Worst decision by Peter Swales?

Psychedelic Casual said:
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.
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Where as Francis Lee took over - identified that World Class manager in Alan Ball and things took a giant leap forward.
 
Ostracising Paul Lake and delaying the treatment on his dodgy knee in LA, was his biggest error among many, for me.. Early treatment by the top surgeon out there could have prolonged his career, too late when he finally relented and sanctioned the trip, big bone of contention in Lakey's book..!
 
Wonder what he makes of it all now if he's looking down. And no jokes abt him looking up, He wasn't that bad :(
 
I was born in the swinging sixties so I grew up with Peter in charge. Looking back I would say that he had success at Altrincham and actually that , with no disrespect, was his level. The club badge and Eddie Phillips thing proves to me that he had no clue at the level we were at, and that development in the wider game passed him by. He wanted to “overtake” the scum and knew that that would buy him credit with our fan base. I think he started with his heart in the right place but was just woefully out of his depth businesswise. Having committed himself and by then getting FA junkets, again he misjudged when it was time to go. Set us back 20 years , potentially left in terminal decline , missing a generation. Just team wise his worst decision for me was bringing Mal back again I just don’t think he had the ability to not fall for Mals charisma, & see through the bluster.
 
pace89 said:
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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Think it was a bit of both, he stated off with the club's interest foremost then got corrupted by power the latter is evident with the Tony Coton stuff about blocking him playing for England as he climbed to the top of the FA tree.
 
In 1983, he kindly gave me a lift in the directors' minibus from Gatwick Airport to the old Goldstone ground in Brighton to watch City play there in the Cup. (It's along story, so I won't say how I came to be there). I sat in the back of the minibus and listened to PS chatting with some of our directors.
I tell you, I have never heard so much rubbish spouted by one man about the game of football. Incorrect facts, barmy, half-baked opinions, daft ideas - if I had had any doubts about Swales's competence, this bus-ride confirmed them.
I got out of the bus at Brighton and thanked our chairman. It was genuinely decent of him. Pity we got hammered by BHA.
But I was literally in shock about the depths of football ignorance displayed.
And yes, His recall of Allison was a catastrophe that damn near ruined the club.
 
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