It’s finally online-the Peter Swales video we’ve been waiting for P31

[gordondaviesmoustache]

Probably inspired the writers of the Office. The scene where Tony Book comes up to speak to Swales is like a sketch from The Fast Show

Skip was uncomfortably servile in that clip. Probably too nice to cut it as a manager

 

[jma]

Some heart warming tributes to Swales on this thread!

 

[petrusha]

Skip was uncomfortably servile in that clip. Probably too nice to cut it as a manager

In the City! documentary by Granada covering 1980/81, you see Book being paraded in front of the media at a press conference after he and Allison have been sacked, with Swales then announcing that Book will stay as interim manager for the next game. Book then asks to speak and says that "to be fair to the chairman", he and Allison always knew where they stood. An air of uncomfortable servility would be an excellent description for that moment, too, IMO.

 

[LongsightM13]

In the City! documentary by Granada covering 1980/81, you see Book being paraded in front of the media at a press conference after he and Allison have been sacked, with Swales then announcing that Book will stay as interim manager for the next game. Book then asks to speak and says that "to be fair to the chairman", he and Allison always knew where they stood. An air of uncomfortable servility would be an excellent description for that moment, too, IMO.

I always got the vague impression Tony Book was something of a reluctant manager, no matter how good a job he made of it

 

[paulchapo]

I always got the vague impression Tony Book was something of a reluctant manager, no matter how good a job he made of it

I got to chat to Tony a fair few times and his group of friends when they all used to holiday in Tenerife. He was a lovely bloke as was his friends. I didn't want to badger him too much about football bit his best friend from childhood told me Tony felt badly let down by Malcolm.

 

[paulchapo]

There's one shot, just before he smiles, where he gives the total impression that he hasn't a fuckin' clue where he is, what he's doing, or where he's going. Swales: Is it a shit or a haircut I need? Mmmmmmm, just can't seem to make up my mind!"

He was a classic chancer who's stumbled onto a good thing and then bullied his way to stay in it, when everyone knew he was fucking useless at the job but were too afraid to do anything about it.

 

[philiph20]

Skip was uncomfortably servile in that clip. Probably too nice to cut it as a manager

The impression i got regarding Tony was especially when he was coaching the kids was that he was as hard a snails, very competitive and took no shit, i don't think that clip does him justice. He i'm sure knew was that despot with the comb over was like and wanted to keep his job.

 

[petrusha]

I always got the vague impression Tony Book was something of a reluctant manager, no matter how good a job he made of it

The fact that he took an assistant manager's job at Cardiff after leaving City and then came back to coach our reserves and juniors suggests you're right. Despite that last period with Allison, he'd surely done well enough at Maine Road before that to have warranted a chance somewhere else in a manager's job if he'd kept applying for positions that came up.

 

[Gary James]

I think I remember a similar story from one of your books. After the Wembley defeat, at the dinner which had been pre-arranged, Bond felt that the board were bitter and angry at him for losing and he realised then that the club culture was all wrong.

Absolutely spot on. Culture comes from the top and if it’s run by egomaniacs in it for themselves then there’ll never be successful as a club.

 

[Gary James]

Sidney was kind enough to give me some documents before he died and among them is one describing his experiences of going to matches at Maine Road in the 1930's.

Eric talked about Sidney’s relationship with Busby being the connection and the interest in joining Utd’s board. Albert Alexander was asked to join Utd’s board by Busby before he was a City director but Albert turned it down. The story told to me was that Sidney waited for his turn to be asked but it never came so he joined City’s. One of the things I’m always passionate about is triangulation and getting every angle covered but all too often with directors they have vastly different views. Facts are often loose with them and their stories change. If only everything was on the record and documented.