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ObituariesPlease email details for the obituary section as well as additions and clarifications with source notes to enquiries@11v11.com
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BALDERSTONE, John Christopher (Chris)Born: Huddersfield 1940-11-16 Died: Cumbria 2000-03-06Chris Balderstone was one of the last of the full-time professional footballers and cricketers and recorded one feat that must surely be unique even amongst so many talented exponents of both games. On a remarkable day in September 1975, he spent the early part of the day in the field for Leicestershire against Derbyshire at Chesterfield and helped his team gain the required number of bowling points to secure the County Championship (they had already won the Benson & Hedges Cup that season). Later that afternoon he went into bat and stood at 51 not out at the end of play. He then hurried away from the ground, made his way to Doncaster in time for a 7.30 kick-off and played in a 1-1 draw in the Football League against Brentford. The following day he went on to complete his century in the cricket match and then take three wickets. Although his cricket career reached greater heights than his footballing one - he reached Test match standard at the summer game - it is his soccer career that chiefly concerns AFS members. He was good enough to play in the top flight of English soccer and was a member of the Carlisle United team that won promotion to the old 1st Division and topped the League briefly in their one season there. His soccer career started with Huddersfield Town where he was signed by the legendary Bill Shankly in May 1958 and got his opportunity in the Town's League side after the great Denis Law left the club for Manchester City. He made his debut in March 1959 and scored in a 1-2 away defeat at Cardiff in the (old) 2nd Division. Despite his versatility and wholehearted efforts, he was never sure of a regular place at Huddersfield and in June 1965 he was transferred to Carlisle United, who had just been promoted from the 3rd Division, for £6,000. Again he scored on his debut for Carlisle, in a 4-1 home win over Norwich City. This was Carlisle's first ever match at this level and after nine years as a regular in the team, he played a prominent part in helping them to 3rd place in the Division and to promotion to the (old) 1st Division in 1974/5. Astonishingly, the club won their first three games in the top flight the following season and briefly topped the Football League. Of course, it could not last and at the end of the season Carlisle finished in bottom place, although not far behind those just above the safety line, and were relegated back to the 2nd Division. At the end of the season Chris joined Doncaster Rovers. During his career at Carlisle he enjoyed many memorable moments including some fantastic cup games. In 1968, he helped the club overcome Newcastle at St James's Park in the F.A. Cup before almost 60,000. In 1969/70 they reached the semi-final of the League Cup and went out to West Brom after having won the first leg. Perhaps one of his most satisfying moments came in June 1972 when he scored against mighty AS Roma as the Cumbrians came away with a 3-2 victory with Chris being the outstanding player on the field. At Doncaster he had just one season, followed by another at Queen of the South. He later had a short spell in non-League soccer at Enderby Town. His first class cricket career continued until he was 45. He was an all-rounder, scoring 1,000 runs in a season 11 times and shared an unbroken county record second wicket stand of 289 with David Gower in 1981. He took over 300 wickets, including a hat-trick. His fielding was outstanding and he was featured in a T.V. programme showing the world's greatest catches. He took the wicket of West Indian middle-order batsman Collis King in his only Test match. "That's put them in the shit" he is reported to have said, grinning in the knowledge that they were 647 for 7 at the time! He became a first-class umpire, stood in one-day internationals and officiated for the last time in September 1999. Career record
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BALL, James Alan JrBorn: Farnworth, Lancs 1945-05-12 Died: Warsash, Hampshire 2007-04-24Rarely has any footballer personified a rage to win more vividly, or been more comprehensively consumed with self- belief, than Alan Ball, the youngest and fiercest of England's 1966 World Cup champions. The dynamism and precocity of the flame-haired Lancastrian was matched by phenomenal athleticism, fanatical dedication and, above all, fabulous natural talent. In a club career which lasted more than two decades, Ball shone like a beacon as an impish upstart with Blackpool, was inspirational in his early pomp with Everton, further demonstrated his mettle as he battled to overcome unexpected difficulties with Arsenal, then attained satisfying and vastly influential maturity at Southampton. But it was for his country, at the tender age of 21, that the diminutive midfielder with the high-pitched voice made his most indelible mark. On a blazing hot afternoon at Wembley in July 1966, he ran his West German opponents into the ground as England lifted the ultimate prize in football. As the England manager Alf Ramsey, a fellow famously reticent with praise, told him afterwards: "Young man, you will never play a better game of football in your life than you did today." Alan Ball's lifetime obsession with football, his must-win attitude, and his strident ambition, bloomed while watching his father, Alan senior, perform as a modestly gifted part-timer with Southport, Oldham Athletic and Rochdale in the late 1940s and early 1950s. The boy grew up in dressing-rooms, the pungent smell of liniment in his nostrils, and when it became clear that he possessed special ability, his father - a publican, later a joiner - hot-housed him zealously. There was an hour's ball practice every night, whatever the weather, he was encouraged to strain every sinew in boxing and athletics, and, to hone his fitness further, he was urged to run the five miles to and from school, and to sprint between houses on his newspaper rounds. Though Ball was the smallest lad in most gatherings, invariably he was the toughest and the best footballer, and it was no surprise when he was offered an opening with Wolverhampton Wanderers, then a mighty power in the land, when he was 14. However, after impressing for one of the Molineux club's junior sides, he was rejected as too tiny. Less committed individuals might have despaired. The Balls, however, were made of sterner stuff and the son sampled senior football at non-League Ashton United, managed by the father, when he was only 15, then had an amateur stint with Bolton Wanderers. Again he was snubbed on grounds of size - this time with the advice that he'd have a better chance as a jockey, a jibe that hurt his pride grievously - but he continued to contact other major clubs and he was offered a trial by Blackpool. Years later, Ball wrote in his autobiography, Playing for Extra Time (2004), that he approached that challenge as if he were playing for his life. His effort paid off and he was taken on to the Bloomfield Road ground staff in 1961. Now, enjoined by his father to work harder than ever, he responded with characteristic single-mindedness, putting in countless hours of extra training and earning a professional contract, aged 17, in 1962. Ball prospered at this new, rarefied level, quickly demonstrating that reputations meant nothing to him. When he found himself in a practice game alongside Stanley Matthews, one of the most celebrated players of all time, he was anything but overawed, at one point castigating the great man for not running to collect a pass, then warning the future knight that he was out to take his right-wing berth. Matthews was outraged at such flagrant cheek, but the manager Ron Suart liked the rookie's spirit and soon, when the veteran was injured in August 1962, Ball was given his senior début against Liverpool at Anfield, and excelled. There followed a return to the reserves to continue learning, but early in 1963/64 he was recalled to senior duty, never to be dropped again. Almost instantly, with Matthews having departed to Stoke, Ball became Blackpool's star. Operating nominally at inside-right but roaming ungovernably at will, he was a study in perpetual motion, fearless in the tackle, imaginative in his passing and deadly in front of goal. Dripping with passion and relentlessly outspoken, he was an abrasive motivator, endlessly goading and cajoling team-mates and snarling at opponents, his forthright approach bringing the best out of some colleagues but alienating others. Inevitably his hot temper earned him sendings-off and suspensions, but they were accepted as a necessary adjunct of his all-round brilliance, and his star continued to ascend. In November 1964, he won the first of eight England under-23 caps and, with Blackpool never threatening to climb out of the bottom half of the First Division, a move to a bigger club became increasingly inevitable. No one appreciated that more keenly than Don Revie, the ruthless, driven boss of Leeds United, who coveted Ball to complete a formidable midfield trio with Billy Bremner and Johnny Giles. To that end, in mid-decade Revie set up a clandestine meeting with his transfer target on Saddleworth Moor, urging him to escalate a contract dispute already launched at