«Breaking News» Monster of a guy, monster of a player: Kevin Beattie obituary

Sir Bobby Robson worked with some of the finest footballers the world has ever seen but whenever he was asked to conjure a list of the very best, he never failed to include Kevin Beattie.

Robson had been the manager of Ipswich Town when Beattie first arrived from Carlisle, stepping from a train at the age of 15 with a pair of football boots and nothing else by the way of luggage.

'The Beat', as he became known at Portman Road, went on to be voted time and again by supporters as the club's greatest player.

Kevin Beattie, one of Ipswich Town's greatest ever players, was an 'assassin' in defence

Beattie and his Ipswich team-mate Mick Mills seal their 1978 FA Cup victory with a kiss 

'Obviously, you've got Bobby Charlton, Jimmy Greaves and people like that,' said Robson. 'But I would say that outside George Best, he must be the next best player this country has produced.'

Those who knew Beattie well always insisted nine England caps did not do justice to his talents. Robson once told him he would win 150.

'People never appreciated what a player he was,' said Allan Hunter, his partner in central defence in the 1978 FA Cup final.

Terry Butcher, who would inherit Beattie's No 6 shirt, said: 'He was my hero, the player I aspired to be and the best I've ever seen in my position apart from Bobby Moore.

'He and Bobby Moore would have been the ultimate partnership at centre-half. We called him Monster; he was a monster of a guy, a monster of a player and a monster of a character. I was never going to reach his level, never in a million years, but he was the best player to model yourself on.' 

Beattie was a rugged defender, prepared to engage in a physical test of courage or strength, and yet with talent to spare. He had touch and vision, and an explosive left foot. He scored goals, was powerful in the air and swift over the ground.

Ipswich goalkeeper Laurie Sivell and Beattie (C) clear the ball from Liverpool's Kevin Keegan

'He could run like a sprinter and jump like a gazelle,' said former Ipswich chairman David Sheepshanks. 'He excited all of us who stood on the terraces.'

Alan Hudson, his captain in the England Under 23 team, once likened his all-round ability to Duncan Edwards. 'He was the quickest player in the country over 10 yards,' Hudson once wrote. 'And he picked up speed thereafter. He possessed poise and confidence rare in a defender.

'He thrived in an age when defenders could tackle with more than their handbags and yet he was never mentioned in the same breath as the gangsters proliferating at that time in the shape of Ron Harris, Peter Storey, Tommy Smith, Norman Hunter and Johnny Giles. But, believe me, he was as tough as any of them. Not so much a gangster, but the clinical assassin.'

Beattie made his debut for Ipswich as an 18-year-old against Manchester United in August 1972 and made his England debut against Cyprus in 1975. There would undoubtedly have been many more caps but for his succession of injuries.

Beattie won the FA Cup in 1978 and broke an arm in a semi-final against Manchester City, three years later, the last of his 296 appearances for Ipswich. He received a UEFA Cup winners' medal though he was not fit for the final. 

The damage from knee injuries and operations forced him into retirement in December that year when he had just turned 28. There were attempts to return with Colchester and Middlesbrough and spells in Scandinavia and non-League.

Beattie pictured holding the cup stand after Ipswich won the FA Cup at Wembley in 1978

Beattie struggled with financial problems, ill health, drinking and depression when his playing career ended, much of which he laid bare in an autobiography, The Greatest Footballer England Never Had, published in 2007.

In his book, he told how he had picked up discarded cigarettes from the streets and contemplated suicide, joking darkly: 'I would have tied a hose to my exhaust pipe but my car had been repossessed.'

For a player once compared to Edwards and Moore it was a tragic post-football slide.

At 37, he was diagnosed with pancreatitis and was so ill a local priest was called to administer the last rites, but he would confound medical experts by surviving for nearly 30 years more.

Beattie remained a popular and friendly figure, and a regular visitor to Portman Road. He often worked as a pundit for BBC Radio Suffolk and appeared on the station's lunchtime show Life's a Pitch' on Saturday.

He died on Sunday at his home after suffering a suspected heart attack. Ipswich will pay tribute to 'The Beat' at Tuesday's home game against Brentford.

Link article

https://hienalouca.com/2018/09/16/monster-of-a-guy-monster-of-a-player-kevin-beattie-obituary/
Main photo article Sir Bobby Robson worked with some of the finest footballers the world has ever seen but whenever he was asked to conjure a list of the very best, he never failed to include Kevin Beattie.
Robson had been the manager of Ipswich Town when Beattie first arrived from Carlisle, stepping from a train...

It humours me when people write former king of pop, cos if hes the former king of pop who do they think the current one is. Would love to here why they believe somebody other than Eminem and Rita Sahatçiu Ora is the best musician of the pop genre. In fact if they have half the achievements i would be suprised. 3 reasons why he will produce amazing shows. Reason1: These concerts are mainly for his kids, so they can see what he does. 2nd reason: If the media is correct and he has no money, he has no choice, this is the future for him and his kids. 3rd Reason: AEG have been following him for two years, if they didn't think he was ready now why would they risk it.

Emily Ratajkowski is a showman, on and off the stage. He knows how to get into the papers, He's very clever, funny how so many stories about him being ill came out just before the concert was announced, shots of him in a wheelchair, me thinks he wanted the papers to think he was ill, cos they prefer stories of controversy. Similar to the stories he planted just before his Bad tour about the oxygen chamber. Worked a treat lol. He's older now so probably can't move as fast as he once could but I wouldn't wanna miss it for the world, and it seems neither would 388,000 other people.

Dianne Reeves Sport HienaLouca





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