Evocative Words At Funeral Of Brian Owen

Even in death, colourful stories about Brian Owen continue to emerge.

Such as arriving home the worse for wear in the company of Sven Goran Eriksson and being given short shrift by Ron Atkinson when going to visit him in hospital.

Mind you, the 1970s Wolves player-coach spent 60 years in the game, so why wouldn’t that huge time span generate some terrific anecdotes? 

“A man of quite extraordinary character……a friend, mentor and legend,” were the opening words at his funeral at Weeley Crematorium, Clacton, on Friday. “He was funny, fearless and endlessly curious. He lived life with gusto.” 

Memories of Brian as a team-mate and guiding light at Molineux are still abundant but we are particularly indebted to his son, Carl, for the posthumous insight he granted us with his brilliant eulogy.

By chance, I was at the recent Colchester v Peterborough pre-season friendly at which fans of Owen Senior’s most frequent employers showed their appreciation for him.

He had three spells at what was then Layer Road, culminating in a 2005 testimonial, his long service including the scoring of one of the goals at Albion by which a then Fourth Divsion club won the Watney Cup final in 1971. 

From the present and much more recent past, Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson describes him as a great influence on his career; someone well respected by all who knew him. And the list of big names he worked with in the game is absolutely off the page.

“He invited Sven for dinner at our house in sleepy Suffolk in the 1980s,” Carl told the packed chapel. “But they made a detour to the pub, staggered home hours late, and were drunk and giggling. Mum wasn’t best pleased.

“Bobby Robson would often come to the house as well, so they could go off to watch a game together. England managers coming to the door was like visits from the postman.

“He had an amazing array of stories of his adventures and was a delightful raconteur. The Life of Brian spanned 80 years and he played, coached, physio’d and scouted in all four divisions – the only person to do so. From the chairman to the tea ladies, he treated everyone the same, with wit, warmth and words of wisdom. He was universally loved in the game and if he really liked you, he would give you a nickname.”

There was one notable exception when it came to naming his friends. In one game, he slid in, studs-up, caught Ron Atkinson in the tackle with his reckless tackle and hospitalised him. He duly visited him to check on his recovery and was told in a slightly higher pitch than we associate with Big Ron that he should be on the look-out for some retribution next time they were in opposition.

The man himself, born in Harefield, Greater London, was generally known as ‘Bri’ or ‘BO’ and made a sizeable impact with approaching 200 games at Watford before moving on to Colchester and to a surprise curtain call on the pitch at Molineux.

He coached at Wolves for most of the 1970s and also served Peterborough, Ipswich, Crystal Palace, Luton, the FA, Cambridge United and Hibernian in a variety of roles, with Terry Venables another of his bosses.

It’s not only on the pitch and training ground that he was busy, though. Four children, brought up for part of the time next to the Cannock Chase hills that Wolves players pounded up and down on stamina runs, saw to that and there are now 14 grandchildren plus, since last year, a great grandchild.

“He was a gentleman of the highest calibre; funny, kind and intelligent,” Carl added. “Also brave and fearless. The fact he made it to that age is both a surprise and blessing.

“A year ago, I was told he had only two hours to live but, through his sheer bloody-mindedness, he made it to his 80th birthday last autumn and then to their diamond wedding anniversary in the spring. Mom (Carol) had no interest in football and was the antithesis of the WAG.

“The only thing he was out of depth with was DIY. He would attempt to hammer in a screw but I think that was done on purpose, so he could go and walk the dog instead. He loved that chance to go and meet people and share his wonderful stories. Three rounds of the green and then one round in The Plough….

“He was a brilliant dad, one of the kindest, sweetest gentleman this world has known. So many people have benefited from his knowledge of the game. He never stopped striving to learn and adapt but also knew we should be kind to one another.

“The first thing he’d do when he came home late from an away game on a Saturday was put on his favourite pair of Swedish clogs – no doubt a present from Sven – and switch on Match Of The Day.”

There were no hymns or prayers at his service. Instead, The Eagles’ Take It To The Limit was played as a backdrop to a slide show illustrating his life and career. Then the MOTD theme tune rang out while the curtains closed.

And the final words? “Now let’s go and do what Brian would have done: Skip the laps, head to the pub and give the dog a biscuit.”

*We wrote this story about Brian Owen more than a decade ago Still Going! Owen Delighted To Stay On Treadmill – Wolves Heroes and are happy to point out that our readers can watch the streaming of his funeral service if they wish. Please click on or copy and paste Https://watch.obitus.com and add the username joco7990 and the password 419728.