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Alan Ball To Man City


Gemmel
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Heard the same story twice now , that Bally never wanted to go, from people who would have known (And completely independently tell the same story)

 

Does this ring any bells with any of the old gits on here?

 

Top man from all accounts.

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Heard the same story twice now , that Bally never wanted to go, from people who would have known (And completely independently tell the same story)

 

Does this ring any bells with any of the old gits on here?

 

Top man from all accounts.

 

Just read his autobiography , its all on there.

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Heard the same story twice now , that Bally never wanted to go, from people who would have known (And completely independently tell the same story)

 

Does this ring any bells with any of the old gits on here?

 

Top man from all accounts.

 

 

 

Not strictly true. He was upset we didn't fall over ourselves to keep him. The likelihood is he would have gone anyway -City offered far more than we were prepared to pay him. The "Askham didn't try to keep me" story gave him a lovely little guilt avoidance angle.

 

If his time at MCFC was a rousing success I very much doubt he would have been saying he never wanted to go there.

Edited by CB Fry
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I seem to recall that Bally was the lowest paid manager in the top league at Saints and the chance to more than double his salary was one he couldn't turn down and I, for one, don't blame him.

 

I thought the abuse he got when he came back with City at the end of the following season was shameful.

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Not strictly true. He was upset we didn't fall over ourselves to keep him. The likelihood is he would have gone anyway -City offered far more than we were prepared to pay him. The "Askham didn't try to keep me" story gave him a lovely little guilt avoidance angle.

 

If his time at MCFC was a rousing success I very much doubt he would have been saying he never wanted to go there.

 

That was the way I saw it. Didn't blame him for going for more money, but he wanted it both ways .. to be a hero as well as to earn more. He blamed saints for not trying hard enough to keep him after City offered him the job.

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Not strictly true. He was upset we didn't fall over ourselves to keep him. The likelihood is he would have gone anyway -City offered far more than we were prepared to pay him. The "Askham didn't try to keep me" story gave him a lovely little guilt avoidance angle.

 

If his time at MCFC was a rousing success I very much doubt he would have been saying he never wanted to go there.

 

This.

 

Love Ballie to bits, but he was being economic with the actualite when he put this story around.

 

He was in a win-win situation, and Saints (in the form of Guy Askham) knew it.

 

Had they refused him premission to talk to Man City, he would have kicked up a stink. So they gave him permission, only for Ballie to turn it on them, when Citeh threw a great wedge of cash at him, in saying by allowing him to talk it showed Saints didn't want to keep him.

 

Unfortunately, he never got the Citeh players onside as he did his schtick with his World Cup winner's medal, where in his first meeting with them, he pulled the medal out of a velvet bag and told them: "None of you have got one of these, and none of you will be good enough to win one."

 

They loved that.

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This.

 

Love Ballie to bits, but he was being economic with the actualite when he put this story around.

 

He was in a win-win situation, and Saints (in the form of Guy Askham) knew it.

 

Had they refused him premission to talk to Man City, he would have kicked up a stink. So they gave him permission, only for Ballie to turn it on them, when Citeh threw a great wedge of cash at him, in saying by allowing him to talk it showed Saints didn't want to keep him.

 

Unfortunately, he never got the Citeh players onside as he did his schtick with his World Cup winner's medal, where in his first meeting with them, he pulled the medal out of a velvet bag and told them: "None of you have got one of these, and none of you will be good enough to win one."

 

They loved that.

 

Sounds similar to what Brian Clough did at Leeds...except Bally lasted slightly longer!

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