Mazzarelli's Swiss Cheese
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On this day - Swales became chairman
- Thread starter Gary James
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BringBackSwales
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I fucked it up didn’t I Gary?Today marks the anniversary of Peter Swales becoming chairman (on this day in 1973). Initially, some of his actions made the club more dynamic and forward looking than it had been previously but it wasn't long before none of that mattered and we began our descent.
It's really difficult to explain now how significant a club City was at the time of his arrival as chair - modern football thinks City are this small time club that got lucky in 2008 but the truth is we were a giant, major trophy winning team with a history of success. Within ten years of Swales' appointment as chairman we were in debt, relegated and with little hope. Some high points followed and we did have some great seasons, but our position as a recognisable giant was over and we were ridiculed again and again.
Even in 1983 at relegation we were still the 3rd best supported team (and even in the late 1990s City had still played less games in the 2nd/3rd tier than MUFC! That record sadly went) but we couldn't compete.
Like many other Blues I demonstrated against Peter Swales for years but what often gets overlooked is that it was his supporting directors and other shareholders who kept him in power. When he first joined City's board he bought a few shares so he could fulfil the role so he could easily have been outvoted/asked to resign. Instead certain directors supported him year after year, preserving their own positions. Only when it was obvious that Swales was to lose the battle with Franny Lee in 1993-94 did some change sides (to preserve their roles at MCFC, not through any moral duty). In the years that followed some directors/former directors decided to blame everything on Swales. I interviewed him in 1995 and genuinely felt for him. I was against what he did to MCFC in the main but it soon became obvious that he felt betrayed by some of his old board.
Ah well, it's not 2020 and City have returned to major trophy winning ways but this anniversary is a reminder that things can change significantly. City were a major, powerful club then a series of mistakes sent them on a downward trajectory. Hopefully, the future will see us remain a force - as we have been for most of our history regardless of what fans of other clubs or some in the media may claim!
I very rarely post on Bluemoon, but I have something to contribute to this thread, so here goes. Sorry it's so long.
I knew Peter Swales and a few of the others who were directors of City in the late seventies/early to mid eighties. I knew them because a close relative of mine was a City shareholder and was 'well in' with Swales, which got him and me free tickets and other privileges, so I think I can say something about why Swales was able to ruin the club.
Swales was not a nice man. He was pleasant enough when people flattered him. Not so nice otherwise.
At the time I knew him, Swales was a big fish in a small pond - the City boardroom - and the little fishes (including my relative) were prepared to go along with whatever Swales wanted because they knew that if they opposed him, all privileges would be lost.
and it was very nice to be ushered in through the official entrance at Maine Road by a uniformed commissionaire, have free food and drink and a seat in the directors' box - and another drink at half time and another after the match.
And you got the same treatment at away grounds - I certainly did - lots of times - and if there wasn't room for me in the directors' box that day, I had a complimentary main stand ticket and and a pass to get me into the directors' lounge for a post-match drink or two.
Basically, if you kept in with Swales, voted the right way at board meetings (or in my relative's case, at shareholders' meetings) made the right noises in support and made no waves, the privileges continued - for you and your family. If not, not.
It didn't help that most of the rest of the board were basically decent people who loved the club and were proud to be directors, but had little financial clout or business acumen. Chris Muir owned newspaper kiosks around Manchester, Michael Horwich was a solicitor, Iain Niven owned a pub, Sidney Rose was a surgeon (and, it was rumoured, really a United fan). None of them had Swales's cunning. None of them were a match for him.
And things were going pretty well when Swales took over in 1973. We were still a major force. The people who were prepared to say yes to Swales at the start of his reign could at least point to the club's current success, but they weren't able to cope with his approach. I remember being told that he was the first executive chairman the club had ever had - he was at Maine Road every day and wanted to run everything. That's not how Albert Alexander had done things and a board made up entirely of non-executive directors (apart from Swales) would have been outmanoeuvred at every turn.
