As I am sure you all know, football lost a true great and a gentleman just over two weeks ago. The passing of West Brom legend Cyrille Regis has been respected and paid tribute to up and down the country.
It will be the first home game for Albion since the former number 9’s passing and the club are urging both West Brom and Southampton to ‘Raise your scarves for Cyrille’ before Saturday’s game.
Obviously Saturday’s game is massive for many footballing reasons with both teams scrapping at the bottom. But from 2pm, Albion are planning a special tribute for a real club and footballing legend.
Regis brought football together. He was seen as a pioneer for his time. He, along with Brendan Batson and Laurie Cunnigham (best known as ‘The Three Degrees) broke boundaries for both Albion and for football in the late 70s. They put up with racial abuse from the stands to go on and make West Brom a real force.
But not only that, they were heroes and legends for those who felt they could never make it into football just because of their skin colour, with Regis only the third black player to have been capped by England at the time.
On Saturday, West Brom want fans to raise their scarves for the great man. Just like Regis did, football will come together. That’s why all Albion hope Southampton’s supporters will bring and raise a scarf to a former number 9 and a man who changed the face of football.
No matter if it is red and white (as I can’t imagine many Saints fans own a blue and white scarf!), please bring it and pay tribute to a footballing legend and a true gentlemen to the sport. No matter how big Saturday’s game is, there are more important things than football, and Cyrille was certainly one of them.
Thank you.
