Francis Lee

Don’t see it as was at the game. Why did he look thinner?
 
I hope I look like that at 77! Good on him, took a load of shit as chairman but is City through and through.

I always thought it was Lee 1 Pen. He was a convertor of penalties, rather than getting then. First Chinese player at City was the joke.
 
Berts Neck said:
Spot on knuckles.. my thoughts precisely..I can never knock someone for trying..I believe he did try..I just hope he is well.Not a legend, but a City great.
Click to expand...
To me he's a legend as a player and that's the yardstick everyone else is judged by.
He's guilty of sentimentality only on the other charge in my eyes. We were a basket case at that point and few others were prepared to put their head above the parapet.
 
One of my favourite players, like a chunky bull bursting past defenders and letting fly with that hammer of a right foot. As others have said somebody had to inherit all the shit from the Swales era and that was Franny, he also wasn't helped by the requirements of the Taylor Report which meant City had to find £13m to replace the Kippax. Ball was a poor appointment but I think we'd have struggled anyway, we had a flirt with relegation the previous season.
 
We too were shocked to see Frannie on Sunday; I remarked to Mrs Vienna that Frannie has gone to look old.

Francis Henry Lee is the reason I support Manchester City.

For those old enough to remember, in those days, we used to get player collection cards; they came in packs of four with a piece of bubble gum.

The first year I collected them was 1970, and one day,we were in class discussing them, and one of my friends (R. I. P., Paul), pointed at a Frannie card, and said, "He must be a good player, there are loads of him."

He immediately became my favourite player, and therefore his team was my team. He remains my favourite, even to this day, despite all the modern-day heroes.

Even his time as chairman did nothing to erode my love for him. As others have said, I think the mess that the club was in was far worse than he realised. The impending transformation of the Kippax into an all-seater stand, and the necessary removal of the toxic waste underneath the old stand didn’t help.

However, to his credit, he started the transformation of the club’s corporate hospitality from its almost non-existent state to what it is today and his administration paved the way for the club's eventual move to CoMS.

I too hope that the slimmed-down version of Frannie is a conscious effort to lose weight, rather than linked to health issues.
 
He was my favourite player when I was young. I used to watch City train in Wythenshawe Park, and Lee and Corrigan were always last back from the long run (which was probably less than 2k). Bell was always first back.

Lee once said to me "My name is Francis Lee, I'm the chairman here. Welcome to Maine Road". That day was the highlight of my career as a linesman. City Youth v Walsall Youth, FA Youth Cup, can't remember the date. City won 2-0.
 
Last edited:
jimharri said:
Fantastic player. Unfortunately, a less than ideal chairman. It seemed like he let his heart rule his head, particularly with the Ball appointment. The fact that Swales was as popular as a fart in a lift tended to give Franny a lot of credibility with us fans. I missed the picture of him at the weekend. But, try to remember, he's 77 years old.
Click to expand...

Agree with this... great player, but as Chairman whilst the eternal optimist he showed incredible naivety at times. Haven’t seen the photo of him but a couple of years ago he nearly ran me over outside the ground driving an Audi - always remember him being chauffeured in his Bentley.
 
Dirty Harry said:
Tbh I always thought he didn’t know exactly what a shithole the club was in until it was too late, was always my impression anyway.
So sad to see him as he was, Franny was always a chunky lad, so when weight drops off people like that, it tends to have a bigger impact, I’m hoping that’s all it is with him and nothing more sinister .
Click to expand...

I think the Kippax redevelopment fucked him over... Swales had a half arsed plan - as per the Platt Lane - so Lee spent pretty much his entire cash injection on a stand that lasted about 8 or 9 years.... I think Lee lobbied the FA for a dispensation to retain standing - which Newcastle got but his appeal fell on deaf ears.
 
He was my favourite player when I started going to city. Think he would get into today's team if only for his penalty taking. The goalkeeper sometimes got an hand to them but the power still took them in. Did he not score 2 hat tricks at Old Trafford one season, only one against the rags I think. Someone will correct me if I am wrong.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Unread Posts

Don't have an account? Register now and see fewer ads!

SIGN UP
Back
Top