Italia 90 scenes revisited as Ireland fans pay tribute to Jack Charlton at Walkinstown Roundabout

Hundreds of Republic of Ireland fans gathered at the Walkinstown Roundabout in Dublin yesterday to give the legendary manager a good send off.

Fans were kitted out in their finest green, white and orange gear, armed with Ireland flags and bunting in honour of the former Ireland manager, who was buried on Tuesday.

His funeral concluded at 12.30pm in the UK and as a mark of respect, radio stations across the country played Put 'Em Under Pressure, the official song to the Republic of Ireland national football team's 1990 World Cup campaign in Italy.

Italia 90 scenes were revisited in Walkinstown, where the roundabout is famous for the joyous footage which followed David O'Leary's penalty, sealing Ireland’s spot in the World Cup quarter-final.

Gerry McGeough, the owner of Cherrytree pub on the Walkinstown roundabout, said that an attempt was made to recreate those triumphant memories, social distancing style.

"We tried to have an event that was socially distanced although we did get quite a big, big crowd in the end but we it was well policed.

"It was a quiet and considered remembrance for a man that made Ireland believe," he said.

"It was such a dark time, the 80s were such a bleak time and in 1990, Jack gave the country something to believe in.

"It was a time when Ireland stepped out of its infancy."

Joyous crowds held up placards that read out 'Give it a Lash Jack' and the bar's resident DJ played the Put 'Em Under Pressure anthem, which had revellers singing along.

Mother Catherine Walsh from Templeogue said that she remembered the excitement of Italia 90.

"I' here to enjoy the moment with the kids.

"I was only nine or 10, but I remember the excitement and the kids watching it on TV in school, everything closing down for the day. It was brilliant," she recalled.

Charlton enjoyed great success during ten years in charge of the national team, guiding Ireland to our first ever major tournament at Euro 88 as well as two World Cups, in Italy (1990) and USA (1994).

He stepped down as manager in 1996 after losing to the Netherlands in a Euro 96 playoff, but continued to visit Ireland over the ensuing years, and was particularly fond of fishing on the west coast.

The former England centre-back made 773 appearances for Leeds between 1953 and 1973, winning a league title alongside John Giles for the club.

As well as the scenes in Ireland, fans lined the streets of Charlton's hometown of Ashington in England to say goodbye to the football legend.

Fans wearing Leeds shirts, Newcastle tops, Ireland strips and replica kits from his local side Ashington mingled together, waiting for a chance to pay their final respects to a local hero.

Applause and cheers broke out in honour of Charlton, who never forgot his roots and lived in the north-east.

Well-wishers threw flowers on the hearse as it passed slowly through the town where he and his younger brother Sir Bobby honed their football skills.

A floral tribute from Sir Bobby, 82, and his wife Norma was placed next to the coffin, saying: 'Rest in peace Jack, sending our deepest sympathy', but he was not seen travelling through Ashington.

The procession slowed as it passed close to 114 Beatrice Street, where the Charltons played for countless hours in the back lane, and the park where 'Big Jack' learned the art of defending.

Irishman Patrick Wilson was stood in Ashington town centre with his family to pay his respects.

The 68-year-old civil engineer, who is originally from Rahugh, Co Westmeath, but now lives in Longframlington, Northumberland, said: "We look at him as a humble person, a man for the people.

"He was a simple sort of person with no airs or graces. Everyone was the same in Jack's eyes."

Charlton's coffin was draped by England and Republic of Ireland scarves.

Floral tributes in the hearse included a football and a red England shirt with 'Jackie 5' on it.

The cortege stopped in Ashington and the pallbearer, accompanied by a Northumberland piper, walked in front of the cars for a couple of hundred yards.

Former England cricketer Steve Harmison, also from Ashington, was among those paying his respects with all generations present.

Peter Mather, a 68-year-old semi-retired bricklayer, stood with a sign saying 'Howay Wor Jack' and said: "I never normally wear a cap but I've got one on today out of respect to Jack."

A young boy nearby had 'Wor 9 Jack' painted on his back and others held up 'RIP Jack' signs with England flags on them.

Leeds fan Kevin Coe, 51, and his son Ellis, six, were on the route of the funeral procession.

Referring to a 1971 documentary showing Charlton's home life in Ashington, Coe said: "He just seems to have been a regular guy.

"He was still going out to the clubs, involved in whippet racing. It sums up this area."

Peter Cowans, 64, decorated the outside of his Ashington home with flags in honour of Charlton.

The former policeman said: "He was a lovely fella, not just a football legend, but a real gentleman too."

Charlton was a constant of the successful Don Revie Leeds sides of the 1960s and early 1970s, but he was almost 30 before making his England debut in 1965.

However, he timed his arrival on the international scene perfectly and was part of the only England side to win the World Cup, when West Germany were beaten 4-2 at Wembley in 1966.

Charlton later managed Middlesbrough, Sheffield Wednesday and Newcastle, but it was with the the Republic that he enjoyed his greatest success and became a national hero for the second time.

After his death, his family said in a statement: "He was a thoroughly honest, kind, funny and genuine man who always had time for people.

"His loss will leave a huge hole in all our lives but we are thankful for a lifetime of happy memories."

A private family service was held at Newcastle's West Road Crematorium on Tuesday afternoon with a limited number of mourners due to the Covid-19 restrictions.