Bloomfield Road, thus encouraging his employers to sell. Until that happened, Revie would look after Ball financially, and a number of cash payments were made, later becoming the subject of an FA charge for disrepute for which Ball was fined £3,000. In the event, in August 1966 the Blackpool man signed for Everton for £110,000, then a record fee for a deal between two British clubs, by which time his value had been enhanced immeasurably by his magnificent showing in the World Cup finals. With typical bravado, Ball had always maintained that he would make his full England début before he was 20, and he succeeded with three days to spare, facing Yugoslavia in May 1965. Thereafter, he was in and out of the side as Ramsey tried various permutations, and although he featured in the opening match of the 1966 tournament, against Uruguay, he was on the sidelines for the next two games as the manager toyed with orthodox wingers. But he was recalled for the quarter-final against Argentina, helped to defeat Portugal in the semi, then dazzled against the Germans in the final. Starting wide on the right, where his direct opponent was the classy and experienced Karl-Heinz Schnellinger, he harried the blond defender to distraction, and so potent was Ball's cocktail of energy and invention - he created England's controversial third goal for Geoff Hurst - that many observers made him man of the match, Hurst's unforgettable hat-trick notwithstanding. Thus, expectations were colossal when he clocked in at Goodison Park to start the following season, and he didn't disappoint. After scoring the winner in his opening game, against Fulham, then contributing a brace to a rousing victory over Liverpool in his first Merseyside derby, he overcame initial antipathy in the Toffees' dressing-room to his brash style to become the catalyst who transformed a good team into a superb one. Alongside Howard Kendall and Colin Harvey, he was part of a wonderful midfield unit, his game a mixture of delicate skill and rampant fervour. Now Everton were equipped to chase major prizes and in 1968 Ball was mortified when they dominated the FA Cup final against West Bromwich Albion, only to lose to an extra-time strike by Jeff Astle. After receiving his loser's medal, Ball hurled it to the ground in disgust, though later he was grateful it had been retrieved for him. The side continued to improve, though, and in 1969/70 got their just deserts when they romped away with the League title. It did not seem fanciful that they might be embarking on a period of domestic supremacy, but the following term they slumped mysteriously and soon their autocratic manager Harry Catterick began tinkering unsuccessfully with the team. Ball, who was made captain in the forlorn hope that the responsibility might curb his occasional temperamental excesses, became frustrated, his goals drying up and confrontations with colleagues ensuing. Still, he had no wish to leave Everton and, in December 1971, the 26-year-old was shocked to learn that the club had accepted a £220,000 bid from Arsenal. While Ball was still debating the switch, Manchester United attempted to sign him, but the Gunners swiftly closed the deal. Arsenal and Alan Ball should have been made for each other, but there followed five years of intense frustration, the union between the great club and one of the world's leading midfielders failing to yield a single trophy. Indeed, there were even a couple of seasons, 1974/75 and 1975/76, when the hitherto unthinkable spectre of relegation loomed frighteningly large; a losing appearance in the 1972 FA Cup final and runners-up spot in the 1973 title race offered scant consolation. Ball arrived with the Gunners having gone inexplicably stale following their League and FA Cup double of 1971 and at first he was resented by some of his new colleagues as a prime cause behind the break-up of that successful team. In addition, he loathed the Arsenal long-ball tactic which bypassed him in midfield and his fierce demands for a change of tactics were a further cause for strife. He prevailed and soon he was directing a slick, short-passing game, but when the slide gathered force he became restless and disillusioned, even after being made skipper. In 1974 he suffered a broken leg, then a fractured ankle, and later there was a row with his boss Bertie Mee when the club wouldn't back his appeal over a dismissal. During 1975, too, the former World Cup hero (who also shone as England reached the quarter-finals of the 1970 tournament, then went on to lead his country six times under his old acquaintance Revie) was axed unexpectedly after collecting 72 caps. He was only 30, felt he still had plenty to offer, and believed that it was his irreverent attitude to Revie's fussy regime rather than sound footballing reasons which cost him the job. As footballing tensions mounted, there were off-field problems, too, as he drank and gambled unwisely. Finally, late in 1976 he clashed with the new Arsenal manager Terry Neill, whom he had never liked, and was sold to Second Division Southampton for £60,000. Soon it became obvious that the Saints had secured a rare bargain as Ball, having gelled instantly with the Southampton boss Lawrie McMenemy, played beautifully alongside thoroughbreds such as Mick Channon and Peter Osgood and made a masterful contribution to the buoyant promotion campaign of 1977/78. Back in the top grade, he continued to thrive, helping Southampton to consolidate their status and to reach the 1979 League Cup final, which was lost to Nottingham Forest. Then, in July 1980, after brief service to Philadelphia Fury and Vancouver Whitecaps, Ball made one of the biggest mistakes of his life by returning to his first club, Blackpool, as player-boss of the struggling Third Division outfit. The former hero was greeted rapturously, but the team was dismal and he became bogged down in boardroom politics and was sacked after seven months, with the Seasiders hurtling towards the basement division. He could still run and run, though, and went back to The Dell for a terrific Indian summer in the top flight, linking fruitfully with Kevin Keegan and not leaving until autumn 1982, when he was in his 38th year. There remained brief spells with Eastern Athletic in Hong Kong and Bristol Rovers before Ball accepted that his legs had finally "gone", and he turned again to management. The record books offer eloquent evidence that Ball the boss was nowhere near the equal of Ball the footballer, but no one could accuse him of not trying. Perhaps his biggest faults were impatience and frustration with charges who could not meet the rigorous standards he had set in his own playing days. Arguably he was more of a natural coach than a manager, often impressing with his work on the training pitch but suffering in boardrooms for his chronic lack of diplomacy. After taking over Second Division Portsmouth in May 1984, he led them to promotion in 1987, only to suffer relegation a year later as the club ran into dire financial trouble. They struggled back in the second flight and Ball was sacked within four months of the arrival of a new owner, Jim Gregory, whose business methods he despised. A brief but happy stay at Colchester United, helping Jock Wallace save their League status in 1988/89, was followed by a traumatic 15-month stint with Stoke City, with whom he plunged to Division Three in 1989/90 before being dismissed amidst bitter boardroom turmoil during the following term. After that, he vowed to finish with the game and took a pub near Ascot, but was lured back to enjoy a fulfilling, if precarious spell with Third Division Exeter City, twice narrowly avoiding demotion to the Fourth before heeding the siren call of Southampton and the Premiership in January 1994. Taking charge of a club of which he had happy memories, and being assisted by former boss McMenemy, held many attractions, and back at The Dell he enjoyed the zenith of his management career. Making the most of the delectable but sometimes wayward talent of Matthew Le Tissier, Ball saved the Saints from relegation in his first spring, then led them to 10th in the table in 1994/95, and professed bitterness when the club did not seem keen to retain his services when his old friend Francis Lee asked him to take over at Manchester City for 1995/96. He accepted, but it proved a disastrous decision. City were deeply in debt, and Ball inherited a plethora of average players on high wages. His previous experiences seemed unlikely to qualify him for success in such a situation and so it proved, with City going down that season and, inevitably, Ball losing his job. Still in love with the game, he was tempted back to manage cash-strapped Portsmouth again, and moved mountains to steer them clear of dropping out of the First Division in 1998, only to be sacked by the new owner Milan Mandaric when the team was struggling once more in December 1999. That was Ball's last post, and early in the new millennium his energies were consumed in supporting his daughter Mandy's successful fight against cancer, and his wife Lesley's losing battle with the same disease. Source: Ivan Ponting, The Independent, (www.independent.co.uk)
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BAPTISTA VitorBorn: Portugal 1921-03-27 Died: Portugal 2000-03-31A former Portuguese international, Baptista - a forward - made his name with Benfica in the 1970s and also played for Vitoria Setubal and Boavista. He gained 10 international caps, scoring twice.
