In Memoriam

[starmandb]

Top top player was Frank worthington
Remember him nutmegging Paul Davis then shaping up to go back to do it again
And that was in his older days when he was at Southampton

[Phil71]

Finding Jack Charlton is on BBC2 and iplayer next week. A special feature-length film, Finding Jack Charlton will air on the BBC at the end of March.
It explores the life of an English World Cup-winning legend who became an Irish hero. The film also details Jack’s previously undocumented life with dementia.

Saw a clip and looks good.

I'll definitely watch that.

[Rockape]

My Dad played football into his 60’s with vet teams, so was heading those heavy balls from being a kid right into the mid 1970s. He started getting dementia in his 70’s and by the time he was 85 and died, he didn’t know what was going on. Not saying it was the heading, but makes you wonder.

[Phil71]

I know several people who have died with dementia and none of them played football or had any other work or pastime that involved head impact.

I don’t know if it's just coincidence. Loads of people die with dementia these days.

[Nuggets]

GEORGE SEGAL R.I.P

[Rockape]

By Rodney Marsh

My fellow maverick could lift the soul
What a talent Frank Worthington was. Light on his feet, agile, you could not take your eyes off him. And that was just in a nightclub. On the pitch, my word, what a presence he was. That goal he scored for Bolton, flicking the ball over his head before volleying it into the corner of the net: that was a piece of magic that will be admired as long as football is played.

We belonged to an exclusive little club, Frank and I – and I do not mean Stringfellows. We were part of a unique cohort in the Seventies that become known subsequently as the Mavericks. There was Stan Bowles, Charlie George, Alan Hudson, Tony Currie, Frank, me and, at the centre of it, George Best. We all shared a common perspective: football was there to be enjoyed, both for the player and the fan. Our priority when we went out on the pitch was to entertain; to have fun. And boy, did Frank have fun.

The problem was, we were nonconformists at a time when the game was run at the top by those who valued conformity. Sir Alf Ramsey and then Don Revie as England managers had a right distrust of those who thought outside their strict guidelines. The fact is, they were suspicious of flair.

It was madness Frank did not play more for his country. He was always treated with such suspicion by England management, which was not altogether fair.

Were he around now, Frank would have earned 100 England caps, not the eight he got
I was with him in one get-together Revie organised and he would not go out with us that evening. He was trying to create a good impression. Fat lot of good it did him.

In one way, Frank was lucky that he was born at a time when he could have fun, enjoy himself, relax away from the game. If there had been camera phones around when Frank was out on the town, he would be permanently banned from playing.

I once read an interview with him when he had just moved clubs – to Bolton, I think – and he said he was knuckling down, getting self-disciplined. Instead of going out seven nights a week, he said, he was going to cut it down to just the six. I remember thinking, ‘Come on, Frank, you and I both know come next week you will be out on the seventh night, too’.

But in another way, he was unlucky with when he was born. Were he around now, Frank would have earned himself 100 England caps, not the eight he got. Eight: it is an insult. He really was that good. I read that when he was growing up in Halifax he played on the street with his two older brothers, who used to kick lumps out of him. To avoid their attacks, he learnt how to beat them with skill. And boy, was he skilful. He was big, good in the air, a real presence, but he could pass, he could dribble, his movement off the ball was so intelligent. Plus, he scored big goals at times that mattered. His club managers realised they could rely on him to deliver the goods. That was, when they could prise him off the dance floor.

Mind, he did have a reputation, Frank. There was a time when every nightclub I went into he seemed already to be there, bootlace tie, hair slicked back, another girl on his arm. But he was always up for a chat about football. You could talk to him about the game for hours. After I had retired and was living in Florida, he signed for the Tampa Bay Rowdies. There was a big headline in the local paper: “Worthington arrives today.” They gave the time his flight was due in and encouraged all the fans to go to greet him. Well, anyone turning up got quite a sight. When he got off the plane, looking like he had enjoyed a long flight, he was carrying a bag of duty free, tripped down the steps and a bottle of scotch smashed on the runway. Welcome, Frank.

The last time I saw him was about three years ago when I did an event with him and Gary Lineker. He did his best to hide it, but you could see there was a confusion in his eyes, the effect of dementia. He was still in good spirits, but mentally he was disappearing before your eyes. It was so sad to see. Because there were not many who, when they had a ball at their feet, could lift the soul like Frank Worthington.

[Zenith]

muMs da Schemer. Known for his role as Arnold 'Poet' Jackson from HBO's Oz.



Only 52. RIP.

[VCC]

RIP claude Calligari of AFTV fame, always enjoyed listening to the man and enjoyed posting on his YouTube and his return comments. Bleed red and white.

[Nuggets]

RIP claude Caligari of AFTV

[Phil71]

The bloke probably died from a heart attack.

He used to nearly have one after every game.

[starmandb]

Prince Phillip gone

[Phil71]

Prince Phillip gone

I'm very sad to hear this, although not surprised considering his age and recent bouts of ill health.

A great servant to his country in both war and peacetime.

If The Queen's reign is to be considered a success it will be in no small part due to his support.

Rest in Peace.

[Va-Va-Voom]

He had a good run

[Royal Gooner]

RIP HRH Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh.

[Ach]

DMX passes away