Crerand says his farewells to Stiles, ‘one of the great characters’
Former Manchester United m i d f i e l d e r P a d dy C r e r a n d paid an emotional tribute to "great character" Nobby Stiles as the 1966 World Cup winner's funeral took place yesterday.
Stiles died on 30 October at the age of 78 following a long illness.
As well as his success with E n g l a n d , f o r me r mi d f i e l d - er Stiles was also par t of the Manchester United side which became the first English club to win the European Cup in 1968.
The hearse carr ying Stiles from the family home in Salford to Manchester Crematorium S outhern Cemeter y drove past Old Trafford, outs i d e w h e r e C r e r a n d w a s a m o n g t h o s e p ay i n g t h e i r respects, with tributes laid to the former United favourite.
"Nobby was one of the great , oncharacters of football and n o t j u s t M a n c h e s t e r U n i t - ed. Ever y thing was a laugh wi t h No b by," s a i d C r e r a n d , 81, who made just shy of 400 appearances for the Red Devils between 1963 and 1971, winning six trophies.
"On the pitch he made tackles you would get arrested for today, never mind sent off. But he was a terrific footballer and did not get the credit of just what a good player he was."
C r e r a n d a d d e d : "N o b b y could see the situations (in the game). He had a great football brain. He was a very, very under-rated player, maybe not by Manchester United fans, but he was respected by every player he played against."
Crerand joined United from Celtic and played alongside Stiles in the 4-1 win over Benfica at Wembley as United conquered Europe in May 1968.
T h e S c o t f o r med a s t ro n g b on d wit h S t il e s , who m h e feels deser ves to be remembered as more than just the t o o t h l e s s m i d f i e l d t e r r i e r who danced a jig with the Jules Rimet Trophy.
"The thing about him off the pitch, he and his wife spent most of their time at home. You would never see them out and about in the restaurants on a Saturday night," Crerand recalled.
"My t wo s o n s we n t to t h e same school as his t wo sons and I would see Nobby eve - r y day at half three when we picked the kids up.
"No b b y wa s s u c h a g r e a t character and had a great football brain. You ask any player, some of the England lads who played with him in the World Cup final, and they will speak volumes about him."
Because of Covid-19 restrictions, only a small group of Stiles' family and close friends were able to attend in person at the crematorium.
Fo r me r mi d f i e l d e r S t i l e s , w h o h a d 2 8 i n t e r n a t i o n a l caps, also won league titles with United in 1965 and 1967, before leaving Old Trafford in 1971.
S t i l e s we n t o n t o p l ay f o r Middlesbrough and Preston. He l a te r manag e d t h e L i l ywhites between 1977 and 1981,
was coach at Canadian side Va n c o u ve r Wh i t e c a p s a n d then took over at West Brom between 1985 and 1986.
He returned to United as a
youth team coach under Sir Alex Ferguson in 1989 for a four-year stint, working with the famed 'Class of 92'.
Later in life, Stiles suffered a
series of health issues, including a dementia diagnosis.
In 2010, after a mini-stroke, Stiles sold his medals to United for £200,000.