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Keith Weller (Chelsea)
As some people may
know the reason my website is so quirky is that it was
originally based on players from the 1970-71 World of
Soccer Stars album. Keith's picture is on the Chelsea
page, and I see he won his only medal with them in the
1971 European Cup.
But I will always
associate him with Leicester City, in the great team they
had in the mid-Seventies along with Jeff Blockley,
Malcolm Munro,Steve Whitworth, Danny Rofe, Graham Cross,
Jon Sammels, Alan Birchenall, Steve Earle, Chris Garland,
Len Glover, Mark Wallington, and, of course Frank
Worthington. It's a surprise it didn't achieve more.
Keith died after a
long illness with cancer, and is another very sad loss to
Bob's 70-71 Pages.
Thanks to Jeff Harding for this obituary...
Leicester
City midfielder with stamina and dash
15
November 2004
Keith
Weller, footballer: born London 11 June 1946; played
for Tottenham Hotspur 1964-67, Millwall 1967-70,
Chelsea 1970-71, Leicester City 1971-79; capped four
times by England 1974; married; died Seattle,
Washington 12 November 2004.
Keith Weller was
blessed with all the natural talent necessary to
become a top footballer with either Tottenham Hotspur
or Chelsea. Both offered the bright, dynamic Londoner
enticing opportunities early in his career, but he
failed to sparkle quite persuasively enough among the
forbidding firmament of stars at White Hart Lane and
Stamford Bridge.
Instead, eventually,
he accepted a move to the less rarefied, altogether
homelier surroundings of Filbert Street, where he
matured during the 1970s into one of the most revered
figures in Leicester City's history, perhaps
deserving more than the four caps he was awarded by
the England caretaker manager Joe Mercer.
Weller was an
attacking midfielder endowed bountifully with flair
and dash, frequently deployed on the right wing but
arguably more effective in a central role. Admirably
direct and determined, he possessed the skill and
pace to leave defenders floundering in his wake,
often his stamina appeared limitless and he packed an
explosive shot which yielded some memorably
spectacular goals.
Also in the Weller
mix was a slightly temperamental bent. He was
emphatically his own man and once, utterly frustrated
by perceived shortcomings at the club, he refused to
return to the pitch for the second half of
Leicester's home encounter with Ipswich Town in
December 1974, for which rash act he was fined and
temporarily transfer-listed.
His verve and his
independence apart, Weller ensured an unperishable
entry in City's folklore in one of his last matches
for them, an FA Cup tie against Norwich City. Aghast
at the conditions which had caused the postponement
of most of the football programme that icy day in
January 1979, he donned a pair of fetching white
tights under his shorts, then ignored the inevitable
ribaldry from the terraces and scored in his team's
3-0 victory.
Weller, who was on
Arsenal's books as a schoolboy, turned professional
with Tottenham in January 1964 and impressed the
White Hart Lane boss Bill Nicholson with his
exuberant ability. Whenever called to the colours as
a deputy for the League and FA Cup double-winning
heroes Cliff Jones or Terry Dyson, the rookie
acquitted himself splendidly.
On one summer tour
of Mexico he was particularly prominent, astounding
team-mates and opponents alike by his boundless
energy in the baking heat, but sadly Nicholson,
untypically, was not there to see it. Eventually,
demoralised at not being able to pin down a regular
place, he agreed to join Millwall of the old Second
Division for £20,000 in June 1967, even though the
Spurs manager, sensing the 21-year-old's potential,
had been reluctant to sell.
Jeff Harding
See Email by Mark Law
BBC SPORT Football My Club
Leicester City Leicester legend Weller mourned reports
Emlyn Hughes (Liverpool)
Brian Clough, Bill
Nicholson and now Emlyn Hughes it's been a very sad
couple of months.
Here in the Yorkshire region, there was a tv appearance
by Emlyn only a month before he died, he was such a brave
man. He made the appearance at a fund raiser, which broke
your heart to see. He looked so unwell and had so
obviously shown such a huge effort to
attend.
He had also become a radio star in Sheffield in recent
years, which I'll really miss.
But mainly he was a huge part of my childhood as a hero
on the football pitch. Man U may never reach the heights
of that amazing
period when Liverpool dominated Europe, and he was at the
start of that era.
