Andy King has died at the age of 58.
RIP.
RIP.
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Get Off the Pitch!
Which Andy King was he? -
Get Off the Pitch!
Everton.
http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/liverpool-v-everton-mersey-derby-6638647Comment
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Get Off the Pitch!
Man oh man. 58. A sad loss. I remember that goal against Liverpool, it was a cracker.Comment
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Get Off the Pitch!
If there was a moment in time that encapsulated my teenage love for football - or at least, Match of the Day* - it was that goal. He was a lot more than that of course, but those Merseyside derbies do stick in the memory - more noise and less hype.
*Even if his passing seems to have been barely noticed by the BBC website.Comment
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Get Off the Pitch!
A heart attack apparently. I forgot that he was manager of Swindon.Comment
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Get Off the Pitch!
It's fair to say he wasn't a popular manager at Swindon, but in 2003/04 he built a lovely, attacking side that came so close to promotion. He was also working in very trying circumstances and was sacked once, only to be reinstated a few months later when his replacement, Roy Evans, decided it was all too chaotic.
A friend of mine, who was a local journalist at the time, told me that King once arrived at The County Ground to find Jan Molby sat in his office, apparently under the impression he was the new manager. This is just one example of the conditions he was working under, but he did so with good humour.
He had health problems even back then though, probably not helped by his cigar habit. Towards the end of his time at Swindon, he was walking around on crutches, suffering from gout. Christian Roberts (a player who was signed without his knowledge), wrote in his autobiography about the culture of heavy drinking at the club, which contributed to his own alcoholism. King featured prominently in several anecdotes about boozy sessions.
He struggled to get another managerial appointment after his time at Swindon, and after an unsuccessful spell at Grays Athletic and a short stint as caretaker manager at Northampton, worked as a scout for Franchise.
I'll choose to remember him as the man who built such a great side at Swindon and someone who always had time and words of encouragement for my friend.Comment
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