Dean Richards dies

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OLVES’ impressive 4-0 victory over Blackpool yesterday paled into insignificance with the news of the death of Dean Richards.  Ex-Wolves icon Richards passed away yesterday morning after a long illness at the tender age of 36.

Born in Bradford, Richards played for his hometown club and also was a youth coach there after retiring from the game.  He also turned out for Wolves, Southampton and Tottenham Hotspur, as well as five times for the England U21’s.  In total, the central defender scored 17 goals in 348 club appearances, in a career that spanned 15 years.

DEAN RICHARDS - 9 June 1974 - 26 February 2011

Richards began his career in Bradford in 1992 as an 18-year old, playing just over 80 games for the Bantams.  

He transferred to Wolves in the summer of 1995 for a then club record fee of £1.85million.  This came after a successful loan spell at Molineux.  He was quickly elevated to the role of club captain at Wolves and earnt a place in the heart of many loyal supporters for his committed performances and never-say-die attitude.  Sadly, a car accident in 1996 saw him struggle on with knee and back injuries and meant he would have many frustrating spells on the treatment table.  When on form, the likes of Arsenal and Chelsea expressed interest in Richards, seeing enough of him through the injuries.  Sadly for Dean, that dream move never came off, nor did his constant battle to stay 100% fit.

The peak of his career came on the South Coast with Southampton.  Dave Jones snapped him up on a free transfer in July 1999 when his Wolves contract expired.  Quickly, he established himself as a fans favourite again and was voted the Southampton Player of the Year by the supporters in his debut season, 1999-2000.   He came closer than ever to an England call-up, but didn’t make the final cut under either Kevin Keegan or Sven-Goran Eriksson.

However, former England manager Glenn Hoddle did see potential in Richards and having coached him at Southampton, bought him to Tottenham for a staggering £8.75million in September 2001.  He scored on his debut in the epic 3-5 defeat to Manchester United at White Hart Lane, but once again, injuries got the better of Dean.  He only played in 73 games for the North London side in four seasons and after suffering from regular dizzy spells and headaches, was forced to quit the game in March 2005 on health grounds.  When announcing his retirement, his disappointment could clearly be told; “I am obviously deeply disappointed to be giving up the sport I love, but it's the only choice."

He worked hard on his coaching qualifications are rejoined Bradford as a youth team coach in August 2007.  However, his battle against illness turned out to be his biggest fight of all and sadly, he passed away yesterday morning after a long-time battle. 

Wolves were devastated at the news of losing one of their former favourites; “Everyone at Wolves is saddened to hear of the death of Dean Richards.  "Remembered for his trademark skilful breaks out of defence as well as his ability in the air, Richards will always be fondly remembered by Wolves fans who continued to follow his career closely when he moved on to Southampton and Tottenham.  "There will be a tribute paid to the defender ahead of next Sunday's game with his former club Spurs."

All thoughts go out to Dean’s family and friends at this difficult and distressing time.

Bradford Remembers The Horror of Twenty-Five Years Ago

As a football club, Bradford City has had their high moments in its distinguished football history.  Who will forget David Wetherall’s spectacular header which beat Liverpool on the final day of the 1999/00 Premiership season.  Unbridled joy at Valley Parade followed when the supporters realised that they had beaten the drop, and Wimbledon went down instead.  However, they have a horror low moment, which today still ranks alongside sport’s biggest tragedies, twenty-five years on.

On Saturday May 11^th 1985, the Bantams day started full of celebration.  The club paraded the Third Division title just before their final match of the season, against Lincoln City.  With the score at 0-0, five minutes before half-time, the main stand at Valley Parade was ignited by a raging fire, that swept through the stand in next to no time.  From a small controllable blaze, to something of the greatest magnitude, as it took little under four minutes for the entire stand to be completely ablaze.  Supporters rushed onto the pitch in panic and fear, completely shocked to the core of the destruction that had just taken place.  Tragically, the gates at the back of the stand had been locked, to prevent people without tickets sneaking into the game.  Even more so, the stand that caught ablaze in dramatic fashion was due for demolition in the summer of 1985, for a more updated version.  56 people, hoping to see a day of celebration and ecstasy lost their lives in the Valley Parade inferno, and over 270 were injured, some with severe burns that see the scars still hurt today.

The club had to go on and play their Second Division games for the following season at Leeds Elland Road and in Huddersfield, before setting up camp at Odsal Stadium, now home to the Super League side, the Bradford Bulls.  Following a staggering amount of donations, Valley Parade reopened in December 1986, but those 56 will never be forgotten.  The cause of the fire is largely unknown, though many believe that it was a dropped cigarette or match that ignited rubbish underneath the main stand, which had been clustered together over a significant number of years.  The heat of the blaze could be felt across the ground, as the venomous smoke lit the sky.  Yorkshire TV, who was filming the game, chose never to release the footage, as a tribute to those who lost their lives.  Having seen pictures and the odd video on YouTube of the horror, I cannot imagine the nightmare that fans were experiencing and for the veteran commentator, John Helm, who was commentating on the game for ITV Football League programme.

Today, Bradford stood silent to remember the fifty-six who perished at the city’s Centaury Square.  Some 2,000 mourners attended the outside memorial, which included a singing of ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone,’ before a one-minute silence.  With the Heysel tragedy just a mere three weeks later, the Bradford fire is one of those forgotten tragedies in sport, but it is one of the worst for sure.  Today, we must remember those fifty-six and the scores injured, who went to see a carnival, only to be caught in a horror nightmare. 

To the Bradford 1985 fifty-six, R.I.P.