Perhaps they remembered how bad things had been in the 1960's. The Alexander family had been in control of the club for a long time and things had gone to pot, culminating in relegation in 1963 and the appointment of George Poyser as manager. I believe the board thought that Swales offered some hope that the bad old days were gone forever. How wrong they were. The club was hopelessly bust by the time he left.
None of this excuses them for not standing up to him.
I knew Peter Swales and a few of the others who were directors of City in the late seventies/early to mid eighties. I knew them because a close relative of mine was a City shareholder and was 'well in' with Swales, which got him and me free tickets and other privileges, so I think I can say something about why Swales was able to ruin the club.
Swales was not a nice man. He was pleasant enough when people flattered him. Not so nice otherwise.
At the time I knew him, Swales was a big fish in a small pond - the City boardroom - and the little fishes (including my relative) were prepared to go along with whatever Swales wanted because they knew that if they opposed him, all privileges would be lost.
and it was very nice to be ushered in through the official entrance at Maine Road by a uniformed commissionaire, have free food and drink and a seat in the directors' box - and another drink at half time and another after the match.
And you got the same treatment at away grounds - I certainly did - lots of times - and if there wasn't room for me in the directors' box that day, I had a complimentary main stand ticket and and a pass to get me into the directors' lounge for a post-match drink or two.
Basically, if you kept in with Swales, voted the right way at board meetings (or in my relative's case, at shareholders' meetings) made the right noises in support and made no waves, the privileges continued - for you and your family. If not, not.
It didn't help that most of the rest of the board were basically decent people who loved the club and were proud to be directors, but had little financial clout or business acumen. Chris Muir owned newspaper kiosks around Manchester, Michael Horwich was a solicitor, Iain Niven owned a pub, Sidney Rose was a surgeon (and, it was rumoured, really a United fan). None of them had Swales's cunning. None of them were a match for him.
And things were going pretty well when Swales took over in 1973. We were still a major force. The people who were prepared to say yes to Swales at the start of his reign could at least point to the club's current success, but they weren't able to cope with his approach. I remember being told that he was the first executive chairman the club had ever had - he was at Maine Road every day and wanted to run everything. That's not how Albert Alexander had done things and a board made up entirely of non-executive directors (apart from Swales) would have been outmanoeuvred at every turn.
Perhaps they remembered how bad things had been in the 1960's. The Alexander family had been in control of the club for a long time and things had gone to pot, culminating in relegation in 1963 and the appointment of George Poyser as manager. I believe the board thought that Swales offered some hope that the bad old days were gone forever. How wrong they were. The club was hopelessly bust by the time he left.
None of this excuses them for not standing up to him.
Big Swifty
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But Sidney Rose did, I believe, save Glyn Pardoe's leg after that "tackle" by Best -and, conceivably, his life too.
swales control of the football side of things at city is why we was doomed
the chairman should never get involved with the team/manager/coaches. but swales did and many managers walked or got the sack because they stood up to swales ? but i think the old guard like tony book and malcolm allison was scared of swales and become yes men to his ideas and players
just go and watch that documentary everybody talks about ? swales was in control of everything even the phone to the dug out ? in one of the clips swales says to malcolm allison you know what ? your not going to like it but i think we should get back asa hartford ? malcolm allison smiles and puffs on his big cigar then shakes his head
not long after that swales sacks malcolm allison and brings in john bond and asa hartford signs for city again that's the power of swales,
i love tony book and he has city blood in him, but he was swales yes man and would jump when swales said jump
skipper is a great bloke and a good manager, but he let swales take control and it maybe lost him is pride and job but he would do anything for city and swales
the chairman should never get involved with the team/manager/coaches. but swales did and many managers walked or got the sack because they stood up to swales ? but i think the old guard like tony book and malcolm allison was scared of swales and become yes men to his ideas and players
just go and watch that documentary everybody talks about ? swales was in control of everything even the phone to the dug out ? in one of the clips swales says to malcolm allison you know what ? your not going to like it but i think we should get back asa hartford ? malcolm allison smiles and puffs on his big cigar then shakes his head
