Oh Rocky Rocky, Rocastle

I missed Rocastle's Arsenal debut. I had gone inter railing round Europe as one did in them days but I saw most of his games that season. And the next. And the title winning season. And his last game for the Arsenal.

Don Howe was the manager who gave Rocastle his debut and in the following programme against Aston Villa he said 'I was very pleased with David Rocastle's first team debut last Saturday. David gives 100%, has lots of skill and he's a good tackler.'

Americans like to say they remember where they were when JFK was shot. I remember where I was when I heard Rocky had been sold to Leeds United. I was in England and had a job driving a seven and a half ton truck which got a flat tyre outside the Clock End!

I got talking to a security guy there, top fella, who helped me get it fixed and of course inbetween him turning nuts and bolts I pummelled him with questions. I asked if any players were leaving. 'Rocastle' he said. I was gutted and stopped helping him. Why? Why were we letting one of our best players leave?

I was at Elland Road a couple of years later and we gave him a massive reception. He then moved to Manchester City and we again travelled in numbers to support an average team and Rocastle got another impressive reception from us.

None of this stuff like Robin Van Persie etc get today. We felt Rocky never wanted to leave.

Rocky was one of us but he had gone. Left the Arsenal.

Unfortunately I never got to see him when he was playing in Malaysia and I have now forgotten when it was I heard he had died.

Players die all the time. From my era the likes of Paul Vaeseen and Tommy Caton have moved on but with no disrespect to those two Rocky is still remembered. Against Reading recently the 12th anniversary of his passing was marked by the loudest cheers of the day.

None of the current crop will be remembered in such a way as Rocastle. He left the Arsenal 20 years ago, many of our current support will never have seen him play. I did and I felt a shiver down my spine as the Rocky Rocastle chants echoed round the bowl with that simple image, the thumbs up, on the large video screens.

My 3 year old son has a Rocastle t shirt and he wears it proudly. Often it is his first choice to wear. Rocky was my era. He was there when George Graham turned an average team into a great team and he was a huge part of that metamorphosis. It was clear he loved the Arsenal and in return we loved him. He seemed genuine, unaffected. He had come through the ranks and during 1991/92 when we played some explosive stuff he was at the heart of it with fellow South London boys Michael Thomas and Ian Wright.