Barry Fantoni

BARRY FANTONI (b.1940)

Jimmy Hill  1979

watercolour and gouache (grisaille)

18½ x 14¾ ins (47 x 37.5 cm)

 

Published:

The Listener, December 1979

 

Illustrated:

Barry Fantoni & George Melly, The Media Mob, 1980, p.100

 

After a playing career at Fulham from 1952-1961, Jimmy Hill (1928-2015) was a highly influential football manager, director, and club chairman. As the boss of the PFA, for better or worse, he pioneered the scrapping of the £20 a week. He remains best-known as a broadcaster over several decades, particularly as the long-term host of Match of the Day. In the 1970s, his  trademark chin made him one of the most recognisable faces in the media, much lampooned, while also much respected.