Jimmy, Jimmy

Originally posted @ 9:38 pm, Wed 1st Oct 2008

Sad news last week.

Jimmy Sirrel, the former Notts County manager, died last week.

And then Jimmy Ashworth, Managing Director of Nottingham's Theatre Royal and Royal Centre died on Friday, returning from holiday.

Jimmy Sirrel had to use craft and graft to get County into the top flight in an era when Forest overshadowed everything County did. I have 2 particular memories of him. One after a famous opening game win at Aston Villa that gave me an insight to a step by step approach to motivation. And the other of him playing football with apprentices in the Broadmarsh shopping centre to drum up support for Notts County. Dedication.

Jimmy Ashworth drove the Theatre Royal complex through difficult times to bring a new type of success to the centre. He generated love and support from the staff who worked for him. So strange that someone involved with so any performers hated speaking in public, and could only bring himself to whisper at events like the civic performance of the annual pantomime.