Joshua Parlby
Encyclopedia
Joshua Parlby was an English
football
manager who managed Manchester City
in the 1890s.
Details of Parlby's life before he moved to Manchester are unclear, though some sources indicate he played for Stoke
in the pre-professional era. Parlby moved to Manchester to run a public house
. His links with the brewing trade led to a role on the committee of Ardwick Association Football Club, who used a public house, the Hyde Road
Hotel, as their headquarters. Parlby advocated employing a full-time secretary-manager, and in 1893 became the club's first paid secretary. A larger than life character, Parlby had a reputation for wrangling the club out of financial trouble by whatever means possible. Contemporary accounts tell of him sneaking players onto trains when the club struggled to afford travel expenses for away matches
At the end of Parlby's first season as manager Ardwick finished thirteenth in the Second Division
, and were required to seek re-election to the league. Believing the club needed to establish an identity capable of appealing to all Mancunians, Parlby was an influential figure in the reformation of Ardwick as Manchester City in 1894, and the subsequent success in achieving re-election to the league.
Parlby managed the club for one more season, in which they finished ninth. He returned to the pub trade in 1895, but retained a role on the club committee for several years.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
manager who managed Manchester City
Manchester City F.C.
Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...
in the 1890s.
Details of Parlby's life before he moved to Manchester are unclear, though some sources indicate he played for Stoke
Stoke City F.C.
Stoke City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire that plays in the Premier League. Founded in 1863, it is the oldest club in the Premier League, and considered to be the second oldest professional football club in the world, after Notts...
in the pre-professional era. Parlby moved to Manchester to run a public house
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
. His links with the brewing trade led to a role on the committee of Ardwick Association Football Club, who used a public house, the Hyde Road
Hyde Road
Hyde Road was a football stadium in Ardwick, Manchester, England. It was home to Manchester City F.C. and their predecessors from its construction in 1887 until 1923, when the club moved to Maine Road. It was named after Hyde Road, a road which begins at the east end of Ardwick Green South in...
Hotel, as their headquarters. Parlby advocated employing a full-time secretary-manager, and in 1893 became the club's first paid secretary. A larger than life character, Parlby had a reputation for wrangling the club out of financial trouble by whatever means possible. Contemporary accounts tell of him sneaking players onto trains when the club struggled to afford travel expenses for away matches
At the end of Parlby's first season as manager Ardwick finished thirteenth in the Second Division
Football League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
, and were required to seek re-election to the league. Believing the club needed to establish an identity capable of appealing to all Mancunians, Parlby was an influential figure in the reformation of Ardwick as Manchester City in 1894, and the subsequent success in achieving re-election to the league.
Parlby managed the club for one more season, in which they finished ninth. He returned to the pub trade in 1895, but retained a role on the club committee for several years.