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Post by Deleted on May 24, 2016 14:57:45 GMT
met his younger brother today (in his 90's)
never seen any footage of him playing....I know he's a stoke ledge but how good was he?
anyone see him play live?
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Post by Deleted on May 24, 2016 16:39:31 GMT
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Post by roylandstoke on May 24, 2016 16:49:28 GMT
My dad used to say he was head and shoulders above any other centre half of the time and that if he hadn't gone to Columbia no one outside of Wolverhampton would have heard of Billy Wright.
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Post by block23 on May 24, 2016 16:52:40 GMT
My dad used to say he was head and shoulders above any other centre half of the time and that if he hadn't gone to Columbia no one outside of Wolverhampton would have heard of Billy Wright. Almost word for word what my dad says! |
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Post by Deleted on May 24, 2016 17:33:21 GMT
My dad used to say he was head and shoulders above any other centre half of the time and that if he hadn't gone to Columbia no one outside of Wolverhampton would have heard of Billy Wright. Almost word for word what my dad says! Dito hence the username  |
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Post by Sfance on May 24, 2016 17:46:31 GMT
If Bob McGrory was alive today so he could really appreciate what "high transfers" have come to mean! Not that we need more evidence to know how much the game has changed.
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Post by Lakeland Potter on May 24, 2016 17:49:28 GMT
My dad used to say he was head and shoulders above any other centre half of the time and that if he hadn't gone to Columbia no one outside of Wolverhampton would have heard of Billy Wright. Almost word for word what my dad says! My dad says exactly the same! He (my dad) was actually a Man Utd fan (born in Warrington as was I) but when we moved to North Staffs I became a Stoke fan and my dad had Stoke as his second club. But even as a Man Utd fan he said he had never seen a better centre back. He was a superb ball player and would have been equally good as a creative midfielder in today's game, I should think. Sadly I never saw him play live although I've seen a good few clips of him playing for England before the Bogota affair. |
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Post by thepirehillpoet on May 24, 2016 17:58:41 GMT
Have to echo above, my dad always said that Billy Wright wouldn't have got 10 caps if it had not been for Franklin going to Bogota.
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Post by pavel on May 24, 2016 18:04:53 GMT
The way my dad talks about him is that he could choose any club in the world and they would welcome him with open arms even in todays game. A defender who could defend and command the line but also walk the ball out of defence and pass it with aplomb, booting it out was rare and only in exceptional circumstances. If Carlsburg did centre halves he would be the one.
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Post by Staying up for Grandadstokey on May 24, 2016 18:07:31 GMT
I have heard the same, a chap I used to work with said you could spot Franklin straight away because he always had the cleanest kit, as he rarely went to ground making tackles and his reading of the game was so good he intercepted most opposition attacks.
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Post by lordb on May 24, 2016 18:09:22 GMT
The best defender this country has produced bar none.
Moore was the most inspirational of captains of course.
Stoke should name stands after Stan,Franklin and Banks.
Would cost next to nothing and would add gravitas.
By all means tag the sponsors name with it.
The away end should be named after Banks as he is more of a national figure courtesy of 1966.
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Post by rawli on May 24, 2016 18:14:48 GMT
Sounds like the John Stones of his day.
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Post by Lakeland Potter on May 24, 2016 18:22:04 GMT
Sounds like the John Stones of his day. So, you think Stones is one of the best defenders in the world?  |
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Post by Deleted on May 24, 2016 18:33:30 GMT
My dad used to say he was head and shoulders above any other centre half of the time and that if he hadn't gone to Columbia no one outside of Wolverhampton would have heard of Billy Wright. Almost word for word what my dad says! Yep, same here. I think Billy Wright did acknowledge that he wouldn't have had anywhere near as many caps if Franklin had stayed around. |
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Post by Deleted on May 24, 2016 18:36:58 GMT
In the late 80s or early 90s we played a friendly away at some non-league club (can't remember who). On the way back we stopped at a pub, and someone had left a Hull City fanzine lying around. Inside, they'd voted for their all time Hull City team. They had Franklin at centre half.
