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Be bold

George Best scored six goals in one game against Northamton Town in the fa cup, NOT against West Ham, the information in George Best's entry is incorrect, will somebody kindly correct this. Nobbler.ca

News from hospital

As of 06:32 (UTC), it has been made known that the hospital is discontinuing his treatment. He is currently alive but unconscious, and his death is said to be imminent, within "hours if not minutes", to the point where the doctors are confident that he will not last another day. For now, I am adding today as a date of death in a comment so when a formal announcement is made the tags can just be taken out. Chris talk back 06:39, 25 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

What is your source that he has just died? There is nothing about this on TV news, teletext etc. I know his doctor is supposed to make an announcement soon. PatGallacher 13:02, 25 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

BBC News 24 have confirmed. Tonywalton  | Talk 13:04, 25 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Yes confirmed dead on BBC web site. Jooler 13:09, 25 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Nice going folks. The first confirmation of his death was at 13:04. We first "reported" his death at 12:58. Would the owner of the crystal ball please stand up ... Chris talk back 13:12, 25 November 2005 (UTC) OK, it's now official on BBC1 and ITV as well, but I think the last person could have jumped the gun slightly. People should be careful to give their sources. PatGallacher 13:14, 25 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

According to the BBC reporter outside the hospital the announcement came first on a news wire service (puzzlingly he said "as had been arranged"). Everyone was waiting for it to come from the hospital but it seems they too were reporting as a tertiary source. Somebody will report the exact time of death soon enough, I suppose. Tonywalton  | Talk 13:22, 25 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]
12:55GMT, per Sky News quoting a statement from the hospital. No gunjumping involved. Well done, David F Tonywalton  | Talk 13:31, 25 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Is that the time the announcement was made, or the actual ToD as will be recorded on the certificate? Chris talk back 13:42, 25 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Either way it's before the edit was made here (12:58), so unless the orspital was pre-announcing Wiki hasn't jumped the gun. Sky have, by the way, just repeated "he passed away at 12:55". Looks like Davidfarmborough has a better news source than we have, but not a crystal ball! Tonywalton  | Talk 13:46, 25 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]
I suppose the person who updated it could have been at the hospital at the time and seen it happen. Or been a family member and therefore told ahead of the news. -- Smjg 12:11, 26 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Ah, yes, because when you've just seen your idol/a close relative die, your first priority is to log on to Wikipedia and update the article immediately. Chris talk back 16:18, 26 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Date Formats

With regard to the edit/comment 2005-11-25 10:48:35 192.18.1.5 about date formats, you may be interested to know that if you create an account, you can set your preferred date format in preferences, and dates entered in this format (and some other recognised formats) will be displayed as you specify. (Guinness2702)

The key word being if you create an account. If you are browsing an article as an unregistered reader the dates are not reformatted, so you could potentially see a mishmash of dates in various inconsistent formats, which looks very nasty. Not all users are registered…Tonywalton  | Talk 13:40, 25 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]
True, but since people are never going to agree on dates, unless ISO8601 ever gets internationally adopted, they're going to have to create accounts or put up with it. Guinness 13:55, 25 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Or kindly wikipedians can edit articles to at least make them look consistent ;-) Tonywalton  | Talk 13:57, 25 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Yeah, I'll buy that, that was part of why I tidied up that whole section in the first place ;-) I was never considering....hang on, it feels like I'm arguing here, my original comment was only trying to be helpful.Guinness 14:08, 25 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]
192.18.1.5 was me (not logged in), by the way, which is how I noticed it: see the ensuing discussion on my and ChrisCF's talk pages. Tonywalton  | Talk 13:43, 25 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

