Eddie Firmani

mattaddick

I was lucky enough to interview him last week and what a great bloke he was too. Are there are any older Lifers who saw him play or have any memories of him. Obviously, his managership ended in tears but I still think it's safe to call him a Charlton legend and he still loves the club.

man_at_milletts

My all time hero. Excellent all round bloke. Started going to the Valley soon after his return from Italy and have loads of memories of him playing up front alongside Mathews and Edwards/Durandt. Got his autograph a few times and have some good conversations with him while he was manager. Always approachable, drove a Blue Mercedes in those days.

Understand he keeps in contact with Graham Tutt.

QatarNapsy

My Grandad came across from Ireland just before the war, based himself in Cardiff and went to Ninian Park a fair bit. He always said the best player he had ever seen was Eddie Firmani, athletic, strong skilful and elegant were his words.

Granpa

I have a memory of his first match after he returned from Italy I think. I remembering him getting the ball on the edge of their area, and hitting it so hard that the goalkeeper had no chance. Very classy player, and by the sound of it a classy fellow.

LenGlover

I saw his second and third spells with us.

My memories of him are as a rolls royce of a player never looking hurried but always in command of the situation around him. He had a hell of a shot on him too.

I remember one match in particular against Ipswich when Glover got behind the full backs and whipped over low crosses which Eddie volleyed or half volleyed to devastating effect in a 4-0 win for us. This would have been during his second spell around 1964 or 1965.

As has been said on the Liverpool thread re Glass half full's excellent reminiscences these guys were heroes to us even if there were no trophies to show!

charltonbob

Saw him when he returned for his 3rd stint with us, still looked a class above anyone else. Must have been some player in his younger days. When he was transferred to Sampdoria (I think) for £35000 wasn't that a world record fee at the time ? Wonder what happened to the dosh ;-)

Lincsaddick

One of my all time favourites, and surely one of the favourites of any CAFC devotee who saw him play. A potent blend of Italian arrogance and flair mixed with South African toughness and bloody mindedness.
As a manager, a strange mix. Nearly got us promoted one year, then just escaping relegation the next. I recall that after we came close to promotion he said that there was too much of a drinking culture amongst the players. This was the 1960s so he didn't use that exact phrase I am sure. He put a ban on heavy drinking right before and after matches and training. The result ? .. near relegation. There is a moral there somewhere.
All in all, the overused accolade 'LEGEND' is truly apt for wonderful Eddie .. a k a 'The Perfect Human'

maybe_baby

Loved him as a player...players reckoned he was a bit of a tyrant as a manager.

LenGlover

I've just found this old thread.

I'm not trying to say this one shouldn't have been started before someone seeks to misrepresent my motives in linking it!

I thought it might provide more info for youngsters like mattaddick.

http://www.charltonlife.com/discussion/17828/eddie-firmani/p1

Essex_Al

@ad!

Just after that Palace wanted to sign me, but Dad said no! (Charlton through and through)

I didn't even know they had enquired until after he had died and Mum told me!

lancashire lad

echo what Len said, he was true class

dickplumb

My favourite Charlton player. Was a class above any Charlton player with the possible exception of Alan Simonson.

Rob

Lincsaddick said:

One of my all time favourites, and surely one of the favourites of any CAFC devotee who saw him play. A potent blend of Italian arrogance and flair mixed with South African toughness and bloody mindedness.
As a manager, a strange mix. Nearly got us promoted one year, then just escaping relegation the next. I recall that after we came close to promotion he said that there was too much of a drinking culture amongst the players. This was the 1960s so he didn't use that exact phrase I am sure. He put a ban on heavy drinking right before and after matches and training. The result ? .. near relegation. There is a moral there somewhere.
All in all, the overused accolade 'LEGEND' is truly apt for wonderful Eddie .. a k a 'The Perfect Human'

I remember that time. Regarding wanting to 'clean up' the image, I also seem to remember him saying he wanted the players to start calling him sir - or at least show a bit more respect to the manager. Things went tits up after that. Definitely a Charlton legend though. He must be 80 odd now.

