Francis Benali

[Lallana's Left Peg]

I somewhat fondly remember him launching Paulo Futre into Row E at Upton Park many years ago but this challenge has completely escaped me:

 

 

Run it off son

[Ewell]

My favourite Benali tackle was done on Steve Bruce of Manchester United who was harmlessly shepherding the ball out of play on a SKY Monday night football match in the mid 90's.

 

Franny was not having any of that and went steaming in taking man and ball from behind throwing Bruce up in the air and then dumping him on his arse on the touchline. Benali and Bruce's faces were a picture.

 

I think United went onto win the game 1-0 with a Dion Dublin goal if I am not mistaken.

[Goalie66]

Very poor footballer with limited talent but lot of heart.IMO

[CB Fry]

My favourite Benali tackle was done on Steve Bruce of Manchester United who was harmlessly shepherding the ball out of play on a SKY Monday night football match in the mid 90's.

 

Franny was not having any of that and went steaming in taking man and ball from behind throwing Bruce up in the air and then dumping him on his arse on the touchline. Benali and Bruce's faces were a picture.

 

I think United went onto win the game 1-0 with a Dion Dublin goal if I am not mistaken.

 

 

Our first Prem game on Sky.

 

Not our first game ever on Sky TV, though, just in case there are any pendants* reading.

 

 

 

*yes, I know.

[Chin Strain]

I somewhat fondly remember him launching Paulo Futre into Row E at Upton Park many years ago but this challenge has completely escaped me:

 

 

Run it off son

 

I was there...classic challenge. We came back from 3-1 down with 10 men to draw

[CB Saint]

Carp landlord

[kwsaint]

I remember Franny taking out Stuart Pearce at the Dell. We just waited for Pearce to get his retribution. Which he did.

[shurlock]

The nicky barmby challenge at WHL was an all time classic.

[georgeweahscousin]

The elbow on Ruel Fox....

[Clash City Saint]

I was there...classic challenge. We came back from 3-1 down with 10 men to draw

 

As was I and a after years of barracking from the Saints fans for his woeful distribution for the very first time we chanted his name in honour of that tackle. As I remember it, Fash the Bash was putting it about and we couldn't handle his 'aggressive style'. Eventually Franny did what we all wanted someone to do and from that moment on he turned the corner with us Saints fans becoming a firm hero of our generation. Mind you, getting sent off at 3-1 down probably wasn't the cleverest thing to do but it fired the team up and a certain MLT popped up with a couple to claim a hat-trick although if I remember correctly his third would have probably been taken off him these days.

 

The following week I bumped into Franny in a club in town and I said to him that was a fantastic tackle. I asked him it he could hear us singing his name and he told me that he was sat in the dressing room on his own feeling gutted at letting his team mates down by getting sent off and all he could hear was us singing his name for the first time ever, (he did use to get a hell of a lot of stick from some fans) a case of real mixed emotions.

[Didcot Saint]

I was there too, it was awesome. Fash the bash had been asking for it elbowing everyone and generally being a c..t. It was an awesome tackle and all the Saints fans laughed and cheered and even more when we got a draw with ten men after being 3 1 down. Respect to FB, he wasn't letting a bully like that getting away with trying to forearm smash his team mates all day.

[Stud mark of doom]

The ref deserves a mention too, for the style with which he brandishes the red card. Fully in-keeping with quality of the foul. Top notch all round.

[Wade Garrett]

I liked Franny v Pompey in the Masters 5 a side. They had Simon Elley playing for them giving it the big one, and Franny just booted him, with the ball about 20 yards away!

[Paul Chuckle]

Heart was always in the right place but really wasn't very good. Countless games I remember coming away from blaming a Benali Hospital pass. Don't get this 'legend' status he has to be honest.

[ericofarabia]

The ref deserves a mention too, for the style with which he brandishes the red card. Fully in-keeping with quality of the foul. Top notch all round.

 

As does Franny's moustache - classic Freddy Mercury effort!!

[Turkish]

A player who proves hard work pays off. Very limited player but hard working, strong and incredibly fit. Used to seem during the summer months running down riverside park and doing pull ups in the play ground area. The post from clash city saint is right at time he was the Guly of the era, I remember large sections of the Milton booing name when it was announced in the line up which prompted an angry reaction from him. He was also nicknamed SKUD, because his passing was as accurate as a SKUD missile used by Iraq in the first war over there, if you can't guess its because they weren't at all accurate and wild miss their targets, often by a long way, the missiles were pretty awful too. A top man though and typified saints in early to mid nineties after Nicholls 89/90 team was broken up, hard working, committed but let's say, limited.

[Miffy]

Happy days. I was there, but after a drinking session in the sun I can't remember too much about the game except this tackle. Definitely a turning point in Franny's popularity.

[The Kraken]

I used to watch the youth team that Franny came up through a lot, and as a striker back then it's fair to say he was a fairly volatile character on the pitch. Gradually made his way back from striker to defender. It's testament to his work ethic and what he brought to the team that most if not all new managers that came in at Saints immediately dropped Franny but ended up reinstating him after a while, he must have been a superb addition to have around the squad, and he truly got how much it meant to play for his home town club. A top man too, by all accounts.

[ericofarabia]

I used to watch the youth team that Franny came up through a lot, and as a striker back then it's fair to say he was a fairly volatile character on the pitch. Gradually made his way back from striker to defender. It's testament to his work ethic and what he brought to the team that most if not all new managers that came in at Saints immediately dropped Franny but ended up reinstating him after a while, he must have been a superb addition to have around the squad, and he truly got how much it meant to play for his home town club. A top man too, by all accounts.

 

 

 

Maybe we could get Nasty Nic to do one of these as well!!

[Bucks Saint]

As Turks said, very hard working and I am sure (but stand to be corrected) that he was often judged to be the fittest member of the squad when they first reported back for training after the summer. A legend for all sorts of good reasons