Robin Friday

[Norfolk Royal]

They couldn't make it as the number of extras required as the crowd for the Tranmere night was more than the population of England.

I wasn't there..............................

OK - maybe a few hundred thousand must've come in from Wales/Scotland/Ireland

Rather remarkably, apart from myself, I only know for certain of one other Nobber that was there for real.
(and it was still a dive for the penalty - as if diving is a new thing or brought in by foreigners - John Murray was exceptional at it)

I was there so make that two.

[Forbushman]

The brilliance of Friday, in a nutshell, was the ability to be sent home comatose, in a taxi, on Friday Night from whichever Pub he was in, only to score a hatrick on the following Saturday.

His ability to imbibe both Alcohol and Substances was heroic. The fact that a few hours later he could play sublime football against talented, sober, but very grounded individuals, rightly became the stuff of myth.

More to the point, he was a 'total' footballer long before his time, whichever position his running took him into, suddenly he was brilliant in that position.

[AthleticoSpizz]

Watched him many-a-time......sadly I was only in my early teens, and didn't really appreciate the brilliance of it all.

Him and Minty Murray heading to the players entrance....whiskies in hand, .......2:30pm were my most imposing memories

That, and him getting sent off a once or twice...

.......maybe I was there for THAT goal...but I cannot remember it...sometimes.... stood in the Tilehurst End...(as I often was), you wouldn't have got that full trajectory of his moment in history anyway.

There were some sh1tty grey saturday afternoons at EP where he didn't do much to lift the mood too.

[Forbushman]

Watched him many-a-time......sadly I was only in my early teens, and didn't really appreciate the brilliance of it all.

Him and Minty Murray heading to the players entrance....whiskies in hand, .......2:30pm were my most imposing memories

That, and him getting sent off a once or twice...

.......maybe I was there for THAT goal...but I cannot remember it...sometimes.... stood in the Tilehurst End...(as I often was), you wouldn't have got that full trajectory of his moment in history anyway.

There were some sh1tty grey saturday afternoons at EP where he didn't do much to lift the mood too.

I knew him mostly from pubs in the town and, sometimes on the pitch. In those days, if you were bored on a Saturday and wanted somewhere to go, Elm Park was simple to get to, simple to get in and cost pennies. At the time, we were all into being in Bands, interesting substances, sex and so on. Truly, if you really remember the 60's that well you didn't take part. I, also, have no clue whether I saw the famous goal but I did see him play on numerous occasions so I may have done.

[AthleticoSpizz]

Yep, plenty of "non sugar-coated" memories of the great man and those days in particular

[Franchise FC]

Watched him many-a-time......sadly I was only in my early teens, and didn't really appreciate the brilliance of it all.

Him and Minty Murray heading to the players entrance....whiskies in hand, .......2:30pm were my most imposing memories

That, and him getting sent off a once or twice...

.......maybe I was there for THAT goal...but I cannot remember it...sometimes.... stood in the Tilehurst End...(as I often was), you wouldn't have got that full trajectory of his moment in history anyway.

There were some sh1tty grey saturday afternoons at EP where he didn't do much to lift the mood too.

I knew him mostly from pubs in the town and, sometimes on the pitch. In those days, if you were bored on a Saturday and wanted somewhere to go, Elm Park was simple to get to, simple to get in and cost pennies. At the time, we were all into being in Bands, interesting substances, sex and so on. Truly, if you really remember the 60's that well you didn't take part. I, also, have no clue whether I saw the famous goal but I did see him play on numerous occasions so I may have done.

Truly, if you remember him from the 60's you most definitely weren't there

[leon]

Yes it's almost like he's making a load of shit up.

[John Madejski's Wallet]

I'll chip in with my usual 'he was a nasty pikey waster', which is the stock response from my family and any of the regulars in our pubs. He was barred from them all for a reason

[Muskrat]

What was the reason?

[John Madejski's Wallet]

Its the bit in ' ' above.

Nasty drunk

[Ark Royal]

Definitely was there in B stand and had great side-on view of Friday's goal. It really was stunning in its brutal force and will stay with me forever.

I have recently come into possession of one of Friday's shirts from that season: the number 11 shirt he wore for the opening home game against Rochdale. He only wore 11 twice that season - he usually had the 9 shirt.

It has been in the family for 40 years and was given to my gran by Bryan Carnaby who lodged opposite her in Rutland Road. I am In the process of framing it along with a scrap of his shirt that I managed to get after the promotion-clinching draw at Cambridge. I will post a picture up when it is done.

[Ark Royal]

I may have posted this before, bit this is my favourite personal Robin Friday story:

On a gloriously sunny Saturday in September 1976, I rode my trusty Honda to Northampton. I got there really early and was one of the first in the old three-sided County Ground. I stood by the roped-off boundary that separated one touchline from the cricket area as the Reading players came out in de rigeur blazers and ties for the cursory pitch inspection. Not for Robin was this bow to conformity: he appeared in flares, a brown leather bomber jacket and the brightest red cowboy boots, smoking a cigarette!

Reading played well. They were continuing their positive start to the season after promotion - that sadly ended in relegation - and Friday was at the hub of everything. It was probably the finest I had seen him play.

By the time the game started, I was standing on the old Spion Kop and Friday was proving unplayable. An old Cobbler next to me who could see I was a Reading fan, turned and said "Who is THAT?" I explained Friday's history and how we got him from Hayes after excelling against us in a FA Cup tie in late 1972. He then stated that he had seen Northampton rise from Division Four to Division One (and all the way back again) and in all that time, Friday was the best player he had ever seen. I was chuffed to bits. Friday ripped Northampton apart that day and created both Reading goals for Bruce Stuckey and 'Minty' Murray in a 2-1 win.

