Worst decision by Peter Swales?

Most people would point to the return of Malcolm Allison, but playing Devil's Advocate, I don’t recall too much criticism in January 1979, especially as it was only 6 years since the previously successful Allison had left the club (not too dissimilar to Mancini returning in 2019).

Of course, it was an absolute disaster, but I recall an interview during the 1983-84 season when Swales admitted that the City were so financially embarrassed that it was now official club policy to replace all 100w light bulbs with 50w in order to save money.

For me, the biggest crime was that throughout the oncoming gloom Swales still managed another 10 years of mismanagement.
 
It astounds me how someone could take a club who were continually challenging for honours, with a great side, one of the biggest grounds in the country (and a behemoth of a stand like the Kippax) and leave us being one of the biggest jokes in football on our way down the divisions with no money, no income, and a stadium that was unrecognisable from the old Maine Road.

His time at the club was a disgrace. He’s the worst thing that ever happened to City. He’s the reason that, still to this day, people don’t take us seriously as a top club, say we have no history and think we're this little club that won the Lottery.

We had a few years early on when we just formed as a club when we were in Division Two and a few years here and there in the 1930s and 1960s where we were out of the top flight again. But for pretty much the whole rest of our history we were always a top flight club with one of the biggest crowds in the country (although we never won as many trophies as we should have!)

Then came the Swales era and we plummeted. Fans disappeared, money disappeared, top flight status was up and down and up and then the rot set in for the third tier decline. That’s one hell of a fuck up. And we are still feeling the effects of that with the total lack of 20-40 year old City fans compared to that of other clubs, all other clubs. City were so unattractive a prospect as a club we lost a generation of fans. That’s having an impact on our atmosphere and attendances now.

I look at Arsenal now and think that Wenger and their board have taken them backwards from the premier footballing side in this country to just another top half side and should all step aside. Yet they’re still fifth and winning cups. Compared to what happened to City they’re doing really well.
 
It astounds me how someone could take a club who were continually challenging for honours, with a great side, one of the biggest grounds in the country (and a behemoth of a stand like the Kippax) and leave us being one of the biggest jokes in football on our way down the divisions with no money, no income, and a stadium that was unrecognisable from the old Maine Road.

His time at the club was a disgrace. He’s the worst thing that ever happened to City. He’s the reason that, still to this day, people don’t take us seriously as a top club, say we have no history and think we're this little club that won the Lottery.

We had a few years early on when we just formed as a club when we were in Division Two and a few years here and there in the 1930s and 1960s where we were out of the top flight again. But for pretty much the whole rest of our history we were always a top flight club with one of the biggest crowds in the country (although we never won as many trophies as we should have!)

Then came the Swales era and we plummeted. Fans disappeared, money disappeared, top flight status was up and down and up and then the rot set in for the third tier decline. That’s one hell of a fuck up. And we are still feeling the effects of that with the total lack of 20-40 year old City fans compared to that of other clubs, all other clubs. City were so unattractive a prospect as a club we lost a generation of fans. That’s having an impact on our atmosphere and attendances now.

I look at Arsenal now and think that Wenger and their board have taken them backwards from the premier footballing side in this country to just another top half side and should all step aside. Yet they’re still fifth and winning cups. Compared to what happened to City they’re doing really well.
Spot-on. We have never fully recovered from the Swales era. It was us and Liverpool at the top of the tree in 1976/1977. They were the best side in Europe and we were not far behind. Swales destroyed City.
 
Maddock

john-maddock.jpg
 
The way he treated Paul Lake( one of us) was absolutlely criminal! Making him travel on cattle class after having surgary in USA. You just couldnt make that one up. Also he fucked up major with that carbunkle The Umbro stand! Just when we were pushing for honours and a few players away from a very good side, he spunks 7 or 8 million on that piece of shit! The guy was a crank, end of errand!! But, unfortunately, he was just a big a blue as most of us. CTID.
 
Like others have said our decline under Swales was him bringing Malcolm Alison back. We spent big money in the late 70s early 80s but we never had a settled period under Swales. His obsession with united meant he was always sacking managers looking for the magic formula. Constantly hiring and firing managers, always in transition, buying expensive players, then the next manager would flog the 'deadwood' in a fire sale.

We never had any stability and throughout the 80s and 90s we were yo-yo-ing relegation promotion. I remember it being pay on the day in the Kippax and some games were a lot more full than the pink final would print as the attendance. Hmm, I wonder where all that extra cash went.

I also can't understand how the club did own it's own badge or souvenir shop.

Swales loved the club, but under his reign we were a standing joke.
With Swales, he was the typical local business man who made good & bought his local football club. Little did we know then, but he was one of the last of a dying breed.

We know it now when looking back, but football was moving on past the likes of Swales. It was becoming more corporate in the way the top clubs were being run, & the forward thinking clubs were hiring Marketing, PR & finance teams, when old stalwarts like Swales was more concerned with the quality of teas & pies on match days.

I have no doubt Swales did his very best for City, however looking back, the likes of Swales had come from a land that time had forgotten.
 
I've never bought into the Swales was a massive blue who did his best for the club mantra. He did his best for himself as he wanted City to be his own fiefdom. It's not like he was regular on the Kippax before he was on the board - he just liked being in charge and the profile it brought him.
 

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