Farewell to one of nice guys

THE untimely passing of Ugo Ehiogu has come as a bombshell for everybody who knew him within the game.

The 44-year-old former Boro defender was one of football’s nice guys.

There are some players who win trophies and England caps who become a little too full of their own importance, but Ugo remained a down-toearth and unassuming character.

When Ehiogu arrived on Teesside following his £8m transfer from Aston Villa in November, 2000, he could easily have regarded the move as a step down.

But Ugo was totally committed to the Boro from day one, even if his football got off to a bad start when he picked up an injury in his very first match.

Eventually he had the chance to reconvene his solid centre-back partnership with Gareth Southgate, which was a crucial part of Steve McClaren’s successful side. As a result, Ehiogu was able to help Boro win the Carling Cup in 2004.

Later in his Boro career he suffered from knee injuries but still made the bench for the UEFA Cup final in Eindhoven in 2006.

His career, which included more than 400 league appearances and four England caps, also took him to Rangers and Sheffield United.

Ugo then moved into coaching and worked with England Under-20s before becoming a valued member of Spurs’ coaching staff.

Death has a strange habit of t a k i n g the good guys first. Ugo Ehiogu