The truth about why Eric Cantona didn't join Sheffield Wednesday

[alanharper]

On 03/10/2017 at 07:19, @owlstalk said:

 

 

Trevor Francis' version (from The Yorkshire Post)

Trevor Francis has revealed the truth behind one of the most controversial transfers in Yorkshire football. Eric Cantona became a football legend by helping turn Leeds United and Manchester United into champions of England. But he was introduced to the English game by Francis in the January of 1992 during his time as Sheffield Wednesday manager. It is part of footballing folklore that Francis missed out on acquiring one of the game’s greatest players because he refused to sign Cantona before watching him play on grass. But in an exclusive interview with the Yorkshire Post, Francis finally gives his version of events.

 

It will be 20 years ago next week that Cantona helped guide Howard Wilkinson’s Leeds to the Division One title, a season which saw Francis and the Owls finish third. Cantona would go on to join Manchester United and become one of the world’s best-known players, but Francis is quick to dispute the long-held view that he ‘turned down’ the chance to sign him for Wednesday.

 

He says the Owls could never have hoped to sign Cantona and that he only took the Frenchman to Hillsborough as a personal favour to Michel Platini so that he could be put in “the shop window” for a move to England. At the time, ‘bad boy’ Cantona had retired from football after falling foul of the French authorities, but France national coach Platini wanted Cantona to pick up his fractured career in England.

 

“I don’t think it was ever reported as it should have been,” said Francis. “I was doing a favour for a former agent of mine, Dennis Roach, who took me to Italy (as a player). “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’. It wasn’t a problem doing it for Platini, a former great as he was, who I knew from my time in Italy when I played against him at Juventus on numerous occasions.”

 

 

Cantona’s arrival in Sheffield caused something of a media circus as he trained indoors at the Sheffield Arena. “Cantona came over and I was a little surprised when he arrived here,” admitted Francis. “It was built up as if I was looking to sign Eric Cantona which was never, ever a consideration. “He was here to do a few days training, basically putting himself in the shop window. It took me by surprise the entourage he arrived with.

 

“He had his team with him, a lot of media attention surrounded him and, at the time, we were in the midst of some pretty bad Yorkshire weather. “We weren’t able to get on the grass at the training ground. We went onto an astroturf area which was made available to us and had a little kick around up there. Then the following day there was an indoor tournament at Sheffield Arena which made a lot of headlines because I asked him if he wanted to have a play in that and he had a kick around in that.

 

“After those two days, it was put to me are you going to sign him and I said: ‘Well, I don’t think so. We would like him to stay for a few more days training for him to enjoy himself and for us to have a little look at him’. “I think his manager took that as a little bit of an insult. I don’t know if it was a breakdown in translation or communication or what but they regarded it as he was Eric Cantona and he was not going to be a player on trial. “The whole thing got a little bit messy and he came to me and said ‘I have got a chance to go to Leeds’, so he had my blessing and off he went to Leeds and that’s basically it.

 

“I have never really put my side of the story, but that’s how it was, chapter and verse.” Francis would go on to build on the legacy left by Ron Atkinson, helping the Owls to both FA Cup and League Cup finals in 1993, and finishing third, seventh, seventh and 13th during his time at Hillsborough.

 

England internationals like Chris Waddle, Des Walker and Andy Sinton helped turn the Owls into one of the best teams of the Nineties, but at the time of Cantona’s arrival at Hillsborough, the team mainly comprised players recruited on Division Two wages. “Later on, the likes of Sinton, Walker and Waddle came to the club and the average wage increased, but at the time we had only just come in to the top league and the majority of our players were on Championship (Division Two) contracts,” recalled Francis.

 

“To even contemplate getting Cantona into our ‘little’ Sheffield Wednesday team was never really a starter, but, unfortunately, the story got kind of twisted. “There was never a realistic chance that Wednesday would sign him. It was never a consideration of mine to bring Eric Cantona to the club.

 

“It was only a phone call and a bit of a favour that I was doing for a couple of friends, Dennis Roach and Michel Platini, and the rest is history.” Cantona’s arrival at Elland Road helped the Whites go on to be crowned English champions, before a surprise £1.2m move to Old Trafford where, Francis acknowledges, he gained legendary status. “He went to Leeds and did okay,” said Francis, who is currently at home in the Midlands recovering from minor heart surgery having suffered a mild heart attack two weeks ago.

 

“I became very friendly with Howard Wilkinson in Sheffield and in the year that Leeds won the championship, Howard couldn’t find a regular place for Cantona. “I don’t think Howard was too perturbed when he received a million pounds – obviously he wasn’t otherwise he wouldn’t have let him move on to Manchester United. “The success of Eric Cantona is legendary.

