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

StillBluessinceHydeRoad said:
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.
Click to expand...
Was the coppel debacle before ball or between ball and Clarke? I've obviously killed a few braincells and can't remember.
 
Shaggy said:
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.
Click to expand...
Yeah, our admin was appalling then. Offices in a terraced house iirc.
 
Irish Blue82 said:
I've heard in the past that Francis Lee wanted the big earners off the wage bill. Hence why within 6 months Coton,Quinn, Curle and others we're out the door. Pretty sure Tony Coton says in his book that Ball told him no matter what happened, he'd never play for city again!
Click to expand...
We were certainly a poorer team without TC between the sticks.
 
Corky said:
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.
Click to expand...
Brian Kidd was exceptionally good with youth players at Man United, but a lot of his reputation as a manager was reflected glory from Alex Ferguson. As an assistant to the most successful manager of his time, he looked good. Once Kidd was a manager in his own right, he bombed at Blackburn and got them relegated just four years after Blackburn had been premier league champions.
 
denislawsbackheel said:
Not Ron Saunders?
Click to expand...

Saunders' problem was not understanding the era he was a football manager in. The sixties and seventies had changed footballers, like everyone else. He had a quasi-military style that lost the dressing room more or less straight away. Funnily enough, Bill Nicholson at Tottenham had the same kind of style, and his tenure actually ends at the same time as Saunders' brief one at Maine Rd. However, Nicholson lived, ate and breathed Tottenham, both as player and manager. He'd also guided them to the first double of the twentieth century.So he could get away with it. His players were in awe of him. His wife said of him, “The problem with Bill is that he's never grasped that he's not in the army any more”. (He was the same at home).
 
OnlyOneUweRosler said:
he bombed at Blackburn and got them relegated just four years after Blackburn had been premier league champions.
Click to expand...

Yeah, forgot that. That's got to be a record, certainly in the PL. Not sure about the old First Division — other than ourselves, and our own proud record.
;-)

(Just checked. Yes, I thought so. Derby County's decline was pretty vertiginous. Twice champions in the 70s, they were relegated to the Second in the 79-80 season. And dropped to the Third in 84.)
 
Last edited:
rice10 said:
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.
Click to expand...
I always felt (even at the time) that City could be a semi-decent top 7 team with the occasional cup run or even win if they could sort the defense. Walsh, Rosler, Quinn, Beagrie, Rocastle/Summerbee would always be good in attack. But the defense was lacking; Edghill was still young and learning, Phelan was a frustrated left winger rather than a defender, and Curle was pretty good, but lacked a regular and reliable partner. Southgate would have been very good, and I think he could have made a real difference.
 
Lovebitesandeveryfing said:
Yeah, forgot that. That's got to be a record, certainly in the PL. Not sure about the old First Division — other than ourselves, and our own proud record.
;-)

(Just checked. Yes, I thought so. Derby County's decline was pretty vertiginous. Twice champions in the 70s, they were relegated to the Second in the 79-80 season. And dropped to the Third in 84.)
Click to expand...
Leicester could also be in the running for that award?
 
OnlyOneUweRosler said:
I always felt (even at the time) that City could be a semi-decent top 7 team with the occasional cup run or even win if they could sort the defense. Walsh, Rosler, Quinn, Beagrie, Rocastle/Summerbee would always be good in attack. But the defense was lacking; Edghill was still young and learning, Phelan was a frustrated left winger rather than a defender, and Curle was pretty good, but lacked a regular and reliable partner. Southgate would have been very good, and I think he could have made a real difference.
Click to expand...
Absolutely agree 100% with this. Outside of Curle they didn't have many decent options in defense, but had decent midfield and always possessed a goal threat With Quinn, Walsh and Rosler. Never understood getting rid of Walsh. Quinn and Rosler played better with him than when they played together!
 
Mazzarelli's Swiss Cheese said:
Was the coppel debacle before ball or between ball and Clarke? I've obviously killed a few braincells and can't remember.
Click to expand...
When Ball was "relieved of his duties" Asa Hartford became caretaker manager, though he didn't want the full time job, until Steve Coppel was appointed permanent manager (for all of a month!). Phil Neal then became caretaker manager to continue the managerial musical chairs until Frank Clark was appointed and kept the job for over a year! What still amazes me is that this list of managers may not be full of A-listers but they had been good professionals and one or two had very solid records as managers - so why did they become incompetent, irrational wrecks once they set foot in Maine Road?!
 
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