Latest news with #TomYoungs
New York Times
09-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Remembering Tom Youngs, an extraordinary ordinary footballer
If there is such a thing as a typical footballer, he was never it. 'Tom Youngs has got A-levels,' the Cambridge United fans used to chant about their rookie striker who had chosen to follow his football dreams rather than study law at Birmingham University. In another sense, Youngs was very much your average footballer, navigating his way through the puddles and potholes of England's lower divisions and reluctantly having to accept he was never going to make it to the Premier League. Advertisement 'It's not quite what dreams are made of,' Youngs wrote in his autobiography. 'It could have been better. I didn't play for England or in the Premier League. Heck, I'm not even the most famous sportsman with my own name, thanks to my rugby-playing namesake with a stash of international caps. 'But it could have been a whole lot worse. I'm lucky to have played so many times as a professional and scored more than a few goals. Despite some low points, this is no sob story.' Youngs, whose career also included spells at Northampton Town, Leyton Orient and Bury, died on Sunday, far too early. He was 45 years old and, if you are unfamiliar with his story, the title of his autobiography should make things a little clearer: 'What Dreams are (Not Quite) Made of: No Fame, No Fortune, Just Football… and Multiple Sclerosis.' His diagnosis came in 2014, aged 35, after he started having problems with the vision in one eye and the optician could not find anything wrong. Youngs was given eye drops and told to come back in a couple of weeks if the issue persisted. Nothing changed and eventually he was directed to the neurology department of his local hospital. That was when the father-of-two realised life would never be the same again. 'I haven't been keen to talk about it with people, mainly because the words 'multiple sclerosis' sound horrific when said aloud and drive extreme reactions,' he writes in one of the autobiography's more emotive passages. 'Mum looked pretty horrified when I told her. As most people aren't too aware what MS actually is and does — like I wasn't, initially — I don't want anyone to start looking at me differently. But I realised that it's important to be open about it, to raise awareness and prevent those overreactions. So I thought I'd write this book.' It isn't easy to locate Youngs' book in the shops these days because, when your entire career has been spent in England's third and fourth divisions, it is never going to be straightforward attracting one of the really big publishers. So it was only a smallish print run when a Sheffield-based publisher, Vertical Editions, agreed to take on his memoirs in 2016. Advertisement But it is worth hunting down a copy if you want an honest, warts-and-all account of life in the lower reaches of English professional football from someone who, by his own admission, did not always fit seamlessly into its often macho dressing-room culture. Youngs used to describe himself as 'an undercover agent trying to avoid being unmasked in a world for which I was unsuited'. And maybe that went back, in part, to his school years, when he took the unusual step of declining Cambridge's offer of a YTS place (youth training scheme) because he wanted to concentrate on his A-level studies. He was still talented enough to be offered a full-time contract at the end of those exams. Youngs' full senior debut came in December 1997 at age 18, against Bristol Rovers in the EFL Trophy, and he tells the story in his memoirs about that being the first reality check as to where, realistically, his career might take him. The teenager ended up being substituted 61 minutes into a 1-0 away defeat. 'I guess debuts are a bit like losing your virginity, only with more spectators,' he writes. 'Lots of hype, lots of expectation, but your inexperience can be all too obvious.' The verdict on Youngs in the local newspaper, the Cambridge Evening News, the following day read simply: 'Not ready.' Nor was the teenager quite prepared for a dressing-room culture in which his nickname varied from 'Professor' to 'Boffin', 'Statto' or 'Tory Boy' (for having the academic qualifications you'd expect of a privileged public schoolboy, rather than in relation to any political leanings). Towards the end of his career, he obtained a degree in sports writing and broadcasting from Staffordshire University. He was even invited by two Bury fans to join them in applying for a place on BBC quiz show Only Connect. Yet he also had what people in the sport know as football intelligence and, in his peak years, this helped him finish as Cambridge's leading goalscorer for two successive seasons. Advertisement The obituary posted on Cambridge's website this week noted his 'probing, darting runs, intelligent positioning and poise in front of goal', qualities that helped him climb to 11th place on their all-time list of scorers. John Taylor, Cambridge's manager for his final two seasons there, summed him up: 'I don't think you'll find a forward in the lower divisions who understands the game as much as Tom Youngs.' It makes you wonder whether Youngs might have made a