RIP Trevor Francis

[Undercoverinwurzelland]

Has died today aged 69.
Football's first £1million player

[life on mars]

Gosh Gary Bell knows him well he once shared with us they played together as youngsters

[the other bob wilson]

Has died today aged 69.
Football's first £1million player

He not only made his debut for Birmingham as a sixteen year old at Ninian Park, he also scored in the first few minutes of the return game at St Andrews seven months in front of a near fifty thousand crowd - it’s a reminder of your own mortality when a player you remember being nicknamed “Superkid” has died.

RIP

[BLUETIT]

I remember that “superkid” chant, as if it was yesterday.

I was with my brother in the stand behind the goal

RIP

[the other bob wilson]

Gosh Gary Bell knows him well he once shared with us they played together as youngsters

Are you sure Gary Bell said that? He was seven years older than Trevor Francis. It was Bell who marked Francis when he came on at Ninian Park for his debut in August 1970. I was surprised to hear Francis say somewhere that Bell was “a perfect gentleman” that day, because, while I wouldn’t call him a dirty player, he’d let the winger he was marking know he was around.

[SLUDGE FACTORY]

Great player

Plymouth boy

[Mr Soul '68]

He not only made his debut for Birmingham as a sixteen year old at Ninian Park, he also scored in the first few minutes of the return game at St Andrews seven months in front of a near fifty thousand crowd - it’s a reminder of your own mortality when a player you remember being nicknamed “Superkid” has died.

RIP

Was that August Bank Holiday on a very hot Saturday in 1970? If so, I was there for that game

[the other bob wilson]

Was that August Bank Holiday on a very hot Saturday in 1970? If so, I was there for that game

Yes it was - we won 2-0 with Toshack getting them both.

[79blue]

His Forest team mate Peter Shilton was also the highest paid player at the time, earning £1,200 a week. The average non manual income per week was then £113, 9.5% of Shiltons wage. Compare that with today with Gabriel Jesus salary of £13,780,000 or 265,000 a week against the average weekly wage of £534, which is 0.2% of Jesus wage.

[SOXY BOY]

That’s really sad news, I remember he scored the winning goal for Forest against Malmo, in the European Cup, it was then.

[Mr Soul '68]

Yes it was - we won 2-0 with Toshack getting them both.

I'd just turned eleven. I can remember the police outside Ninian Park making all the skinheads take off their Dr Marten boots and a huge pile ensued, and sporadic trouble trouble breaking out on the Bob Bank. Also a huge guy, well he seemed huge to me at eleven years old, walking topless along Sloper Rd, in front of us with the names of the City team of a season or two previous tattooed on his back. Sat in the Canton Stand with my dad for the game.

R.I.P. Trevor

[Vindec]

I saw both games home and away that season. The away match was memorable because the crowd was so large and the bloke behind urinated over my wife.

[Hot Shot Hamish.]

Yes it was - we won 2-0 with Toshack getting them both.

That was my first ever City game. My second was Hull when Tosh scored a hat trick, and then he was gone. Twice I saw him play and he bagged 5 goals. And that's why he's my all time hero.

[Taunton Blue Genie]

I saw him score the goal that won the European Cup for Forest in Munich.

[Mr Soul '68]

That was my first ever City game. My second was Hull when Tosh scored a hat trick, and then he was gone. Twice I saw him play and he bagged 5 goals. And that's why he's my all time hero.

My first ever City hero, and still one of my all time favourite players in the 55 years I have been going down to watch the City

[life on mars]

Are you sure Gary Bell said that? He was seven years older than Trevor Francis. It was Bell who marked Francis when he came on at Ninian Park for his debut in August 1970. I was surprised to hear Francis say somewhere that Bell was “a perfect gentleman” that day, because, while I wouldn’t call him a dirty player, he’d let the winger he was marking know he was around.

All I can say he relayed his association with Trevor to a group of people ? Perhaps I got the playing thing right as Gary is older ??

[MacAdder]

Sad news, too young.

Great player, pace to burn.

RIP.

[Vindec]

Gary Bell marked Trevor Francis in the home match against us which I believe was Trevor Francis's league debut at the age of about 16. He went on to have a great career and died far too young.

[splott parker]

Bloody hell, strange how I still think of him as a youngster even though he’s older than me. It was the hype at the time I s’pose.

[Rock_Flock_of_Five]

Bloody hell, strange how I still think of him as a youngster even though he’s older than me. It was the hype at the time I s’pose.

I thought you said you are in your 70s?

[TWGL1]

News report on his Notts Forest signing

Nice XJS

https://twitter.com/1968tv/status/16...LhmySD2aRt-GNg

Coventry City were also in the running for his signature.

https://www.coventrytelegraph.net/sp...arget-15801828

[Eric the Half a Bee]

His Forest team mate Peter Shilton was also the highest paid player at the time, earning £1,200 a week. The average non manual income per week was then £113, 9.5% of Shiltons wage. Compare that with today with Gabriel Jesus salary of £13,780,000 or 265,000 a week against the average weekly wage of £534, which is 0.2% of Jesus wage.

Interesting. Mark Crossley reckons he was on £450 a week at Forest in the early 90s.

[NottinghamBlue]

RIP Trevor, I loved watching you play.

[splott parker]

I thought you said you are in your 70s?

Not me, years to go to reach that milestone………well, 18 months

[John Buchanan]

Sad a great player.
Never had a great memory and certainly not improving with age but, in my head, I went to watch an away game at Maine Road with Trevor flying down the wing. Cup game? Late seventies, early eighties? We lost.