The "Swales Out" Campaign

[kismet]

thanks guys for all the info on Boler.....fascinating stuff

there should be a book on all this, because at times I found it more interesting than some of the football in the 80's /early 90's


A BRILLIANT THREAD

 

[Longsight-memories]

He got very lucky on two fronts, one being the new stadium and another being Kinladze.

& VERY VERY VERY unlucky with.... xxxx xxxx sorry cannot even say his name
not to mention agggggg Buster ...agggggggggggg

i thought the Franny area was a bad dream... wished he had jumped off the kippax in truth

XXXX XXXX ?

You can tell me it wont go any further.

;-)

Fb

OK ...but you asked ALAN BALL aggghhhhhhhhh one step forward & a mile back

 

[r.soleofsalford]

thanks guys for all the info on Boler.....fascinating stuff

there should be a book on all this, because at times I found it more interesting than some of the football in the 80's /early 90's


A BRILLIANT THREAD

its not history though




or is it ?

 

[Didsbury Dave]

thanks guys for all the info on Boler.....fascinating stuff

there should be a book on all this, because at times I found it more interesting than some of the football in the 80's /early 90's


A BRILLIANT THREAD

There are books on this:

"Cups for Cock Ups" - Ashley something
"Blue Moon Rising" - Andy Buckley and someone else
Some of Albert Alexander's recent book "May I have my football back"

Some of Gary's book's have detail in as well.

Oh and Alec Johnson, the journo who Franny used to launch his campaign, released a book called "The BAttle for Manchester City". Don't other with that one.

 

[fbloke]

XXXX XXXX ?

You can tell me it wont go any further.

;-)

Fb

OK ...but you asked ALAN BALL aggghhhhhhhhh one step forward & a mile back

The question we should ask is why Ball?

Was it because he was compliant and Lee could use him as he wanted to?

Was it because he was cheap?

Was it because he came with no strings in terms of connections with City, and therefore was fully aligned to his boss?

 

[Gary James]

There are books on this:

"Cups for Cock Ups" - Ashley something
"Blue Moon Rising" - Andy Buckley and someone else
Some of Albert Alexander's recent book "May I have my football back"

Some of Gary's book's have detail in as well.

Oh and Alec Johnson, the journo who Franny used to launch his campaign, released a book called "The BAttle for Manchester City". Don't other with that one.

"Cups for cock ups" was written by Utd fan Ashley Shaw and published by Empire
"Blue Moon Rising" was written by Buckey and Richard Burgess (both were GMR at the time; Burgess a big Blue)

"Manchester The Greatest City" covers the entire period in detail (and talks of the demos etc.)
"Joe Mercer, OBE: Football With A Smile" talks of the appaling treatment of Joe and the 1970 takeover (and questions why some of those taking over the club became honorary presidents but Mercer was never offered a role like this!)
"Farewell To Maine Road" talks of the demos & stadium issues

Other books worth reading include Steve Worthington's "Once in a Blue Moon" and Craig Winstanley's "Bleak & Blue"

 

[Gary James]

The question we should ask is why Ball?

Was it because he was compliant and Lee could use him as he wanted to?

Was it because he was cheap?

Was it because he came with no strings in terms of connections with City, and therefore was fully aligned to his boss?

Don't forget there had been the attempt at bringing George Graham in (and the rumours about Franz Beckenauer) and others. Ball was not first choice.

 

[Didsbury Dave]

There are books on this:

"Cups for Cock Ups" - Ashley something
"Blue Moon Rising" - Andy Buckley and someone else
Some of Albert Alexander's recent book "May I have my football back"

Some of Gary's book's have detail in as well.

Oh and Alec Johnson, the journo who Franny used to launch his campaign, released a book called "The BAttle for Manchester City". Don't other with that one.

"Cups for cock ups" was written by Utd fan Ashley Shaw and published by Empire
"Blue Moon Rising" was written by Buckey and Richard Burgess (both were GMR at the time; Burgess a big Blue)

"Manchester The Greatest City" covers the entire period in detail (and talks of the demos etc.)
"Joe Mercer, OBE: Football With A Smile" talks of the appaling treatment of Joe and the 1970 takeover (and questions why some of those taking over the club became honorary presidents but Mercer was never offered a role like this!)
"Farewell To Maine Road" talks of the demos & stadium issues

Other books worth reading include Steve Worthington's "Once in a Blue Moon" and Craig Winstanley's "Bleak & Blue"

For pretty much anything to do with our club "Manchester The Greatest City" is the definitive text. If an update is ever released it is a must-read for any City fan.

