Alan Ball: Did Franny Lee Really Think He Would Bring Trophies?

[gordondaviesmoustache]

On thing Benson and Ball have in common is that they both managed a group of players that should never have been relegated.

 

[mscenterh750]

Think Kinkladze's signing was more to do with Lee than Ball.
Was an underwhelming appointment at the time and results bore out many fans concerns. Lee and Ball were both from the Bolton area and a similair age so may well have known each other before their professional careers as likely to have been in local representative teams possibly together. Unsure if they were pally with each other.

I was on my way to Blackpool for a weekend of shagging with an ex girlfriend of mine the day we signed Kinky (signed on a Friday). At breakfast in the grotty hotel we were staying in (across from the pleasure beach), they had the daily mirror and there was a massive double page story about our Georgian genius.

 

[mscenterh750]

Well at least the bog rolls in the main stand were decent thanks to franny.

 

[OnlyOneUweRosler]

Loved watching that trio - even their nicknames of the Artful Dodger, the Little genius and Der Bombed make e smile to this day.
Very sad about Beagrie's long injuries

We didn't have Sky TV, so I used to listen to games on Key 103 radio. I forget the commentator in that era's name, but he always brought the game to life with those nicknames and his passion.

 

[gordondaviesmoustache]

My Dad, Uncle & Cousin went to that Luton game. Uncle got arrested and my old fella nearly did. He's not here anymore but they both use to wind each other up about it.

Luton was the last game I went to with my uncle who got me into City. And took me for about six years. The period that forged my love for City. He lifted me over the turnstile for that game btw! I was 13!

Him and my dad fell out that summer and didn’t speak for about 20 years. So my dad had to start taking me, even though he was a rag. So my visits were less frequent until I was old enough to go on my own a couple of seasons later.

 

[OnlyOneUweRosler]

Not Ron Saunders?

Phil Neal as caretaker manager was pretty dire too. And for some reason after a good first season, Frank Clark went all crap, buying complete donkeys like Bradbury, Van Blerk, and Vaughan etc. Famously he was asked after the 0-1 defeat to Bury late in the season by the media "What went wrong today?" and he said "I can't put my finger on it." He was gone in 48 hour, but damage was done.

 

[Gordyola]

Horton is quite open about how he wasn't told and was sacked while away and Lee wouldn't answer his calls.

Lee did the same to Bell, which is why they didn't speak for over a decade

He lasted longer at City because of Franny’s connections bringing players in than he would have done under swales he only got the job because he was a mate of Madock who swales appointed as chairman to take the pressure of him
He did get the team playing great football but wasn’t up to the job as proven at Huddersfield where he lasted less than 2 seasons
I do remember the time well and the story I related which I was told by a close confidant of buzzer is more accurate than Brian’s claim I guess we will never know the entire truth

 

[Sky Blue Thinking]

We didn't have Sky TV, so I used to listen to games on Key 103 radio. I forget the commentator in that era's name, but he always brought the game to life with those nicknames and his passion.

Brian Clark who also used the phrase 'Go go Gio' for Kinkladze. A stalwart of local radio.

 

[denislawsbackheel]

I was on my way to Blackpool for a weekend of shagging with an ex girlfriend of mine the day we signed Kinky (signed on a Friday). At breakfast in the grotty hotel we were staying in (across from the pleasure beach), they had the daily mirror and there was a massive double page story about our Georgian genius.

You had time to read a paper?

 

[OnlyOneUweRosler]

Brian Clark who also used the phrase 'Go go Gio' for Kinkladze. A stalwart of local radio.

Thank you! Gosh that was one too. I also used to love how he said "Uwe! Uwe! Uwe!" three times whenever Uwe scored. Wonderful.

 

[SuttonColdfieldBlue]

My favourite ever season as a kid in the pre-money era was the Keegan promotion season in 01/02, but a very close second was the 94/95 season under Horton.

I turned 10 in late 1994 and some of it is hazy but I remember some absolutely swashbuckling performances from that season, the 5-2 v Spurs and 3-2 v Blackburn being stand-outs. I’ve since acquired the season review video and it is thoroughly entertaining - we played some awesome stuff but were equally capable of being totally garbage with some real “You’ve Been Framed” moments in defence. In a way, very much like the first half of the first Keegan season.

I’ve said it before on here but really let us down that season was frequently awful goalkeeping. Coton, Dibble, and then Simon Tracey and John Burridge on loan were all guilty - we could easily have been 10-15 points better off and safe mid-table.

Some of what Ball did with that squad was criminal. Alienating half the senior players, replacing Walsh with Gerry Creaney, dropping Coton for Eike Immel, the signings of Frontzeck, Clough, a motley collection of hopeless loan signings - clearly both he and (sadly) Franny were well out of their depth, as admirable as Franny’s intentions were. The first 10 games were what really killed us, but abandoning our exciting and expansive wing play to suddenly try to put everything through Kinkladze, without anyone really knowing what they were doing - it’s so frustrating to look back on because I think we’d have done alright the next season under Horton. Top half at least.

 

[Mad Eyed Screamer]

It was the first 10 or so games that killed Ball’s season. After that I thought we were ok. On the last day of the season I think 3 teams all picked up points to send us down. That was after I think 1 point from those first 10 or so games.
The 1994/95 season under Horton really was great to watch. I remember I couldn’t wait to go to the matches that season. Brian Horton was difficult not to like.