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Post by mrcoke on May 24, 2016 18:39:01 GMT
Just reading Nick Varley's Wilf Mannion biography and there is a section devoted to Neil.
He was the outstanding English player of his day and after the war (WWII) he was the first name on the England team sheet. In those days there was a selection panel, with selectors each arguing for "their man". Consequently players were in and out of the team, depending on negotiations at the selection meeting, never mind how well they played in the last match. This included our own Stan who would be in and out of the team. But in the case of Neil Franklin there was unanimity in his selection.
NF won a record 27 consecutive caps, played in 39 consecutive England games (caps weren't always awarded, e.g. friendlies) and appeared in every post-war international until his "defection".
NV wrote that WM said: "Neil Franklin was the finest centre-half England ever produced, according to all who saw him play - subtly skilful, in an era when stoppers were briefed to stop and nothing else, assured and calm. he could do the stopping no problem, but his defensive genius lay in his ability to read the game, intercept the telling attacking pass and then unerringly find a team-mate, with a short or long ball, to start a counterattack."
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Post by baystokie on May 24, 2016 19:21:30 GMT
Just reading Nick Varley's Wilf Mannion biography and there is a section devoted to Neil. He was the outstanding English player of his day and after the war (WWII) he was the first name on the England team sheet. In those days there was a selection panel, with selectors each arguing for "their man". Consequently players were in and out of the team, depending on negotiations at the selection meeting, never mind how well they played in the last match. This included our own Stan who would be in and out of the team. But in the case of Neil Franklin there was unanimity in his selection. NF won a record 27 consecutive caps, played in 39 consecutive England games (caps weren't always awarded, e.g. friendlies) and appeared in every post-war international until his "defection". NV wrote that WM said: "Neil Franklin was the finest centre-half England ever produced, according to all who saw him play - subtly skilful, in an era when stoppers were briefed to stop and nothing else, assured and calm. he could do the stopping no problem, but his defensive genius lay in his ability to read the game, intercept the telling attacking pass and then unerringly find a team-mate, with a short or long ball, to start a counterattack."Wilf Mannion knew a footballer when he saw one. In autobiographies by Tom Finney, Raich Carter, Tommy Lawton, George Hardwick and Stan Mortensen, they all sang Neil's praises and always chose him in their top team selection. First saw him 'in the flesh' in 1947, and couldn't take my eyes off him. Like Sir Stan, fast over the first ten yards, a clinical tackler, magnificent header of a ball and would rather hang on to the ball rather than just boot it anywhere (something that famously frightened McGrory). A once-in-a-lifetime footballer - glad it was my lifetime in which he appeared. |
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c00kie
Academy Starlet
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Post by c00kie on May 24, 2016 19:24:16 GMT
Neil Franklin played in every full England International from his debut in Feb 1945 until his refusal to take part in the forthcoming World Cup in May 1950, the only man to be an ever-present over that period. That fact speaks oceans for his ability, I think, especially when you consider the legendary status of many of the players he played alongside. Billy Wright was also an ever-present with him from January 1946, and he and Franklin played together 32 times.
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Post by Deleted on May 24, 2016 19:25:24 GMT
Have we all got the same Dad ^
My dad is 83 and he still says he's the best he's ever seen.
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ianbuckley
Academy Starlet
Neil, my Godfather
Posts: 184
Location: Cheshire
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Post by ianbuckley on May 24, 2016 19:58:18 GMT
Neil was Bestman at my mum and dads wedding and later became my Godfather. Our families were very close and I saw plenty of Neil as a young boy but never playing football (too young). My dad, as you would expect, thought he would have become one of the world greats, had he been given the chance but the Bogota issue ruined his career.
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Post by torquaypotter on May 24, 2016 20:05:47 GMT
met his younger brother today (in his 90's) never seen any footage of him playing....I know he's a stoke ledge but how good was he? anyone see him play live? I knocked around with his son GARY for a few years went over to CREWE to watch him in training .We went up to Trentham one time and i saved a penalty off him lol . my claim to fame |
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Post by no1972 on May 24, 2016 20:09:55 GMT
I played with Neil in the half holiday league he was well in his 50s then and still was class.