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BARBOSA MoacirBorn: 1921-03-27 Died: 2000-03-31Barbosa was the spectacular goalkeeper for Brazil during the 1950 World Cup which saw Brazil, as the host country, finish runners-up to Uruguay. Ever present during the six matches, Barbosa conceded just six goals whilst his colleagues plundered 22 at the other end. Unfortunately, the Brazilians lost a 1-0 lead in the final match to lose 1-2 and they had to wait until 1958 before capturing the Jules Rimet trophy and establishing themselves as the world’s greatest soccer nation.
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BECK ThorolfurBorn: Iceland 1940 Died: Iceland 12.99A prolific goalscorer and one of Iceland's best known footballers, Beck's career took in spells in Scotland, France and USA but started and finished in his own country. His career started in 1957 with KR in Iceland, before moving to Scotland with St Mirren and, briefly Rangers. He later played for Rouen in France and St Louis in the USA. He was capped 20 times for his country and was captain on four occasions. He returned to KR in 1968 and helped them win the national championship.
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BENNETT Leslie DonaldBorn: Wood Green 1918-01-10 Died: Hackney 1999-04-29Les Bennett was Tottenham Hotspur’s regular inside-right during the immediate post-war era. He scored 102 goals in 272 League games, 14 in 22 F.A. Cup, 1 in 1 F.A. Charity Shield and 8 in 26 wartime games. He ranks 7th in the Spurs’ all-time League goalscorers list. Recognised as an entertaining ball player, his positional sense created many openings for himself and others. As a schoolboy he represented Wood Green, Middlesex and England and he was a ballboy at the 1932 F.A. Cup final between Newcastle United and Arsenal. First associated with the Spurs as an amateur in 1935, he spent the vast majority of his career with the club. He progressed through the club’s Juniors and their Northfleet nursery side to make over 300 first team matches for the side and then finished with a spell at West Ham. In May 1939 he signed as a professional and he scored three goals on his first team debut in November that year in a wartime fixture against Watford. During the war he also guested for Torquay and Distillery and even represented the Northern Ireland Regional League against the League of Ireland in April 1943. Army service saw him in combat in Burma, India and Egypt and clearly his playing opportunities were restricted. At the end of the war he was ready to take his place in the Tottenham first team. He made his Football League debut in August 1946 against Birmingham and scored on his second outing against West Bromwich Albion. Due to the war, he was 28 when he made his debut and perhaps already past his peak. However he was to enjoy plenty of good seasons and proved he still had a lot to give. In that first season he finished as top scorer with 16 League and 1 Cup goal and repeated the feat in 1948/9, when he was ever-present and scored 19 League goals. He won a 2nd Division Championship medal in 1949/50 and a 1st Division one the following season as the famous "push and run" team reached it’s zenith. He formed a great striking partnership with Len Duquemin although the other regular forwards: Bailey, Medley and Walters all weighed-in with their share of goals. In 1951/2 Les again top scored this time hitting his best total of 20 League goals as Spurs finished in runners-up place in the Championship race. It was the third and last time that he led the scorers and in December 1954 he moved to 2nd Division West Ham United and scored 3 goals in 26 League and 1 in 2 F.A. Cup games for the Hammers. During his heyday with Tottenham, Les came close to winning an England cap. He represented the F.A. XI against The Army and The Navy in 1946 and later against Cambridge University and Diable Rouge (a Belgian Select XI). In 1951/2 he stood by as an England reserve but in those pre-substitute days, he never got to play at the highest level. In August 1956, he became player-manager of Clacton Town and spent 1959/60 with Romford. Playing under him at Clacton was his brother Ken who had also been on Spurs books as an amateur and played half-a-dozen wartime matches for them. In the mid fifties Les had a cameo role in the film "39 Steps" starring James Mason and came out of retirement in 1964 to play for the reformed "Push and Run" team for John White’s Memorial Fund. In his later years, Les lived close to White Hart Lane and was a regular visitor to the club on match days.
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BEST, GeorgeBorn: Belfast 1946-05-22 Died: London 2005-11-25"Genius" is a term so chronically overused in conjunction with sport that it is in danger of being comprehensively devalued. It should be rationed scrupulously, reserved for the truly sublime rather than being squandered on the merely remarkable. However, there should be no hesitation in dusting down the "g" word for a rare fitting recipient, and such a man was George Best. Look beyond the lurid, fast-living image and set aside, for a moment, the alcoholism that was destined to transform his life so tragically. Like Stanley Matthews before him, Best was the symbol of footballing excellence for a whole generation. There were other magnificent players, including Bobby Charlton and Denis Law at his own club, Manchester United; but the mercurial Irishman was on a pedestal of his own. As Matt Busby, his Old Trafford mentor, put it: "George had more ways of beating a player than anyone I've ever seen. He was unique in his gifts." Unfortunately, he was singular, too, in that he was the first "pop star" footballer whose every off-field action was scrutinised by the media. Relevant advice was scant, there being no precedent to his situation, and eventually the ceaseless attention, in which he revelled at first but which he subsequently reviled, goaded him inexorably towards self-destruction. Best was born in 1946, the first of six children of an iron-turner at the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast. A Protestant, though not in the political sense, he was brought up on the Cregagh housing estate and was crazy for kicking a football from the age of nine months. Though his prodigious natural talent became evident early in his childhood, he was a skinny specimen, verging on the puny and embarrassed by his lack of stature, and his family considered him too small to tilt at a future in the professional game. Nevertheless Best was fanatical about football and idolised the mid-1950s Wolverhampton Wanderers side, then the epitome of sporting glamour through their exploits in a series of Continental friendlies in the days before formal European competition. An intelligent boy, he passed the 11-plus examination only to find that his grammar school majored in rugby. His reaction - and how typical this would seem, later in life - was truancy, partly because he had been split from former friends and partly to play in soccer matches. Soon he was transferred to a secondary modern which catered for his obsession and he progressed, though not enough to earn selection for Northern Ireland Schoolboys. However, Best's breathtaking ability was spotted by Bob Bishop, Manchester United's chief scout in Ulster, who rang Matt Busby and proclaimed: "I think I've found a genius." Even then, the path to stardom was to be tortuous for the seemingly frail wisp of a 15-year-old who crossed the Irish Sea to Old Trafford in 1961. Having barely left his home city before, he travelled on an overnight ferry with the similarly unworldly Eric McMordie - later to enjoy success with Middlesbrough and Northern Ireland - and was distinctly underwhelmed by his reception in Manchester. Little was done to welcome the painfully shy duo and they succumbed to homesickness, returning to Belfast and, in Best's case, to a likely future as a printer. Soon, though, he changed his mind and went back to Old Trafford where, before long, he was to stand the established order on its head in spectacular fashion. He announced his limitless potential in training sessions, sparkling against star performers such as the goalkeeper and fellow Ulsterman Harry Gregg, whom Best duped too repeatedly for beginner's luck to have been a factor. Still only 17, he tasted senior action for the first time in September 1963 and by December he was a fixture in Busby's side, one of the final elements, and surely the most crucial, in the painstaking reconstruction process which had been under way since the Munich air disaster five years earlier. Operating alongside fellow world-class forwards in Law and Charlton, Best was incandescent, a magical manipulator of a football and an entertainer supreme. Positioned nominally on the wing but roaming at will, he was capable of going past opponent after opponent, able and frequently eager to make brutal assailants look like clumsy buffoons, and he was as clinical a finisher as any in the land. Much is made of his heavenly fusion of skill and speed, balance and timing, which made him sometimes virtually unplayable. In addition, though, Best was immensely brave and, in his early twenties, attained a resilient strength and an unshakeable self-belief which enabled him