DOES THE BLACK COUNTRY ONLY HAVE FAMOUS FOOTY STARS?

18-12-2007

Former Wolves and England winger Norman Deeley who died in September is in line for a New Year honour - by having playing fields in his home town of Wednesbury named after him. The accolade is richly deserved, but it begs the question – are football stars the only heroes worth celebrating in the Black Country?

Deeley learnt his skills at the Bilston Road playing fields, and if Sandwell Council has its way, they’ll soon carry his name.

"We're supportive of the proposal, and are keen to push ahead with it," said Cllr Linda Horton, Sandwell's Cabinet member for culture and leisure.

All she’s waiting for is the seal of public approval, and even in the borough which is home to The Baggies, grudging voices are unlikely to be heard.

Deeley played twice for England, and was a key player in the Wolves side which won consecutive league titles in 1958 and 1959.

He’s not the only one either. There’s also a campaign to have a tram named after another former Wolves and England great Billy Wright; while Metro number 9 already honours Baggies legend Jeff Astle.

Oh, and in Dudley, the one figure from the town’s history worthy of a statue is another former player - Duncan Edwards, the Busby Babe killed in the Munich air disaster.

So hasn’t the Black Country got anything to shout about other than footy stars? I’d argue it has – the region is, after all, the cradle of the industrial revolution - but it seems strangely reluctant to make the most of it.

Even on the wider arts and entertainment scene, it took years to get a plaque for the Hollywood actress Madeleine Carroll at her home in West Bromwich, while the only tribute to musical heroes Slade is actually in Birmingham, where Noddy Holder’s name was recently installed on Broad Street’s Walk Of Stars.

Even contemporary icons like Julie Walters and Frank Skinner whose celebrity status rivals that of the region’s soccer heroes have so far gone unrecognised in their home towns of Smethwick and Oldbury. Likewise Lenny Henry in Dudley.

Much is made of the Black Country’s traditional pride; curious, then, that so many of the people who give it so much to be proud about aren’t revered more often.

Which Black Country heroes deserve to be honoured and recognised?

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