The Official Tribute Thread

[HPsauce]

Sad to hear former France, Liverpool and Aston Villa manager Gerard Houillier has died aged 73. Ill health in recent years. RIP

 

[JENNYJET]

Cannot say this often but Gerard Houllier came across as a nice man, not what I expected from a Football manager.

 

[HPsauce]

Yes, Gerard Houillier always came across as a nice chap. His all too brief stint at Villa was ended by his health issues sadly in 2011 i believe.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Cannot say this often but Gerard Houllier came across as a nice man, not what I expected from a Football manager.

Yes, Gerard Houillier always came across as a nice chap. His all too brief stint at Villa was ended by his health issues sadly in 2011 i believe.

I agree. He always seemed to be a very decent person whenever I saw him interviewed on tv or listened to him on the radio. Condolences to his loved ones. RIP.

 

[superking]

Gerard Houillier was under estimated as a football manager. In my mind he was never given a chance to complete what he was doing in football. RIP Gerard

 

[JENNYJET]

Clubs spend millions on their players welfare but what of the managers and coaching teams? Was G H cut adrift from Aston Villa due to ill health or was his well being taken care of?

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Clubs spend millions on their players welfare but what of the managers and coaching teams? Was G H cut adrift from Aston Villa due to ill health or was his well being taken care of?

it appears that his continuing health problems led to a mutual decision that he should step down. He was only at Villa for one season. He had been rushed to hospital ten years previously with a heart problem during a match when Liverpool manager.

He was one of those fairly rare top managers who never played professional football at a decent level himself. He became a deputy headmaster in France before embarking on a managerial career in football and actually spent time in Liverpool working at a comprehensive school many years before he became manager of Liverpool Football Club.

He came across to me as a gentleman in all he said and did. Sadly, it seems that his heart problems eventually led to his death.

 

[JENNYJET]

I hate to be doing this but I am saddened to mention the death of Tommy Docherty, as the manager of my club, Manchester United, he made sure life was never dull, yet any success was curtailed by his activities with the wife of a club official and winning FA Cup did not prevent his dismissal. Football is full of robotic types and needs more Tommy Docherty characters to liven the game, not more politically correct automatons!

He was fun and I will miss him!

 

[TheLocalYokel]

I hate to be doing this but I am saddened to mention the death of Tommy Docherty, as the manager of my club, Manchester United, he made sure life was never dull, yet any success was curtailed by his activities with the wife of a club official and winning FA Cup did not prevent his dismissal. Football is full of robotic types and needs more Tommy Docherty characters to liven the game, not more politically correct automatons!

He was fun and I will miss him!

I'm very sorry to learn of the death of 'The Doc'. I'm pleased he had a decent innings to use cricket parlance having reached the age of 92.

As you say, he was a character and his own man, and didn't suffer fools gladly. He played in the first FA Cup final I ever saw live on the telly - in 1954. His team Preston North End lost 2-3 to West Bromwich Albion. There was little live football on tv in those days so the Cup Final, which then meant more than winning the First Division (today's Prem) - how things have changed, was anticipated avidly every year.

RIP.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

I forgot to mention the deaths of two former England cricketers both of which occurred in the last week.

John Edrich died at the age of 83. He was an extremely competent although not flashy opening batsman for Surrey and England who scored over 5,000 runs for his country, including a triple century, with a test average of over 43. How England could do with a test opener of his class these days. He went on to become an England selector and also served as president of Surrey CCC in later years.

No cricket follower of a certain age will forget the courageous performance put up against the rampant West Indians at Old Trafford in 1976 by John Edrich at 39 years of age and Brian Close (recalled to the test side aged 45). Three of the world's fastest ever bowlers, two of them all-time greats, were allowed by tolerant umpires to pepper Edrich and Close with short-pitched delivery after short-pitched delivery. Michael Holding, Andy Roberts and Wayne Daniel did not hold back which is a tribute in one sense to the tenacity of the two veteran English batsmen. Pictures emerged of Brian Close (has there ever been a more fearless cricketer?) with a torso black and blue with bruises. In those days batsmen did not wear helmets, and other protective equipment was much more basic than professional cricketers use nowadays.

Robin Jackman
was 75 when he died. He was a less celebrated test cricketer than John Edrich and played relatively few times for England. He was though an extremely valuable member of Surrey CCC and made major contributions to the success of the county over many years including a county championship. In the course of his career he took over 1400 first-class wickets. Cricket-wise he is probably best known as the cause of a cancelled test match in the West Indies in 1981. Because of his South African connections the Guyanese government refused to grant him a visa so the West Indies-England test match was called off.