to laugh in the face of the vicious physical punishment to which he was routinely subjected. To enhance his worth still further, he was mentally acute, which allowed him to apply his instinctive flair to maximum advantage. In short, in a footballing sense he was flawless, possessing the assets to excel in any role. True, there were times when team-mates would scream in exasperation when the Irishman, having dribbled past three defenders, would teeter on the verge of losing possession to a fourth. The chances were, though, that in the next breath they would be hailing a wonder goal, created from a seemingly impossible position. Performing in this vein, Best contributed monumentally to League Championships in 1965 and 1967 and to the attainment of United's so-called holy grail, the European Cup, in 1968. Indeed it was, perhaps, during the exhilarating pursuit of that elusive prize that George Best the footballer made the quantum leap to Georgie Best the pop icon. Early in 1966, the Red Devils had defeated mighty Benfica, the Portuguese champions, by three goals to two in the first leg of a European Cup quarter-final at Old Trafford. The second leg in Lisbon's Stadium of Light was a daunting prospect and Busby, with uncharacteristic caution, had urged his men to play it safe for the first 20 minutes. Best had other ideas. Running at the Eagles' formidable rearguard with swashbuckling abandon, he scored two fabulous goals in the opening 12 minutes and inspired a scintillating 5-1 victory. His display was greeted rapturously but the impact was magnified still further when he donned a sombrero to descend from the plane's steps on his return to England. With his good looks, flowing locks and, now, his sense of the flamboyant away from the pitch, he was enshrined as "El Beatle". Duly, his life took on a different dimension. Now he was public property as never before and he delighted in the advantages thus accrued. Commercial opportunities abounded, beautiful girls prostrated themselves before him and the attraction of alcohol became gradually more insistent. For a long time, though, despite dire warnings from Busby that he was going down the wrong road, that was not a problem to a young and exceptionally fit athlete. Inklings that difficulties were brewing for Best surfaced after 1968, during which he was voted both English and European Footballer of the Year after contributing an opportunist goal to United's European Cup Final defeat of Benfica at Wembley. In the wake of that longed-for triumph, a perhaps understandable sense of complacency emanated from Old Trafford, where a 59-year-old manager with an ageing team might have been excused a little weariness after battling back from the horror of Munich. Best, though, had a different agenda. He was still young and hungry for more honours, becoming increasingly frustrated at what he saw as lack of ambition around him. Not surprisingly, a gradual decline set in at the club, and the fact that it was largely masked by Best's individual splendour - he was top scorer in five successive campaigns from 1967-68 to 1971-72 and once netted six times in an FA Cup tie against Northampton Town - did little to placate United's principal asset. Sadly, there was to be no consolation on the international front, where Best turned in occasional inspirational displays - notably in a stirring win over Scotland at Windsor Park, Belfast, in 1967 - but usually was hamstrung by the poor overall standard of the team. As a result, he would refer to his Northern Ireland efforts as "recreational football", a slight which reflected overweening gall at his unavoidable absence from the world's great tournaments rather than genuine malice. Back in Manchester, his disillusionment was heightened when Busby refused to make him captain, citing his growing irresponsibility as the reason, and there followed a succession of disciplinary spats and absences without leave as Best turned ever more frequently towards the bottle. In addition, he fell out with Bobby Charlton, being sickened by what he perceived as the older man's holier-than-thou attitude over Best's playboy lifestyle. For his part, Charlton believed, with simple logic, that Best was letting the side down. Meanwhile the Belfast boy's sexual conquests were spread regularly across the newspapers - he admitted that he saw most attractive women as a challenge - and his goldfish-bowl existence intensified when he moved into a custom-built, ultra-modern house in Sale which became a Mecca for rubberneckers. After Busby's retirement, Best led his two successors as manager - first Wilf McGuinness and then Frank O'Farrell - a merry dance with his unscheduled absences, and by the spring of 1972 his situation was approaching crisis point. Though still playing superbly at times, and carrying an otherwise mediocre team, he could no longer shoulder the responsibility and his drinking spiralled dangerously out of control. That May, unable to cope, he announced his retirement and decamped to Marbella, only to return for the start of the new season. But more strife was in store. By December he was transfer-listed after further indiscretions, only to be lured back by yet another new manager, Tommy Docherty. It was a dubious rapprochement which ended in acrimony when the team hit the skids, quickly followed by Best himself, who played his last game for relegation-doomed Manchester United as a distinctly portly 27-year-old, on New Year's Day 1974. What followed was largely irrelevant to what made George Best special in the first place, his football career continuing for a further 10 years but playing second fiddle to drink, sex and gambling, and it constitutes a tale more edifying in summary than gruesome detail. At various junctures he ran the Slack Alice night-club in Manchester and Bestie's Bar at Hermosa Beach, California. There was a spectacular fall-out with one Miss World, Marjorie Wallace, which resulted in Best's being charged with theft before being released without a stain on his character, and a fling with another holder of that title, Mary Stavin. There were marathon benders without number, and sundry brawls; a Christmas spent in prison for drink-driving; various hospitalisations for alcoholism; divorce from Angela Macdonald Janes, the long-suffering mother of his son, Calum; and admitted guilt over the emotional neglect of his mother, who died an alcoholic at the age of 54. Post United, the pick of Best's footballing travels included three summers with Los Angeles Aztecs, during which he faced the likes of Pelé and Franz Beckenbauer and intermittently rediscovered the old flair, fitness and enthusiasm. Also there was an initially exhilarating but eventually unsatisfying brief stint with Second Division Fulham in harness with his fellow showman Rodney Marsh. Then came turbulent sojourns with Fort Lauderdale Strikers and Hibernian, and fleeting service with San Jose Earthquakes, during which he contrived one goal of divine quality, which saw him mesmerise four defenders before beating the goalkeeper. After his divorce from his first wife, there were long-term liaisons with the model Angie Lynn and with Mary Shatila, who also guided his business affairs as he earned a living through personal appearances. In 1995, still fighting alcoholism, he arranged to marry Alex Pursey, a Virgin flight attendant half his age, but failed to turn up for his own wedding because he had gone drinking with another girl. The ceremony took place a week later, but it didn't stop his drinking with other girls. They divorced after nine years. Best continued to thrive as a professional celebrity, an after-dinner speaker and soccer pundit who was engagingly witty when sober, sometimes obnoxious when not. Despite that, despite everything, the game he illuminated so brilliantly remained his defining passion to the last. "I didn't decide one day that I would drink myself to death," he announced after having a liver transplant in July 2002. "It is as a result of alcoholism. Alcoholism is a disease. It's the same with drugs. You don't decide suddenly, 'I'll be a drug addict.' " Best was addicted to alcohol - his continued drinking even after his transplant was to lose him much public sympathy - and he was addicted to women. But most of all he was addicted to football. He leaves unanswerable questions behind him. How great might he have become but for the bottle? Had Matt Busby been younger, less scarred by past trauma, might he have imposed sufficient discipline to inspire the most naturally gifted player of modern times to scale even loftier peaks? At this distance, it doesn't matter. For seven or eight seasons George Best gave untold pleasure to countless fans all over the world, created so much that was beautiful and left a hoard of deathless memories. And that is enough Source: Ivan Ponting, Independent on Sunday (www.independent.co.uk)
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BEZ ClaudeBorn: France 1940-11-04 Died: France 1999-01-26Former President of Bordeaux, Bez ran the club from 1978 to 1990, during which time they won two League titles and two French Cups becoming the top French side of the 1980s. At the time of his death he was awaiting trial on fraud charges arising from alleged misuse of local government grants to the club.
