Tribute to Robin Friday on F365

[brendywendy]

in fact wasnt clive thomas a world cup referee?
and he thought twas the best goal ever too

[Gus the teenage cow]

Without doubt the greatest player to play for Reading.

The comment about his tackling was true. Amazing skill.

Makes Barton look like a girl.

Pity the young supporters of today never got to see him.

i disagree

as usual we glamourise those from the past


how can you say he is our greatest ever player, he never played internationally or at the highest level?

most notorious player yes, best, no, not by a long shot

Moron. Read the description of his goal against Tranmere and think about how many so called world class players today would score that sort of goal. I doubt Thierry Henry would be able to score something like that.

bollox, any player can score a wonder goal, it doesn't make them the best player ever, look at bentleys goal last night, jeremy goss got a few for norwich


i judge a player on consistent performances at the highest level, not fancy flicks, being a hardman, a maverick, how much he drinks

[brendywendy]

but no one cares what you think gus

whether theyd seen friday play or not

[Vision]

Clive Thomas was Welsh and a shit ref, so i wouldn't take his word for it.

Loved Friday as a kid and my dad stopped taking me to games in protest when we sold him to Cardiff which tells how much of an effect he had on people.

FWIW though, Glen Little > Robin Friday.

[Gus the teenage cow]

but no one cares what you think gus

whether theyd seen friday play or not

how dare you!

[PEARCEY]

Clive Thomas was Welsh and a shit ref, so i wouldn't take his word for it.

Loved Friday as a kid and my dad stopped taking me to games in protest when we sold him to Cardiff which tells how much of an effect he had on people.

FWIW though, Glen Little > Robin Friday.

Not sure what being Welsh has to do with it. As for not being a good referee Thomas was controversial but still reffed at the highest level so dont agree with you on that.

[PREMIERSHIP_ROYAL]

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=_oid855fLKM

found this on youtube.
read the books, listend to everyones oppinions of him. total rfc legend

[Gus the teenage cow]

Reading players i thought contributes more to the club than friday


adrian williams
michael gilkes
shaka hislop
trevor senior
simon osborne
glen little
mick gooding
phil parkinson
greame murty
nicky shorey
setev sidwell
dave kitson
kevin doyle
stephen hunt
bobby convey
sonko
hahnemann
ingimarsson
harper

[Vision]

Clive Thomas was Welsh and a shit ref, so i wouldn't take his word for it.

Loved Friday as a kid and my dad stopped taking me to games in protest when we sold him to Cardiff which tells how much of an effect he had on people.

FWIW though, Glen Little > Robin Friday.

Not sure what being Welsh has to do with it. As for not being a good referee Thomas was contraversial but still reffed at the highest level so dont agree with you on that.

Nothing really, and so has Graham Poll.

[PEARCEY]

Reading players i thought contributes more to the club than friday


adrian williams
michael gilkes
shaka hislop
trevor senior
simon osborne
glen little
mick gooding
phil parkinson
greame murty
nicky shorey
setev sidwell
dave kitson
kevin doyle
stephen hunt
bobby convey
sonko
hahnemann
ingimarsson
harper

Depends on what you define as "contributes". Osborn was only at the club one season but did well enough....but he was hardly long serving.
Friday may not have played as many games as most of the players you have listed but clearly in many fans eyes made a very big impression upon them. He didn't play 300 odd games for the club but so what. His brilliance clearly shone through for many and made him a legend and one of the best if not the best that ever played for this club.

[brendywendy]

but no one cares what you think gus

whether theyd seen friday play or not

how dare you!

im sorry

i care

[rhroyal]

I would give a lot to be able to go back in time and actually watch the legend and his famous goal against Tranmere. Alas time travel is not possible. All I'll say is RFC's player of the Millenium after 135 games and Cardiff's all time cult hero after 25 games and he managed to build this reputation despite retiring at only 24. He must have been something pretty special.

[SpaceCruiser]

bollox, any player can score a wonder goal, it doesn't make them the best player ever, look at bentleys goal last night,

Bentley's goal was great, but his was only 30 yards out, dead center and he was facing goal. I once talked to somebody who was actually at the game, the way he described it made it sound awesome. He said that Friday was more closer to the halfway line than the goal and he had his back to the goal. He said that Friday chested it down, and in one movement turned round and shot the ball. I grant you it's hard to visualise something somebody describes to you, but I don't think I've ever seen anyone do something like turning round and shooting at the same time and from a great distance.

