I WOULD like to pay tribute to two men from the world of football who have unfortunately died in the last week, Sir Bobby Charlton and Bill Kenwright.

The Charlton brothers, Jack and Sir Bobby were both from the North-East and I knew them when I was living up there as well. Jack and I were of a similar age.

Bobby signed for Manchester United as a schoolboy. He came through the club and he was then world-famous.

Jack used to pull his leg a bit. He used to say, ‘You’ve lost your accent, you are not a Geordie anymore’ and all this sort of thing. But he loved him, and they were great brothers.

How many families around are there that can have two sons both playing for England at the same time?

Jack was a big centre-half, the bossy one on the pitch, and his job was to stop the opposition from scoring. Bobby’s job was the opposite. He was the one that had to be the scorer and he was a silky type of forward player, admired all around by the football world.

He was up there with Pele and people like that. It is very sad news to see him leaving us and I am sure Jack and him will be together again to discuss the good old days.

Jack really admired what Bobby achieved as a player. He did not want to heap too much praise on him because he did not want him to get big-headed.

Privately, when he spoke to me, he would say about how much he had seen Bobby progress and how he’d become a world-acknowledged top-class player.

When we were all together now and again, it was like a family. We got on very well. Everyone around the world of football saw Bobby progress and being at Manchester United was the best move he ever made.

The people in the teams in those days were people like Denis Law and George Best. There are statues outside Old Trafford now of Denis, George, and Sir Bobby Charlton. That just sums it all up.

Of all the amazing top-class footballers who have played for Manchester United over the years, Bobby is one of the three who are rated as the most outstanding.

People come from all around the football world, even from abroad and they come to Old Trafford and stand there and have their photographs taken with the statues.

If anyone was to pick the best team out of all the English players or the team that you would want to represent England. Without a doubt, Bobby would definitely be in that team.

He was the quiet one of the two brothers but, on the pitch, he was the one who scored many goals, and they were quality.

He was not the loud shouting type, but he was outstanding because of the way that he played with his passing and most of all, his finishing being outstanding.

He scored 49 goals for England, and he will be forever remembered. The Charlton brothers will now be together, I’m sure.

Bill Kenwright has also sadly died. He was mainly in the show business world. He loved football and his passion was Everton.

I met him over the years. He was a very rich man in the theatre world. He was a multi-millionaire, but he was also a passionate supporter of Everton football club.

I came across him because his passion and ambition came true when he became a director of the club and was then made chairman.

One day, we were both together and he questioned whether I had any thoughts of moving away to another club and to give him a ring if I did. I never did, of course, but it made me keep my eye on him and he was a popular director at the club. God bless them all.

Southampton are on a good run at the moment. Russell Martin has kept the run going with Saints unbeaten in five games.

The fact that they are scoring goals late on in the game could well display that his team are benefiting from good training by him and his staff.

They are cashing in when the opposition are getting more tired at the end of the fixtures. Full marks to the manager and his staff and of course the players who keep going until the end.

Saints play Birmingham City on Saturday, and they are a club whose supporters will remember the Premier League days and will be trying to get back there.

Everyone should remember that it is not now a Premier League game, we got relegated, and let’s get behind the manager and his team to get us back to the top flight before Birmingham do.