Manchester City
Bernstein began supporting Manchester City in 1954 and watched the 1956 FA Cup Final between City and Birmingham City, despite it coinciding with the day of his Bar Mitzvah. He joined Manchester City in 1994 as a board member and replaced outgoing chairman Francis Lee as chairman in 1998.
He inherited the role at a time when the once famous team of the 1960 and 70s was an ailing side plummeting into the depths of the Football League. The club reached their nadir when they were relegated to the old Football League Division Two in 1998, which was then the third tier of English football – the only time in Manchester City's 130 year history they have been in the third tier.
His spell as Manchester City chairman saw five seasons of Manchester City yo-yoing between divisions. The club returned to the Division One via the play-offs in a tense penalty shootout with Gillingham. The first season after being promoted, the club finished 2nd in Division One and were promoted to the Premiership. However they went on to finish 18th and were subsequently relegated. Bernstein brought Kevin Keegan in as manager with the task to get City into the top flight and provide the stability to remain there. The club gained promotion in Keegan's first season in charge finishing 1st in Division One, winning by 10 clear points and scoring 101 league goals (more than 2 a game) for the first time since 1957–58 season.
Bernstein departed Manchester City and was succeeded as chairman by John Wardle. The exact reason for his departure was believed to be down to "excessive spending", something Bernstein warned Manchester City to be wary of after the financial gambles Peter Swales often took to give City impetus to challenge for trophies.
Read more about this topic: David Bernstein (executive)
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