Tweet
Sir Tom Finney: a living legend
(FIFA.com) Friday 25 April 2008
On Monday, an exclusive interview with Ryan Giggs will be published on FIFA.com. As well as being one of the game's greatest wingers, the Welshman has represented his country on more than 50 occasions and stayed loyal to Manchester United.
It is fair to say that most users of FIFA.com would never have had the pleasure of seeing Tom Finney appear for Preston North End or for England [Finney played his last game in 1963], but the comparisons with Giggs are obvious. Finney was a one-club man, an England international and considered to be one of the most talented players of his generation.
In an age in which the words 'legend' and 'superstar' are used too freely, Finney was both of those things, if not more. Legendary Liverpool manager Bill Shankly, a former team-mate of the man known as the 'Phantom Winger', once said: "Tom Finney would have been great in any team, in any match and in any age - even if he had been wearing an overcoat. He had the opposition so frightened that they'd have a man marking him when warming up!"
Shankly's predilection for exaggeration should not distract from the fact that Finney was a true great. He was twice named English Footballer of the Year, scored 30 goals in 76 appearances for his country and, unlike Giggs, showcased his skills on the biggest stage of all, playing in three successive FIFA World Cups™. Not bad for a player who, minutes before debut, was told by his coach: "Don't worry, son, we're not expecting too much from you."
The golden player of the golden age
Now 86, Finney is still going strong. The memories of his debut for club and country are still clear, as are the matches he played in at Brazil 1950, Switzerland 1954 and Sweden 1958. During these three tournaments, England arguably underachieved, but he would not change a thing.
When you think about all the great players never to have played in one, George Best for example, I'm very humbled by the fact that I've taken part in three.
Sir Tom Finney speaks of his pride at representing England at the 1950, 1954 and 1958 FIFA World Cups.
"I do consider myself lucky to have played in three World Cups," he told FIFA.com. " When you think about all the great players never to have played in one, George Best for example, I'm very humbled by the fact that I've taken part in three. It's always wonderful to be selected for your country, I think it's the biggest honour a footballer can have, so to play for your country on such a big stage is something incredibly special.
"I think in 1950, 1954 and 1958, England had the players, but not the system to be successful. We were tactically naïve. Things only changed when [Sir} Alf Ramsey was appointed the coach - he was a great thinker - and it was one of my proudest moments to see a team led by my former team-mate win the World Cup in 1966. It was a great day for the country - and I'd love us to win the World Cup again. I hope to be around to see it!"
The Three Lions went to the FIFA World Cup in 1950 with the fans back home expecting them to return with the Jules Rimet Trophy. However, things did not go according to plan. A 2-0 defeat of Chile in their first game was followed by a meeting with USA in Belo Horizonte. The result of the match is legendary: England 0, USA 1. FIFA.com asked what went wrong.
"Well, not a lot went right," joked Finney. "It was one of those games where we were destined to lose. We hit the post several times in the first-half and twice again in the second. They got the goal, an absolute fluke of a goal, and our heads dropped. After that, I think we believed that it wasn't going to be our day and we stopped playing. We could have played them 100 times and beaten them comfortably on 99 occasions.
People think the players have a rough time of it now with the media, but it wasn't much easier for us in 1950!
Finney thinks that certain aspects of the game have not changed at all since the 1950s.
"We went from boarding the plane to Rio full of excitement, thinking that we'd do our country proud, to coming home after being branded as a catastrophe by the press. People think the players have a rough time of it now with the media, but it wasn't much easier for us in 1950! I think the problem was that it was England's first time at the World Cup, it was something new for everyone and we didn't know what we were going to come up against. But we should have done better against the US."
A 1-0 defeat by Spain in the Maracana ended English hopes and attentions were turned to the next competition in Switzerland four years later.
A duel with Yashin
"It was very strange going from a World Cup in a country so passionate about football, to Switzerland, where everything was much more understated," said Finney. "We went from playing in front of over 100,000 people at the Maracana to 14,000 against Belgium in Basle. But we had a better team in 1954, losing to a very good Uruguay team in the quarter-finals. Then it was over to Sweden, where I played in just one game: against the USSR. I was injured very early in the game, but carried on - there was no way that I was coming off!
