FREE THE GREATEST FOOTBALLER YOU NEVER SAW: STORY PDF

Paul McGuigan,Paolo Hewitt | 192 pages | 31 Dec 2007 | Mainstream Publishing | 9781840181081 | English | , United Kingdom Robin Friday - Wikipedia

In Decembera west newspaper reported the unremarkable story of a man being found dead in his flat. It seemed like The Greatest Footballer You Never Saw: Robin Friday Story another sad footnote in the lonely life The Greatest Footballer You Never Saw: Robin Friday Story the suburbs. But what the paper failed to remark on was that the The Greatest Footballer You Never Saw: Robin Friday Story in question was one of the most remarkable players ever to set foot on a British football field. He had the kind of skill that his opponents had no idea how to deal with. And he combined that with a cheek that boarded on madness. He was 21 years old and poised to become the greatest player Reading had ever seen. Friday played games for Reading, scoring 53 goals, many of which defied belief. He was the master of the yard thunderbolt, the mazy dribble through a packed defence and the flicks and tricks that sent opponents reeling the wrong way. Nor were team-mates safe from his on-pitch trickery. In one game, the Reading centre-back persisted in hanging around the opposition penalty box in the hope of getting on the scoresheet; Friday was having none of it. His colleague laughed the threat off and trundled back up towards the box. Furious, Friday intercepted him, and whipped down his shorts… as he leapt for a header. But a player that good would end up at the top, surely? Friday was pursued by rumours about his off-pitch behaviour. Stories of spliff-smoking, pill-popping and pre-match drinking surrounded him. No one at Reading cared so long as he continued to turn it on every Saturday afternoon, but they were the kind of stories that prevented the big clubs doing more than idly circling him. But during the year Friday was at he become more and more erratic. He played just 25 games, scoring seven times, and started to go missing for weeks at a time. Friday did, though, slip back into the collective consciousness inwhen released a single with him on the cover, flicking a V. The name of the record? FourFourTwo Football news, features, statistics. Quizzes Features News Clubs Subscribe! And he combined that with a cheek that boarded on madness League of his own Robin Friday made his league debut in Januaryplaying for Reading in a Fourth Division game against Northampton Town. Quizzes, features and footballing fun. Get the best features, fun and footballing frolics straight to your inbox every week. Receive news and offers from our other brands? Yes No. Receive mail from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors? Thank you for signing up to Four Four Two. You will receive a verification email shortly. There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again. Most Read Most Shared. Book review: The Greatest Footballer You Never Saw - The Robin Friday story | The Football Pink

Access exclusive The Greatest Footballer You Never Saw: Robin Friday Story, interviews and analysis with a monthly or annual membership. Robin Friday has been dubbed 'the greatest footballer you never saw'. All the dominoes fell into place, as it were. And the musical parallels do not end The Greatest Footballer You Never Saw: Robin Friday Story Oasis and Super Furry Animals. Friday in many ways lived like a stereotypical classic rock star, improbably balancing football with a lifestyle that encompassed a flamboyant fashion sense and no shortage of drink and drugs. He loved heavy metal and Janis Joplin. Friday, though, was more like the Velvet Underground — far from universally popular, but those few people who saw him came home raving about this unsung hero. He never played at a higher level than the second division and retired at just 25, but Friday had an indelible impact on those who watched him. Robin Friday was one of those characters that only crop up in football only once or twice in a lifetime. Anyone who saw him play for Hayes, Reading or Cardiff will tell you he was wild and unpredictable on and off the field, yet with a footballing talent that surpassed anything any of us had ever seen. And it was an Irishman who can take plenty of credit for a substantial portion of what he achieved in football. , the Sunderland legend and former Irish international, was managing Reading when he plucked Friday from non-league obscurity. He also knows outside of that, he was a firecracker. Charlie knows that Reading are bottom of the fourth division and they need a player of his calibre. I think it was very much a father-son one as well. Charlie Hurley, the former Ireland international, brought Friday to Reading. Source: Owen Humphreys. A couple of months after he joined Reading, a number of players met with Hurley to express their disapproval of such behaviour. He never bullshitted anybody. He was very upfront about what he was up to. His talent for football was apparent early on and while he had short stints as a youngster at QPR, Crystal Palace and Chelsea, all three clubs quickly lost patience in attempting to curb his excesses. And at 16, after being caught stealing on multiple occasions, he was sent to Feltham Borstal — a detention centre for young offenders — and spent 14 months there. The interracial romance caused controversy and even led to a physical attack. In that moment, Friday was literally inches away from death. Remarkably though, within three months, he had recovered sufficiently to the point where he could return to football. Maurice Evans, the former Reading boss, was among the many people in football who failed to persuade Friday to knuckle down. Source: PA. He enjoyed winning, he enjoyed drinking, he enjoyed drugs. He enjoyed that side of it, but he also loved playing football. He was never the quickest player. The out-of-control drug use was one of a number of issues that prompted Friday to walk out of Cardiff City and leave football behind at 25 — an age when most stars are only approaching their peak. Things will happen. So he got disillusioned at Cardiff, his drug use had increased and he was The Greatest Footballer You Never Saw: Robin Friday Story kicked all over the place. He played a game against Brighton. The Greatest Footballer You Never Saw: Robin Friday Story sent off [for kicking in the face]. And went home. That was it. Friday spent the pre-season training with Brentford, but left the club abruptly just as he was nearing full fitness and would never return to football thereafter. He just burnt himself out. It was very symbolic. In the season he walked out, the next season, Liverpool started advertising on their football shirts, which laid the seeds for where football is at now with the money coming in, the advertising, the TV rights and all the rest of it. No one would have him. Now, if you come back from holiday a pound overweight, you get fined. So it was a combination of things that conspired against him. But that season, he shone like a fucking star. He was doing what he wanted to do, and he could do it. After his third marriage ended inFriday briefly lived with his parents, before moving to a nearby housing association flat. Prison time would follow as he was punished for confiscating drugs and impersonating a police officer, before his life sadly came to an end at the age of On 22 DecemberThe Greatest Footballer You Never Saw: Robin Friday Story brother found him dead in his flat. He had suffered a heart attack caused by a suspected heroin overdose. So he obviously had a huge effect on people. Even Tommy Youlden was there, and Tommy hated him. Because he was a warrior, and he was a skilful player. In recent years, Hewitt has been helping to try to get a film made on the late star that he is optimistic will eventually see the light of day. And perhaps, it is no coincidence that the surge of interest in Friday began in the mids, when the was getting off the ground, the sport was becoming increasingly commercialised and footballing mavericks were a dying breed. The ball flew into the net. The referee that night was . Clive went up to him afterwards. More info here. Notify me of followup comments via e-mail. You can obtain a copy of the Code, or contact the Council, at www. Please note that TheJournal. For more information on cookies please refer to our cookies policy. News images provided by Press Association and Photocall Ireland unless otherwise stated. Irish sport images provided by Inpho Photography unless otherwise stated. Wire service provided by Associated Press. 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The latest Irish and international breaking news, reports and coverage. A platform helping fund the type of in-depth journalism that the public wants to see. Charlie knew what he was doing outside of it. If people are like that, you get a respect for them, especially when you get promoted. They had some good players, but it was The Greatest Footballer You Never Saw: Robin Friday Story who pushed them over the line without a doubt. He was getting no protection from referees, referees hated him. A lot of these referees were these sort of army boys. Robin thought you should be equal, it should be a level playing field, so that really pissed him off. Short URL. About the author:. About the author. Paul Fennessy. See more articles by Paul Fennessy. Contribute to this story: Leave a Comment. Send a Correction. Read next:. Your Email. Recipient's Email. Your Feedback. Your Email optional. The Greatest Footballer You Never Saw: The Robin Friday Story by Paul McGuigan

