The occasion was not so much about the charity and raising money as it being the first anniversary of the death of the first ever Gooner, DENTON. Denton, or the Bear as he was known was a larger than life figure who was a Gooner whom many fans could rely upon for all sorts of reasons. He was much loved and feared. Dainton Connell was his real name and he worked as a bodyguard for the Pet Shop Boys. He died tragically in a car crash in Moscow in October last year, a year and a day to the Everton fixture. Denton was renown for his physical presence and folklore would tell you that Denton protected his fans and didn’t mind obtaining respect from oppo fans.
Dainton "The Bear" (PSB assistant and body guard) at the back of Savoy Theatre London (1997)
He was named in a book celled ”Hooligans” as one of the first Gooners. The story goes that Spurs fans were going to take the p*ss out of their Arsenal rivals by calling them a bunch of Goons and they were going to use Gooners. The Goons were a comedy radio act of Peter Sellers and Spike Milligan and the characters protrayed by the Goons were often very stupid and extremely pathetic. Before the Spurs fans could launch their insults, word got out and Denton called his posse Gooners in outright defiance and soon word spread about the new nickname of pride and resistance.
The Gooners were feared through Denton and his mates by those oppos who disrespected Arsenal fans and the club. He was not strictly a football hooligan, merely someone who fiercely protected the honour and reputation of his mates and the Club that he loved. One fan of Stoke City who wrote a piece in the book called Mark Chester is quoted as saying about a match against Arsenal in the early 1990s:
”We had a bit of a shock when 400 game-as-fuck Gooners steamed us back into the paddock. We had nothing else to do but fight back… I remember everybody shouting, ‘Where’s Denton, the big black bastard?’ as he was singled out as their top lad.”
Accounts in the book have been contested and Mr Connell was reportedly concerned that he had been unfairly named. One close friend remarked…
” Denton had the right hump about it. He didn’t think it was fair that he had been named because it was such a long time ago. The world had moved on.”
Denton became a security guard for the Pet Shop Boys. The singers, Chris Lowe and Neil Tennant, paid tribute in a statement and described a man who appeared too warm to be involved in football-related violence.
They said:
”Dainton was a warm, kind, lovable friend, a huge Arsenal fan and a larger-than-life character, famous in north London and beyond.”
Through his work on Tour with the Pet Shop boys and for his love of Arsenal, he became very well known. In fact The Sex Pistols’ John Lydon, also an Arsenal fan left a message of condolence on his website after hearing of his tragic death. Denton was a father of three who lived in Shacklewell, east London and for many fans in the Clock End, he will never be forgotten.
Video tribute on GOONERTUBE to Denton here
P.S. Thousands attend funeral of legendary Arsenal fan
Сообщение отредактировал JamaicaJohn: 22 October 2008 - 03:36
