Last September I compared the Ronaldo signing to Trevor Francis arriving at City as Swales desperately tried to revert our fortunes. He scored twice on debut at Stoke and left after one season. Francis provided hope to our supporters, scored regularly, especially in first half of season, but ultimately could not change the fortunes of a badly run club on the decline. In my opinion Swales was obsessed about getting ahead of United. I am sure I remember a clip of him lamenting the injury to Colin Bell and how it stopped our rise to supremacy. The present United owners/board appear to me to have so many similarities to the Swales era. The Arnold interview with supporters, muddled decision making and reactive signings being just a few examples.
