One of England's greatest ever. I hope the FA do some form of tribute for him at the next England international vs Denmark. RIP. please log in to view this image
A quote springs to mind but not sure it was about him, that Stanley Matthews could put the ball on your head but Tom Finney could cross it so the laces faced away so you didn't hurt your head. A true legend. RIP.
Am pretty sure that that quote had Matthews crossing the ball with the laces away, I think from Stan Mortenson but nevertheless Sir Tom was the GREATEST in his time, RIP
RIP. He was Bill Shankly's hero. Someone one said to Shankly that a player was nearlynas good as Finney. Aye.replied Shankly, but don't forget Tom is 65 nowadays. Few, if any, players will be held in such regard by their club and fans as Sir Tom is in Preston. The last of the truly great one club players.
rip brilliant player fought in ww2, returned and brought inspiring brilliant displays time and time again
Not denying that Sir Tom was the greatest of his time, I must remind you that Stevie Gerrard is still around
Very very sad day. Sir Tom Finney was a throughly genuine and very down to earth person. Rest in Peace Sir Tom
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/26200831 Former Preston and England winger Sir Tom Finney has died at the age of 91. Finney made more than 400 league appearances for Preston North End between 1946 and 1960 and won 76 caps for England. He scored 30 goals for England, placing him joint sixth on the all-time list with Alan Shearer and Nat Lofthouse. Preston's favourite son Paul Fletcher BBC Sport "Preston has lost its favourite son, a man who gave Prestonians pride in the place they come from. It was as though a little of the esteem and respect in which Finney was held rubbed off on all of them. "My dad always insisted that he knew him. Everyone of his generation did and so I took his words lightly. One day I was walking through the centre of town with my old man when I noticed Finney walking towards us. He looked up as our paths crossed and, with what I am sure to this day was a hint of recognition, looked my dad square in the face and wished him good morning. "Sir Tom, you will be missed." A Preston statement said: "Sir Tom was the greatest player to ever play for Preston North End and one of the all time greats for England." Preston are due to play Leyton Orient in League One on Saturday. The statement added: "Preston North End have been informed of the extremely sad news of the passing of Sir Tom Finney. "The thoughts of everyone at the club, and those connected with it, are with his family at this time." Sir Tom Finney in numbers Sir Tom Finney 76 England caps 30 England goals 433 league appearances 187 league goals Two footballer of the year awards BBC chief football correspondent Mike Ingham told BBC Radio 5 live: "He was a slight figure but incredibly brave. Former Liverpool manager Bill Shankly considered him to be the greatest player to ever play the game. "That's all you need to know." Born in Preston, Finney was named footballer of the year in 1953-54 and 1956-57 and was twice a runner-up in the league with his local club, as well as playing in the 1954 FA Cup final defeat to West Brom. He played at the 1954 and 1958 World Cup finals with England, with former England and Blackpool defender Jimmy Armfield calling him a "great footballer and a great man". Speaking in 2012, England's record goalscorer Sir Bobby Charlton called Finney's contribution to football "immeasurable". Charlton told BBC Sport: "I used to look at him and think, this is fantastic. "Watching him, you knew full well that the full-backs had had it. He was just too good for them. Occasionally I had the pleasure to play with him and it was the greatest pleasure anyone could ever give me. "I have so many happy memories of watching him play. His contribution to football is immeasurable."
My dad always said that Finney was a more complete/versatile player than Matthews - he could play brilliantly at right wing, left wing or centre forward.
Last interview I saw with Tom he was asked why did you spend all you're career at Preston! His answer was well in those days, before Jimmy Hill introduced the player's contract we were all payed the same and yes Man U and Arsenal made approaches but I would have still been on £12 a week. This was a guy who did a 4 hour Saturday morning shift as a plumber then getting on a public transport bus with the fans to play. Talk about glory glory days he sure had them.
I had a collection of football annuals me dad got me, i must have been 7 or eight yrs. Tom Finney stands out in my memory of those books. RIP.
Legend is a word that has lost its meaning these days, too many ordinary players are given the tag of being something they clearly are not. RIP Sir Tom. England legend forever.
Couldn't he have endorsed Brylcream or some other product? That was the only way wasn't it that top players made any serious money in those days. Even in George Best's day what he got from Man United in wages was tiny compared to all his endorsements.
