SALUTE TO UGO
STARSPORT columnist PAUL MERSON was in tears yesterday (left) as he paid tribute to former Aston Villa team-mate Ugo Ehiogu. Here are Merse’s memories of the former England international, who died yesterday aged just 44.
AN EMOTIONAL tribute will be paid to Ugo Ehiogu at Wembley today after the former England defender’s tragic death at 44.
The ex-Aston Villa and Middlesbrough centre-back passed away in hospital yesterday after suffering a cardiac arrest at Tottenham’s training centre.
Spurs and Chelsea will wear black armbands in today’s FA Cup semi-final as a mark of respect for Ehiogu, who was Under-23 coach at the north London club.
There will also be a minute’s applause before kick-off.
England boss and former team-mate Gareth Southgate said: “Ugo was a credit to football, a credit to his family and he will be missed by everybody who was lucky enough to know him.”
UGO EHIOGU was a great player and a great man. Football has lost a gentle giant, and I can’t quite believe it. It’s absolutely devastating.
I knew him really well from our days together at Aston Villa. I got the call at the seven in the morning, so I was ringing people to let them know.
He could still play football now. He was fit as a fiddle because he looked after himself so well. He was such a good defender. So underrated. But he was playing at a time when you had all sorts of other great defenders, from Tony Adams to Sol Campbell and Martin Keown.
If he played now, he would have 50 or 60 caps. He would be first choice for England.
At Villa, when I got there, him, Gareth Barry and Gareth Southgate were as good as anybody, and they all played together in a three.
I always made sure I was on the same side as him in training because he was all over you like a rash!
But he was a gentle giant. He would always listen. He was never the type to turn away and ignore you.
He was one of those lads that made you think, ‘I’d like to be more like him’.
Calm
He was just so calm. We spent a lot of time together at Villa and he was just a nice bloke. I never heard anyone say a bad word about him, and that’s unusual in football.
For someone so big he was very quiet, very calm. He never got rattled. He was never a bully who tried to intimidate you either.
I remember how well he played in the FA Cup Final in 2000 against Chelsea. But there were no real games which stand out because he was so consistent. He never let you down.
He is a big loss to football and a big loss to coaching too. He could have gone on to do great things as a coach. He was passionate about it.
Ugo had that aura and you need that calmness when you’re a coach at Under-23 level. He was perfect for that.
He was always on about the great young players at Spurs. He was making his way in coaching and that’s all been taken away.
It wasn’t that long ago he was on The Fantasy Football Club with me talking about how much he enjoyed coaching all these great youngsters. I’m just shocked.