If we hadnt got Big Mal in the 2nd time...

Scaring Europe to Death said:
There's a David Frost-Brian Clough interview on You Tube where Clough admits that he would never have taken the Brighton job if the had known that the Man City job would suddenly have become available (I'm assuming this was the Johnny Hart resignation)

However, I've just finished I BELIEVE IN MIRACLES, and Forest also enjoyed some extraordinary good fortune to get promoted in the first place (not least an abandoned game which they were losing against Southampton.

Irunically, it also describes how quickly Clough realised that signing Asa Hartford was a mistake.

As for Big Mal, I think people forget that we were driving towards mediocrity before he returned.
Of course there were lots of mistakes, but John Bond selling Palmer Bennett, and Mackenzie were equally poor decisions, plus the way he treated Clive Wilson.
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Big Mal sold players like Hartford, Barnes, Owen (Barnes and Hartford being established internationals and Owen held the record for under 21 caps into the 90s)and while Palmer, Bennett and Mackenzie were good players I'm struggling to see equally poor...

The thing I took from the Granada documentary in regards Big Mal is that Corrigan was the next to be through the door, he wasn't a fan.

As for Clough, great manager but does anyone really believe that under Swales it would have been anything other than a circus
 
We made the mistake of not buying the right players in the summer of 1978, we didn't need the Futcher brothers or Viljoen. We should have sold Channon and bought Trevor Francis before Forest got him and right sided midfield player such as Ball. Kenny Clements breaking his leg didn't help either as it affected the balance of the back four. We went on a run of bad results and Swales panicked as usual.
If that hadn't happened we would kept Owen and Barnes, Reid, Ranson and Caton would have been allowed to develop and work their way in to a decent side without any pressure and we would have saved a fortune by not wasting money because Mal was on an ego trip and there was no one like Joe Mercer there to stop him disappearing up his own backside.
 
Mad Eyed Screamer said:
True. But after his first season he was re-signing Asa Hartford and bought David Cross....
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I wake up turn my PC on and one of the first thoughts I have for the day is David Cross playing for City THANKS!!!!!!!! The Hartford thing, if you watch the City documentary its clear that that was something that Swales was pushing for as soon as Big Mal left
 
Blue and still suffering said:
We made the mistake of not buying the right players in the summer of 1978, we didn't need the Futcher brothers or Viljoen. We should have sold Channon and bought Trevor Francis before Forest got him and right sided midfield player such as Ball. Kenny Clements breaking his leg didn't help either as it affected the balance of the back four. We went on a run of bad results and Swales panicked as usual.
If that hadn't happened we would kept Owen and Barnes, Reid, Ranson and Caton would have been allowed to develop and work their way in to a decent side without any pressure and we would have saved a fortune by not wasting money because Mal was on an ego trip and there was no one like Joe Mercer there to stop him disappearing up his own backside.
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To be fair, Paul Futcher was very highly rated at the time and twin brother Ron always followed him to keep him company !! Again, if only we'd got Lawrenson at the time instead, I think it may have been possible. Agree with the youngsters developing etc., and Viljoen MIGHT have been a canny buy but went much the same way as Jimmy Conway and even Kazzy Deyna in the quest to try and fill the King's boots. Would have also been nice to freshen at left-back and Kenny Sansom would have been good (he was also mentioned when Mal returned) or Paul Power might have been given a chance to establish himself there. Interestingly, Peter Withe was available for £225,000 at the time and dropped a division to join Newcastle after winning the league with Forest. Might have been good to push Kiddo or even play them as a pair as Kidd and Royle had some decent spells together. Needed Channon to have a proper kick up his arse to recapture his Soton/England form or if not a Tueart/Francis type player to play the striker/wide right position
 
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I was 9 when mal came back and I even knew he was making a right toms halls of it at that age

Selling established internationals from a team that only needed one or two purchases to challenge

City chose the wrong side of that neck of the woods when getting Bond. They should have gone to Ipswich
 
The 70’s were my formative footy years so of great interest. Think it’s clear that Alison and Swales wrecked things culminating in relegation and no money.
Look at the team that started 1977-78 season.
Corrigan
Clements Donachie Doyle Watson
Owen Hartford
Barnes Tueart Kidd Channon
compared to just 2 years later
Corrigan
Ranson Booth Caton Stepanovic Donachie
Henry Power MacKenzie
Robinson Deyna

That’s a dramatic drop in quality and experience.

As usual it’s a lot to do with players out and players in. Taking the 74-80 period in particular what strikes me is that we never quite kept the great players long enough.
Colin Bell - lost for at least 3 years which equals 40-50 goals and league title missed
Tueart - stayed about 4 seasons first time
Barnes - 5 full seasons
Owen - 4 full seasons
Watson - 5 full seasons
Hartford - 5 full seasons
Kidd - 3 full seasons

Mal got rid of 5 of those!
City never got the top class player to replace Bell and the attack never fully replaced Tueart- he left at his peak.
 
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