Fifty Years Ago, Robin Friday Became Soccer’s Ultimate Rock Star

Robin Friday was always different. Most professional sports people find fame during their careers. Robin found his twenty years after he quit playing professional soccer in Britain. In fact, more people have now heard of him than when he played professionally. How did this happen?In 1995, a writer named Graham Wray published an article detailing Robin’s flamboyant history as a player — both on and off the pitch. That article was read by a man named Paul McGuigan who, at the time, played bass for Oasis.Mr. McGuigan is a soccer enthusiast of the highest order. He can cite Bulgarian left backs who played in the 1954 World Cup. And he was outraged. How had Robin Friday slipped under his encyclopedic radar? Simple. In England — unlike America — teams compete in four different leagues. At the end of each season, teams are either promoted or relegated according to their points tally.Robin Friday signed for Reading FC in early 1975. The only news coverage of Reading FC at that time was to be found in the local paper, hence Robin’s obscurity. Reading FC was bottom of the Fourth Division.Robin scored on his debut and transformed the team with his extraordinary skill and bravery. Within a month, Reading had climbed the table. The next season, 50 years ago, he helped Reading win promotion from the fourth tier.Of course, the Reading fans loved watching Friday play. His skill levels were far above everybody else’s. In one game, he scored a goal that to this day is cited as the greatest goal scored for Reading. It was such an amazing moment that, after the game, the referee told Robin he had officiated at games featuring the likes of Pelé, but that was the best goal he had ever seen. Robin shrugged his shoulders: “You should come down here every week then, shouldn’t you?”The fans were also highly entertained by his antics on the pitch. Friday would kiss opposing defenders on the cheek and regularly chat to the crowd. After another wonder goal, Robin kissed a policeman standing behind the goal. “He looked so fed up, I thought I’d cheer him up,” was Robin’s explanation to the media.Robin Friday training for Hayes in 1972 . Photo by Peter StoneYet in the dressing room he expressed disgust at his own action. “I don’t know why I kissed him; I hate the police.” That was not a surprising statement. Robin grew up on a very tough estate in West London. Criminality and drug abuse were all around him. A lot of it rubbed off on him.At a very young age he became involved in hard drug abuse. Going to a young offenders’ institution for persistent offending helped wean him off his addiction. He was also a heavy drinker and enjoyed the attention of women. At a very young age he began a relationship with Maxine, a mixed-race girl. On his prejudiced estate this was seen as a provocative move.As were his clothes. With his long hair, velvet trousers, cowboy boots, and collarless shirts, no one dressed like Robin for miles around. His brother Tony believed that Robin always went against the mainstream in order to provoke extreme reactions.“Let’s just say he got into a lot of fights round our way,” Tony recalls. Robin brought his swagger and devil-may-care attitude to Reading. He would play amazing soccer each Saturday and party all week, much to Maxine’s despair. His absence from training — he hated running — irked his teammates so much that the team went to their manager, Charlie Hurley, and complained.If Robin wasn’t reprimanded, they would refuse to play with him. “That’s fine,” Hurley replied, “but it probably means you’ll lose all your money bonuses for winning games.” The team quietly withdrew their threat.And, truth be known, Robin, despite his outrageous behavior, was loved by everyone. He was never deceitful or dishonest, and somehow managed to live completely in the present. His second wedding to Liza was filmed by the local TV station. However, they soon had to call “Cut!” when Robin lit up a huge marijuana cigarette in front of the cameras.A month later, Reading was promoted to the Third Division, and everyone knew that such an achievement would not have been possible without Robin’s mercurial skills.Unfortunately, Robin celebrated the whole summer and, in doing so, went back into the drug world. When he returned to the club, he was clearly not in first-rate condition. To confound his deteriorating situation, the Third Division demanded a much higher level of fitness than the Fourth.Robin struggled badly and turned even more to drug use. Reading had no choice. In 1977, they sold Robin Friday to Cardiff City. The fans were furious. Within a day, two bag loads of letters complaining about the decision arrived at the club. At Cardiff, Robin shone brightly for three games and then faded.He walked out of the game after just twenty-six appearances. In 1990 Robin was found dead in his flat from a drug overdose. Over six hundred people turned up at his funeral.In 1995 Paul McGuigan, of Oasis, decided to write a book about Robin. I was his co-author. On the publication of our book, Robin Friday escaped the confines of soccer folklore and became a national name.The title of the book? “The Greatest Footballer You Never Saw.”

Fifty Years Ago, Robin Friday Became Soccer’s Ultimate Rock Star

Fifty Years Ago, Robin Friday Became Soccer’s Ultimate Rock Star

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