Who says there’s no feeling left in professional sport?

The vast amounts of tributes to Alan Ball, one of the great English players and managers have been moving. It’s fanatstic to see that despite all of the negatviity often directed at the English game that they can all take a step back to make such warm tributes to this man.

At a time when all the focus is on winning and money it’s great to see that such respect still exists in the game. Ball won a World Cup with England in 1966 and was a well respected club player with Everton and Arsenal and club manager with Man City, Southampton and Portsmouth. Indeed Alan Ball was the youngest member of England’s only ever World Cup winning team.