Robin Friday
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Robin Friday (July 27 1952 - December 22, 1990) was an association footballer.
He was the epitome of a "flawed genius," graced with incredible talent, but having a wild and unpredictable temperament that could see him kissing a policeman one match, pulling down an opponent's shorts in a second, and being sent-off and taking a dump in the opposition's bath in a third.
Friday started his career for the now defunct Walthamstow Avenue football club, but soon decamped to Hayes, who were willing to pay him more and were closer to his home in Acton. Hayes started one match with only ten players, as Friday was finishing a pint in the local pub. When he finally took the field after ten minutes he was obviously drunk and spent the game staggering around the pitch. Naturally, the opposition ignored him - until he scored the only goal of the game.
In 1973 he was transferred to Reading where he signed professional forms for the first time. In the 135 games he played for The Biscuitmen he scored 55 goals, and made many more. He became such a crowd favourite that his on- and off-field antics are still the subject of discussion three decades after he moved on. He even won the "Player of the Millennium" award; no mean feat when many of the voters could never have seen him play.
In 1976 Friday moved to Cardiff City for the knock-down price of £30,000. The Cardiff manager of the day commented that he felt he was robbing Reading, but was simply told "you'll see". Robin didn't disappoint: being arrested at Cardiff railway station on the day he arrived, having travelled from Reading with just a platform ticket. He started his on-field career with Cardiff in a similar explosive manner, scoring twice against a defence marshalled by Bobby Moore. He lasted only 25 games with Cardiff before simply walking away from football for good.
Robin Friday was found dead in his London flat on 22nd December 1990 at the age of 38, having died of a heart attack.
Bibliography
- McGuigan, Paul and Hewitt, Paolo (1997) The Greatest Footballer You Never Saw ISBN 1-85158-909-0.
Musicology
The cover of the Super Furry Animals' single The Man Don't Give A Fuck had a picture of Friday scoring a goal for Cardiff, while flicking the Vs at the stranded goalkeeper.