Alan Arthur Oakes (born 7 September 1942) is an English former footballer who holds Manchester City's all-time record for appearances.
[2] However, despite Oakes reaching the 40-game mark,[2] they plummeted to second-from-bottom of the division in 1962–63, finishing two points short of 33-point safety benchmark set by 20th place Birmingham City.
New manager George Poyser failed to bring promotion in 1963–64 and 1964–65, though by then Oakes was a consistent first-team performer, making 41 league appearances in each campaign.
He played 34 games in 1970–71 as City dropped to 11th before making 34 appearances in 1971–72, helping the club to a fourth-place finish, a single point behind champions Derby County.
New boss Tony Book failed to bring back the glory years for Manchester City though, despite Oakes making 43 appearances in 1974–75.
[2] In his time at Maine Road, Oakes had become part of more trophy winning sides than any other Manchester City player in history.
[2] Amongst footballing figures of his era, Oakes was renowned for his professionalism; the great Liverpool manager Bill Shankly described him as "exactly the kind of player youngsters should use as a model".
The only City player to come close to his record was Joe Corrigan, a goalkeeper who played alongside Oakes for nine years.
[2] Although he initially signed just as a player, he was soon in charge of team affairs at Sealand Road after manager Ken Roberts moved upstairs.
Oakes also gave the legendary Ian Rush his big break in the professional game, handing him his Chester debut in April 1979.
[1] At 41 years and 60 days old, Oakes was unable to prevent the injury-ravaged team from losing to Plymouth Argyle 1–0, the club's sixth straight loss.