The RIP Thread

Ipswich fans will be feeling this badly, an absolute legend at the club. Terrific player who was hampered by injuries Rest in Peace Kevin

 

More importanty Stan, he was a great man full of generosity.

Too much for his own good as he always expected that others would treat him as he treated them.

RIP Kevin & thank you for allowing me to know you.

 

I will be away from a computer & all messageboards from tomorrow morning until next weekend, but I had to respond to the sad news about an old drinking partner of mine.

RIP Kevin. You were a very generous man with a heart of gold.

A year or so ago, I had an article printed in AKUTR's which detailed a story about Kevin from the season Ipswich won the UEFA Cup. I detail this below as a tribute:-


NEVER MEET YOUR HEROES?

Or a small Queens Park Rangers involvement in Ipswich Town winning the UEFA Cup in 1981! This subject came up after a friend told me about his meeting Mark Lazarus, Ian and Roger Morgan at the League Cup celebration dinner. There then followed my tale about a footballing hero, not mine, though he is to many, and a thoroughly nice bloke.

I have no idea how it came into being, but I suspect that my wife (Trish) had indicated that she would like us to go to St Etienne for the quarter final of the UEFA Cup. At the time Trish was a regular at Portman Road & a ST holder.

Anyhow, it came to pass that we were going to drive there along with two reprobates from the Belstead Arms, Ally & Neil. Ally was the brother of the landlady & a barman at the said establishment & Neil worked there when in the country. His “other job” was covered quite well in Auf Wiedershen Pet!

So it was decided that we were going. A leisurely drive through France & arriving the day prior to the match. All we now needed was the tickets, permission & insurance for the company car I drove, book the ferry & arranging time off work.

Now it just so happened that a regular at the pub was an Ipswich player whom we had got to know through the landlords. Not just any Ipswich player, but the man who was voted as their best ever! I don't know if I was present when Kevin Beattie became aware of our plans, but I do know that suddenly all we needed was time from work & to book the ferry. Kevin offered us his car (virtually demanded we take it) to drive to the game & said that he would supply the tickets & the insurance etc. He even threw in a full tank of petrol & his supply of cassettes. Leo Sayer to the fore! All this was under the guise of “the car needs a good run, it does less than 3,000 miles a year”.

The first night in France we stayed in Paris. Booked into a hotel & walked out of it one minute later! Then the night before the game, locals in the bar we were in nearly caused an international incident! Plenty of red wine & Ricard were purchased between us. Further details withheld to protect the innocent!!!

So to the day of the match. We were due to visit the team hotel in the afternoon to pick up our complimentary tickets. Such a simple task. That is, provided the manager hasn't thrown a strop & is refusing to hand out the tickets till the last moment, not to mention that the recipients were seriously hungover! Therefore, we had to sit in the lounge for what seemed like hours. Any player that appeared came over & talked to Ally. Any director that appeared came over & talked to me!

At the time I worked for Tolly Cobbold, a brewery owned by the Cobbold & Tollemache families & for years afterwards Mr. Patrick insisted that I attended a party in his bedroom that afternoon & I repeatedly replied that I didn't & was awaiting for Robson to hand over our tickets for the match! An aside here. Unlike most people, I didn't like Robson. I met him twice & he pissed me off twice!

Anyhow, we eventually were handed our tickets & went to the game. I think it was Platini who opened the scoring, but then Ipswich took over! Brazil & Gates were magnificent, as were Muhren & Thijssen. Then there was an absolute colossus at the back. Kevin was fit, so Butcher had to be moved to left back. It was a masterclass on how to defend! That night happened to possibly be the best performance in the history of Ipswich Town (certainly the best I've seen) & IMO was the game of Beattie's life.

The downside of this was that we were still in France when half of the team were celebrating in the Belstead the following day!

No free tickets or car for the second leg of the final in Amsterdam. Just the three of us travelling & we met Neil (back on the building sites of West Germany) at the team hotel on the morning of the game.

Why there? Kevin had broken his arm in the FA Cup semi final so couldn't play. However, he was more than fit enough to go out drinking with us all day! We were also joined by another Carlisle boy in Robin Turner, and enjoyed a sing song with the locals. Robin stayed with us until he had to return to the hotel (no alcohol for him) mid afternoon as he was a substitute that evening.

When we met Kevin & started walking towards our first drinks of the day, we came across an older looking man dressed in a suit but looking the worse for wear. “Kevin, where's the hotel/” he inquired. That was Mr.John returning from his night out!

All went well & we got Kevin back at his appointed time & we then went to the ground & celebrated a well deserved cup win!

Footnote

At the time I played on a Sunday morning for the Belstead Arms & was meant to go training on a Monday night. So what did Trish do while I was going through the motions awaiting the more important item of returning to the pub & my first pint? She went to the dogs with Kevin! Kevin, Trish & Roy Stephenson (ex Ipswich & Blackburn player who was part of the Ipswich championship team of 1962) went to Ipswich dog track before joining us in the pub.

The following year our first son Iain was born & carries the middle name of Kevin. I wonder who that was named after? Three years later, after Kevin had retired professionally due to injury, I played alongside him in a Sunday cup final for Belstead Arms. Lost 5-0!

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Great story from an era when players and fans were not a world apart...

 

Denis Norden brought many a smile with the outtakes on 'It'll be Alright on the Night'.RIP...

 

I thought he'd died years ago
RIP

 

No, that was just an outtake.

 

A true TV & Radio legend..........96 is a great age......

 

I think my dad worked with him many years ago. I heard a fab story on the radio yesterday how he created IBAOTN. clever guy. RIP.

 

I’m seen them at a few festivals and were always a laugh.
Sad news

 

Sad news indeed. Great character. Chas & Dave represented a London that has now passed. RIP

 

Sad news yet another person who reminds me of my childhood. We are all getting older and saying goodbye to people that brought a smile to our faces.
RIP

 

Very Sad. RIP Chas

 

Gertcha!

 

RIP Chas

 

Nines......Why don’t you give it a rest ?