Justin Fashanu

Hi, iowjim

I'm sure there will be plenty on here who will have some good memories to tell, we have two top history men and so many with great knowledge,who I'm sure will put something on this thread, when they are next on.

Indeed Barton. It totally overshadowed what by itself would have been just a plain old crap day but not a disappointment out of the ordinairy for a TUFC supporter. I think it put that day in perspective for me - football can kick you in the teeth as a fan, but when someone is desperate as poor Justin to take his own life it pales all of that into insignificance.

I try not just to think of the tragedy that poor Justin's life was. I remember a lot of smiles on the pitch even though we had a relegation to what is now League 2 and a relegation battle the following season. We gave some wretched team performances, but Fash could always pull-out a moment of class, although he sometimes received the wrath of the expectant support who perhaps perceived that he wasn't trying.

He was I guess equally cursed and blessed - a difficult start in life by being adopted after his parents split and father returned to Nigeria without him and John but had the talent to be a £1m footballer.
I expect there was a massive burden to be able to live-up to being the first black £1m footballer and to be a role-model to many aspiring youngsters - but to have to keep the secret of his sexuality due to the very macho nature that professional football probably is must have been something that weighed even more heavily upon hisw shoulders.

I'm a big Clough fan but hearing some of the things he said about Justin during his time at Forest (and afterwards) really make me wince. I think that he needed to have someone put their arm round him to nurture him, rather than the "hairdrier treatment" that he seemed to receive.

He had a mixed time at Plainmoor, if I recall. He certainly scored a good few goals and was a real menance. Perhaps if we had a fully-fit Justin Fashanu from the start of the 91/92 season then perhaps we would have got those few extra points that would have kept us up.
He scored those couple of goals (the WBA goal just after Christmas) and I believe the NYD winner against Exeter. Both goals coming in-front of sizeable away supports that soon faced stunned silence after his decisive notches - especially given the amount of stick that they gave him.

He seemed to have a very good relationship with Mike Bateson (for the benefit of iowjim he was our Chairman who I imagine that would be on your list of people to speak to), although perhaps after he threw his hat in the ring for the role of player manager it was bound to result in his departure.

Indeed. I am fascinated by Clough, love his philosophy of football and share many of his views on life, but the way he treated Fash was an absolute disgrace.

I am surprised that a man so highly principled in certain respects was such an awful homophobe. I suppose a lot of his values were unashamedly "old fashioned". Old fashioned values have good points and bad points.

Thanks for your contributions and I hope there are more to come.

I have the articels Nick House wrote for When Saturday Comes.

I do want to interview Mike Bateson. Anyone know how I can contact him?

I was inerested in Merse saying that Phillip Fashanu worked with AIDs patients becaue I have no sense that he was supportive of Justin as a gay man but this suggests he may have been. I'm interested to know your source of information and anything else you know about Phillip.

www.petertatchell.net/sport/justin%20fashanu.htm

briandeer.com/justin-fashanu-3.htm

I think these two stories might help you abit. They go into alot of detail about him so maybe you can use these as well.