IPSWICH Town legend Kevin Beattie has revealed how he tried to commit suicide.Beattie, consistently voted the club's greatest-ever player, makes the shock confession in his new autobiography, entitled The Greatest Footballer England Never Had.
By Mel Henderson
IPSWICH Town legend Kevin Beattie has revealed how he tried to commit suicide.
Beattie, consistently voted the club's greatest-ever player, makes the shock confession in his new autobiography, entitled The Greatest Footballer England Never Had.
He tells how he tried to end it all with a cocktail of vodka and sleeping pills, only to be foiled when a knock at his door signalled an unexpected visit from a friend.
Beattie, 53, hit rock-bottom after an illustrious career - he helped Ipswich win the FA Cup in 1978 and collected nine England caps - was ended prematurely by injury.
In the book, Beattie says: “I thought that my wife and kids would be better off without me and that if I was gone they could have a better way of life.''
Sir Bobby Robson, his former manager, describes Beattie as the greatest-ever English-born footballer.
Still a Portman Road regular, Beattie now lives in an Ipswich council house with wife Maggie, who has multiple sclerosis, and gets by on Government handouts.
Full story, see Saturday's EADT.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here