Frank Worthington

[Pegosteve]

What a great article about Frank Worthington on the Blue Army Leicester Mercury website, living abroad don't know if it was printed in the Mercury. He is a true legend, definatly the most skilfull player ever to wear the shirt - in my lifetime - Liverpool's loss was our gain. Thanks Frank for the memories and happy birthday for later this month.

[Free Falling Foxes]

He was class! Just look at this. Okay, he wasn't playing for us but what a cracking piece of skill

[Simi]

He was class! Just look at this. Okay, he wasn't playing for us but what a cracking piece of skill

I think that's where the phrase "Drawn to the ball" must've come from. :laugh:

[Pegosteve]

Thanks for this brilliant, back in the 70`s we used to see these sort of skills each week. It was worth the entrance fee just to watch him warm up!!

[davieG]

One of the Foxestalk LCFC Legends - http://www.foxestalk.co.uk/forums/index.php?showtopic=29301

[knowitall]

Spoke to Frank today.

He will coming to watch Leicester at home. In the next couple of games.

[Kilworthfox]

Spoke to Frank today.

He will coming to watch Leicester at home. In the next couple of games.

Are you Alan Birchenall? <_<

[Thracian]

Frank Worthington? One of the finest players ever to pull on a City shirt.

The mess he could make of some of the finest centre-halfs in the land could only be admired.

I remember once, against Sunderland I think, he was marked so tightly it was almost indecent. He controlled a clearance from our goalkeeper on his chest, teed the ball up with his knee, flicked in over his own head and that of the marking centre-half then nipped around him and volleyed the still dropping ball into the net.

Frank had his own after hours training routine in the pubs and clubs or our City which made a nonsense of the fitness and lifestyle theories so prevalent today.

But Frank the footballer was inimitable. A true craftsman and with imagination to die for. If only the likes of Frank and Davie Gibson and Derek Dougan could somehow materialise again in our team today. Fans would finally realise what I mean about entertaining, attacking football.

With Gibson it was his mesmerising ability to direct a ball as if it was a guided wapon on a piece of string. With Dougan it was the humour that went with his devastating brilliance as a traditional centre-forward and with Worthington it was "how the hell did he do that".

With all respect to some of our team members today, they may have heir big cars and big salaries. But they haven't got to first base as footballers. And, sadly, most of them never will.

Gradel just might get there. If he ever demands enough of himself and dedicates himself to endless hours of improving.

[JakeShingler]

Spoke to Frank today.

He will coming to watch Leicester at home. In the next couple of games.

He will not be inpressed.

[Salieri]

Frank Worthington? One of the finest players ever to pull on a City shirt.

The mess he could make of some of the finest centre-halfs in the land could only be admired.

I remember once, against Sunderland I think, he was marked so tightly it was almost indecent. He controlled a clearance from our goalkeeper on his chest, teed the ball up with his knee, flicked in over his own head and that of the marking centre-half then nipped around him and volleyed the still dropping ball into the net.

Frank had his own after hours training routine in the pubs and clubs or our City which made a nonsense of the fitness and lifestyle theories so prevalent today.

But Frank the footballer was inimitable. A true craftsman and with imagination to die for. If only the likes of Frank and Davie Gibson and Derek Dougan could somehow materialise again in our team today. Fans would finally realise what I mean about entertaining, attacking football.

With Gibson it was his mesmerising ability to direct a ball as if it was a guided wapon on a piece of string. With Dougan it was the humour that went with his devastating brilliance as a traditional centre-forward and with Worthington it was "how the hell did he do that".

With all respect to some of our team members today, they may have heir big cars and big salaries. But they haven't got to first base as footballers. And, sadly, most of them never will.

Gradel just might get there. If he ever demands enough of himself and dedicates himself to endless hours of improving.

Shouldn't be mentioned in the same breath...

[Thracian]

Shouldn't be mentioned in the same breath...

I qualified my mention but Gradel is the rarest talent I've seen at our club in years, if given time and a bit of patience. Given the guidance of someone like Ferguson he'd be unrecogniseable in three years. Apart from his hairstyle, no doubt!

[Salieri]

I qualified my mention but Gradel is the rarest talent I've seen at our club in years, if given time and a bit of patience. Given the guidance of someone like Ferguson he'd be unrecogniseable in three years. Apart from his hairstyle, no doubt!

Ive got a mate who is a Bournemouth fan and he was raving about him last season. He started this season with us pretty well but has seriously gone off the boil.

Yes, he is still very young and has great potential, but how many times have we said that about City players over the years? I remember a certain Julian Joachim, who i was convinced was gonna be a superstar but that never quite materialised! Theres plenty more, some have gone on to do well admittedly, Heskey most recently.

