Sir Trevor Brooking has expressed his shock and sadness
at the tragic loss of John Lyall, describing his former manager as
'as good a person as you could wish to meet'.
The FA's Director of Football Development spent 10 years
playing under John after he took over managerial duties at Upton
Park in 1974 - by which time he was already a close friend - and
admits he has been devastated by the news.
"It is a massive shock and so very sad," says Sir Trevor.
"We lost Ron Greenwood only two months ago, but Ron hadn't
been well for sometime and was in his mid-80s - John was only 66
and had shown no obvious signs of ill health. It is devastating
news and still very hard to take in.
[QUOTE]"John will be remembered as a great football man and, most of all, a wonderful person who was so highly respected by everyone who knew him."[/QUOTE]
"The last time I saw him was at the reunion dinner for the
1975 and 1980 FA Cup winning teams back in September, and he was
fine. The handshake was as strong as ever, his wife Yvonne was also
there, and we enjoyed a lovely evening.
"At the moment, the overriding feeling is one of shock and
sadness, but John will be remembered as a great football man and,
most of all, a wonderful person who was so highly respected by
everyone who knew him.
"He was such a genuine, warm individual, and of the very few
people in the game who I would say I trusted with anything. He
really was a wonderful man, as good a person as you could wish to
meet.
"From a football point of view, I played for only two managers
in my 19 years at West Ham, and they were both outstanding. John
was right there alongside Ron as a disciple of his footballing
mantle, and he simply continued the work that Ron had started.
"The Club enjoyed some tremendous success at a senior level
during John's period in charge, but he put just as much effort
into the development of homegrown youngsters, which became the
lifeblood of the Club. That legacy will remain in place forever.
"You won't find a single person who had a bad word to say
about John, and there will be many people in the game who are
extremely upset by the news. It is a very sad day."
*The FA have confirmed that a minutes' silence in memory of
John Lyall will be observed before our FA Cup semi-final against
Middlesbrough at Villa Park on Sunday, while the players will wear
black armbands to pay their respects.