Were you Swales out, or Swales in?

[bluetonium]

Was only a kid, but pretty much everyone I knew was Swales out, and Franny in too.

See, we knew that if we could just get the club on a downward slide, make us financially unstable, we'd be attractive enough to invest some of that new money from the emerging world. I believe Portsmouth are adopting that same business model right now.

Either that or we just got caught up in it all. Iconic ex-striker for a Chairman? Great! We'll be rolling in it, people always need loo paper. I remember we even took a bike ride out to where Franny lived near Wilmslow, just to snoop around. There was a massive sewage pipe near his house, should have taken note.

 

[Gary James]

I didn't have any feelings either way until 1981-82 when I saw him on a debate show talking about million pound footballers - he was boasting about how City were the 1st team to have 3 separate £1m plus players and how we'll keep on spending. Even at 13 or 14 I knew his approach seemed wrong especially as the Club started making cutbacks in coaching staff and playing squad that same season. Then he sold Trevor Francis and that made me totally Swales Out.

I took part in almost all the demos from 1984 onwards (I didn't do any before 84 and there were so many after 84 that I must have missed a couple somewhere along the way).

Over the last few weeks I've been researching film footage for the project I'm doing with the North West Film Archive on City and I have to say that seeing interviews with Swales from 1973 to 1981 I wish the demos had started a lot earlier. I cannot believe some of the comments he made publicly and wish we'd all been wise a little earlier.

A great club became a laughing stock under him and led to the situation where we're now seen as a club with 'no history' - it's the period 1978-2007 that's out of character with our history, not 2008 onwards!

 

[york away to this!]

I didn't have any feelings either way until 1981-82 when I saw him on a debate show talking about million pound footballers - he was boasting about how City were the 1st team to have 3 separate £1m plus players and how we'll keep on spending. Even at 13 or 14 I knew his approach seemed wrong especially as the Club started making cutbacks in coaching staff and playing squad that same season. Then he sold Trevor Francis and that made me totally Swales Out.

I took part in almost all the demos from 1984 onwards (I didn't do any before 84 and there were so many after 84 that I must have missed a couple somewhere along the way).

Over the last few weeks I've been researching film footage for the project I'm doing with the North West Film Archive on City and I have to say that seeing interviews with Swales from 1973 to 1981 I wish the demos had started a lot earlier. I cannot believe some of the comments he made publicly and wish we'd all been wise a little earlier.

A great club became a laughing stock under him and led to the situation where we're now seen as a club with 'no history' - it's the period 1978-2007 that's out of character with our history, not 2008 onwards!

and now??

I was an outie and stood many times outside the main stand although my dad knew him as he taught his daughters to drive. He said his house was full of city colours shagpile....so I had some sympathy.
Shame really but he typified the "local businessman who is a fan tries to run football club with a few quid and a large ego" approach that was - and still is - prelevant in the game on so many levels.
Thamnk god/allah and father christmas that our owners have the clout to install a real business, which hopefully may be self-sustaining and successful.

so in summary, it's an outie for me.

 

[spiny]

No one wanted Swales in. He destroyed the club and turned us from a respected top six side into a laughing stock. He was only interested in self-promotion and treated the fans with contempt. It took us 20 years to recover from the shambles he created. Current fans, especially the fools who booed at half-time v Swansea, don't know they're born!

+1. A true voice of reason. Ran the club into the ground till bled dry. A tale of self interest, deceipt, lies, incompetence and neglect. Out, out, out!!!

 

[Gary James]

I didn't have any feelings either way until 1981-82 when I saw him on a debate show talking about million pound footballers - he was boasting about how City were the 1st team to have 3 separate £1m plus players and how we'll keep on spending. Even at 13 or 14 I knew his approach seemed wrong especially as the Club started making cutbacks in coaching staff and playing squad that same season. Then he sold Trevor Francis and that made me totally Swales Out.

I took part in almost all the demos from 1984 onwards (I didn't do any before 84 and there were so many after 84 that I must have missed a couple somewhere along the way).

Over the last few weeks I've been researching film footage for the project I'm doing with the North West Film Archive on City and I have to say that seeing interviews with Swales from 1973 to 1981 I wish the demos had started a lot earlier. I cannot believe some of the comments he made publicly and wish we'd all been wise a little earlier.

A great club became a laughing stock under him and led to the situation where we're now seen as a club with 'no history' - it's the period 1978-2007 that's out of character with our history, not 2008 onwards!

and now??

