New Francis Lee book out soon

[Macintosh]

The long-awaited autobiography of Franny Lee is out soon, Triumphs, Treachery and Toilet Rolls with an insight into his time at Derby. There's a lot about his businesses too, like being the first to produce printed kitchen towels and his part-ownership of Hazlewoods which used to be on Parcel Terrace that he ended up selling his shares for around £14 million.

- - - - -

I made my Derby County debut on 17 August against Everton, and Roger Davies, Derby’s tall striker, was playing centre-forward. He started dribbling about and rolling the ball under his foot. I said to him, ‘Roger, if you’re going to dribble it, and lose it, do it in their f****** penalty area and not down here in our half.’ I liked to put a marker down.

We drew 0-0 at Goodison and Dave said to me on the Monday, ‘What d’you think?’ I said that I knew why they didn’t win away from home. I told him they weren’t playing the ball into feet when someone was marked. I also told him that if they played me at centre-forward, marked or unmarked, I’d get the ball and set it up from there – without losing possession. So, Dave changed it there and then. I was moved to centre-forward and played there all season, much as I’d done at City, and I had a really good season for them, scoring 16 goals, 12 of them in the league.

Cue delight at Maine Road and they revelled in it for all of 90 seconds. And then I had my say! I reacted first to a ball played forward by David Nish and I cut in from the left wing, beat two or three blue shirts and then let fly from more than 20 yards. It screamed beyond Joe Corrigan and inside his left-hand post, just under the bar. Fantastic!

BBC’s Match of the Day Barry Davies’s commentary still gets a run-out on YouTube today. As I turned, 30 yards out, to run towards the area, Barry said: ‘Interesting …’ and then, as the ball left my right boot, ‘… very interesting!’ Barry paused and picked up the mic again as I wheeled away beaming with a huge grin: ‘Oh! Look at his face, just look at his face!’ The City fans were looking and, bless them, I know that they joined in my celebrations. It was a cracking goal, one of my career highlights, and my smile just betrayed my love for the game at that very moment.

City were beaten and, after the game, the press pack wanted to talk to the prodigal son, back to haunt his old employers. Of course they did. I was chatting to the press boys when Tony Book’s new assistant manager, Ian MacFarlane, showed his face. I couldn’t resist asking a question to which I already knew the answer: ‘Will it be all right if I come in tomorrow for some treatment on my knee, Ian?’ Ian, who could curdle milk if he wanted to, was nice as pie: ‘Certainly, Franny. I’ll fix that for you.’

No fixing required, actually. Part of the terms of my move to Derby was an understanding that I could go into City for treatment. I was also able to train there for part of the week. This was all thrashed out when I was telling both Tony Book and Dave Mackay that I didn’t want to travel to the East Midlands because of my business commitments in the Lancashire area. That was a clause that would have an interesting postscript.

- - - - 

Hunter and I were sent off after a scrap that had been brewing ever since the incident that led to our first-half penalty. Hunter didn’t like the fact that I’d won the penalty – and that he’d given it away – leading to Charlie despatching the spot kick. I’d picked the ball up ten yards inside the Leeds half and I ran directly at Hunter, feinting left then taking him on the outside. I ran into the area, he caught my left leg, and he had a hand in the small of my back. I went down and referee Derek Nippard called it immediately: penalty!

Leeds liked to referee their own games. I remember Sunderland’s Bob Stokoe warning the FA Cup Final ref not to let Leeds ‘referee’ the 1973 final. So, they didn’t like decisions going against them. After Charlie George put the penalty away, the Leeds players were full of moans. And on and on it went, before and after the interval. Then I picked the ball up and ran at their defence again, and I managed to get a snapshot away. As it was cleared, Hunter clattered into me, and all hell broke out. He’d tapped me on the shoulder, hit me with a haymaker right hand and split my lip with a gold ring.

This was not play-acting! I wasn’t having that, so I had a right go back. All the lads then stepped in and the referee sent us off. Hunter was still chipping away as the ref spoke to him and, as we walked to the tunnel, it broke out again when we still had 20 yards to reach the touchline. This time, I got in first and went for him with a couple of right hooks and two straight lefts. He went flying. Gordon Guthrie, our physio, came on and pulled me away, and Dave Mackay was in there, too. Dave had deputed centre-half Roy McFarland – who was injured and watching from the stand – to be my minder as I was led away. Roy had his work cut out as I got my lip stitched under the stand.

It’s a good job I didn’t get in their dressing room afterwards, as I might have just been coming out on parole now! I’m not proud of the episode but the red mist had descended. ‘Let me get at that b****** Hunter!’ I apparently shouted at big Roy, as the medic tried to stitch my wound. I was fuming.

