Howard - Pah! Frank Large was the man.

[davieG]

OS

Forty-four years ago this week, on 11 November 1967, one of Leicester City's cult heroes made his debut for the Club in a 6-0 defeat at Manchester City.

His name was Frank Large and he was a centre forward. He only played for Leicester for six months, but his exploits during that time mean that his name will forever be remembered by Leicester City fans.

Arguably, no other Leicester player ever made such a large impact in so short a time

The fans loved his bravery. His bustling, aggressive, no- nonsense, barnstorming style intimidated defenders. He had great energy. He worked very hard. He was great in the air. He was as strong as a lion and ultra-competitive. He was fearless. He would run through brick walls, as his badly broken nose testified. He was also tough. Late in his post-Leicester career, when he had broken his big toe, he was so determined to play that he just cut a chunk out of his boot to make it a bit more comfortable. Hardly surprisingly, he quickly became a crowd favourite at Filbert Street.

Frank had been signed by Matt Gillies from Northampton Town for a fee of £20,000 a few days before his Foxes' debut. Leicester were in their 11th successive season in the top division. The team had some very good players such as Shilton, Rodrigues, Nish, Roberts, Sjoberg, Cross, Gibson and Stringfellow. However Derek Dougan, who had left the club in March 1967, had never really been replaced.

Large was much-loved for his strength and work-rate.

Leicester had been linked to such high profile players as Jim McCalliog of Sheffield Wednesday, Ron Davies of Southampton, Fred Pickering of Everton, and Andy Lochhead of Burnley. Consequently, it was a bit of an anticlimax when Leicester signed Frank Large from Third Division Northampton. Aged 27, he had never played in the top division before, having spent his career at Halifax, QPR, Northampton, Swindon, Carlisle, Oldham and Northampton again.

However, Frank quickly won the Filbert Street crowd over.

On his debut 44 years ago this week, Large was described in the local press as 'a determined charger for the ball'. This style set the tone for his six months at the club. His team mate Bobby Roberts believes he played a huge part in Leicester avoiding relegation that season.

One game sealed Frank's status as a Leicester folk hero more than any other. This was the Fourth Round FA Cup replay in front of a near 40,000-crowd at Filbert Street, under the floodlights. Frank Large's exploits in this game, described at the time as 'the most exciting cup tie seen at Filbert Street in years', will always be remembered by those who witnessed them. Leicester were 2-0 down after 22 minutes, but then scored four goals in reply in a 20-minute spell either side of half-time. Large's header into the box fell to young Rodney Fern to crack home the first goal just before half-time. Frank then lashed home the equaliser after 50 minutes, and then, following a goal by Nish, Large headed in a curling corner kick for his second and Leicester's fourth. Manchester City's goal in the 89th minute made the final score 4-3.

Frank (back row third from left) and the 1967-68 squad.

It was a memorable evening. Frank's contribution was unforgettable. He came in for special praise in the local press which reported, 'Large has inexhaustible energy. Nothing stopped him. He charged up and down the field like a man possessed and showed shrewd touches as well'.

A few weeks later, at the end of the season, Frank left the club. He went to Fulham as a £50,000-makeweight in the deal which brought Fulham's Allan Clarke to Leicester in what was then a record British transfer deal worth £150,000.

The fans were sad to see him go. He only played 32 games for Leicester, but his memorable contribution to the Club, whichbegan with his debut 44 years ago this week, is still remembered fondly by those who witnessed his wholehearted commitment and bravery on the field of play.

,,,,,and what a game that was!

[Kilworthfox]

My dad says that he was great! That he would run through a brickwall for Leicester City . & that although Allan Clarke was a better player than him, it was a bad decision to sell Large because of his commitment to the club. Also & I don't know how true this is, Large cried when he was told that LCFC were sellin him?

[Babylon]

Late in his post-Leicester career, when he had broken his big toe, he was so determined to play that he just cut a chunk out of his boot to make it a bit more comfortable.