not long after that swales sacks malcolm allison and brings in john bond and asa hartford signs for city again that's the power of swales,
i love tony book and he has city blood in him, but he was swales yes man and would jump when swales said jump
skipper is a great bloke and a good manager, but he let swales take control and it maybe lost him is pride and job but he would do anything for city and swales
swales control of the football side of things at city is why we was doomed
the chairman should never get involved with the team/manager/coaches. but swales did and many managers walked or got the sack because they stood up to swales ? but i think the old guard like tony book and malcolm allison was scared of swales and become yes men to his ideas and players
just go and watch that documentary everybody talks about ? swales was in control of everything even the phone to the dug out ? in one of the clips swales says to malcolm allison you know what ? your not going to like it but i think we should get back asa hartford ? malcolm allison smiles and puffs on his big cigar then shakes his head
not long after that swales sacks malcolm allison and brings in john bond and asa hartford signs for city again that's the power of swales,
i love tony book and he has city blood in him, but he was swales yes man and would jump when swales said jump
skipper is a great bloke and a good manager, but he let swales take control and it maybe lost him is pride and job but he would do anything for city and swales
Swales came from a small business background where he ran everything and his word was final and he ran City the same way
I got to know Tony Book quite well for a few years as I used to holiday in Tenerife the same time as him and his friends. His best friend told me he felt let down by Malcolm Allison who Swales brought back to the club and gave him a free reign with player recruitment believing he could recreate the glory years with Joe Mercer. Gary needs to get Tony's story down before he too is sadly no longer with us.
Swales came from a small business background where he ran everything and his word was final and he ran City the same way
I got to know Tony Book quite well for a few years as I used to holiday in Tenerife the same time as him and his friends. His best friend told me he felt let down by Malcolm Allison who Swales brought back to the club and gave him a free reign with player recruitment believing he could recreate the glory years with Joe Mercer. Gary needs to get Tony's story down before he too is sadly no longer with us.
yep tony book must be one of the best stories to tall from player to coach to manager back to coach
I very rarely post on Bluemoon, but I have something to contribute to this thread, so here goes. Sorry it's so long.
I knew Peter Swales and a few of the others who were directors of City in the late seventies/early to mid eighties. I knew them because a close relative of mine was a City shareholder and was 'well in' with Swales, which got him and me free tickets and other privileges, so I think I can say something about why Swales was able to ruin the club.
Swales was not a nice man. He was pleasant enough when people flattered him. Not so nice otherwise.
At the time I knew him, Swales was a big fish in a small pond - the City boardroom - and the little fishes (including my relative) were prepared to go along with whatever Swales wanted because they knew that if they opposed him, all privileges would be lost.
and it was very nice to be ushered in through the official entrance at Maine Road by a uniformed commissionaire, have free food and drink and a seat in the directors' box - and another drink at half time and another after the match.
And you got the same treatment at away grounds - I certainly did - lots of times - and if there wasn't room for me in the directors' box that day, I had a complimentary main stand ticket and and a pass to get me into the directors' lounge for a post-match drink or two.
Basically, if you kept in with Swales, voted the right way at board meetings (or in my relative's case, at shareholders' meetings) made the right noises in support and made no waves, the privileges continued - for you and your family. If not, not.
It didn't help that most of the rest of the board were basically decent people who loved the club and were proud to be directors, but had little financial clout or business acumen. Chris Muir owned newspaper kiosks around Manchester, Michael Horwich was a solicitor, Iain Niven owned a pub, Sidney Rose was a surgeon (and, it was rumoured, really a United fan). None of them had Swales's cunning. None of them were a match for him.
And things were going pretty well when Swales took over in 1973. We were still a major force. The people who were prepared to say yes to Swales at the start of his reign could at least point to the club's current success, but they weren't able to cope with his approach. I remember being told that he was the first executive chairman the club had ever had - he was at Maine Road every day and wanted to run everything. That's not how Albert Alexander had done things and a board made up entirely of non-executive directors (apart from Swales) would have been outmanoeuvred at every turn.