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Post by Malcolm Clarke on May 24, 2016 20:30:22 GMT
Almost word for word what my dad says! Yep, same here. I think Billy Wright did acknowledge that he wouldn't have had anywhere near as many caps if Franklin had stayed around. Peter Coates says that Billy Wright once said just that to him. As those who have read our book know, Neil Baldwin was named after Neil Franklin and has Franklin's autograph on the back of his birth certificate ( Nello started collecting the signatures of the famous very young ) |
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Post by block23 on May 24, 2016 21:53:02 GMT
Yep, same here. I think Billy Wright did acknowledge that he wouldn't have had anywhere near as many caps if Franklin had stayed around. Peter Coates says that Billy Wright once said just that to him. As those who have read our book know, Neil Baldwin was named after Neil Franklin and has Franklin's autograph on the back of his birth certificate ( Nello started collecting the signatures of the famous very young ) Not quite in the league of Billy Wright, but me dad was a CH at Shrewsbury in his early years and alway s refers back to Franklin when a discussion on defenders takes place as the best ever. interestingly, whilst he rates lots of Stoke players from over the years, the one he thinks was the best ever player in a Stoke shirt( not counting Banks who was the best ever keeper!) was Hudson. Interesting as he has watched many of the greats we have had over the years |
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Post by swampySCFC on May 24, 2016 22:05:26 GMT
My Dad is weighing in on this one. Best CH he has seen. I've seen plenty of my own with my dad but he still rates NF
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Post by Malcolm Clarke on May 24, 2016 22:17:26 GMT
Peter Coates says that Billy Wright once said just that to him. As those who have read our book know, Neil Baldwin was named after Neil Franklin and has Franklin's autograph on the back of his birth certificate ( Nello started collecting the signatures of the famous very young ) Not quite in the league of Billy Wright, but me dad was a CH at Shrewsbury in his early years and alway s refers back to Franklin when a discussion on defenders takes place as the best ever. interestingly, whilst he rates lots of Stoke players from over the years, the one he thinks was the best ever player in a Stoke shirt( not counting Banks who was the best ever keeper!) was Hudson. Interesting as he has watched many of the greats we have had over the years I agree with him. Although I think it is difficult, perhaps even meaningless, to compare players from completely different eras, when I am asked to say who I think is the best Stoke player I've seen in over half a century of support, I always say Alan Hudson. |
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1963
Academy Starlet
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Post by 1963 on May 24, 2016 22:50:31 GMT
My Dad who died in 2003 also spoke of him as the best centre half he had seen. I think in retirement he kept the Dog and Doublet pub at Sandon just south of Stone but I may be wrong - anyone confirm?
In my generation (1963 to date watching Stoke) the best player I have seen is Alan Hudson.
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Post by PerCyfilth ....Captains Log on May 24, 2016 22:50:35 GMT
Anyone who ever saw him say he was the best . Never went to ground was as fresh when he came off as when he went on. My dad told me he went down once and the trainer ran on with a comb..immaculate.
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Post by OldStokie on May 24, 2016 23:01:18 GMT
I probably did see him play, but to be honest it was during my earliest days as a Stokie and I can't remember. (More interested in the day at a game than who played back then.) Then came the 50's and I became a 'serious supporter'. I can roll that team off by heart... Robertson, Bourne, McCue, Mountford, Thompson, Sellars, Malkin, Bowyer, Finney, King, and Oscroft.
And Alan Hudson is definitely the finest player I've ever seen in the red and white.
OS.
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Post by lawrieleslie on May 25, 2016 7:30:20 GMT
I doubt the club would name a stand after him. He left Stoke under a massive cloud after returning from disastrous time in Columbia. Stoke still retained his registration so FIFA became involved and banned players being poached by Columbian clubs. On his return he was suspended indefinitely by the club and then sold to Hull City.
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