Francis Henry Lee (born 29 April 1944 in
WesthoughtonWesthoughton is a town and civil parish of the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton in Greater Manchester, England. It is southwest of Bolton and northwest of Manchester....
, near
BoltonBolton is a town in Greater Manchester, in the North West of England. Situated close to the West Pennine Moors, it is north west of the city of Manchester. Bolton is surrounded by several smaller towns and villages which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, of which Bolton is the...
,
LancashireLancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Lancashire County Council is based in Preston. However, Lancaster is still considered to be the county town...
) is a former professional
footballerAssociation football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of eleven players using a spherical ball...
, who played in the 1960s and 1970s, including 27 appearances for the
England national teamThe English national football team represents England in international association football and is controlled by The Football Association, the governing body for football in England...
. Lee played for
Bolton WanderersBolton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional football club based in Horwich, in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England. They are currently in the Premier League....
,
Manchester CityManchester City Football Club is an English professional football club based in the city of Manchester. The team is currently a member of the Premier League.The first known competitive fixture was played in November 1880, when the side was known as St...
, and
Derby CountyDerby County Football Club is a professional football club based in Derby, England, currently playing in the Football League Championship. The club is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only eleven clubs to have competed in...
. A stocky forward, he won
League ChampionshipThe English football champions are the winners of the highest league in English football, which is currently the Premier League. Teams in bold are those who won the double of League Championship and FA Cup, or the European Double of League Championship and European Cup in that season.Following the...
medals with both Manchester City and Derby, and scored more than 200 goals in his career.
He holds the English record for the greatest number of
penaltiesA penalty kick is a type of free kick in association football, taken from twelve yards out from goal and with only the goalkeeper of the defending team between the penalty taker and the goal....
scored in a season, a feat which earned him the nickname
Lee One Pen, and sometimes led to accusations of
divingDiving in the context of association football is an attempt by a player to gain an unfair advantage by diving to the ground and possibly simulating an injury, to appear as if a foul has been committed. Dives are often used to exaggerate the amount of contact present in a challenge...
.
Francis Henry Lee (born 29 April 1944 in
WesthoughtonWesthoughton is a town and civil parish of the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton in Greater Manchester, England. It is southwest of Bolton and northwest of Manchester....
, near
BoltonBolton is a town in Greater Manchester, in the North West of England. Situated close to the West Pennine Moors, it is north west of the city of Manchester. Bolton is surrounded by several smaller towns and villages which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, of which Bolton is the...
,
LancashireLancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Lancashire County Council is based in Preston. However, Lancaster is still considered to be the county town...
) is a former professional
footballerAssociation football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of eleven players using a spherical ball...
, who played in the 1960s and 1970s, including 27 appearances for the
England national teamThe English national football team represents England in international association football and is controlled by The Football Association, the governing body for football in England...
. Lee played for
Bolton WanderersBolton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional football club based in Horwich, in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England. They are currently in the Premier League....
,
Manchester CityManchester City Football Club is an English professional football club based in the city of Manchester. The team is currently a member of the Premier League.The first known competitive fixture was played in November 1880, when the side was known as St...
, and
Derby CountyDerby County Football Club is a professional football club based in Derby, England, currently playing in the Football League Championship. The club is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only eleven clubs to have competed in...
. A stocky forward, he won
League ChampionshipThe English football champions are the winners of the highest league in English football, which is currently the Premier League. Teams in bold are those who won the double of League Championship and FA Cup, or the European Double of League Championship and European Cup in that season.Following the...
medals with both Manchester City and Derby, and scored more than 200 goals in his career.
He holds the English record for the greatest number of
penaltiesA penalty kick is a type of free kick in association football, taken from twelve yards out from goal and with only the goalkeeper of the defending team between the penalty taker and the goal....
scored in a season, a feat which earned him the nickname
Lee One Pen, and sometimes led to accusations of
divingDiving in the context of association football is an attempt by a player to gain an unfair advantage by diving to the ground and possibly simulating an injury, to appear as if a foul has been committed. Dives are often used to exaggerate the amount of contact present in a challenge...