[Ark Royal]

Reading players i thought contributes more to the club than friday


adrian williams
michael gilkes
shaka hislop
trevor senior
simon osborne
glen little
mick gooding
phil parkinson
greame murty
nicky shorey
setev sidwell
dave kitson
kevin doyle
stephen hunt
bobby convey
sonko
hahnemann
ingimarsson
harper

Depends on what you define as "contributes". Osborn was only at the club one season but did well enough....but he was hardly long serving.
Friday may not have played as many games as most of the players you have listed but clearly in many fans eyes made a very big impression upon them. He didn't play 300 odd games for the club but so what. His brilliance clearly shone through for many and made him a legend and one of the best if not the best that ever played for this club.

Yes, Friday may not have 'contributed' as much as other esteemed players in our history, but he certainly had the biggest impact in as much as he lit up what was a pretty dark and uninspiring period in the club's history. To put our recent success into context, that promotion in 75/76 was our first in fifty years and it was due in no small way to Friday's contribution. People went to Elm Park just to see him play; he was that big an impact on the club, the fans, the town and the landlords of a large number of pubs.

Apart from The Goal in the game against Tranmere in '76, I can vividly remember a couple of seasons earlier against Doncaster on a Sunday (one of the first few Sunday games at Elm Park because of the power strikes) when he curled one in from the edge of the box in a 5-0 win. He was totally untouchable that day.

And as for The Goal, the closest I have seen to it is probably Thierry Henry's goal against ManUre at Highbury a few years ago. Close, but not close enough for the Fuhrer.

[Royal Rother]

bollox, any player can score a wonder goal, it doesn't make them the best player ever, look at bentleys goal last night,

Bentley's goal was great, but his was only 30 yards out, dead center and he was facing goal. I once talked to somebody who was actually at the game, the way he described it made it sound awesome. He said that Friday was more closer to the halfway line than the goal and he had his back to the goal. He said that Friday chested it down, and in one movement turned round and shot the ball. I grant you it's hard to visualise something somebody describes to you, but I don't think I've ever seen anyone do something like turning round and shooting at the same time and from a great distance.

It has been established many times on here that it was actually just outside the area.

[Royal Rother]

We'd walk the Championship this year with him in the team. No-one comes close. Warren Barton, hard man?!?!?! Don't make me laugh. Vinnie Jones?? Would have wet himself coming up against Robin Friday.

[Barney]

For what it is worth...I'd like to add something here.

I was fortunate enough to see EVERY home game Robin Friday played in for Reading
Plus a few away games. Quite simply...there will NEVER be another player like him.
Not at Reading. Not in professional football.
He was unique. The word 'legend' is used too often in football, but Friday was a
true legend.
These were days before mobiles and internet and teletext and Sky...and sometimes
you'd get to Elm Park and the previous nights Evening Post had stated that Friday
was nursing umpteen injuries etc.
You'd then see him wander out at 5 to 3...and the whole place would lift.
He really did put bums on seats.
He was injured one time and was due to play in a midweek home reserve game
against Plymouth. I went along. It was my first ever reserve game. The usual
crowd of 70-100 was swelled to around 500/600...just to watch Friday.

He was remarkable. I still have many newspaper clippings of the great man, and the
injuries he sustained was unbelievable. His shins were literally kicked to shreds most games.
But in his defense, he rarely missed a game through injury.

I saw his goal against Tranmere. Quite simply it was brilliant. But he did other brilliant
things that rarely get mentioned. He was skillful and probably the toughest player I have ever
seen play.
We were lucky. Reading FC were lucky. We had one of the greatest footballers EVER on our books.
I know that a lot of the younger fans on here are probably bored of the fact that some of the older fans continue to
talk about this great player, and for that I apologise.
But the man was a one-off.

I have managed to keep many newspapers cuttings of Friday. I am tempted, even now, to try and get
them reprinted and published into a book. Don't know if it is possible...but if I could, just maybe some fans
who never had the chance to see this legend could at least take a trip through some truly great moments of
the king that was Robin Friday.

[howser]

Top post Barney, as I have said on this thread previously....................Robin Friday.....genius no other way to describe him !!

[Royal Rother]

I have managed to keep many newspapers cuttings of Friday. I am tempted, even now, to try and get
them reprinted and published into a book.

I think you've missed the boat on that one.

[ankeny]

Gus the teenage cow eh!To print things about someone you know nothing about makes you one idiot.If he had carried on playing he would almost certainly get in the England team so what the hell do you know sunshine