| Club: | Manchester City |
| Season: | 1996–97 |
| Manager: | Alan Ball, Jr. (until August) Steve Coppell (from October to November) Frank Clark (from December) |
| Chairman: | Francis Lee |
| Stadium: | Maine Road |
| League: | First Division |
| League Result: | 14th |
| Cup1: | FA Cup |
| Cup1 Result: | Fifth round |
| Cup2: | League Cup |
| Cup2 Result: | Second round |
| League Topscorer: | Rösler (15) |
| Season Topscorer: | Uwe Rösler (17) |
| Highest Attendance: | 30,729 vs. Oldham Athletic (8 March 1997) |
| Lowest Attendance: | 23,079 vs. Oxford United (13 November 1996) |
| Average Attendance: | 26,753 |
| Pattern La1: | _mcfc_home_95-97 |
| Pattern B1: | _mcfc_home_95-97 |
| Pattern Ra1: | _mcfc_home_95-97 |
| Pattern So1: | _mcfc_home_95-97 |
| Pattern Sh1: | _mcfc_home_95-97 |
| Pattern La2: | _mcfc_away_96-97 |
| Pattern B2: | _mcfc_away_96-97 |
| Pattern Ra2: | _mcfc_away_96-97 |
| Pattern So2: | _mcfc_away_96-97 |
| Pattern Sh2: | _mcfc_away_96-97 |
| Prevseason: | 1995–96 |
| Nextseason: | 1997–98 |
During the 1996–97 English football season, Manchester City F.C. competed in the Football League First Division.
Alan Ball was sacked soon after Manchester City's 1996–97 Division One campaign got underway. Despite decent form under caretaker manager Asa Hartford, the board opted to appoint former Crystal Palace manager Steve Coppell as Ball's successor, only for him to resign after just 6 matches in charge and 33 days as manager, claiming that the job was too much pressure for him. Phil Neal took over on a caretaker basis for 10 games; however he lost 7 of these and by Christmas, City were in the bottom half of Division One and had turned to former Nottingham Forest manager Frank Clark to arrest the decline. Manchester City finished 14th in the final table.
See main article: 1996–97 Football League.
Manchester City's score comes first[1]
| Win | Draw | Loss |
| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 August 1996 | Ipswich Town | H | 1–0 | 29,126 | Lomas | |
| 20 August 1996 | Bolton Wanderers | A | 0–1 | 18,257 | ||
| 24 August 1996 | Stoke City | A | 1–2 | 21,116 | Rösler | |
| 3 September 1996 | Charlton Athletic | H | 2–1 | 25,963 | Rösler (pen), Creaney | |
| 7 September 1996 | Barnsley | H | 1–2 | 26,464 | Clough | |
| 10 September 1996 | Port Vale | A | 2–0 | 10,770 | Rösler, Dickov | |
| 14 September 1996 | Crystal Palace | A | 1–3 | 17,638 | Kavelashvili | |
| 21 September 1996 | Birmingham City | H | 1–0 | 26,757 | Kinkladze (pen) | |
| 28 September 1996 | Sheffield United | A | 0–2 | 20,867 | ||
| 12 October 1996 | Queens Park Rangers | A | 2–2 | 16,265 | Brightwell, Kinkladze (pen) | |
| 15 October 1996 | Reading | A | 0–2 | 11,724 | ||
| 19 October 1996 | Norwich City | H | 2–1 | 28,269 | Clough, Dickov | |
| 27 October 1996 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | H | 0–1 | 27,296 | ||
| 29 October 1996 | Southend United | A | 3–2 | 8,707 | Rösler, Kinkladze (2, 1 pen) | |
| 2 November 1996 | Swindon Town | A | 0–2 | 14,374 | ||
| 13 November 1996 | Oxford United | H | 2–3 | 23,079 | Dickov, Brightwell | |
| 16 November 1996 | Portsmouth | A | 1–2 | 12,841 | Rodger | |
| 19 November 1996 | Huddersfield Town | H | 0–0 | 23,314 | ||
| 23 November 1996 | Tranmere Rovers | H | 1–2 | 26,531 | Summerbee | |
| 27 November 1996 | West Bromwich Albion | H | 3–2 | 24,200 | Rösler, Kinkladze (2 pens) | |
| 1 December 1996 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | A | 0–3 | 23,911 | ||
| 7 December 1996 | Bradford City | H | 3–2 | 25,035 | Kinkladze (pen), Dickov, Whitley | |
| 21 December 1996 | Oldham Athletic | A | 1–2 | 12,992 | Kinkladze | |
| 26 December 1996 | Port Vale | H | 0–1 | 30,344 | ||
| 28 December 1996 | Barnsley | A | 0–2 | 17,159 | ||
| 11 January 1997 | Crystal Palace | H | 1–1 | 27,395 | Tuttle (own goal) | |
| 18 January 1997 | Huddersfield Town | A | 1–1 | 18,358 | Lomas | |
| 29 January 1997 | Sheffield United | H | 0–0 | 26,551 | ||
| 2 February 1997 | Oxford United | A | 4–1 | 8,824 | Gilchrist (own goal), Kinkladze (2), Rösler | |
| 8 February 1997 | Southend United | H | 3–0 | 26,261 | Rösler (2), Kinkladze | |
| 22 February 1997 | Swindon Town | H | 3–0 | 27,262 | Horlock, Summerbee, Rösler | |
| 1 March 1997 | Bradford City | A | 3–1 | 17,609 | Rösler (2, 1 pen), Horlock | |
| 5 March 1997 | Portsmouth | H | 1–1 | 26,051 | Horlock | |
| 8 March 1997 | Oldham Athletic | H | 1–0 | 30,729 | Rösler | |
| 11 March 1997 | Birmingham City | A | 0–2 | 20,084 | ||
| 15 March 1997 | Grimsby Town | A | 1–1 | 8,732 | Kavelashvili | |
| 18 March 1997 | Tranmere Rovers | A | 1–1 | 12,019 | O'Brien (own goal) | |
| 22 March 1997 | Stoke City | H | 2–0 | 28,497 | Atkinson, Lomas | |
| 5 April 1997 | Charlton Athletic | A | 1–1 | 15,000 | Brannan | |
| 9 April 1997 | Bolton Wanderers | H | 1–2 | 28,026 | Kinkladze | |
| 12 April 1997 | West Bromwich Albion | A | 3–1 | 20,087 | Rösler (2), Horlock | |
| 16 April 1997 | Grimsby Town | H | 3–1 | 23,334 | Atkinson, Summerbee (2) | |
| 19 April 1997 | Queens Park Rangers | H | 0–3 | 27,580 | ||
| 22 April 1997 | Ipswich Town | A | 0–1 | 15,824 | ||
| 25 April 1997 | Norwich City | A | 0–0 | 14,080 | ||
| 3 May 1997 | Reading | H | 3–2 | 27,260 | Dickov, Rösler, Heaney |
See main article: 1996–97 FA Cup.
| R3 | 25 January 1997 | Brentford | A | 1–0 | 12,019 | Summerbee | |
| R4 | 5 February 1997 | Watford | H | 3–1 | 24,031 | Heaney, Summerbee, Rösler | |
| R5 | 15 February 1997 | Middlesbrough | H | 0–1 | 30,462 |
See main article: 1996–97 Football League Cup.
| R2 First Leg | 17 September 1996 | Lincoln City | A | 1–4 | 7,599 | Rösler | |
| R2 Second Leg | 24 September 1996 | Lincoln City | H | 0–1 | 14,242 |