KEVIN TALKS TO GMR
The Francis transfer saga had been concluded. He had gone to Birmingham by the time TTP 41 emerged. Ken Riley, (long term contributor), had interviewed the Big Man, and the product of that , (in three parts), had reached the middle segment by the time of this issue. The whole sorry tale of his move had occupied a lot of space in TTP, and had also interested GMR, (as BBC Radio Manchester was called in those days). Kevin had been on Jimmy Wagg’s Saturday Sports Show before the move took place. What came out of this brief interview were some staggering comments about the way a club legend had been treated, and how it was transparently clear, (as many had long suspected), that cashing in, almost at any cost, on the Club’s biggest asset was the driving force. A shameful display by Elwood and the Board – not the sale, that was inevitable, but the appalling way it was conducted. I recorded the GMR interview and for the benefit of those who hadn’t managed to catch it, transcribed it for publication in TTP 41.
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The Francis transfer debacle was hot news in December. We heard plenty from County and even more from Birmingham. Until the deal fell through, on what now seems to be the flimsiest of injury pretexts, Kevin kept his view to himself on the whole sorry affair . That is until December 17th, the day of our game at Cardiff when he was interviewed on GMR Sports. The following is a full unedited transcript of that interview. The views expressed are pretty illuminating not only regarding County’s and Birmingham’s conduct of the deal but also Kevin’s own perspective. It is reproduced without comment other than the highlighting of the more salient points.
Jimmy Wagg.
For the last couple of weeks he hasn’t known whether he’s been coming or going to be honest. His transfer to Birmingham, then Blackpool, then Birmingham again has been on and off so many times. Well, Francis is still a Stockport player and he’s spending this afternoon at home recovering from a knee operation. Yesterday he spoke to GMR Sports Andy Buckley about his ordeal.
Kevin Francis.
I couldn’t put it into words. you know, you’ld have to experience it yourself firstly to know how I feel. If someone had told me this was going to happen like, you know, on my 27th birthday, you know, I’d call him a liar. You can safely say it’s like been the worst 10 days of my life definitely. I’ve been to Birmingham and back four times in four days and at the end of that when I thought it was all off then I made the trip up to Blackpool. I’ve sat up all night till half four, five o’clock in the morning talking terms with Blackpool and having to rush all the way down here to try and sort something out with Stockport. The thing that made it worse was not knowing what was going on – the lack of correspondence from the clubs behalf maybe too much over correspondence from Birmingham’s behalf and Blackpool’s behalf but it’s just not knowing where you are what’s happening, and you know it concerns your future and you’re playing no part in it. Apart from just turning up where they tell you to turn up.
Andy Buckley.
It sounds as though it’s been a farcical two weeks for you. Was it the terms and then the medical reasons then? Was that the reason it was so prolonged?
Kevin Francis.
It was the terms, it was definitely the terms and then the medical reason. Then the medical reasons were sorted out and I know as far as Birmingham were concerned they were prepared to take me on board as is. Blackpool would rather me have it done and then go but it was a situation where when one was definitely keen and that one was pushed at me. And then when that one fell away a bit then the other club was pushed at me. Both clubs were at fault for the way it was going on – agreeing and disagreeing – and the way I’ve been personally treated over the past week myself, for the feeling that I thought they had for me at the club you know inside the club, I thought I would have been better treated than that .
I’ve just been dragged from pillar to post – when they had someone else interested it was just a case of the highest bidder can have him sort of thing and I’ve just been banded about, like, for the want of a better word just like a piece of meat, swung from pillar to post. At the moment now it’s – there were so many things that was said like in the past 10 days and I haven’t said anything I’d get quiet get myself to myself, like, kept the phone off the hook and didn’t say anything to anyone.
One thing I’d like to clear up was in no way was I ever offered £1,000 a week to stay here at Stockport. If I was offered £1,000 a week I’d have signed up three months ago and that’s a fact. I would have to play 4 games in like 8 days and win ‘em all and get appearance money, score about two goals in every game to earn that sort of money anyway. So I wasn’t offered that money to stay here so that’s an out and out complete and utter lie so whoever leaked that from the club is lying and whoever said that I turned down £2,000 a week at Birmingham is another liar as well because I wasn’t offered that sort of money there.
The reason it fell through was because they couldn’t agree terms cause I’d agreed terms the clubs couldn’t agree terms as to staggering the payments because of my knee and that’s how it eventually fell down, and that’s what made me lose my rag. So I’d just like to clear that point up and you know money wasn’t the issue really for not staying here – it’s wanting to better yourself. Everybody wants to better themselves no matter what job they’re doing. If they get the opportunity – if they get the opportunity to secure a bit of happiness for their family and whatnot and get a bit closer to like financial security then you take it cause this game doesn’t last forever you can fallout of it at anytime like I could have done with my knee. So at the moment it’s just getting my knee done and getting myself back to full fitness even though I was fully fit anyway from what people were telling me.
The way my emotions have been I didn’t want to kick a ball the club ever again the way I’ve been treated. There’s only – I couldn’t think of many reasons why I had to but there was like when I sat down and watched the goals and videos and see the crowd and think about the 5,000 people that have been there, cheering us on, cheering the lads on not just me, that’s 5,000 good reasons I want to keep playing and scoring goals.
Jimmy Wagg.
Kevin Francis there and you have to ask yourself question whether in his current state of mind Kevin would want to play for Stockport again.
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December 1994
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