Never mind the boardroom battles on the 80s, that book will tell you about the ones in the 1880s.

 

[Danamy]

Franny to Colin Bell, 'You're sacked, you can finish at the end of the day'.

I don't think they speak to this day.

Have you ever seen the Sky "Legends" City program which gets rerun from time to time? Lee, Summerbee and Tommy Booth are on it, talking City.

You can sense the tension betwen Buzzer and Lee on that.

Speaks volumes that program..................

The best player to ever pull on a City shirt and he never got a mention (Lee probably made sure of that)

He likes to hog the limelight because with him it's........me.....me......me

 

[Didsbury Dave]

OK ...but you asked ALAN BALL aggghhhhhhhhh one step forward & a mile back

The question we should ask is why Ball?

Was it because he was compliant and Lee could use him as he wanted to?

Was it because he was cheap?

Was it because he came with no strings in terms of connections with City, and therefore was fully aligned to his boss?

BEcause he was Granny's mate and George Graham faced a ban from the game.

The only letter I ever wrote to the club was concerning Ball's appointment.

 

[fbloke]

The question we should ask is why Ball?

Was it because he was compliant and Lee could use him as he wanted to?

Was it because he was cheap?

Was it because he came with no strings in terms of connections with City, and therefore was fully aligned to his boss?

Don't forget there had been the attempt at bringing George Graham in (and the rumours about Franz Beckenauer) and others. Ball was not first choice.

The other managers being touted at the time said no IIRC.

I chatted with an ex-player at a reserve game early in Lee's reign about what he was trying to do who said something along the lines of -

"Franny has just found out he is a very,very small fish in a big pond and he doesn't like it."

FHL never understood why he and City we're not everybody's idea of a dream partnership.

 

[monk1976]

Is there any more stories from what it was like?

Here's another for you:

At the height of the battle between Swales and Lee, someone got Lee a seat in the Director's Box for one of the home games.

Franny arrived in a sky blue blazer a little after kickoff afer being mobbed on the way in. Probably on purpose, too. As he entered the Directors box a buzz went right round the Main Stand and every head turned. Franny, the perennial showman, stood up and raised his hands. The whole Main Stand gave hima raptourous reception which spread around the whole ground. Swales sat there three rows in front, mortified. A chant started and boomed round the whole of Maine Road "Swales out! Swales Out! Swales Out!"

Electric stuff.

Ah i remember that (was it norwich? may be miles wide of the mark there). I was on the halfway in the kippax and the murmurings were indeed loud. I remember being able to see himmake his way up the steps and then as you say a massive cheer. As a 16odd year old lad in his first few "adult" years of watching city, it was an amaziong experience, the electric atmosphere around then.

Obviously looking back now, he wasnt the messiah (he was a very naughty boy) and it all carried on being rather sh1te.

 

[fbloke]

Here's another for you:

At the height of the battle between Swales and Lee, someone got Lee a seat in the Director's Box for one of the home games.

Franny arrived in a sky blue blazer a little after kickoff afer being mobbed on the way in. Probably on purpose, too. As he entered the Directors box a buzz went right round the Main Stand and every head turned. Franny, the perennial showman, stood up and raised his hands. The whole Main Stand gave hima raptourous reception which spread around the whole ground. Swales sat there three rows in front, mortified. A chant started and boomed round the whole of Maine Road "Swales out! Swales Out! Swales Out!"

Electric stuff.

Ah i remember that (was it norwich? may be miles wide of the mark there). I was on the halfway in the kippax and the murmurings were indeed loud. I remember being able to see himmake his way up the steps and then as you say a massive cheer. As a 16odd year old lad in his first few "adult" years of watching city, it was an amaziong experience, the electric atmosphere around then.

Obviously looking back now, he wasnt the messiah (he was a very naughty boy) and it all carried on being rather sh1te.

I was there, in the Directors box (as I said earlier in the thread Lee rarely turned up) and there was a real feeling of excitement even in that part of the stadium.

I saw, close up the biggest ego ever to be associated with City in action.

It wasn't as pretty back down the stairs.

 

[Didsbury Dave]

Here's another for you:

At the height of the battle between Swales and Lee, someone got Lee a seat in the Director's Box for one of the home games.

