Worst decision by Peter Swales?

[LongsightM13]

Bringing Malcolm Allison back to the club

This times 10 million. We are still only starting to recover the position we were in before that disastrous decision.
Mind you, whoever his fashion adviser was should have told him that Cuban stack heels and a comb-over does not a charisnatic mover and shaker make

 

[mad4city]

Where to begin...

*The bullying of younger players into bad-mouthing Ron Saunders behind the man's back.

*After Colin Bell's injury, he refused to let Tony Book sign Alan Ball from Arsenal. A decision which arguably cost us the league in '76/'77.

*His treatment of a very good (and strangely forgotten) coach named, Bill Taylor, in Big Mal's return left quite a bit to be desired also.

*Big Mal's return.

*His interference in the signing of players (although Michael Robinson actually scored a dinger of an equalizer in a derby and went and left us for some crowd of nobodies called Liverpool - so he can't have been as bad as some of you recall).

* His penny-pinching in securing treatment for Paul Lake's injury - bet he didn't send his Rolls Royce anything but the top of the range RR mechanics for a service.

* Financial mismanagment on a scale that some have claimed (on here, so take it with a grain of salt) that he was trying to financially sabotage the club when the end of his reign became apparent.

Yeah, yeah, I know he was a blue. Be careful what you believe in because any asshole can agree with you, is my reply to that. Still, I don't like speaking ill of the dead. Sorry (genuinely!) if I'm offending anybody's sensibilities but, Jesus, I hated that man with a passion.

 

[ALL OUR LIVES]

I'm actually quite shocked by some of the comments on here.

I was playing at Platt lane on the evening Swales died. Dropped a little de tour to the gates of MR and posted some flowers from the garden. Yeah he made some bad decisions but..........

That man loved City - show some respect.

 

[piffy on a rock bun]

Strange as it sounds the minutes silence at maine road after he died was one of the most respectfull things I have ever witnesed, but there is no getting away from the fact he did a lot of serious damage to the club he loved.

 

[1_barry_conlon]

I'm actually quite shocked by some of the comments on here.

I was playing at Platt lane on the evening Swales died. Dropped a little de tour to the gates of MR and posted some flowers from the garden. Yeah he made some bad decisions but..........

That man loved City - show some respect.

I believe Hitler loved Germany and made some bad decisions as well? Doesn't stop me thinking that he was a jackbooted nazi madman.

Strange analogy i know but i think you get the drift.

 

[DontLookBackInAnger]

I'm actually quite shocked by some of the comments on here.

I was playing at Platt lane on the evening Swales died. Dropped a little de tour to the gates of MR and posted some flowers from the garden. Yeah he made some bad decisions but..........

That man loved City - show some respect.

The man loved himself and the post he held with the FA, for that he needed City.................

 

[mrt4919]

Swales was a blue, he started an obsession to overtake debt trafford during the 70's and on attendances we were within touching distance for a period.
He borrowed or sold everything that was not nailed down at the club towards the end ,attendances became a standing joke.
Nrmally 5 to 10 K below the declared gate ,money underhand and overhand all in pursuit of what we the faithfull demanded, Glory at the expense of the red bastards.
We ignored all the financial tricks,we shared a common dream and he was the figurehead.
It all started to unravel after the wretched and unlucky defeat over two games in the 81 final. If we had won that I believe we would have dominated during the 80's but no. The money had gone in pursuit of the dream from
that point we were downhill despite one or two false dawns but
we were as good as broke and running on empty.
Swales bless him wheeled and dealed but lady lack was against us.
Firing Reid as manager was the last straw for the fan's led by the Kippax realising at last the coffers were empty and Swales had no more cards to play.
Swales Out... Swales Out we want Swales Out from every stand at every match towards the end. It got ugly then uglier still with threats to him and his family . Not pretty but the hatred finally forced him to abdicate and he fell on his sword.
We forced him out,our patience exausted and belief in his abilty to lead us gone
He died a broken man a few years later.Looking back he should have stepped down after 81 his time was over but love of the club and his and our obsession kept him and it all ended in sorrow.
I still believe that at the time he became chairman in the early 70's any guy from the Kippax in the same position would have done the same thing. It was a guy finally out of his depth and time in love with our football club and driven unwilling to let go.
It ended up that we changed the club and forced him out with tactics and a brutality that broke him and is rare maybe unknown in english football.

 

[give-go]

Renting city the tellys in the umbro - platt lane stand and eventually all round the ground.
Remember speaking to him at a city function and he was very dissapointed how we didnt sign Souness , when he went to liverpool instead of joining city

 

[Mike N]

I'm actually quite shocked by some of the comments on here.

I was playing at Platt lane on the evening Swales died. Dropped a little de tour to the gates of MR and posted some flowers from the garden. Yeah he made some bad decisions but..........

That man loved City - show some respect.

There are strange comments on here from time to time but the above took my breath away.

Im happy that you made your tribute but 'He loved the club'? Dont we all fucking love the club?

Peter Swales was the worst thing to happen to our club. He valued his ego above the club and did everything possible to stop it being taken over. I really think that his name should be remembered for everything that is bad at our club. He made City into the laughing stock we are trying to get away from. Not the loyal fans, not the players but Peter Swales.

It was indeed a very bad day the day Swales stepped into Maine Road.

 

[Anonymous]

Taking over the club.

Twunt.

Swales loved the club. Swales was a huge Blue. Everything Swales did, in his mind was for the advancement of the club. That is without question or doubt. However, those decisions showed a megalomaniac in charge of the club, surrounded by yes men and whose love for the club blinded him as to what was RIGHT for the club.

History shows his stewardship set us back years.

RIP, but boy what a bad judge you were Peter.