As a football fan and unashamedly Manchester United fan I was saddened to hear of the death today of Francis Lee aged from cancer one of the last soccer hard men. To describe him as a competitive, robust footballer would be a polite way of saying he didn't mind getting stuck in, check out the Youtube of him and Norman Hunter knocking lumps put of each other in 1975, a reminder of how football used to be....and I do miss it. I can remember the taunts hurled at him for, and it has to be said the number of penalties he was awarded, 15 in the 1971/72 season earning him the nickname, Lee One Pen or Lee Won Pen. He really did have a glittering career starting off with Bolton Wanderers and then the big move to Manchester City for £60,000 in 1967 a club record transfer fee where he swept the board winning the old First Division Championship, F.A, Cup. League Cup and the EUFA Cup Winners Cup, chuck in 27 England Caps. Also he was a shrewd businessman with his toilet roll manufacturing business, I did read that at one game when chucking toilets at rival players was almost de rigueur he quipped that he hoped they were his companies. All in all a sad day for football and it's fans no matter your allegiance, Franny Lee was a proper character, a no nonsense old school footballer., the likes of whom are no longer to be seen in the beautiful game. As a Red, who has mellowed, Franny you will be missed by me and countless other old school Reds