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BICKLES DavidBorn: West Ham 1944-04-06 Died: East London 1999-11-00A former Youth international, David Bickles first appeared for the Hammers’ first XI during the club’s appearance in the 1963 American Soccer League tournament. The following September, he made a memorable League debut for the Londoners, deputising for Ken Brown away to Liverpool at Anfield in the old 1st Division. Taking his place in a half-back line-up that read Martin Peters, Bickles and Bobby Moore and directly opposing Ian St John was a testing time for the teenager. West Ham won 2-1 with goals from Peters and Geoff Hurst. Roger Hunt, who went on to join Moore, Hurst and Peters in the England ‘66 World Cup winning team, scored for the home side. This remains the last time that a West Ham side has won at Anfield. However, despite being a reliable defender, he was unable to establish himself as a regular at Upton Park and in October 1967 he joined Crystal Palace. His appearance record for West Ham shows 25 League games, without scoring. He moved on, in September 1968, to Colchester United, without having played for the Palace first team. At Colchester he enjoyed two seasons of regular first-team football in the 4th Division. He made 68 (3 goals) League appearances for the Essex team, 2 F.A. Cup and 3 F.L. Cup. He moved to Romford of the Southern League where he became manager. He then spent twenty years as a PE teacher at a school in Newham and returned to the Hammers in a part-time coaching capacity
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BLY, Terence Geoffrey (Terry)Born: Fincham 1935-10-22 Died: Grantham 2009-09-24Former centre forward Terence Geoffrey Bly died on 24 September, 2009, aged 73. Described as a legend of both Norwich City and Peterborough United, he was known for his scoring prowess during the 1950s and early ’60s. He scored 38 goals in 67 games for Norwich between 1956 and 1960, then at Peterborough he netted 87 in 101, including a record-breaking haul of 52 league goals during the club’s first season in the Football League in 1960/61. He went on to have spells with Coventry City and Notts County before joining non-league Grantham Town where he became player manager in 1964 and played for six years more years before continuing to manage the side from 1970 to 1978.
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BORELLI LucBorn: Marseille 1965-07-02 Died: France 1999-02-00Borelli who was reserve goalkeeper with Lyon died in a car crash. He joined Lyon from 2nd Division Caen last year, having previously played for Paris Saint-Germain and Toulon.
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BOULOGNE GeorgeBorn. France c1918 Died. France 1999Boulogne managed the French national team between 1969 and 1973.
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BOWER Ronald William CharlesBorn: Wrexham 1911-11-17 Died: Colchester 1998-12-00Bower signed as an amateur for New Brighton in July 1930 and spent five years with the club in that capacity. He made his debut at right-back in a 2-1 away victory at Carlisle in the 3rd Division North in September 1933. He made 20 League, 2 F.A. Cup and 1 3rd Division North Cup appearances for the club, occasionally playing at left back also. He moved out of the Football League for a spell with South Liverpool in June 1935 and such was his form there that 1st Division Bolton Wanderers paid a fee for his services in January 1936 and he became Football League professional. However he played only 3 times in the League for Bolton and left for Millwall in June 1937. He failed to appear in the first team at Millwall although he returned to New Brighton as a wartime guest player and he finished his career with a short spell at Folkestone Town, signing for them in November 1945.
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BOWIE James DuncanBorn: Aberdeen 1924-08-09 Died: Essex 2000-08-00Bowie joined Chelsea in September 1944 from Park Vale in Aberdeen after having been spoted in wartime football whilst he was serving in the Navy. His military duty prevented him from playing very often during the war but he was a member of Chelsea team that defeated Charlton 3-1 at Wembley, before 84,000, in the 1942/3 League Cup South Final. He also guested briefly for Middlesbrough during the war as well as for Hounslow (which is probably where he was originally spotted by Chelsea). He was described as a typical Scottish inside-forward - energetic, temperamental and full of ball-playing tricks. Although he had some good runs in the Chelsea 1st Division team and played alonside both Lawton and Bentley, he was transferred to Fulham, also in the top division at the time, in exchange for Wally Hinselwood. Although he was a fairly regular member of the Fulham side, he was transferred to Brentford in March 1952 just before the club were relegated. He played out the remainder of the season as a regular first team player at 2nd Division Brentford but during the close season he was sold to Watford of the 3rd Division South. He enjoyed three-and-a-half good years at the Hertfordshire clubs where he both created and scored goals. Watford were undergoing a re-emergence after a lean spell but although the team promised much they were unable to climb out of the 3rd Division. Jimmy began to suffer from knee injuries which kept him out of the side and in January 1956, he slipped out of League football by signing for Bedford Town for £500. He moved on to Headington United in February 1957 and amazingly re-joined Fulham in May 1957. He did not however figure in the first team and was soon on his way again when he joined March Town during the 1958 close season. His final destination was Wisbech Town whom he joined in December 1959.
