KEVIN FRANCIS – THE FACTS
Not The Crerand Fiction
On Saturday March 5th 1994 we best Hartlepool 5-0. BBC GMR had an after match phone-in, with the resident expert being one Paddy Crerand, a good player in his time at Old Trafford, but totally possessed with the concept that nothing good emerges in football unless it’s from those hallowed portals. A caller suggested that Kevin Francis might do a job for (then) goal starved Manchester City. The supposed expert dismissed this out of hand; laid down from on high his considered judgement that Francis was ‘crap’ and followed this up with an admission that he had never seen him play. It occasioned an absolute melt down in the pages of TTP 34. Readers of this site will have picked up that I’m one for facts and figures. It was time to look at the stats – this was published in TTP 35.
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Without wishing to unnecessarily prolong the debate about Crerand’s fatuous comments regarding Kevin’s aptitude for higher grade football, I do think that certain points should be made.
Everyone is entitled to their opinion – however the value of such a view can only be determined by the extent to which it is properly informed. Information takes the form of facts and figures which substantiate a subjective view.
Crerand’s views, as outlined in the last couple of issues of TTP, were not ill-informed they were totally non-informed. It has been suggested in the press that Kevin would like the right of reply, by way of a debate with Crerand. This might well be entertaining, but would ultimately be fruitless, since Crerand is a classic example of those who believe that football begins and ends in Stretford, and that everyone else is totally deluded.
The best answer for Kevin is to point to the table below, which gives all the information that anyone could wish fro, to demonstrate that no matter what level he plays at, whether home or away, against higher or lower grade opposition, in whatever competition, he has consistently achieved a scoring record which bears comparison with, if not betters, the performance of anybody currently in the English game.
So Kevin, keep on scoring, and then show Crerand next season in Division 1 that you can do it at that level as well!!
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