. One such accusation, from
Leeds UnitedLeeds United Association Football Club , commonly referred to as simply Leeds United, or informally Leeds, are an English professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire...
's Norman Hunter, led to an on-pitch fight, which
The ObserverThe Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In about the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a left-liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-History:The...
later named as sport's most spectacular dismissal.
After retiring from football, Lee entered business, the success of his paper recycling business F.H. Lee Ltd making him a millionaire. In 1994 he became the major shareholder and chairman of his former club Manchester City, but stepped down four years later.
Playing career
Lee started his professional career with Bolton Wanderers, before Manchester City manager
Joe MercerJoseph 'Joe' Mercer, OBE was an English football player and manager.-Playing career:Mercer was born in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, the son of a former Nottingham Forest and Tranmere Rovers footballer, also named Joe. Joe Mercer senior died, following health problems resulting from a gas attack...
signed him for £60,000 in October 1967, setting a club record transfer fee.. He made his Manchester City debut in a 2-0 win over
Wolverhampton WanderersWolverhampton Wanderers Football Club is a professional football club representing the city of Wolverhampton, in the West Midlands region of England, and currently playing in the Premier League. Commonly referred to by their nickname Wolves, the club was founded in 1877 and since 1889 have played...
at
Maine RoadMaine Road was a large football stadium in Moss Side, Manchester, England. It was home to Manchester City F.C. from its construction in 1923 until 2003. It takes its name from the street it was built on which, in itself, had a remarkable history. The street was originally known as Dog Kennel Lane...
, and scored his first Manchester City goal the following week at
FulhamFulham Football Club is an English professional football club based in Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Founded in 1879, they celebrated their 125th anniversary in 2004, and are in the top tier of English football, the Premier League...
. In his first season at the club he scored 16 League goals in 31 appearances, playing a crucial role in City's push for the 1967-68
League ChampionshipThe English football champions are the winners of the highest league in English football, which is currently the Premier League. Teams in bold are those who won the double of League Championship and FA Cup, or the European Double of League Championship and European Cup in that season.Following the...
; Mercer described him as "the final piece of the jigsaw". The title was decided on the final day of the season, City requiring a win at
Newcastle UnitedNewcastle United Football Club is an English football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, they play in the Football League Championship. And are renowned for having a very good fan base...
. City won the match 4-3, Lee scoring one of the goals, and were crowned champions. The following season Lee was part of the Manchester City team which won the 1969
FA CupThe Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football, run by and named after The Football Association. The name "FA Cup" usually refers to the English men's tournament, although a women's tournament is also held...
.
In the 1969-70 season, Lee was Manchester City's top scorer, an achievement he would subsequently match in each of the next four seasons. His tally that season included one of the most important goals of his career, a penalty in the final of the European Cup Winners' Cup.
In the 1971-72 season Lee set a British record for the number of
penaltiesA penalty kick is a type of free kick in association football, taken from twelve yards out from goal and with only the goalkeeper of the defending team between the penalty taker and the goal....
scored in a season, with 15 of his 35 goals scored from the penalty spot. Many of the penalties resulted from fouls on Lee, earning him the nickname
Lee One Pen. Some journalists, holding the opinion that Lee gained a number of penalties by
divingDiving in the context of association football is an attempt by a player to gain an unfair advantage by diving to the ground and possibly simulating an injury, to appear as if a foul has been committed. Dives are often used to exaggerate the amount of contact present in a challenge...
, used the name
Lee Won Pen instead. Lee's name is often cited in debates about diving in football; referees' chief
Keith HackettKeith Stuart Hackett is an English former football referee, who began refereeing in local leagues in the Sheffield, Yorkshire, area in 1960.-Career:He reached the Northern Premier League and became a Football League linesman in 1972...
described him as a player who "had a reputation of falling down easily".