Starinnaddick

Its difficult for me to think of Eddie without remembering another great player Stuart Leary.

They came over together as 17 year olds ,both did National Service, and they had a great understanding on the pitch.

As I mentioned once before Eddie made his League debut at left back .

GlassHalfFull

Oh dear .... together with the other thread this is really gorging on nostalgia !!

Len - Ipswich 4-0 : I recall such a score in April 65. It was a bright blustery day and the mostly grassless pitch was bone-hard. The ball was as lively as a beachball, except of course to a player with the supreme technique of Eddie Firmani. It was 4-0 in a one-sided first half but sadly stayed that way.

Eddie's return from Italy in Oct 63 was a masterstroke, and his return from Southend in Mar 67 likewise. He was a brilliant player - highly skilful and very tough when circumstances demanded it. Like the very best players he made it all look so effortless.

The quintessential Firmani game was the winner-take-all final day decider in May 67 against Northampton - marvellous skill and sheer brutality in equal measure.

A unique player and a great guy. A legend that legends would look up to ....

seth plum

As I have said probably in the other thread, Firmani was pure and utter class who would've looked just as good today as then. He was one of those players who transcended eras or fashions, he was a real and proper footballer. Firmani is easily one of the best ten, maybe five. players we have ever had.

Lincsaddick

GlassHalfFull said:

Oh dear .... together with the other thread this is really gorging on nostalgia !!

Len - Ipswich 4-0 : I recall such a score in April 65. It was a bright blustery day and the mostly grassless pitch was bone-hard. The ball was as lively as a beachball, except of course to a player with the supreme technique of Eddie Firmani. It was 4-0 in a one-sided first half but sadly stayed that way.

Eddie's return from Italy in Oct 63 was a masterstroke, and his return from Southend in Mar 67 likewise. He was a brilliant player - highly skilful and very tough when circumstances demanded it. Like the very best players he made it all look so effortless.

The quintessential Firmani game was the winner-take-all final day decider in May 67 against Northampton - marvellous skill and sheer brutality in equal measure.

A unique player and a great guy. A legend that legends would look up to ....

I remember that game well .. If I recall, Peacock K scored his first senior goal that day to go with Eddie's super 3trick .. if not Peacock' first, it was one of his first

killerandflash

A definite legend, his scoring record in Italy is amazing

His managerial career in the US was notable as well, he managed the New York Cosmos when they had the likes of Pele and Beckenbauer in their team!

GlassHalfFull

My first game was 30 Apr 55 CAFC 0-4 PNE. On 01 May 05 I did the top hospitality package for a few of us. The match - CAFC 0-4 Man Utd, so no change there. That day there was quite a parade of Charlton immortals for the upcoming Centenary. An early highlight before the game was bumping into Sir Clive, and after the game spotting Eddie Firmani and Theo Foley strolling about the car park. They were more than happy to share the moment with us - diamonds, both of them.

man_at_milletts

GlassHalfFull said:

Oh dear .... together with the other thread this is really gorging on nostalgia !!

Len - Ipswich 4-0 : I recall such a score in April 65. It was a bright blustery day and the mostly grassless pitch was bone-hard. The ball was as lively as a beachball, except of course to a player with the supreme technique of Eddie Firmani. It was 4-0 in a one-sided first half but sadly stayed that way.

Eddie's return from Italy in Oct 63 was a masterstroke, and his return from Southend in Mar 67 likewise. He was a brilliant player - highly skilful and very tough when circumstances demanded it. Like the very best players he made it all look so effortless.

The quintessential Firmani game was the winner-take-all final day decider in May 67 against Northampton - marvellous skill and sheer brutality in equal measure.
A unique player and a great guy. A legend that legends would look up to ....

If my ailing memory serves me correctly, Theo was playing for the Cobblers at right back on their descent down the leagues. He gave away a penalty by tripping Keith Peacock.

Solidgone

I have his autograph from when he was our manager.

ShootersHillGuru

Probably the finest player ever to pull on our shirt.

