[Westbars Spireite]

A genuine bona fide legend of the British game and I expect him to be honoured as such across the country tomorrow.

They don't make 'em like him any more.

[Mr Mercury]

Westbars Spireite, on 14 February 2014 - 09:55 PM, said:

A genuine bona fide legend of the British game and I expect him to be honoured as such across the country tomorrow.

They don't make 'em like him any more.

Agree totally

[WarwickshireSpireite]

Westbars Spireite, on 14 February 2014 - 09:55 PM, said:

A genuine bona fide legend of the British game and I expect him to be honoured as such across the country tomorrow.

They don't make 'em like him any more.

Met him at a charity event in Preston once, what a complete gent, totally unassuming, a complete model professional RIP

[master of puppets]

R.I.P Tom

[Dazspire]

A true legend my Dad always rated him the best player he had ever seen including Pele and certainly superior to Sir Stanley Matthews. He would wax lyrical about Tom Finney's balance, poise, equal ability with two feet and he was always regarded as the perfect gent as well.

Sad to say I was too young to witness his ability first hand. We are unlikely to see his like again in the white of England. RIP Sir Tom

[Elmer Fudd's Thick Lip]

Goodnight, and God bless Sir Tom.

Applause or silence??

[oh rodney rodney]

RIP Tom finney like many others on here i never saw him play but lookin at the respect shown the media he must have been one hell of a player,

[Halcyon]

RIP. He was a true great. They don't make players like him any more.

Neither are fans the same. As a boy I remember players like Finney, Matthews and Shackleton being applauded on and off the field at Fratton Park, with the fans in the stand standing for them. These days the top players get dog's abuse instead.

[Mr Mercury]

oh rodney rodney, on 15 February 2014 - 10:14 AM, said:

RIP Tom finney like many others on here i never saw him play but lookin at the respect shown the media he must have been one hell of a player,

I think like with a lot of the old legends of the game, Nat Lofthouse, Stanley Mathews, Bill Shankley etc it's not only their talents and abilities but how they carried themselves through both their careers and life after..not for them collecting multiple parking tickets for parking in disabled bays, missing drugs tests, feeling hurt because only offered £60,000 a week, urinating in night clubs and just generally being mindless idiots.!

This post has been edited by Mr Mercury: 15 February 2014 - 10:58 AM

[Westbars Spireite]

Dave Wallers, on 15 February 2014 - 10:06 AM, said:

Goodnight, and God bless Sir Tom.

Applause or silence??

Applause definitely.

[60s 70s Spireite]

Dazspire, on 15 February 2014 - 08:51 AM, said:

A true legend my Dad always rated him the best player he had ever seen including Pele and certainly superior to Sir Stanley Matthews. He would wax lyrical about Tom Finney's balance, poise, equal ability with two feet and he was always regarded as the perfect gent as well.

Sad to say I was too young to witness his ability first hand. We are unlikely to see his like again in the white of England. RIP Sir Tom

My Dad said exactly the same, including saying he was a much better player than Matthews. Heart warming to hear the likes of Armfield, Charlton and Marsh say he was the best, as did the late Bill Shankly. I had not heard, until this morning, the story of Palermo offering him in 1952 a £10,000 signing on fee plus £100 per week, when he was on £14 a week. The Preston chairman apparently said 'if 'tha' don't play for us tha' don't play for anybody' but did increase his wages to £20 per week.

This post has been edited by 60s 70s Spireite: 15 February 2014 - 11:39 AM

[carlT]

My always said Tom Finney was the best player he had ever seen as well.