(That long since we've had any, couldn't find the thread)

Alan Nixon: "Top Liverpool starlet Cameron Branagan will Ben allowed out on loan in Jan.

Bolton lead the race for the 20 year old midfielder"

Edited December 11, 20169 yr by Ratwhite

33 minutes ago, Rival Son said:

Franny scored 92 goals for us in 189 games and 112 in 249 for City. He definitely blossomed with us. City bought the finished product.

Well before my time but I know scum bags who followed him to city for a bit. Shameful 

1 hour ago, Dr. Feelgood said:

Lee was great, but he truly blossomed after he left us.

You think? He had a higher goals per game ratio with us than at City - basically averaging a goal every other game and nobody who played more than one season has matched it since, although McGinlay wasn’t far off. Sturridge got 8 in 12 but he was never ours.

Franny played in a great Wanderers team which helped.

 

8 hours ago, Lt. Aldo Raine said:

We all have our favourites but surely Anelka is objectively the best

Only a young Gudjohnsen gets even close

Aye, being able to do it at the very highest level.

Him, Gudjohnsen, Ricketts. In no order.

At the level we were at- Walker for me was the best finisher.

At the time SJM, almost played as his foil, whereas SJM took up the mantle as the goal scorer once Walker left.

As above Blake complimented him very well.

It's a shame that by the time we reached the premier league, SJM had peaked, as he wasn't at the standard needed then, though neither was much of the team.

8 hours ago, Wanderlust said:

You think? He had a higher goals per game ratio with us than at City - basically averaging a goal every other game and nobody who played more than one season has matched it since, although McGinlay wasn’t far off. Sturridge got 8 in 12 but he was never ours.

Franny played in a great Wanderers team which helped.

Yes. I do think.

... & if he was in a great Wanderers team, what about that Citeh one ?

I'm not disparaging Lee, he was tremendous, but he spent a lot of time being sulky & engineering a move. He went on strike ffs. He left us & was made to lose a stone by Joe Mercer. A great player, but better in his next club.

im too young to know Lee at Bolton, unless its Stuart,  but I do know our history

 

Francis Lee played in a great Wanderers team?

18 minutes ago, Casino said:

Francis Lee played in a great Wanderers team?

Yes. His debut was a 3-1 win against, ironically, Man City. He scored, as did the man to his right: a certain Nat Lofthouse.

2 minutes ago, Rival Son said:

Yes. His debut was a 3-1 win against, ironically, Man City. He scored, as did the man to his right: a certain Nat Lofthouse.

great team?

He made his debut in 1959. At the time we’d recently won the FA Cup and were consistently in the top 6 (3rd in one season).

We weren’t relegated until 1964, so he was part of our Division 1 squad for 5 years. It’s only after we were relegated (goodness knows how with the squad we had that season) and didn’t come straight back up, that things turned sour with him.

Edited August 18, 2025Aug 18 by Rival Son

ah, ok

I had him as being mid 60s, by which time he was 20? we were in divison 2, in decline and definitely not a great team

Mid 60s, post relegation, was when the toys came out of the pram, and he eventually left for City.

in the season we were relegated, we had one of the most exciting young forward lines in the country, with Franny Lee, Wyn Davies and Freddie Hill. Brian Birch from the 1958 cup final team was still on the wing and only 26. I just don’t understand how they were relegated but I’m too young to have personal memories.

Sadly, people like my dad aren’t around anymore to ask.

10 minutes ago, Rival Son said:

Mid 60s, post relegation, was when the toys came out of the pram, and he eventually left for City.

in the season we were relegated, we had one of the most exciting young forward lines in the country, with Franny Lee, Wyn Davies and Freddie Hill. Brian Birch from the 1958 cup final team was still on the wing and only 26. I just don’t understand how they were relegated but I’m too young to have personal memories.

Sadly, people like my dad aren’t around anymore to ask.

They sold off a lot of players like Denis Stevens who went for a record fee for Bolton to Everton the money never being reinvested Lofty injured etc London clubs were flexing their spending and more  wages as the wage structures were changing 

12 hours ago, Lt. Aldo Raine said:

We all have our favourites but surely Anelka is objectively the best

Only a young Gudjohnsen gets even close

Yes probably the "best striker to play for Bolton" but not necessarily the best impact for us. 

Anelka signed in August 2006 and didn't score till 25th November v Arsenal.  His last goal was in December 2007 v Brum.  So he was only scoring goals for just over a year.  That was a great year (21 goals) but I'd put some of the others above him for what they did for us over a longer period, and maybe taking less time to get upto speed, he was poor for a while and didn't look like he wanted to be here, before he got into his stride.

3 hours ago, Rival Son said:

He made his debut in 1959. At the time we’d recently won the FA Cup and were consistently in the top 6 (3rd in one season).

We weren’t relegated until 1964, so he was part of our Division 1 squad for 5 years. It’s only after we were relegated (goodness knows how with the squad we had that season) and didn’t come straight back up, that things turned sour with him.

He made his debut in November 1960, aged 16.

He was a very, very good player both for us & at Maine Rd.

1 hour ago, Dr. Feelgood said:

He made his debut in November 1960, aged 16.

He was a very, very good player both for us & at Maine Rd.

Built like Gazza, had a shot like a cannon, bustled his way into space, bit of a diver who won loads of pens but most famous for having his knob hanging out in a team photo (City?) which may have been published in Football League Review.

20 minutes ago, Wanderlust said:

... most famous for having his knob hanging out in a team photo (City?) which may have been published in Football League Review.

I thought that was Eamonn Dumphy, at Milwall.

1 minute ago, Dr. Feelgood said:

I thought that was Eamonn Dumphy, at Milwall.

Maybe…I thought it was Franny but can’t be sure.

33 minutes ago, Wanderlust said:

Built like Gazza, had a shot like a cannon, bustled his way into space, bit of a diver who won loads of pens but most famous for having his knob hanging out in a team photo (City?) which may have been published in Football League Review.

Remember Mark Patterson doing it on photo call day not sure if it went to press...

1 hour ago, Dr. Feelgood said:

I thought that was Eamonn Dumphy, at Milwall.

And I got him to sign the photo too, back in the day when I was an autograph nerd.

So Lee is most famous for something he didn't actually do?

Best remembered for clumping "  hardman " Norman Hunter...

 

 

 

I used to get mixed up with Franny Lee and Willie Morgan, my dad used to work for Willie Morgan when he opened a series of Launderettes. 

 

I still remember the shirehorses "going down going down little Franny lee, down to division three"

 

15 hours ago, Wanderlust said:

You think? He had a higher goals per game ratio with us than at City - basically averaging a goal every other game and nobody who played more than one season has matched it since, although McGinlay wasn’t far off. Sturridge got 8 in 12 but he was never ours.

Franny played in a great Wanderers team which helped.

 

Andy Walker ?

23 hours ago, Rival Son said:

Franny scored 92 goals for us in 189 games and 112 in 249 for City. He definitely blossomed with us. City bought the finished product.

Sold for 60k, replaced by Terry Wharton from Wolves for 70k.

16 hours ago, only1swanny said:

I used to get mixed up with Franny Lee and Willie Morgan ...

An easy mistake 🤣

11 hours ago, Mannyroader said:

Sold for 60k, replaced by Terry Wharton from Wolves for 70k.

Yes a poor deal but didn’t Franny’s injury jinx a big money move, to Wolves I think.