decent manager himself, passing on his knowledge to a new generation of players and forging a longer career for himself in the sport that had shaped much of his life. Because he was not actually an outsider. He had plenty of friends within the football bubble, lots of happy memories and enjoyed himself immensely at times. It just turned him cold when the laddishness in the dressing room crossed a line, as it often did. As it turned out, his first coaching appointment, as assistant manager at non-League Mildenhall Town, had to be abandoned after his diagnosis. As a player, Youngs had never had to concern himself about MS, how it causes the body's immune system to attack its nervous system, and how it can affect its sufferers in all sorts of different ways. Now he had to learn what a cruel, indiscriminate disease it can be, along with his wife, Chelle, and their young daughters, Hannah and Orla. There were times when his legs would buckle, as if someone was twanging the nerves behind his knees. He developed a habit of tripping when walking up stairs, not lifting his foot as high as he expected it to go. Youngs, raised in Bury St Edmunds, a short drive east of Cambridge, also became susceptible to Uhthoff's phenomenon, a complication of MS that means symptoms worsen when the body heats up. He had to avoid long showers and give up hot baths. 'Even just walking on a warm day, or having hot soup for lunch, can make my eyesight go completely haywire,' he explained, two years into his diagnosis. Advertisement More than anything, there was a level of fatigue that left him questioning whether Derren Brown, the famous UK TV illusionist, had secretly popped in to hypnotise him. MS is not itself fatal, but it is unpredictable and in some cases can lead to complications that will endanger or take your life. The pressures were immense. And, unless you have been in that position, who can really understand how scary it must have been? Even so, the boyhood Tottenham Hotspur fan sounded hopeful, upbeat even, in an interview with the Cambridge fans' website Under the Abbey Stand in October last year. He had kept his office job, he explained, as an accounts manager with the brewing and pub company Greene King and was still working two days a week. But his right hand was starting to play up, which was making it hard for him to use a computer, whereas previously the issues were in his left hand and leg. 'I've got another brain scan next month and it's just seeing how much it progresses,' he said. 'The hardest thing is not knowing because MS is so enigmatic and affects everyone in a different way. I've got my eyepatch and my wheelchair. I'm getting by, it's not too bad. Once it gets to a certain point, it will continue to deteriorate, but as long as you get nothing new, you can deal with it.' That was one of his last interviews and, seven months on, those words can feel heartbreakingly poignant after the deterioration that left him, a once supremely fit sportsman, spending his final days at St Nicholas Hospice in Bury St Edmunds. Youngs had also played in non-League with Stafford Rangers, Cambridge City, St Albans City, Norwich United and Mildenhall. He had 18 years as a footballer, including 10 as a professional. And he was right about MS: for whatever reason, people find it a tough subject to discuss, perhaps because they do not really understand what it is. Youngs would recommend the MS Society. 'I continue to feel lucky,' he writes in the final passage of a sad yet often humorous and strangely uplifting autobiography. 'I have a wonderful family and friends. I'm not going to let MS get in the way of that, if I can help it. And if it's a bit of resilience I need, that's just one more reason to be thankful for a football career that means I've got plenty.'
Daily Mail
05-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
Former footballer dies aged 45 after 11-year battle with MS - as tributes pour in for star who played more than 250 games
A former Football League striker has died aged 45 after an 11-year battle with Multiple Sclerosis. Tom Youngs passed away on Sunday evening at a hospice in Bury St Edmunds. He played for Cambridge United, Northampton Town, Leyton Orient, and Bury and made more than 250 League appearances, according to the EFL. Youngs went on to represent Stafford Rangers, Cambridge City, Mildenhall Town and Norwich United as he continued his career down the divisions. In 2014, he was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis after retiring and starting work as an accountant. He published an autobiography called 'What Dreams are (Not Quite) Made of: No Fame, No Fortune, Just Football ... and Multiple Sclerosis' in 2016. Cambridge United wrote in their obituary: 'Tom will be remembered as a gifted player who, with probing, darting runs, intelligent positioning and poise in front of goal, graced the Abbey Stadium between 1997 and 2003.' Northampton Town added: 'Tom was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, a life-changing event that he faced with the same resilience and honesty that marked his entire career. 'He later wrote a moving and insightful book reflecting on both his footballing days and his experience with the disease, offering comfort and inspiration to many.'
