Now The Dust Has Settled....

[Diddy Dubz]

This is a post I put on another football website yesterday regarding George Best - I didn't comment on the other thread regarding his departure but I'd now like to voice my view on here with you guys now the media hype had died down...


He was one of the best players the game has seen. It's hard to say how good he really was as he didn't get the chance to play regularly on the World stage. To say how good he would be if he was playing now, well, he probably would be the best player in the game taking into account variables such as better pitches, coaching, diets, support and more importantly how players now are now allowed to express themselves more. Saying this though, the same could be said about Pele and Maradonna, who were both also kicked up in the air to stop them from playing, both these players playing now would also be better than Best. I would personally say that Best was in the top 5 players of all time.

As for the man, I'll start by saying alcoholism isn't a disease, it's an addiction. The people who say that alcoholism is a disease are usually alcoholics themselves, a disease can't be helped, addition can. I feel that Best was unfortunate to hit the big time as quick as he did, at the time that he did. He was the first glamor footballer and no-one really knew how to deal with this at club level, hence he fell in love with the party scene and ultimately boozing. Most players now probably drink most nights of the week, the difference is their is support to make sure they don't fall into the trap that Best did of not been able to control this.

Now, before I start on this comment, I will firstly say I am extremely sad to see Best die, it's one of the biggest loses I've come across in sport, definitely football. Best wasn't just a great footballer, he also had a good personality as well and was ultimately very watchable and interesting. However, Best was given every opportunity he could possibly have had, one main example being his new liver, but this was just the tip of the iceberg. What disturbs me is that it could be argued that he wasted the chances he had, the chances that the normal Joe Public wouldn't have had. How many times do you read news paper reports describing patients who have died waiting for an operation or young children close to death but well down the list of organ donership. His status meant that he got the best care that was available at the time, which I'm not saying is right or wrong, but unfortunately he couldn't bring an end to his drinking problem and take advantage of the help he got based on who is was.

I would say that he was probably past any reasonable chance of help by the time his problems became life threatening, I would same the same for the likes of Lou Read as well, it's been shown by the younger lads suffering the same problems recently in the modern era, ie Paul Merson, Tony Adams, that if help is given as early as possible then it easily beatable.

It's a tragic loss, but because of the circumstances surrounding his life, then I'm afraid the opinions will always be out there.


Views?

[Dubai Blue]

Indeed not much to disagree with there Dubz. I doubt whether 'most' current players drink every night of the week though. I imagine that there are those who do and those who don't just like the species, (humans) in general when supplied with large quantities of little pieces of paper.