Francis Lee

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Blue Streak

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16 Jun 2008
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Just watched the Les Chapman meets Willie Donachie video on City TV in which he describes Franny as the hardest footballer he'd ever known. I've also seen a clip in which Jack Charlton also says the same. This is quite something considering I suppose at the time Mike Doyle would have been considered the 'hardman' of the City team.

My Mum also personally knew Francis when he played for Bolton and used to say similar. I also remember reading that when Mike Summerbee was set upon by Leicester fans in London after the 1969 FA Cup Final Franny stepped outside and battered them all.

Lee's playing time at City sadly was before I was born but I'd be interested in other's opinions?
 
Have a look at the footage on youtube of Franny and Norman Hunter having full on fight on the pitch. If you google it there are plenty of stories about it. Franny was fucking livid and had to be restrained in the dressing room after he's been sent off to stop him going after Hunter.
He was a hard **** was Franny, especially for a fat little fucker.
 
stony said:
Have a look at the footage on youtube of Franny and Norman Hunter having full on fight on the pitch. If you google it there are plenty of stories about it. Franny was fucking livid and had to be restrained in the dressing room after he's been sent off to stop him going after Hunter.
He was a hard c**t was Franny, especially for a fat little fucker.
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Yes mate I've previously seen it and in the video with Willie he also mentions Hunter was scared of him. He wasn't a dirty player though was he (Franny I mean) not like Hunter.
 
Blue Streak said:
stony said:
Have a look at the footage on youtube of Franny and Norman Hunter having full on fight on the pitch. If you google it there are plenty of stories about it. Franny was fucking livid and had to be restrained in the dressing room after he's been sent off to stop him going after Hunter.
He was a hard c**t was Franny, especially for a fat little fucker.
Click to expand...

Yes mate I've previously seen it and in the video with Willie he also mentions Hunter was scared of him. He wasn't a dirty player though was he (Franny I mean) not like Hunter.
Click to expand...

Hunter was just a hatchet man, he wouldn't make it in todays game. Franny was a goalscorer and he had a reputation as a diver. You have to remember the time he played in, these days not a single one of those pens he won would be questioned. He was a great player, very similar in build to Rooney, but fatter.
 
Also worth noting that I remember hearing an interview with Hunter before we played Leeds not long after Franny became chairman and he half jokingly wondered if he should attempt to go in the Maine Road boardroom knowing Franny would be around.

Was Francis Lee's reputation more off the pitch than on it? Norman Hunter fight aside. I only ever met the guy once and found him a decent bloke. Very kind to us City fans waiting outside a freezing Maine Road ticket back in 1996 before the Old Trafford FA Cup match.
 
Blue Streak said:
Also worth noting that I remember hearing an interview with Hunter before we played Leeds not long after Franny became chairman and he half jokingly wondered if he should attempt to go in the Maine Road boardroom knowing Franny would be around.

Was Francis Lee's reputation more off the pitch than on it? Norman Hunter fight aside. I only ever met the guy once and found him a decent bloke. Very kind to us City fans waiting outside a freezing Maine Road ticket back in 1996 before the Old Trafford FA Cup match.
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I don't think Franny ever had a reputation like Norman Hunter or Vinny Jones. Professional hardmen who revelled in their reputations as hard men rather than their ability on the pitch. I just think he didn't take any shit and stood up for himself.
#ForwardwithFranny
 
Frannie Lee was a really tough little character who seemed to bounce off defenders. He ran at them with amzing close ball control at speed. He was hard to knock off the ball and when that happened it was usually in the penalty area, hence the phrase "Lee Wun Pen"
 
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