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The Greatest Footballer You Never Saw: Robin Friday Story (Mainstream Sport)
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| List Price: | £7.99 |
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Product Description
Robin Friday was an exceptional footballer who should have played for England. He never did. Robin Friday was a brilliant player who could have played in the top flight. He never did. Why? 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. 'He could have gone right to the top, but he just went off the rails a bit.' Loved and admired by everyone who saw him, Friday also had a dark side: troubled, strong-minded, reckless, he would end up destroying himself. Tragically, after years of alcohol and drug abuse, he died at the age of 38 without ever having fulfilled his potential. This book provides the first full appreciation of a man too long forgotten by the world of football, and will surely give him the cult status he deserves.
Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #21449 in Books
- Published on: 1998-09-14
- Original language: English
- Binding: Paperback
- 192 pages
Editorial Reviews
Synopsis
Robin Friday was an exceptional footballer who should have played for England. He never did. Robin Friday was a brilliant player who could have played in the top flight. He never did. Why? 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. 'He could have gone right to the top, but he just went off the rails a bit.' Loved and admired by everyone who saw him, Friday also had a dark side: troubled, strong-minded, reckless, he would end up destroying himself. Tragically, after years of alcohol and drug abuse, he died at the age of 38 without ever having fulfilled his potential. This book provides the first full appreciation of a man too long forgotten by the world of football, and will surely give him the cult status he deserves.
About the Author
Paul 'Guigsy' McGuigan is the former bassist in Oasis. While on tour with the band in America, Guigsy came across a magazine article about Robin Friday and was inspired to find out more about the genius maverick player. This book is the result of his investigations. Paolo Hewitt is the author of several bestselling books, including The Looked After Kid, Heaven's Promise, The Fashion of Football, and biographies on Oasis, Paul Weller and The Jam. He is also features editor at Watch magazine.
Customer Reviews
Doubt if Robin Friday was the greatest but
still not a bad way to pass an evening. Obviously a talented bloke but dispersing the book with clippings of Best and Bowles to try and elevate him into their company is a cheap trick. Surely the whole argument is undermined in the first chapter when his twin brother gets picked on teams and he can't. Maybe the twin was the greatest? What I did enjoy about this book was the trip back to when footballers were ordinary blokes and lived in the community, when football matches still had a raw edge to them on and off the pitch and when getting up off your arse and going to the game was the only way to see it.
Over rated
I was really looking forward to this book with the full story of the enigmatic Friday. I found it to be very disappointing. Its written in a diary style that doesnt work and features lots of comments and quotes that add nothing to the general story. Its riddled with factual errors - scores, fixtures and results - that suggests a lack of proper research.
The worst part for me was Fridays life after he finished playing football. In a page and a half you are taken from 1977 to his untimely death in 1990. What went on his life in this period, the reader can only guess at. If he was as good a player as is suggested, then he surely deserves a better biography than this.
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Good football book to read, although it starts rather slow. Personally I would have liked to have read a bit more anecdotes about his off field antics than all those copy and paste match reports from newspapers. All in all an interesting read though.
