Great player and first ever to be sold for £1m!!! just imagine what he would have fetched if he was at his prime now
Does anyone else get a little moment of sadness seeing @zztop avatar every time they visit this thread ? I guess he must have started the thread and made the first post. Looks like his login has been shut down now
Former Fulham owner (and Harrods ) owner Mohamed Al Fayed died aged 94. Kind of started the era of what Fulham are now with his ownership in the late 90s when they were as we know it now a League one side. https://news.sky.com/story/mohamed-...m-fc-owner-has-died-at-the-age-of-94-12952608
Trevor Francis, Britain’s first £1m footballer, dies aged 69 | Football | The Guardian All this happened while I was in the wilds. Sad to see him and Chris Bart-Williams go. I still remember Trevor Francis on the Clough documentary at the end when players were being filmed and a look of real sadness in his eyes. A very decent human being too as well as highly talented.
Jan Jongbloed aged 82 part of that generation of Dutch footballers who came so close in 1974 and 1978 and at the grand age of 33 and 37 although I suppose being a keeper it's less detrimental on performance than being an outfield player. Never played for any of the major Dutch clubs but that was the way of it at the time before a few clubs decided to hoover up internationals. He wasn't the first sweeper keeper that accolade goes to Amadeo Carizzo of River Plate in the thirties but he was comfortable on the ball and kept playing league football until he was forty five only stopped by a heart attack. Unfortunately his son a goalkeeper was killed by a lightning strike aged just twenty one. Former Netherlands goalkeeper Jan Jongbloed, runner-up in 2 World Cup finals, has died at 82 | AP News
Argentina in 1978 and 1982 numbered their squad according to surname. So anyone with A like Ardiles would be 2 while Kempes ended up with 10.
Too young to see him play, but know he was a legend to the game and one of the finest players to wear the England shirt. Will be sorely missed by the football world, family and closest friends. RIP xxx
It’s a shame the highest award for a common man is a knighthood, because if anyone deserved to be a Prince it was Sir Bobby! R.I.P. Sir
Pleased to say I saw him play live at Vicarage Road, albeit for Preston. One of the true greats. RIP.
Me too. I think Nobby Styles played in that match as well. Always remember watching him play in the 1970 World Cup on the telly. One of the greats.
Yes I also saw that game and when Man U played in the FA Cup 1969, I once read the most he earned playing football as a player was as Player Manager at Preston £250 per week, which was around 10 times average wages at the time a little different to todays players wages!
My Dad took me to White Hart Lane in about 1971,I think ,to see Manchester United,or more correctly Best, Law and Charlton. I would have been 7 and the memory is distant, standing near a corner flag and seeing the play as I was allowed to go to the front. A man shaped of course by the devastation of Munich. Some wonderful eulogies as one would expect. Wonderful footballer,human being,a great goalscorer and a scorer of great goals. RIP Sir Bobby. As someone said earlier only Sir Geoff remaining now.
Sounds like he died after complications from a fall. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-manchester-67285478.amp Poor bloke .
And Ian Callaghan and two other squad members. Terry Paine & George Eastham. Finest footballer ever produced by England. George Best the finest from all the Isles. Two footed, accurate passer short and long, tenacious marker and thunderbolt shots with both feet and of very high accuracy. The third brother Gordon was set on the same path to be a top class player but for serious injury. I see Beckham has been fawning over Bobby but I suspect his motives the charlatan. Unlike you Sir Bobby had great integrity and won a World Cup as you desperately hanker for a knighthood.
Terry Venables passed away aged 80. Sad news . Will always remember Euro 96. Definitely a real football man and character. RIP.
Very sad news. A player's player and a player's coach. Understood the game and people. Probably our second best manager, after Sir Alf and both from Dagenham I believe.
https://x.com/jgnufc1/status/1728756717511750129?s=46&t=dJMeIix2oCIhjphLJhwpfg I met Tel on a few occasions in one of his favourite Belgravia restaurants. A really nice fella who was happy to have a chat RIP
Very sad news for his family, friends and the footballing world as another great of the game is summoned to the football heavens. Always remember him being very outspoken and got his point across. He did a few football match comms which were always a pleasure to listen to, being somebody who knew the game inside and out. Obviously greatly remembered for his Euro 1996 team and the "Gazza Goal" as well as the penalty shootout heartbreak against Germany in our Gray kits. A favourite amongst many fans' for his feats in the sport and will be greatly missed by all that knew and loved him. RIP "El Tel" Xxx
Terry Venables dies: Former England manager passes away aged 80 - BBC Sport A huge football character, gave England and Spurs some great memories, R.I.P. Sir!
You most probably wouldn’t have wanted to have gone into business with him, but a very personable chap who was a very decent coach, as his spells at Barca and England showed. He even won a trophy with Spurs, perish the thought. He was a real players coach, most really loved him as can be seen today by all the ex England stars paying wonderful tributes. But he wasn’t a people in suit’s coach. The FA ditched him, Sugar sued him. Had he stuck to football matters only, he’d probably be even more fondly remembered but financial controversy off the pitch dogged him and sadly ended his England spell way too soon. Despite his London accent, he always seemed more of a Continental coach in outlook., but he was very English in one way especially.. as sadly he fell victim twice to the national curse of losing penalty shoot outs. They denied him a European Cup and a Euros final versus an unfancied Czech team.
Venables called Euro 96 ‘the summer of a lifetime’. So very true. The best of times. I wish I could care about the England team now like I did then. GT, Sir Bobby and El Tel reunited. What a dinner table that’ll be to sit at.
Btw just to add to my earlier post, reference the curse of penalty shoot outs, I forgot Venables actually triumphed in them in the round immediately before the two losses I mentioned. England beat Spain on pens in the quarters, while his Barca side won their European Cup semi final on spot kicks, having originally been 0-3 in the tie v Gothenburg. Just to balance up my post.