{{current}}

Since he is now dead, I think we should lose the {{current}}. Chris at another computer (will re-sign later) 131.251.49.202 15:24, 25 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Was thinking of doing the same myself, however the page is still undergoing rapid change. Perhaps consider use of {{flux}}? Guinness 15:31, 25 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]
{{flux}} appears just to be a redir to {{current}}. Tonywalton  | Talk 15:33, 25 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]
I remember reading somewhere that the current template was for articles that were major news stories where new edits were appearing very frequently, say once a minute or more. The idea is to warn people not to try to write too much at one time as they'd just get into edit conflicts. If the page is being edited so often that it is difficult to get an edit in without someone else trying to edit it at the same time then the template should be there, otherwise it's not needed. It looks like the page has settled down a little bit now, so I wouldn't worry too much about it either way. File:Yemen flag large.png CTOAGN (talk) 15:40, 25 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]
You mean like the SEVEN IN A ROW I had to endure earlier? ;-) Incidentally, for such occasions, I have something called the 3 Conflict Rule, based on the idea that it's more important to actually get new information into the article in the first place than to fix up the formatting, since that along with re-merging anything that gets lost can always be done in a subsequent edit. Chris talk back 17:54, 25 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]
I added {{current}} earlier today, and I would say it's still needed - a lot of folk are still editing the article (roughly an edit every 3 mins), a lot of new editors too... wangi 16:22, 25 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]
The {{current}} label means that the article is about a current event. George Best is not an event, let alone a current event. It has nothing to do with the frequency of edits. -- Smjg 12:05, 26 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

In the News

Why is Best's death not on In The News ? Jooler 19:42, 25 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Vandalism

  • A member by the username of Art The Superman has vandalized this page, replacing the entire contents of the page with contents from the Lynching article on Wikipedia. This is not the first time this member has vandalized this page. The member vandalized the page at least twice today (and more under the IP Address 81.108.166.233). If you are Art The Superman, please stop. Your actions are in poor taste. This is a talented footballer who just died. Have some respect.

--Arbiteroftruth 23:47, 25 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

NOTE: All edits made to the comment above were made by the author himself.

Being vandalized again.

Sexual assault case?

Is this true that Best was charged w. sexual assault, this year? Funny, I don't remember it. Maybe I was out that day. Are there any references for this that I could check? Le Hibou 01:46, 26 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Arrested, not charged. See The Scotsman for the arrest and agent says it's not true, snd here for "no further action". -- Arwel (talk) 03:16, 26 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks for the info. He's still my boyhood hero! Le Hibou 03:51, 26 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Trivia

Amongst the tributes etc appearing recently, I read an anecdote about Best discussing the best player in the world at the time (1976), Johann Cruyff, prior to an international match. Acknowledging Cruyff's talent, when asked if he considered Cruyff a better player than himself, Best said no and promised to 'nutmeg' him in the upcoming game. Naturally, Best lived up to his promise. The last 6 paras of this article tell the story. Perhaps I could add it somewhere in the article? Any comments? tmimh 02:06, 26 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

It's sad to have this unfounded allegation on the main page dedicated to factual information on the late George Best.

CTOAGN: My comment above was in reference to the sexual assault claim, but I'm unable to edit there for some reason. Sorry.

  • I'm not sure what to do about this. What's in there at the moment is accurate, but as he wasn't charged I don't think it's important enough to go in here. On the other hand, as long as we've got a section titled Arrests it should probably be included for the sake of completeness. I'll leave it in for now (won't object to anyone else removing it though) and probably remove it later, as I'm planning to reorganise the sections a bit later on to make the article more continuous. File:Yemen flag large.png CTOAGN (talk) 21:34, 27 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

In 1976, Northern Ireland were drawn against Holland in Rotterdam as one of their group qualifying matches for the World Cup. Holland and Johan Cruyff were at their peak at the time. George Best wasn't. Bill Elliott from The Observer newspaper asked Best what he thought of the acknowledged world number one and he said he thought the Dutchman was outstanding. 'Better than you?' He asked. George looked at him and laughed. 'You're kidding aren't you? I tell you what I'll do tonight... I'll nutmeg Cruyff first chance I get.' Five minutes into the game Best received the ball wide on the left. Instead of heading towards goal he turned directly infield, weaved his way past at least three Dutchmen and found his way to Cruyff who was wide right. He took the ball to his opponent, dipped a shoulder twice and slipped it between Cruyff's feet. As he ran round to collect it and run on he raised his right fist into the air. Only a few in the press box knew what this bravado act really meant. Johan Cruyff the best in the world? Are you kidding?

"widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of the game"

Now, that's a good joke. I didn't even know this guy until 2 minutes ago.

You are a mere child, then. Nobody who saw him play is in any doubt about it. -- Arwel (talk) 23:19, 27 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Exactly, you right Arwel, this guy clearly has little or no knowledge on football if he has never heard of Best, one of the greatest footballers of all time. If he is not regarded as one of the greatest, then why did Pele say he was the greatest footballer ever?

"The greates players" is too much. Let's go back to "one of the greatest players...

Pele is the greatest footballer ever. Is that a statement of fact or is that an argument? I don't know. It's all subjective. One thing Pele did say was that George Best was great- the greastest that he had ever seen. I've only seen highlights of Best and I'm am in awe. And who am I to argue with Pele? One thing about Best is indisputable, he was THE biggest pimp in sport of all time.

Even Pele's opinion (although he has always been quite deferential to other 'great' players) is POV, although I hope that most people would concede that it carries more weight than most. The use of the definitive "the best" cannot be justified: it's POV. Still, Pele's views and polls indicate that Best was up there with the "best", therefore it's clear that the use of "one of the best" is more appropriate. I think we should avoid going round in circles over this bigpad 22:46, 7 February 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Nationality

In HuWiki there's an ongoing discussion on how to best describe his nationality? Is it correct to describe him as Irish or British?

Thanks, —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 129.59.139.191 (talk • contribs) 17:09, 29 November 2005 (UTC).[reply]

  • Similar questions have caused some three hundred years of problems. By citizenship, probably British (Northern Ireland is part of the UK - United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland). By religion, possibly British (as a Protestant), though Best himself is well-known for taking no part in the NI sectarian question, and is also well-known for advocating a united Ireland football team (drawn from Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, akin to the Ireland Rugby Union team). You might get more certain answers on the Northern Ireland talk page, but prepare for opening a can of political, cultural and historical worms! Tonywalton  | Talk 17:25, 29 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Brisbane Lions

The Brisbane Lions link is directed to the AFL club, not the football club (which was renamed QLD lions, and then QLD Roar). This link should be changed.

San Jose Earthquakes / Golden Bay Earthquakes

The San Jose Earthquakes article states that the club was only known as the Golden Bay Earthquakes from 1983 to 1984, after Best had left - any suggestions? --172.189.128.31 16:09, 30 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Jewish Guild

The internet doesn't seem to have any substantial information about the club, or apartheid-era South African football in general - if anyone has any print sources, would they consider writing a stub which could then be linked to? --172.189.128.31 16:31, 30 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Is it true

George best I never heard of him. But not to be disrepectful or anythink I have seen goals that he's managed to score. The news said that he was the man who pushed everything to it's limits. By watching how he did it I think he was a very good and nobal player for Manchester United. -- (Shabbir Bokhari) . 3rd DECEMBER 2005

Funeral

Presumably RTE also carried the funeral, can anyone confirm/deny? 86.10.97.164 16:45, 4 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Fifth Beatle?

Perhaps the writer means Pete Best, who was part of The Beatles during their formative years? Perhaps I am wrong as I don't know football, but I do know The Beatles. I notice that the statement is reiterated in the "Fifth Beatle" article. Does anyone has any verifiable sources on this statement? Reviewed sources. Seems I've learned something. A.Octavia 22:34, 5 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Unencyclopedia

"The eldest child of Dickie and Anne, Best was brother to Carol, Barbara, Julie, Grace and Ian."

Maybe I'm picky, but could this be worded in a more formal way? Not wanting to make edits, as it may be a personal thing.

I am Mr.X

Look at Sony Liston on WIKIPEDIA GO TO DISCUSSION.

BEST GOAL?

"One of George's greatest goals (1981) as a member of the San Jose Earthquakes, which is also considered one of the greatest goals in NASL history, can be viewed from here: http://eteamz.active.com/naslearthquakes/videos/GBest81.mpg"

Dont make me laught, this goal is pathetic in comparison with his other goals:/ Defenders are just watching him how he easily dribbles in low speed. Who agrees with me?

