Remembering Swales

[Ardwick AFC]

When old red face gave the quote, "City are a small club, with a small mentality."

Peter Swales is the man who created that environment. While other clubs were building empires, he was selling raffle tickets for one of his TV's. There are still many blues who hark back to those days, with a glint in their eye, but whatever minor joys were experienced throughout those times, will be soon forgotten. The way the club is run now, bares no resemblance to those woeful days. We are firmly seated at the top table, and in years from now, the name Peter Swales will be met with blank stares, or maybe some elder fans sniggering to themselves.

People say that Swales was obsessed with getting one over the Rags, and forgot about all the important things that go towards building a successful club. He lost that battle. And when you think about Sheikh Mansour's decision to buy a football club on the doorstep of brand United, you can only rationalise that his intention is to take them on head to head.

I can assure you that the next ten years are going to be epic, because their evil empire will fight back, and Manchester will become the center of the football universe.

 

[Balti]

When old red face gave the quote, "City are a small club, with a small mentality."

Peter Swales is the man who created that environment. While other clubs were building empires, he was selling raffle tickets for one of his TV's. There are still many blues who hark back to those days, with a glint in their eye, but whatever minor joys were experienced throughout those times, will be soon forgotten. The way the club is run now, bares no resemblance to those woeful days. We are firmly seated at the top table, and in years from now, the name Peter Swales will be met with blank stares, or maybe some elder fans sniggering to themselves.

People say that Swales was obsessed with getting one over the Rags, and forgot about all the important things that go towards building a successful club. He lost that battle. And when you think about Sheikh Mansour's decision to buy a football club on the doorstep of brand United, you can only rationalise that his intention is to take them on head to head.

I can assure you that the next ten years are going to be epic, because their evil empire will fight back, and Manchester will become the center of the football universe again at last.

Spot on.

 

[Mad Eyed Screamer]

when swales took over about 1972 i think city were consistant top 6 ,always in europe playing in a 50/60 thousand stadium ,by the end of his watch we were heading for the third tear of english football playing in a 34 thousand capacity ground,all we need to know really.

In fairness to Swales, the capacity went from 50 odd thousand to 34,000 because of Bradford and Hillsborough - as did OT, Highbury, Villa Park etc etc

 

[Thaksinssoldier]

A lot of shite being slung at the man with little truth.

I'll give you a quote you'll probably get off the man until this day:

"without Peter Swales,there wouldn't be a man city today"-bernard halford.

Swales had faults yes,but hang on a sec...he's painted the villain.in my eyes Francis lee was 1000 times worse.set us back 20 years.made us a fucking joke.

Let's not forget what we had as Swales left.

Horton,Quinn,rosler,beagrie,Walsh etc...we were looking good.franny lee destroyed it in one year.

In 76 Swales personally flew to Dublin and set up the Dublin OSC.as backwards as he was,in other ways he was an innovator,seeing the potential of the overseas market.

The mans name has been ran through the mud over the years.imo only franny led should receive that kind of hate.

 

[Ardwick AFC]

A lot of shite being slung at the man with little truth.

I'll give you a quote you'll probably get off the man until this day:

"without Peter Swales,there wouldn't be a man city today"-bernard halford.

Swales had faults yes,but hang on a sec...he's painted the villain.in my eyes Francis lee was 1000 times worse.set us back 20 years.made us a fucking joke.

Let's not forget what we had as Swales left.

Horton,Quinn,rosler,beagrie,Walsh etc...we were looking good.franny lee destroyed it in one year.

In 76 Swales personally flew to Dublin and set up the Dublin OSC.as backwards as he was,in other ways he was an innovator,seeing the potential of the overseas market.

The mans name has been ran through the mud over the years.imo only franny led should receive that kind of hate.

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.

 

[JGL07]

when swales took over about 1972 i think city were consistant top 6 ,always in europe playing in a 50/60 thousand stadium ,by the end of his watch we were heading for the third tear of english football playing in a 34 thousand capacity ground,all we need to know really.

In fairness to Swales, the capacity went from 50 odd thousand to 34,000 because of Bradford and Hillsborough - as did OT, Highbury, Villa Park etc etc

It was largely down to the mess that Swales made of the redevelopment of Maine Road.

 

[kippaxkid74]

A lot of shite being slung at the man with little truth.

I'll give you a quote you'll probably get off the man until this day:

"without Peter Swales,there wouldn't be a man city today"-bernard halford.

Swales had faults yes,but hang on a sec...he's painted the villain.in my eyes Francis lee was 1000 times worse.set us back 20 years.made us a fucking joke.

Let's not forget what we had as Swales left.

Horton,Quinn,rosler,beagrie,Walsh etc...we were looking good.franny lee destroyed it in one year.

In 76 Swales personally flew to Dublin and set up the Dublin OSC.as backwards as he was,in other ways he was an innovator,seeing the potential of the overseas market.

The mans name has been ran through the mud over the years.imo only franny led should receive that kind of hate.

well, i kind of see both sides. Swales started off and encouraged the junior blues didn't he? We were the first club to have any kind of junior fan club. I think once the damn premier league era started in 92 it showed him to be out of his depth though, but to be fair, think of the 80s - how many clubs actually went round acting like they had the power and the glory and the money and the "big club mentality"? A handful. I don't think we went round with a "small club" mentality either, don't let fergie get to you, we were a big club that was skint basically.

I did always think Swales was a twat as a kid (i'm born xmas 74, so early 80s is when my devotion really kicked in) so i'm not totally defending him, i mean bloody hell the size of the umbro stand/platt lane when it opened was pathetic - that i admit showed a small mentality but i guess was cos we were skint, and from what players have said he was absolutley appalling to them at times... but franny made a mess as well - just a different kind of mess and in a shorter time. Being a chairman is often a poisoned job.

 

[Draken]

Swales is made out to be such skinflint but he did find the money to sign some big name players ,for example Rodney Marsh ,Trevor Francis ,Steve Daley all bought for massive money .
Interesting Malcolm Allison vid here on the Daley transfer ,makes Swales sound like a rubbish businessman but hardly someone who was afraid to spend big money when needed , unfortunately for all of us ,his big buys were mainly flops.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0S4nW6FPZ8&feature=related[/youtube]

 

[Mad Eyed Screamer]

Swales is made out to be such skinflint but he did find the money to sign some big name players ,for example Rodney Marsh ,Trevor Francis ,Steve Daley all bought for massive money .
Interesting Malcolm Allison vid here on the Daley transfer ,makes Swales sound like a rubbish businessman but hardly someone who was afraid to spend big money when needed , unfortunately for all of us ,his big buys were mainly flops.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0S4nW6FPZ8&feature=related[/youtube]

I think you are missing your own point here COMPLETELY
Malcolm clearly states no way was Daley worth 600K. And the next thing he knows is City have signed Daley for £1.25m!!!!!!!!
Swales signed Daley, not MA

 

[Gingers Dad]

The thought of Peter Swales still makes me angry. That minutes silence when he died was very difficult, I wanted to cheer. The irony was not lost on me that we celebrated(sorry commemorated) his death on the same day we got relegated. Everyone has different opinions and memories but I can't believe that I'm reading comments on Bluemoon by City fans defending him. He may as well have put that banner up at Old Trafford himself.

There are comments on here that aren't very complimentary towards Franny Lee, and I've heard other people saying similar things before. But if he hadn't wrestled the club away from Swales I hate to think where we'd be now.

Manchester City did more for Peter Swales than Peter Swales ever did for Manchester City.