Nutter

[ChrisJager]

One of the best games I ever saw at Filbert Street. We were 2-0 down and dead and buried a minute before half time, when Rodney Fern, in one of his first appearances, scored this goal from nowhere. A quarter of an hour into the 2nd half, we were 4-2 up, when Man City switched on again and we were hanging on by the skin of our teeth for the rest of the match. I can still see Frank Large making his presence felt, charging around after the ball, and not too worried if the player he was heading for had already passed it by the time he reached him.

I'm sure the reason he was effective was that he had a 4th division style that the 1st division weren't used to. He was sold on when other sides started to work out how to deal with him. It may well be true that it was him that prevented us being relegated that year. So it's ironic that the person brought in for twice the price was as much responsible as anyone for the fact that we were relegated the next year.

Apologies to younger readers for oldies like us reminiscing.

[mikey54]

Yep, one of my all time favourites. I remember him scoring away at Forest in a game that was abandoned due to heavy snow. I was stood near the players tunnel and he was giving the ref some real abuse as they left the pitch. A bad bit of business getting rid of him in the deal for Clarke, City tried to buy him back I recall, but were turned down and brought in Andy Lochead - a similar player, but not a patch on Frankie.

[surrifox]

Mesmerising performance by John Farrington on the wing too as I recall

[DANGEROUS TIGER]

I saw him make his home debut, and loved the bravery of the guy. He quickly won respect from other clubs, and was a real crowd pleaser. He ran himself into the ground, hustled and bustled defences. He would rise high for those headers,

I was truly sad to see him go, and will never forget him. A good old fashioned forward, in the same mould as Spurs Bobby Smith was.

[davieG]

In terms of his energy, commitment, tenacity, bravery, heading ability and all around strength Howard is a midget by comparison and not fit to clean his boots.

[marko]

I love it when the senior members reminisce of days gone by.

Makes me wish I could go back and experience them myself, because I can't imagine being able to hold todays players in such high regard in 40 years time.

[nuttytimmy]

That pitch!!

[DANGEROUS TIGER]

In terms of his energy, commitment, tenacity, bravery, heading ability and all around strength Howard is a midget by comparison and not fit to clean his boots.

I totally agree. I reckon he would have a field day with us, if he was around now, instead of then.

[itsblueupnorth]

Sadly passed away in 2003 at the relatively young age of 63

[Thracian]

I watched the Manchester City game mentioned. Large became a cult figure for City just like Bamba.

He was the ugliest, most unlikely footballer you ever saw. But a piledriver would have bounced off him.

If a visiting defence had erected a brick wall in front of their goal, Large would have just charged through it.

Bricks would have flown in all directions and some would have jumped of their own accord.

When Large set out to trap a ball he never killed it at the first attempt, nor even the second, but it rarely got away.

Frank was named after the bruising he caused and there was nothing subtle about his goals - they'd as likely go in off his arse or his elbow as his boot but were no less devastating.

If a team of lamp-posts had lined up against him the the lamposts would have fancied their chances he was that cumbersome. But we absolutely loved the guy. He was like a modern dustcart. Whatever went into him just disappeared. .

[Pegosteve]

I was only 9 but one of my everlasting memories of Filbert St, stunning comeback as Man City were no mugs!!

[Ilkeston_Fox]

Makes you realise that the younger generation of today have no one to look up to/remember in years to come....You can hardly expect them to say "Oh I rememebr when that Matty Fryatt played for Leicester, tearing up the defence" etc, or "Beckford was a workaholic in his days at City".

Kind of makes me wish I'd seen the Frank Worthington's the Lenny Glover's etc from yesteryear but I'm just glad I've got the MON years to look back on with fondness. God knows what people just starting to watch us will have to look back on.

[demon_dog]

Sadly missed this game.

However, for anyone like Frank to play like he did in those days means he would probably have been sent off in the first couple of minutes!

It's fast becoming a no contact sport where the players prance around like prima bloody donna's.

It would do some of them good to get a good kicking, may teach them what football was all about.

[DANGEROUS TIGER]

i have to say, that compared to those days, because of so many rule changes, the game has gone soft.