Did I dive? Not that day. There was a lot of controversy throughout my career about diving to win penalties. I won’t say that I always stayed on my feet unless I was absolutely knocked down. There was, though, some shocking treatment handed out by defenders in that era.

I did score a lot of penalties – 15 in all – in my goal-laden 1971/72 season. That’s because they’d changed the law to give forwards more protection and we [City] were flat out for the title – putting sides under immense pressure, and defenders reacted. But I was fouled only five times out of the 13 league penalties we got.

 

It's a terrific read, out in September. 

 

[Mucker1884]

Disappointed that he didn't call it "Just look at my face", but I'll still be adding that to my mobile reading list, once it's available.

👍

[SILVERFOXTHERAMSFAN]

Currently 28% discount on Amazon. £18 instead of £25. 

[Macintosh]

32 minutes ago, Mucker1884 said:

Disappointed that he didn't call it "Just look at my face", but I'll still be adding that to my mobile reading list, once it's available.

👍

It was still a work in progress before his death, so the title was possibly decided by the author or publisher.

 

'There was always talk about Leeds, their boss Don Revie, and their dubious tactics both on and off the pitch. Years later, Wales international defender Rod Thomas became my big pal at Derby – and his best mate, while on international duty, was the Leeds United keeper Gary Sprake. Rod told me that Sprake had said to him, ‘There’s not one thing our manager wouldn’t do to win a game … lie, rogue, cheat or bribe.’ Whatever the truth, or the impact it had on that season, it left the 1971/72 campaign with the most thrilling conclusion to any top-flight season.'

- - - - -

'We could have won the European Cup in that second season I spent with Derby. First, we saw off Slovan Bratislava and then we were paired with European aristocrats Real Madrid. We won the first leg at the Baseball Ground 4-1, but I missed the return because I’d been sent off in the Hunter incident against Leeds. The second leg finished 4-1 to Real and we went out 5-1, after extra time. That was tough to take.

'And that sending-off affair actually led to a rule change by UEFA. It was considered unfair to automatically ban a player from a European game after a domestic match when the player had yet to be proved to be guilty or not guilty. Mind you, there wasn’t much chance of me being ‘not guilty’ – the footage was there for everyone to see!

'So, there was no final season Wembley farewell in the FA Cup, no European Cup win, but how could I complain? What a great time I’d enjoyed as a footballer! I’d only signed for Derby County for a year but agreed to stay on for that extra season. Now Dave Mackay asked me to carry on again, but my mind was made up. I did say to Dave that, if I changed my mind, I’d not play for anyone but Derby. That, however, wasn’t going to happen.'

 

[IslandExile]

Great player. Happy days. 🐑

[mozza]

Signed off with 2 goals in a 6-2 victory at Ipswich, if my memory serves..

Great man, loved him.. 

[Ram-Alf]

The Leeds game has gone down in folk law, I have a framed black and white photo in my hall of the melee ☺️, They're not called the "dirties" for nowt, I remember Joe Jordon (Leeds) and John Wile (WBA) both running for the ball down the touchline, Jordon smashed Wile in the face with his elbow/forearm...blood and snot all over the place  

[angieram]

Keep posting, it will save us buying it! 😂

Seriously, I loved Franny Lee, he was my mum's favourite player (from watching tv football, I hasten to add.)

I was so excited when my new boyfriend took me to the BBG for the first time, and there he was! 

Mum had recently died at the time, I was so sad I never got to tell her I'd seen her hero. (Co-incidentally, she died 50 years ago today.) 

I'll definitely buy the book. 

[Brammie Steve]

I can still recall Frannie’s joy as he scored for us against City and signalled to their fans who had been chanting‘City Reject!’.

It shut them up quite nicely that did!

Great player! Massive personality!

Legend at both clubs.

 

PS………Copyright!!😉

Edited August 20 by Brammie Steve

[europia]

How times change. What chance in 2024 of the Rams signing a top striker from ManCity? To do so we'd have to sell Pride Park (for well in excess of Mel's fantasy valuation) 🤣

[Dordogne-Ram]

BBC News reporting that it is 60 years today since Match of the Day hit our screens.

Guess who is shown scoring: Frankie Lee! 

[Mucker1884]

2 minutes ago, Dordogne-Ram said:

BBC News reporting that it is 60 years today since Match of the Day hit our screens.

Guess who is shown scoring: Frankie Lee! 

Frankie Lee, my dear, I don't give a damn!

[Dordogne-Ram]

Apologies, fat fingers !

[Mucker1884]

1 minute ago, Dordogne-Ram said:

Apologies, fat fingers !

Apology accepted... But don't ever call me that again, chunky neck!