George Best enters final hours

[Babylon]

Prince Charles is the nearest thing we've got to a King of England - or Tony Blair by his attitude. Who the hell would give a damn about either? Excluding close family and friends of course.

I don't give a damn about George Best.

The point i'm making is the press build these things up like they did with Diana. I've already seen on the news it's going to be the biggest funeral since Diana. Why? He was a footballer for goodness sake.

I didn't get the outpouring of emotion over her let alone him. He's dead, i'm sorry about that. He was a great footballer end of story.

Maybe i'm a cold hearted bastard.

[Cobbo]

I never got chance to see him play but from what ive seen he looked a fantastic player

I think I heard he quit football young is this true and does anyone know why ??

Yip. I think he was around 27 or so. But remember he started playing regurly at 16 and pretty much had done everything.

A lot of off field pressures not helping at all, struggling with addiction etc.

[Ricey]

I don't give a damn about George Best.

The point i'm making is the press build these things up like they did with Diana. I've already seen on the news it's going to be the biggest funeral since Diana. Why? He was a footballer for goodness sake.

I didn't get the outpouring of emotion over her let alone him. He's dead, i'm sorry about that. He was a great footballer end of story.

Maybe i'm a cold hearted bastard.

Quite possibly.

George Best touched the lives and entertained more people in his life time than any royalty or politican ever will. The population of this country could relate to Best, he was a superstar and one of the greatest footballers so of course the nation will mourn him greatly.

No one is saying he was a saint or a perfect human being, all this mass remembrance of him is because of all the great memories he gave people and because he was one of a kind.

[Anish]

I don't give a damn about George Best.

The point i'm making is the press build these things up like they did with Diana. I've already seen on the news it's going to be the biggest funeral since Diana. Why? He was a footballer for goodness sake.

I didn't get the outpouring of emotion over her let alone him. He's dead, i'm sorry about that. He was a great footballer end of story.

Maybe i'm a cold hearted bastard.

I agree with you completely. I frankly couldn't care less, everyone dies. Just cos he played football at a high level it doesn't mean I should respect him any more than the next person. In fact I had a lot of disrespect for him the way he threw his life away. He had it all and lived the high life, and suffered the consequences.

I don't think he deserves all the adulation he's receiving from the press. Sure he was a good footballer but there are lots of good professionals who die everyday who don't get any recognition.

[Anish]

Yip. I think he was around 27 or so. But remember he started playing regurly at 16 and pretty much had done everything.

A lot of off field pressures not helping at all, struggling with addiction etc.

True, but he brought it on himself.

[Cobbo]

True, but he brought it on himself.

How did he?

He was a pin up, everytime he went out for drinks and stuff, he was mobbed and handed numerous cocktails and forced to gerrum down his neck.

He didn't ask for all the media attention.

People who are of a weaker mindset can quite often become addicted to things that are bad for them, this happened with Best and alcoholism is a disease.

[Babylon]

Quite possibly.

George Best touched the lives and entertained more people in his life time than any royalty or politican ever will. The population of this country could relate to Best, he was a superstar and one of the greatest footballers so of course the nation will mourn him greatly.

No one is saying he was a saint or a perfect human being, all this mass remembrance of him is because of all the great memories he gave people and because he was one of a kind.

Well i'd say someone like Ronnie Barker has entertained more people that George Bloody Best. I don't remember seeing his face splashed over every page of a newspaper or every news channel when he died.

The press try and whip things up and it does my head in. They have done the same with the death of the WPC in Bradford. 100's of police have died before in the line of duty without the media attention she has got. I just don't understand why she is a special case. They had a two minutes silence in Bradford and are putting up a memorial for her???? It's a tragady it happened, but what about the other police officers that have died.

[Babylon]

and forced to gerrum down his neck.

Was he held at gunpoint???

[Cobbo]

Was he held at gunpoint???