I wonder what all those old players think of it now. "A game for pansies" or "Where has all the blood and guts gone?" Those guys used to die for our club, giving 100%. If they hadn't, they would have been gone.

I just wish our younger fans could have experienced it all. The players had blue blood in them, and were so proud of this club.

[Thracian]

I wonder what all those old players think of it now. "A game for pansies" or "Where has all the blood and guts gone?" Those guys used to die for our club, giving 100%. If they hadn't, they would have been gone.

Old-time players have said just that. Especially when they hear players grumbling about playing twice a week. They used to play three games in four or five days on occasions and there wasn't half a team of subs to come off if things got tough - there weren't any substittues in league football before 1965-66 and then there was one for a while.

Furthermore matches weren't played on the pristine pitches of today - a fixtures backlog might be reduced on pitches that could only be described as quagmires, in lousy weather, with a heavy leather ball, with only 10 minutes half-time break and in an era when vigorous physical contact and constant verbals was part of every game.

Travel too was a much different and more long-winded experience. There was no M1 or M6. A journey up the A6 to Manchester could be a five-hour nightmare by car and even longer by coach with countless bottlenecks at almost every stage.

Today time-wasting has become an black art in every game and that, together with the endless substitutions which only encourage more time wasting, shows the way health and safety considerations have become so much more important than the need for the game to be continuous.

Medical treatment is another developing artform. If used to be just a sponge and water and perhaps something under the nose to aid revival. A twisted ankle would be bandaged and played on and blood injuries would only enhance the warrior look of a player - they wouldn't stop the game nor would the bleeding man take his shirt off.

Sometimes a head wound be bandaged and, even then, the blood would soak through. But then no-one had ever heard of AIDS.

[Thracian]

Kind of makes me wish I'd seen the Frank Worthington's the Lenny Glover's etc from yesteryear but I'm just glad I've got the MON years to look back on with fondness. God knows what people just starting to watch us will have to look back on.

Glover was a thrill to watch. Reputations meant nothing at all to him. He just believed he could best any full-back in the land and often did at full-throttle and with a no-nonsense cross to finish. Worthington was just so elegant - he'd control h a clearance from the keeper on his chest, then his knee, flick in over the centre-half standing behind him, turn and volley the ball in before it landed...

Another centre-forward, skipper Derek Dougan would "voice" his complaint about the state of the pitch during a rainstorm by missing the outstretched hand of his opposite number at the pre-match handshake and toss of the coin and then go slithering on towards the edge of the centre-circle, all smiles. He was such good entertainment and there were many more but, no, I won't much remember anyone post MON.

It's all about "good professionals" now, people who will do as they're told and not put their head above the protective diplomatic parapet.

Everything's gone sterile, even the sodding concourses. And yet to think we'd have close on 40,000 in the ground on occasions, many sitting on the running track surrounding the pitch and with hardly a policeman or club official in sight.

No it wasn't much fun having someone piss on the terrace behind you but the atmosphere was electric and kids would be passed over the heads of fans from the back of the Popular Side to the front so they could get a decent view.

It was the big treat to go to "the match" - terraced house owners would make a killing stacking pushbikes in their entry's for a penny or two a time and you used to marvel at some of the skills on view such as the 50-year-old Stanley Matthews turning out for Stoke and mesmerising half our defence before characteristically missing with a shot from about three yards!

Today it just doesn't happen. there's no Gibson, Large, Glover or Weller, no-one in our team with any apparent charisma - except perhaps Bamba - and if you go back through our teams for10 years and more they're so forgettable.

Yes, there have been memorable goals, Joey Gudjonsson's effort from the halfway line, one or two sublime efforts from Kingy, the odd "moment" from Yacubu etc but there's no personalities to remember. Every interview could be pre-recorded at Football League HQ and vetted by PRO's for all the impact it has.

Nothing in recent years has improved the excitement value of football but, instead, for all the new facilities, the whole spectacle has been steadily eroded. Just like in tennis - which is now completely sanitised and seemingly devoid of characters like McEnroe and Nastase although Wimbledon itself still has its magic..

