Kit Symons
Welsh defender Kit Symons made more than 100 appearances for both City and Fulham in his 17-year playing career, winning 37 international caps in the process.
A tough tackling, uncompromising defender in his playing days, Kit is now embarking on a coaching career, currently combining his management of Fulham u21s and a role in Chris Coleman’s coaching team with the Welsh national side.
Symons brought his Fulham U21s side to City’s Platt Lane training ground in December 2012 and left with a point after an entertaining 1-1 draw.
Michael Brown
Tenacious midfielder Michael Brown is still playing in the Championship for promotion hopefuls Leeds United at the grand old age of 35 but he began his long career at City’s Platt Lane Academy.
Brown toyed with a number of positions before settling on central midfield and he impressed in these early stages of his career, despite being sent off just 10 minutes into his first-team debut against QPR.
He made 92 appearances for the Blues and went on to have spells at Sheffield United and Spurs before moving to Fulham for a season-long spell in 2006 where he played 41 games.
Mark Hughes
Another man to have managed at both clubs is Mark Hughes who was installed as Sven-Goran Eriksson’s successor just a couple of months before the Abu Dhabi takeover of the club.
Hughes oversaw a huge turnover of players and was part of the coaching team to identify Pablo Zabaleta, Vincent Kompany and Nigel de Jong as targets and to bring them to the club.
After being replaced by Roberto Mancini in December 2009, “Sparky” took up the reins at Fulham in July 2010 and led the Cottagers to an eighth place finish and Europa League qualification.
Despite this success in his maiden season, Hughes resigned in June 2011 after just 11 months in charge.
Kevin Keegan
King Kev’s managerial career began with an incredibly successful five-year tenure at Newcastle United where he oversaw the Magpies’ transformation from Second Division strugglers to Premier League title challengers.
His subsequent regimes at Craven Cottage and the City of Manchester Stadium were similarly impressive as he brought back Premier League football to both clubs, bringing some of the most exciting football seen at the City for many a year.
City’s promotion season in 2001 broke all records, with the Berkovic and Bernarbia axis laying on more than 108 goals for the eventual champions.
Keegan retired from football in 2005 – a decision he reversed three years later when he returned to Newcastle.
Rodney Marsh
Rodney Marsh began his colourful career with the Cottagers but his first-team appearances were limited by a succession of injuries that hampered his progress at the club.
A move to QPR saw his star ascend as he became one of the First Division’s biggest names, thanks to his one goal in two games strike ratio - form that caught City boss Malcolm Allison’s eye in 1972.
Big Mal swooped with a club record £200,000 bid to bring Marsh to Maine Road but his playing style was said, by some, to disrupt the balance in the City team and their title charge faltered.
Nevertheless, Marsh was too talented to outright fail in Manchester as he made 118 appearances at the club, firing the Blues to the 1974 League Cup final.
