England's Greatest Defender

[neilfranklinbook]

Hi all,

Apologies if this is a bit too much of a plug, feel free to take it down if so, but I just thought it might be of interest to some posters. Back in June 2015 I wrote an article about Stoke City legend Neil Franklin, and the reaction was pretty overwhelming from Stoke fans and football fans in general. I know a lot of people grew up on the stories of Franklin from their Dad's or Grandad's, with a few posters on here possibly fortunate enough to have seen the great number five in the flesh.

Anyhow, it was suggested that Neil's life might make for an interesting topic for a book, and four years on I'm delighted to say that 'England's Greatest Defender: The Untold Story of Neil Franklin' will be published this week. Written with the help Neil's son Gary, former England internationals, club team mates, fans and even the Stoke City chairman Peter Coates, the book tells the tale of one of the most significant figures in the history of the British game. For those of you who don't know, Neil is widely regarded as England's greatest ever defender by those who saw him play, and he was an automatic selection for the national team going into the 1950 World Cup. Just before the tournament, however, Neil - along with his Potters team mate George Mountford - made a stunning move to Independiente Santa Fe of Bogota. Colombia didn't turn out to be the utopia Franklin had been promised, in fact, the country was in the midst of a brutal civil war which claimed the lives of more than 200,000 people (which, incidentally, was the whole reason why so many great footballers were brought to Colombia at the time). Neil returned after just six games but was suspended by the FA, ostracised by the England selectors and transfer listed by Stoke City, soon making a transfer to Hull City which set a world record fee for a defender.

The launch for the book is taking place on Friday (the 16th) at 6:30 p.m. at Waterstones in Hull, and FSA chair Malcolm Clarke will be attending and saying a few words on behalf of the club, along with the Franklin family, and any Stoke fans who live nearby or fancy making the journey are more than welcome to join!

Along with Sir Stan, Neil is truly one of Stoke's greatest gifts to the world of football, and I really hope the book will give him a bit more recognition not just in the Potteries but beyond. If you want to find out any more about the book or buy a copy, you can do so at englandsgreatestdefender.com/ .