Jeff Astle
Jeffrey " Jeff" Astle ( born May 13, 1942 in Eastwood, † January 19, 2002 in Burton- upon- Trent ) was an English footballer. The center forward graduated from West Bromwich Albion in the late 1960s and at the beginning of the 1970s, 361 duty, scoring 174 goals. The five-time England international is one of the most direct enigmatic figures in the history of the club " baggies ", where it is still known today as " The King" ( German: "The King " ) worshiped.
Sports career
Astle was born near the city of Nottingham in Eastwood and grew by its own account on the same street, in the above the writer DH Lawrence had spent his childhood. At the age of 17, he took with his hometown club Notts County the profession as a professional football player and even though he was only equipped with good 1.80 meters height and a combat weight of about 70 kg, he embodied henceforth a burly center-forward with a particular penchant for headed goals. He was encouraged to rise significantly by Tommy Lawton, a former top player and coach of the " Magpies " and representative of a type attacker "old school".
By 1964, Astle scored 61 Goals in official matches for the club at the Meadow Lane and moved to the descent into Viertklassigkeit for 25,000 pounds for first division side West Bromwich Albion. Just 24 hours after signing the contract he made his debut there on September 30, 1964 in the 2:4 away defeat against Leicester City. The first title was won Astle, who was top scorer in the " Baggies " already in the first two years, 1966 with the League Cup. Here at West Ham United, he scored in the final first leg goal to 1:2, the process is good for victory, given the 4-2 second-leg success. His career highlight, he experienced two years later, as he stood with his team in the FA Cup final, after he had achieved at least one hit in the previous rounds against any opponent. In the final against Everton he fought a duel embittered against the bone-hard defender Brian Labone, at whose side he ran aground later than the English national team at the 1970 World Cup in Mexico. After 90 minutes with no goals the Cup final went into extra time and Astle, who mostly came as a lone striker on the winger, provided there after only three minutes for the decision, following an earlier blocked off right-footed with the left almost 16 meters over the opposing goalkeeper Gordon West raised. According to legend, dabbed on the evening of Cup success unknown to the wall of the located in the center of the Black Country Primrose Bridge, the words " Astle is the king", so this came in the village is conquered in the club history and the building the name " Astle Bridge " brought.
A title hat-trick missed Astle in 1970 despite an own Finaltors to 1:2 against Manchester City in the League Cup; with his goal but he was the first player to the final at Wembley Stadium gates succeeded in both English cup competitions. Meanwhile, it had the scoring by WBA managed in the England national team and against Wales (2:1) celebrated its debut on May 7, 1969. As top scorer in the First Division with 25 league goals in the season 1969/70 he recommended strongly for the upcoming World Cup tournament in Mexico and was finally appointed by Alf Ramsey in the squad. He completed two final games in the preliminary round and first acted here against the eventual champions from Brazil as a substitute for a good hour. In a total of unfortunate idea he indulged in when the score was 0:1 a missed shot from a clear scoring chance - Astles time in the English selection, the total stood under an unlucky star, was often associated later with this scene. A goal in his only five internationals it was denied and after a further appearance in the World Cup group phase against Czechoslovakia ended Astles National team career.
After 1970 Astles showed shape curve down significantly. The increasingly frequent injury problems ensured that he was only sporadic success experiences behind the new striker Tony Brown and his goal tally subsided (21 Championship goals in four years ). He then left in 1974 his long-time club. After a short stint at FC South African Hellenic he stood at the semi-professional Dunstable Town on the side of George Best until his final retirement in 1977, he left his career with the lower class clubs FC Weymouth, Atherstone Town and Hillingdon Borough bar.
After the athletic career
After his playing career Astle opened near Burton -upon -Trent own cleaning company. The general public he was later known by frequent appearances on the comedy show Fantasy Football League with Frank Skinner and David Baddiel.
On 19 January 2002 Astle suddenly collapsed in the home of his daughter and died shortly afterwards at the age of only 59 years. The cause of death were brain damage that was already noticed five years earlier. The Forensic Medicine found that recurrent brain trauma were responsible for the death. Since Astle been famous for his aerial ability and the balls were made of leather much more difficult (especially when wet ) at the time, found this causal connection, a broad media attention. Finally, the case was defined as " death by accident at work " to the files, whereas Astles widow announced in November 2002 to try to take legal action. The day after his death WBA thought of him with a minute's silence before the match against FC Walsall. Even the makers of Fantasy Football League responded with a number of retransmissions, where Jeff Astle had been involved.
To date, Astle is venerated in the following of WBA and sung with the song " Astle is the king" ( to the tune of Camptown Races ) at The Hawthorns Stadium - since July 2003, his image adorns also the entrance gates at the Birmingham Road. Two months earlier, the Midland Metro had appointed a tram after him. On the occasion of an election for the 125-year celebration of West Bromwich Albion Astle was recorded " 16 best players " of the club in the ranks of.
The Football Association announced after Astles death to carry out a ten-year longitudinal study of the health risks of head balls, it could not provide results for these ten years. In protest, make followers of West Brom in the ninth minute ( the back number Astles ) of a game 's attention.
Achievements
- English Cup Winners: 1968
- English League Cup Winners: 1966