Lee left Manchester City in August 1974, joining Derby County. For the second time in his career, Lee joined a team viewed as contenders for that season's league title. Lee was upset at Manchester City's decision to sell him, and in December marked his return to his former club by scoring the winning goal for Derby. Lee scored 33 league goals that season, making him the top scorer in the division, and his goals led Derby to their second ever League title and the second championship medal of Lee's career. On 1 November 1975, Lee had a confrontation with Leeds United defender Norman Hunter, which gained a level of infamy after it was screened on
Match of the DayMatch of the Day is the BBC's main football television programme. Typically, it is shown on BBC One on Saturday evenings during the English football season, showing highlights of the day's matches in the Barclays Premier League...
. Lee won and scored a penalty in the match, and Hunter accused Lee of winning the penalty unfairly. The pair then exchanged punches, and were both sent off. In 2003, the incident was named by
The ObserverThe Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In about the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a left-liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-History:The...
as sport's most spectacular dismissal.
He also holds the record for the most goals in
Manchester derbiesThe Manchester derby is the name given to football matches between Manchester City and Manchester United. As with any major football rivalry, gloating and banter between the two sets of fans is commonplace. United fans point out that City have gone several decades without winning a major trophy,...
, scoring 10 goals in all against Manchester United, a tally that equalled
Joe HayesJoe Hayes was an English footballer who played as a striker for Manchester City F.C. and scored the opening goal in the 1956 FA Cup Final....
's record.
Business career
After his playing career, Lee moved into business. His toilet roll manufacturing business once employed famous comedian
Peter KayPeter John Kay is an English comedian, writer, producer, director and actor. His work includes That Peter Kay Thing , Phoenix Nights , Max and Paddy's Road to Nowhere , Britain's Got the Pop Factor... and other independent productions.-Early career:Kay was born in Farnworth near Bolton,...
, who mentions his time there in his autobiography "The Sound Of Laughter".
In 1994, Lee became chairman of Manchester City, ousting Peter Swales from the position by purchasing £3 million of shares at a price of £13.35 per share. Lee was welcomed as a hero by City's supporters, who had formed a movement named
Forward With Franny backing his attempt to gain control of the club. Upon becoming chairman, Lee made a series of extravagant claims about his plans for the club, announcing that "This will be the happiest club in the land. The players will be the best paid and we'll drink plenty of champagne, celebrate and sing until we're hoarse". In 1996 he appointed his friend Alan Ball as manager, but the appointment proved unsuccessful and the club were relegated. Lee stepped down in 1998, with the club on the brink of relegation to the third tier of English football, a fate which Lee had dismissed at the previous annual general meeting by saying that he would "jump off the Kippax" if the club were relegated. He was succeeded by
David BernsteinDavid Bernstein is a British business executive who is the former chairman of French Connection and Manchester City F.C.. Bernstein oversaw the controversial f.c.u.k. advertisement campaign at French Connection in 1997, and replaced Francis Lee as Manchester City chairman in the 1998...
. Lee retained a shareholding after leaving the board of directors but later sold all his shares to Thaksin Shinawatra. .
In addition to his business ventures, Lee also had a career as a racehorse trainer. Notable horses trained by Lee include
Sir Harry Hardman,
Allwight Then and
Young Jason. Lee gave the trade up in 2001 to pursue his business commitments.
Before becoming a professional footballer Lee showed promise at
cricketCricket is a bat-and-ball team sport that is first documented as being played in southern England in the 16th century. By the end of the 18th century, cricket had developed to the point where it had become the national sport of England. The expansion of the British Empire led to cricket being...
, representing the Horwich and Westhoughton Schools FA Team in 1958. When his football career came to an end he briefly returned to cricket, playing for Westhoughton's first XI in 1977 as a medium-fast bowler and middle to lower order batsman.
On 4 June 2005 Francis Lee was arrested following an argument with a policeman. It is understood a row broke out after Lee's wife, Gill, was stopped and breathalysed as she drove home in the early hours of the morning. Lee was given an adult caution.(http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/s/161/161307_francis_lee_arrested.html)
On 5 January, Permaplay Limited (owned by Francis Lee) went into Members' Voluntary Liquidation (http://www.gazettes-online.co.uk/issues/58946/pages/377).
Career statistics
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1960-61-First Division:-Second Division:-Third Division:-Fourth Division:P = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; F = Goals for; A = Goals against; GA = Goal average; Pts = Points-References:...
