The Forgotten Legends of Football: Sir Tom Finney

Being a long suffering Preston North End fan, I know all too well that the fans of our modest Lancashire club have had little to celebrate since our “Invincibles” team of the 1880s. We have merely existed among the giants of Lancashire football, rarely achieving anything of significance or witnessing something of note. But the one thing that every single Preston fan will always celebrate is the career of their greatest ever player; Sir Tom Finney.

It is safe to say that God broke the mould when he created Sir Tom Finney. The Preston North End and England forward is one of the most unique characters in football, and for so many different reasons it is difficult to imagine that we will ever see the likes of him on a football field ever again.

Nicknamed the “Preston Plumber”, Finney was forced by his father to complete an apprenticeship in the family’s plumbing business before signing his first professional contract with Preston. He continued to practice the trade even when he was playing, often catching the bus from work to the stadium for home games. In his working life, Finney actually earned more money in the plumbing trade than he ever did as a football player. If he had played in the modern day, Finney would have earned millions as one of the most talented players in the league. This, however, is part of what makes Tom Finney who he is; a modest legend from a time in past where football alone was the focus of a football player’s attention, not fame and money.

“Tom Finney would have been great in any team, in any match and in any age … even if he had been wearing an overcoat.” (Bill Shankly)

There is no denying that Sir Tom Finney is one of the greatest talents that English football has ever seen. Only 14 British football personalities have ever received a knighthood for their services to the sport, and Tom Finney stands among them. He was described by fellow Preston legend Bill Shankly as “the greatest player I ever saw in all my time”, while Sir Stanley Matthews categorised Finney with the very best of them when he said, “to dictate the pace and course of a game, a player has to be blessed with awesome qualities. Those who have accomplished it on a regular basis can be counted on the fingers of one hand – Pelé, Maradona, Best, Di Stefano, and Tom Finney”.

Finney was a diminutive forward who was able to play in any of the five forward roles that existed at the time. He was incredibly quick and elusive with unmatched dribbling ability, and he had the technical skill to both cross and shoot with devastating accuracy and with either foot. He remains Preston’s leading goalscorer to this day, with 187 goals in 433 appearances. In 1957, he became the first player ever to win the Footballer of the Year award twice, having won it for the first time back in 1954.

Finney’s career with England was equally magnificent. His 30 goals for the national side went unsurpassed until Sir Bobby Charlton, who still holds the record with 49, scored his 31st goal in 1963. Finney’s 30 goals is still 6th of all time, a record shared with fellow England greats Nat Lofthouse and Alan Shearer. For his achievements, Sir Tom received the OBE in 1961, the CBE in 1992 and in 1998 he finally received the knighthood he so richly deserved, becoming the third of only four football players in the game’s history to ever receive such an honour.

Good Old Fashioned Loyalty

However, despite all that acclaim, Finney never left his beloved home town club. There are very few footballers in history who are truly deserving of the distinction of being “loyal”, but Sir Tom Finney is undoubtedly one of them. After being born in Preston on a street right next to the Preston North End football ground no less, Finney would go on to spend his entire life with the local football club.

The Sir Tom Finney Stand at Preston’s Deepdale stadium bears the face of the club’s greatest legend

Because of his loyalty, the only trophy he would ever win as a professional player would be the old English Second Division title (although he would play in two FA Cup finals), making him probably the most talented player in the history of the game to go his entire career without a noteworthy medal.

It could have been so different. Finney was clearly too much of a talent to remain at Preston. In fact, his dominance in such a mediocre team was so clear that it was once joked that “Tom Finney should claim income tax relief for his 10 dependants”. It was clear for all to see that the Lancashire lad was destined for bigger things than Preston North End.

But the Preston boy never left.

Loyalty like that does not exist in the game any more. You may point to Ryan Giggs, Steven Gerrard, Jamie Carragher and Paul Scholes as modern examples, but remember that each of those players has enjoyed multiple trophy-winning seasons and accolades at their respective clubs. If any of them played at an underachieving club, it would not be surprising to see them chase trophies and a fatter paycheck elsewhere. Money, it seems, has made mercenaries of us all. Except Tom Finney of course.

Even when Preston were relegated in 1948-49, Finney refused to abandon his team. He was an established and respected England international and one of the best talents in the entire country when it happened. But despite serious interest from local rivals Blackpool and Manchester United, who were willing to pay a record fee for his signature, Finney decided to stay with his childhood club. And he has been there ever since.

After his retirement in 1960, Finney continued his close affinity with Preston North End, serving as Club President and regularly attending games even into his late 80s. His loyalty has not gone unnoticed by the Preston faithful, who have celebrated their greatest ever player in more than one way over the years. The largest stand in their Deepdale stadium is named the Sir Tom Finney Stand, and bears a giant picture of the Lancashire legend across the seats. In fact, the stadium itself sits beside a road called Sir Tom Finney Way. Preston is as much a part of Finney as Finney himself is of Preston.

“I’m not going to take you on”

Finney was unnaturally gifted not just as a football player, but also as a human being. When Dave Whelan appeared against Preston in his first game back for Blackburn Rovers after recovering from a broken leg, he was given the impossible task of marking Tom Finney. According to Whelan, Finney approached him at the start of the game and said this: “You’ve had some back luck son, and I’m not going to take you on, I want you to get through today’s game and get back into the first team.”

Tommy Docherty, a fellow Preston legend, said of Finney: “You never see him concerned in any tasteless things, we never hear him criticising anyone, and that was Finney.” Finney certainly played with a class and dignity on the field, and it is obvious in the statistics books; in 433 appearances for the Lilywhites, he never once received a yellow card. Perhaps his involvement in the Second World War (he fought in Montgomery’s Eighth Army in Egypt and later in Italy as a Stuart tank driver in 9th Lancers) taught him the kind of valuable life lessons on perspective and decency that today’s footballer will never appreciate.

Back in 2003, I had the honour of meeting Sir Tom, my club hero. In our short meeting at his house in Preston, he didn’t talk about himself once without being specifically asked. Instead, he only wanted to ask questions about me; where did I grow up, was I enjoying school, did I go to watch Preston play often?

Despite the fact that I was a thirteen year old boy with nothing remotely interesting to tell him, and he was one of the most accomplished sportsmen of the 20th century, he made me feel like I was the most interesting person in the room. He had no desire whatsoever to brag about his achievements, of which there are many, even though he knew I would have been completely awestruck if he had. At the time I didn’t appreciate it, but later it struck me just how unbelievably modest and kind Sir Tom Finney is. Those gifts are just as remarkable as his great footballing talent was.

Preston North End’s Tom Finney and members of his team link arms in the line up prior to his last match for the club

Legacy

Browsing a list of all the British football players with a knighthood, the average football fan will be far more familiar with the names of Bobby Charlton, Stanley Matthews and Geoff Hurst than that of Tom Finney. But Finney was just as good, if not better, than all of them. He just wasn’t in as good a situation.

Finney ignored the opportunity to chase glory elsewhere, choosing instead to remain a humble and proud Prestonian. Had he not been blessed with such loyalty, he might have joined Manchester United after that relegation season in 1949. He would have become a United legend, and one of the most famous players of all time worldwide. Because of that loyalty to Preston however, Finney’s reputation has suffered somewhat. In a way, he has been punished for his admirable qualities.

Tom Finney was not only one of the greatest footballers to have ever graced the beautiful game, he is also a thoroughly decent man. He has carried himself with dignity and class both on and off the field for his entire life, never letting greed or pride stand in the way of becoming the best of what he can be. What he gave to Preston North End and to football in general can never be repaid. And for that, he deserves to be remembered.