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BOYD, Leonard Arthur Miller (Len)Born: London 1923-11-11 Died: Melton Mowbray 2008-02-14Len Boyd was the staunch and steely skipper of the most successful Birmingham City side in the club's 132-year history. Under his uplifting leadership the Blues won the Second Division championship in 1955, then a year later came sixth in the top flight – their highest ever League finish – and reached the FA Cup final. As a footballer the tall, long-striding Londoner was a fiendishly industrious wing-half, passably skilful on the ball as might be expected of a former inside-forward, and courageously combative, too, capable of dishing out physical punishment implacably and taking it without a whimper. Indeed, he once played four games with what turned out to be a hairline fracture of the leg. Yet for all his intrepid, sometimes frenetic efforts in the midfield trenches, there was an aura of composure about him, and perhaps the most abiding image of captain Boyd is of his majestic bearing as he ploughed forward in support of his attack like some stately galleon in full sail, waving imperiously to direct the men ahead of him, the very heartbeat of his team. Despite playing in the same West Ham schools team as Ken Green, destined to become a comrade at Birmingham, Boyd was a late starter in the professional game. He was spotted playing for the Royal Navy in Malta as a 22-year-old in 1945, a Plymouth Argyle fan being sufficiently impressed to pass on his details to the Devon club. A successful trial followed and Boyd enlisted at Home Park that December, but his progress as a Pilgrim was not rapid. For two years he was seen as a promising but not exceptional inside-forward, but when he was switched to right-half by the soon-to-depart manager Jack Tresadern it became clear that he had located his true niche. Suddenly he looked a more confident performer, even in a side struggling to avoid relegation from the Second Division, and it was inevitable that he attracted attention from bigger clubs. In January 1949 Boyd became the first Plymouth player to be sold for a five-figure fee, joining Birmingham for £17,500. Understandably the Argyle supporters had been incensed at the mere suggestion that one of their favourites might be allowed to depart, so the transfer negotiations were kept secret until the deal could be revealed as a fait accompli. Unfortunately for the newcomer at St Andrew's, City's hold on their tenure in the élite division was as tenuous as Plymouth's at their level, and when the 1949/50 campaign ended he found himself back in the second tier. However, under the enterprising management of Bob Brocklebank there was a marked improvement. Some proven players were signed, the youth system revamped and a steady renaissance began. In 1950/51 the Blues finished fourth in the table and reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup. Boyd, emerging as a natural leader, grew rapidly in influence, excelling as the side narrowly missed promotion in 1951/52, being pipped for promotion only on goal average (the absurdly complicated forerunner of goal difference) by Cardiff City. His burgeoning stature was recognised by an appearance for England "B" against Holland, but he never received the full cap which most St Andrew's regulars reckoned was his due. Brocklebank was replaced as Birmingham team boss by Arthur Turner in October 1954, and the new man led the Blues to the Second Division crown in his first term, this time goal average working in City's favour as they finished highest in a three-way tie on points. There were critics who protested that the Midlanders lacked sufficient class to flourish in the higher grade, but they were to be comprehensively confounded. A solid combination built around the formidably flinty half-back line of Boyd, the young centre-half Trevor Smith and feisty left-half Roy Warhurst, and featuring the England goalkeeper Gil Merrick and full-back Jeff Hall finished sixth in the table, only four points adrift of runners-up Blackpool. Better still, in an era when no club would have dreamed of treating the FA Cup with contempt by fielding a weakened team, they embarked on a glorious knockout campaign which took them all the way to Wembley without once playing on their home turf. The inspirational Boyd featured mightily in all six games, which included a stirring 3-1 triumph over Arsenal at Highbury at the quarter-final stage and a satisfying 3-0 drubbing of Sunderland at Hillsborough in the semi. Alas for the Blues, the final against Manchester City produced dismal anti-climax. In a game best remembered for the fact that Manchester's German goalkeeper Bert Trautmann played on after breaking his neck, Birmingham never performed close to their full potential, losing 3-1. In fairness, they had been weakened by the absence through injury of Warhurst. Boyd himself was not fully fit, amazing team-mates by the manner in which he defied severe back pain. By now the captain was in his 33rd year and after only one more appearance, he opted for retirement from the game, going on to make his living first as a publican in Birmingham, then as a traffic warden. He didn't give up on football altogether, however, moving into non-League circles to serve Hinckley Athletic briefly as a player, then coaching and scouting for Redditch United between 1960 and 1965. Ivan Ponting, The Independent (www.independent.co.uk)
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BRADBURY WilliamBorn. Matlock 3.4.33 Died. C1999Inside forward, Bradbury joined Coventry City from Modern Mechanics in 1949 and signed as a professional in May 1950. He made his debut at left half in a 3-3 draw in the 2nd Division with Nottingham Forest in October 1951. At the end of that season Coventry were relegated to the 3rd South. He played fairly regularly in the 1953/4 season but left in November 1954 to join Birmingham City. He had scored 7 goals in 27 League games for Coventry. He played just twice for City in 1954/5 but his impact was important as both games resulted in wins. City were involved in a struggle at the top of the 2nd Division when he made his debut against Fulham at home at the end of March. He stood in for Noel Kinsey and helped his side to a 3-2 win. A month later, he again stood in for Kinsey away to Hull City and scored twice in a 3-0 victory. At the end of the season Birmingham finished as champions, on goal average, from Luton and Rotherham with only the top two promoted. Despite his effective contribution to the championship campaign, Bradbury did not get a chance in the top flight and in October 1955 he was transferred to Hull City for a fee of £4,000. He was signed by Bob Brocklebank who had been manager at Birmingham when Bradbury joined Birmingham. At Hull he was a great success, topping the goalscorers in each of his four full seasons with the club. At the end of the first term, Hull were relegated to 3rd Division North but he helped them regain their 2nd Division status at the end of 1958/9 with 30 goals in 45 games as Hull finished runners-up in the 3rd Division. Hull struggled in the higher division and Bill fell out with the fans with whom he had once been a firm favourite. He requested a transfer and in February 1960 he joined Bury for £5,000. He was again top scorer at the time of his transfer but his strike rate had dropped to just 6 in 22 appearances. Altogether he had notched 82 League goals in 178 games and 7 in 12 F.A. Cup matches. His move was the start of a tour of lower division clubs. At Hull he scored 4 goals in 18 appearances before moving on to Workington in November 1960 and after 23 appearances and 5 goals he moved again, this time to Southport in August 1961. This was to be his last League club and in just one season he scored 2 goals in 11 League appearances. He finished his carer by spending 1962/3 with Wigan Athletic in the Cheshire League scoring 13 goals in 27 League games and another 5 goals in various cup competitions. Bill was the son of George Bradbury who played for Clapton Orient and nephew of Billy Holmes of Chesterfield, Manchester City and Clapton Orient.
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BRADLEY George JosephBorn. Maltby 7.11.17 Died 8.12.98A teak hard defender, George was a promising young player, who after a grounding with Rotherham was signed by Newcastle United as a star of the future. Unfortunately war broke out after he had played just 1 League game for the Magpies and by the time football resumed after the war, the club had acquired a younger batch of future stars and he was transferred to Millwall in September 1946. He had originally joined Rotherham from Malty Hall OB in March 1937 and played 28 League games for the Millers before moving to Newcastle in November 1938. During the war he served with distinction as a sergeant in the RAF and saw active service in Belgium, and France. During the war he managed to play 20 wartime matches for Newcastle (scoring 1 goal) and he also guested for Hull City (11 appearances), Arsenal (5), Bradford City (1) and Rotherham (1). At Millwall he proved extremely popular with the supporters for his uncompromising attitude. He was a hard and tough defender who took no prisoners. He was, apparently the same in training and club mates did not relish playing against him. He was transferred to the Londoners “without knowing anything about it” but that did not stop him from giving his best. After two years as a regular, Millwall were relegated from the (old) 2nd Division to the 3rd Division South. He remained for two more seasons, before retiring, but his appearances were less frequent. In total he played 74 League games for Millwall, scoring 2 goals and he did not play in any Cup games.