 

Not so much at what he did at Sheffield Wednesday – he was only there for two days – or for that matter what he did at Leeds, yet at Manchester United he was just incredible.”


 

 

Interesting that Francis's "saving face" version of the story 25 years later actually contradicts his own words from the matchday programme in 1992...

 

 

 

[sherlyegg]

On 03/10/2017 at 07:16, vulva said:

Wednesday used to train at Aurora, and Cantona played 90 minutes in a full scale practice match. Think it was against Oldham. He scored a hat trick, the last one a 30 yard free kick. I know this I as was ballboy. I don't think not signing him was anything to do with the urban myth about playing on grass, although the above game was on the AstroTurf. 

That is true, a poor excuse from the club..TF didn't like the excuse and was the scapegoat who had to explain....

At the time several clubs...including wednesday were under investigation for 'back handers' to players, some players wanted back handers or if not available went elsewhere.. Some clubs were not under investigation....anyhow..we let him go..

[DJMortimer]

9 minutes ago, alanharper said:

 

Interesting that Francis's "saving face" version of the story 25 years later actually contradicts his own words from the matchday programme in 1992...

 

 

It's bizarre that this has not been resolved after all these years. I know those involved in the game are often repeating by rote nothing more than well-worn platitudes that may be entirely dishonest, but those comments in the programme are unusual if Francis' version of events is anything like accurate. It may not resolve it once and for all, but it seems to me fairly conclusive that the 'want to see him on grass' story is at least somewhat true.

 

[DJMortimer]

23 minutes ago, Dexter Morgan said:

I find it irrelevant 

had he signed he would have binned us off as quickly as he did Leeds 

 

Irrelevant !?

 

Even if he had made the difference in us winning the title that season? We only missed out by 7 points in the end; it's not an unrealistic possibility.

[@owlstalk]

21 minutes ago, alanharper said:

 

Interesting that Francis's "saving face" version of the story 25 years later actually contradicts his own words from the matchday programme in 1992...

 

 

 

 

 

 

I stopped believing a word that came out of Trevor Francis' mouth years ago.

He talks nonsense to try and present this untouchable image of himself

Absolute conman

[@owlstalk]

Eric Cantona playing for Sheffield Wednesday at the Masters Football, Sheffield Arena

[Ellis Rimmer]

24 minutes ago, @owlstalk said:

Eric Cantona playing for Sheffield Wednesday at the Masters Football, Sheffield Arena

Oh well at least we didn't reject maradona

[@owlstalk]

 

 

[@owlstalk]

 

Eric Cantona at HIllsborough

[Hitcat]

5 hours ago, @owlstalk said:

 

Eric Cantona at HIllsborough

 

So the reason becomes clear.... We had Pepsi on tap and not Coke. Don't blame him in that case.

[Emerson Thome]

Francis's story makes no sense - why would you bring in a player to train if you had no intention of signing him - despite having a tip off from Platini he's a brilliant player. That's just putting him in the shop window for your rivals. Which is ultimately what happened.

 

I also asked Carlton Palmer about this once - Carlton's answer was that Cantona wanted £20k a week and most Wednesday players were on £2-3k a week around that time. But then I don't think whoever told Carlton that (Francis again?) wasn't being truthful, because from this, a report of the kung-fu kick in Jan 1995:

Quote

Cantona was banned until the end of the season and fined the maximum two weeks’ wages, just £10,800.

 

So, if he was only on £5,400 a week 3 years later (given wage inflation in the league at that time as the TV money was coming in and at this stage having won 3 league titles), it seems like Leeds probably got him for around £3k a week.

 

I think the truth is a breakdown in communication between his various representatives (no doubt who were a bit difficult) and Francis and his terrible man-management. If we'd still had Big Ron at that time I'm sure he would have made more of an effort to make Cantona personally feel welcome (but saying that, it was only Francis's connections in Europe that opened up this initial opportunity - Platini wasn't calling up Big Ron at Villa offering him a trial).

 

[@owlstalk]

 

 

Francis is clearly just making stuff up now isn't he?

[@owlstalk]

 

 

the DEFINITIVE truth is in the last thirty seconds of this video

[Earlsfieldowl]

Amazing how seemingly small events can end up being such big turning points.

 

Tbf no no one could have foreseen how successful Cantona would become in England.
 

But by not taking a risk we missed out big time 

 

IMO Atkinson would have taken the plunge with him and rammed it through.

 

Interesting that Souness turned him down for Liverpool - didn’t know that nugget - if he’d gone there things could have been different for both Liverpool and Man U fortunes in the 90’ and early 00.