Of all the clips I've seen in the tributes two stick out.
1) The sheer delight on his face when he scored a goal
for England, and 2)
holding that enormous European Cup trophy aloft for
Liverpool - again with that huge smile of delight on his
face.
He will probably go down as yet another of those top
players who was just too nice to be an effective football
manager, joining Billy
Wright and Bobby Moore in that respect.
And it took a lot of years before they found a Question
of Sport captain who was as good as him !
It is a really sad loss.
BBC SPORT Football Football
great Emlyn Hughes dies has the following obituary:
Former England
and Liverpool captain Emlyn Hughes has died from a
brain tumour at the age of 57.
Hughes earned 62
caps for the national team and led Liverpool to a
string of honours while at the Anfield club.
He helped the
club to four league titles, two European Cups, an FA
Cup victory and two Uefa Cup titles.
Hughes was the
first player to lift the European Cup for Liverpool
after the victory over Borussia Moenchengladbach in
1977.
He was awarded
an OBE in 1980 for his services to sport and the
larger than life personality was nicknamed Crazy
Horse.
Hughes was a
midfielder who converted to centre-back and was
signed for Liverpool by Bill Shankly for £65,000
from Blackpool in 1967.
He left
Liverpool for Wolves in 1979 for £90,000 and also
went on to play for Rotherham, Hull City, Mansfield
Town and Swansea City.
The legendary
player won the Football Writers' Player of the Year
in 1977 and completed his full set of domestic
honours when he won the League Cup with Wolves in
1980.
Hughes had been
battling a brain tumour for the last 15 months but
his condition deteriorated in the last few days.
His wife Barbara
said: "He died at his home in Sheffield with his
family around him."
He was also
known for his role as a team captain on the BBC quiz
show A Question of Sport.
Liverpool will
hold a minute's silence in rememberance of Hughes
before their Carling Cup match against Middlesbrough
on Wednesday.
"Those
lucky enough to see him play will recall his
boundless enthusiasm, 100% commitment to the cause
and unrelenting passion for the club whenever he had
the Liver Bird close to his chest," Liverpool
said on their website.
"He was to
be one of the most inspirational signings this club
ever made and in a glittering career with the Reds he
won almost every honour in the game.
"He will be
sadly missed by all."
Liverpool chief
executive Rick Parry added: "Our deepest
sympathies go out to wife Barbara, children Emma and
Emlyn junior, and the rest of the family at this sad
time."
Also see ..
Poem by Football Poets - P Maguire
Brian
Glanville's obituary at MediaGuardian.co.uk Media Emlyn
Hughes
Liverpool's
Official site's obituary at THE LEGEND THAT WAS CRAZY HORSE
BBC SPORT Football Photo
Galleries Emlyn Hughes' career in pictures
Bill Nicholson (Tottenham Hotspur manager)
BBC SPORT Football My Club
Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham legend Nicholson dies has...
Legendary
Tottenham Hotspur manager Bill Nicholson, who guided
Spurs to the first league and Cup Double of the 20th
century, has died at the age of 85.
Nicholson led his
team to the First Division title and FA Cup in
1960-61, having taken over as manager in 1958.
Scarborough-born
Nicholson repesented Spurs during his playing career,
and won a solitary England cap in 1951.
After resigning
as Spurs boss in 1974, he continued to live nearby
and became the club's honorary president.
Nicholson died
after a long illness in a Hertfordshire hospital.
Tottenham were
set to hold a minute's silence before the Premiership
game against Botlon at White Hart Lane.
The stadium is
also being kept open for supporters to pay their
respects and the club is also keeping its doors open
on Sunday and Monday for fans wishing to pay respects
and sign a book of condolence.
Tottenham even
named an approach road to their ground Bill Nicholson
Way, in recognition of a man whose managerial
achievements put him alongside the greats such as Sir
Matt Busby, Bill Shankly, Brian Clough, Jock Stein
and Sir Alex Ferguson.
The season after
the Double, Spurs won the 1962 FA Cup and in 1963
added the European Cup Winners Cup to become the
first British club to win a European trophy, beating
Atletico Madrid 5-1 in Rotterdam.
He won the FA Cup
again with Tottenham in 1967, and then claimed the
League Cup in 1971 and 1973 and the Uefa Cup in 1972.
