"The Greatest Footballer You Never Saw,Robin Friday Story"

kosherOY · **Posted:** Sun Aug 09, 2009 11:10 am

Has anyone read this book ? ( The Greatest Footballer You Never Saw, The Robin Friday Story ) I picked it up in a bookshop in York whilst on a "lads weekend". I showed my mate and he said "Never heard of him". I then ended up reading bits of it aloud in various pubs....result? All the lads bought copies !!!
Robin Friday played for Reading and Cardiff in the 1970s, they say he was better than George Best...but he had his demons! He was a maverick player who played football out of total enjoyment and played even harder off the pitch. In the end he walked away from it all . In his last game against Brighton he ended up kicking Mark Lawrenson (BBC pundit) in the head,walked off the pitch,shat in Lawrenson's kit bag and left football for good.
The book is worth reading ....in my view like !

Gibsons Beard · **Posted:** Sun Aug 09, 2009 11:21 am

ElvisAintDead wrote:

Mmm...I'm a bit unsure about the whole Robin Friday thing, same as I'm always a bit unsure about the adulation of Bob Newton.(who was one of my favourite Pools players ever) Friday was a bit of a c*** in reality, which has somehow turned into CULT over the years. Theres very little evidence of his football brilliance (I think ONE goal survives on VT..) and a lot of it is more fan-based than fact.

Good read though!

Nice to see you back Elvis. I knew the new season would summon you back! :grin:

poolieboydave · **Posted:** Sun Aug 09, 2009 11:54 am

Its a really good book, its been out for ages mind

kosherOY · **Posted:** Sun Aug 09, 2009 1:03 pm

Ive now read it twice....I need to get out a bit more !
violin

kosherOY · **Posted:** Sun Aug 09, 2009 7:05 pm

Have also read "The Far Corner" Harry Walter Mitty Shithead
"A Year In The Life Of A Field" Michael Allerby
" Stargazing" Peter Hill
Such is my reading for this summer !

Yossarian · **Joined:** Sun Oct 28, 2007 5:29 pm **Posts:** 801

I'd recommend...As long as you don't kiss me, The miracle of Castel di Sangro, My father and other working-class football heroes.
All excellent football based books.
I'm going to find a copy of that Robin Friday one like, sounds good.

BillinghamPoolie · **Posted:** Sun Aug 09, 2009 7:42 pm

Yossarian wrote:

I'd recommend...As long as you don't kiss me, The miracle of Castel di Sangro, My father and other working-class football heroes.
All excellent football based books.
I'm going to find a copy of that Robin Friday one like, sounds good.

Don't want to be one of them pedant things you mentioned somewhere else,
but did you mean 'Provided you don't kiss me' by Duncan Hamilton, about Old Big 'Ead?

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-enter ... 63980.html

Yossarian · **Joined:** Sun Oct 28, 2007 5:29 pm **Posts:** 801

I thought "as long as you don't kiss me" didn't sound right.. :uhoh:

PROVIDED you don't kiss me, is probably my favourite football book ever.
With that in mind you'd have thought I'd have got the title right.

BillinghamPoolie · **Posted:** Sun Aug 09, 2009 7:50 pm

It is an excellent read like.

kosherOY · **Posted:** Sun Aug 09, 2009 8:03 pm

Hee Hee

TalbotAvenger · **Posted:** Sun Aug 09, 2009 8:12 pm

kosherOY · **Posted:** Sun Aug 09, 2009 8:19 pm

BLESS YOu TALBOLT !!!! :grin:

kosherOY · **Posted:** Sun Aug 09, 2009 8:21 pm

Talbot !!!

Mr Irrelevant · **Joined:** Thu Aug 17, 2006 8:25 pm **Posts:** 22671

ElvisAintDead wrote:

same as I'm always a bit unsure about the adulation of Bob Newton.

I'm entirely clear on that one!

kosherOY · **Posted:** Sun Aug 09, 2009 8:31 pm

" I'm half your age and have lived twice your life". Robin Friday.

kosherOY · **Posted:** Sun Aug 09, 2009 9:11 pm

BUY THIS BOOK !!! :coool:

kosherOY · **Posted:** Sun Aug 09, 2009 9:28 pm

Says it all !

Spender · **Posted:** Mon Aug 10, 2009 4:41 am

kosherOY wrote:

Have also read "The Far Corner" Harry Walter Mitty Shithead

Mr Walter Mitty Shithead doesn't like us does he?? One little nasty tackle and a comment from a typically acidic Poolie and he thinks we're all potential murderers.

Still a good read though. :grin:

Barnie-pete · **Joined:** Mon Aug 03, 2009 10:20 pm **Posts:** 63

I read this book about fifteen years ago, an excellent read. I remember Robin Friday well, he told me to fuck off in the Social Club at Saltergate when i suggested politely that his performance for Reading that afternnon was worth about 2 out of ten. In fairness I saw him play half a dozen times and he was certainly talented..............A poor man's Frank Worthington?

ElvisAintDead wrote:

Mmm...I'm a bit unsure about the whole Robin Friday thing, same as I'm always a bit unsure about the adulation of Bob Newton.(who was one of my favourite Pools players ever) Friday was a bit of a c*** in reality, which has somehow turned into CULT over the years. Theres very little evidence of his football brilliance (I think ONE goal survives on VT..) and a lot of it is more fan-based than fact.