"We were behind 2-1 when we were awarded a penalty and I was having to take it against Lev Yashin. He was such a great goalkeeper, who had a special talent for saving penalties as well as cutting an intimidating figure dressed all in black. But that didn't matter. All I could think of was putting the ball in the back of the net. I decided to use my right foot, my weaker foot, because I knew that he'd have seen me strike a few penalties with my left. And I scored! I foxed Yashin!
"Was I nervous? You bet! When I turned round to begin my run-up, some of my team-mates had their backs turned, they couldn't bear to watch. You can imagine how I felt! Sadly, that was my last contribution to the World Cup. I missed the games with Austria and Brazil through injury - and that was tough for me. I was desperate to play, especially against a great Brazil side who included Pele, Didi and Garrincha - three of my heroes.
Both were great ball players who could take players on and score goals. It's such a shame that they never had the chance to share the world stage together.
Finney on the similarities between Duncan Edwards and Pele.
"But it wasn't just me who was missing out. I think we'd have done a lot better in that World Cup had it not been for the Munich disaster. We lost three or four Manchester United players, most notably Duncan Edwards, who could have been heralded as much as Pele for his performances in that tournament. Both were great ball players who could take players on and score goals. It's such a shame that they never had the chance to share the world stage together."
Perhaps understandably, his eyes filled slightly as he spoke that last sentence. Finney is renowned in England as 'the gentleman footballer'. He was never booked, sent off or even spoken to by a referee in a career which totaled 510 matches. And for all of those matches, the proud Prestonian stayed loyal to his hometown club. So, what does he think about the game today compared to the 1950s?
"Good players always want to play for the best clubs and there are some, like me, who only want to play for one club. I was a bit of a rarity back then too. Footballers still experience pain after a defeat, joy after a victory - and there's no greater honour in the game than representing your country and winning the World Cup. And the media here still expect England to win every single game they play in. So, not much has changed really, has it?"
(FIFA.com) Friday 25 April 2008
On Monday, an exclusive interview with Ryan Giggs will be published on FIFA.com. As well as being one of the game's greatest wingers, the Welshman has represented his country on more than 50 occasions and stayed loyal to Manchester United.
It is fair to say that most users of FIFA.com would never have had the pleasure of seeing Tom Finney appear for Preston North End or for England [Finney played his last game in 1963], but the comparisons with Giggs are obvious. Finney was a one-club man, an England international and considered to be one of the most talented players of his generation.
In an age in which the words 'legend' and 'superstar' are used too freely, Finney was both of those things, if not more. Legendary Liverpool manager Bill Shankly, a former team-mate of the man known as the 'Phantom Winger', once said: "Tom Finney would have been great in any team, in any match and in any age - even if he had been wearing an overcoat. He had the opposition so frightened that they'd have a man marking him when warming up!"
Shankly's predilection for exaggeration should not distract from the fact that Finney was a true great. He was twice named English Footballer of the Year, scored 30 goals in 76 appearances for his country and, unlike Giggs, showcased his skills on the biggest stage of all, playing in three successive FIFA World Cups™. Not bad for a player who, minutes before debut, was told by his coach: "Don't worry, son, we're not expecting too much from you."
The golden player of the golden age
Now 86, Finney is still going strong. The memories of his debut for club and country are still clear, as are the matches he played in at Brazil 1950, Switzerland 1954 and Sweden 1958. During these three tournaments, England arguably underachieved, but he would not change a thing.
When you think about all the great players never to have played in one, George Best for example, I'm very humbled by the fact that I've taken part in three. Sir Tom Finney speaks of his pride at representing England at the 1950, 1954 and 1958 FIFA World Cups. "I do consider myself lucky to have played in three World Cups," he told FIFA.com. " When you think about all the great players never to have played in one, George Best for example, I'm very humbled by the fact that I've taken part in three. It's always wonderful to be selected for your country, I think it's the biggest honour a footballer can have, so to play for your country on such a big stage is something incredibly special.
