I have to confess I was touched by his family's tribute given at Tommy Smith's funeral, yesterday. As quoted in the Liverpool Echo:
“So I want you to hear this:
You may lose your football skills.
And live with metal knees and pills.
And forget the roar of the Kop, the thrills.
But you never lost my love.
You may lose your confidence
Your rugged looks and elegance.
Your power to think and eloquence.
But you’ll never lose my love.
You may lose your memory
And forget your own identity
And your room be full of mystery.
But you never lost my love.
You may have had to be spoon fed
Lying in a nursing bed.
Not understanding what I said
But you never lost my love.
You have felt all alone
Sitting in a nursing home
You always had and you never will, ever, lose my love.
Your family loved you, Tommy, a great deal.
The fans loved you a great deal.
The battle is over.
Rest in peace."
https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/tommy-smith-funeral-liverpool-legend-16180504Tommy was as 'Liverpudlian' as they come. A great player, but one of us. He played judge, jury & executioner on the field, he couldn't abide cheats. There's a video doing the rounds right now of him 'taking out' Allan Clarke of Leeds. Now, Allan was a great player, but could be a snide, he liked to leave his studs down the back of your leg. Tommy meted justice out to him & his ilk, no messing, and the crowd loved him all the more for it.
I don't know if Leo comes on to these pages any more, I haven't seen much of him since he got sick. I think he had his 'run ins' with Tommy, but I think they were both sides of the same coin, both proper Liverpudlians.
Anyway, back to the family's eulogy, it really touched me. Behind the fame was an ordinary lad who face the same struggles as the rest of us. But you were loved, Tommy, of that you can be sure. RIP