George Armstrong

Professional footballer who played with courage and generosity

George Armstrong, the former Arsenal winger, one of the heroes of their famous 1971 League and Cup double side, and latterly reserve team coach, has died suddenly after collapsing on the club's Hertfordshire training field, aged 56.

He was Arsenal to the marrow, making 621 first-team appearances in a 15-year playing career, to be surpassed only by the present Leeds United manager, David O' Leary with 722 and now Tony Adams (624).

In an age when the traditional winger was due to disappear, "Geordie" Armstrong, as he was always known, was the winger par excellence, able to play on the right or the left, two footed, and an unselfish creator of chances for other people with his accurate crosses.

Born in Hebburn, County Durham, Armstrong went to Highbury straight from school, discovered by Arsenal's north-eastern scout. He played his initial game for the first team in 1961, and 10 years later was a salient figure in the team which became only the second of the 20th century, after Tottenham, to win the FA Cup and League double. That season he figured in every one of the 42 championship games, and was on the right wing at Wembley, the only real winger in the Arsenal side for the winning cup final against Liverpool.

He was no giant, standing a mere 5ft 6in and weighing just over 11 stone, but courage was never lacking; not when he was playing with the local Leslie's Boys Club, nor in his long professional career.

Typically, in the cup final, Armstrong popped up on either flank and very nearly scored when, on the far post, he surged powerfully in from the left to meet a right-wing cross from John Radford. Ray Clemence, the Liverpool goalkeeper, catapulted across goal to parry the ball.

In 1970, he had won a medal in the European Inter Cities Fairs Cup, and the following season scored one of the two goals whereby Arsenal, in the same competition, beat Lazio 2-0 at home. In 1972, he was on the losing Arsenal side in the FA Cup final against Leeds United. He also played in two losing League Cup finals, in 1968 and 1969.

In 1977, he left Arsenal to play for Leicester City, and finished his career at Stockport County. He then became a coach with steady success, cutting his teeth in Kuwait, before returning to coach at Aston Villa and Fulham. Almost inevitably, perhaps, he returned to Highbury, brought back in 1990 by his former team mate George Graham who said: "He was such a thorough professional and a great help to me at Arsenal. As soon as I knew he was available when he was out in the Middle East I jumped at the chance to bring him back."

Armstrong proved outstandingly successful at nurturing young talent. Ray Parlour, a current first-team player and an England international, was one of his protegés in the reserve team, as was the Scottish striker Paul Dickov, who has gained honours this season with Scotland, as a Manchester City striker. The centre backs Andy Lininghan and future Northern Ireland international Stephen Morrow, also came under his aegis.

Money meant little to him and he was critical of the attitude of many modern players. One who knew him well at Arsenal observed that "football flowed out of him". He was humorous, modest, unfailingly genial, and survived the various changing of the guard at Highbury in recent years.

He was never a prolific goalscorer, getting just seven in that 1970/71 championship season and 70 in his Highbury career. Typically perhaps, his speciality was in creating goals for colleagues.

He is survived by his wife Marjorie, and their son and daughter.

George "Geordie" Armstrong, footballer, born August 9 1944; died November 1 2000.

Source: Brian Glanville, The Guardian on 2 Nov 11