What Do Chelsea Know About...Manchester City?

You may not have heard about this, but apparently Manchester City have come into a bit of money recently.

With this newfound fortune, Man City were able to trump Chelsea to the signing of Brazilian superstar Robinho from Real Madrid. This was obviously not the first time Man City and Chelsea had crossed swords, however.

Man City have long lived in the shadow of more glamourous neighbours, Manchester United. They have had their moments of success however, twice league champions, four FA Cups, and the European Cup-Winner's Cup.

They've been graced with some great players down the years as well, such as Colin Bell and Francis Lee. And no Manchester City fan could ever forget the goal scored by Denis Law, playing for City, that secured Manchester United's relegation in 1973.

Chelsea and Man City have locked horns 135 times in total, with Chelsea edging ahead with 57 wins to City's 42. There have been 20 draws.

The first truly significant games between the two however, came in 1971. Manchester City beat then FA Cup holders Chelsea 3-0 at Stamford Bridge in the third round of the cup.

Two months later, then holders Man City were drawn against Chelsea in the semifinals of the European Cup-Winner's Cup. Chelsea won 2-0 on aggregate, winning each leg by a single goal.

Chelsea and Manchester City have also played each other in a Wembley final. Don't bother searching through the FA or League Cup final records though because you won't find it. The final was in 1986, in the less-than-illustrious Full Members Cup.

The Full Members Cup was the brainchild of then Chelsea chairman Ken Bates in 1985.

The idea was to create a new competition to make up for the lack of European football (England had just begun its five-year ban from European football following the Heysel Stadium disaster).

The top six teams would play in the Football League Super Cup (which lasted just one season, being won, predictably, by Liverpool); all the teams below and from the second division played out the Full Members Cup.

The competition was eventually scrapped in 1992.

To say the competition is not missed is an understatement but ironically, the first final between Chelsea and Manchester City was arguably one of the most exciting games to be played at the old Wembley stadium.

In front of a crowd of 68,000 people (but probably not too many at home), Chelsea emerged as 5-4 winners after extra time to win the inaugural Full Members Cup (Chelsea also claimed the dubious honour of being the only club to have won the competition twice, when they won it four years later against Middlesbrough in 1990).

The '80s were less-than-glamourous times for both Chelsea and Manchester City, as they both yo-yo'd between the First and Second division.

Chelsea and Man City were both promoted to division one in 1989, Chelsea as runaway champions amassing 99 points. Their fortunes have differed significantly since then.

Wheras Chelsea have gone on to far better things, for City, it's been far more laborious.

In 1998, Man City were relegated to the third tier of English football, causing their rival United fans to jokingly refer to City standing for Conference In Two Years.

But City have fought back, getting back in the Premier League in 2002 and, though hardly setting the Premier League alight, have cemented their status in the top tier. And Manchester City were the only team to beat Chelsea in the league in the 2004/'05 season.

With City's recent influx of cash, the future suddenly looks bright on Moss Side. For the first time in decades, Manchester City are in a position where they will be able to compete on an equal footing with neighbours United.

When any club comes into a lot of money, however, one of the criticisms that will be leveled at them is failure to produce youth players. Manchester City though, are the current FA Youth Cup holders. Their opponents in the final? Chelsea.