George Best

There will be a minute’s silence before today’s game against Spurs at the JJB in memory of George Best.

I sincerely hope that all fans will observe the silence properly. I know that there is a great deal of animosity towards anything to do with Old Trafford these days but I don’t share that.

I’ve been watching the Latics for over 40 years and they have always been my number one team, but in the days before we got into the Football League, or Northern Premier League even, my ‘other’ team was Manchester United. There was no conflict in this, it was like supporting Wigan Warriors and Wigan Athletic at the same time. There was virtually no chance of the teams meeting, and the gulf between them in terms of league placings meant it was almost a separate sport.

One of the factors in following Man Utd was George Best and his amazing skill. When the only televised football was a few minutes highlights of a couple of matches on Match of the Day, George Best’s skill stood out above all the others.

He will be remembered by all true football fans.