With 3 games to go, City, Southampton and fucking Coventry were all on the same points. 2 teams had already gone down and the three teams were battling to avoid being the 3rd team to go down.
3 games to go, all 3 win.
2 games to go all 3 win.
Final game of the season and all 3 draw with the infamous Incident of Steve Lomas (?) running to the corner flag to keep the ball in the belief that a draw would see us safe.
Fucking Coventry…..

 

[OnlyOneUweRosler]

With 3 games to go, City, Southampton and fucking Coventry were all on the same points. 2 teams had already gone down and the three teams were battling to avoid being the 3rd team to go down.
3 games to go, all 3 win.
2 games to go all 3 win.
Final game of the season and all 3 draw with the infamous Incident of Steve Lomas (?) running to the corner flag to keep the ball in the belief that a draw would see us safe.
Fucking Coventry…..

I found it unreal. City were playing Liverpool, who were playing United in the FA Cup final the following week. Liverpool did not want to get any injuries or suspensions for the final, so would have eased up. City could and should have gone all out and won the game, whatever rumours about games elsewhere were circulating on the final day.

 

[OnlyOneUweRosler]

My favourite ever season as a kid in the pre-money era was the Keegan promotion season in 01/02, but a very close second was the 94/95 season under Horton.

I turned 10 in late 1994 and some of it is hazy but I remember some absolutely swashbuckling performances from that season, the 5-2 v Spurs and 3-2 v Blackburn being stand-outs. I’ve since acquired the season review video and it is thoroughly entertaining - we played some awesome stuff but were equally capable of being totally garbage with some real “You’ve Been Framed” moments in defence. In a way, very much like the first half of the first Keegan season.

I’ve said it before on here but really let us down that season was frequently awful goalkeeping. Coton, Dibble, and then Simon Tracey and John Burridge on loan were all guilty - we could easily have been 10-15 points better off and safe mid-table.

Some of what Ball did with that squad was criminal. Alienating half the senior players, replacing Walsh with Gerry Creaney, dropping Coton for Eike Immel, the signings of Frontzeck, Clough, a motley collection of hopeless loan signings - clearly both he and (sadly) Franny were well out of their depth, as admirable as Franny’s intentions were. The first 10 games were what really killed us, but abandoning our exciting and expansive wing play to suddenly try to put everything through Kinkladze, without anyone really knowing what they were doing - it’s so frustrating to look back on because I think we’d have done alright the next season under Horton. Top half at least.

Very true, sums up my view very well. Lack of a reliable, regular goalie, and a defense that was not quite as reliable as it needed sadly cancelled out the work of the up-and-at-em attacking players. I really think Horton could have won a trophy with City if he made 1-2 defensive signings and was allowed another few seasons.

 

[Mazzarelli's Swiss Cheese]

Ultimately Franny was terribly unlucky in that his 10 million quid of bog roll money went from being significant to peanuts overnight with the establishment of the PL and TV deals with sky.

 

[OnlyOneUweRosler]

Ultimately Franny was terribly unlucky in that his 10 million quid of bog roll money went from being significant to peanuts overnight with the establishment of the PL and TV deals with sky.

Very true. Maybe if he had taken over in the mid 80s, maybe after winning promotion on the last day against Charlton city could have built something up.

 

[OnlyOneUweRosler]

With 3 games to go, City, Southampton and fucking Coventry were all on the same points. 2 teams had already gone down and the three teams were battling to avoid being the 3rd team to go down.
3 games to go, all 3 win.
2 games to go all 3 win.
Final game of the season and all 3 draw with the infamous Incident of Steve Lomas (?) running to the corner flag to keep the ball in the belief that a draw would see us safe.
Fucking Coventry…..

At some level maybe it was better city went down. Ball was awful and had to go, the relegation helped bring into focus how unqualified he was. Had city narrowly avoided relegation, maybe something more problematic would have cropped up.

 

[TinFoilHat]

 

[nmc]

In a book by Hunter Davies, Davies writes that Francis Lee did not know about Ball signing Lee Badbuy and would not have sanctioned the purchase had he known about it.

Frank Clarke signed Badbuy.

 

[Irish Blue82]

My favourite ever season as a kid in the pre-money era was the Keegan promotion season in 01/02, but a very close second was the 94/95 season under Horton.

I turned 10 in late 1994 and some of it is hazy but I remember some absolutely swashbuckling performances from that season, the 5-2 v Spurs and 3-2 v Blackburn being stand-outs. I’ve since acquired the season review video and it is thoroughly entertaining - we played some awesome stuff but were equally capable of being totally garbage with some real “You’ve Been Framed” moments in defence. In a way, very much like the first half of the first Keegan season.

I’ve said it before on here but really let us down that season was frequently awful goalkeeping. Coton, Dibble, and then Simon Tracey and John Burridge on loan were all guilty - we could easily have been 10-15 points better off and safe mid-table.

Some of what Ball did with that squad was criminal. Alienating half the senior players, replacing Walsh with Gerry Creaney, dropping Coton for Eike Immel, the signings of Frontzeck, Clough, a motley collection of hopeless loan signings - clearly both he and (sadly) Franny were well out of their depth, as admirable as Franny’s intentions were. The first 10 games were what really killed us, but abandoning our exciting and expansive wing play to suddenly try to put everything through Kinkladze, without anyone really knowing what they were doing - it’s so frustrating to look back on because I think we’d have done alright the next season under Horton. Top half at least.

Dropping Tony Coton for Immel was scandalous. Considering we ended up going down on goal difference i was convinced at the time and still today that with Coton in goal we'd never have gone down!