Younger cricket followers probably remember him as a tv commentator on the game.

I have a personal anecdote that concerns this wholehearted cricketer. It was a hot day in the summer of 1977 and I was watching Somerset play Surrey in the County Championship at the Clarence Park ground at Weston-super-Mare, sadly no longer used by the county. By mid-afternoon the Surrey fielders were wilting visibly under an onslaught of Somerset batting led by the great Sir Isaac Vivian Alexander Richards, or Viv as he was known around the county in those days, who went on to score a double century in the innings*.

'Jackers' was made of stern stuff and refused to give ground with his medium to fast overs rolled out incessantly under the hot sun. The Surrey captain had moved nearly all his fielders to the outfield to try to stop the continual barrage of fours; all except one as Jackers had insisted on retaining at least one slip fielder. Mid-over and the skipper had had enough so removed that solitary slip to the boundary as the bowler was walking back to his mark. Jackers came bounding in to deliver his next ball and at first failed to notice the absence of a slip. Suddenly he did and came to a grinding halt mid run-up accompanied by an indignant bellow of, "Where's my slip?" There followed an animated discussion between bowler and captain and no prizes for guessing which one got his way.

RIP both cricketers who gave me much pleasure as a spectator down the years.

* Memory of this led me to check my Wisden almanack for that season and I find that Viv scored 204 which included 35 fours and five sixes.

The match had a further poignant future feature in that the fine county batsman and future Somerset captain Peter Roebuck scored his maiden century for Somerset. He later became a gifted writer on the game but was a troubled individual and a few years ago lost his life in tragic circumstances in South Africa.

 

[Seasider]

I remember seeing them both in the late 70's in the Hotel in Chelmsford where they were staying whilst playing Essex. Their dress and behaviour were impeccable. How things change ......

 

[Ray Finkle]

Gerry Marsden has passed away

Gerry And The Pacemakers star Gerry Marsden who sang You'll Never Walk Alone dies aged 78

Marsden, who penned hits such as Ferry Cross the Mersey and Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying, died on Sunday, his agent said.

news.sky.com

 

[Kevin Farnell]

Gerry Marsden has passed away

Gerry And The Pacemakers star Gerry Marsden who sang You'll Never Walk Alone dies aged 78

Marsden, who penned hits such as Ferry Cross the Mersey and Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying, died on Sunday, his agent said.

news.sky.com

Such a shame that 'The Kop' won't be able to belt out 'You'll Never Walk Alone' at the next Liverpool home game - although I'm sure it will be played in the ground.

RIP Gerry

Kevin

 

[JENNYJET]

Just to rub in the United faces, they are due 17 Jan! A sad loss all the same!

 

[Aviador]

The one character in Eastenders I hated, interfering old bat. She was better than Carry On and I do not recall any of her serious work if any.

Still sad to hear of her passing away.

Funny you said that, I always thought the same. A serious Barbs such as the one she played in EastEnders didn't work for me I'm afraid. I have to admit though, I have never been a fan of EastEnders and in our house we refer to it as DeadEnders - referring to the programme itself, not the cast itself obviously. Barbs had a great character but her charm always best suited the Carry On film series of which I am more than happy to still watch today.

 

[David_itl]

Man City have reported the death of Colin Bell at the age of 74
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/55551720

 

[superking]

Funny you said that, I always thought the same. A serious Barbs such as the one she played in EastEnders didn't work for me I'm afraid. I have to admit though, I have never been a fan of EastEnders and in our house we refer to it as DeadEnders - referring to the programme itself, not the cast itself obviously. Barbs had a great character but her charm always best suited the Carry On film series of which I am more than happy to still watch today.

I worked with a guy and he was a londoner and he grew up in a card board box in london as he got thrown out of his parents house. He has said many times that east enders is not true to life and he wont watch it because of it. years back when he was growing up he used to hang about with the kray twins and said he did many jobs with them,he never got caught. It sure learnt him the facts of life very quickly.

 

[Ray Finkle]

Sad to hear about the passing of Captain Sir Tom Moore. Such a long life yet it feels as if his last year was a pretty incredible one.

A genuine inspiration in a hugely difficult period.

Rest in Peace Sir

Captain Sir Tom Moore dies aged 100 after contracting coronavirus and pneumonia

Captain Sir Tom raised more than £32m for the NHS by walking 100 laps of his garden before his 100th birthday.

news.sky.com

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Well put, Ray. I know we all associate ourselves with your comments.

 

[superking]

I echo all you say ray. A pity a lot of people did not do the same thing as Tom as the world would be a lot better.
RIP sir Tom.