A gentle giant, a credit to his family and a credit to football

SAYS ENGLAND COACH GARETH SOUTHGATE

GARETH SOUTHGATE articulated the sense of disbelief within British football at the loss of Ugo Ehiogu – the man he described as a “colossus”.

The England boss summed up the football fraternity’s grief at losing the popular Tottenham Under-23 coach, taken at the age of 44 by cardiac arrest.

Paul Merson wept live on TV. The devastated Spurs family wept as one, away from the spotlight, as they came to terms with the tragedy that had unfolded at their Enfield HQ just 24 hours earlier.

And an outpouring of love from clubs and fans up and down the country summed up the high esteem in which Ehiogu had been held.

Southgate, who lifted the League Cup alongside him at Aston Villa and Middlesbrough, said: “I’m stunned and deeply saddened by Ugo’s passing, and clearly my initial thoughts are with his wife, Gemma, his children and his family.

“I know that football will be grieving because he was so highly respected by everybody he worked with, and losing him at such a young age is difficult to come to terms with.

“Most importantly, he was a gentleman and one of those characters people would find difficult to have anything bad to say about. I probably played more games with Ugo than anybody else in my career and, while in many ways he was a gentle giant away from football, he was a colossus on the pitch.

“It felt like a true partnership with Ugo because we were prepared to put our bodies on the line for each other.

“We shared highs, lows and won a couple of trophies together with Villa and Boro, and it’s those memories I will always cherish when I think of Ugo.

“I’ve spoken to several of our former

team-mates today and there’s just a sense of disbelief that we’re having these conversations.

“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.”

Ehiogu made more than 200 appearances for Villa between 1991 and 2000. He then spent seven years at Boro. He also played for West Brom, Leeds, Rangers and Sheffield United, before retiring in 2009.

He’d been capped four times by England. More importantly, he’d won the respect of anyone and everyone that had come into contact with him.The players of both Spurs and Chelsea will wear black armbands at Wembley for today’s FA Cup semi-final.

Blues boss Antonio Conte fought back tears as he sent his best wishes to Ehiogu’s family.

Spurs chairman Daniel Levy described the affection Ehiogu had been held in. “Ugo was a lovely man,” he said. “He was always a person who helped us a lot and we will miss him greatly. I send all my love to his family and friends at such a difficult time.

“It’s a huge loss both personally and for all the Tottenham family.” Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino said: “This is an incredibly sad day for the club and a tragic loss of a talented member of our Spurs family.

“Ugo was an extremely popular and respected academy coach, a tremendous influence on our younger players, both in training and away from the pitch, and he will be greatly missed.”

England striker Harry Kane said: “He was a great character around the place.

‘‘Full of life, always laughing and joking. Always in good spirits.

“He was an inspiration to the young players, he’d been there and done it at the very highest level.”