Forum Topic

Sad Passing of a GREAT Man

I was just saddened to hear George Best has just passed away.I am a huge Man Utd fan and met George at his 50th birthday party in The West End of London he was a very nice man.He was the greatest man u player and one of the greatest footballer we had.He will be sadly missed by us all.RIP George...

Simon Anderson ● 7116d31 Comments

Jim Lawes ● 7105d

Faggot for Kevin.

Matt Harmer ● 7106d

    The boys are scrapping......fisticuffs next?

Ann S. Allridge ● 7109d

And you're up with the lark!Fair play to you!

Keith Iddon ● 7109d

7 hours down the pub does that!

The Pseudometer ● 7109d

Yeah...and get your apostrophies in the right place you strange man.

Keith Iddon ● 7109d

"been a Red since I was a foetus"No, you haven't. The Red's are Liverpool. Get it right you wannabee!

The Pseudometer ● 7109d

Just re-read your posting....Emile Heskey compared with Alan Hansen...like with like?Centre forward with centre half?

Keith Iddon ● 7109d

Wonder if Alf Inge Haaland agrees with you Dan,or the other 2 unfortunates Keane stamped on.It wasn't only Keane that won those trophies.Remember Eric Cantona,David Beckham and Scholes et al?Liverpool used a lot more than 11 players in all competitions and whilst Robbo was captain, Liverpool only beat United once.We'll just have to agree to disagree,eh?

Keith Iddon ● 7109d

"Liverpool were the biggest team by far in the 80's,and to blame United's relative lack of success on one man when there were loads of other factors(a Flash Harry manager who wasted loads of money on poor signings"You mean Liverpool were the most successful team. United had the biggest budget by far. Your Flash Harry manager signed Robson and built a team around him. Atkinson is probably one of the more astute tactical managers of that era and his teams were always successful in cups. What he wasn't good at was giving his teams the kind of competitive edge that ensures consistency over a season. Robson's failure to play in at least a quarter of the games each season was probably a key reason for that. Looking back it is hard not to conclude that his drinking was an important factor in his injury problems."Liverpool having a squad and not a team"Most people with any knowledge of the game would remember that the striking thing about Liverpool at the height of their success was that they consistently fielded the same 11 players."it is goals that win games,isn't it?If you are going to compare,at least compare like with like(Robson 169/Keane 51)."You can't say Robson was a better captain and player than Keane based on goals. Keane's role was primarily as a holding midfield player, particularly as he matured. Liverpool fans would believe Emile Heskey is a better player than Alan Hansen if they followed your logic. The main occupant of the United trophy cabinet during the Robson years was a piece of red carpet. With Keane as captain they had the most successful period in their history. It seems to me perverse that any United fan wouldn't regard him as a hero. Certainly the ones at Old Trafford appear to do so, apart from the prawn sandwich brigade of course."a 25 year old Robbo would walk into the current United side"A 45 year old Robbo would probably have a chance of getting into the team they are putting out at the moment

Dan Evans ● 7110d

Was he completely bald?

Keith Iddon ● 7110d

Kevin,Liverpool were the biggest team by far in the 80's,and to blame United's relative lack of success on one man when there were loads of other factors(a Flash Harry manager who wasted loads of money on poor signings,the league being more competitive then in terms of teams being in the hunt a lot longer,a lot of United's team simply not up for comparison with Liverpool's,Atkinson's tactical naivity,Liverpool having a squad and not a team)I am from Lancashire and have been a Red since I was a foetus and have also seen them many times.I live down here now,but it has not affected my loyalty.By the way, Stuart Pearson was a centre forward(a rather average one too)but it is goals that win games,isn't it?If you are going to compare,at least compare like with like(Robson 169/Keane 51).I agree Robbo was no saint off the pitch,neither was Bobby Moore,George Best and many others.It's on the pitch that really counts..a 25 year old Robbo would walk into the current United side and any other there has been since he hung his boots up.Likewise,England have underachieved massively since 1966 both before and after Robson and have certainly not set the world alight since he retired.They are tactically naive,can't string more than half a dozen passes together and rely too much on a 20 year old to do something unexpected to actually have a flexible game plan.Oh, and the players are not good enough as a unit.If they don't win the World Cup,are you and Mark going to blame Rooney or Owen?.Or Lampard or Gerrard?