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Bolton WanderersBolton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional football club based in Horwich, in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England. They are currently in the Premier League....
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First DivisionThe First Division was the top division of The Football League between 1892 and 1992 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the FA Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Coca Cola Championship.-History:The Football...
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1961-62-First Division:-Second Division:-Third Division:-Fourth Division:P = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; F = Goals for; A = Goals against; GA = Goal average; Pts = Points-References:...
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1962-63-First Division:-Second Division:-Third Division:-Fourth Division:P = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; F = Goals for; A = Goals against; GA = Goal average; Pts = Points-References:...
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1963-64-First Division:-Second Division:-Third Division:-Fourth Division:P = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; F = Goals for; A = Goals against; GA = Goal average; Pts = Points-References:...
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1964-65-First Division:-Second Division:-Third Division:-Fourth Division:P = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; F = Goals for; A = Goals against; GA = Goal average; Pts = Points-References:...
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Second DivisionFrom 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992-93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
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1965-66-League Standings:This season is notable for Liverpool F.C winning the title with only 14 squad players.-First Division:-Second Division:-Third Division:-Fourth Division:...
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1966-67-First Division:-Second Division:-Third Division:-Fourth Division:P = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; F = Goals for; A = Goals against; GA = Goal average; Pts = Points-References:...
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1967-68-First Division:For the first time since 1937 Manchester City won the league title, finishing two points clear of their local rivals Manchester United. Fulham finished bottom of the league and were relegated along with Sheffield United...
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1967-68-First Division:For the first time since 1937 Manchester City won the league title, finishing two points clear of their local rivals Manchester United. Fulham finished bottom of the league and were relegated along with Sheffield United...
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Manchester CityManchester City Football Club is an English professional football club based in the city of Manchester. The team is currently a member of the Premier League.The first known competitive fixture was played in November 1880, when the side was known as St...
||rowspan="7"|
First DivisionThe First Division was the top division of The Football League between 1892 and 1992 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the FA Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Coca Cola Championship.-History:The Football...
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1968-69-First Division:Leeds United won the League for the first time in their history, finishing six points ahead of Liverpool. Newly-promoted Queens Park Rangers were relegated after finishing bottom along with Leicester City.-Second Division:...
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1969-70-First Division:Everton won their seventh title, finishing nine points clear of Leeds United with Chelsea in third and newly promoted Derby County in fourth. Sheffield Wednesday and Sunderland were both relegated.-Second Division:...
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1970-71- First Division :Arsenal won the league championship at the end of a season which would soon be followed by their FA Cup final tie with Liverpool. They narrowly overcame Leeds to win the league, with a 12-point gap separating Leeds from third-placed Tottenham. Wolves and Liverpool joined these two...
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1971-72- First Division :Brian Clough, 37, won the first major trophy of his managerial career by guiding Derby County to their first ever league championship. They overcame Leeds United to win a four-horse race also contested with Liverpool and Manchester City...
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1972-73- First Division :Liverpool cruised to another championship triumph in Bill Shankly's penultimate season as manager despite competition from Arsenal, Leeds United, Ipswich Town and Wolverhampton Wanderers....
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1973-74-First Division:Don Revie marked his last season as Leeds United's manager by guiding them to league championship glory, before taking over from Sir Alf Ramsey as the England national football team manager, with England having surprisingly failed to qualify for the 1974 World Cup...
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1974-75- First Division :David Mackay guided Derby County to their second league title in four years having overcome strong competition from Liverpool, Ipswich Town, Everton, Stoke City, Sheffield United and Middlesbrough in a title race which went right to the wire...
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Derby CountyDerby County Football Club is a professional football club based in Derby, England, currently playing in the Football League Championship. The club is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only eleven clubs to have competed in...
||rowspan="2"|
First DivisionThe First Division was the top division of The Football League between 1892 and 1992 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the FA Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Coca Cola Championship.-History:The Football...
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1975-76- First Division :Liverpool won their first major trophy under Bob Paisley by narrowly winning the league title after heated competition from Queens Park Rangers. They also lifted the UEFA Cup for the second time in their history...
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External links