Chris Nicholl, ex-Northern Ireland and Southampton defender, was 'a tough no-nonsense player' recalls Gerry Armstrong

That was the verdict of fellow Northern Ireland and Tottenham star Gerry Armstrong after his former colleague passed away from dementia, aged 77, on Sunday.

Wilmslow-born Nicholl was capped 51 times by Northern Ireland and represented them at the 1982 World Cup finals in Spain. He also captained Aston Villa to League Cup glory and managed Southampton before taking charge of Walsall.

He had been living with dementia which he attributed to brain damage caused by repeatedly heading balls.

Fellow NI star Gerry Armstrong said the pinnacle of their career together was the 1982 World Cup.Throughout the competition, he said, "Chris never gave you a bad game - he was very consistent.

"He was a really top professional. He was one of those old school players, very disciplined. It had to be done the right way, and that is why he went on to become a successful manager with Southampton and Walsall."

He recalls Chris scoring several goals for Northern Ireland. But perhaps the most astonishing story was the match where he scored all four goals in a 2-2 draw.

"He was always famous for scoring all the goals and in a match between Aston Villa and Leicester. I think it finished two-two and he scored four goals - two own goals and two on the right side too. I don't know if anyone else has ever done that."

He also recalls Chris giving Alan Shearer and Matt Le Tissier their starts at Southampton. "He saw the potential, he scouted a lot of good players.”

And he recalls the NI players practising together in Spain in 1982 when one player injured another with an "out of order" tackle.

"But in the next tackle Chris came in and took the offender out. He then looked down at him lying on the ground and said - don't ever do that again. He was a tough no-nonsense guy.”

He was unusually tall for a player at the time, at 6'4", which meant that he won many balls in the air.

But Gerry concedes that he may have paid the price for that later, with dementia. "Well this is the question," he added.

Gary McAllister, Chairman of the Amalgamation of Official Northern Ireland Supporters Clubs, said he was saddened to hear of Nicholl's passing.

"I've heard some great stories over the years from his former teammates about how tough Chris Nicholl was," he said.

"I was fortunate to meet him and while he was a big man, he was a real gentleman.

"I always wished the IFA had given him a go as manager after Lawrie McMenemy departed, as the Under 21 team achieved notable victories against Germany and France during his time in charge."

Former Liverpool and England star Stan Collymore said he was "extremely sad" to hear the news.

"He played in the first game I saw at Villa Park. So perhaps apt, that on League Cup Final day, a tournament he etched his name indelibly into, he passed away," he said on social media. “Rest in peace, Chris. And thank you."