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BRASTED GordonBorn. Burnham c1934 Died. Essex 2.00Gordon played for Burnham Ramblers as a boy before signing for Arsenal in March 1953. He proved to be a prolific goalscorer for the “A” and Reserve teams before succumbing to a major cartilage problem. Whilst at the Gunners he played for the Arsenal cricket team and opened the batting with Denis Compton. He tried his knee again for a short time at Gillingham but the injury proved too great and he took up helping his old club Burnham Ramblers as a weekend activity. It was to become a lifelong passion and he was dedicated to making the club one of the most respected in the county with the accent on community spirit. He was presented the Award of Merit by the Essex County F.A. last season for thirty years service to football.
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BRENNAN James Seamus “Shay” AnthonyBorn: Manchester 1937-05-06 Died: Waterford 2000-06-09An Irish international, Shay Brennan, was thrust into the top level of English football early in his career by the 1958 Munich air disaster. He went on to become a fixture in the Manchester United side and was a member of the team that became the first England to capture the European Champions Cup. Brennan was actually born in Manchester of Irish parents and joined United as an apprentice professional straight from school in 1953 and appeared in their F.A. Youth Cup-winning side two years later, as an inside-forward, although he was to establish his top class career as a right-back. The Munich disaster meant that Brennan made his first team debut in the first match played by United after the tragedy in an unaccustomed position on the wing. He scored twice in a 3-0 win and scored again in the semi-final against Fulham. He missed out on place in the Cup Final as more senior players became available to United. After that he returned to the reserves and did not begin to appear regularly for the senior side until 1959/60. He was again unlucky to miss a place in the F.A. Cup Final in 1963 when he played in the first four rounds but lost his place in the Final (which United won) to fellow Irishman, Tony Dunne, after missing the semi-final through injury. However, he was by now a regular member of the first team when fit and he began to win major honours. In 164/5 he was ever-present in the Championship side and he won another Championship medal in 1966/7. The following season he played in the team that won the European Champions Cup by beating Benfica 4-1 at Wembley. By now Shay was a regular international in the Republic of Ireland team, having qualified through the parentage ruling. He won 19 caps for his country and he moved to the Republic when he eventually left United in 1970. He was the first English born player to represent the Republic of Ireland. He had made 292 Football League appearances (3 goals), 36 F.A. Cup (3), 4 F.L. Cup (0), 24 Europe (0), 2 F.A. Charity Shield (0) and 1 World Club Cup (0) for a grand total of 359 appearances and 6 goals. He became player-manager of Waterford - winning his last three international caps with the League of Ireland club. He settled in Waterford later running a parcels delivery service until going into semi-retirement following a heart bypass operation. In 1986, after he suffered his first heart attack, 10,000 people attended a testimonial match in Dublin between United and Shamrock Rovers. It was his second testimonial game that United had played for him. He also became the first player to receive a pension from the club. As a player he was cool, constructive fullback. He was strong and brave in the tackle and having played in a variety of positions he read the game well. As a player he was a very popular teammate who liked to socialise. In retirement he spent a lot of time playing golf and was passionate about the game. He died on the golf course at Tramore, Co Waterford.
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BRODIE Charles “Chick” Thomas GeorgeBorn: Duntocher 1927-02-22 Died: 2000-04-00Chick Brodie was involved in one of the most bizarre incidents seen on a football field which seemed funny at the time but was to bring about the end of his career. It happened when a stray dog got onto the pitch and chased the ball which Brodie was about to collect into his arms. The animal crashed into Brodie and caused severe injury to his knee. A Scottish schools international, Chick started his career with Manchester City, signing from Patrick Avondale in March 1954. He was unable to break into the first team at City and he moved to Gillingham in July 1957. After 18 League appearances, he moved on to Aldershot just one year later. At Aldershot he played 95 League, 9 F.A. Cup and 2 F.L. Cup games and in February 1961, he jumped at the chance to leave the lower rungs of the Football League by joining 1st Division Wolverhampton Wanderers. He made what was to prove to be his only first team game for Wolves a few days after his transfer, standing in for Malcolm Finlayson against Manchester United, including Bobby Charlton, at Molineaux. Wolves won 2-1 but Finlayson resumed his position and in September 1961, Chick was on the move again. This time he joined Northampton Town and became the regular number one goalkeeper for the club. In 1962/3 he was ever-present as the Cobblers won the 3rd Division Championship and promotion to the 2nd Division. The following season he lost his place to Brian Harvey and in November 1963 he joined his last League club, Brentford. For Northampton he had made 87 League, 4 F.A. Cup and 6 F.L. Cup appearances. His stay at Brentford lasted eight seasons before injury struck and he was generally the first choice throughout his stay despite dropping from the 3rd to the 4th Division at the end of 1965/6. His 199 League appearances for the Bees, took his career total to 400. Additionally he played 16 F.A. Cup and 12 F.L. Cup games for the club. After retiring from football he worked as a taxi driver.
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BUGEANU MarioBorn: Romania 1975-01-15 Died: Romania 1999-03-21A 1st Division player on loan to Gloria Bistrita from Rapid Bucharest, Mario was found dead in his car along with his girl friend. They had been making love in the car whilst parked in a garage with the engine running and both died of carbon monoxide poisoning having been apparently unaware of the dangers of carbon monoxide.