JohnfromNorfolk

What great memories of my boyhood supporting Charlton .I remember Eddie's first match back at the Valley, strutting arround the pitch majestically, I was in awe of the mans skills. He must be one of the classist players to pull on a Charlton shirt.
I think he played at least once for Italy although born in South Africa, I belive he qualified because his grandfather was Italian.
I have a program (somewhere in my loft) with an artical in the Football Leauge review which formed part of the matchday program about Eddie our newly appointed manager sitting at the feet of another young and upcomong manager called Brian Clough. Apparently Eddie wanted to learn how Clough managed his team.

mistrollingin

Eddie turned down a much bigger pay day at Lazio to return to his beloved Charlton in 1963. He signed so late in the week that his name didn't appear in the match programme for his first game away at Man City. Nearly 25,000 fans flocked to the valley a week later just to see the great man again, against Bury. Without Eddie's return the gate would more likely been around 9 or 10,000. Quite possibly my all time favourite player. He had it all. A couple of weeks later he was virtually unplayable against his old adversary in Italy, John Charles, in a 5-2 win v. Cardiff. A great ambassador for the game all over the world since those far off days of the 1960's. The best decade I've ever lived through.

FIRMANI9

Man at Millets. Your memory serves you well. Charlton beat Northampton 3-0 that day. Pretty sure Theo got sent off but I met Theo at one of the Charlton dinners & asked him about that and he reckoned he had never been sent off in his whole career ! Re Firmani I recall a goal he scored ( I think against Birmingham circa 67 ) taking the ball on his knee and rifling into the roof of the net. Pure class.

Big William

Never saw Eddie play, everybody who did seemed to rate him very highly. He was manager when I started going, as someone said he had a reputation as a bit of a disciplinarian, also it's possible he was such a top player some of the team were a bit intimidated by him. I think Keith Peacock said he was in awe of him when he reappeared at The Valley.
Apart from the football, wasn't he used as a human shield in the first gulf war?

GlassHalfFull

The Northampton game - yes, Theo played for them that day and of course then joined us along with Graham Moore.

As for the goals, the only one I recall of the 3-0 was an unsurpassable goal from Alan Campbell who slalomed through some potentially homicidal tackles to score. Firmani provided a masterclass as only a true maestro could - for presence on the ball maybe only PdC could equal him. The physical stuff was awesome too (that's English awesome, not American) but it was only evident when provoked - he was no thug. And that side of him shouldn't disguise the fact that he was such an elegant player.

Today a Firmani would be absolutely priceless.

mattaddick

I loved talking to him. He was courteous and interesting although in some discomfort as he'd just had an operation. It was absolutely fascinating. Eddie said he 'lost the dressing room' after selling Matt Tees to Luton and, in his opinion, a number of the senior players stopped playing for him after that. He was convinced he could have taken that side up. Like a lot of players at that time he lived in the Pickford Lane/Brampton Road area of Bexleyheath and my Mum remembers being at a party near Plumstead Common which he was at.
By the way, the article will appear in the next edition of Backpass (www.backpass.co.uk) - completely coincidentally the latest edition has a pic of Eddie on the back with Bobby Moore and another Charlton player, Graham Moore, who was with Chelsea at the time.

man_at_milletts

Edwin Ronald will be 80 on August 7th this year.

FIRMANI9 said:

Man at Millets. Your memory serves you well. Charlton beat Northampton 3-0 that day. Pretty sure Theo got sent off but I met Theo at one of the Charlton dinners & asked him about that and he reckoned he had never been sent off in his whole career ! Re Firmani I recall a goal he scored ( I think against Birmingham circa 67 ) taking the ball on his knee and rifling into the roof of the net. Pure class.

I know Theo took a lot of stick as it was right in front of the Covered End. Don't remember him being sent off tho'.

The thing about Eddie was the way he held his elbows in the air when moving, absolutely graceful as his skipped through defences.

bolloxbolder

Never saw him play, but know we had a song for him.

"Sha la la la Firmani"

Didn't he sack Ray Crawford for missing the coach, even though Ray's wife had been rushed to hospital? Sold him to Colchester and he scored two in the 3-2 cup defeat of the reverred Leeds side

mattaddick

Correct bolloxbolder. That got quite a lot of press coverage at the time.