Tag: thewestmidlands

Nottingham Forest, the reigning First Division champions and League Cup holders managed by Brian Clough, put in a bid for Francis which totalled just over £1 million.  No player had ever been sold between English clubs for a seven-figure fee before and the deal was sealed, with Francis famously being introduced to the media by a manager impatient to play squash.  Clough was in his red gym kit and carrying a racquet as he addressed the press conference.

While recognised as the first British million-pound player, the actual transfer fee for the player was £1,150,000, including a 15% commission to the Football League.  Clough wrote in his autobiography that the fee was £999,999, as he wanted to ensure the million-pound milestone did not go to the player’s head, although Francis says that was a tongue-in-cheek remark by Clough.

Nottingham Forest retained the League Cup shortly afterwards without the cup-tied Francis and made progress in the European Cup to the extent that they reached the semi-finals, although Francis was not eligible to play in the competition until the final.  They won their semi-final, and in May 1979 Forest took on Swedish club Malmö in the final in Munich, and a major instalment of the huge investment money was repaid just before half time.

The ball was spread to Forest’s winger John Robertson wide on the left and he took on two defenders at once to reach the byline and curl an awkward, outswinging cross towards the far post.  Francis had already begun to sprint into position, but even so, he had to increase his pace in order to reach the cross as it dropped and ended up throwing himself low at the ball.  He connected with his head and the ball diverted powerfully into the roof of the net.  Forest won the match 1–0 and footage of the goal was used in the opening titles to Match of the Day for some years afterwards.  A giant picture of Francis stooping to head the ball remains on display in the main entrance and reception area of Forest’s City Ground stadium.

Even though the season ended there, Francis duly headed back to Detroit for another summer playing in the N.A.S.L., where once again he was named to the first XI alongside Johan Cruyff (Los Angeles Aztecs) and Giorgio Chinaglia (New York Cosmos), despite playing only half the season.  In his brief career in America, Francis scored 36 goals in 33 regular season matches and had 18 assists.

At Nottingham Forest Clough frequently played Francis on the right wing, rather than in his preferred position as a central attacker.  Francis was in the side which lost the 1980 League Cup Final to Wolverhampton Wanderers but missed the European Cup Final against Hamburg due to an injury to his Achilles tendon.  Somehow the success of his Forest career never quite reflected his huge fee.  He scored only 14 league goals in the 1979 – 80 season and 6 in the next 18 games that he played for Forest.  Although still a regular for England, his Achilles injury prevented him from being in the squad for the 1980 European Championships.