Winger

[markelt]

Just to let everybody know that Steve died last week. I've not said anything before now while an inquest has been going on but I'd spent some time with him recently when he stayed with me for a few days.

For everybody who might have only known him from here, he was all you might have supposed - a great guy, intelligent, funny and a lover of life. For those of us who were fortunate to have known him as a personal friend he will leave a big hole in our lives.

[fgrfc_dan]

Wow. Genuinely shocked to read that. RIP Wingo and best wishes to family and friends.

[Bernie]

Fuck me - is this on the level?

If so, I'm shocked and saddened. Far more than I would have expected to be if I'd thought about it beforehand, if you see what I mean.

Deepest condolences, Mark.

[markelt]

I do understand Bernie. Sometimes real life intrudes into all this shit.

m

[MikR]

Hello all

I'm absolutely gobsmacked by this. Loved his blog and now feel very privileged to have met him that one time. I think he felt less thrilled at having to eat his tea sat next to a Vale fan.

Mark, I know you, OS and Merk were friends with Steve and pass on my condolences to you and the family.

[Will_75]

Mike

Do you remember that time him and Jack once drove from Norfolk on a school night (genuinely in Jack's case), just to see the mighty mong in Brixton?

What a lovely bloke.

[JohnnyNeptune]

i'm struggling to know what to say.

i think parapsych summed it up best on the oafcake. winger was ace.

i remember once, i had tickets through work to see the rothko exhibition at the tate. winger was happy as larry to down tools and travel down from norwich to join me. elt came too, but he mostly sat at the back moaning about how rubbish it all was. then we finished up with a slap up meal at st johns. a fantastic night in fantastic company.

and he was the only person ever stupid enough to give me money for writing words.

he was generous with his time, his friendship and his love of writing and art.

rip steve, you'll be missed.

[fgrfc_dan]

Jun 30, 2011 11:13:19 GMT 1 Will_75 said:

Do you remember that time him and Jack once drove from Norfolk on a school night (genuinely in Jack's case), just to see the mighty mong in Brixton?

What a lovely bloke.

I remember that night. It was the only time I met the man and he was indeed an exceedingly nice chap.

[merkin]

i've only just found out from RAF

i simply stunned and feel like blarting.

RIP authorcunt

Pulis Out!

[nsn]

winger = ace as I always told him and he was.
xxx

[Admin]

I know im not a proper awagger but gutted to hear this, Always enjoyed reading his posts.

RIP winger

[denby]

bloody hell, stunned, feel a bit numb and not prepared to explain why i'm a bit quiet to work colleagues (because i'll sound like a right clownshoe)

my thoughts are with his families and friends

everyone's a stokie

i shall imagine him perched on an ugly looking settee-shaped cloud, eating yoghurt

[GroveR]

I'm genuinely shocked. My most sincere sympathies are with family and those of you who knew him much better than I. RIP big man.

And in almost Monty Python-esque fashion I thought this was a thread *for* winger about someone *called* Steve. How thick am I? I think he might have liked that...

[AndyM]

RIP Winger (AC)

I've enjoyed many a good hour on here jousting with him on all the topics under the sun

[Plan Bee]

Stunned and saddened.

Although I only met him on a handful of occasions I've been working on projects in Norwich for a while and when I had a couple of days of meetings Steve and Trezza (and Dylan!) were good enough to put me up for the night and cook me dinner (and with only minor misgivings on her part about his strange friends from the internet). It was alovely evening and a kind gesture, totally in keeping with what I knew of winger.

RIP

[jaymz]

Weird feeling thats sort of ripped my head off. Thoroughly entertaining chap, obviously talented way above our mongish station. Despite being a Stoke fan, he's a top notch man.

The Awag Rockstar.

RIP. God 1-0 AWAG

[ab]

www.edp24.co.uk/news/delia_smith_pays_tribute_after_norwich_author_s_death_1_948645

Really sad news - never got to meet winger, but remember his kindness in offering to help out an aspiring novelist friend of mine with advice when she was considering doing a creative writing course. Not even an awagger but a friend of an awagger he'd never met.

