FANS expressed their gratitude to John Giles after he announced his retirement from punditry.
The Republic of Ireland legend, 84, bid farewell to the airwaves on Thursday after a 23-year spell with Off The Ball.
Fans paid tribute to a legend of Irish football[/caption]
Prior to his time in radio, Giles was an acclaimed part of RTE‘s punditry panel of Bill O’Herlihy, Eamon Dunphy, and Liam Brady.
And in response to his retirement, fans flocked to social media to pay tribute to one pillar of the ‘Three Amigos’
Mark said: “Best of luck to John Giles and happy retirement.
“Will be sadly missed by the OTB listeners, a great player and a great football pundit.
“His views on football were always a ‘breath of fresh air’.”
Mairtin hailed: “John was a brilliant pundit…
“He knew the game so well and was eager to explain simplify and give an understanding of the game to the viewer or listener.
“John always called the game as it was and as he saw it. He really believed in the old traditional fundamental values of the game”
Ronan declared: “An absolute gift from god John was”
Jim Gray said: “Loved Giles as player and pundit.
“Had the cheek to ring him for interview few years ago when Leeds sent a team to @SligoSuperCup.
“When told it was underage football, he couldn’t have been nicer,went out of his way to help.
“Definitely one of the good guys. Happy retirement, legend.”
“Thursday night football with John Giles” has been a staple of the evening Off The Ball show since the station’s inception in 2002.
His final appearance was preceded by a touching and poignant tribute featuring the best bits of his broadcasting career, both in RTE and Off The Ball.
He goes down as one of the most influential men in the history of Irish football with a career spanning almost 70 years – both on and off the pitch.
And speaking on OTB for the final time, Giles said: “I was really lucky. I fell into the television. Eamon [Dunphy] helped me a lot in that.
“When you’re doing the job I was trying to do, you have to watch all the matches. You can’t make it up as you go along.
“I think it got to the stage where I was getting a bit stale trying to watch as many matches as I could and it became hard work.
“Football has never been hard work to me, I have always loved it but there are so matches.
“Even in the summer now, you see the teams over in America [for the Club World Cup].
“I have had a good run of it. I am 84, nearly 85.
“I have enjoyed it. I loved playing. I fell into to the television, I had no intention of doing that when I was actually playing the football.
“No complaints whatsoever.”
Off the Ball are going to hold a night of celebration in his honour in Dublin‘s Sugar Club on Thursday August 14.
