A NEW book about Reading FC legend Robin Friday has hit the shelves in time for Christmas.
‘The Legend of Robin Friday’ is the latest offering from lifelong Royals supporter and novelist Roger Titford.
Titford focusses on the reasons why Friday became such an iconic figure after his untimely death in 1990 at the age of 38.
In fact, so much interest has been drummed up that Hollywood are considering making a movie about the hellraiser’s colourful yet tragic life.
The Reading Chronicle covers the signing of Robin Friday.
Reading supporters voted the enigmatic striker their ‘Player of the Millennium’ in a poll, while both Royals and Cardiff City named him their ‘All-Time Cult Hero.’
They were the only two Football League clubs he represented after launching his professional career with Royals in 1974 under manager Charlie Hurley.
He scored 46 goals in 121 league games in the blue and white hoops and before moving to South Wales in 1976, scoring six times in 21 games for the Bluebirds.
Robin Friday celebrates promotion with the Royals.
But he quickly slipped out of the professional game due to his antics off the pitch and died of a suspected heart attack in Acton in 1990.
Only a few minutes of television clips of Friday in action remain to this day, given his playing career was a short one and cameras rarely covered live matches.
Yet the myth surrounding Friday’s life and death has steadily grown, which is where Titford steps in.
“How the legend of Robin Friday has grown over the past 25 years is a fascinating and mysterious subject,” said Titford.
“I decided to take a close look and also bring together the best series of photos of our 1970s cult star in action”.
The Reading Chronicle covers Robin Friday's wedding in 1976.
The glossy, 66-page book features some of the best images of Friday, many taken from the Reading Chronicle archives.
They include the memorable photograph of Friday kissing a policeman after scoring at Elm Park and another of him aiming a two-finger insult at a Luton Town goalkeeper while playing for Cardiff City – an iconic image that features on the front cover of a single by Welsh band Super Fury Animals called ‘The Man Don’t Give A F***.’
His life has also been depicted in the popular book ‘The Greatest Player You Never Saw’ co-written by Oasis bassist Paul McGuigan and Paulo Hewitt.
Titford will be holding a book-signing session at the Madejski Stadium Megastore on Monday from 6.30pm onwards before his old clubs Reading and Cardiff City face each other in a Championship fixture.
‘The Legend of Robin Friday’ is also available to buy from Waterstones in Reading, the Supporters Trust at Reading (Star) base at Madejski Stadium and online at https://shop.wsc.co.uk/the-legend-of-robin-friday.html
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