Players join mourners at Dean Richards funeral

[admin]

<div class="track"><img alt="" src="http://hits.guardian.co.uk/b/ss/guardiangu-feeds/1/H.22.2/59098?ns=guardian&pageName=Premier+League+players+join+mourners+at+funeral+of+Dean+Richards%3AArticle%3A1527825&ch=Football&c3=GU.co.uk&c4=Football%2CTottenham+Hotspur+%28Football%29%2CWolverhampton+Wanderers+%28Football%29%2CBradford+%28Football+club%29%2CSouthampton+%28Football%29%2CSport&c5=Not+commercially+useful%2CPremier+League&c6=Press+Association&c7=11-Mar-04&c8=1527825&c9=Article&c10=News&c11=Football&c13=&c25=&c30=content&h2=GU%2FFootball%2FTottenham+Hotspur" width="1" height="1" /></div><p class="standfirst">• Funeral for former defender takes place at Bradford cathedral<br />• Robbie Keane and James Beattie among mourners</p><p>Premier League players have joined hundreds of mourners at the funeral of Dean Richards, the former Wolverhampton Wanderers and Tottenham Hotspur defender. Richards, who was forced to retire from the game in 2005 following illness, died last weekend aged 36.</p><p>The Republic of Ireland striker Robbie Keane and the on-loan Blackpool forward James Beattie joined friends, family and former colleagues for the funeral at Bradford cathedral, Richards's home city in west Yorkshire. The Wolves veteran Steve Bull and the former Bradford City manager Chris Kamara also attended the service.</p><p>Richards is fondly remembered at Wolves, where he moved after impressing with Bradford. He went on to play for Southampton and Tottenham, who paid £8.1m for his services.</p><p>Richards was forced to retire from the game after suffering from dizzy spells and headaches – an illness which was initially diagnosed as an inner ear infection.</p><p>"Deano was a giant," Kamara said. "He played with elegance and composure and was a joy to watch. He was a star player with a Rolls-Royce engine.</p><p>"In the football community we're all stunned. You can't get your head round it. He was someone who brought joy to everyone and, if you knew him, played with him or worked with him, you knew what a character he was."</p><p>Mark Lawn, the Bradford joint-chairman, said: "He was a nice guy and very down-to-earth. Players now would be a lot better men if they took a leaf out of his book. He came back in 2007 to coach the youth players, but I don't think we paid him. That was a mark of the man – he just wanted to give something back."</p><div class="related" style="float: left; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><ul><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/tottenham-hotspur">Tottenham Hotspur</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/wolves">Wolverhampton Wanderers</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/bradford">Bradford</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/southampton">Southampton</a></li></ul></div><br/><div class="terms"><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk">guardian.co.uk</a> &copy; Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our <a href="http://users.guardian.co.uk/help/article/0,,933909,00.html">Terms & Conditions</a> | <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/help/feeds">More Feeds</a></div><p style="clear:both" />
<p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/cee51pJAFXYJKdygjVTaBF7E09E/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/cee51pJAFXYJKdygjVTaBF7E09E/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/>
<a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/cee51pJAFXYJKdygjVTaBF7E09E/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/cee51pJAFXYJKdygjVTaBF7E09E/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/theguardian/football/rss/~4/82saDlmo9K8" height="1" width="1"/>

More...