What I meant was that when he was questioned it was clear there was no plan, no vision. All he could boast about was spending, not building/developing/planning. Our owner today is planning a business and the main message that I get is that the business needs to be sustainable. The spend so far has been a necessary evil (playing catch up after years of mismanagement) but the long term plan is not to spend, spend, spend. It has to be a sustainable business - all Swales thought was that spending money that the club could not afford (there's another issue as to why the club struggled financially under him!) would somehow bring success and then that would generate money to pay off the debts. No contingency if we failed!

Very bad planning.

 

[We're not really here]

Out, and got run over by a police horse for my convictions as well. Memories of how awful the policing at football was then as well.

 

[Anonymous]

Absolutely out. Nice post Mr James btw.

 

[york away to this!]

I didn't have any feelings either way until 1981-82 when I saw him on a debate show talking about million pound footballers - he was boasting about how City were the 1st team to have 3 separate £1m plus players and how we'll keep on spending. Even at 13 or 14 I knew his approach seemed wrong especially as the Club started making cutbacks in coaching staff and playing squad that same season. Then he sold Trevor Francis and that made me totally Swales Out.

I took part in almost all the demos from 1984 onwards (I didn't do any before 84 and there were so many after 84 that I must have missed a couple somewhere along the way).

Over the last few weeks I've been researching film footage for the project I'm doing with the North West Film Archive on City and I have to say that seeing interviews with Swales from 1973 to 1981 I wish the demos had started a lot earlier. I cannot believe some of the comments he made publicly and wish we'd all been wise a little earlier.

A great club became a laughing stock under him and led to the situation where we're now seen as a club with 'no history' - it's the period 1978-2007 that's out of character with our history, not 2008 onwards!

and now??

What I meant was that when he was questioned it was clear there was no plan, no vision. All he could boast about was spending, not building/developing/planning. Our owner today is planning a business and the main message that I get is that the business needs to be sustainable. The spend so far has been a necessary evil (playing catch up after years of mismanagement) but the long term plan is not to spend, spend, spend. It has to be a sustainable business - all Swales thought was that spending money that the club could not afford (there's another issue as to why the club struggled financially under him!) would somehow bring success and then that would generate money to pay off the debts. No contingency if we failed!

Very bad planning.

was merely being flippant - as the rest of my comments I agree wholeheartedly. He was a true city fan and loved the club - he just couldn't see that he was killing it... frannie on the other hand... oh, right, err, bollocks.

 

[SXBLUE]

OUT

 

[spiny]

I was merely being flippant - as the rest of my comments I agree wholeheartedly. He was a true city fan and loved the club - he just couldn't see that he was killing it... frannie on the other hand... oh, right, err, bollocks.

I couldnt disagree more.

Swales was an opportunist with no affinity to City. He came in from Altrincham as a neutral with the remit to forge a strong board from warring takeover factions. He stuffed the board with cronies like Boler who had no interest in football and being Chairman it served as the platform for Swales to prosper within the FA hierachy. Noel White, his business partner, secured a place on the Liverpool board which was under the patronage of the Moores family.

Swales took over when City was a top club. We had overtaken United and had one of the best teams and grounds in the country. He loved City as one would a golden goose. He clearly loved the power, attention and status it brought. He liked to play the tycoon with gestures of pure vanity in buying £1m players whilst neglecting to apply basic business principles. Patronising to his own ends. The City/Allison/Bond tv documentary said it all.

The club was funadamentally so badly run that the downward spiral was inevitable under his stewardship. No manager stood a chance. If he had cared about the club he would have stepped aside. His initial remit was an interim role as "neutral honest broker" but power does have a tendency to corrupt. Financially it proved a nice earner too until there was nothing left to take out or flog off. Even then he clung on, holding out for rewards to leave. He knew what he was doing alright.

Frannie at least stopped the slide into oblivion. The problems off the field overtook those on the field. Lee actually does care about City and laid some foundations for the future like the move to the Etihad. He did things wrong but Makin & Wardle and Shinawatra also found that City was a black hole for investment. Compare the investment by ADUG in infrastructure and management.

Remember how Swales sold Lee to Cloughs Derby where he won another league champions medal? An early gesture of pique rather than strong management. Also remember that the White and Swales chain of electrical and record shops quickly slipped into oblivion once they had secured a place on footballs gravy train. Some of us do remember.