"I think in 1950, 1954 and 1958, England had the players, but not the system to be successful. We were tactically naïve. Things only changed when [Sir} Alf Ramsey was appointed the coach - he was a great thinker - and it was one of my proudest moments to see a team led by my former team-mate win the World Cup in 1966. It was a great day for the country - and I'd love us to win the World Cup again. I hope to be around to see it!"
The Three Lions went to the FIFA World Cup in 1950 with the fans back home expecting them to return with the Jules Rimet Trophy. However, things did not go according to plan. A 2-0 defeat of Chile in their first game was followed by a meeting with USA in Belo Horizonte. The result of the match is legendary: England 0, USA 1. FIFA.com asked what went wrong.
"Well, not a lot went right," joked Finney. "It was one of those games where we were destined to lose. We hit the post several times in the first-half and twice again in the second. They got the goal, an absolute fluke of a goal, and our heads dropped. After that, I think we believed that it wasn't going to be our day and we stopped playing. We could have played them 100 times and beaten them comfortably on 99 occasions.
People think the players have a rough time of it now with the media, but it wasn't much easier for us in 1950!
Finney thinks that certain aspects of the game have not changed at all since the 1950s.
"We went from boarding the plane to Rio full of excitement, thinking that we'd do our country proud, to coming home after being branded as a catastrophe by the press. People think the players have a rough time of it now with the media, but it wasn't much easier for us in 1950! I think the problem was that it was England's first time at the World Cup, it was something new for everyone and we didn't know what we were going to come up against. But we should have done better against the US."
A 1-0 defeat by Spain in the Maracana ended English hopes and attentions were turned to the next competition in Switzerland four years later.
A duel with Yashin
"It was very strange going from a World Cup in a country so passionate about football, to Switzerland, where everything was much more understated," said Finney. "We went from playing in front of over 100,000 people at the Maracana to 14,000 against Belgium in Basle. But we had a better team in 1954, losing to a very good Uruguay team in the quarter-finals. Then it was over to Sweden, where I played in just one game: against the USSR. I was injured very early in the game, but carried on - there was no way that I was coming off!
"We were behind 2-1 when we were awarded a penalty and I was having to take it against Lev Yashin. He was such a great goalkeeper, who had a special talent for saving penalties as well as cutting an intimidating figure dressed all in black. But that didn't matter. All I could think of was putting the ball in the back of the net. I decided to use my right foot, my weaker foot, because I knew that he'd have seen me strike a few penalties with my left. And I scored! I foxed Yashin!
"Was I nervous? You bet! When I turned round to begin my run-up, some of my team-mates had their backs turned, they couldn't bear to watch. You can imagine how I felt! Sadly, that was my last contribution to the World Cup. I missed the games with Austria and Brazil through injury - and that was tough for me. I was desperate to play, especially against a great Brazil side who included Pele, Didi and Garrincha - three of my heroes.
Both were great ball players who could take players on and score goals. It's such a shame that they never had the chance to share the world stage together.
Finney on the similarities between Duncan Edwards and Pele.
"But it wasn't just me who was missing out. I think we'd have done a lot better in that World Cup had it not been for the Munich disaster. We lost three or four Manchester United players, most notably Duncan Edwards, who could have been heralded as much as Pele for his performances in that tournament. Both were great ball players who could take players on and score goals. It's such a shame that they never had the chance to share the world stage together."
Perhaps understandably, his eyes filled slightly as he spoke that last sentence. Finney is renowned in England as 'the gentleman footballer'. He was never booked, sent off or even spoken to by a referee in a career which totaled 510 matches. And for all of those matches, the proud Prestonian stayed loyal to his hometown club. So, what does he think about the game today compared to the 1950s?
"Good players always want to play for the best clubs and there are some, like me, who only want to play for one club. I was a bit of a rarity back then too. Footballers still experience pain after a defeat, joy after a victory - and there's no greater honour in the game than representing your country and winning the World Cup. And the media here still expect England to win every single game they play in. So, not much has changed really, has it?"