Franny Lee - RIP

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.

Lee also earned 27 caps for England, scoring 10 goals.

More to follow.

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RIP Franny. Left me with some very happy memories, not the least of them, jeering him until my voice went, when he came back with City for a cup game.
Many in my age group will well remember that match.

Terrible news but I suppose 79 isn’t a bad innings? My biggest memory of Franny was the day he tore his cruciate against Everton when the keeper sonically took him down. Some may have blamed it on the snowy surface but not me, he knew exactly what he was doing. It also cost the club dearly because Franny was on the verge of a big money move to a few clubs at the time and we later received nothing like what we would have got. Still that’s history so RIP Franny and every condolence to your family.

Whitesince63 wrote:Terrible news but I suppose 79 isn’t a bad innings? My biggest memory of Franny was the day he tore his cruciate against Everton when the keeper sonically took him down. Some may have blamed it on the snowy surface but not me, he knew exactly what he was doing. It also cost the club dearly because Franny was on the verge of a big money move to a few clubs at the time and we later received nothing like what we would have got. Still that’s history so RIP Franny and every condolence to your family.

Are you thinking of Peter Reid and George Woods perhaps?

(and cynically instead of sonically?)

Whitesince63 wrote:Terrible news but I suppose 79 isn’t a bad innings? My biggest memory of Franny was the day he tore his cruciate against Everton when the keeper sonically took him down. Some may have blamed it on the snowy surface but not me, he knew exactly what he was doing. It also cost the club dearly because Franny was on the verge of a big money move to a few clubs at the time and we later received nothing like what we would have got. Still that’s history so RIP Franny and every condolence to your family.

Sluffy’s got summat right today.   It was Peter Reid not Franny Lee.

Franny was a contemporary of mine, only a few months apart in our age.

My most enduring memory was his debut as a 16-year old scoring against Man City and getting right up the noses of the Citeh fans. The £60k transfer fee we got for him wasn’t nearly enough and was frittered away on Terry Wharton, another Bolton lad  who we got from Wolves for approximately the same amount of money. Wharton wasn't a bad player but nowhere near worth as much as Franny.

I also remember Franny generously giving a large amount of money to Bolton Lads and Girls Club to help towards the new club on the old Nevada site. I think he also used to run a fundraising golf day for the Lads and Girls club for a number of years.

Sincere condolences to his family.
 
RIP Franny

Is this all the Nutters and bots can muster? Deary me.