David White has paid tribute to the management triumvirate who masterminded our FA Youth Cup triumph 40 years ago and stressed: ‘Glyn Pardoe was still the best player at City!’
Members of City’s famed 1986 FA Cup Youth final winning side have hailed the key role played by Club legends Tony Book, Pardoe and Ken Barnes in helping secure that historic maiden triumph.
The trio were all defining parts of the very fabric of the Manchester City family.
Ken Barnes was a pivotal figure in our 1956 FA Cup final winning side before then going on to spend more than two decades as hugely respected Chief Scout.
Book and Pardoe meanwhile were mainstays of the fabulous City side that won a host of silverware across the late 1960s into the early 70s, with Tony then moving seamlessly from skipper to manager, leading City to League Cup glory in 1976.
Latterly the trio pooled their considerable strengths, and skill sets to help guide and mentor a succession of outstanding City youth sides.
As we look ahead to facing Manchester United again in the 2026 edition of the Youth Cup final, White recalls the demanding environment created by the triumvirate who were determined to see as many young players make the grade as possible.
But he also recalls the talent and humility of all three legends.
“There was obviously an unbelievable respect because of what these guys had achieved on the pitch,” said White.
“We could still see it - particularly Skip and Glyn would train with us every day.
“They were in their 40s but they still had it. But they also showed an incredible humility given they’d won everything at the club.
“They’d think nothing at all of packing all the kit up, driving us in the bus, helping us wash and scrub the changing rooms.
“These guys had got 600 games between them and a trophy cabinet you wouldn’t believe. That approach and attitude had an impact on all of us.
“Ken’s influence was massive too. He’d get involved in training occasionally and no-one could get the ball off him.
“Glyn was the best player at the club – even then. If you had a six-a-side, at any level including first team, Glyn would be the first pick. He was that good.
“If you ended up on Glyn’s side in a six-a-side, you were not losing that game.
“To be honest, both Skip and Glyn would kick their own granny to win a six-a-side. That was their competitiveness.
“What really hit me later on, too, was seeing the pride in Tony when you progressed to the first team. You could see it in his face.
“When you were in the first team, then he was properly on your side.
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“His role then became ‘I’m going to defend this kid against anyone’.
“He was hard on you on the way up but then when you made it, he’d have your back whether that be a manager having a go at you and he’d put his arm around you or a senior pro having a pop, he’d have no problem having an argument with them on your behalf.
“Glyn had always been good cop. He’d always been your ally, your mate, your confidante. Then Skip took on that role, too, and it was all worthwhile. That was beautiful.”
Ian Brightwell and Paul Moulden were also part of the brilliant young City cohort that made history in 1986 by becoming the first side in the Club’s history to win the FA Youth Cup.
The pair also spoke of their collective debt to the roles played by Book, Pardoe and Barnes in helping achieve that moment of history.
And they referenced how the standards and approach to both football and life in general laid down by the trio had equipped every member of that fabulous side both for the demands of professional football as well as navigating life in general.
“We were all really lucky as we had Ken Barnes, Chief Scout, who’d helped bring all the lads in and Tony Book and Glyn Pardoe who were our coaches, to help guide us,” Ian Brightwell says today.
“They all were all true icons of the club in their own right through being players and Tony being the manager too, and what they had helped the Club achieve.
“So, I think their mentality, it just rubbed off on us because they were winners and had all won the biggest trophies at the top level.
“It was almost like if we didn’t win or didn’t play well, you’d kind of feel you were not only letting yourself down, but you would also be letting Tony, Glyn and Ken down and the football club. That was the mentality.
“That was a big motivator for me as well. I didn’t want to number one, let myself down and then the club and then Tony, Glyn and Ken down and they drove us on as well to be winners.
“I mean they could be harsh at times. I mean, Glyn was good cop and Tony was bad cop. And you’d get to Ken who just sort of smoothed everything over. He was more of a diplomat.
“But they would all say it how it was. If you played well, they’d tell you that you had played well. If you hadn’t, you’d know about it.
“But they were, for me, the driving force. And they gave us confidence as well. I think if people tell you how it is, you know where you stand, and that’s all we could ask for.
“And looking back on it, some of the times were tough, but it didn’t do us any harm, or didn’t do me any harm.
“Apart from my family, Glyn, Tony and Ken were the biggest influence on my career.
“Not only in football, but in terms of dealing with outside life as well.
“They taught you really good values of what it was to be a winner, from simple things such as cleaning the changing rooms and clean the boots.
“If those weren’t right, they wouldn’t be happy and it just gave you that that sense of being meaningful and doing everything in the right way, and to the best of your ability.
“It set me up for life in terms of the way I look at things and I’m thankful for that.
“They were three tremendous people.”
Those sentients were echoed by fellow Youth Cup icon Paul Moulden.
The former Blues striker struck the decisive goal in our 2-0 second leg final win against United that sealed a 3-1 aggregate win.
As with Ian, Paul says the trio’s impact transcended both on and off the pitch.
And he also hailed the key role played by legendary City scout Eric Mullinder.
“They were all special people who helped give us everything we needed,” Paul says looking back today.
“I think it’s well documented that when you signed it could be like a boot camp at times as the training was hard and Skip could be tough on you.
“Then Glyn was like a good cop and pick you up on a Monday morning or you would get called into Ken’s room and he’d talk to you and help out with advice.
“But it was the type of upbringing that you couldn’t buy if you had a billion pounds.
“You couldn’t buy that upbringing today because you’d never again get those kinds of people together that work so well together.
“I enjoyed every second of it, every single second.
“And in terms of their impact and influence obviously from a football point of view, it was huge.
“But then you look at both Brightwell brothers, David White, Paul Lake. You’ve seen all the lads that have come through, guys like Steve Macauley, Ian Scott… the list is endless.
“And I tell you what, everybody’s done well in life and that can’t be a coincidence.
“We all massively appreciate it.
“And we all owe Tony, Glyn, Ken and Eric Mullinder such a lot.”