March 31, 2001, 25 years ago: David Rocastle dies of lymphoma. He was just 33 years old, and was one of the best English soccer players of his generation.
He was born on May 2, 1967 in Lewisham, South-East London, the son of Caribbean immigrants. He was 5 when his father died of pneumonia, and his mother remarried and had 2 more children. He became an expert schoolboy midfielder, to the point where Terry Murphy, a scout for North London team Arsenal Football Club, told team owner Peter Hill-Wood, "I think I saw a Brazilian today." Murphy also discovered centrebacks Tony Adams and Martin Keown, and midfielder Michael Thomas.
Rocastle, nicknamed "Rocky," and Thomas joined midfielder Paul Davis and forward Kevin Campbell to give Arsenal one of the earliest groups of talented young black players in England. He made his debut early in the 1985-86 season, and a replay of the 1987 League Cup Semifinal, away to Arsenal's North London arch-rivals, Tottenham Hotspur, he scored the winning goal as regular time ran out, sending them to the Final, where they beat Liverpool.
He gained a penchant for superb dribbling and passing, and scored some wonder goals. He was a key figure in Arsenal winning the Football League Division One title in 1989, with Thomas' goal in the last minute of play against Liverpool clinching it. But a knee injury in 1990 curtailed Rocastle's career. He was able to help Arsenal win the League title again in 1991, but in the 1992 off-season, manager George Graham, sensing that, despite being only 25, the knee injury had ended his effectiveness, sold him to Yorkshire team Leeds United. This proved to be incredibly unpopular among Arsenal fans.
Leeds fans liked him, but injuries limited his appearances, and after 1 season, he was sold to Manchester City. After a difficult season there, he was sold to West London team Chelsea in 1994. He played 4 painful seasons for them, including loan spells with Norfolk team Norwich City and Yorkshire team Hull City, before closing his playing career in 1999, with a season in Malaysia, for Sabah.
He played 14 matches for England, and never lost: 7 wins and 7 draws. But he was never selected for a major tournament: Not Euro 88, not the 1990 World Cup, not Euro 92, not Euro 96. (England did not qualify for the 1994 World Cup.)
He married Janet, and has son Ryan and daughters Melissa and Monique. His brother Stephen played for Norwich City, and a cousin, Craig, went on to play for several teams, including Yorkshire team Sheffield Wednesday and Manchester-area team Oldham Athletic, and U.S. team Sporting Kansas City.
In October 2000 -- shortly before a previous Arsenal Number 7 with similar skills, George Armstrong, then an assistant coach, died at age 56 -- David Rocastle was diagnosed with terminal non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. He underwent chemotherapy, and announced in February 2001 that he was hopeful of recovery, but he died early in the morning of March 31, 2001.
It was mere hours before Arsenal were scheduled to play Tottenham at the Arsenal Stadium, a.k.a. Highbury. Some of his former teammates were still with the club. And there was the worry that the visiting "Spurs" fans, who hate Arsenal much more than Arsenal fans hate their team, might boo during the minute's silence that would be held in his memory before the kickoff. After debating whether to appeal to the Premier League (founded in 1992) to postpone the game, the Arsenal board of directors decided to go forward with it.
The silence was respected by the visiting fans. The game was a bit slow, taking on the character of the muted atmosphere, until Robert Pires found a goal in the 70th minute. Thierry Henry added one in the 87th, and it ended 2-0. As with Yankee Stadium the night after Thurman Munson's funeral in 1979, this may be the only time Arsenal fans left Highbury in tears after an Arsenal win.
Matching his uniform number, Arsenal fans still sing his song during the 7th minute of home games: "Oh, Rocky, Rocky! Rocky, Rocky, Rocky, Rocky Ro-cas-tle!" In 2006, Arsenal named a training facility at their academy after him: The David Rocastle Indoor Centre. Inside, there is a mural of him, and a quote which, while not originating with him, became associated with him: "Remember who you are, what you are, and what you represent."
No comments:
Post a Comment