BBC News
05-05-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Former Cambridge and Northampton forward Youngs dies
Former Cambridge United, Northampton Town and Bury forward Tom Youngs has died at the age of started his career with the U's and made 180 appearances between 1997 and 2003. He won promotion to the third tier with Cambridge in 1998-99. After 30 appearances in an injury-hit three seasons with Northampton, Youngs had a short spell at Leyton Orient before joining Bury in June played 49 league games for the Shakers and scored seven goals in two seasons before a hip injury ended his playing career with non-league Mildenhall Town in was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2014, before writing a memoir entitled, What Dreams are (Not Quite) Made of: No Fame, No Fortune, Just Football ... and Multiple their obituary, Cambridge wrote, external: "Tom will be remembered as a gifted player who, with probing, darting runs, intelligent positioning and poise in front of goal, graced the Abbey Stadium between 1997 and 2003."Northampton added, external: "Tom was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, a life-changing event that he faced with the same resilience and honesty that marked his entire career."He later wrote a moving and insightful book reflecting on both his footballing days and his experience with the disease, offering comfort and inspiration to many."
Scottish Sun
05-05-2025
- Health
- Scottish Sun
Tom Youngs dead at 45: Former Cambridge star who battled MS dies as heartbroken tributes pour in
Youngs released memoir in 2016 - two years after diagnosis RIP TOM Tom Youngs dead at 45: Former Cambridge star who battled MS dies as heartbroken tributes pour in A FORMER Cambridge United striker has died aged 45 after a battle with MS. The Us confirmed the sad news that Tom Youngs passed away on Sunday at a hospice in Bury St Edmunds. 2 Ex-Cambridge forward Tom Youngs has died aged 45 Credit: Getty 2 The former footballer was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2014 Credit: Getty Youngs was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2014 - 11 years after he left the club. He spent six years in Cambridge's first team from 1997 to 2003 - scoring 48 goals in 180 appearances - having joined the academy aged ten. Youngs went on to have spells with Northampton, Leyton Orient, and Bury, playing for the Shakers while also studying a sports journalism degree. He also played for Stafford Rangers, Cambridge City, St Albans City, Norwich United and Mildenhall Town - where he was a player and assistant manager. READ MORE IN FOOTBALL TRENT GONE Trent Alexander-Arnold announces he is leaving Liverpool after 20 years Youngs was forced to retire in 2011 aged 32 due to a serious hip injury. After hanging up his boots, the ex-footballer worked as an accountant for the brewery and pub company Greene King. In 2013, he noticed problems with his vision while watching a match as Mildenhall assistant. And the following year came his MS diagnosis. Youngs is survived by his wife Chelle and two daughters. Cambridge released a statement on Monday to announce the tragic news. The League One club wrote: "The news of the death on Sunday of former Cambridge United forward Tom Youngs, at the tragically early age of 45, came as a shock to all connected with the club. "Tom, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2014, will be remembered as a gifted player who, with probing, darting runs, intelligent positioning and poise in front of goal, graced the Abbey Stadium between 1997 and 2003. "He signed YTS terms in 1996 while staying on at school to study for A levels, but showed such promise that a year later, at the age of 17, he bypassed the rest of his YTS stint and signed a two-year professional contract. "Rest in peace, Tom." THIS IS A DEVELOPING STORY.. The Sun is your go to destination for the best football, boxing and MMA news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see us on Facebook at and follow us from our main Twitter account at @TheSunFootball.
The Irish Sun
05-05-2025
- Health
- The Irish Sun
Tom Youngs dead at 45: Former Cambridge star who battled MS dies as heartbroken tributes pour in
A FORMER Cambridge United striker has died aged 45 after a battle with MS. The Us confirmed the sad news that Tom Youngs passed away on Sunday at a hospice in Bury St Edmunds. 2 Ex-Cambridge forward Tom Youngs has died aged 45 Credit: Getty 2 The former footballer was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2014 Credit: Getty Youngs was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2014 - 11 years after he left the club. He spent six years with Cambridge from 1997 to 2003, scoring 48 goals in 180 appearances. He is survived by his wife Chelle and two daughters. THIS IS A DEVELOPING STORY.. The Sun is your go to destination for the best football, boxing and MMA news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video . Like us on Facebook at