Note I also mentioned being of a weak mind

[Babylon]

Note I also mentioned being of a weak mind

They must of used a Jedi mind trick on him "you will drink these three bottles of champagne", "these aren't the droids you're looking for".

[Cobbo]

They must of used a Jedi mind trick on him "you will drink these three bottles of champagne", "these aren't the droids you're looking for".

Quite

[Thracian]

I don't give a damn about George Best.

The point i'm making is the press build these things up like they did with Diana. I've already seen on the news it's going to be the biggest funeral since Diana. Why? He was a footballer for goodness sake.

I didn't get the outpouring of emotion over her let alone him. He's dead, i'm sorry about that. He was a great footballer end of story.

Maybe i'm a cold hearted bastard.

I've no idea whether you are cold hearted. You have a perfectly valid opinion which you know by now that I respect.

My own view is formed because I suppose I value anyone who contributes to my enjoyment of life and think the world is a worse place without them.

George Best did that. Football has been a source of great joy in my life - particularly going as a boy to Filbert Street in the late 50's/60's with my late grandfather, the seasons I spent playing and more recently the years spent watching with my youngest son from the centre stand. The memories are irreplaceable and Best was a part of that.

Prince Charles will never touch my life but Princess Diana's death was tragic because she had the capacity to do so many positive works yet barely got started. Apart from those who are obviously evil, I always feel particularly saddened when people die so young ... and daft as she was at times, Diana did have the capacity to be both an inspiration and an enormous catalyst for good a) through her position and b) through her obvious humanity.

Maybe that makes me too sensitive or emotional ....

We all have our crosses, I guess.

[Anish]

How did he?

He was a pin up, everytime he went out for drinks and stuff, he was mobbed and handed numerous cocktails and forced to gerrum down his neck.

He didn't ask for all the media attention.

People who are of a weaker mindset can quite often become addicted to things that are bad for them, this happened with Best and alcoholism is a disease.

I don't buy that excuse.

He didn't have to accept all the drinks did he? He should have had enough common sense to know it's harmful, especially in the quantities he was going through. I have no sympathy for him.

If I can say 'no' to somebody offering a drink I don't see why he couldn't. Yes he was weak minded, but just because he didn't have the strength to say no to drink/drugs I don't see how people should feel sorry for him. In my eyes you lead the life you want and make your own decisions. As Babylon says nobody forced him to do anything. For that he suffered the consequences of his decisions. Tough.

I may be cold hearted, but I have no time for Best at all or give in to the notion that alcoholism is a disease that wrecked his life. He did that himself.

[Nationwider]

George Best, Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley etc.

Massively flawed as human beings, all of them. But they are iconic figures who touched greatness. Sometimes I suppose its good to just take people for what they were good at, rather than who they were in reality. Ordinary people with extraordinary talent.

I don't think there's anything wrong with worshipping/remembering an ideal. A month ago, the attention Best got really wound me up, but I feel quite sad reflecting on his death now. Life's shit if you can't see beyond the mundane. Besty gave us a glimpse.

[Ultra]

Last year, when Keith Weller (the closest we ever had to a George Best) died, none of us wondered about HIS lifestyle.

And rightly so, it was irrelevant. What mattered was the many hours of pleasure and entertainment he gave to thousands of FOXES.

We should adopt the same principle today.

A lot of fans on here and on other boards may ask why we should honour him with a minute's silence. Well the leagues have insisted on it, because they recognise the service he gave to the game, not just to the clubs he played for. Unlike many today, he put a lot more into football than he took out. THAT's what we should recognise

And let's not also forget they also insisted on a minute's silence at every game after the deaths Princesses Diana and Margaret. Neither were renowned for their love of the game and both made life choices every bit as questionable as GB.

If we honoured them, the least we should do is show some respect for one of our own!

[Thracian]

I don't buy that excuse.

He didn't have to accept all the drinks did he? He should have had enough common sense to know it's harmful, especially in the quantities he was going through. I have no sympathy for him.

