Nobby Stiles gone. With his passing does the glory of England’s 1966 World Cup victory retreat further from view, ever more the museum piece. Only four of those who jigged along the touchline with Stiles remain; Sir Bobby Charlton, Sir Geoff Hurst, Roger Hunt and George Cohen.
Hurst, still the only player to score a hat-trick in a World Cup final, was quick to pay tribute. “We were playing together way back for the U17s, U23s, and of course, for England. In fact, it was my first cap when Nobby scored. I think he was wearing No. 9! Great character, and the heart and soul of the team. He will be sorely missed.”
The goal was the only one scored by Stiles for England. His job was to keep it out of the net not fill it. He was only 24 when he took the field at Wembley, a toothless, balding figure who had made his England debut just the year before. Stiles was fast-tracked by Sir Alf Ramsey just as he had been by Sir Matt Busby at Manchester United, recognised for his selfless guile and enthusiasm for a tackle.
Stiles was a son of Collyhurst, the same Manchester barrio that produced Brian Kidd. His father was an undertaker, which provided a fund of stories on the after dinner circuit, a favourite being his birth in a cellar during an air raid and the day 17 years later his father took him to Old Trafford in a hearse to sign professional forms for United.
Typically self-deprecating Styles wrote in his autobiography that he had been born “a half-blind dwarf who was bombed by the Germans and run over by a trolley bus when he was one”. The story gained legitimacy a year into his United career when Busby, concerned at his erratic tackling, sent him for an eye test. A pair of contact lenses later, coupled with thick-rimmed spectacles for non-sporting use, Stiles’ career took off.
Busby converted him from full-back to midfield anchor with the instructions to feed the ball as efficiently as possible to the fabled trident Denis Law, Charlton and one George Best. You could not imagine a more inverse proposition to the latter than Stiles, who had none of Best’s flair, hair or flashing smile.
He would nevertheless become a folk hero for his role in helping England to World Cup victory against West Germany and two years later United to European Cup success against Benfica, a one-man Eusebio disposal unit on the same Wembley pitch along which he had danced with the Jules Rimet trophy.
Stiles was an England player for only five seasons gaining just 28 caps. In 11 seasons at United he turned out 311 times. You might say his timing was perfect, finding himself the glue that bound the greatest England and United teams. Stiles left Old Trafford for Middlesboro in 1971, sparing himself the trauma of his beloved United’s relegation three years later.
Spells as the manager of Preston, Vancouver and West Brom proved unsuccessful, though he did return to United as a youth coach bringing his influence to bear on the Class of 92. The careers of David Beckham, Paul Scholes and the Neville brothers that he would set in train would be rewarded with the kind of cash that was unavailable to Stiles’ generation. Stiles would be forced to auction his World and European Cup medals to provide for his family.
In his later years Stiles was struck down by dementia, an episode which left his family bitter, believing that both United and the FA could and should have come to his aid financially. The relationship between former players and dementia is now the subject of some scrutiny following research that highlighted the dangers of heading the ball over long periods. A study by Glasgow University found players were five times more likely to suffer with Alzheimer’s, four times more susceptible to motor neurone disease and a two times more likely to get Parkinson’s.
Though Stiles ended his life as modestly as he began it, in a red-brick semi within shouting distance of Old Trafford, he leaves behind a legacy few could have imagined when bombs formed the soundtrack to his earthly debut.
from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/2TBhIfs
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