Needless to say, I really enjoyed the long ride home to Berkshire.

[eddiegrundy]

I too was there at Elm Patk for THAT goal and I've still got the match programme to prove it - 31 March 1976. It's difficult to be objective when you look back all those years ago, but trying to put the rose-tinted glasses aside, Friday was certainly a wonderful player on his day and would certainly have gone on and played for England if only he adopted better lifestyle habits. However, like Atleticospizz, I also remember some dull and dreary Elm Park Saturday afternoons when he didn't do very much.

I first came across him in a pre-season friendly at Elm Park. It might have been against Cardiff - I can't recall exactly. I was behind the Tilehurst end goal and he just missed the target from a decent close-range chance. His momentum took him over the goal line on the outside of the post and as he wheeled away he placed his hand over his shorts and giving us the w----r signs. I'd never seen a player chastise himself like that before for missing a chance.

Here's a few piccies from old programmes of the time. Trevor Hockey RIP too.

http://www.tedm.talktalk.net/scan0017

http://www.tedm.talktalk.net/scan0019

http://www.tedm.talktalk.net/scan0021

[Scutterbucketz]

Definitely was there in B stand and had great side-on view of Friday's goal. It really was stunning in its brutal force and will stay with me forever.

I have recently come into possession of one of Friday's shirts from that season: the number 11 shirt he wore for the opening home game against Rochdale. He only wore 11 twice that season - he usually had the 9 shirt.

It has been in the family for 40 years and was given to my gran by Bryan Carnaby who lodged opposite her in Rutland Road. I am In the process of framing it along with a scrap of his shirt that I managed to get after the promotion-clinching draw at Cambridge. I will post a picture up when it is done.

Can you put up a picture without the framing?

I've got his signature (as well as the rest of the team back then) on a napkin. At least I think I do. Haven't seen it in a while.

[Forbury Lion]

For anyone who hasn't read it:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Greatest-Footb ... +never+saw

[RoyallyFcuked]

They were meant to be making a film based on the book about this legend, what's happened to that anyone heard anything?

Last thing I heard was this, which was over a year ago now - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-sout ... s-32720391

Friday was dead before I was even born but I find him a fascinating character, just imagine if there was someone like him in today's game.
His story is certainly a great one and I think the possible film, if done properly has the potential to be appealing to not just football and sports fans, but literally anyone.

I imagine the perfect end product film to be something like the football version of the 2013 film 'Rush' which featured the rivalry between Formula One drivers James Hunt and Niki Lauda.

Hunt was similar to Friday, exceptionally talented but also a maverick, and was notorious for his behaviour in his private life as well as in sport, (smoking, drinking, womanising, partying, taking drugs) and was also taken from us (too early) in the early 90s.

Strangely enough, the rivalry between Hunt and Lauda also reached its climax in 1976.

[Fox Talbot]

So then, what happened to the proposed film?

Quick search reveals:
- film announced June 2013
- Sam Caflin cast as star May 2015
- IMBd last updated June 2016 - no further news on casting, shoot or release dates
- seems extremely unlikely from this that the film will be with us before June 2017 (if ever)

NB Friday's pro career last less than four years!

[Dick Habbin's hairdo]

I went to a knobby prep school on Tilehurst Road but on the upside we had one hell of an U13's footy team, unbeaten for years.

One of the delights was trekking along to Prospect Park twice a week where we were 'coached' invariably by Tommy Youlden and more often than not Bryan Carnaby, with Bruce Stuckey and Minty putting in an occasional appearance.

Tommy used to come along occasionally with signed programmes and I bagged more than my fair share. The signature of The Best Footballer You Never Saw was remarkable because it was virtually the only one one could easily decipher. Neat with a right angle tail on the 'y'.

Then, one afternoon, Robin turned up. We didn't do a great deal of training. Everyone was mesmerised by this Bohemian, showing his skills in cowboy boots, jeans and skanky sheepskin jacket - probably before he went off to the Spread.

Oh, and FTR, I was there for *that* goal - and am pretty sure I can voucher for another Nobber, too.

[Ark Royal]

In the late 70s, my uncle was given Robin Friday's number 11 shirt from the opening game of the 75/76 season against Rochdale. This game saw the famous 'non-goal' scored by Tommy Youlden. Robin only wore the 11 shirt twice that season and he normally wore the number nine shirt. The shirt was given to my uncle by Bryan Carnaby, who was lodging with a friend of my gran who lived opposite her in Rutland Road.

Many years later, my brother came into possession of the shirt and during my trip back home to the UK this July, he generously gave it to me for my 60th birthday present. It was a very emotional moment, because I had always coveted the shirt: a very personal reminder of the greatest player ever to wear the hoops.

Finally, I have framed the shirt and here are some photos. The cigarette card in the corner was given to me by my ex-wife, who found it while thumbing through a book at a school book sale and it fell out of the pages.

The shirt fragment in the corner i got from a guy on a Smith's coach after the promotion-clinching 2-2 draw at Cambridge in '76. He managed to grab the shirt when Robin threw it into the crowd. He ripped it up and sold pieces on the coach for 50p each!

The plaque speaks for itself and what else could it say: Robin Friday - The Greatest Footballer You Never Saw.

[nailseabiscuitman]

Cheers Forbury. Was there that night and just seeing this picture brings it all flooding back. No shin pads, got hacked all the time..........what a pleasure to witness 'the greatest player you never saw'. God, how we could do with him now.

I was among the 500,000 behind the goal on theTilehurst end. Memories are a bit hazy but the part where you say we could do with him now! He would be suspended half the time. He may have got fouled a lot but he gave it back with interest, a real nasty player at times. Yes, a brilliant player but there are plenty of rose tinted glasses wearers on here