Blackpool legend and former England captain Jimmy Armfield has died
The Seasiders' record appearance holder was 82
Last updated 22nd Jan 2018
World Cup winner, ex-England captain and Blackpool great Jimmy Armfield has died at the age of 82.
Armfield, who played 627 matches in 17 years for his only club and was part of Sir Alf Ramsey's victorious squad in 1966, was diagnosed with cancer for a second time last year.
In a statement, Blackpool FC says it's "deeply saddened to learn of the passing of its record appearance holder and vice-president Jimmy Armfield at the age of 82,'' said a statement from the club. "Our heartfelt condolences go out to Jimmy's wife Anne, his two sons, Duncan and John, and the rest of the Armfield family at this time."
Few footballers can claim to have conquered quite so many aspects of the sport as Jimmy Armfield, the former England captain who is marked for greatness by his legacy as player, manager, broadcaster and ambassador for the game he loved.
At international level he was Sir Bobby Moore's predecessor as Three Lions skipper, leading the nation at the 1962 World Cup and earning a winner's medal for 1966 - albeit 43 years later, when FIFA belatedly recognised non-playing squad members.
By then 'Gentleman Jim' was three decades into his career as a journalist and summariser, a calling for which he showed unusual aptitude as he became one of the nation's most respected and welcome radio personalities.
That anyone who managed a team in the European Cup final, as Armfield did with Leeds in 1975, should find that entry among their career footnotes seems unfeasible nowadays, but that stands as testament to Armfield's remarkable body of work.
By his own estimation, though, one of Armfield's most treasured performances came when he played the Wurlitzer at Blackpook Tower - which he did at a dinner dance, aged 80, in front of a handful of unwitting guests.
Born in Denton, Tameside, on September 21, 1935, he grew up during the Second World War and emerged with a good education from Revoe Primary and Arnold School. The latter is due to reopen named the Armfield Academy, in his honour.
There was an offer to study economics at Liverpool University, where an entirely different world would have opened up in front of him.
Instead, the first chapter of his lifelong association with Blackpool began. Armfield was a self-styled street footballer'', always kicking a ball on the roads or beach front. Yet he had never played on a proper pitch before being steered towards a Tangerines trial match by his PE teacher.
He seized the moment emphatically, scoring all his side's goals in a 4-1 win, setting in motion a professional career which spanned all the way from 1954 to 1971.
Right full-back was his chosen position and the presence of the great Stanley Mathews on the same flank offered him an unusual opportunity for the era - bundles of space as opposition sides double-teamed the winger.
So he raced ahead, attacked the gaps and, initially at least, earned an earful from manager Joe Smith. Recalling an early outing against Wolves for the National Football Museum, he recalled Smith saying If I wanted you to be a right-winger you'd have a number seven on your back, not a number two.''
The game quickly learned to love Armfield's adventurousness, a skill that defines his latter day successors.
Armfield managed a record 627 appearances for Blackpool, though there was a conspicuous lack of silverware as his own pedigree often outstripped that of his hometown club.
Instead, he reached the heights in England colours. He debuted in the Maracana in 1959, was handed the armband by Walter Winterbottom and kept it under Sir Alf Ramsey.
He led the nation to Chile in 1962, where he made the team of the tournament, but injury and the emergence of George Cohen led to his support role in the glorious home campaign four years later.
Moving into management on the advice of none other than Sir Matt Busby, he spent four years at Bolton before replacing Brian Clough at Leeds. The highlight of four years at Elland Road was the European Cup final in Paris, though Armfield's side were beaten 2-0 by Bayern Munich.
He never scaled those heights again but, though he did not return to the dugout after 1978, he was the Football Association's de facto headhunter when they appointed Terry Venables and Glenn Hoddle as England boss.
By then he had already pivoted into another of football's many avenues, starting with a writing job at the Daily Express, before the BBC offered some commentary shifts in 1979.
He went from part-time broadcaster to permanent fixture on the nation's airwaves, a perfect platform for his geniality, enthusiasm and insight.
He was inducted into Blackpool's Hall of Fame in 2006 and Bloomfield Road's newly-constructed South Stand was named in his honour in 2010, with a statue commissioned by the Blackpool Supporters' Association erected outside the ground the following year.
Armfield, made a CBE in 2009 for services to the Lancashire community, had stints in management with Bolton and Leeds before moving into broadcasting where he spent more than 30 years working for the BBC.
After being treated for non-hodgkin's lymphoma of the throat in 2007, he returned to the work the following year for a match at Bolton. Waiting for him on arrival was a welcome back note, signed by Sir Alex Ferguson and Sir Bobby Charlton with the words we have missed you''.
Wife Anne and son John, a lower league goalkeeper in his own playing days, are the ones who will miss him most now but their mourning will be shared far and wide in footballing circles
A statement from his family reads:
"After a long and courageous battle, our beloved husband, father, grandfather and father-in-law Jimmy Armfield, has passed away peacefully surrounded by his immediate family. At this time we are still in shock as we begin the grieving process.
We know Jimmy was a public figure, but the family respectfully ask for privacy at this time.
We have many wonderful messages of love and support, for which we are grateful, and moved by all the kind words.
"Jimmy had two great loves, first and foremost was his family [...] the other was football, especially Blackpool"
We would also like to thank all the magnificent and dedicated NHS staff who have kept Jimmy, and the family, as well as possible over the ten years of his illness. During the last few days Trinity Hospice in Blackpool made a big difference to Jimmy as he slipped away, pain free at last.
Jimmy had two great loves, first and foremost was his family, to which he was devoted and loved dearly. The other was football, especially Blackpool, England and his colleagues at the PFA.
Once again, the family extends its thanks as we try to come to terms in a world without Jimmy.
David Houston, Chief Executive of Trinity Hospice, said:
“It is a huge understatement to say that we will miss Jim. To Trinity Hospice he was our President, our most loyal supporter and an ambassador across the entire community over many years. He leaves an astonishing legacy and I know all the staff, Trustees and volunteers here would want me to say that it was an immense privilege to be able to care for him, and his family, over the past few days.”