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Tributes paid to father of modern day football Jimmy Hill

Published 15:19 19 Dec 2015 GMT

Kevin McGillicuddy
Tributes paid to father of modern day football Jimmy Hill

Homesport

Modern footballers, and fans, have an awful lot to thank Jimmy Hill for.

The former BBC broadcaster and presenter of 'Match of the Day' passed away today at the age of 87, after a long battle with Alzheimer's. Hill was a rare man who's influence was not only felt while he was playing, but also in the months and years after he stepped off the pitch. In his playing career at Fulham  he led a crusade against the maximum wage which paved the way for modern transfers as we know it, while if it wasn't for Jimmy Hill we may never had the three points for a win. hill His TV analysis was always engaging and different, and when he took over MOTD in the 1970's it soon became one of the most watched TV shows in the UK. His book 'Striking for Soccer' was revolutionary in its ideas as he proposed a winter break as well as midweek games to be played under lights. Sky Sports would also probably not be around today if it wasn't for Hill proposing that live games be televised at weekends, while one of his most famous developments was of all-seater stadiums which was made famous by his slogan' you can't be a hooligan sitting down'. His death is a sad day for football: https://twitter.com/FulhamFC/status/678208649567817728 https://twitter.com/Coventry_City/status/678209502466998272 https://twitter.com/GaryLineker/status/678210475218378753 https://twitter.com/ConorMcNamaraIE/status/678208843864743936 https://twitter.com/BBCSport/status/678207735108882433 https://twitter.com/philmcnulty/status/678208289402933248 https://twitter.com/mrdanwalker/status/678209896366608384 https://twitter.com/henrywinter/status/678213741796814848 https://twitter.com/chris_kammy/status/678213711094509568 https://twitter.com/rioferdy5/status/678213871862198272

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Tributes paid to father of modern day football Jimmy Hill