Billy McNeill

[PeterWithesShin]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-39102559

[ASHTONVILLA]

Worst Villa manager of all time - watching Villa play under McNeill was enough to give anyone dementia.

Wish him well though.

[dave.woodhall]

Worst Villa manager of all time - watching Villa play under McNeill was enough to give anyone dementia.

Wish him well though.

Did you have to?

[Sheldon_Villa]

Worst Villa manager of all time - watching Villa play under McNeill was enough to give anyone dementia.

Wish him well though.

If that's an attempt at humour you've failed badly. What an idiot.

[ClaretAndBlueBlood]

it's in my family too, horrible disease

must be difficult to prove a link between heading a football and the disease though as the disease is generally becoming more widespread with the ageing population etc

best wishes to all affected

[tomd2103]

it's in my family too, horrible disease

must be difficult to prove a link between heading a football and the disease though as the disease is generally becoming more widespread with the ageing population etc

best wishes to all affected

I would echo that having recently experienced it with a family member.  I was not previously aware of just how horrible it is, particularly in the latter stages.  Completely robs the person and their family of what little time they have left.   

[martin o`who??]

Good luck Billy, not the moment to analyze his time at VP just to wish him and his family well.

[Chico Hamilton III]

it's in my family too, horrible disease

must be difficult to prove a link between heading a football and the disease though as the disease is generally becoming more widespread with the ageing population etc

best wishes to all affected

Jeff Astle's daughter was on radio 4 last week and she mentioned the 6 members of our 1957 Cup winning side who had apparently died from dementia/Alzheimer's. And 3 members of the England 1966 World Cup team who are suffering at the moment. It's horrible to think about if true.

Oh, and ASHTONVILLA, it's never too late to apologise for what I hope was an attempt at humour

[Scratchins]

Sympathy goes to anyone suffering from this dreadful illness and to their families.

[Chris Jameson]

I think part of the problem linking it is that the percentage of footballers with dementia/Alzheimer's is no higher than people who have never played any sort of contact sport, also the diet was very different at the time. That's not to say that heading a football (especially the old leather ones) is ever going to be good for anybody.