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BUNKELL Raymond KeithBorn: Edmonton 1949-04-18 Died: Gresford, Nr Wrexham 2000-03-15An England Youth international developed by Tottenham Hotspur, Bunkell was a busy midfielder who failed to make the grade at White Hart Lane and signed for Swindon Town in June 1971 without having played for the Londoners. He enjoyed two and a half seasons at Swindon in the 2nd Division before dropping a division to join Colchester United in Dec. 1973. He continued at Colchester for a further seven years before injuries forced his retirement. After retirement he was a coach and physio at Wrexham for a number of years. Career record
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BURNS, Thomas (Tommy)Born: Glasgow 1956-12-16 Died: Glasgow 2008-05-15The footballer Tommy Burns enjoyed a relationship with Celtic that lasted over 20 years, a club he served as player, coach and manager. A neat and creative midfielder in his playing days, he won numerous trophies with the Glasgow outfit, and his most savoured achievement was helping to secure the league and cup double for the side in their centenary year in 1988. His dedication to the club made him a much respected figure among the Parkhead faithful, who held him in great affection. A gentlemanly and genuinely popular character, Burns endeared himself to Scottish football in general, too. “You would never hear anybody in football say a bad word about Tommy Burns,” said the former Rangers player Ally McCoist. He was a religious, personable family man, known for his humour and courage, and he fought the cancer that he finally succumbed to with the same degree of grit and guts he had displayed on the pitch. Thomas Burns was born and raised in the Calton district of Glasgow’s East End, a 15-minute walk from Parkhead, and attended the local St Mary’s school. He began his career at Maryhill Juniors, before joining Celtic in August 1973 at the age of 16. Having turned professional the following year, he made his debut in 1975 when he came off the bench for the last 20 minutes against Dundee. During the late 1970s and 1980s Burns was to feature in many a title triumph with the Hoops, winning championship medals in 1976-77, 1978-79, 1980-81, 1981-82, 1985-1986 and 1987-88. He also helped Celtic to win the Scottish Cup in 1980, 1985 and 1988 and the Scottish League Cup in 1982. The league win in 1988 was particularly memorable, as was that of 1986. In the mid-1980s the likes of Aberdeen, Dundee United and Heart of Midlothian looked as though they were going to break the Old Firm’s stranglehold on Scottish football, and with a week remaining of the 1985-86 campaign Celtic needed maximum points from their last three games, and Hearts to lose, to deny the Edinburgh side the championship. Winning 5-0 on the last day of the season, Celtic pipped Hearts to the title at the death. After making a total of 352 league appearances for Celtic, scoring 52 goals, Burns reluctantly left the club at the age of 32. He made a literally tearful farewell in a friendly against Ajax. “I wanted to go out with a smile on my face and not a tear in my eye,” remembered Burns of that day. “So I got all of my crying out of the way during the warm-up. I ran about the pitch for 20 minutes with tears running down my cheeks because I knew I would never wear a Celtic jersey again.” He thereafter moved to Kilmarnock, where he proved equally as popular, and in 1992 he was appointed player-manager, achieving promotion to the Premier League in his first season. His record at Rugby Park did not go unnoticed by his old club, and in 1994 he was appointed Celtic manager. The 1990s were, however, barren times at Parkhead, with Rangers lording it over Scottish football. Burns did take Celtic to the Scottish Cup final in 1995, where they overcame Airdrie, and the team lost only one game in the 1995-96 season, when they were close-runners up to Rangers in the league, but otherwise the club could do little as their Glasgow rivals won nine championships in a row. A month after Celtic lost a Scottish Cup semi-final replay to first division Falkirk in April 1997, Burns was dismissed. He moved to Newcastle United, working alongside his compatriot Kenny Dalglish as assistant manager, before being appointed manager of Reading. After a poor set of results he was dismissed. He returned to Celtic in 2000 when Martin O’Neill was appointed manager, becoming youth development manager. He combined this role from 2002 with that of part-time assistant manager of the Scottish national side under Berti Vogts, and in 2005, with the appointment of Gordon Strachan at Parkhead, Burns became first-team coach at Celtic. Tommy Burns was regarded as one of Scotland’s most gifted midfielders of his time, yet he only won eight international caps, seven of which came from 1981 to 1983; he made his debut against Northern Ireland in 1981 and his last game was against England at Wembley in 1988. The relative paucity of appearances may be accounted for the sheer wealth of talent the Scottish national side had in the 1980s: Burns had to compete with the likes of Graeme Souness, Gordon Strachan, Kenny Dalglish and Jim Bett. His most bitter disappointment was not joining the Scotland World Cup squad in Spain in 1982. Burns later recalled: “Jock Stein gathered us at Hampden and said: ‘Obviously not everybody is going, Tommy Burns and Ray Stewart will be staying behind.’ I felt like a schoolboy whose mother hadn’t turned up to collect him.” In 2006 it was announced that Tommy Burns was undergoing treatment for a melanoma. He was given a healthy prognosis after two lumps were removed from his leg but this March it was confirmed that the cancer had returned. He is survived by his wife of 28 years, Rosemary, and two daughters and two sons. The Times, (www.timesonline.co.uk)
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BUTCHART WillieBorn Scotland, 1902 Died Scotland 09-1999Willie was a talent scout who amongst others unearthed the talents of Norrie Rattray and the great Jim Baxter.
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BYRNE John Joseph “Budgie”Born: West Horsley 1938-05-13 Died: Cape Town 1999-10-27Known as Budgie due to his incessant chatter on and off the pitch, Byrne was one of the most skilful players of his generation but he failed to win the honours that his rich talent deserved. Born in Surrey of Irish parentage, he left school at 15 and was recommended to Crystal Palace by the club’s pre-war goalkeeper Vic Blore. He played for Effingham School, Epsom Town, Guildford City Youth and represented Surrey Youth. He turned professional for Palace just as the club were seeking re-election to the 3rd Division South. He made his debut the following October in a 0-0 League home draw with Swindon Town. He gained a regular place in season 1957/8 but was unable to prevent the club from falling into the new 4th Division when the old 3rd Divisions North and South were reformed into 3rd and 4th Divisions. In the new divisional set-up Palace, with Byrne now beginning to show his star quality, were to start operating at the top end of the table after years of struggling at the bottom end of the League. Budgie, already by now an England Youth international, became the first 4th Division player to be capped by England Under 23s in February 1961. That season he scored 30 League goals for the Palace as the club climbed out of the basement of the League as runners-up in the 4th Division. In November of the following season, he gained his first full international cap when chosen to play for England against Northern Ireland at Wembley. He was the first Palace player to be capped by England since 1923. It has always been rare for a player to be capped by England playing at this level and it was no surprise when he moved into the 1st Division in March 1962 by signing for West Ham United. The fee at £65,000 was a British transfer record. Byrne repaid the fee in full by helping to transform the Hammers into one of the most attractive and accomplished teams in the country. He could play in any of the central attacking positions but played deeper than a conventional striker and laid on as many goals for others as he scored himself. He added flair to a team already blessed with such players as Moore, Hurst and Peters. At his height he possessed pace, tight ball control, a scorching shot and was a great passer of the ball. Unfortunately he developed a weight problem which made it difficult for him to come back after injury and his period at the very top was comparatively short. In 1964 he won a F.A. Cup winners medal as the Hammers beat Preston 3-2 at Wembley. That season he played 7 times for England scoring a hat-trick against Portugal. In all he won 11 caps and scored 8 international goals. He was missing through injury in 1965 when the club won the European Cup-winners cup but was in the side which lost in the two-legged League Cup final to West Bromwich in 1966. He was included in Alf Ramsey’s original 26 man squad for the 1966 World Cup finals but was omitted from the final 22 chosen to contest the final. His international days were over. At club level he still had some memorable games to come although they were becoming rarer as his fitness level tailed off. In November 1966 he starred in a 7-0 League Cup win over Leeds despite the fact that he did not score himself and five days later he sparkled in a 4-3 victory over Spurs in what was described as the “match of the year”. The following month he scored a remarkable goal in a 5-5 draw with Chelsea, pouncing on a rebound from his missed penalty and coolly dribbling around two defenders. In February 1967 he returned to Crystal Palace for £45,000. By now Palace were in the 2nd Division but Byrne’s best days were behind him and he moved on to Fulham in March 1968. The Cottagers were still in the 1st Division but were relegated to the 2nd Division at the end of the season and the following season, with Byrne playing intermittently, they dropped straight to the 3rd Division. In June 1969, Byrne left England for South Africa to join Durban City, whom he guided to League and Cup triumphs. He loved life in South Africa and remained there for the rest of his life. He later managed the Hellenic and Cape Town Spurs. Budgie will be remembered with fondness by fans of both Palace and Hammers for the style and skill he displayed as well as for his goals and the success he brought them. He also remains a member of that small group of players who have played in five separate divisions of English football. Career details:
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