Tommy Tynan: The Original Football Idol

Author: Ryan Danes

Tommy Tynan: The Original Football Idol

Many decades before Sky TV’s popular 'Football Idol' series Tommy Tynan won a newspaper competition called 'Search for a Soccer-Star'. He was just 16 years old. His reward was an apprenticeship at Bill Shankly’s famous Liverpool Football Club, and, at the club, he scored in abundance at every level he had a chance to play at. The problem was the squad was so damn strong that Tommy was unable to get a chance in the first-team. Loan moves to Swansea City (where the great John Charles wanted to show off his talent in Italy), and the Dallas Tornado’s (he played against such greats as Pele, Bobby Moore and George Best) helped him to become one of the most prolific strikers in an era before the money men moved into the game, and, he never earned more than 500 quid a week!

At Jack Charlton’s Sheffield Wednesday, he was a hit. At Newport County, playing alongside John Aldridge, they marched into Europe. At Plymouth Argyle, his goals propelled the team to promotion and a place in the semi-finals of the FA Cup. Tommy was a goal-machine wherever he went, and he wasn’t afraid of controversy.
Today, to many thousands of people, he is a cult-hero. This is his story.