Retire the number 2 shirt.

[Mansfield_Blade]

If all new players were given a number higher than 11 then Sharp wouldn't have been number 10 and Baldock wouldn't have been number 2.

For the first season, until they proved themselves to be worthy of a lower number

 

[PeterNdlovu081]

For the first season, until they proved themselves to be worthy of a lower number

You don't think Cooper should currently be number 1 then?

 

[Russ]

It’s too early to plan anything right now.
We are still grieving. And will be for a while x

 

[bladeinspaceandtime]

Is it not possible to mourn the death and celebrate the life of him without this kind of Americanised mawkish nonsense?

 

[SwissBlade]

Keeping Gilchrist, a very committed player in the number 2 is a far greater tribute. Gilchrist will be fully aware of what it means to wear the 2 now more than ever

It’s also fitting that it’s Gilchrist as he celebrates every tackle just like Baldock

 

[Yogi]

If we’ve got one of his match worn shirts somewhere as a club or could get one it might be an idea to lay it on the centre circle at the next home match and then find an appropriate place around the club or the ground to hang it long term.

 

[Champagneblade]

I get the gesture but it just feels un pragmatic.

Start retiring numbers and you remove the chance of future generations to have iconic players who honour those who came before them.

Where is the threshold?

Brian Deane and Tony Agana were two incredible forwards I grew up on. Nobody has sustainable come close to Deane before Billy. Retire Deano’s shirt and you have no kids with Sharp 10 on their backs.

You never have the photo of two icons with the same number meeting like Baldock and Borbokis.

It’s not for me. We can celebrate his life in different ways, but as my Dad always says to me “it’s not what you do when they’re gone, it what you do when they’re here that counts”.

George was loved by the fans and he loved them back. That surely was the most fitting gesture of all

 

[I should coco]

I loved our Starman too, but sometimes people need to take a step back and reflect.

I get the recency bias, most on here are younger than me (61), but it is also massively disrespectful to Len Badger. A brilliant RB, who was at the club far longer and became synonymous with the number 2.

Sorry, but it's a 'no' from me.

 

[Pintor75]

We shouldn't retire the shirt, otherwise we'd have retired it when Len Badger or Cec Coldwell retired, players through the years pass away it's, unfortunately part of life.We should add his picture to the ones on the south stand depicting players from the past imo

 

[shorehamview]

I get the gesture but it just feels un pragmatic.

Start retiring numbers and you remove the chance of future generations to have iconic players who honour those who came before them.

Where is the threshold?

Brian Deane and Tony Agana were two incredible forwards I grew up on. Nobody has sustainable come close to Deane before Billy. Retire Deano’s shirt and you have no kids with Sharp 10 on their backs.

You never have the photo of two icons with the same number meeting like Baldock and Borbokis.

It’s not for me. We can celebrate his life in different ways, but as my Dad always says to me “it’s not what you do when they’re gone, it what you do when they’re here that counts”.

George was loved by the fans and he loved them back. That surely was the most fitting gesture of all

Exactly this. For me the three standouts to wear the number 10 are TC, Sir Brian Deane, and Billy Sharp. Maybe one day we will get another legendary player wearing that number. Retiring a number will prevent future legends from becoming part of the history of the shirt number.

I do think however that we need more banners honouring players. Bring back the Billy SHarp Scores Goals one, and get on up for George Baldock too.

 

[Shadota]

We shouldn't permanantly retire it but if we were allowed, I'd change Gilchrist's number to 5 for the rest of the season so George can have 2 as a symbolic gesture on the programmes.

A kind gesture, but EFL rules prevent it unfortunately. You can't change a player's squad number without a change in his registration; i.e we'd have to terminate his loan, and re-sign him under a brand new loan agreement in order to change his squad number.

I actually think that Gilchrist is showing himself to be a great inheritor of George's shirt. He's another defensively adept, hard-working lad. A few of his performances this season, in keeping some talented wide players quiet, to me have a feel of George keeping the likes of Zaha in his pocket when we were first in the PL under Wilder. He's done that shirt proud so far, and long may it continue.

 

[Shadota]

It makes no sense.

If we applied this rule then the only players we'd have this season with numbers 1-11 would be Arblaster (4), Brewster (7) and Hamer (8).

1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 9, 10 and 11 would be vacant.

I think it could be well argued that Brewster hasn't exactly "earned" his number 7 shirt at this point either.

 

[XH536]

I might get some pelters here but here goes. I hope the club retire his shirt number in honour of a good pro and a brilliant lad by all accounts

I'll give that a Zero, Zdt

 

[RammyBlade]

I am not in favour of retiring shirts - yes starman was a great player and servant but in my life we had a better player in the no 2 shirt - Len Badger although I know he didnt die tragically at a young age.

 

[The Crab]

Exactly this. For me the three standouts to wear the number 10 are TC, Sir Brian Deane, and Billy Sharp. Maybe one day we will get another legendary player wearing that number. Retiring a number will prevent future legends from becoming part of the history of the shirt number.

I do think however that we need more banners honouring players. Bring back the Billy SHarp Scores Goals one, and get on up for George Baldock too.

