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Sir Thomas Finney, OBE (born 5 April 1922, Preston) is a former English footballer, famous for his loyalty to his league club, Preston North End, and for his performances in the English national side.

Early life
Finney was born at home in Preston on a street next to the Deepdale stadium. He was frail and somewhat sickly in his youth and stood only 4 ft 9 in (1.45 m) at the age of fourteen. When he was offered the opportunity to sign for Preston North End (PNE), his father insisted that he complete his apprenticeship in the family's plumbing business before signing as a professional

Second World War
Soon after he signed, however, World War II began and normal football was suspended, though Finney started to achieve some recognition during war-time tournaments. Called up to the Royal Armoured Corps in 1942, he fought in Montgomery's Eighth Army in Egypt. Local leave in North Africa allowed him to play in army teams against local opposition and on one occasion he played against the future actor Omar Sharif.

Post-war career and England debut
Once normal competition was restored, he made his debut for the club in August 1946 and soon established himself as an agile forward. Post-war demand for plumbers ensured that he had a second income to supplement the £14 he received under football's maximum wage regulations, and he became famous as the "Preston plumber". One month after his first appearance for Preston, Finney made his England debut, going on to win 76 caps and score 30 goals

Retirement
He retired from Preston North End in 1960, only when forced out with a persistent groin injury. He had played his entire career for his local club, appearing 433 times and scoring 187 goals. The balance of Preston's team hardly matched Finney's brilliance, the young Bill Shankly notwithstanding, and he never won the championship (in 1953 and 1958 Preston North End came close to completing the three-peat, but each time they had to settle for runner-ups) or any other trophy. His loyalty is remarkable, even extending to rejecting a 1952 offer from Italian club Palermo that included a £10,000 personal signing-on fee and high pay and perquisites.

The Splash
Splash: the statue of Tom Finney which stands outside Deepdale stadiumOn 31 July 2004, Sir Tom unveiled the water feature sculpture "The Splash" which stands outside The National Football Museum. The sculpture was inspired by the 1956 Sports Photograph of the Year which features Tom Finney beating two defenders at a waterlogged Stamford Bridge.

Continuing links with Preston North End
As of 2007, Sir Tom maintains his links with Preston North End as the club's president. 2006 marked 60 years since his first league debut for PNE. To mark this occasion the National Football Museum, an organisation which he has championed and has close links with, invited football fans to sign a specially commissioned flag which was presented to Sir Tom at the beginning of the 2006-07 season to mark his 60 years with PNE.
He also writes a regular PNE column for the University of Central Lancashire's students' union newspaper, Pluto.

Ability
His total mastery of all the techniques triumphed over the lack of medals. He was versatile, playing in all the orthodox five forward positions of the day for Preston and appearing for England at right-wing, left-wing and centre-forward. He was a genuine two-footed player, packing an explosive shot in either his right or his left. He had speed, balance, was a pin-point passer and, for a man of no great height, could head with awesome power.

Quotes about Finney
"Tom Finney would have been great in any team, in any match and in any age ... even if he had been wearing an overcoat." (Bill Shankly)
"Tom Finney should claim income tax relief ... for his 10 dependants." (Satirical observation on the weakness of the Preston team in his absence)
"If all the brains in the game sat in committee to design the perfect player, they would come up with a reincarnation of Tom Finney." (Anonymous newspaper feature)

Honours
Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year, 1954 and 1957;
OBE, 1961;
Knighthood, 1998.

Personal information

Full name............. Sir Thomas Finney. OBE
Date of birth........ 5 April 1922
Place of birth....... Preston, England
Playing position... Striker, Outside Right

Senior clubs
Years    Club                 Appearances  Goals
1946-60 Preston North End  433            187
National team
1946-58 England                 76             30

Club Stats

Sir Tom Remembers

A Tribute from Shankly.com

Sir Tom, on PNE Loyalty and the FA Cup

“I remember beating Portugal 10-0 – And they were meant to be good”

Even in a golden age for English football, playing alongside Billy Wright and Stanley Matthews, one Preston-born ex-serviceman had the skill to shine out: Tom Finney

As England call-ups go, Finney’s was certainly unusual. Serving in the Royal Armoured Corps in 1945, the 20-year-old was reclining in his billet when a guard burst in with instructions to report to the duty officer.

“The officer handed me a telegram from The FA,” recalls Finney, now 85. “I could hardly take it in. Here I was, a footballer without much experience, stationed in a foreign country [Austria], being told that I was to play for my country. It was unbelievable.”

The game against Switzerland – an unofficial international played by an England team that had barely met each other – was disappointing. “We lost,” says Finney. “The Swiss were too good. We played like a team of strangers – which we were.” But things could only get better: he went on to bag 76 caps, visit three World Cups and score 30 goals for his country. “I consider it the golden age of the game,” says Finney, still President of Preston North End, where he played for his entire career.

If the 1950s were the game’s golden age, Finney – and his mate Stanley Matthews – were the era’s shining lights. “Tom Finney would have been great in any team, in any match and in any age, even if he had been wearing an overcoat,” said his Preston team-mate Bill Shankly, while a popular joke was that “Finney should claim income tax relief for his ten dependents.”

He was the ultimate team player, with a masterful technique, and could play right-wing, left-wing and centre forward (“I was mostly used down the right, but if I could have my time again, I’d play up front,” says Finney now). He could shoot with both feet, was quick, a superb passer and an excellent header of the ball.

He was also fiercely patriotic. “28 September 1946 was my proudest day as a footballer,” he says of his full non-wartime debut against Northern Ireland in Belfast. “Ask any footballer who has been chosen to represent the land of his birth, and he will tell you that no feeling quite compares.”

Things started well. “It wasn’t until two-and-a-half years and 15 caps into my career that I sampled a defeat – against the Scots, of all people,” he says. He found himself in exalted company, too. “After I scored against Scotland at Wembley, Field Marshal Lord Montgomery came into the dressing room,” he recalls.

“He said ‘Congratulations, it was a fine goal from a man who fought with me’.”

With the likes of Matthews, Billy Wright and Nat Lofthouse also in the side, England were a major force. “It was a time we could really hammer teams,” says Tom.

“I remember beating Portugal 10-0 in Lisbon in 1947 – and they were meant to be good. We beat a great Italy side 4-0 and played them off the park. I guess England was a little bit ahead in terms of coaching, in some ways.”

Given that, it’s strange how they didn’t do well in World Cups. In 1950 they were beaten 1-0 by
the USA. The two following tournaments were equally disappointing. “Why we fared so poorly remains a mystery,” says Finney.

“We were among the favourites, but it never quite happened. It was difficult in 1958 because of the Munich air crash. We lost several players and it affected the mood of the squad.”

Nevertheless, Finney’s England memories are overwhelmingly positive. “After travelling the world representing my country for 12 years, I could only offer my grateful thanks to those who made it possible,” he says. “I would willingly have paid The FA to play.”