fair to say that McDowall would be thrilled to hand his proud record of most managed games for the Blues to Pep Guardiola.

Congratulations from everybody associated with Manchester City, Pep, on yet another proud milestone in this history of the wonderful football club.

What a way to sign off!

Join us at Co-Op Live for the ‘After Party’

To mark the achievements of Manchester City men’s, women’s and academy teams during the 25/26 season, we can confirm that an open top bus parade will take place on Monday 25th May, followed by ‘The After Party’ a special celebration event at Co-op Live.

Event Information

Date: Monday 25 May

Doors Open: 15:00 (UK)

Parade Show begins: 16:00 (UK)

Final Entry: 18:00 (UK)

Player Arrival at Co-op Live: 18:30 (UK)

Event Closes: 20:00 (UK)

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