Trevor Francis RIP

[galesgal]

One of Jeff's closest friends, the former footballer Trevor Francis has passed away.

[Horacewimp]

The first £1 million pound player

[Timeblue]

Sad news indeed,wasn't he at Jeff's 1st wedding?

[Horacewimp]

I believe he was, maybe even best man.

Picture from Facebook.

[Timeblue]

1st million pound player and today,some players earn close to that every week....

[fourlittlediamonds]

I post this for two reasons (the second of which I will come to later). Trevor (for those outside the UK) was a footballer who played for (and later managed) Birmingham City and England and was also the world's first  one million pound player. He was a an icon and hero to me as a young fan who helped define an era in 70's football when I first started supporting and going to games with my dad and later my mom. I met him and the team once before a game as a special guest when I was 9 (its a long story!) and still treasure the memory and the souvenirs I received, so for me his loss is paricularly sad and significant.

The other reason is that Trevor was also very close friends with Jeff and Bev (although Bev is a fan of a rival midlnds club, Wolverhampton Wanderers). A few years ago they both attended the funeral of Trevor's wife and (reportedly) they  did not speak to or even acknowledge each other, although I suspect this was more Jeff's doing than Bev's. The chances are that both men will now attend their friends funeral meaning that this will almost certainly be the last time both men will be in the same room together. It is probably a forlorn hope, but given they are there to say goodbye to a good mutual friend, might this not be the ideal time to finally  put aside the resentment and just smile, say hello, shake hands and then walk-away (never mind about any emotional reconcilliation or reunion hopes). Because if this isn't the right and ideal time to do it then I can't think of another and I'm sure Trevor would have been happy to see his two old friends use this opportuniy to speak again. I'm pretty certain Bev would be desperate for this, so Jeff, it's down to you to be willing to let go of the past (no matter how justified you think your feelings are) and reach out to your former friend and bandmate, otherwise, and I'm sorry to say this but you will be a bitter old fool, who will, I suspect, come to regret it when it's all far too late.

To be honest, I'm not hopeful, but anyone who can write music so sublime and wonderful and which made such a difference to the lives of so many of us,surely can do the right thing and be a better man for it.

[dillwyn]

RIP .. sad news

[fluffy]

sad

[livinthing]

I read somewhere that Trevor was at Jeff's house and he suddenly disappeared. It was then when he got the idea of 'Confusion ' and had to put it down on tape. Might have been the Trevor Francis annual of the time.

[soonerorlater]

A very sad day - RIP Trevor Francis.

I remember that 1979 European Cup Final and his header that won it. 

[Eloise]

I'd never heard of him until now. Thank you, fourlittlediamonds, for sharing more info about Jeff and Bev being friends with him. He was 69 years old. Wow, that's young. How very sad.

[unomusette]

Well said fourlittlediamonds. It might mean something good comes of this sad news if Jeff and Bev can finally shake hands whilst there's still time.

I know how much Trevor meant to Jeff, and to all their mutual friends, who must be feeling his loss hugely tonight. Probably because he was the really nice guy he always appeared to be.

RIP Trevor, a legend in more ways than one to those who loved you.

[lawrev]

Jul 24, 2023 15:17:21 GMT fourlittlediamonds said:

I post this for two reasons (the second of which I will come to later). Trevor (for those outside the UK) was a footballer who played for (and later managed) Birmingham City and England and was also the world's first  one million pound player. He was a an icon and hero to me as a young fan who helped define an era in 70's football when I first started supporting and going to games with my dad and later my mom. I met him and the team once before a game as a special guest when I was 9 (its a long story!) and still treasure the memory and the souvenirs I received, so for me his loss is paricularly sad and significant.

The other reason is that Trevor was also very close friends with Jeff and Bev (although Bev is a fan of a rival midlnds club, Wolverhampton Wanderers). A few years ago they both attended the funeral of Trevor's wife and (reportedly) they  did not speak to or even acknowledge each other, although I suspect this was more Jeff's doing than Bev's. The chances are that both men will now attend their friends funeral meaning that this will almost certainly be the last time both men will be in the same room together. It is probably a forlorn hope, but given they are there to say goodbye to a good mutual friend, might this not be the ideal time to finally  put aside the resentment and just smile, say hello, shake hands and then walk-away (never mind about any emotional reconcilliation or reunion hopes). Because if this isn't the right and ideal time to do it then I can't think of another and I'm sure Trevor would have been happy to see his two old friends use this opportuniy to speak again. I'm pretty certain Bev would be desperate for this, so Jeff, it's down to you to be willing to let go of the past (no matter how justified you think your feelings are) and reach out to your former friend and bandmate, otherwise, and I'm sorry to say this but you will be a bitter old fool, who will, I suspect, come to regret it when it's all far too late.

To be honest, I'm not hopeful, but anyone who can write music so sublime and wonderful and which made such a difference to the lives of so many of us,surely can do the right thing and be a better man for it.

Per the internet Francis' wife passed away in 2017. All I can say about the Bev-Jeff thing is that they should bury the hatchet - though Bev has been very open to speaking to Jeff and very complimentary about Jeff's music skills, but I've never heard Jeff say anything complimentary about Bev in the past 30 years. So yea, I think it is more Jeff than Bev.

[rich2371]

🤞🤞🙏🙏

[fluffy]