The 1985-86 season proved to be an all round debacle for Manchester City. They collapsed in the league, stumbling to a finish of 14th position. They played no better in their cup campaigns. They were edged out of the league cup in the third round, losing to Arsenal. They crashed early in the FA Cup, eliminated in the third round, losing to Watford. If the 85-86 season was a debacle, their 86-87 season was an unmitigated disaster. They were arguably the weakest side in the first division as they finished off a miserable league campaign, finishing 21st in the league, earning them relegation to the second division. City were far from impressive in the domestic cup competitions. They stumbled out of the FA Cup at the first hurdle, losing in a Manchester derby to their arch rivals, Manchester United.
Their first season back in the second tier of English football was not a mighty success as they failed in searching for a quick return to the first division. They finished the season off in ninth position, Howard Kendall’s first season in charge resulted in failure. They were impressive in the cup competitions, embarking on a fine run in the League Cup, losing to Everton 2-0 in the quarter finals. They also reached the FA Cup quarter finals, on this occasion losing 4-0 to Liverpool.
The 1988-89 season was a huge success for Kendall and City, they finished off the campaign in second position, in turn earning them promotion to the first division. City reached the forth round of both cup competitions, crashing out of the league cup, losing to eventual finalists, Luton Town.
The 1989-90 season was their first back in the top flight, Niall Quinn was inspirational through out and they finished off in 14th place. They crashed out in the third round of the FA Cup, losing to Mill Wall.