David Hirst to Man United? Here's what happened..

[@owlstalk]

 

David Hirst recalls the time that Manchester United came in for him..
 

'I'd been talking to Alex Ferguson for a couple of weeks and I was going to Man United.

 

"A fax was sent with an offer of £4.5million and I was expecting Trevor to say: 'Man United, £4.5m, away you go'. But he said, 'I'm not selling you'.

 

"One thing I never did in my career was knock on the manager's door because I'm not in the team or I want more money. If you're not happy with the contract, don't sign it.

 

"If you're not in the team, go out on the training ground and do your best. It's no good knocking on the door telling him what a good player you are if you've not been doing it. I never had a problem with that.

 

"Sitting here now, I should've banged the door down. It's orchestrated now and if Man United are interested your agent will get you there by hook or by crook.

 

"Financially, it wouldn't have been much different. We weren't on £50,000 a week then. We were all on pretty much the same. I was playing for Sheffield Wednesday, third in the league, in Europe, cup finals, good wages, but a Man United player comes with a different tag. It is the one thing I regret."

 

 

 

Trevor Francis remembers it like this..

 

“Manchester United were following David for a while when Alex Ferguson was manager and I can still hear Alex now on my car phone totally exasperated with me because he had put in two offers which I had knocked back," he said.

 

 

“He then offered £4m and with the 100 per cent backing of the board I told him we were not interested in doing anything with David Hirst.

 

“I refused £4m and Alex bellowed down the phone in his Scottish accent, ‘Do you realise this is Manchester United Football Club and you are stopping a player from going to Man Utd?'

 

"I told him that Sheffield Wednesday were a big club, not as big as Man Utd, and that I was looking to continue the improvements I was making and David Hirst was a big part of my plans.

 

"I stuck to my guns but I will never forget Alex Ferguson telling me what he thought of me!

 

"I was on the M1 motorway and he was not aware that Helen [Francis’ wife] was in the car listening to him on the speaker phone.

 

"If she had been a referee he would undoubtedly have been given a red card for his bad language!"



Alex Ferguson remembers it too..

 

"This time around, Trevor Francis refused to answer my phone calls and I had no alternative but to fax him, which brought a public outburst from Trevor."

[elyowl1]

So Hirsty was upset after being illegally tapped up, the club stuck to their guns and refused to sell. 

 

I'm hindsight should have sold but a fully fit Hirst and we may have won another cup. 

[Guest]

Anyone know exactly when this was? Probably the summer after we finished 3rd?

[owls101]

Over the years I've bumped into hirsty 3 or so time at corporate events etc and he's told that story 100% of the time. 

[asteener1867]

Hirst admitted it on "Soccer Saturday" a few years ago....He was wanting to go and Trevor Francis refused to let him...

[matthefish2002]

Hirst is right that they might be a bit of a stand off between the clubs for a week or so but the player would have moved these days.

Alex Ferguson was a great manager but some of the way he went about things dont show him in a good light.

[Sanchez_Jenks]

At the time I never wanted him to leave, but there's a parallel universe where Hirst and Gazza go to Man United and you just never know what that may have meant for English football (assuming he keeps both injury free and off the daemon drink) 

[savi]

What is not said:

 

Fee aggreed with SWFC. along with player"s exchange, Yes PLAYERS

Wages agreed... A lot more than Swfc was offering

Bonuses agreed...Money, Cars, House and other family benefits... 

 

SWFC v QPR was the defining moment TF shafted Hirsty. 

Wed night game v QPR, all was agreed with Man Ure, Hirsty was to play no part in this game as Thursday he was to be unveiled as a Man Ure player. 

Hirsty turns up with all the players knowing he was to be a Man Ure player and TF names Hirsty as the no. 9. 

 

TF Well and truly sold him down the river hence why they don't speak even now. 

"Hear Say" 

 

IN MY OPINION..

TF & Dave Richards possibly was the start of our decline that we have never recovered from. 

 

 

 

[@owlstalk]

17 minutes ago, savi said:

What is not said:

 

Fee aggreed with SWFC. along with player"s exchange, Yes PLAYERS

Wages agreed... A lot more than Swfc was offering

Bonuses agreed...Money, Cars, House and other family benefits... 

Agreed between who though?

[Guest]

32 minutes ago, savi said:

What is not said:

 

Fee aggreed with SWFC. along with player"s exchange, Yes PLAYERS

Wages agreed... A lot more than Swfc was offering

Bonuses agreed...Money, Cars, House and other family benefits... 

 

SWFC v QPR was the defining moment TF shafted Hirsty. 

Wed night game v QPR, all was agreed with Man Ure, Hirsty was to play no part in this game as Thursday he was to be unveiled as a Man Ure player. 

Hirsty turns up with all the players knowing he was to be a Man Ure player and TF names Hirsty as the no. 9. 

 

TF Well and truly sold him down the river hence why they don't speak even now. 

"Hear Say" 

 

IN MY OPINION..

TF & Dave Richards possibly was the start of our decline that we have never recovered from. 

 

 

 

 

League Cup game 1992? Took it well all things considered as he scored in a 4-0 win. 

If all had been agreed I'm surprised he played.

Which players were supposed to be coming our way?

[1963owl]

40 minutes ago, savi said:

What is not said:

 

Fee aggreed with SWFC. along with player"s exchange, Yes PLAYERS

Wages agreed... A lot more than Swfc was offering

Bonuses agreed...Money, Cars, House and other family benefits... 

 

SWFC v QPR was the defining moment TF shafted Hirsty. 

Wed night game v QPR, all was agreed with Man Ure, Hirsty was to play no part in this game as Thursday he was to be unveiled as a Man Ure player. 

