Gerry Francis
Gerald Charles James " Gerry " Francis ( born December 6, 1951 in Chiswick, London ) is an English former football player and current coach. His name is closely associated with the London club Queens Park Rangers, for whom he worked as a player and coach. He also came 1974-1976 to twelve A- internationals for England.
Playing career
Francis joined in 1969, the Queens Park Rangers and before signing his first professional contract appearances for the then first division on March 29, 1969 his first league game against Liverpool - the debut ended with a 1-2 home defeat and followed little later, the descent into second-rate Second Division. The young midfielder, who demonstrated a high degree of accuracy and had a good technique was nevertheless quickly became the public's favorite, who was also a goal threat. On the side of Stan Bowles he quickly conquered a regular place and after the re-emergence in 1973, he stood in the 1975/76 season at the zenith of his active sporting career when he captained " QPR " for winning the runner-up. During this time Francis came to his twelve appearances for England, which reach a total of three goals to him - these included the May 24, 1975 two goals against arch-rivals Scotland for the 5-1 victory.
In the aftermath Francis suffered from a series of injuries and after the descent of the Rangers in 1979, he was hired in July 1979 for a transfer fee of 450,000 pounds at the Crystal Palace, coached by Terry Venables. There, however, he was not his usual form and so he joined a short time later for only 150,000 pounds back to QPR. In February 1982, it went for exactly the same amount on to Coventry City, where the left by back pain plagued his career Francis slow leak. From 1983 he was based more in the coaching profession and entered only unterklassig as a player at Exeter City, Cardiff City, Swansea City, Portsmouth and Bristol Rovers in appearance.
Coaching career
The first experiences as a player-manager of Exeter City were 1983 and 1984 accompanied in Table basement of the Fourth Division of little success, but during its first full-time coach working at the Bristol Rovers in 1987 he succeeded to the third division in the second year of making the play - off games and 1990 on the Third Division championship promotion to the second division. The barely 38-year old Francis was traded by this moderate success as one of the best young coaches in England and rumors about a future job at his former club QPR were given steady food.
When Don Howe was fired at the Rangers in 1991, was promptly Francis as a successor ready, and formed from a promising squad a first division side, who could build on the successes of the 1970s. The 1991/92 season started slowly, but after the first win of the end of September 1991, the team worked under Francis a comfortable eleventh final table space. In the following two years, Francis established his team in the top half of the table and swung himself up to the fifth degree rank in 1993 with players such as veteran Ray Wilkins and the new striker Les Ferdinand. Despite these positive developments made it rumbled behind the scenes and when following a weak start to the season, the rumors of an impending commitment of Rodney Marsh were increasing as the new Director-General who also annoyed by frequent player sales Francis announced in November 1994, his employment at QPR.
He entered immediately succeeding Osvaldo Ardiles Tottenham Hotspur and mediated the attack-minded team a defensive attitude. The results were initially positive, but the 1:4 semi-final defeat to Everton heralded the turning point. According to Jürgen Klinsmann Gheorghe Popescu and Nick Barmby announced their farewell to the Spurs and then the highly decorated team fell apart. The expensive reconstruction process with players like Andy Sinton, Clive Wilson and Les Ferdinand - all former players of Queens Park Rangers - failed and next to the closing table places in midfield was the way of playing long balls on the offensive as a little creative. Even the attempt with David Ginola bring a little culture into the building game, did not bring the desired improvement. When the Spurs barely stayed in November 1997 above the relegation places, Francis responded to increased public pressure to resign.
Francis returned to the Rangers as a coach and athletic director, and found the second division in a different state than before again. QPR had maneuvered itself into financial difficulties and sporty, the association was concerned about the league. With the renewed commitment of the followers of Francis joined the hope for better times, but in reality was to remain in the second division as ambitious enough. In the season 1999/2000 Francis had built up a team that was staying near the play-off places, whereupon it but went downhill. In a disastrous 2000/01 season, the Rangers pounced on the penultimate rank from, had to play the course in the third division and went bankrupt. Francis, who had left the sinking ship already in February 2001, was substantially responsible for the development and the first step toward economic realignment was the dismissal of no less than 16 players before the start of the subsequent season 2001 /02.
Shortly after his " Rangers fiasco " took Francis for a few months for a second time as coach at the Bristol Rovers true before he disappeared a few years out of business and only occasionally appeared as an expert in the media in appearance. It was not until seven years later he returned as Kotrainer. After he had initially rejected an offer from Newcastle United in October 2008, he joined as an assistant Stoke City.