On the way back to London from the Blackburn home game (which we have forgotten to report on!) we were listening to Danny Baker for the first time this century and heard his "Fraser Digby's washbag" slot including the said line being sung to the tune of Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds (Fraser Digby's washbag is combless...) On recounting this to my Spurs/Orient mate Tim he suddenly started telling me about Robin Friday. The following text from wikipedia tells the whole hilarious tale:
Robin Friday (27 July 1952 – 22 December 1990) was an English footballer, generally regarded as Reading's finest ever player and voted into their team of the millennium.
Friday was found dead in his London flat on 22 December 1990 at the age of 38, having died of a suspected heart attack.Friday started his career for the now defunct Walthamstow Avenue football club, but soon moved 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[citation needed]. 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 left the club.[citation needed] He even won the "Player of the Millennium" award, a considerable achievement when many of the voters could never have seen him play. In a vote to compile the Royals' best-ever eleven, Friday was voted on the team as centre forward with 33.1% of the vote.His goal for Reading against Tranmere Rovers in March 1976 has been described as one of the greatest ever goals - sadly scored in the days before there were cameras at every match. Friday was waiting just outside the left hand corner of the box when the ball was sent towards him. He subsequently leaped high into the air, caught the ball on his chest with his back to goal, spun around 180 degrees, and proceeded to fire the ball into the top right-hand corner, to the great roar of the crowd. The referee that evening, Clive Thomas, held his hands in his face in disbelief and afterwards described it as one of the best goals he had ever witnessed. In response, Friday in typical fashion quipped that he should come more often as he does that sort of thing every week! (quote needed)[citation needed]In 1976 Friday moved to Cardiff City for the knock-down price of £30,000. The Cardiff City manager commented that he felt he was taking advantage of Reading, but was simply told "you'll see". Robin didn't disappoint and was arrested at Cardiff railway station on the day he arrived, having travelled from Reading railway station with just a platform ticket.He started his playing career with Cardiff even more spectacularly, scoring twice against a defence directed by Bobby Moore. He lasted only twenty-five games with Cardiff before simply leaving football for good. Whilst playing against Mark Lawrenson for Cardiff against Brighton on the 31 October 1977, Friday became agitated by the future BBC pundit. He kicked Lawrenson in the face and received a red card before defecating in Lawrenson's kit bag. Friday returned to non-league football and never played another professional game again - he claimed that he had had enough of people telling him what to do. Reading manager Maurice Evans once told Friday: "If you would just settle down for three or four years, you could play for England." Friday is said to have replied with the question "How old are you?" Evans told him and Friday duly responded "I'm half your age and I've lived twice your life."Trivia
The cover of the Super Furry Animals' single "The Man Don't Give a Fuck" featured a famous photograph of Friday scoring a goal for Cardiff, by taking the ball around Luton TownMilija Aleksic then "flicking a V" at the stranded goalkeeper.He was voted Cardiff's all time cult hero in a poll conducted by BBC Sport finishing ahead of Robert Earnshaw who came 2nd and John Toshack who finished 3rd.
And whilst on the subject of the Fraser Digby's Washbag Song Competition here is the man himself singing it to Chitty Chitty Bang Bang:
He is a legend. And he shops at the Sainsburys in North Greenwich where I used to go, and was always friendly when I said hello.
ReplyDeleteFraser Digby I trust you mean, not Danny Baker or Mark Lawrenson.
ReplyDelete