There aren't many footballers who retire from the game and end up becoming a singer and artist. But for former Manchester City midfielder Jim Whitley, that's now his career - as he performs on stage as a member of the rat pack, covering songs by the likes of Sammy Davis Jr, alongside his work as an artist and painter. Across two interviews with the Blue Moon Podcast, Whitley spoke to Chris Prince in 2011 and David Mooney in 2017 about his playing career at Maine Road and how that all transformed into the life he leads now.

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It was February 1997 when Manchester City turned to Joe Royle to try and stop their slide down the leagues. Unable to keep the Blues in Division One, Royle went on to rebuild the club - earning back-to-back promotions in dramatic style in 1999 and 2000, getting City back to the Premier League as soon as he possible could have done. Without his influence as a manager in the late 1990s, who knows where the club would be today. The Blue Moon Podcast's David Mooney spoke to the ex-boss to discover more about his time in the dugout.

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It's not easy to be a number two goalkeeper. Each week of the season goes by knowing that you're going to be understudy to the club's first choice - but that you have to be in top form and your best shape because you might be needed at a moment's notice. Geert De Vlieger joined City under manager Kevin Keegan and spent a short spell as back-up to David James. In 2016, he spoke to the Blue Moon Podcast's David Mooney about the move over to Manchester and a rather serious injury he sustained while at the club, following that transfer.

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You often hear players described as a "utility player" - someone who can fill in and do a job when the main left back or the regular right winger isn't available. With squad football, it's less of a problem - but back in the 1960s and 1970s, it was more common. Dave Connor made 141 appearances for City and, in that time, he played in every position on the field, apart from goalkeeper. He was part of the team that won promotion from the Second Division and then went on to the Division One title in 1968. He spoke to David Mooney back in 2010.

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There are few players who experience two very different eras at clubs, but Ian Bishop is someone who can say they've seen opposing ends of the Manchester City scale. When he first arrived, in 1989, he enjoyed a 5-1 win over rivals Manchester United at Maine Road - before being sold to West Ham after just three months. He returned to Joe Royle's City side in 1998, as they battled the drop to Division Two. Bishop would go on to be a key figure in City's return to the Premier League, and he explained all to the Blue Moon Podcast's David Mooney.

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In the late 1990s, Manchester City were in crisis. Following relegation from the Premier League in 1996, they were unable to bounce back to the top flight at the first attempt. Following Alan Ball's resignation, Steve Coppell, Phil Neal, and Asa Hartford all briefly held the position of manager. In December 1996, City appointed Frank Clark to try and halt the slide down the leagues. In his short spell in charge, he wasn't able to put the brakes on - David Mooney spoke to the former manager in 2013 to discuss what went wrong during his time in the Maine Road dugout.

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Having played against Roberto Mancini's Manchester City in the Europa League at the beginning of the 2010-11 season, the manager went on to sign Costel Pantilimon for the start of 2011-12, initially on loan. The 6ft 8in Romanian was back-up for two seasons, before new boss Manuel Pellegrini upgraded him to first choice in the autumn of 2013, to provide a kick up the backside for regular number one Joe Hart. David Mooney from the Blue Moon Podcast sat down for a chat with the back-up keeper in the run up to the club's title win in 2012.

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Signed by Joe Royle ready for the 1999-2000 season, Danny Granville was a key part in the Manchester City side that won promotion back to the Premier League - following the remarkable Division Two Playoff Final the year before. He linked up with Mark Kennedy on the left flank and was an important component that helped the club finish second and earn automatic promotion to the top flight. He continued at City throughout the next two seasons, before moving on under new boss Kevin Keegan. In 2016, he spoke to David Mooney about his time at Maine Road.

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There are often interesting stories about what former footballers have gone on to do later in life. Perhaps one of the most famous is that of Lee Crooks, the ex-Premier League full-back who went on to join the army, serving in Afghanistan. He came through the ranks at Manchester City in the mid-1990s, establishing himself in the team as it dropped through the divisions and climbed back to the Premier League. He was another who featured in the famous win at Wembley over Gillingham in 1999. He spoke to the Blue Moon Podcast's David Mooney.

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Manchester City fans will always wonder where five extra minutes came from in the 1999 Division Two play-off final. Without them, Kevin Horlock and Paul Dickov wouldn't have been able to rescue the Blues from another season in the third tier with two stoppage time goals. Mark Halsey was the referee for that match - he spoke to the Blue Moon Podcast's David Mooney in 2011 to discuss the game, and to explain more about how refereeing and football helped him when he found out he was suffering from cancer.

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