Reading matters ! "..The Robin Friday Story"

[Hartlepool]

Have just read "The Greatest Footballer You Never Saw, The Robin Friday Story". Excellent stuff,couldn't put it down. Has anyone read "The Far Corner" by Harry Pearson ? It's a very "Northern" book (he journeys around various North Eastern footy grounds and dwells on his own football mad up bringing.

 

[fcukcov]

Re: Reading matters ! "..The Robin Friday Stoty"

http://www.talkingballs.co.uk/showthread.php?p=841111#post841111

i know your new but im sure you will be welcome in the above thread, having said that i do like a good stottie.

 

[Motown Fox]

Re: Reading matters ! "..The Robin Friday Stoty"

I remember watching a TV program and there was mention about him
I love this reference below -was this in the book?
Sounds as though it would make a good film

Whilst playing against Mark Lawrenson for Cardiff against Brighton on the 31 October 1977, Friday became agitated by the future BBC pundit. He kicked Lawrenson in the face and received a red card before defecating in Lawrenson's kit bag.

Not a good moment for Mark

 

[Hartlepool]

Many thanks FCUK !

Agreed Motown, I too thought the whole (sad)story is worthy of some sort of film/tv film. The guy was clearly gifted and yet tragic at the same time....who knows perhaps someone will write a script for it?

 

[Motown Fox]

This is a photo taken just after he scored for Cardiff against Luton as he gives 2 fingers to their goalie who he had dribbled the ball round

 

[Hartlepool]

An iconic image Motown lad, it was also his second goal against them as well . there is a little ( hazy ) footage of him playing for Reading on YouTube too.

 

[Durham Fox]

Just ordered it from Amazon, I need some reads for my holidays

 

[Hartlepool]

I won't spoil it for you but you will like the way the book maps Friday's career with those of Best and Bowles.

Have you read "The Far Corner" ?

 

[Profondo Rosso]

I've always heard so much about this guy, shame that TV company's didn't video lower league games in those days so i could see just how good he was.

Was there not a famous goal against Tranmere, where it was so good the referee stopped and applauded? Shame you can't see that on youtube or anything

What he did in his final game to Lawro is one of the greatest things ever in football though. :icon_lol: Even better than Cantona's karate kick.

 

[Profondo Rosso]

Talking about football books i recently read "Inverting the Pyramid: A History of Football Tactics" and "Behind the Curtain: Travels in Eastern European Football" both by Jonathan Wilson.

Both really interesting stuff if you're interested in the history of the gane, also gives you a helluva lot of tactical insight and made me re-think a lot of tactical stances.

He's currently writing "The Anatomy of England: A History in Ten Matches" which is set to be released next year and should be really interesting.

 

[Macky]

I know I'm going a bit off topic, I'm stoned go with me, but I love it when a non-City fan posts here and doesn't behave like a knob.
It's great to have you here Mr Pool, I hope you post more. I'm Macky btw, the resident stoner

 

[Macky]

unfortunately, I haven't a clue what this this thread is about at the mo

 

[Profondo Rosso]

unfortunately, I haven't a clue what this this thread is about at the mo

Robin Friday - he played for Reading and Cardiff in the mid 70s, his career lasted about 4 years, but he's sorta a cult hero at both clubs, particularly Reading, story goes that he was one of the greatest players ever or had the potential to be at least, dunno how much i believe that, but he was too much of a drunken twat and an arrogant arsehole to get his career going properly.

In his final game he was playing against Liverpool and he karate kicked Mark Lawrenson the in head, then after he'd been sent off he sneaked into the Liverpool changing rooms and shat in Lawro's kitbag :icon_lol:

 

[Macky]

Robin Friday - he played for Reading and Cardiff in the mid 70s, his career lasted about 4 years, but he's sorta a cult hero at both clubs, particularly Reading, story goes that he was one of the greatest players ever or had the potential to be at least, dunno how much i believe that, but he was too much of a drunken twat and an arrogant arsehole to get his career going properly.

In his final game he was playing against Liverpool and he karate kicked Mark Lawrenson the in head, then after he'd been sent off he sneaked into the Liverpool changing rooms and shat in Lawro's kitbag :icon_lol:

HAHA, thanks for that PR, thats almost brought me upto speed, you see Mr Pool, it's great around here, it's all just one big love in. haha watch out for Alex, homer and highland though, their kinda love is the sorta thing you never recover from.
i was innocent i tells ya, innocent, how could they, all at once as well, brutal they were

 

[Motown Fox]

Robin Friday

In his final game he was playing against Liverpool and he karate kicked Mark Lawrenson the in head, then after he'd been sent off he sneaked into the Liverpool changing rooms and shat in Lawro's kitbag :icon_lol:

His final game was against Brighton as Lawro was playing for them at the time before his transfer to Liverpool

 

[Profondo Rosso]

Fair enough.

 

[Hartlepool]

Many thanks Macky...and everyone else too, yes this does feel like a civilised site. Hope you get to read the book too (Robin Friday) it had me hooked throughout.
My favourite footy book is Harry Pearson's "The Far Corner" . Pearson spent a year travelling around various North East football grounds and comments on the culture around them. He also goes into his own past as a Middlesbrough supporter. I like the bit about his grandad; " Me grandad worked back-to-back double shifts at ICI during the war and cycled to work and back...no wonder he went around thumping people".

 

[highland fox]

Charlie Connolly had done afew Football Related Travel Books,the best of which is 'Stamping Grounds'

 

[Hartlepool]

Just looked it up and it sounds interesting enough. Reminds me a bit of "A Season With Verona" by Tim Parks.

Another good read...though not football I must add..is "Stargazing" by Peter Hill. Came across it a few years ago and it is about his experiences as a Scottish drop-out student who ends up working on lighthouses ! It has the Vietnam war, drugs culture and various other 1960-70s stuff going on and all while he smokes pot listens to Frank Zappa on a lighthouse off Scoland ! A quirky read.

 

[highland fox]

Theres London Fields as well by Connolly