Worst decision by Peter Swales?

[Braggster]

I was quite young at the time, but remember the protests well.

Interested that DD says Franny went public in the Mirror, as I am sure that one of the tabloids helped promote his campaign - including giving out 'Forward with Franny' pin badges. I presume that was the Mirror as well? Or have I completely misremembered that?

Can remember well the euphoria after he finally took over, but I certainly never appreciated (until I was a lot older) the significance of the fact that he was still not a majority shareholder.

 

[totallywired]

Yes it was the mirror, i`ve still got some of the badges.

 

[Dyed Petya]

He did go public in The Mirror. I remember I started my trainee solicitor's job in Leeds on the Monday morning that the story was broken by the journo Alec Johnson. I saw someone on my train reading the paper and the back page headline was "Franny Lee in £6 million bid for City!"

I couldn't wait to get into Leeds station and buy the paper. Then I threw it away after reading a copy because I didn't want to walk into a posh solicitors' firm on my first day with a tabloid under my arm. Thought it might be frowned on.

The Mirror did distribute pro-Franny posters and badges at games, though I think The Sun did as well once they realised that their big rival paper was stealing a march on them.

Another thing I remember about the Forward With Franny thing was that there was a vicar involved who got a lot of publicity. Always being pictured praying for a takeover. Anyone remember him?

 

[LongsightM13]

Here's a few little memories I have from the "Swales Out" campaign.

Who remembers a night match, I'm sure it was on Sky, where fans were going to light candles. Swales got them classified as a fire hazard and banned them.

Also, I remember a sit down protest on the Kippax after another game. Thousands of us were sat down for half an hour chanting.

Can anyone confirm the above?

We all remember storming the main entrance of course. It used to be every bloody week.

Was that the Ipswich game which was abandoned at half time while we were 2-0 up, because of a waterlogged pitch?
I remember loads of us at the Platt Lane end of the Kippax refused to leave until the scheduled 90 minutes were up, having a sing song and generally ballooning about. Funniest thing was when it got to 4.40 and a load of them started whistling for the ref to blow up.
I was also shown on the BBC national news during the Swales Out protests, there was a big one outside the main entrance before one match, organised by that City fan vicar. He tried to get everyone to sit on the floor but not many bothered. I couldn't anyway, as I was in plaster with a broken leg. The BBC cameras filmed my cast because I had Swales out written down the front of it in blue paint

 

[Dyed Petya]

Remember the Ipswich game being abandoned when we were 2-0 up. Particularly remember Tony Coton losing it in spectacular style and having to be restrained by about four team mates so he didn't do the ref serious damage. Wasn't that the game where we started with the legendary strike duo of Michel Vonk and Carl Shutt?

The rearranged game a month or so later was Franny's first after becoming chairman. Notable for that fantastic bit of skill by Rocastle to beat his man before putting in a cross from which Carl Griffiths (?) scored.

 

[LongsightM13]

Remember the Ipswich game being abandoned when we were 2-0 up. Particularly remember Tony Coton losing it in spectacular style and having to be restrained by about four team mates so he didn't do the ref serious damage. Wasn't that the game where we started with the legendary strike duo of Michel Vonk and Carl Shutt?

The rearranged game a month or so later was Franny's first after becoming chairman. Notable for that fantastic bit of skill by Rocastle to beat his man before putting in a cross from which Carl Griffiths (?) scored.

Yep, Dyed, I think it was Vonky's goal that made the ref's mind up to call it off. As I remember it, a backpass stuck in a big puddle of water on the edge of the box and the Flying Dutchman went steaming in and leathered it into the bottom corner. Remember he sent up a spray of water like a whale breaking the surface of the ocean

 

[1_barry_conlon]

I remember his 'grandiose' plans for maine rd. When he put the new roof on the main stand and the kippax was supposed to be going to be a mirror image of it, same with platt as the north stand if i recall?

And was he not planning on having private boxes suspended from the roof as well? I do remember the mock up model at the time which looked quite impressive but alas, like most things during his reign, they were a pipe dream used to placate the fans.

Going back to his job with the FA i had a mate who worked within the M/cr county FA, and trust me, that is a clque you never want to get out of. The amount of jollies and freebies that go on, no wonder he needed to be crow barred out of the international committee! As Longsight said earlier, i think his power trip on there superseeded anything else.

 

[big phil]

You could level pretty much anything at Swales, and you wouldn't be far wide of the mark.

But, and it's a big but (but not as big as my butt), I think maybe it's ok to get things wrong if you did it for the right reasons. And if that reason is putting one over united, then thats ok with me.

 

[Citizen Green]

You could level pretty much anything at Swales, and you wouldn't be far wide of the mark.

But, and it's a big but (but not as big as my butt), I think maybe it's ok to get things wrong if you did it for the right reasons. And if that reason is putting one over united, then thats ok with me.

That was his problem though mate, he was obssessed with outdoing them. He took over a club which was one of the top 4 in the country, whilst they were in decline and left us debt ridden and on the path to the third tier of English football.

We're only recovering now, with people like the Shiekh only thinking about City and helping us grow, it's a matter of time untill we go where we should of when Swales took over, too the top of European football.

 

[neverred76]

Worst decision for me would be the tan 'leather look' slip on shoes Peter wore with his chocolate brown / cream pin-stripe suit, an absolute shocker !