The former West Bromwich Albion and England striker, who represented his country in the 1970 World Cup, was taken to the Queen’s Hospital in Burton-on-Trent after collapsing suddenly at his daughter’s home. His name, though, will live on as the striker who failed to score a vital equaliser against Brazil in Mexico.West Brom’s chief executive and Astle’s former team-mate John Wile described the striker as “a master of his art”.”I have never seen anyone head the ball like it He was magnificent,” said Wile. “I don’t think it is cheap to say he was a legend at West Brom He was a fantastic player and a great guy He will be sorely missed. Our thoughts are with his family.”The former England captain Alan Mullery said: “Sir Alf Ramsey said the squad in 1970 was better than the team that won the World Cup in 1966, so it just shows you how good a player Jeff was.”. The footballer Niall Quinn is to give the £1m proceeds of his forthcoming testimonial match to charity – a decision that comes as a stunning antidote to what many have diagnosed as a terminal case of greed in the national game. She said last night: “We’ve known of his plan for some time and we’re very proud of him. He’s always told us he couldn’t believe his luck at the life he’s had and he has always had a streak of compassion.”Not too many Premiership defenders would queue up to endorse that last opinion but, off the field, Quinn, who has a small stud farm in Co Durham where he lives with his wife, Gillian, and son and daughter, has a reputation for easy-going affability not always present in his engagements on the field.Last night, he was stepping back from suggestions that, in a single swoop, he has done much to repair recent horrendous damage to the image of the game created by the publicity surrounding the court cases of big-name players such as Lee Bowyer and Jonathan Woodgate of Leeds and John Terry of Chelsea, saying: “I can’t say how people should interpret this decision.

For me it is a very personal thing, an act of thanksgiving if you like.”There is no implied criticism of actions or attitudes by some of my football colleagues. Believe me, there are a hell of a lot of good lads in the game, and it only takes a few to damage that impression.”I’ve had a great life, I’ve enjoyed every minute of it and I just thank God I have the chance to do something like this. I know a lot of people would like the chance to doing something like it. Well, I have and I’ve done it”Quinn will donate the proceeds of his testimonial match between Sunderland and the Republic of Ireland in May to children’s hospitals in the North-east and Dublin – with some additional funds going to children’s organisations in Africa and Asia.

A telling touch is a gesture which comes in open defiance of the Ferrari and mansion lifestyle imperatives of the professional footballer : instead of the traditional Rolex watches, participating players will be handed an envelope containing a letter of thanks from children in the Third World whose education has been sponsored.Quinn said: “One of the things in life is that you sometimes you feel you have been a lot luckier than other people, and that kind of nags at you. I’ve had a long career, and fought back from a serious injury, and some people have said to me, ‘You’ ve always worked hard at your career and you deserve all the success you have had’. And I think ‘work hard’? I go out in the morning and train, do what I love to do, and then I come home at one o’clock for a good sleep. I suppose, deep down, I’ve never been able to think of that as hard work.”I suppose there’s also a bit of guilt going into this. My father lived for sport as a young man, he played for Kilkenny as a hurler and no one came along and gave him a great lump of money He worked hard for his living. Now I do what some people might say I was bred to do and I get paid a lot of money.

I’ve been able to provide my family with a good life, and our future is secure. The testimonal would have been something on top which we don’t really need.”Quinn, who had stints with Arsenal and Manchester City before moving to Sunderland six years ago, is the Republic of Ireland’s top goalscorer. He will retire from international football after this summer’s World Cup in Japan and Korea and then discuss his future in the club game with his Sunderland manager, Peter Reid.Quinn said: “It’s a tremendous way to go out of international football, playing for my country, at my age, in a World Cup and after it is over I will think very carefully about my future in the club game.”I’ve never given a lot of thought to what I’ll do after I put my boots away because I’ve always felt that if you start thinking about what comes next, you’re taking away some from what you’re doing now.”Football is a great life and it’s bewildering when some lads show evidence they don’t really know how lucky they are. What I’m doing is maybe also on behalf of those lads who love the game as much as I do and have worked as hard as I’ve done but, for one reason or another, have not had the same success – or rewards.”Another hero of the piece is Sunderland’s chairman, Bob Murray, who, a year ago, during a day’s racing, said to Quinn how unlucky he was not to have been awarded a testimonial by Ireland, who had decided to do away with the tradition.When Quinn revealed what he had planned to do with the proceeds, Mr Murray immediately offered to stage the game at the club’s Stadium of Light. Mick McCarthy, the Republic of Ireland coach, assumed Quinn would be the sole beneficiary when he offered to bring the Irish team. Quinn said: “Mick was surprised at first when I told him about the plan to give the money to charity, but he thought about it and understood.”Such understanding may come a little less readily in some quarters of the game but, last night, no one was questioning the impact of Quinn’s decision to provide a Finian’s Rainbow for the game which seemed seemed in danger of drowning in sleaze.”All I’m doing,” insisted Quinn, “is putting a little back into life. I realise I’ve received more than most.”THE BIG-TIME TESTIMONIALSRyan Giggs – (Manchester Utd, 2001) Testimonial v Celtic raised £1.5m+This match, for United’s Welsh winger, prompted calls by the Sports minister, Richard Caborn, for such earnings to be taxed.