‘It was a mistake to become Manchester City boss – I should have taken six months off. It wasn’t a very nice club at the time, and I didn’t do a particularly good job’: Former Premier League manager reflects on making wrong career decision

Manchester City have only had three permanent managers in the last 15 years, with Roberto Mancini, Mauricio Pellegrini and now Pep Guardiola all successful in their own right.

Prior to the Abu Dhabi-based Abu Dhabi United Group Investment and Development Limited’s (now City Football Group) takeover of the club in 2008, though, things were a lot different at Manchester City, with the club battling relegations and financial issues.

Frank Clark experienced that first-hand nearly 30 years ago. Brian Clough’s replacement at the City Ground in 1993, he managed to get Nottingham Forest promoted back to the Premier League at the first time of asking in 1994 before leading them to third in the 1994/95 season. A UEFA Cup quarter-final followed the next season, but by December 1996 Forest were back at the foot of the top tier and Clark departed.

Manchester City the wrong move for Frank Clark

30 Dec 1996: Frank Clark the newly appointed manager of Manchester City faces the Press at Maine Road, Manchester. Mandatory Credit: Ross Kinnaird/Allsport — Clark takes over as Manchester City manager (Image credit: Getty Images)

Just 10 days later he took over as Manchester City manager, with the club in danger of successive relegations, following their 18th place finish in the Premier League the season before.

He eventually managed to help them come 14th in the second tier, but departed in February 1998 as they struggled in Division One.

8/10/1994 FA Premier League Football - Manchester City v Nottingham Forest, Forest manager Frank Clark. (Photo by Mark Leech/Getty Images) — Clark managed Forest before City (Image credit: Getty Images)

The club’s millions of pounds of debt certainly didn’t help Clark, a key difference between what he had to deal with and the riches available to Pep Guardiola now, with the European Cup winner recognising now that he made a mistake in taking over at Maine Road in the first place.

“You can say that again,” Clark tells FourFourTwo when suggesting the difference nearly 30 years has made at the club.

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“In hindsight, it was a mistake to become Manchester City boss – I should have taken six months off after leaving Forest, to get myself together.

“But Francis Lee offered me a fantastic contract even though they were bottom of the second tier, so it felt like too good an opportunity to turn down. It wasn’t a very nice club at the time, and I didn’t do a particularly good job.”

MUNICH, GERMANY - MAY 30: Nottingham Forest captain John McGovern lifts the trophy as team mates Larry Lloyd (c) and Frank Clark (r) look on after the 1979 European Cup Final between Nottingham Forest and Malmo at the Olympic Stadium on May 30, 1979 in Munich, Germany. (Photo by Allsport/Getty Images) — Clark (far right) won the European Cup with Forest in 1979 (Image credit: Getty Images)

That job at Manchester City proved Clark’s last as a manager, though he later replaced Nigel Doughty at Nottingham Forest as the club’s chairman in October 2011.

He lasted less than a year before Omar Al-Hasawi – cousin of new owner Fawaz Al-Hasawi – took over those responsibilities.