Trevor Francis Dies

I was a Blues season ticket holder in the late 60s and early 70s before I emigrated to Lancashire.

I was at the home game when he scored 4 against Bolton, and he was then only 16. My memory isn't what it was, but I think he then got a hat trick followed by 2 at Swindon before a sell out crowd. He really was a star in those days.

Without doubt the greatest young footballer I've ever seen.

Very sad day.

What will Del Boy do with all the Trevor Francis tracksuits he bought from a mush in Shepherds Bush?
 
😥 Incredibly sad news. To this day, I remember exactly where I was when I heard that Trevor had become the first £1million player. I was sat in a schoolmate’s Dad’s car, going through the traffic lights at the junction of Hardhorn Rd and Garstang Rd in Poulton. 😕
 
RIP
A great footballer, England team never saw the best of him but he was great at The Blues and I remember the goal that won Forest the European cup in Munich like yesterday
 
Shandypants said:
I thought Clough paid 999,999 to avoid it being a million. Great player RIP Trevor
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Yes, that was what was in the contract, but in the press conference to announce the signing Clough took a pound note out of his pocket and gave it to the BCFC chairman so he could claim the milestone if he wanted to.

Anyway, other fees, registration etc took the overall cost to NFFC up to about £1,150,000. The newspapers say that in real terms that £1 million would be about £5.5 million today. With transfer fees in England now above £100 million, it just goes to show how football finances have been totally distorted.

A very sad day, TF was a lovely bloke too by all accounts.
 
RIP, gosh this makes you think although I am about 10 years younger 69 is no age. Should be living life and enjoying a comfortable retirement without many (if any) real concerns.
 
Lytham_fy8 said:
He did, kind of blows away the 'little old Florist mixing it with the big boys' myth.

RIP Trevor, alway remember your winning goal against Malmo and the weird hammer circle thing you ended up diving head first at.
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I recall that goal vividly. Can you imagine Malmo being in the champions league final or Forest for that matter!
 
Shandypants said:
I recall that goal vividly. Can you imagine Malmo being in the champions league final or Forest for that matter!
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Or Aston Villa ?
Or Celtic ?

When the Geordies win the European Cup three times on the bounce, UEFA might concede that football economics has become distorted by nation states. Or Manchester City come to that. Despite the quality of their play, it’s not like the achievements of Ajax in the early 70s.
 
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Shandypants said:
I thought Clough paid 999,999 to avoid it being a million. Great player RIP Trevor
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You might be thinking about Jimmy Greaves when he signed for Spurs for £100,000. He didn't want to become the first hundred grand player, so he signed for £99,999.
 
Great player, I saw him play for Forest he had electric pace and Clough knew how to get the best out of him.
 
Shandypants said:

Hopefully this will play, just love how the atmosphere sounds so great and the commentary sounds like it's coming from a far exotic land.
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Is John Robertson available? We’ll tear up League One with wing play like that 😄 Definitely a throwback to the old days, much better in some respects.
 
A fantastic player - never a showman, but blessed with electric pace & the ability to make the difference just when needed.

I always think of him in the (in)famous ‘penguin’ kit of Birmingham City in the ‘70’s, alongside Bob Latchford, although he obviously went on to earn greater club honours elsewhere.

Never quite achieved the international honours his ability deserved, but a special talent & by all accounts a nice man. RIP.
 
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He was a great player in an era with terrible pitches, and defenders could get away with being as dirty as Garry Briggs and only get

a yellow card. I always thought he was a decent bloke when he was on tv, he was maybe too nice to be a football manager

especially given the owners of the clubs he managed.

It is a real shame that his last few years of life haven't been great as he lost his wife through cancer in 2017, and hasn't had great health

himself having his first heart attack over ten years ago.
 
Bluecabinboy said:
A fantastic player - never a showman, but blessed with electric pace & the ability to make the difference just when needed.

I always think of him in the (in)famous ‘penguin’ kit of Birmingham City in the ‘70’s, alongside Bob Latchford, although he obviously went on to earn greater honours elsewhere.

Never quite achieved the international honours his ability deserved, but a special talent & by all accounts a nice man. RIP.
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And with our own Bob Hatton of course:

www.birminghammail.co.uk

Birmingham City's best ever team and it's not the Carling Cup heroes

The latest Birmingham City news and views from BirminghamLive as we look back at arguably the best Blues team ever to take the field
www.birminghammail.co.uk www.birminghammail.co.uk
 
Henshman said:
You might be thinking about Jimmy Greaves when he signed for Spurs for £100,000. He didn't want to become the first hundred grand player, so he signed for £99,999.
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The first 100 000 pound player in England was our very own Alan Ball to Everton in 1966.
 
yep, great teenage prodigy and went on to become a top striker. Six days older than me. RIP.
 
I can remember watching grandstand as a 14 year old with the updates of this wonderfully talented prodigy.
The piece of the jigsaw that won Cloughie 2 successive European cups.
Never would you find Trevor,Jasper and Victor in the same room.
RIP Plymouths finest🥲
 
Bluecabinboy said:
A fantastic player - never a showman, but blessed with electric pace & the ability to make the difference just when needed.

I always think of him in the (in)famous ‘penguin’ kit of Birmingham City in the ‘70’s, alongside Bob Latchford, although he obviously went on to earn greater club honours elsewhere.

Never quite achieved the international honours his ability deserved, but a special talent & by all accounts a nice man. RIP.
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I saw what I think was his England debut, vs Holland at Wembley under Don Revie. It was a school trip from my brother's school Blackpool Grammar. We lost 2 nil and were pretty awful. There again they did have Cruyff playing. Revie stumped off with Ted Croker, both of them copping massive grief from a disgruntled Kop end.
 
Great player who probably should have done more for England with that burst of speed.
As a manager I remember him kicking off at Deepdale quite rightly so when they made the two teams take penalties at the Preston end because the other was empty and being redeveloped.
What would he be worth in todays market? He had a lot more about him than Declan Rice that's for sure.
RIP.
 
I was a bit fed up with the “BBC News at 10” tonight. They led the programme with the death of George Alagiah and spent the first 11 or 12 minutes on him. Then they finished off the programme with another 5 minutes wrapping up about Alagiah. Half the news bulletin.

OK, so he was a nice bloke, good journalist/newsreader and friends with all the rest of the BBC journalists, but it was a bit much in terms of coverage. Alagiah has been dying of terminal cancer for the last five years so, despite the sadness, it wasn’t a huge surprise.

In contrast, Trevor Francis got less than 30 seconds. Trevor Francis got switched off at age 69 within a heartbeat, literally. That was a big shock. And, watching England over many years, he meant a lot more to me. Also a very good bloke. The BBC is such an inward looking clique at times.
 
His first game as a million pound player was a midweek central league fixture against us at Bloomfield rd. I can’t remember the result but he didn’t score . RIP
 
Lytham_fy8 said:
He didn't really, messed him about quite a lot out of position, only lasted a couple of seasons there.
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heard a old interview with him yesterday lytham where he said it was taylor that wanted him on the right and clough actually wanted him down the middle where he wanted to play .Taylor got his way a few times until clough eventually put his foot down before the european semi which resulted in his best ever performance
 
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