Robin Friday was an exceptional footballer who should have The Greatest Footballer You Never Saw: Robin Friday Story for England. He never did. Robin Friday was a brilliant player who could have played in the top flight. Because Robin Friday was a man who would not bow down to anyone, who refused to take life seriously and who lived every moment as if it were his last. For anyone lucky enough to have seen him play, Robin Friday was up there with the greats. Take it from one who knows: 'There is no doubt in my mind that if someone had taken a chance on him he would have set the top division alight,' says the legendary Stan Bowles. Tragically, after years of alcohol and drug abuse, he died at the age of 38 without ever having fulfilled his potential. The Greatest Footballer You Never Saw provides the first full appreciation of a man too long forgotten by the world of football, and, along with a forthcoming film based on Friday's life, with a screenplay The Greatest Footballer You Never Saw: Robin Friday Story co-author Paolo Hewitt, this book will surely give him the cult status he deserves. Cracking read. Funny, alarming and engaging but ultimately very sad. Could it happen today?? Maybe, unless you had Fergie as your Boss. Definitely worth a look, reckon could have done with him sober in recent years!! Please sign in to write a review. If you have changed your email address then contact us and The Greatest Footballer You Never Saw: Robin Friday Story will update your details. Would you like to proceed to the App store to download the Waterstones App? We have recently updated our Privacy Policy. The site uses cookies to offer you a better experience. By continuing to browse the site you accept our Cookie Policy, you can change your settings at any time. In stock Usually dispatched within 24 hours. Quantity Add to basket. This item has been added to your basket View basket Checkout. Your local Waterstones may have stock of this item. A story of shattered dreams, hedonism and a short life lived very much to the full. Added to The Greatest Footballer You Never Saw: Robin Friday Story. Duncan Hamilton. . Red: My Autobiography. . Back from the Brink. Paul McGrath. Football Against The Enemy. Simon Kuper. The Football Man. Arthur Hopcraft. Guillem Balague. The Second Half. Simon Jordan. Chris Stone. Paul Kimmage. Harry Redknapp. Jonathan Wilson. How Not to Be a Professional Footballer. Paul Merson. Joe Mcginniss. A Season With Verona. Tim Parks. Paperback edition. David Knapp. Comment 0. Your review has been submitted successfully. Not registered? Remember me? Forgotten password Please enter your email address below and we'll send you a link to reset your password. Not you? Reset password. Download Now Dismiss. Simply reserve online and pay at the counter when you collect. Available in shop from just two hours, subject to availability. Your order is now being processed and we have sent a confirmation email to you at. This item can be requested from the shops shown below. If this item isn't available to be reserved nearby, add the item to your basket instead and select 'Deliver to my local shop' at the checkout, to be able to collect it from there at a later date. Preferred contact method Email Text message. When will my order be ready to collect? Following the initial email, you will be contacted by the shop to confirm that your item is available for collection. Call us on or send us an email at. Unfortunately there has been a problem with your order. Please try again or alternatively you can contact your chosen shop on or send us an email at.