RIP

[parapsych]

He once sent me a couple of signed books. Quite a long time since I spoke to him in person sadly, but he was always game for some internet piss-taking. Top man he was.

If my smiley tool still worked I'd draw a massive sad face.

RIP

[GlasgowTangerine]

I've just seen this on Twitter and am genuinely pretty shocked.

I never had the pleasure of meeting, or ever really speaking to Winger, but I enjoyed reading his blog. And like ab he was kind enough to offer advice on a couple of matters. AWAG will definitely be worse off without him.

My condolences to you Elt, and to all the rest of Stephen's friends and family.

RIP Winger

[MudieBoots]

I always liked reading his posts, and wish I'd actually got round to reading one of his books, R.I.P.

[njkk]

Only found out about this today, to say I'm stunned is a massive understatement, only last night I was planning to arrange a pre/post - match beerage session with Winger when we play Norwich away in the coming season.

We all make friends by using this and other messageboards, and are always sometimes pleasantly surprised or not so pleasantly surprised when you meet the person in the flesh, Winger was one of those who had genuine warmth and kindness about him, and I'm honoured to count him as a friend.

The last time I spoke to him was by the Bobby Moore statue outside Wembley, smiles all round and that feeling that only true footie fans have when you are experiencing something quite special in your lives.

RIP mate I'm going to miss you so much (nowt queer Obv)

[pttrmusdf]

Very sad news. I've been reading his latest book this week following markelt's earlier thread. A passage about being unable to show violence and aggression towards someone carrying an inflatable banana cheered me up the other night.

Seems an age since last seeing him in person, must have been the Amigo gathering at the Stanley Matthews statue back in 2005

[Fenton]

Christ on a bloody bike.
I'm welling up and I never met him

Many condolences to you who properly knew him

[Hertz]

Genuinely stunned by this. Never met the guy but loved his books and his posts. RIP Winger and thoughts with friends and family..
Everyone's a Stokie

[turnhurst]

gosh

just read this and almost started blarting like a baby
I only ever met winger on here and am surprised by my response.

Peace and love and comfort to his nearest and dearest

Life is short friends... time to go and celebrate the good things

[basilrobbiereborn]

Like others, I find this very upsetting, although I don't think we ever met.

He wrote the best football book I think I've read, one that made me nod with approval on every page. That's how I will remember him.

Mark, I hope you and the others who really knew him are OK.

[belly77]

TErrible, terrible news. I didn't know him that well but the wife and I spent the day with Tezza, Winger and Dylan last summer and he was a lovely bloke. Forced some homemade onion tart in our hands for our journey home along with a Tynchy Stryder cd and a shed load of his books.
He had a genuine love for football and seemed to enjoy watching the game from all levels. We had a good laugh when he visited the Abbey on a couple of occasions last season.

RIP Winger, I know you'll be following the game wherever you are X

[yorkshiretripod]

Deeply saddened by this news, and i'd never had the privilege to meet him. He very kindly personalised two of his books for me to give to the girlfriend and didn't even expect payment in return, such was his boundless generosity and warmth. He was always great to read on here just as in print. I even made him laugh out loud on here once he admitted, all I could do in return. A great bloke I really wish I'd met.

Thoughts are with all his loved ones
RIP Stephen

[ralph2]

Fuck... This is truly awful news. We can expect AWAG babies but not deaths, not deaths.

My condolences to Trezza, Jack, Mother Winger and all the family.

He was a fucking good bloke. That's shit.

RIP Wanger.

[daleylama]

Heartbreaking news.

I was lucky enough to meet him once, he became a Daley for the day when he came to our playoff final in 2008. Given that he was a Daley for the day it was only fitting that it pissed it down all day and we got beaten, he crammed 30 years of my football experiences into one day.

I've only got one photo of him from that day alongside with another Awagger, given Stokes promotion to the Premiershit a couple of weeks earlier, it seemed kinda apt.

R.i.p. winger, stephen, authorcunt.