Keith Iddon ● 7110d

Kevin,Liverpool were the biggest team by far in the 80's,and to blame United's relative lack of success on one man when there were loads of other factors(a Flash Harry manager who wasted loads of money on poor signings,the league being more competitive then in terms of teams being in the hunt a lot longer,a lot of United's team simply not up for comparison with Liverpool's,Atkinson's tactical naivity,Liverpool having a squad and not a team)I am from Lancashire and have been a Red since I was a foetus and have also seen them many times.I live down here now,but it has not affected my loyalty.By the way, Stuart Pearson was a centre forward(a rather average one too)but it is goals that win games,isn't it?If you are going to compare,at least compare like with like(Robson 169/Keane 51).I agree Robbo was no saint off the pitch,neither was Bobby Moore,George Best and many others.It's on the pitch that really counts..a 25 year old Robbo would walk into the current United side and any other there has been since he hung his boots up.Likewise,England have underachieved massively since 1966 both before and after Robson and have certainly not set the world alight since he retired.They are tactically naive,can't string more than half a dozen passes together and rely too much on a 20 year old to do something unexpected to actually have a flexible game plan.Oh, and the players are not good enough as a unit.If they don't win the World Cup,are you and Mark going to blame Rooney or Owen?.Or Lampard or Gerrard?

Keith Iddon ● 7110d

Was it his moustache Matt?

Kevin Farnan ● 7110d

Totally agree with Kevin. Manchester United in the mid 1970's through to the 1980's tried to buy the championship title. Quite the same of what they are accusing Chelsea of doing today. Alan Brasil,Gary Birtles, Peter Davenport,Colin Gibson,Remi Moses,Arthur Graham, Joe Jordan, Gordon McQueen the list is endless. And I think Im right in saying that the majority of those signings were either a record signing buy or very close to the record.  I think George Best would of graced any era, the fact that defenders are fitter and quicker nowdays is irrelevant. One of the things that George had which was a massive advantage was he was as comfortable on his left foot as he was on his right. He could control or shot the ball just as well with either foot. Which of course made him so balanced as a player. How many times today do we hear the term..."It fell on his wrong foot !!!" Oh, I hear that there are calls for the retirement of the number 7 shirt from Manchester United. I am old enough to remember George played in the number 8 and 11 shirt as well.

Mark Welland ● 7111d

"George, I've some good news and bad news - you've an hour to live.""Jeez, what's the good news?""It's happy hour!"

The Pseudometer ● 7112d

"he would have been protected far more now against defenders who, in his day, considered a two-footed tackle from behind as a legitimate challenge"This is true and certainly you needed more courage to play in that era and there were very few who combined Best's skill with his bravery. However defenders were often leaden footed cloggers who were about as quick as a supermarket checkout queue. It's difficult to say for sure how he would have coped with today's defenders in the top division.

Andy Jones ● 7112d

Wasn't he a '70s pop singer?Seriously though, I have never heard of him so my guess is he probably played for Charlton Athletic?Matt, what a cunning wheeze to get people along to the market.  You ought to be a politician!! ;o)

Phil Andrews ● 7112d

I'm not joking and yes I'm not a Man U fan which means I've actually seen them play a few times unlike most people calling themselves reds and living down south. You seem to have this simplistic notion that scoring goals determines how good a player is. Do you think Stuart Pearson was a better player than Robson because his goals per game was higher?The transfer budget of Man Utd in the 80s was much bigger than any other team in the league and they were able to buy the best players like they bought Robson himself. They won very little in this period and Robson was probably to blame because he was the centre of the 'A' team drinking culture at the club with players like Norman Whiteside and Paul Mcgrath. The one time I met Robson he was incoherently drunk. When Ferguson arrived he acted quickly to deal with the problem and shape his team into one that was actually capable of winning the league which meant ending the drinking culture that Robson was at the centre of. Keane had his troubles with drink early on in his career but eventually became the totally focused professional. Yes he was a bully but he was a successful one. Keane could dominate a game of football in a way that Robson was never capable of and you could see that he intimidated his opponents. Of course Keane benefited from being amongst a fantastic crop of players but without him they were nowhere near as formidable. Man U were awesome in getting to the final of the Champions League but in the final without Keane they were second best to a mediocre Bayern Munich team and won due to a freakish last few minutes. This has been typical of Man U over the last 6 years - without Keane their results have been poor.Robson missed a huge amount of games and never gave United much more than a three quarters of a season. Look at the record of Frank Lampard and you'll realise that one thing that makes a team champions is their key players being available right through the season. Robson's captaincy of England also saw little success. In 1986 England didn't really click in the World Cup until he got injured and 1988 in Germany was an embarrassment. Ireland with Roy Keane massively over-achieved and who knows what could have happened if he'd stayed on in 2002.I'm not denying Robson wasn't a fantastic player in his way and I'd love it if hand on heart I could say that he was a better player or captain than Keane who I dislike intensely. I don't think Robson would have betrayed his country which makes him the better man but by every other yardstick that matters Keane is superior.