Look at this: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6000929952097818068&q=%22george+best%22

I've seen almost all of George's goals that have been committed to video, and while there are many that you could make a case for being "better", George himself said that the Earthquakes goal was his favourite. Among the players for the Ft. Lauderdale Strikers that he dribbled past in that play are Thomas Rongen and Ray Hudson, as well as other former English First Division players, so they just weren't a Sunday pub team side.




If you have not seen it live,dont write about it.His best goal is Earthquakes one,even the movie says so 212.200.135.115 13:49, 8 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]


He's entitled to his own opinion, just because he hasn't seen him live doesnt mean he cant be able to pass judgement. Personally I've also seen him score a lot better goals than that. Also, you say 'His best goal is Earthquakes, even the movie says so', it is a matter of opinion, it is not fact, I personally have seen him score a lot better goals for Man Utd in my opinion but could not single out one goal as his greatest. 81.151.43.170 22:16, 24 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Whether or not it's his best goal, it's a very nice idea to have a link to something that shows george in action. Nice idea imo. 86.13.10.176 12:53, 28 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

From a "soccer" point of view this may be regarded as a great goal but to those who watch and support football in Europe it's a bit of an oddity. for one it's not played in anything that could be regarded as a competative game. Hardly any defender moves towards best and those that do only make hearted hearted efforts to get the ball of cover the danger. Americans realy were suckered into playing to watch most Europeans would class as less then friendly (trial, warmup) games played by overage former stars. No goal coming in these games can be held up as an example to professional football IMO. Besides that Best scored many better goals in real competative game so it's a bit disrespectfull to the ability of the player too.

BTW - I'm putting a tributes page together for all footballers so if anyone want to write an tribute to Best or anyone else please send them to at mytribute@footballtributes.co.uk full crditation will be give.

What The?

The infobox would have you believe Best played for; Manchester United
Stockport County
Cork Celtic
Los Angeles Aztecs
Fulham Football Club
Fort Lauderdale
Hibernian
San Jose
Bournemouth FC
Brisbane Lions.

You can't possibly tell me that's true. The problem is, I don't know what is and what isn't true (I know he didn't play AFL for one!)--M Johnson (talk • contribs) 06:48, 7 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

In the text Brisbane lions is a redirect to Queensland Roar FC but not in the infobox. I've fixed it now. I presume they were called the Lions at the time Best played for them. Jooler 10:36, 7 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Traffic disruptions

I have removed the paragraph that has been inserted about people's "human rights" being abused by the traffic delays on the day of the funeral. Traffic was stopped for a few hours in a section of east Belfast, I don't think this constitutes a breach of human rights. Stu ’Bout ye! 08:03, 21 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Removed this again. In addition I feel this is the point of view of a very small group of people, and therefore unbalanced. Stu ’Bout ye! 14:27, 21 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Overshadowed Death?

Would anyone agree with me that his death had overshadow Richard Burns' death? --Skully Collins Review Me! Please? 11:25, 28 July 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Hmm, I had never heard of him so perhaps not, Best was ina different fame league but this death sounds greatly more tragic, because of his youth and because he didnt die from stupid self-abuse, SqueakBox 14:27, 28 July 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Anglican?

George Best states in his autobiography that his family are Presbyterians, so why does the article list him as being an Anglican? Manticore126

Greatest Player

The constant edits arguing whether he was regarded as the greatest player of all time or merely from the British Isles is really rather childish. For what it's worth I fall in the "all time " category (Paul210 16:31, 2 February 2007 (UTC))[reply]

In Pele's article the lead states he is "regarded by many as the greatest footballer of all time". In Maradona's article the lead states he is "regarded by many as the greatest football player of all time". In Best articles the lead states he is "regarded by many as the one of the greatest footballers of all time". I know I'm being pedantic, but all three articles should say the same really. Stu ’Bout ye! 14:19, 19 February 2007 (UTC)[reply]

George Best is more of a local phenomenon, or rather British if you will, than global. I appreciate the impact he had on the British psyche but outside the UK he is not universally viewed as one of the greatest of all time and can therefore not be labelled as such in the article - a pedigree one should use only very sparingly.

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