Heading, dementia and Boro

Very Good article plus a couple of photographs of Willie Madddren and Bill Gates in action for us that I have never previously seen.
 
Not seen those photos before myself. Disturbing article. I know the last time I talked with Alan Peacock he was very concerned about just how many of his former team mates were suffering with dementia.
 
Not hard to see how theres a link When you remember heading a wet Casey back in the 60s and 70s . There used to be an imprint of the laces on your forehead .
 
That generation had miss-shapen 'caseys' to practise with as kids. Plastic footballs came in about 1965 iirc, so there should be a marked difference at some point. Alan Peacock was a prolific header of the ball, but shows no ill-effects. It's not straightforward.
In one of those Man U cup-ties, Bill Gates had his jaw broken by a blow from Brian Kidd. Things like that, clashes of heads, being hit in a 'wall' point blank etc could maybe do more harm than many free headers.
Sad to hear about Bill Gates. Remember him living a couple of streets away. I was wondering the other day, did he actually live in the Caymans?
 
That generation had miss-shapen 'caseys' to practise with as kids. Plastic footballs came in about 1965 iirc, so there should be a marked difference at some point. Alan Peacock was a prolific header of the ball, but shows no ill-effects. It's not straightforward.
In one of those Man U cup-ties, Bill Gates had his jaw broken by a blow from Brian Kidd. Things like that, clashes of heads, being hit in a 'wall' point blank etc could maybe do more harm than many free headers.
Sad to hear about Bill Gates. Remember him living a couple of streets away. I was wondering the other day, did he actually live in the Caymans?
Still does, I think. Sold up his sports shops (£4.4 million?) and moved to the Caymans. Bill and his wife, Judith, have been involved with a charity, Coaches Across Continents, run by their son, Nick.
 
My mates dad was a centre forward for Hartlepool back in the day.
It was really sad to see him decline rapidly with dementia.

It does make you wonder how sensible it is to allow your head to keep banging against a ball - even now.
 
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