Perhaps they remembered how bad things had been in the 1960's. The Alexander family had been in control of the club for a long time and things had gone to pot, culminating in relegation in 1963 and the appointment of George Poyser as manager. I believe the board thought that Swales offered some hope that the bad old days were gone forever. How wrong they were. The club was hopelessly bust by the time he left.
None of this excuses them for not standing up to him.
You should post more often!
Prestwich_Blue
Well-Known Member
Great post but the rumour of Sidney Rose being a United fan is false. I've got a document in front of me that Sidney himself put together and gave to me, talking about his first visit to Maine Road in 1929. March 29th to be precise.I very rarely post on Bluemoon, but I have something to contribute to this thread, so here goes. Sorry it's so long.
I knew Peter Swales and a few of the others who were directors of City in the late seventies/early to mid eighties. I knew them because a close relative of mine was a City shareholder and was 'well in' with Swales, which got him and me free tickets and other privileges, so I think I can say something about why Swales was able to ruin the club.
Swales was not a nice man. He was pleasant enough when people flattered him. Not so nice otherwise.
At the time I knew him, Swales was a big fish in a small pond - the City boardroom - and the little fishes (including my relative) were prepared to go along with whatever Swales wanted because they knew that if they opposed him, all privileges would be lost.
and it was very nice to be ushered in through the official entrance at Maine Road by a uniformed commissionaire, have free food and drink and a seat in the directors' box - and another drink at half time and another after the match.
And you got the same treatment at away grounds - I certainly did - lots of times - and if there wasn't room for me in the directors' box that day, I had a complimentary main stand ticket and and a pass to get me into the directors' lounge for a post-match drink or two.
Basically, if you kept in with Swales, voted the right way at board meetings (or in my relative's case, at shareholders' meetings) made the right noises in support and made no waves, the privileges continued - for you and your family. If not, not.
It didn't help that most of the rest of the board were basically decent people who loved the club and were proud to be directors, but had little financial clout or business acumen. Chris Muir owned newspaper kiosks around Manchester, Michael Horwich was a solicitor, Iain Niven owned a pub, Sidney Rose was a surgeon (and, it was rumoured, really a United fan). None of them had Swales's cunning. None of them were a match for him.
And things were going pretty well when Swales took over in 1973. We were still a major force. The people who were prepared to say yes to Swales at the start of his reign could at least point to the club's current success, but they weren't able to cope with his approach. I remember being told that he was the first executive chairman the club had ever had - he was at Maine Road every day and wanted to run everything. That's not how Albert Alexander had done things and a board made up entirely of non-executive directors (apart from Swales) would have been outmanoeuvred at every turn.
Perhaps they remembered how bad things had been in the 1960's. The Alexander family had been in control of the club for a long time and things had gone to pot, culminating in relegation in 1963 and the appointment of George Poyser as manager. I believe the board thought that Swales offered some hope that the bad old days were gone forever. How wrong they were. The club was hopelessly bust by the time he left.
None of this excuses them for not standing up to him.
I got to see Sidney regularly from around the late 1990's and asked him if the story Swales told about how he (Swales) got involved with City had any basis in fact. Swales always told the story that, at the time of the attempted Smith takeover, he went into a pub in Hale and saw Sidney talking to the Umbro guy John Humphrys. He went over and said that he could sort out the problem for them so they got him in to try to do that, with the result that he bridged the divide between the two sides and was voted Chairman.
Sidney said that he couldn't remember exactly how Swales got to be involved but it was more likely that the board asked him and that the pub story simply wasn't true.
I did a bit of research on Swales for a podcast I did on his years in charge and Swales also claimed he was always walking a tightrope and the board could have got rid of him at any time, as he only had a small number of shares. But this was also completely untrue. After a while, he had the majority of the shares so he was untouchable.
I think there was another bold claim of his that was demonstrably false so it's doubtful that much of what he said could be taken at face value.
yep tony book must be one of the best stories to tall from player to coach to manager back to coach
Yes and still there now doing corporate. Hopefully someone gets these legends stories down before they are lost forever.