A Close Pal Lost

Thursday, August 1: Great sorrow today among the many friends of Craig Shakespeare, who has lost his battle with cancer at the age of only 60. Walsall, Albion and Villa are the clubs round here that he served professionally but the former midfielder was well known and well liked throughout the game. Colin Brazier, a team-mate of his at the Saddlers in the mid-1980s, said: “It’s very sad. He was a great lad. He had a great career in the game and did an excellent job wherever he went.” Mike Stowell, a long-time coaching colleague at Leicester, added: “He was such a lovely man and a good friend.”

Friday, August 9: Raised a glass to Ron Stockin on the day of his funeral after landing in Denmark at the start of a football break stretching across four days. We wrote about the former forward again after he passed away in the middle of last month and are so pleased to have played a part in illuminating his twilight years with a title winners’ medal.

Sunday, August 11: Took Rob Kelly’s advice and headed to Brondby by unfamiliar means this morning for the game against his new club, Aarhus. Rob had repeated when we met him at the training ground on Friday that a ferry sailing out of his adopted city covered half of the journey to Copenhagen, near where Brondby are based. The Aarhus squad took this route yesterday and we followed in their slipstream today en route for a 1-0 away win that was further highlighted by a second meeting in three days with manager Uwe Rosler and wonderful looking-after from other officials as we took our seats very near the dug-out.

Tuesday, August 20: Had a 90-minute catch-up over coffee in Telford with Dave Bagnall, the former Express & Star chief photographer who covered hundreds and hundreds of Wolves games during my time at the paper. Great stories – some new, some old – and the realisation that we are likely to meet again at the former players golf day in early September.

Sunday, August 25: Experienced a very different view of this afternoon’s ultimately harrowing 6-2 defeat at home to Chelsea by sitting next to Mike Stowell in the posh seats in the Stan Cullis Stand. It was my first time at that end for 30-plus years since the pre-season friendly against Arsenal in 1992. Mike was at Molineux on corporate duty, answering questions from Paul Berry in the different rooms in the Billy Wright Stand and needed a little chaperoning pre-match to get him to the main reception following his tour of the museum and hall of fame area. He also enjoyed a meet-up with Andy Thompson before and after the game and they were joined by David Kelly once the striker had finished his co-commentary duties with BBC WM.

Wednesday, August 28: Thoroughly enjoyed sitting alongside Paul Berry and Tim Nash at the recording of a media-personnel edition of the Back on the Ball podcast with Dean Edwards before tonight’s Carabao Cup victory over Burnley. Dean and Colin Lee got to know each other through Torquay United many years ago and, as fellow residents in Torbay, have given us excellent variety in this venture in 2024.

Saturday, August 31: No great surprise that Paul Simpson has parted company with Carlisle following today’s home defeat against Tranmere. It was a refreshing throwback when the Cumbrians kept faith with him after relegation in May but the end has come only four games into the League Two season, with the club 20th in the table under the former Wolves midfielder.

Monday, September 2: Difficult late-summer days for Rob Edwards at Luton and Mark Kennedy at Swindon as the fledgling season reaches a mini landmark with the first change of month and the looming on the horizon of the opening international matches of 2024-25. We wish both well in their efforts to haul their sides out of the relegation places very quickly.