Manchester City legend Tony Book left us on Monday, comedian Tony Slattery the day after, and news of the deaths of Joan Plowright and David Lynch came on Thursday.
Then, yesterday, we lost Kenny Wilson and Denis Law (see previous posts.)
Anthony Keith (Tony) Book: 4/9/1934 – 13/1/2025. So it goes.
Tony Declan James Slattery: 9/11/1959 – 14/1/2025. So it goes.
Joan Ann Plowright: 28/10/1929 – 16/1/2025. So it goes.
David Keith Lynch: 20/1/1946 –15/1/2025. So it goes.
What can you say about the only Scottish footballer ever to win the Ballon d’Or? Simpy magnificent.
He is Scotland’s all time top goalscorer, a record held jointly with Kenny Dalglish.
He played club football for Huddersfield Town, Manchester City, Torino, Manchester United and City again.
He once scored six goals in an FA Cup tie for Manchester City against Luton Town. Sadly these goals do not appear on his record as the game was abandoned with twenty minutes left to play. City lost the rearranged game 3-1! Of course Denis got their goal.
It was with Manchester United that he made his greatest mark in club football, in that great triumvirate of Best, Law and Charlton.
One of the best football players of my lifetime, Bobby Charlton, a silky inside forward (and later midfielder) with an explosive shot, has died.
He was a member of that inspirational Manchester United team known as the Busby Babes of whom too many died in the Munich disaster. For ever after he naturally dreaded flying but as a professional footballer at the top level had to do so many times.
He then captained that formidable side United team which also featured club legends George Best and Denis Law when they won the European Cup at Wembley in 1968.
As a World Cup winner he will be forever an English football immortal. His record of international goals for England (49) stood for decades. Some poeple attribute England’s defeat in the 1970 World Cup quarter-final in against West Germany in Leon to the fact that manager Alf Ramsey, thinking the game won, withdrew Charlton to save him for the semi. That decision allowed Franz Beckenbauer to dominate the midfield and inspire the Germans’ comeback.
Sadly his last days were blighted by dementia maybe induced by heading the heavy footballs of his youth and playing days.
Robert Charlton: 11/10/1937 -21/10/2023. So it goes.
I’m too young to have seen him play (plus Dumbarton never were in the same Division as Hibs at any time during his career) but I knew of course of the Famous Five of whom he was the last to leave us.
What I hadn’t realised was he was Scotland’s third highest scorer behind Denis Law and Kenny Dalglish. Not bad going for a man who had to retire through injury at the age of 29 and who played at a time when there were fewer international games than today.
Not many Scottish footballers achieve legendary status, especially non-Old Firm players. Lawrie Reilly certainly did, though.
Lawrance “Lawrie” Reilly, 28/10/1928 – 22/7/2013. So it goes.
