George Best

I've heard this many times and I don't believe it for a moment. It depends on how one defines 'working hard' of course but I would be very surprised if he didn't have a football at his feet throughout his childhood.

People who have described Joe Cole as a child talk about how he was constantly walking the streets, walking to school, etc. dribbling a football. Beckham - who's such a great 'natural' striker of the ball - has spent, and still spends, thousands of hours practising his free kicks. Pele and Bobby Charlton both spent their childhoods kicking tennis balls around in alleys.

Yes, Best had great natural talent but I'm absolutely positive that he also practised and practised and practised and practised and practised and practised ...

Regards
Steve M

 

This is a totally wrong-headed and old-fashioned way of viewing alcoholism.

And it leads, logically, to scrapping mountain rescue teams & sports injury clinics. Those silly people chose to walk up that mountain...

 

George had every opportunity known to man to put his house in order. The example of Tony Adams is a very good one. The fuss about him is tantamount to hysteria. He played football for goodness sake, he didn't spend his life helping others, or change the world, he was an entertainer for a few years and then a rather sad drunk for a whole lot more. This is not the sort of person who should be being held up as an example for others. If I hear one more person say that he was a wonderful person I may well have to give the TV a good kicking. Alcohol taken to excess is a foul thing, and ruins lives. George no doubt ruined other peoples lives, those who loved him. He should be held up as a bad example not a good one.

 

Rubbish: he had a disease. Would you say the same thing about someone with schizophrenia?

 

It comes down to what part of peoples lifes you choose to focus on. George Best and his talent shone brightly accross the planet while he played dazzling football at the biggest club in the world. He then became an alcoholic and died before his time. People aren't celebrating his alcoholism at this point...they're celebrating his footballing days. Nobody regards his last days as his zenith.

When I think of Jim Morrison...I think of his days playing groundbreaking music...not dying in a bathtub because of a load of drugs.

When I think of Elvis I think of him in vegas in a spangly jump suit not an obese man dead on the toilet.

When I think of Pantani I think of him steaming up the Alpe Du Huez not of a lonely death in a hotel room due to a cocaine overdose.

When I think of George Best I will think of the footage I've seen of his amazing goals not of a drunk dead in a hospital bed.

But when I think of all the above it will still be with a sense of sadness that they died in such manners before they were due.

 

As I understand it, when psychiatric patients commit crimes, their underlying disorder is taken into account by the court, for sentencing purposes.

No.

 

Good points well made.

lordsummit, I don't know what your problem is - other than what seems to be an irrational and unhealthy hatred of Man U - but why don't you give it a rest?

I saw George Best interviewed many times. I don't recall ever hearing him say that he should be held up as an example to anyone.

Taking it out on your television is unlikely to ease your frustration but perhaps giving your PC a good kicking might provide some relief to the rest of us.

- purely on this issue I hasten to add.

Cheers
Steve M

 

So if his behaviour is inexcusable should we celebrate the man as a paragon of human virtue which is what seems to be happening? I think not.

No-one will celebrate Gascoigne in the same way, yet of his generation he had similair abilities. What is the difference? As I see it George played for Man United, and Gascoigne was a Geordie. The press worship MU particularly of that era because of the Munich tragedy, Gascoignes teams were less fashionable.

 

It's not to do with hating MU Steve, it's to do with the hysteria and over the top celebrating of his life. He was not a paragon of virtue, but read the column inches suggesting much that. Listen to the radio and all you'll hear is how wonderful he was. Yet he was a wifebeater, and obviously unpleasant when he'd been drinking. His 'performance' on Wogan springs to mind.
I don't believe that such a man should be celebrated no more than Gary Glitter should be. If he were to die, should we ignore the foibles and celebrate what a great entertainer he was?

 

Ok, but why the hysteria from you over his death and the media reaction to it. Why does it bother you so much? Look at the number of posts that you've made on this subject now.

We live in a society that overvalues celebrity, that's all. Ignore it.

 

Poor comparison. Best was the first 'superstar' of football. I don't think anyone that followed has had quite the same mix of personality and skill. Gazza and Becks find it hard to string a sentence together. They will still be celebrated when they die though, aswell as Rooney...despite being of questionable personality, its peoples heroics we remember. The bad things are not forgotten though...they just remain as footnotes to the main text.

Re: Gary Glitter...we could get into a debate about Paedophilia being a disease aswell I suppose.

 

We didn't have all this fuss about bobby Moore did we? Our only ever world cup winning captain

 

I think George Best was the best footballer ever seen. I don't think he was a saint. The statue had feet of clay.

 

Maybe this quote from Jim Morrison explains it a bit....

Some great people don't have that star quality, no matter how great they are, which is of course a great shame. Its just the way of the world though.

 

Ahead of Pele and Maradona?

Interesting article on just that question here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/4309502.stm

Matt.

 

Quite a good article here aswell...
http://sport.independent.co.uk/football/comment/article329984.ece

I also read something recently saying that Maradona has totally cleaned up his act and is now presenting a chatshow on Argentinian TV. Good to see....I expect many were bracing themselves for news of his early demise. Good to see someone back from the brink.

 

If you want a suitable comparison, Best was like a schizophrenic who constantly refuses to take his medication.

Matt.

 

Most schizophrenics refuse to take their medication: it's a major obstacle to treatment. Your views are Victorian, at best.

And yes, in my opinion, GB was better than both Pele & Maradona.

 

My statement was used as a comparison with people who have no say in acquiring a disease. Whilst there may be some evidence for alcoholism running in families, his destiny was still in his own hands.

You may view his addiction as being one without a cure i.e. you are always an alcoholic but, again, as Tony Adams proved, you can become an alcoholic who doesn't drink.

The difference here is that with a few exceptions, those taking part in the other activities you mention are not doing so with the intention of injuring themselves - they are setting out to achieve something and keeping fit at the same time. Going out on a big session can hardly be viewed in the same light.

If you do want a suitable analogy, Best's drinking antics would be the equivalent of climbing a mountain alone, during a storm in only a pair of underpants i.e. reckless, irresponsible and not very pleasant to watch.

Matt.

 

This is why it's silly to generalise about alcoholism. Some may successfully kick it; most fail. Alcoholics do not set out with the express intention of ruining their health.