Wow lots I didn't know. Why were we so broke? Wilkinson is a genius! Sent from my iPhone
> On Nov 26, 2015, at 8:06 AM, Rick Duniec (@ntl) <[email protected]> wrote: > > From the Premier League website > > Thursday 26 November 2015 > Fotherby: No regrets about selling Cantona to Man Utd > Bill Fotherby, Leeds managing director at the time, recalls Cantona's shock > move to Old Trafford > Eric Cantona earned legendary status at Man Utd, winning four BPL titles in > five seasons > Twenty three years ago, Eric Cantona left Leeds United, the defending > champions, to join Manchester United. For a fee that was thought to be about > £1 million, the Frenchman crossed the Pennines to inspire the team to the > first of 13 Barclays Premier League titles under Sir Alex Ferguson, of which > four were won in the first five years that Cantona was at Old Trafford. > The man who made the phone call that resulted in Cantona joining Manchester > United insists he would do exactly the same again. Leeds managing director > Bill Fotherby rang Man Utd chairman Martin Edwards enquiring about buying > full-back Denis Irwin but ended up selling Cantona to Old Trafford instead. > What is less well known is that Fotherby never bothered contacting Leeds' > manager of the time, Howard Wilkinson, about Edwards' request. > While Cantona went on to secure legendary status among Man Utd fans, Leeds > never again reached the heights of the 1991/92 season. > Indeed, a 4-0 defeat by the Red Devils at Elland Road in September 1996, in > which Cantona scored a last-minute goal, marked the end of Wilkinson's time > at the club. But Fotherby has no regrets. Speaking on the 20th anniversary of > Cantona's move to Old Trafford in 2012, he recalled the episode clearly. > "Although we won the title, there was just no connection between them" > Bill Fotherby > "We had got Eric on a recommendation from Michel Platini, who told Howard > Wilkinson he could be very difficult to handle but had the potential to be a > great player," Fotherby told PA Sport. "At the time, we didn't have any > money. People thought we had won the pools but we were actually potless. > "Because of that when we met his advisors to put together a deal we agreed to > pay Eric something like £500,000 if we kept him after an initial period of a > few months. > "It was an immense amount of money for Leeds - not money we had at any rate - > but we agreed to it because we had this recommendation from Platini and we > judged the most important thing was to get the player and deal with the rest > afterwards." > > Find out why Eric Cantona is known as 'The King' by Manchester United fans > and why they voted the Frenchman as their Player of the Century > But there were difficulties almost immediately. "Apart from Lee Chapman, no > one in the squad spoke fluent French and for Howard it was a bit of a > nightmare," Fotherby said. "Although we won the title, there was just no > connection between them. > "Howard told me to find Eric another club" > Bill Fotherby > "We had a disaster against Rangers in the European Cup and were coming up to > the point where this additional £500,000 had to be paid. Howard told me to > find Eric another club." > Fotherby had not acted on the request when full-back Mel Sterland got > injured. "I rang United about Denis Irwin, who had been at Leeds as a young > boy," said Fotherby. "Martin Edwards said there was no chance but I asked > him to at least speak to [manager] Alex [Ferguson]. > 1992/93 BPL season review >> > "Normally, I wouldn't have expected him to ring back. This time he did, > offering me a different player I knew Howard would not be interested in. It > was then he asked about Eric. I said absolutely no way and that it was > impossible. But obviously I knew what Howard felt about him, and I knew this > additional payment was due. > "As I had done before, Martin asked if I would talk to Howard. On that > particular day Howard was out house-hunting in Leeds, so the only person I > actually spoke to was [coach] Mick Hennigan. I just said, 'I can't believe > it. Guess what has come right out of the blue. Howard will absolutely love > it.' > "I left it a couple of hours, rang Martin back and said, 'I can't believe > this but Howard is willing to let the boy go'." > And so the deal was rushed through. > "Our fans were bothered," said Fotherby. "They were really bothered. But I > would do exactly the same again. > > Cantona played a key role as Leeds won the First Division title in 1991/92 > "Eric was absolutely magnificent for them but it is not all one way, we got > something similar when Gordon Strachan came to us and took us from Division > Two to champions. Before that, Johnny Giles came from Manchester United and > look what he did for Leeds. It happens. > "Eric liked to play to the crowd - that wasn't Howard's way at all" > Bill Fotherby > "Sometimes people just move to a certain club at a certain time and become > something they would never have been anywhere else. The fact it was > Manchester United gave it an edge I suppose but they were the ones who made > the offer for a player our manager did not want. > "Howard was an absolute perfectionist. > He wanted his players to be disciplined and adhere to a certain team pattern. > Eric just didn't fit it. > "Alex Ferguson gave him a free role and probably wasn't quite as strict with > Eric as Howard would have been. Eric liked to play to the crowd. That wasn't > Howard's way at all." > And Fotherby refuses to criticise Wilkinson. "It is not a question of blaming > Howard," he said. "I believed in him and won't hear a bad word against him. > He was Leeds' best manager since Don Revie - and probably still is. > "He brought in Gordon Strachan, Gary McAllister and Tony Yeboah. He won us > the league. And all the time we were doing it on a shoestring, asking > sponsors to chip in here and there to make up the bits we didn't have. For > eight years, it worked." > _______________________________________________ > Leedslist mailing list > Info and options: http://mailman.greennet.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/leedslist > To unsubscribe, email [email protected] > > > MARCHING ON TOGETHER _______________________________________________ Leedslist mailing list Info and options: http://mailman.greennet.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/leedslist To unsubscribe, email [email protected] MARCHING ON TOGETHER
