YEP Letters: January 24

Your tributes to ‘Gentleman’ Jimmy Armfield

Former Leeds United manager Jimmy Armfield - who took Leeds United to a European Cup final - died on Monday at the age of 82 following a long battle with cancer. YEP readers have been leaving their tributes to ‘Gentleman Jim’ on social media and here’s what some of them said..

Daniel Brill

A wonderfully talented, kind, genuine man, a superb commentator and as a Leeds fan, if he had stayed at Elland Road for five years or so more, perhaps he would have rebuilt the Revie team without all the ups and (many more) downs we have experienced over the last 40 years.

Michael Michaelson

Took over at a really difficult time, but steadied the ship in his own meticulous and professional style.

Took us to the European Cup Final and had we not been cheated would have become a legend in the city.

RIP to a man of integrity and decency.

John Colville

RIP Mr Armfield. You were a great ambassador for the sport, whether as a player, manager, or commentator. A true gentleman in the days when there were a few around, he stood head and shoulders above most.

John Douglass

RIP Jimmy, well respected footballer manager and pundit and a wonderfull gentleman you should have got a European winners medal you were robbed of that. God bless you and your family.

Mark Devonwhite

RIP Jimmy. Great player, great manager, superb commentator/pundit and a gentleman (a word that rarely applies to anyone these days).

Took over at our great club at a difficult time – just lost Don and gone through the Clough debacle – and had to deal with the break-up of Revie’s team. The man did us proud (6th best manager on wins ratio says it all). If he had stayed who knows where he might have taken us.

David Jackson

I wish some of the managers today behaved in the gentlemanly manner that he did, will be missed.

Keith Armitage

Always came across as a true gentleman and nice person.

Never heard him say anything nasty about anyone. His criticisms of players or anything to do with the game were always thought out and balanced.

Even if you didn’t agree you could see where he was coming from. Not many like him around today.

Andrew Cummings

Brilliant manager, lovely genuine guy and excellent radio pundit with such chracter and warmth in his voice. I see him in the same light as the also great late Bobby Robson. RIP Jimmy, you will be missed.

Keith Thornton

Great footballer, even greater person.

Steve Orchard

Should have been a European Cup winner but robbed again. RIP mate and thanks for all you did for us, we will always remember you.

Stu Keys

RIP Jimmy, you will be missed and remembered fondly for everything you did for our beloved club, thank you, a true football man and gentleman.

Richard Northard

He was exactly what Leeds United needed after Brian Clough. Went to Paris and we should have witnessed him being the first English club manager to win the European Cup but he was cheated by awful refereeing.

As everyone one says a true gent and by the way great summariser on BBC.

Michael Green

An absolute gentleman who was a credit to the game and to Leeds when he managed us.

He should have been a European Cup winning manager but yet again a referee who saw only the opposition’s perspective, robbed us and Jimmy Armfield, the place in history that was richly deserved. May he RIP.

Peter Young

Oh bless. Sadly this was expected, but what a lovely, warm gentleman he was. He did his very best for us and his legendary ‘indecision’ worked rather well; in later years, his radio appearances as a co-commentator were a complete joy: well-mannered, insightful and always adding something to the enjoyment of listening to him. RIP ‘Sir’ Jimmy.

Morten Smedsdal

Sad news.He was a gentleman and a great manager.

He bought some great players, Tony Currie and Arthur Graham.

We had a great team.

Jack Dillon

RIP. I remember him mainly for always being on co-commentary on Radio Five Live for any Leeds games especially in the early to mid-late 90s and early noughties.

Gilbert Ferguson

A sad day for football. A true gent in every shape and form RIP Sir Jimmy Armfield MOT.

John Woodward

RIP Jimmy, you settled the ship after Clough upset it. A true LUFC legend.

Jim Stockwell

RIP Jimmy. Did well in his playing career and was a good Leeds manager, a true gent.

Jonathan Crane

Armfield and Revie, the best managers of the best LUFC squad. RIP

Linda Wallace

RIP Jimmy, a sad time for football and the world.

Yvonne Lufc

Jimmy Armfield never be forgotten.

A very good manager. Marching on together.

Christoper Martin Brown

RIP Jimmy Armfield, legend.

Mark Freeman

Never has there been a more perfect gentleman in the name of football.

What a great manager and footballer.

Saw him play and manage, so sad but a good life lived (Marion on Mark’s page).

Discrimination on car insurance

Ernest Lundy, by email

As an old person continually being ripped off for car insurance in spite of having a clean licence and maximum no claims bonus, I became incensed this morning when listening to a debate on the same subject.

A spokesperson for the insurance industry said increasing prices were down to so many variables, such as postal district, miles per annum. NCB protection, legal assistance, where garaged, in car cameras and satnavs etc and the increased cost of repairs. This is undoubtedly true, most of these items (clauses) have been appended over the years to obtain higher premiums. But how the industry gets away with using age, young or old, to set prices is nothing but the barefaced use of age discrimination.

Yet no authority is prepared to do anything about it. Some reductions are offered if cameras are installed; but the chance of break-ins to steal them is surely increased by so doing! I continue to become more perplexed and angry when learning that some drivers obtain their insurance for a car similar to mine at only a fraction of the price £250/£900. The BBC programme was named ‘how to get cheaper insurance’ but failed to inform me how.

A good read

John Appleyard, Liversedge

I’ve known very little about the North European country Finland apart from the fact that its capital city is Helsinki.

However I have just finished reading a book that I picked up at my local library entitled: ‘Ice Breaker - a voyage far north’ by Horatio Clare an author who lives with his family in West Yorkshire.

The book tells of the author’s experience of celebrating the 100 years of Finland’s independence and some of its history too.

Horatio details the work he witnesses on a government icebreaker and the hard work and bravery it entails of Finnish seafarers as they work on cargoes that break dangerous ice freezing waters escorting zinc concentrate from Sweden, coal from Poland, calcium chloride for Sweden and iron ore from Bremen. Like all sailors the crews have their superstitions such as no whistling it could cause a storm, never light a cigarette from a candle or a sailor may drown.

I was also interested to read that the Finnish government provides a basic income for some of its unemployed which they keep when they find a job and provide permanent homes for the homeless. This book is an excellent read and I thoroughly recommend it.

Tories are unbelievable

T Maunder, Kirkstall

These Tories close libraries, shut down social centres, make it financially impossible to keep community centres open and then try to show compassion by creating the role of Minister of Loneliness.

This person will have a massive salary, claim goodness knows what in expenses, have a fine pension which can be claimed from age 60 whilst at the same time being blissfully unaware of why the role is necessary in the first place .

Crikey, they’re unbelievable.