I do think he has enormous potential and its so refreshing to see a player who actually looks to beat his man rather than look to release the ball at the first opportunity. I just hope that the coaching staff are working overtime on improving his delivery because that is the main thing that is lacking at the moment.

The sad thing is though (as we all know) if he does up his game, he'll soon be snapped up by a "bigger" club!

[carterfox90]

He was class! Just look at this. Okay, he wasn't playing for us but what a cracking piece of skill

i started to watch city just at the end of the bloomfield days frank was some kind of player for his time a true legend

[demon_dog]

Fortunately being one of the older persons on this forum, I have been fortunate enough to have seen the great player.

One of the best ever players to pull on a city shirt, he was sheer class, one of our great legends.

As someone mentioned in a previous post, it was a pleasure to see the likes of Worthington, Weller, Shilton, etc..

Great football at a great ground.

Sadly will probably never see us reach such heights for many years to come.

[Steven]

Fortunately being one of the older persons on this forum, I have been fortunate enough to have seen the great player.

One of the best ever players to pull on a city shirt, he was sheer class, one of our great legends.

As someone mentioned in a previous post, it was a pleasure to see the likes of Worthington, Weller, Shilton, etc..

Great football at a great ground.

Sadly will probably never see us reach such heights for many years to come.

We must be of similar age. Frank was one of the main reasons why I support Leicester City. Fabulous skill and imagination and a treat to watch playing football. Thanks Frank.

[Hullfox]

I think that time is a great healer to memories.

On his day he was an absolute footballing genius, a class apart.

He did not produce the goods week in week out though and Thrach's comment about diet and fitness is irrelevant, nobody knows if today's regimes would have suppressed or improved his talent.

As for mentioning any of todays team in the same breath, just don't.

[Thracian]

I think that time is a great healer to memories.

On his day he was an absolute footballing genius, a class apart.

He did not produce the goods week in week out though and Thrach's comment about diet and fitness is irrelevant, nobody knows if today's regimes would have suppressed or improved his talent.

As for mentioning any of todays team in the same breath, just don't.

Based on what we've had recently I'd have Worthington, lifestyle and all, just as he was, in any Leicester team of mine. You talk about relevence but I don't think dieticians and whatnot would have come into it. He'd have just gone his own way, whatever.

Quite apart from his football skills, Worthington had something that has increasingly disappeared from modern sport. Personality. He was an entertainer who loved to put on a show. Derek Dougan was another and could be so amusing at times.

Doubtless most modern regimes would have tried to suppress all that and in many cases it's quite obvious that they've succeeded. But I don't think they'd ever have changed the likes of Worthington, Dougan and Best. At least I'm not prepared to imagine it.

I prefer the memories as they are, thanks. Healed, faded or otherwise.

And if I want to show my appreciation of Gradel's talent and individualism I will. He's got a long way to go before he'll be the finished article and there's a lot can go wrong and no-one suggests otherwise.

But Gradel to me is one of the most efforvescent and expressive young footballers we've ever had. He clearly just loves doing tricks with a ball and has got all the makings of exactly the sort of entertainer that football and our club so badly needs.

And just because he's run into a bit of indifferent form, for whatever reason, it hasn't changed my views on him one bit. He needs backing not whacking.

[Hullfox]

And if I want to show my appreciation of Gradel's talent and individualism I will.

That's fine. Just don't do it in a thread dedicated to Frank Worthington please.

It may be just my perception but a discussion about a particular player all too often is turned into a one man love fest for a youngster.

[Thracian]

That's fine. Just don't do it in a thread dedicated to Frank Worthington please.

It may be just my perception but a discussion about a particular player all too often is turned into a one man love fest for a youngster.

It is your perception.

I much miss the flamboyant character of past heroes - people like Matt Le Tissier, Worthington, Dougan, Best, Law, Cantona, Rodney Marsh...and Gradel represents the first player I've seen in our shirt for donkey's years who one day might just deserve the accolade entertaining.

That he's a young player is totally incidental. In more modern football I love watching Berbatov, Ronaldo and even Rooney at his best. But I don't see us getting any of those, do you? Gradel's our best hope right now.

[Head Honcho]

I qualified my mention but Gradel is the rarest talent I've seen at our club in years, if given time and a bit of patience. Given the guidance of someone like Ferguson he'd be unrecogniseable in three years. Apart from his hairstyle, no doubt!

Oh come on Thracian don't talk fvcking rubbish!

Gradel couldn't lace Wortho's boots.

[Daggers]

Gradel couldn't lace Wortho's boots.

He probably could but he would fall over three times, have one taken off him too easily and go to cross the other one into the changing room but find it goes out into the toilet.

[Thracian]

Oh come on Thracian don't talk fvcking rubbish!

Gradel couldn't lace Wortho's boots.

Who's said he could?