[Jordan]

Great throwback story--and everything about that celebration photo is great!

(By the way, I think Frank Large is going to be my new porn star name.)

[surrifox]

Any other oldies do a "ripping Yarns" and name all the players in that team photo?!

[mikey54]

Back Row: Glover, Cross, Large, Stringfellow, Shilton, Rodrigues, Woollett, Nish, Bell

Front Row: Sjoberg, Sinclair, Svarc(?), Roberts, Tewley,Gibson, Norman.

Bobby Roberts and David Gibson - two of my all time greats. Peter Rodrigues was master of the slide tackle. So many memories of this era.

[surrifox]

yes- Svarc - the forgotten man!

[DANGEROUS TIGER]

Ahh! Willie Bell. What a fine player in defence, and Scottish too. Mind you, we had a fair few of them in those days. Quality players.

Many is the time I can remember Filbert Street resembling a bog, and peering through the fog, that in those days had a habit of rearing it's ugly head.

Anyone remember the F.A. Cup tie in 1961, against Sheffield United? It went to a second replay, and we scored the first goal after 267 minuteb of football I think, I think, which remains something of a record..

The Barnsley home game, in the F.A. Cup the same year was a horrible draw, and I still well remember the Yorkshireman who stood behind me shouting after the final whistle," Coom tu Baarnleey, we'll mak ye welcoom". I went there as a 14 year old, and we won.

I went to the F.A.Cup Final that year, and we were doing well, until Len Chalmers got badly injured. He played on ( no substitutes), but he was only a passenger after. I was gutted, as I have never been gutted since. after losing to Spurs.

I think some of today's players would never have coped with the game then.

Don't let's forget the ball itsel'f that was made out of quite heavy leather. When it was wet it was so heavy. As a school player, I can still remember the headaches the wet ball gave me if I headed it badly.

Hmm. The good old days. :thumbup:

[wurmer]

Glover was a thrill to watch. Reputations meant nothing at all to him. He just believed he could best any full-back in the land and often did at full-throttle and with a no-nonsense cross to finish. Worthington was just so elegant - he'd control h a clearance from the keeper on his chest, then his knee, flick in over the centre-half standing behind him, turn and volley the ball in before it landed...

Another centre-forward, skipper Derek Dougan would "voice" his complaint about the state of the pitch during a rainstorm by missing the outstretched hand of his opposite number at the pre-match handshake and toss of the coin and then go slithering on towards the edge of the centre-circle, all smiles. He was such good entertainment and there were many more but, no, I won't much remember anyone post MON.

It's all about "good professionals" now, people who will do as they're told and not put their head above the protective diplomatic parapet.

Everything's gone sterile, even the sodding concourses. And yet to think we'd have close on 40,000 in the ground on occasions, many sitting on the running track surrounding the pitch and with hardly a policeman or club official in sight.

No it wasn't much fun having someone piss on the terrace behind you but the atmosphere was electric and kids would be passed over the heads of fans from the back of the Popular Side to the front so they could get a decent view.

It was the big treat to go to "the match" - terraced house owners would make a killing stacking pushbikes in their entry's for a penny or two a time and you used to marvel at some of the skills on view such as the 50-year-old Stanley Matthews turning out for Stoke and mesmerising half our defence before characteristically missing with a shot from about three yards!

Today it just doesn't happen. there's no Gibson, Large, Glover or Weller, no-one in our team with any apparent charisma - except perhaps Bamba - and if you go back through our teams for10 years and more they're so forgettable.

Yes, there have been memorable goals, Joey Gudjonsson's effort from the halfway line, one or two sublime efforts from Kingy, the odd "moment" from Yacubu etc but there's no personalities to remember. Every interview could be pre-recorded at Football League HQ and vetted by PRO's for all the impact it has.

Nothing in recent years has improved the excitement value of football but, instead, for all the new facilities, the whole spectacle has been steadily eroded. Just like in tennis - which is now completely sanitised and seemingly devoid of characters like McEnroe and Nastase although Wimbledon itself still has its magic..

Don't always agree with you, but that's a great post.