jono Posted October 2, 2023 Share Posted October 2, 2023 One of the greats from my youth. A real character and flipping good player to boot. There is a certain sort of player who you instinctively know loves what he does, loves the fans and plays for the sheer joy of it. Franny was one of those. Saw him Manchester Airport in the early 90’s. One of those “I know you know who I am” nod with a wry smile and a thumbs up. Proper football legend. uttoxram75, Dordogne-Ram, David Graham Brown and 4 others 5 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoyMac5 Posted October 2, 2023 Share Posted October 2, 2023 SKRam, jono and IslandExile 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eddy779h34 Posted October 2, 2023 Share Posted October 2, 2023 Now thats what I call a striker I feel sorry for all the Rams fans who never saw him play Great player Kathcairns, SKRam, Magicman and 1 other 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eddie Posted October 2, 2023 Share Posted October 2, 2023 This really has hit me in the Hunters. RIP, you brilliant bloke. Fla Ram, bcnram, SKRam and 2 others 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 2, 2023 Share Posted October 2, 2023 RIP Franny. I can still see him in his dickie-bow doing the knees-up on the stage in Baileys when the news had come through from Maine Road that Ipswich had only drawn with City and we were Champions again. Great player and a great character. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mucker1884 Posted October 2, 2023 Share Posted October 2, 2023 Gutted. Legend... no, no... an actual legend, not one of those tin-pot modern day legends you hear about nowadays. Just watched again, the clip of THAT goal at Maine Road, so I write this with tears in my eyes, and goosebumps up my arms. Such sad, sad news. Gutted, I say. RIP Francis Lee. CBE xxx jono, SKRam and Fla Ram 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IslandExile Posted October 2, 2023 Share Posted October 2, 2023 1 minute ago, Brailsford Ram said: RIP Franny. I can still see him in his dickie-bow doing the knees-up on the stage in Baileys when the news had come through from Maine Road that Ipswich had only drawn with City and we were Champions again. Great player and a great character. Yeah, I've been looking for a short video clip of that jig but can only find it in much longer reviews of the season. Maybe somebody has a link. Happy days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Spalding Ram Posted October 2, 2023 Share Posted October 2, 2023 Listening to Graham Richards fantastic tribute to Francis Lee on Radio Derby. Has there ever been a better radio commentator………………….the blokes a legend! Abu Derby, Brammie Steve, Derby4Me and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curtains Posted October 2, 2023 Share Posted October 2, 2023 SKRam 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WystonRam Posted October 2, 2023 Share Posted October 2, 2023 1 hour ago, IslandExile said: Fight of the 70’s , Hunter goes down after a sweet right hook, these two would be banned for a whole season if this happened today ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sufferingfool Posted October 2, 2023 Share Posted October 2, 2023 2 hours ago, SKRam said: Apologies Admin. Should have posted Ex Rams……. not that Sky would know……Ex Man City Bolton and England. Very poor Sky Ditto the BBC despite showing him scoring for Derby! Very sad news a great player 👏👏👏 SKRam 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IslandExile Posted October 2, 2023 Share Posted October 2, 2023 1 minute ago, Sufferingfool said: Ditto the BBC despite showing him scoring for Derby! - against Manchester City!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Archie Posted October 2, 2023 Share Posted October 2, 2023 9 minutes ago, Old Spalding Ram said: Listening to Graham Richards fantastic tribute to Francis Lee on Radio Derby. Has there ever been a better radio commentator………………….the blokes a legend! Music has the ability to take you back to moments decades ago. Graham Richards' voice does the same and much, much more. Dean (hick) Saunders, Old Spalding Ram, Jimbo Ram and 2 others 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jayram Posted October 2, 2023 Share Posted October 2, 2023 Another Rams legend gone. top player, top bloke, RIP Frannie, thanks for the memories. cstand and SKRam 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKHunter Posted October 2, 2023 Share Posted October 2, 2023 RIP Franny. A true football hero. ⚽ SKRam 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoyMac5 Posted October 2, 2023 Share Posted October 2, 2023 18 minutes ago, Sufferingfool said: Ditto the BBC despite showing him scoring for Derby! Very sad news a great player 👏👏👏 You missed my earlier post, so here it is again. From the BBC: "Former Manchester City and England striker Francis Lee has died, aged 79. Lee scored 148 goals in 330 appearances during an eight-year spell at City, helping the club win multiple honours, including the old First Division title in 1968. Lee, who started his career at Bolton Wanderers, joined Derby County from City, helping the Rams win their second league title in 1975..." "...Following his glittering spell at City, Lee joined Derby in 1974 where he scored 30 goals over two seasons, before announcing his retirement. "We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of 1974/75 title-winner Francis Lee. Our thoughts are with his family, friends and all who knew him," a Derby statement read. During his spell at the Rams, Lee was also involved in a moment of infamy as he clashed on the pitch with Leeds defender Norman Hunter, with the pair being sent off and escorted from the field for trading punches. The footage aired on Match of the Day and is shared regularly across social media, with the video receiving hundreds of thousands of views on YouTube, TikTok and more. "It's a good job I didn't get in the dressing room afterwards," said Lee. "I might have just been coming out on parole now. It wasn't play-acting you know. He had tapped me on the shoulder, hit me and split my lip with a gold ring." SKRam 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IslandExile Posted October 2, 2023 Share Posted October 2, 2023 24 minutes ago, Sufferingfool said: Ditto the BBC despite showing him scoring for Derby! 4 minutes ago, RoyMac5 said: You missed my earlier post, so here it is again. @RoyMac5 I think @Sufferingfool may have been referring to the coverage on the BBC 6 o'clock TV news which showed the goal at Maine Road but didn't mention Derby. Carl Sagan 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoyMac5 Posted October 2, 2023 Share Posted October 2, 2023 Just now, IslandExile said: @RoyMac5 I think @Sufferingfool may have been referring to the coverage on the BBC 6 o'clock TV news which showed the goal at Maine Road but didn't mention Derby. Ah. Can't imagine how you could miss his shirt, but fair does. 👍 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimbo Ram Posted October 2, 2023 Share Posted October 2, 2023 So sad. My first 🐏 match was his last, last game of the season at Ipswich. He finished it off with 2 very late goals which we missed as we left 3 mins before the end, a 6-2 win. Great player and a nice chap. RIP 🥲 cstand and angieram 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brammie Steve Posted October 2, 2023 Share Posted October 2, 2023 (edited) Maybe it’s my age butI have tears in my eyes having just caught the news about Franny. He was one of the game’s great characters and gave his all for the Rams. I was at the match when he gestured to the Man City fans who had been chanting “City Reject!” at one of their greatest servants after scoring the winning goal for the Rams! He also did his trademark crawl into the penalty area and was the picture of injured innocence when the ref didn’t award a penno! RIP Francis and condolences to your family. Edited October 2, 2023 by Brammie Steve Kathcairns, jono, JJs dms and 2 others 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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