On This Day in Football: 8th November

8th November 1986

On this day, Alex Ferguson took charge of his first match as manager of Manchester United. The match, however, did not go as planned for the newly appointed manager, as his team suffered a 2-0 defeat against Oxford United in a First Division clash at the Manor Ground. The team sheet for that day, which listed players such as Chris Turner, Mike Duxbury, Arthur Albiston, Kevin Moran, Paul McGrath, Graeme Hogg, Clayton Blackmore, Remi Moses, Frank Stapleton, Peter Davenport, and Peter Barnes, with Jesper Olsen as the substitute, later became a valuable piece of football memorabilia. In June 2013, this team sheet was sold at auction for an impressive £19,000.

8th November 1996

Ten years later, on the same date, Steve Coppell resigned from his position as manager of Manchester City. Coppell had taken over the managerial role at the First Division club in October 1996, having left Crystal Palace. However, his tenure at Manchester City was short-lived, lasting only 33 days and encompassing six matches. Coppell cited stress as the reason for his resignation. Following his departure, Phil Neal, who was serving as Coppell’s assistant, stepped in as caretaker manager.