Hirsty turns up with all the players knowing he was to be a Man Ure player and TF names Hirsty as the no. 9. 

 

TF Well and truly sold him down the river hence why they don't speak even now. 

"Hear Say" 

 

IN MY OPINION..

TF & Dave Richards possibly was the start of our decline that we have never recovered from. 

 

 

 

francis was right to tell ferguson he wasnt for sale. We were building a cracking team although because of the injuries that hirst got its a shame we didnt sell him

[savi]

1 hour ago, 1963owl said:

francis was right to tell ferguson he wasnt for sale. We were building a cracking team although because of the injuries that hirst got its a shame we didnt sell him

Not too sure which players was supposed to be coming our way as this was not confirmed, TF had the pick apparently but I would assume it would have excluded Nevilles, Giggs, Scholes, Butt, & Beckham. 

 

Completely agree 1963.

However look at it from Hirstys point of view. (If true). 

Dave Richards had agreed the sale but TF had the final say on all incomings / outgoings (apparently) 

 

This is hear say... Agreed between AF / Man Ure & Hirsty. 

 

AF and Man Ure  were the big I am back then and things were done AFs way, he knew TF would be opposed to the idea and knew TF had the final say on Swfc transfers so met and agreed with Hirsty the supposed contract. 

A Fax was sent on the Wednesday from Man Ure and TF was asked not to play him that night but this didn't happen. 

Hirsty was not a happy bunny apparently. 

 

£1m signing on fee 

3x weekly wage increase rumoured £15,000 to £45,000pw.

New House, cars, big bonuses. etc. 

Think I'd be pissed with TF even if only the signing on fee is correct. 

 

I say all this as I heard it from a player at the time. All be it this was about 15 years ago when I heard this so I may have got a few details wrong. 

 

[Guest wilyfox]

45kpw in 1992? I doubt it. Only David Jones could have gotten those terms. 

[Guest]

28 minutes ago, savi said:

Not too sure which players was supposed to be coming our way as this was not confirmed, TF had the pick apparently but I would assume it would have excluded Nevilles, Giggs, Scholes, Butt, & Beckham. 

 

Completely agree 1963.

However look at it from Hirstys point of view. (If true). 

Dave Richards had agreed the sale but TF had the final say on all incomings / outgoings (apparently) 

 

This is hear say... Agreed between AF / Man Ure & Hirsty. 

 

AF and Man Ure  were the big I am back then and things were done AFs way, he knew TF would be opposed to the idea and knew TF had the final say on Swfc transfers so met and agreed with Hirsty the supposed contract. 

A Fax was sent on the Wednesday from Man Ure and TF was asked not to play him that night but this didn't happen. 

Hirsty was not a happy bunny apparently. 

 

£1m signing on fee 

3x weekly wage increase rumoured £15,000 to £45,000pw.

New House, cars, big bonuses. etc. 

Think I'd be pissed with TF even if only the signing on fee is correct. 

 

I say all this as I heard it from a player at the time. All be it this was about 15 years ago when I heard this so I may have got a few details wrong. 

 

 

No way Hirst was on £15K per week here in the early 90's and no chance that Man U were offering £45K back then either. The scenario does seem to be believable in the context of what has been said by those involved in relation to the interest but why would Hirst agree to play and then perform well and score in a 4-0 win if he had turned up with no expectation of playing and was planning in saying his goodbyes? If he was not a happy bunny as you say surely he would not have played and the matter would have been brought to a head if the club had agreed to sanction the move - other than Francis. 

[pat blondeau]

3 minutes ago, wilyfox said:

45kpw in 1992? I doubt it. Only David Jones could have gotten those terms. 

I remember it being reported that Hirst signed a new deal to stay at Wednesday on 6k a week which made him the highest paid player in the country at the time.

 

Hard to believe now that the highest paid footballer in England was only earning 6k a week and he was at Wednesday.
 

That’s why Gazza and Platt went to Italy and Lineker went to Japan. The English clubs weren’t paying out big wages in 1992

[Guest wilyfox]

8 hours ago, pat blondeau said:

I remember it being reported that Hirst signed a new deal to stay at Wednesday on 6k a week which made him the highest paid player in the country at the time.

 

Hard to believe now that the highest paid footballer in England was only earning 6k a week and he was at Wednesday.
 

That’s why Gazza and Platt went to Italy and Lineker went to Japan. The English clubs weren’t paying out big wages in 1992

 

I know. There's no way he was offered anything like 45kpw + 1m bonus. The prem was only just forming, and took years of growth plus the new age of satellite TV.

[alanharper]

John Barnes was the first £10k pw footballer in the UK, and that wasn't until 1992. So had Hirst moved for a record transfer fee his wage would have presumably been around that maybe a little more, but the really obscene footballer wages didn't come until the Bosman ruling a few years later. 

[York_Owl]

I wonder how Big Ron would have handled this. My guess is that if the offer was a good one (which it was) and the player wanted to go he would have sanctioned the move.

[owlontheprowl]

15 hours ago, hirstyboywonder said:

 

League Cup game 1992? Took it well all things considered as he scored in a 4-0 win. 

If all had been agreed I'm surprised he played.

Which players were supposed to be coming our way?

Weren’t the rumors around that time that it was Kanchelskis and Hughes? 

[soldierboyblue]

15 hours ago, 1963owl said:

francis was right to tell ferguson he wasnt for sale. We were building a cracking team although because of the injuries that hirst got its a shame we didnt sell him

Francis was responsible for a lot of the issues with Hirst by rushing him back early from when Steve Bould did him. So he was right not to sell him at the time.