Alan Ball - A Personal Memory

Alan Ball died during the night, he was 61 which seems quite a young age for a national hero to die.

The youngest member of England's only footballing world cup winning team Ball was all non-stop, perpetual motion, whether on the right hand side of England's midfield or as part of the Everton 'holy trinity' of Ball, Kendall and Harvey. Over the period of his career he changed from the redheaded firebrand of youth to a more mature, more accomplished midfield player.

I bought his autobiography last year during Nathalie and my visit to Weymouth that I posted about on here. What strikes you about Ball as you read through his ups and downs, both professionally and personally (his wife died three years ago from cancer) is how ordinary he was. It's something that is often forgotten in these over-hyped, media driven times that sportsman are ordinary people in every aspect of their lives but one - the one that separates them from those who kick about in the local park.

My most vivid memory of Alan Ball isn't the run down the right wing and cross that led to the most famous 'did it cross the line?' incident in football history but of him goading the crowd at Upton Park one hot August day back in the early seventies. Ball was wearing those famous white boots, it wasn't as if he needed to make a statement that he was different, his lack of height and red hair already did that, but the boots said 'on the pitch I am different.' Anyway Arsenal were beating us, as is usually the case, when Ball got into a dispute with Billy Bonds. The two players were separated and then, rather than walk away, Ball turned and had a go at a supporter in the crowd - all hell broke loose. Bottles, punches, pies - the lot suddenly become involved in a free for all between Arsenal and West Ham supporters. I was 14 at the time, I think and to be honest, standing as I was about twenty feet from all the trouble, I was scared shitless. Funny thing is that about twenty years later Steve Williams (another ex-Arsenal, ex-Southampton, hothead) did the same thing whilst playing for Luton Town.

I'm sure it will get brought up again over the next day or so but Ball's death will again highlight the absurdity of the English honours system. Look at the honours bestowed upon our 1966 World Cup Winners and those on our 'once in a generation' Ashes 'heroes' of 2005.