Didn't know where else to put this, so thought I'd post it here.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-19777060
Davy Mills, my ex-football Manager was beaten to death on Saturday night.
I still remember the night I was chipping golf balls round my garden at home and my Mum shouted out that there was a man from a football club on the phone wanting to talk to me.
It was Davy and he said he'd watched me play for my local team and that he wanted me to come and play for him. He was an Irish league legend, played for Portadown for nearly a decade and the ultimate hardman. He captained the first Portadown side that played in Europe too.
I didn't have a car and couldn't get to training so he drove me to and from training 3 nights a week - miles and miles out of his way - so I could get to the ground. First night after training I rember to this day sitting in the Manager's room and he said "I'll give you a go big man" and true to his word I played the first game of the season.
I cannot believe he is dead. I sued to bump into him at different games and he still stayed in touch long after I'd gone on to different sides, and even got me a few trials at some good sides. I bumped into him in a bar one night years after I played for him and he said he'd been to a few games that I played in recently and told me I was dropping too deep and wide to pick the ball up. He proceeded to take me through what I should be doing for another half an hour, and it turned my game around immediately. He could talk to a footballer the way I've never experienced under anyone else. Knew instinctively what to say and for a brutal hardman on the pitch he had a side to him that could relate to people on just the right level. He stopped managing early due to work commitments, and I remember pleading with him to come back to different clubs, but he never did.
Truly one of the saddest things and I don't know what else to type.
RIP Millsy, love you big man.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-19777060
Davy Mills, my ex-football Manager was beaten to death on Saturday night.
I still remember the night I was chipping golf balls round my garden at home and my Mum shouted out that there was a man from a football club on the phone wanting to talk to me.
It was Davy and he said he'd watched me play for my local team and that he wanted me to come and play for him. He was an Irish league legend, played for Portadown for nearly a decade and the ultimate hardman. He captained the first Portadown side that played in Europe too.
I didn't have a car and couldn't get to training so he drove me to and from training 3 nights a week - miles and miles out of his way - so I could get to the ground. First night after training I rember to this day sitting in the Manager's room and he said "I'll give you a go big man" and true to his word I played the first game of the season.
I cannot believe he is dead. I sued to bump into him at different games and he still stayed in touch long after I'd gone on to different sides, and even got me a few trials at some good sides. I bumped into him in a bar one night years after I played for him and he said he'd been to a few games that I played in recently and told me I was dropping too deep and wide to pick the ball up. He proceeded to take me through what I should be doing for another half an hour, and it turned my game around immediately. He could talk to a footballer the way I've never experienced under anyone else. Knew instinctively what to say and for a brutal hardman on the pitch he had a side to him that could relate to people on just the right level. He stopped managing early due to work commitments, and I remember pleading with him to come back to different clubs, but he never did.
Truly one of the saddest things and I don't know what else to type.
RIP Millsy, love you big man.
