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Topic Originator: Raymie the Legend
Date: Mon 2 Oct 17:02
Ex-Man City legend, Franny Lee has died,aged 79
An excellent scoring record for both City and England and remembered as a bustling, hard working and passionate striker.
Went on to own City for a few years too
Remembered for going toe to toe with Norman Hunter, showing some impressively fast fists
Rip, Franny
It`s bloody tough being a legend
Ron Atkinson - 1983
Post Edited (Mon 02 Oct 22:07)
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Topic Originator: sammer
Date: Mon 2 Oct 17:34
Frannie Lee was an exciting player with a fast, direct attacking style and an explosive shot. As a teenager he played alongside Nat Lofthouse at Bolton and despite taking a fair amount of `hammer` from defenders was still able to win a second League Championship medal with Derby when in his thirties. He did have a reputation for going down in the box rather easily- that was what prepared the tinder for his fist fight with Norman Hunter- hence the nickname Lee Won Pen.
sammer
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Topic Originator: GG Riva
Date: Mon 2 Oct 17:56
An absolute star during an era when refs offered forwards scant protection and rugged defenders took no prisoners.
While United could boast Best, Law and Charlton, City had Bell, Lee and Summerbee, who were every bit their equals on their day.
RIP Franny.
Not your average Sunday League player.
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Topic Originator: OzPar
Date: Tue 3 Oct 08:11
I have two happy memories of Franny Lee.
The first was standing in the Kop at Anfield as Liverpool thrashed Man City 4-0 in a game in the early/mid-70s. I went with a group of Liverpool dockers who were working cargo on my ship. They were a friendly bunch, and they seemed to know everyone in the Kop, and everyone seemed to have the same name... Wach!
Every time Franny Lee got the ball, 40,000 Scousers sang in unison, "Franny Lee`s a Womble!"
Thinking about it still brings a smile to my face.
The second incident was more personal. About ten years later, I was on holiday with my family in Albufeira in the Algarve. My wife and I were sitting on the verandah of our hotel, looking out at the fishing boats netting sardines as the sun started to set. We were sharing a carafe of Sangria when I noticed the group sitting at the next table.
Sure enough, Franny Lee and a couple of other guys were doing the same as us. We raised our glasses to each other and chatted for a wee while. By then, he was retired from football, in the paper business, and running a sizeable trucking company. The guys were over in Portugal for a haulage industry conference that was taking place at our hotel.
Franny Lee had the first mobile phone I ever saw up close. It was one of those monstrosities that were all battery, weighed a ton, and the phone itself was connected to the battery by a curly cable.
He joked that it had taken up half his baggage allowance and complained that the damn thing hadn`t worked since he arrived in the country. Still, he carried it everywhere with him, no small challenge, for he was not a large man.
Incidentally, he talked fondly of Dunfermline when I mentioned who I supported. He had been on the tour of the USA and Canada with the Pars in 1968.
Thanks for the memories, Franny. RIP Wee Man.
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