Cyrille Regis died a few weeks ago. Which was a shame. Only 58 and a genuine superstar footballer. Played (mainly) for West Bromwich Albion so he was never likely to achieve much fame and notoriety that way, but he had two things going for him which assured he would forever command a place English football. He was brilliantly gifted. And he was black.

And if you think, so what? half the league is black, then you have to understand what football was like back in the 70s. And how far both football and society have come since those dark days. Well, they seem ‘dark’ by today’s standards but you mustn’t ever judge the past by the standards of today. Because ‘today’ didn’t exist back then so things like political correctness and any form of equality were concepts for the future. Unfair to criticise or take a moral high ground which wasn’t even an aspiration in 1974.

There was, then, just one other black player in the ‘first division’, Clyde Best at West Ham. Who was regularly booed, monkey-chanted and the recipient of unwanted thrown bananas. As often by his own team’s fans as by those of the opposition. Which you can put down to West Ham fans being racist and vile, which they pretty much still are, but ignorance was the real root cause at work. The world needed to be dragged out of its past, a process which took… I’ll let you know when its finished.

Then came Cyrille. And Brendan Batson and Laurie Cunningham, all playing for West Brom together, and all black. Which meant they had to just be better than everyone else. And they pretty much were. And they had to ignore the near constant abuse and insults everywhere they went.

What’s more, Cyrille Regis was a lovely bloke. A genuine good guy.

They had a memorial service for him last week at the Hawthorns. And they ended with a rousing chorus of ‘Nice one Cyril, nice one son, nice one Cyril…’

Which was not his song. Never was that sung at West Brom for Cyrille (note the spelling in the song!!!), or when he played for England. That was a Spurs song. For Cyril Knowles our left back who took wicked free kicks.

So I’d just like to say that I’m all in favour of honouring a great man who was a pioneer in the beautiful game, but GET YER OWN FUCKING SONG!!! to do it with.

RIP Cyrille

Happy Sunday

A xxxx