The banners and the fan zone are great ideas

 

[loyalblade95]

Does retiring shirt numbers even happen that often in football, could be very wrong here but I'm sure the last time I saw a club retire a shirt was AC Milan in the mid 2000's after Maldini retired.

Even that wasn't a proper retirement of the shirt as they just agreed to keep it retired until his son (who would have been in the academy at that time) broke into the first team and was given the number 3.

 

[Tickhill Blade]

Does retiring shirt numbers even happen that often in football, could be very wrong here but I'm sure the last time I saw a club retire a shirt was AC Milan in the mid 2000's after Maldini retired.

Even that wasn't a proper retirement of the shirt as they just agreed to keep it retired until his son (who would have been in the academy at that time) broke into the first team and was given the number 3.

Haven't Birmingham retired Bellingham's shirt? Don't know what number it was that he wore

 

[CarlMcBlade]

If we can’t find a huge gable end on London road to put up his mural up…We need demolish a building to created one. The mural for Maddy is fantastic…We need to commission the same artist to do one for George somewhere.

 

[YabbaDabba]

Retiring a number is a silly idea, it seems to be a bit towards "Wokish" to me.

A number on a shirt helps fans, both home and especially away, to see what position a player is suited for. Once retiring a shirt number becomes the think for lost players, then when players end their careers, there would be a call to retire that number as well.

Imagine if Number 10 was retired. Then what would future number 10's wear, especially if they became great players.

George was a great player, one of my favourites over the last few years. He deserves a tribute, but not retiring the number.

Perhaps his name could be imprinted on the actual number in small characters, if regulations would allow this.

 

[shorehamview]

Haven't Birmingham retired Bellingham's shirt? Don't know what number it was that he wore

They retired his number 22 to show other young players what it was possible to achieve.

 

[Yogi]

If we can’t find a huge gable end on London road to put up his mural up…We need demolish a building to created one. The mural for Maddy is fantastic…We need to commission the same artist to do one for George somewhere.

Mural is a good idea also given there’s clearly a desire within the fan base to share memories and stories about George on here, the wider internet and in real life in the south stand carpark it might be a nice idea if the club could arrange a big board or something behind the south stand at the next home match where fans, players and staff could write down their memories or just their condolences and then a take a picture or scan of it scale it down and send a copy to his family if they want it and preserve a copy at the club and display it somewhere.

 

[loyalblade95]

Haven't Birmingham retired Bellingham's shirt? Don't know what number it was that he wore

I forgot about that, not sure what shirt number it was though.

 

[Yogi]

I forgot about that, not sure what shirt number it was though.

22 completely stupid decision he could go on to be the best player in the world or in the history of football and it would still be ridiculous for Birmingham to retire his shirt number

 

[Slim Man]

If we can’t find a huge gable end on London road to put up his mural up…We need demolish a building to created one. The mural for Maddy is fantastic…We need to commission the same artist to do one for George somewhere.

Let's just get it on Bramall Lane somewhere.

He bled United, I'd rather it was somewhere on or in the ground.

 

[PeterNdlovu081]

They retired his number 22 to show other young players what it was possible to achieve.

Ironically, wearing number 22 for Birmingham is now impossible to achieve.

There'll be kids all over Birmingham who would have loved to wear the same shirt as Bellingham, now that they can't.

It's complete nonsense.

 

[ben1987]

They retired his number 22 to show other young players what it was possible to achieve.

He also signed a new contract allowing them to collect a fee when he could’ve walked for free and received millions in signing on fees.

They were skint at the time.

 

[Millhousesblade1889]

George Baldock fan park.

I agree with this completely, a legacy like this is better than retiring a shirt.

We all talk about the great number 9’s/ 10s of past eras.

I never like it when clubs retire shirts, there’s much more meaningful ways of celebrating legends than that.

 

[Blade82]

The George Baldock Kop

Would still be known as the Kop to
most but a permanent fixture with his name on the stand for all home & away fans to see would be a perfect tribute. To see his name every game on the stand or on our season tickets would be fitting in my opinion so the legend lives on for generations to come.

Many legends will come and go and, unfortunately, over time we’ll lose many - such is life - but to lose one so young with such recent ties is a tragedy that needs a permanent tribute.

His family should have the final say, of course, but it’s just my suggestion.

RIP George

 

[CarlMcBlade]

Let's just get it on Bramall Lane somewhere.

He bled United, I'd rather it was somewhere on or in the ground.

Yeah, I know what ya mean, but I’ve always thought places like London Road are as synonymous with SUFC than Shoreham or Bramall Lane itself…Our territory so to speak.
Also I just can’t think of any sizeable walls around the lane to accommodate an image worthy of George’s stature with this club…Unless they paint the corner office block opposite the Cricketers.

 

[jt64]

Does retiring shirt numbers even happen that often in football, could be very wrong here but I'm sure the last time I saw a club retire a shirt was AC Milan in the mid 2000's after Maldini retired.

Man City did the same for Marc-Vivien Foe I'm fairly certain