Remembering Swales

[Gingers Dad]

That's something that always intrigues me. Is there any evidence of him really being a blue prior to getting involved? He probably worked most Saturdays but did he go to an midweek games?

For every Peter Swales story there's a couple of people to contradict him and say that it didn't happen as he said. The story about him approaching Sidney Rose & John Humphreys in a pub in Hale didn't happen, according to Sidney. So do we believe he was a lifelong blue? Even if he was, it was more about what it could do for him than what he could do for the club.

I remember when he died in 1996 we had a minutes silence for him pre-match. I couldn't stand there I had to walk out. Thought it was fitting that City got relegated that day and the Rags won the league. Ever since I could remember he had banged on about making City bigger than the Rags and the season he died we couldn't have been any further behind them on or off the pitch. And I know he wasn't involved at City by then.

 

[gordondaviesmoustache]

That's something that always intrigues me. Is there any evidence of him really being a blue prior to getting involved? He probably worked most Saturdays but did he go to an midweek games?

None has been produced to date and he was approaching 40 when he became City Chairman. Not buying the working Saturdays excuse if he was a true fan either. We all have to make sacrifices, which put us out of pocket, or inconvenience us if we have a deep-seated love of our club. Can’t believe over twenty years after his death he’s still conning City fans into believing he was as big a blue as they are.

 

[philiph20]

A small time egotistical inept charlatan who in the main was responsible for the misery we blues suffered during his reign.

I don’t think for one minute he was a die hard blue, he loved the prestige, he loved being an FA bigwig, he loved the attention we were just a vehicle for this.

 

[gkmcfc]

I've met Franny Lee on numerous occasions down the years. The first time was at the social club at maine road, when I was 18. It was at a former boxers 60th birthday. He was an arrogant twat all night. The last time I met him I was 34, and he basically told me that he knew my boss and could get me sacked. It was 5pm and he was off his tree. I just laughed in his face. As a footballer, he was a legend. As a man, he is a fantastic knob.

It's ridiculous that we ousted Swales for the toilet roll factory owner.

It's far from ridiculous to be fair

 

[gkmcfc]

I wrote to Swales a couple of times as a kid, particularly about the redevelopment of Maine Road and what was envisioned around 1982. Fair play to him as he always wrote back personally which I was always impressed with. Cantilever roofs, and covered on all 4 corners proper wowed me at the time, but alas it never happened.
For me (and I'm no expert) he was simply a small time businessman out of his depth. He should've relinquished control 15 years before he finally succumbed to Francis Lee and his consortium. The club needed to be modernised and he needed to change and he wasn't in tune with this whatsoever.
A former accountant of mine used to work on City's accounts and he was able to confirm the creativity that employed to understate attendances etc and how "several" turnstiles were used to achieve this!

 

[I'm no cynic but...]

I never did like the man when, once he gained control of the club, he managed to force Joe Mercer into resigning in favour of appointing Malcolm Allison as Manager. The story at the time was that there was discord at Boardroom level and that Joe favoured the 'old guard' whereas Mal thought the club should modernise and that Swales was the man to do it. As the club went backwards under his stewardship, I think it is clear who should have won that particular battle.

My own particular contempt for the man followed a cup tie at Newcastle in the mid 70's which was interrupted by rioting Newcastle fans who the police had allowed into the City enclosure and this was so bad that I, and a number of other blues got out before half time for safety reasons. That was just about the only time I have ever left a game early, and for good reason too. Following that disturbance, their was going to be a FA enquiry into these events but nothing ever happened, or at least was never publicised, yet several weeks later Swales made some comment about the drinking culture amongst football supporters, saying that he was convinced that alcohol was the cause of CITY FANS RIOTING AT NEWCASTLE. So that was it. Our Chairman blamed his own club's supporters for causing us to be at the wrong end of a kicking. If he had quit after that then I may have quietly forgotten him, but he didn't and he remained long enough to take us to the brink of bankruptcy. Thank Heavens that our club was saved just in time and that it is now a model of perfection at so many levels.

 

[JWBlueman]

It's far from ridiculous to be fair

True. But also true that Francis Lee was,is,and forever will be an utter wanker of a man.

God we’ve had some shit running our club over the years.

Look at us now though. Wouldn’t swap it for the world. All the pain just made this joy all the sweeter.

 

[bluegirl74]

A small time egotistical inept charlatan who in the main was responsible for the misery we blues suffered during his reign.

I don’t think for one minute he was a die hard blue, he loved the prestige, he loved being an FA bigwig, he loved the attention we were just a vehicle for this.

This all day.

But as others have said, his replacement was no better. I had the "mis"fortune to be a professional advisor to FHL (not in respect of City, other ventures) and I was as excited as a kid at Christmas to meet him, asked to head up the team working on the project. He proved beyond doubt that that meeting your hero is the worst thing you can experience. The advice I gave him made him an amount of money beyond most people's expectations but he never bothered to learn my name, preferring to call me "love" and then quibbled my fee - cheap mysoginist bastard.

 

[worsleyweb]

This all day.

But as others have said, his replacement was no better. I had the "mis"fortune to be a professional advisor to FHL (not in respect of City, other ventures) and I was as excited as a kid at Christmas to meet him, asked to head up the team working on the project. He proved beyond doubt that that meeting your hero is the worst thing you can experience. The advice I gave him made him an amount of money beyond most people's expectations but he never bothered to learn my name, preferring to call me "love" and then quibbled my fee - cheap mysoginist bastard.

With a very poor taste in suits as well. (Love)

 

[Stiff Little Wingers]

I remember Swales giving a talk at my school in the mid 70’s. The 2 things that still stick with me was his openly admitted love of publicity and his desire for City to surpass the Rags. I’ve always looked at his tenure through these 2 lenses which I think explains some of downright abysmal decisions he made.
Funnily enough possibly one of the biggest mistakes made, apart from bringing back Allison, was not replacing Colin the King. I’m assuming he played a big role in not getting the replacement we needed which must have lost us at least a league title and possibly other glory.
The financial mismanagement does echo what others say about him being out of his depth