Video - Eric Cantona on trial at Sheffield Wednesday

[SirSheridan]

Wednesday were never going to sign Cantona. This always gets blown out of proportion

 

http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/sport/football/leeds-utd/exclusive-francis-sets-the-record-straight-on-why-sheffield-wednesday-did-not-sign-cantona-1-4470843

[@owlstalk]

Wednesday were never going to sign Cantona. This always gets blown out of proportion

 

http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/sport/football/leeds-utd/exclusive-francis-sets-the-record-straight-on-why-sheffield-wednesday-did-not-sign-cantona-1-4470843

 

1) That's Trevor Francis setting the record straight

2) He was the one who started the downfall of our club

3) Then why did he say he wanted to see Eric play on grass before signing him ?

4) The fact that he didn't sign Cantona when the opportunity arose speaks for itself

5) All that damaging of SWFC's reputation to do his agent mate a favour STINKS

[@owlstalk]

And it's totally full of contradiction
 

He approached me with Michel Platini, who was the French coach at the time – he had already asked Graeme Souness at Liverpool and he had said no – and asked me if I would do a favour to Platini. 

“He was very keen to get Eric Cantona back playing. He had retired from French football and wondered if I would have a little look at him in training. 

“I said ‘I’m not really in need of another centre-forward, but as a favour, of course, I will do it’.

If he was only doing it to put Cantona in the shop window then why would he have explained he wasn't really looking for a new centre forward ?

 

And the fact he said that = he actually really did turn Cantona down then

[York_Owl]

I think Francis's version of events are even worse; essentially he is saying he did a favour for a local rival who went on to win the title ahead of us.

 

‘I’m not really in need of another centre-forward" presumably because he had just signed Nigel Jemson (for about the same money as what we could have signed Cantona for).  Even if we weren't looking for a CF when you ge the opportunity to sign someone of the quality of Cantona who was better than what we had (Hirst excepted) and for only one million you take it. Also given that we signed Mark Bright a few  months later it doesn't ring true or at least is very short sighted.

 

“To even contemplate getting Cantona into our ‘little’ Sheffield Wednesday team was never really a starter, but, unfortunately, the story got kind of twisted."

 

This is incredibly disrespectful we were one of the top sides in the country at the time and had been for a period under Wilkinson as well.  So in effect he is saying Cantona he is too big a player for "little" Sheffield Wednesday and should be playing for a "big" team like L**ds.  And this from our manager!  To me this shows that he just does not get the club and did not set his ambitions high enough for the club. You would never have heard Big Jack, Wilkinson or Big Ron say anything like that. 

[***HIRSTY***]

The wanting to see Cantona play on grass thing always reminds me of Ali Dia at Southampton.

[Prendo's boots]

Im sure Waddle had played with him too for a season and put in a word or two...However Eric did come with a fair amount of 'baggage' too tho at the time remember...maybe Tricky didnt want to risk messing around with team spirit which at that time was excellent so wanted him there for a few weeks to suss him out...that would have made sense!!

[OzOwl]

I think Francis's version of events are even worse; essentially he is saying he did a favour for a local rival who went on to win the title ahead of us.

‘I’m not really in need of another centre-forward" presumably because he had just signed Nigel Jemson (for about the same money as what we could have signed Cantona for). Even if we weren't looking for a CF when you ge the opportunity to sign someone of the quality of Cantona who was better than what we had (Hirst excepted) and for only one million you take it. Also given that we signed Mark Bright a few months later it doesn't ring true or at least is very short sighted.

“To even contemplate getting Cantona into our ‘little’ Sheffield Wednesday team was never really a starter, but, unfortunately, the story got kind of twisted."

This is incredibly disrespectful we were one of the top sides in the country at the time and had been for a period under Wilkinson as well. So in effect he is saying Cantona he is too big a player for "little" Sheffield Wednesday and should be playing for a "big" team like L**ds. And this from our manager! To me this shows that he just does not get the club and did not set his ambitions high enough for the club. You would never have heard Big Jack, Wilkinson or Big Ron say anything like that.

Just shows what a c***€ he was, he dismantled Atkinsons squad and paid the price.

[@owlstalk]

Trevor Francis ruined our squad

[@owlstalk]

this thread is embarrassing one of our most successful modern day managers 

That's like giving Maplin Electronics to a 95 year old, who over the next few weeks then goes to replace all the electrical stuff in the shop with cheese strings, and congratulating him on the takings in his first week.

[matthefish2002]

Think Francis broke the 1993 Cup Final team up too quickly even though the average age was quite high.

Maybe should have done it over 2-3 seasons rather then the 6 months to a season it seemed to happen.  

By the end of 1994-95 season the players seemed to have lost respect for him and think it was best for him to leave.

But for his first two seasons was the most exciting time in my lifetime to be a Wednesdayite which we should all thank Francis for the part he played in that. 

 

In hindsight if we did sign Cantona I think it might have be a bit like Di Canio. Good while it lasted but would have ended sooner rather then later with some sort of  controversy.

Edited January 27, 2015 by matthefish2002

[Cersei]

That's like giving Maplin Electronics to a 95 year old, who over the next few weeks then goes to replace all the electrical stuff in the shop with cheese strings, and congratulating him on the takings in his first week.

Seriously though didn't francis want him but the board wouldn't let him sign someone he hadn't seen play?

[York_Owl]

After the departure of Ron Atkinson, Francis took over with popular support from club and supporters. He guided Wednesday to an excellent third place finish in 1992. The following year, Wednesday reached the FA Cup and League Cup finals, losing both to Arsenal, the former after a replay. In 1994, Francis finally retired as a player, shortly before his 40th birthday. He was sacked as manager a year later after Wednesday finished 13th in the Premiership!!!, and many people still feel that his dismissal - the result of one relatively bad season - was the cause of a subsequent decline from which the club has still not fully recovered.

In February 1992, Francis brought former French International Eric Cantona back from the wilderness by inviting him for a trial at Sheffield Wednesday. However as the snowy conditions meant that he could only evaluate Cantona on astroturf, Francis requested an extension to the trial to see whether Cantona could play on grass.

An outraged Cantona walked out on The Owls and was signed (without a trial) by Leeds United, famously inspiring first them and then Manchester United to success.

 

Big Ron walked out on us, yet most on here still suck his fat wrinkled 32 carat love-length, Francis got success at a HIGHER level than big Ron,refused to sign a excellent but hot headed self centered time bomb called Eric Cantona after wanting some more time to look at him, now that's not too much to ask in any normal situation, but some still chose to be deluded haterz

 

Sorry it's just Bizzarre

People have different opinions especially football, it's not bizarre at all.  What I saw of that period (and I had been going to most games since 83-84) was that Atkinson (regardless of the fact that he walked out on us) had built a brilliant team culiminating in our first trophy since 1935. 

 

Francis inherited that team and initially had some success with it but, failed to win anything.  He also made a number of costly mistakes (not signing Cantona being one of them) that a top quality manager just would not have made.  Ultimately he left a much weaker squad than he inherited.

[slinger208b]

Only three good things TF did for Wednesday;

 

Waddle

Walker

Warhurst up front

 

...