Did “player power” begin at City?

[gill_undrhill]

Step One: Jimmy Hill

Step Two: Jean-Marc Bosman

Close the thread!

 

[1961_vintage]

What was unique about Saunders' sacking was that all of the first team players (except Lee) and even some of the reserve team had given their views on the manager to directors just before he was fired.

A Chairman and Board of spineless cowards.

 

[KS55]

Step One: Jimmy Hill

Step Two: Jean-Marc Bosman

Close the thread!

Step one: George Eastham. He legally saw off the old retain and transfer system. Contrast with Tom Finney who got a huge offer to play in Italy. The Preston chairman said no, so he remained the Preston plumber. Contracts then were for life.

 

[theinvisibleman]

I have some recollection from reading a book by Gary James there was an altercation during a match at Aston Villa, and in the ensuing investigation Billy Meredith spilled the beans about illegal payments being received by City players, which was frowned upon by the powers that be at the time resulting in most of City's players being sold and Ernest Magnall, City's manager at the time, decamping to united.

I don't recall reading about him being being a player manager at City,

As an aside, I went on a school hoiday in 1972 to Spain, and on the next table to us during breakfast and dinner there was a very pleasant guy with his young family. He chatted football with us along with other subjects, and when he found out our teachers had arranged a football match between us and the waiters, he was very keen to find out where the match was taking place. Anyway, to cut a long story short, he watched us play the game, and he was Billy Haines, the first £100 a week footballer.

We had no idea who he was at the time. We were 15 years old and happy to chat with a very pleasant and personable bloke sitting on the next table to ours.

We only found out who he was at the end of the holiday when our teachers told us.

 

[theinvisibleman]

I have some recollection from reading a book by Gary James there was an altercation during a match at Aston Villa, and in the ensuing investigation Billy Meredith spilled the beans about illegal payments being received by City players, which was frowned upon by the powers that be at the time resulting in most of City's players being sold and Ernest Magnall, City's manager at the time, decamping to united.

I don't recall reading about him being being a player manager at City,

As an aside, I went on a school hoiday in 1972 to Spain, and on the next table to us during breakfast and dinner there was a very pleasant guy with his young family. He chatted football with us along with other subjects, and when he found out our teachers had arranged a football match between us and the waiters, he was very keen to find out where the match was taking place. Anyway, to cut a long story short, he watched us play the game, and he was Billy Haines, the first £100 a week footballer.

We had no idea who he was at the time. We were 15 years old and happy to chat with a very pleasant and personable bloke sitting on the next table to ours.

We only found out who he was at the end of the holiday when our teachers told us.

Think it was Johnny Haynes as my FOC memory recalls, played for Fulham

 

[Lavinda Past]

I never liked Ron Saunders.

 

[jimharri]

I never liked Ron Saunders.

Credit where it's due, though. That Villa side were fabulous in the early 80s. Withe, Shaw, Mortimer, McNaught, Morley etc. It's a little known fact, but they actually won the old European Cup back in 1982. It's not something their fans like to talk about, though.

 

[Lavinda Past]

Credit where it's due, though. That Villa side were fabulous in the early 80s. Withe, Shaw, Mortimer, McNaught, Morley etc. It's a little known fact, but they actually won the old European Cup back in 1982. It's not something their fans like to talk about, though.

Fair comment. I spoke with him outside Maine Road when he joined us and he came across as a right twat, just rude for no reason.

Funnily enough, I was given exactly the same impression when I met Graham Taylor. He was an arrogant cnut.

I've chatted with a lot of football managers over many years, as a fan and workwise. Ron Saunders and Graham Taylor were the only ones that I took an almost instant dislike to.

 

[Gary James]

I would always defer to @Gary James but I believe that Billy Meredith had enormous influence as a player on the then selectors/committee
Wasn’t he effectively a player/manager at some stage?

Meredith was certainly an enormous influence. Lots to say on him. One of my pet subjects and I’ve interviewed both his daughter (who was almost 100 at the time) and his grandson (whose dad was also a City player). Both of them pointed out that Harding’s biography of Meredith was incorrect in many areas, particularly in his relationship with City. Lots on Meredith (and more to come) on my website. For example:

Search Results for “Meredith” – Gary James' Football Archive

Football writing, thoughts and more by Gary James

gjfootballarchive.com

With Saunders and player power… Swales blamed the players of course but ultimately it was his decision (He asked Joe Smith for his input of course). Swales admitted to me that it being Easter was a factor as he knew there’d be less newspaper coverage of the sacking than at another time.

I‘ve interviewed several about Saunders, including Swales, and it is clear from some of the players that his treatment of some of them, particularly the bigger stars, was poor. One player told me that he witnessed Saunders deliberately stand on Denis Law’s hair when Law was on the ground. For what reason? ‘To show him who was the boss’.

Swales comments are available to subscribers on my site:

The Sacking of Ron Saunders

On this day (April 11) in 1974, despite bold statements from new Manchester City Chairman Peter Swales at the time of his appointment, manager Ron Saunders was dismissed after less than five months in the role. In March Saunders’ City had been defeated 2-1 in the League Cup final against...

gjfootballarchive.com

Despite the criticism from many players I’ve also had others tell me positive stuff about Saunders, including Frank Carrodus and Steve Fleet (both interviews are available to subscribers on my website www.GJFootballArchive.com ).

Saunders was a complex character at times and it depended on ‘your own‘ position at City at the time as to what ‘you‘ think of him. He often gets a bad press but then there are many positives about him too. Ego often comes into it at a football club.

 

[jimharri]

Fair comment. I spoke with him outside Maine Road when he joined us and he came across as a right twat, just rude for no reason.

Funnily enough, I was given exactly the same impression when I met Graham Taylor. He was an arrogant cnut.

I've chatted with a lot of football managers over many years, as a fan and workwise. Ron Saunders and Graham Taylor were the only ones that I took an almost instant dislike to.

I couldn't argue with that. I never met him, so I have no personal experience to recount. But he looked like the sort of bloke who'd start a row in an empty phone box.