Good read though!

kosherOY · **Posted:** Mon Aug 10, 2009 10:30 am

Found this clip of Robin Friday playing for Reading, the sound is dire though !

The Kit Kat Kid · **Posted:** Mon Aug 10, 2009 1:46 pm

Picked this book up at a car boot sale in york (yes I know I'm a sad bastard) for 50p & thought it was absolutely great. Read it in double quick time. If only half of it is true the guy must have been an absolute nightmare for his Managers. Not too happy about the "fact" that every time he played at Pools he allegedly got the sh*t kicked out of him though!

Mr Ripper · **Posted:** Mon Aug 10, 2009 1:59 pm

Spender wrote:

kosherOY wrote:

Have also read "The Far Corner" Harry Walter Mitty Shithead

Mr Walter Mitty Shithead doesn't like us does he?? One little nasty tackle and a comment from a typically acidic Poolie and he thinks we're all potential murderers.

Still a good read though. :grin:

Tell more Mr Spender...

kosherOY · **Posted:** Mon Aug 10, 2009 3:45 pm

There is a good bit in "The Far Corner" when he talks about his grandad....during the war he worked double shifts and had to cycle to and from ICI, no wonder he went around clobbering people !!

Yubep · **Joined:** Wed Jan 31, 2007 6:35 pm **Posts:** 25266

I've been reading cloughies book this week, good read.

kosherOY · **Posted:** Mon Aug 10, 2009 5:18 pm

" A season with Verona" by Tim Parks is good , a sort of travel-come-footy book (Italian footy mind ) !

kosherOY · **Posted:** Mon Aug 10, 2009 10:00 pm

This thread is turning into a book review thread. Regardless of Robin Friday's "bad boy" reputation I still think he deserves being remembered for his undoubted footballing ability.....and for clobbering Mark Lawernson too !!

Spender · **Posted:** Tue Aug 11, 2009 7:00 am

Mr Ripper wrote:

Tell more Mr Spender...

I haven't got the book with me but from memory, he's on a tour of North Eastern football grounds both league and non-league. When he gets to Pools, he's watching us play Reading and one of our players absolutely scythes down one of theirs right in front of him. As the Reading player is writhing in agony, one of the Pools fans shouts 'Well done......, next time break his legs.'

This seems to be his only memory of Pools. :roll:

He must have been standing on the Mill House somewhere near the halfway line... :grin:

Barnie-pete · **Joined:** Mon Aug 03, 2009 10:20 pm **Posts:** 63

The players in question in the Harry Walter Mitty Shithead book were Kevin Dillon of Reading who was well and truly leveled by the famous ANTHONY SKEDD............right in front of me on the Millhouse terrace.......happy days!!

kosherOY · **Posted:** Tue Aug 11, 2009 11:26 am

http://www.punkfootball.com/?page=shop/ ... uct_id=201 The Robin Friday T shirt !

kosherOY · **Posted:** Tue Aug 11, 2009 11:28 am

http://www.myfavouritemug.com/bluebirds.htm ....And the Robin Friday mug !

TalbotAvenger · **Posted:** Tue Aug 11, 2009 5:04 pm

Spender wrote:

kosherOY wrote:

Have also read "The Far Corner" Harry Walter Mitty Shithead

Mr Walter Mitty Shithead doesn't like us does he?? One little nasty tackle and a comment from a typically acidic Poolie and he thinks we're all potential murderers.

Still a good read though. :grin:

I read it years ago and have just bought it again from a charadee shop, £1.75

I can't remember Hartlepool having Lada 'minicabs' or there being burnt out shops littered across the town centre

Mr Ripper · **Posted:** Tue Aug 11, 2009 5:06 pm

There was plenty of Lada taxis about when I was younger and went out drinking around town. We'd often refuse to get in them and wait about for a proper car.

Yubep · **Joined:** Wed Jan 31, 2007 6:35 pm **Posts:** 25266

Mr Ripper wrote:

There was plenty of Lada taxis about when I was younger and went out drinking around town

The 1800's?

Frodraff · **Posted:** Tue Aug 11, 2009 6:26 pm

Yubep wrote:

Mr Ripper wrote:

There was plenty of Lada taxis about when I was younger and went out drinking around town

The 1800's?

Meredith's Rolls Royces :laugh:

kosherOY · **Posted:** Wed Aug 12, 2009 10:48 am

The Lada Riva...now there WAS a car ! confised

kosherOY · **Posted:** Mon Aug 17, 2009 12:24 am

http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/incomin ... 01081.html Found these Robin Friday photo's !

kosherOY · **Posted:** Mon Aug 17, 2009 1:08 pm

Has anyone got the book since this thread began out of interest ?

grabec · **Posted:** Mon Aug 17, 2009 1:55 pm

kosherOY wrote:

Has anyone got the book since this thread began out of interest ?

Of course not. We assumed you were coming to read extracts at a pub near us. :wink:

"The Greatest Footballer You Never Saw,Robin Friday Story"

Gadgies online