Franny arrived in a sky blue blazer a little after kickoff afer being mobbed on the way in. Probably on purpose, too. As he entered the Directors box a buzz went right round the Main Stand and every head turned. Franny, the perennial showman, stood up and raised his hands. The whole Main Stand gave hima raptourous reception which spread around the whole ground. Swales sat there three rows in front, mortified. A chant started and boomed round the whole of Maine Road "Swales out! Swales Out! Swales Out!"

Electric stuff.

Ah i remember that (was it norwich? may be miles wide of the mark there). I was on the halfway in the kippax and the murmurings were indeed loud. I remember being able to see himmake his way up the steps and then as you say a massive cheer. As a 16odd year old lad in his first few "adult" years of watching city, it was an amaziong experience, the electric atmosphere around then.

Obviously looking back now, he wasnt the messiah (he was a very naughty boy) and it all carried on being rather sh1te.

It went worse. Much worse.

 

[uweuweuwe]

I've always thought that the bringing in of john maddocks and the saking of peter reid was the catalyst in the final downfall of swales.
remember the storming of the main stand gates and the name of some bloke called brain horton being the new manager. If this had never happned if swale would have been ousted

Remember the candle lit protest being banned on the kippax due to health and safety fears. Think it may have been king of the kippax whose front page had crawing of a bloke whose cig was setting fire to the guy in front while he held his candle aloft in safety.

didn't swales also hire a aload of goons to remove people so we couldn't stay behind and protest after games.

 

[Gary James]

For pretty much anything to do with our club "Manchester The Greatest City" is the definitive text. If an update is ever released it is a must-read for any City fan.

Never mind the boardroom battles on the 80s, that book will tell you about the ones in the 1880s.

Thanks for that. 1887 - "why don't we become a limited company and play at this ground that has a railway siding going through it?" "But the lads in the Boys Stand won't see anything when the wagons go through to Galloways Boilerworks?" "yes, but we'll be okay in the Main Stand."

 

[Mike C]

thanks guys for all the info on Boler.....fascinating stuff

there should be a book on all this, because at times I found it more interesting than some of the football in the 80's /early 90's


A BRILLIANT THREAD

There are books on this:

"Cups for Cock Ups" - Ashley something
"Blue Moon Rising" - Andy Buckley and someone else
Some of Albert Alexander's recent book "May I have my football back"

Some of Gary's book's have detail in as well.

Oh and Alec Johnson, the journo who Franny used to launch his campaign, released a book called "The BAttle for Manchester City". Don't other with that one.

"Cups For Cock-Ups" was written by a red, and you could tell. At one point suggested we should be run by a Supporters Trust, named a couple of lower league teams as examples, and noted we should accept that this is the level we are at now...

We were a very easy target in those days, I suppose...

 

[tolmie's hairdoo]

There are books on this:

"Cups for Cock Ups" - Ashley something
"Blue Moon Rising" - Andy Buckley and someone else
Some of Albert Alexander's recent book "May I have my football back"

Some of Gary's book's have detail in as well.

Oh and Alec Johnson, the journo who Franny used to launch his campaign, released a book called "The BAttle for Manchester City". Don't other with that one.

"Cups For Cock-Ups" was written by a red, and you could tell. At one point suggested we should be run by a Supporters Trust, named a couple of lower league teams as examples, and noted we should accept that this is the level we are at now...

We were a very easy target in those days, I suppose...

The co-editor was a guy called Dante Friend, a huge blue who also did The Fightback fanzine and comes on here occasionally.

 

[Didsbury Dave]

It was a red but it wasn't a bad book and didn't dig at us maliciously.

He even said at one point "This bizarre loyalty has made Manchester possibly the only city in england where Man Utd shirts do not outnumber all others"

I haven't seen it in years, I gave about 20 City books to a lad, fired him and never got them back.

 

[There is a Light]

Wait until Dyed Petya joins this thread. Swales is up there with the anti-Christ as far as he is concerned, anyone who even dreams of calling Swales a blue should watch their choice of words!

As a teenager, I was very disappointed by what FHL delivered. Fair enough he brought Swales down but he took us to our lowest point after promising some of the top names in football and instead of getting Franz Beckenbauer we got Alan Ball who delivered what everyone suspected he would - relegation. Lee can defend his reign by stating the shambolic state of the club which he took over and the progress made off the field but the bottom line is his short reign took us to the lowest point in our history.

He must have had an idea of what he was walking into so why make so many promises which he couldn't deliver - hadn't the supporters had enough of that during Swales reign?