Blues

[Lurker#3]

I think its a great move from a club that has more than likely been saved by the money made by him being a humble and grounded lad.

He should be held aloft as a shining example of how young players should act when things start looking good.

[baggiebloke]

Leaving aside the absurdity of this particular decision, I'm not in favour generally of the 'retiring' of shirt numbers of club legends. Surely, to wear the shirt number of a Jeff Astle or a Stanley Matthews should be something you aspire to.

                                                 ^

[Duffers]

Leaving aside the absurdity of this particular decision, I'm not in favour generally of the 'retiring' of shirt numbers of club legends. Surely, to wear the shirt number of a Jeff Astle or a Stanley Matthews should be something you aspire to.

Completely agree with this, I could see a shirt being retired if a player actually died whilst at the club (think City retired Marc Vivian Foe’s number) but otherwise not. As DK says, the number gets passed down from generation to generation, they motivate and inspire some players, others get crushed by the weight of them. Look for example at the players who have worn #7 for United - Best, Law, Cantona, Beckham, Ronaldo... certain numbers at certain clubs are truly iconic.

Besides, if shirt numbers were retired willy nilly we would be well into treble figures for numbers by now. Nobody wants to see that.