RIP George

He can't read this now.

dick

Well if he hadn't died of alcoholism he'd only have died of something else. Here's to him!

EW

I'm not old enough to appreciate why everyone is so absorbed by George Best. It all looks rather sad. His family and friends seem to portray a man who will be genuinely missed.

I apologise to anyone this may offend but perhaps someone who does remember him as a player can tell me if this ghastly daily bedside media vigil has been rather overdone?

Perhaps if we stopped treating our sporting heroes as demi-gods then more would live to a good age? Not trying to be disrespectful but the most talented player of 'my' youth was Gazza, similarly ruined by excess. What odds on the current cohort?

Bruce

Best was the first footballing superstar, and an absolute genius with the ball, especially dribbling. Very few players have come even close to his skill level.
Thankfully he gave us a few years of wonderful demonstrations of that skill. God rest his soul.

Tony

I've found the whole "how long has he got" coverage to be quite ghoulish and creepy to be honest. I can understand that the mans death is newsworthy, I'm just not sure that the process of him dying is?

I also find it a little strange that the BBC website has that as the top story and then underneath and quite a bit smaller there's the story about the Police releasing the suspects names in the Bradford Travel Agent shooting.

Paul

Paul,

He was famous, therefore the media assumes lots of people are interested in him.

EW

How many other patient's treatment, privacy or comfort was compromised by this media farce?

quote:

Originally posted by Earwicker:
Paul,

He was famous, therefore the media assumes lots of people are interested in him.

EW

Don't have a problem with that, I guess any news item will be interesting to some people but, well, the last few days every time you've gone near the TV or Internet news the top story has boiled down to "still not dead yet".

Give him the coverage he's due now, whoever decides what that is, but for christs sakes show the bloke some respect on his deathbed.

Sorry to come over all moralistic but that just seems wrong.

Paul

Ironic that he dies the very weekend that the drinking laws are relaxed for the first time. I'm sure it's a move in the right direction.
I could never understand why people were so impressed by Oliver Reed being a famous drunk - it seemed that the public liked him that way and basically encouraged him to his death. I thought it was a tragic waste, and George Best even more so.
At least we can remember George Best for his greatness as a sportsman primarily. When I was a kid, he was my football hero. I've not watched football since those days as a kid.
I hope we get some classic football shown as a tribute on TV so people can see how brilliant he really was. He was a true legend.

Dear All,

A sad waste of a gift and talent and life.

The media are having a field day with this.

His family have to pick up the pieces and get on with things.

One group of people i feel very sorry for are the person and relatives of the person who very kindly donated a Liver to save someone elses life.

What a tragedy it appears to have been squandered on an alcoholic.

I wonder what organs , if any are suitable , will be offered for transplant to another person from George Best.

If any are suitable then that would be a very fitting end for this sorry outcome.

George would have offered the gift of life or quality of life to another human being who needs transplant .

regards David

P.S. i well remember 1966 . He was a great footballer.

Chaps

George Best hoped that he would be remembered for his football and that is how I will remember him.

An extrordinary player without equal.

RIP

Regards

Mick

Even I, a lowly Swede, born in the summmer of '69, know who George Best was. A great athlete in his time, I've seen a few clips from the World cup 66. It's just sad that probably nowadays, he may be remembered for his problems as much as for his achievements as a footballer.


Now it's almost been 40 years...
Go Sven-Göran and good luck to Britain

Regards
Rickard

quote:

Originally posted by Bruce Woodhouse:
I apologise to anyone this may offend but perhaps someone who does remember him as a player can tell me if this ghastly daily bedside media vigil has been rather overdone?

I wouldn't have thought one had to remember Best as a player to be disgusted by the vulture-like behaviour of some of the media.

quote:

Perhaps if we stopped treating our sporting heroes as demi-gods then more would live to a good age? Not trying to be disrespectful but the most talented player of 'my' youth was Gazza, similarly ruined by excess. What odds on the current cohort?

Since you're a doctor, you're obviously aware that alcoholism is a disease rather than a lifestyle choice...

Best was an inspiration to many people, not only because of his football success but also because of the way he achieved that success - using his intelligence, skill and speed to run rings (almost literally) around bigger, stronger opponents, many of whom knew their best hope of winning was to bring him down and hope he stayed down.

Well said Mick.

Regards
Jim

Bestie was the reason I started supporting United....when I was very young.

I was determined not to cry today, but failed miserably.

God bless, George

The headline coverage was briefly interrupted on News 24 last night by the “shocking news” that over 100 children were trapped in a Cornish school without food. You could almost see the glee in the presentation. ‘And we’ll have a camera crew there in time for the body count….’ This was followed by a reporter describing what grit was and looking for someone to blame the bad weather for.

Shame about George – but possibly surprising he lasted so long. A great talent in his day. And quite honestly, who gives a damn about his off pitch antics? As for the coverage over the last weeks and week in particular – about par for the course. Banal, un newsworthy for the most part, ghoulish , infantile, dramatic and crass (I think that about covers it). So no change there.

Cheers

Harry

quote:

Since you're a doctor, you're obviously aware that alcoholism is a disease rather than a lifestyle choice...

I think this is a rather simplistic view. Like almost every condition (and perhaps more than many) alcoholism is the result of the interaction of personal and environmental factors such as situation, opportunity and experience as well as a genetic or biochemcal diathesis. Factors which lead to the start of the problem are not always the same that result in its perseveration either.

Alcoholics do not 'just happen' with some biological inevitability. It is not 'all their own choice' either.

The word 'alcoholic' also embraces a wide variety of syndromes, many co-existing with other psycho-pathology (such as depression).

Bruce

quote:

Originally posted by RiNo:
, I've seen a few clips from the World cup 66.
Regards
Rickard

Errmm - which '66 World Cup did you see?

Cheers

Rich

I think it must have been a Sweden v Northern Ireland World Cup final dream....

My current dream is Australia v Brazil in Germany and the Aussies win 3-1 with Viduka scoring two goals and Harry Kewell one. Gotta dream...

Dave

I have never knowlngly dreamt about football.

Should I ever do so I shall immediately start practicing to become an alcoholic.

I have seen all the highlights of Grorge's career via snippets on TV where he scored audacious goals and dribbled bast hapless defenders but this is only a fraction of the story.

A few year's back, the BBC showed the full 90 minutes of the 1968 European cup final played in Wembly and I watched it all.

I had always the impression that Best would have been a talisman who might do nothing for 89 minutes and the do something briliant for 1 minute. How wrong I was!

Best was the PLAYMAKER, always looking for the Ball, protecting posession for his team, a constant thorn in the side of the opposition. If his team mates needed a breather for 5 mins, they gave the ball to George and he held up play for that period. He must have neen in posession of the ball treble that of any of his team mates.

Having watched the game, my impression of him changed utterly.

I'd urge anyone in doubt to watch the full 90 mins of this (or other) games to see the true genuis that was him.

Regards P

One final note. In his entire career he won 2 championship medals and 1 european cup medal. That's all. Good grief the brothers Grimm have won more than that at OT!