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

Brian Horton approached . Frannie because his contract was close to expiring and there had been no mention of a new one. Brian was told the club would be looking for a new manager, and Lee had his eye on Brian Kidd. For one reason or another Kidd was reluctant to tell GPC that he was leaving to take up a post in Manchester and Lee began working his way through a list of candidates, all of whom refused. It seems surprising that Lee did not try to mend a few bridges with Brian Horton, who had won over the City faithful after a sticky start, but, in the end he turned to his great friend Alan Ball, the one Lee knew would never turn him down. Lee tried to talk him up as an innovative and talented manager but he cannot have believed this. Paul Hince of the MEN always thought that the City job was just too big for Ball. This appointment coupled with Swales's desperate legacy got City's descent to the third tier off to a cracking start.
 
Brian Kidd's managerial record was certainly no better than Ball's.

Ball wasn't here in summer 1997 he left in a year before.

Lee was part of the Ball problem, and the City problem, and things recovered once he left.

I am certainly not a Ball fan, but as Frank Clark said when he left, "it is rat infested place" and there were not good condition for managing a football club.
 
OnlyOneUweRosler said:
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.
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We were that bad then we could not even beat a half arsed Liverpool team, says it all really
 
OnlyOneUweRosler said:
Flitcroft scored the winning goal that day, 2-1 versus Ipswich
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Idolised him, copied his haircut and wanted to be him basically. I think because he came through the ranks aswell it just made sense. I was a 13 year old playing weekend footy in midfield and he was my inspiration. When he left i was gutted and like an old ex, just forgot about him, it was to painful to watch. It also rekindled a huge dislike for Blackburn Rovers aswell, they had took one of my other favourites a few seasons before, Colin Hendry. Another player I loved.
 
It was all part of the journey to now; Big Mal coming back, John Bond, John Benson, Billy McNeil, Jimmy Frizzell, Mel Machin, Howard Kendall, Peter Reid, Brian Horton, Alan Ball, Steve Coppell, Phil Neil, Frank Clarke, Joe Royal, Kevin Keegan, Stuart Pearce, Mark Hughes, Roberto Mancini, Manuel Pellegrini, Pep Guardiola.

From the ridiculous to the sublime, and everything in between.
 
Cellarite said:
I'm too young to ever have seen Colin Bell play, but watching that video, I can absolutely see the comparisons with Kevin de Bruyne.
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Agree - two of my favourite all-time players, and lucky to have seen them both in their pomp.
 
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Tarzan Pancake said:
It was all part of the journey to now; Big Mal coming back, John Bond, John Benson, Billy McNeil, Jimmy Frizzell, Mel Machin, Howard Kendall, Peter Reid, Brian Horton, Alan Ball, Steve Coppell, Phil Neil, Frank Clarke, Joe Royal, Kevin Keegan, Stuart Pearce, Mark Hughes, Roberto Mancini, Manuel Pellegrini, Pep Guardiola.

From the ridiculous to the sublime, and everything in between.
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I think I joined the fun with Jimmy Frizzell but certainly I was hooked by Mel Machin.
 
A few have mentioned about Kiddo being all but agreed but there is a little bit more to the story. Kiddo was supposed to be City manager and had basically agreed it until Ferguson found out about it and put an end to it straight away. He called Kiddo into his office and basically told him he knew and there was no way he was leaving to join us.

On top of Kiddo two signings had also pretty much been sorted and were due to be kiddos first signings and they were Chris Coleman and Gareth Southgate. Obviously neither happened once kiddo was off.

Would have been two pretty solid centre back signings in hindsight.
 
gordondaviesmoustache said:
I’ve said this before, but it deserves repeating on this thread.

Ball wasn’t our worst ever manager. That has to be John Benson. By loads of different metrics.
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To be fair to John Benson, his City side only spent about two and a half minutes in the relegation zone.






(Mad how - even after Dickov and Aguero and Gündoğan that relegation still hurts)
 
Gordyola said:
Saw him at one in Stockport he was awful spoke about how his dad was never happy with his achievements eg dad I won the World Cup I know son but dont tell me until youve won another and how if he had won a second, and said dad ive won another World Cup he would have said dont tell me until …… and so on

Not sure if was the same event but Fred Eyre told a story about how after a dinner he'd broken down in the Mersey Tunnel and Alan and his dad stopped and offer to tow him out but he refused as he didnt want to be know as the man dragged out of the Mersey Tunnel by the balls
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Fred would have been a far better manager
 
TinFoilHat said:
Forest away when Jason Lee scored a quick hat trick against us. I think their fans joined with the football genius song because he scored.
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Scousers thought we were genuinely hilarious singing it at Anfield the week we leaked 10 goals in 5 days against them.
Might be the week the chant started . Could be wrong sure someone knows
 
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