In fairness Kit symons was decent in 96 the year we went down but became a complete liability the following seasons.
If memory serves me correct beagrie was also out with a long term injury and Lee sold Flitcroft in March in the middle of the relegation battle. Suicidal decision.
One is bound to wonder what the backdrop was to Flitcroft being sold so quickly. There’s frequently a sub-plot when that happens. Sat next to Flitcroft once on a plane journey; we got chatting and found we had a mutual friend. Plus, he didn’t know this (obviously) but I got my ticket for the game at Ewood in 2000 from him via a tout I used back then. So I told him that, but he seemed somewhat unimpressed. Nice guy. I thought he was sound.If you read Ball’s autobiography- when Lee sold Flitcroft he took a lower fee to get the cash upfront. Flitcroft was a blue, a product of our academy, and one of our better players - Lee tore the club apart selling Flitcroft and condemned us to relegation. I remember I wanted Lee gone after he did that. As many have said Francis Henry Lee only had one priority and one love and it definitely wasn’t Manchester City.
Bit harsh! Playing career surely gets him some credit??!
He clearly had a massive ego though. In the programme for the last Kippax game it had printed lyrics to City chants that were gonna be played by a Caribbean steel drum band (!). Omen of the chants was "Chairman Lee's blue and white army". Seriously. Even at 14 I knew that looked weird...and vaguely communist!
He clearly was also deluded about how much money it would take to make City a challenger. If he'd have taken over in 1990 he might have been ok (we had better squad, transfers pre Prem inflation).
One is bound to wonder what the backdrop was to Flitcroft being sold so quickly. There’s usually a sub-plot. Sat next to him once on a plane journey; we got chatting and found we had a mutual friend. Plus, he didn’t know this (obviously) but I got my ticket for the game at Ewood in 2000 from him via a tout I used back then. So I told him that, but he seemed somewhat unimpressed. Nice guy. I thought he was sound.
As to Horton, I...errr....liked him too.
We did get mighty close. I left Villa Park thinking there was a decent chance we might stay up, before heading back to Maine Road to watch Oasis. As with ‘83, that group of players should never have got relegated.I knew some guys who worked at the coop when Lee was in charge and they always said Lee always saw Flitcroft as the way out of our financial crisis. I think Lee always expected to sell him to Newcastle but then Blackburn moved in. I think Lee bottled the relegation battle and threw in the towel- rather than backing the team to stay up. We got mighty close and you have to wonder if we’d have stayed up with Flitcroft in the team.
Would never have gone down in 96 if he hadn't been sacked in 95 and replaced by Alan Ball
They were both pretty dreadful, although Billy McNeill was a good appointment; as was Machin, arguably - so Swales wasn’t utterly flawed. I think Lee was, in that regard at least. Shocking judgement.Unfortunately Franny Lee had the same skills as Peter Swales when it came choosing managers!
They were both pretty dreadful, although Billy McNeill was a good appointment; as was Machin, arguably - so Swales wasn’t utterly flawed. I think Lee was, in that regard at least. Shocking judgement.
That's a bit harsh.... we beat Wycombe in the League Cup in September...I think Lee got desperate when Kidd changed his mind and Ball was an old mate. A shocking appointment - every blue I knew was horrified when they heard and even more horrified when he hadn’t won a game by October.
That early season run crippled us for the entire season. Whenever we got a bit of a run results on, that start would keep us anchored near the bottom of the table. Like a millstone. Fucked us, it did.I think Lee got desperate when Kidd changed his mind and Ball was an old mate. A shocking appointment - every blue I knew was horrified when they heard and even more horrified when he hadn’t won a game by October.