Francis Lee RIP

Watching the news, they mentioned his wife Gill, his kids Charlotte, Johnny & Nik. No mention of his eldest Gary? Is Gary still alive?
 
Very sad news to wake up too. Franny was my No 1 hero as a young lad when City were winning major cups. Franny and Colin were the main drivers aided brilliantly by Mike, Neil and the others in that sparkling Joe Mercer team. Franny was the reason I became a City fan, always such an exciting player to watch. (Especially when slapping Norman Hunter around)
One of City's & England's best ever players without a doubt
RIP Franny you legend.
 
I've only just found out about this. I remember his debut against Wolves, he always rattled defenders with his pace, power and direct running. Superb forward who was the last piece in the Mercer/Allison jigsaw that went on to win that collection of trophies from '68 to '70. He was sold by Swales far too soon.
RIP Frannie.
 
Bill Walker said:
OnVery sad news to wake up too. Franny was my No 1 hero as a young lad when City were winning major cups. Franny and Colin were the main drivers aided brilliantly by Mike, Neil and the others in that sparkling Joe Mercer team. Franny was the reason I became a City fan, always such an exciting player to watch. (Especially when slapping Norman Hunter around)
One of City's & England's best ever players without a doubt
RIP Franny you legend.
Click to expand...
I remember taking my dad to Bolton the day Franny made his debut for Wanderers. He looked good for a young lad and quite cocky.WE signed him shortly afterwards and he helped transform the club.a true legend RIP Franny.gave us great memories.
lancs blue said:
I've only just found out about this. I remember his debut against Wolves, he always rattled defenders with his pace, power and direct running. Superb forward who was the last piece in the Mercer/Allison jigsaw that went on to win that collection of trophies from '68 to '70. He was sold by Swales far too soon.
RIP Frannie.
Click to expand...
Tt
 
I found your season ticket on the ground outside the stadium one day, managed to return it to you and you promised a reward.

Never got one and I’m still waiting. But on reflection, without you the club probably wouldn’t be as it is now. So let’s call it even!

Rest in Peace Franny!
 
My dad used to take me and my brother to maine road in the early days and i loved watching franny.
a great player tough as nails hard as fuck and scored some great goals.
As a 9 year old i used to have his posters on the bedroom wall.
R.I.P franny.
 
Shocked. Wasn't aware he was ill.
Our greatest centre forward, in my lifetime at least. RIP and God bless Francis.
Keep earning and knocking in those pens in the great football pitch of the heavens.
 
All day today I've kept seeing the photo of Lee at Newcastle in '68, young, fit & celebratory (pp. 17-19.) Aye, just look at his face then too! It brings back that whole era: an all-English team as champions of England, pay on the gate, in the crowd there's working-class lads in duffle coats, no one in a replica shirt of course and the only colours being the blue & white bar scarves, Newcastle fans not giving Lee any abuse just watching on in awe and envy. And football specials to away games or coaches stopping at greasy spoon cafes by the side of the A1. Folk have quoted the City song "maybe in another generation, when other lads have come to take our place .." , as they will, but i hope they'll have a feel for moments like Francis Lee at St. James' Park that day.
 
levets said:
Watching the news, they mentioned his wife Gill, his kids Charlotte, Johnny & Nik. No mention of his eldest Gary? Is Gary still alive?
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No Gary died. I think it was earlier this year.
He owned a playground marking business.
 
Dear Franny,

Seeing you all run out like gods from that white tunnel, which was slightly at an angle to where I stood, so I'd hear the crowd roaring before I could see you all. I'd play keepy-uppy for hours in the garden with a Frido ball, and I could never get beyond about ten or fifteen at the most. Sometimes the most impressive part of the match was seeing you guys warm up, just casually playing keepy-uppy while chatting to a team-mate, not even thinking about it, apparently able to go for dozens, maybe hundreds.
I simply couldn't understand how I was so far from you in what I could do.
You wearing that beautiful shirt, the first I bought, and still the one I love the most. The one I ponced around in in front of the mirror when I first put it on. Not ashamed to say that. You do those things, when you're thirteen or fourteen. Sky blue, white trim. Nothing whatsoever else. No logos, no sponsors. Not even the crest. It was like a cool message to the world — “We are Manchester City Football Club, we wear this, no need to identify ourselves, you all know who we are”.
You were part of the trinity, but somehow, for me, you stood out from it. Colin was the sleek Apollo, but precisely because of it, I couldn't really identify with him, he was a bit inaccessible, like a god. Buzzer was the prankster, giving backchat down the touchline, stopping the whole match once against Wolves to retie his bootlace, foot on ball, while the Wolves players just gawped and didn't move. He was the busy bee.
But you were the swashbuckler. You had the swagger that seemed to typify the City of those days when you were all at your best. For me — it's purely personal — you were City. You were, essentially, what we were all about. We were called the City Slickers by the press and media. It never really stuck. I never used it, and I never heard anyone around me on the Kippax using it. But I didn't object to it. We were slick. Once saw you score an absolutely perfectly executed training ground goal. Against West Brom, Charity Shield, summer of ’68. I didn't even cheer. I just gawped. It was like Yaya's goal against Villa in that respect. One of those goals where you don't react because you don't quite believe what you've just seen.
Franny, thanks for some of the best memories of my youth.
As Miles Davis once said — Get up with it!
 
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Pity I never seen him play live. Great servant in good and bad days. He only wished the very best for this club, his club.
RIP Francis Lee.
 
One of my first memories of going to watch City and a hero as well.
RIP Franny.
 
Brought up on his tales, and felt so let down as our chairman.

Arguably, made some of the worst decisions to impact the club.

He bought the club with Barlow and Dunkerley, and it always felt it was a little club of their own, making decisions on the fly.

I also couldn't forgive him sacking Colin Bell so ruthlessly?

I choose to herald the man who is one of our greatest ever players and extend sympathy to his family.
 
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