Francis Lee RIP

[Eccles Blue]

And Sir Michael of Doyle, Skip etc.

And the Dunnie monster!

 

[Eccles Blue]

Yep. There can only be so many statues and stands named after players but with a walkway every legendary player can be remembered from Jimmy Ross and Billy Meredith to Kevin De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva.

That’s a great idea @Gary James. Plus the ones still around could do a boot print instead of the hand print they do in Hollywood.

 

[mexico1970]

Asa Hartford is the player that sticks out to me as the most underrated of that generation, yeah I know we appreciate how good he was but overall other fans don't see that.

 

[Elliot houghton]

Hope the club puts scarfs on the seats for Brighton we done it in the past for legends who have sadly passed and think it’s a nice gesture

 

[Lovebitesandeveryfing]

One of the things that came across well at the cathedral today from Jonny’s eulogy was his dad’s sense of humour. Jonny revealed how Franny often told interviewers fake facts like how he could play the piano to classical concert standard and some of these jokes have made it into obituaries. Brilliant.I may need to review my own writing and see if I can spot any Franny windups!

Here's a true one. It so happens that I was with a lad at school whose family lived in Knutsford. One day — can't remember why — he got a short lift with Franny. I think the two families vaguely knew each other. This lad was a United fan, as it happens, but of course he didn't tell Franny that. They got into talking football, and at one point he asked him, “Do you get kicked a lot?”. By way of reply, Franny just pulled one trouser leg up to above the shin bone briefly (while driving! but then, he always was very sure of himself). This lad, who knew that I was a City fan, told me that he was really shocked — the calf and shin area was black and blue all over. Shin pads notwithstanding.
I've always considered that to be a bit of an answer to those who considered that Lee was simply a diver. He was one tough cookie.

 

[Lovebitesandeveryfing]

Asa Hartford is the player that sticks out to me as the most underrated of that generation, yeah I know we appreciate how good he was but overall other fans don't see that.

Quite so. I'd also want to add another. We knew how good big Dave Watson was, but I'm not sure the rest of the country got it. Our best centre half before Vinny came along, in my view. Some of us on the Kippax knew him affectionately as “Frankenstein”.

 

[mexico1970]

Quite so. I'd also want to add another. We knew how good big Dave Watson was, but I'm not sure the rest of the country got it. Our best centre half before Vinny came along, in my view. Some of us on the Kippax knew him affectionately as “Frankenstein”.

Good call, we can peg Willie Donachie to the list probably too.

There was something energetic about Asa though, a dynamo who always looked like his legs were going 3 times as fast at everyone else around him like a reverse matrix.

 

[Lovebitesandeveryfing]

Good call, we can peg Willie Donachie to the list probably too.

There was something energetic about Asa though, a dynamo who always looked like his legs were going 3 times as fast at everyone else around him like a reverse matrix.

It is a great tragedy that that team were not champions. Several times over. Add in the canniness of Tueart, and the brilliant additions of Gary Owen and Pete Barnes, and they really should have won a lot more.

 

[mexico1970]

It is a great tragedy that that team were not champions. Several times over. Add in the canniness of Tueart, and the brilliant additions of Gary Owen and Pete Barnes, and they really should have won a lot more.

Doyle just stood there like a Titan, whenever Donachie had the ball rolled out to him he was always off like the clappers.

The balls used to ping when they kicked them a lot more back in the day, it was an audible smack that I don't hear anymore.

 

[Gary James]

I want to add to all the tributes today by including here an interview I did with Francis back in 2010 (I hope there are no Franny windups in it!). This is one of many interviews I did with him over the decades and I want to include this one today as it was written up as a Q&A style piece with Francis' own words documented. Follow the link to read it…

Francis Lee

It’s going to be an emotional day today as it is the funeral of Francis Lee. I’ll be at the cathedral to pay my respects but I also wanted to mark today by including here an interview I…

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