Andy Jones ● 7112d

But he would have been protected far more now against defenders who, in his day, considered a two-footed tackle from behind as a legitimate challenge. I saw George Best play once, in Les Berry's testimonial, and I will buy a faggot at the market for the first person to tell me Les's most distinguishing feature.

Matt Harmer ● 7112d

You must be joking Kevin,and not a Man. U.supporter.Keane is a great player,yes,but ultimately he is a bully boy who could not score goals(51 in his career).Robson was a far better captain and leader of men,knowing who to nurtue and who to censure,and set all a great example on the pitch with his grit and determination,explosive runs forward and his ghosting into the box to get on the end of a loose ball.There are not many midfield players who scored as many goals as Robbo,and not that many scored more for England either.      United were not as good a team in the 1980's as they were in the late 90's,but that's due as much to Fergie and the clutch of youngsters(Beckham,the Nevilles,Scholes and Giggs)maturing at the same time as it is to Keane.      If Keane doesn't want to play for Man. U. again,we have to say see you later,thanks very much.

Keith Iddon ● 7112d

Mark is right. Robson was a great box to box player and a good leader but was never that great technically. His goal scoring record isn't that impressive although not bad for a midfielder. Ultimately he should be judged on the achievements of the team he was the Captain of and by that yardstick given that United in his day had financial resources well in excess of the rest of the First Division the return was very poor. United under Keane were phenomenally successful. Keane as well as being technically a better player was also a degree above in competitiveness to the extent that it often went to far. Of the two Robson is clearly the nicer bloke but that was probably his weakness compared to Keane.I never actually saw George Best play and as someone pointed out it is probably only a tiny proportion of people who have even watched a whole game on TV or video that he has played in. The few clips that we have seen are evidence enough of genius although they probably haven't saved the ones where the tricks go wrong. Whether he would stand out today in a much more competitive league where defenders are faster, stronger, fitter and more skilful is debatable but that misses the point about Best. He is the icon for a decade and what he did on the pitch was only a small part of the reason for his incredible fame.

Andy Jones ● 7112d

Well,it's all about opinions I suppose but 97 goals for Man.Utd,46 for West. Brom,and 26 for England speak for themselves really.We'll just have to agree to disagree Mark.

Keith Iddon ● 7112d

I think Robson made the best of his limited ability with hardwork and as they often say nowdays a "good engine." I would go as far to say that he should have been booked and sent off far more than he actully was.I think a lot of the time he got away with it because he was the England captain.Quite rightly Best,Charlton,Law and Edwards were "naturals" and would grace any era,however I would not count Robson in the same league as those four "True Legends."

Mark Welland ● 7112d

Can't agree there ,Mark.Robbo is also of of United's finest ever players and would not have been shown up or be out of place along side Best,Charlton,Edwards and Law.

Keith Iddon ● 7114d

Roy Keane couldnt lace Bryan Robsons boots ?...Im afraid nither of them could lace Georges boots. In this current era there are too many people dishing the words "Great" and "Legend" around all too easily. Both of those words apply to George as they also did to Bobby Moore.

Mark Welland ● 7114d

Roy Keane...?Couldn't lace Bryan Robson's boots as a captain or as a goalscorer,imho.

Keith Iddon ● 7115d

man Utd have lost 2 of there Best players this week- lets not forget our Skipper Roy Keene.I bet you Bestie is up there having a god chat with sir Busby about the events this year concerning Utd like Keene being sacked and those Glazers etc

Simon Anderson ● 7115d

Although expecting it - it still came as a great shock to me.  I am not a United fan (QPR for my sins!) but George Best was undoubtedly the greatest footballer of his generation.  Even Pele expressed his admiration!Long may he have many a happy hour to wherever he may be!

Andy Gilbert ● 7115d

very sad day for all the best family may he rest now

Debbie Dewar ● 7115d

I agree that he was a great footballer,Simon,one of the best.As a life long United fan, I saw the 'holy trinity'(Best,Law and Charlton)a few times at Old Trafford,but like many United fans am sorry for the general malaise that afflicted the club post 1968.This would not have helped Best's plight,nor it is fair to say I think,did he help it at that time.Anyway,that's all ancient history now,RIP indeed.

Keith Iddon ● 7115d