Tributes have flooded in for Nobby Stiles after the former England and Manchester United midfielder died at the age of 78.
Stiles, who had prostate cancer and advanced dementia, played a crucial role in the Three Lions’ World Cup success in 1966.
Getty Images
Getty Images
Covering that tournament was legendary talkSPORT commentator John Motson, who joined Drivetime on Friday to recall his memories of the midfielder.
Stiles played every moment of England’s World Cup triumph and certainly made his presence known!
“The way he used to snap into a tackle, the way he man-marked opponents and how he destroyed the other plans that teams had was so unique,” Motson, who has covered 10 World Cups during his prestigious broadcasting career, told talkSPORT.
“I don’t want to make him sound like a completely disruptive player, as he could pass the ball very well too!”
He continued: “I could go on for some time about the impression he made at that World Cup [1966].
“At one point when England played France in the group matches Nobby tackled one of the French players so heavily that the Football Association tried to get Alf Ramsay to leave him out of the team because he was too dangerous.
“And Alf said ‘well if he goes, I go’. Nobby continued in the team of course and went on to mark Eusebio when England played Portugal in the semi-finals and hardly gave him a kick.
Getty Images
Getty Images
“And that was Nobby, you could put him on an opponent and it wouldn’t be sort of a headline winning performance, but the way he could subdue the opposition was something quite unique at that time.”
He added: “Nobby was also a hero for Manchester United playing under Matt Busby, winning championships and European campaigns.
“There was nothing about him that was in any way ostentatious, he just got on with the job as a midfield marking player.
“I interviewed him once and that was in 1986, 20 years after winning the World Cup.
“And I can only say to you that he was one of the most generous and pleasant people that I ever had the pleasure of coming across in football.
“I was with him for the best part of a day and he never talked about himself. Nobby was one of those people who just got on with the job.
“He was one of the typical players after the war where it was a privilege for them to be professional footballers. It didn’t matter if he was earning £20 or less, he gave everything.
“In the Manchester United Hall of Fame he will always have a special place. They were a team that played with great flair, but they needed someone to stem the breaches at the back. In front of those defenders Nobby was absolutely priceless.
Getty Images
Getty Images
“That was how Alf used him. Alf wanted someone in the England team to break up the play of the opposition and set England on their way. That was Nobby Styles.
“It was a wonderful time for me to cross paths with him at one time during my career.
“He was, as I keep saying and I’ll finish here, an integral part of the England team that won the World Cup in 1966.”
Stiles was once described by Bobby Charlton as a ‘dog of war’ who shut down opponents with his eyes closed.
Away from the pitch he was the polar opposite though, as described by his former Manchester United teammate and friend Paddy Crerand.
“As a person he was absolutely fantastic,” Crerand recalled. “He was a totally different person to the player on the pitch. He fought, scrapped and battled for everything. Off the field he was as gentle as anything.
“You couldn’t believe that Nobby Styles off the pitch was the same person as he was on it. He was the total opposite.
“I got to know him really well at Manchester United. He was about 5ft 6in or something and you were thinking how could somebody that height be a central defender/midfielder?
“He was as blind as a bat too! He couldn’t see the other end of the dressing room if he didn’t put his glasses on!
“His reading of the game was absolutely exemplary, though. You’ll not find anybody say a bad word about him. He was a great character.”
Crerand conceded that while Stiles wasn’t the most gifted player in the world, his presence on the field made him irreplaceable for both club and country.
He concluded: “Who in god’s earth would have thought that Nobby Stiles would have played in a World Cup winning team and won a medal?
“Because you know what… he wasn’t that good a player. But when you played with him you knew how good he was. And when you played against him you knew how good he was.
“But Sir Alf Ramsay, god bless him, when he picked Nobby I don’t think too many people would have agreed with him at that time, but Nobby was so integral to that English team.”
Quizzed on whether Stiles have been a success in the modern era, Crerand responded: “Yeah, but I think he’d be getting sent off every game!”
from Football - news, transfers, fixtures, scores, pictures https://ift.tt/3jGG41Z
via IFTTT
No Comment