If I can say 'no' to somebody offering a drink I don't see why he couldn't. Yes he was weak minded, but just because he didn't have the strength to say no to drink/drugs I don't see how people should feel sorry for him. In my eyes you lead the life you want and make your own decisions. As Babylon says nobody forced him to do anything. For that he suffered the consequences of his decisions. Tough.

I may be cold hearted, but I have no time for Best at all or give in to the notion that alcoholism is a disease that wrecked his life. He did that himself.

Ah - if only we could all be strong. If only we could all be a lot of things...

I always remember as a coach having one prevailing thought when faced with the most unlikely sportsmen and women...

I said to myself: "You hit a ball like it's the easiest thing in the world - they might be bloody good nurses and mechanics."

To each his own and to no-one perfection - either in body or mind - was my experience. The more so as you get older, sadly.

[Ricey]

Well i'd say someone like Ronnie Barker has entertained more people that George Bloody Best. I don't remember seeing his face splashed over every page of a newspaper or every news channel when he died.

The press try and whip things up and it does my head in. They have done the same with the death of the WPC in Bradford. 100's of police have died before in the line of duty without the media attention she has got. I just don't understand why she is a special case. They had a two minutes silence in Bradford and are putting up a memorial for her???? It's a tragady it happened, but what about the other police officers that have died.

I would agree about Barker, he wasn't by far celebrated enough when he died.

[davieG]

If we're going to do something I prefer what I hear Celtic are doing - 1 minutes applause.

[Rincewind]

I do not have enough medical knowlrdge to argue when 'experts' say that alcoholism is an illness so I tend to go along with what they say. I don't know why he did not behave more sensibly and refuse drinks maybe there was something in his genes. Sometimes babies are born addicted to nicotine if the mother smoked during carrying. Is it the baby's fault? Like in another post says everywhere he went he was plowed with drinks. Yes he could have refused but remember this was at a time when drinking by footballers was not a big issue. Many footballers went for a drink straigt after the game. Sometimes before. He (George) may have been thought as a wimp if he refused a drink. The same as if a group of lads go out and one says he doesn't want another pint sometimes the others make fun of him.

[Cat Burger]

I refer to what I said about shyness, he pretty much had to do all these public speaking things, he was the first real footy superstar - there was no help, think of the pitfalls. I have a couple of drinks if I want to go chatting girls up, Imagine that on a MUCH bigger scale

Alcoholism IS now thought to be genetic, I hope not or else I'm focked.

[Guest]

Two things that have struck me, one we shouldn't feel sorry for him he lived his life the way he wanted to.

Exactly, he had his weaknesses, and it ended his life, but I'm sure many young lads offered the same lifestyle as Best, but with the same outcome, would take it.

[Guest]

Did you ever see him play Lisa?

Did you ever walk across Walnut Street bridge and shiver with excitement at what you were about to witness?.

There was Beatlemania and there was BEST.

Same effect, different stage.

Ultimate, inimitable, entertainment.

How he played was how he lived -- at full throttle in the most brilliant limelight.

And we who were there LOVED EVERY MINUTE

I for one would never wish to devalue one minute of his memory by acknowledging the undoubted truth - that he had the flaws of untold millions of human beings once he left that pitch. I shall just remember the joy of his unfettered, mesmeric, football.

I don't know why you've singled me out. I'm too young to have seen him playing, apart from TV clips. There's no doubt he was an amazingly gifted player, and the stories of how he would work on his weaknesses after training had finished when he was younger should be an example to all aspiring sportsmen and women that no amount of talent can make up for hard work.

Just because I can't feel sorry for a guy whose lifestyle killed him doesn't mean I can't appreciate him as a great player and an all round good egg. Thousands of people die each year because of alcoholism. To me, the tragedy isn't that it killed Best, it's the fact it ended his career when he should have been in his prime. That is the greatest loss to football.