Tributes seeTottenham Hotspur FC www.spurs.co.uk
Brian Clough
(Derby County manager)
A true
legend to the very end. His record says it all. He was
one the very best club managers that Britain had last
centuary To take not just one small club, but two to the
Championship is an unrivalled achievement. And back to
back European Cups - what would Fergie give to equal that
!?
I saw the
Nottingham Forest side in the European Cup in a winning
year and it was one of the best team I ever will see.
From the
early days when the real Cloughie was just an extension
of Mike Yarwood's impersonations, up to the forthright FourFourTwo
monthly column, Brian has always been there in my life
making me laugh and making me cross, it's hard to believe
he's gone.
As a Leeds
United fan, I can report that at Elland Road, the scene
of a forgetable 44 days in his mangement career, the
minute's silence in his honour was maintained with
heartfelt perfection.
BBC SPORT Football Obituary
Brian Clough
has ...
Brian Clough was a
controversial, larger-than-life figure and one of the
last football managers to rule his club without
consulting his chairman or his shareholders.
Leading his teams to
two League Championships and two European Cups were
achievements considerable enough to earn him a place
in the history of the game.
His often outrageous
pronouncements and eccentric behaviour made Clough
the best-known manager in Britain, and fair game for
impressionists on television and radio.
Born in
Middlesbrough, the sixth of eight children, he failed
the eleven-plus examination, and left school at 15
for a job as a local clerk.
A year later he
signed for Middlesbrough FC, beginning what was to be
a brief but successful career as a centre-forward.
In 274 appearances
for Middlesbrough and Sunderland he scored 251 goals,
a post-war record, and was capped twice for England.
But Clough's playing
days ended on Boxing Day 1962 with a serious knee
injury in a game playing for Sunderland against Bury.
Beginning his
managerial career with Fourth Division Hartlepool he
was, at 30, the youngest manager in the Football
League.
After two successful
seasons, he joined Derby County
By this time, Clough
was beginning to make his mark for his shrewd
approach to management - and also his eccentric
behaviour.
His detractors found
him arrogant and rude, but no-one could deny that his
methods worked.
Derby took the
Second Division title in 1969 and the League
Championship in 1972.
When a row with the
directors forced his resignation a year later, there
were protest marches in Derby.
Two weeks later he
joined Brighton, but stayed only nine months before
being lured to Leeds United to begin one of British
football's top jobs.
His reputation for
aggressive management soon got him into trouble, and
he was sacked after only 44 days when the players
mutinied.
Clough's next move,
to Nottingham Forest in 1975, launched the most
successful period of his career.
The club won
promotion from the Second Division in 1977, and went
on to win two European Cup titles, a League
Championship and the League Cup on four occasions.
But the FA Cup
eluded him. Nottingham Forest lost to Spurs in the
1991 final. He also failed in his ambition to manage
the national side, being turned down for the England
job in 1977.
His outspoken
comments continued to feed his reputation, but the
public still loved him as one of the few
instantly-recognisable football managers in Britain.
He insisted on good
behaviour by both players and supporters, and caused
a stir during a 1989 game by chasing fans off the
pitch and slapping one of them.
Later he invited two
of the offending fans to the ground for a chat and
mutual forgiveness, literally kissing and making up.
By 1991 he was the
longest-serving manager in the league.
The recipient of an
OBE in the Birthday Honours list, he responded
typically with the comment that it stood for Old Big
'Ead. Two years later, after 18 years at Forest,
Brian Clough retired. Heavy drinking had affected his
health, and he was a shadow of his former self.
His fragile health
meant that he avoided FA disciplinary action over
alleged illegal payments for players and retired to
the Derbyshire hills.
'Cloughie' was a
phenomenon. His abrasive manner alienated some of
those colleagues closest to him.
But he was a natural
motivator who produced some of the most talented
teams of recent years, and inspired sporting and
managerial success.
See http://www.brianclough.com/
ramzone.co.uk - Story
Brian Glanville's obituary at Guardian Unlimited Football News Brian
Clough
Poems Football Poets - Clik the mouse and Football Poets - Peter Goulding
BBC SPORT Football Brian Clough timeline
Further
Autumn 2004 news can be found at ...
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