When Jimmy talked you listened, says David Eyres

He went on to make 147 appearances during a five-year spell at Bloomfield Road and got to know Armfield well.

But it was at the start of midfielder Eyre’s time on the Fylde coast that Seasiders great Armfield, who died on Monday, had the biggest impact on him.

“He spoke sense and he was a football man,” Eyres told The Gazette. “He was a very good footballer. He played for England after all, so he was at the top of his game.

“But when he spoke to you about football or when you’d listen to him on the radio, it was clear he was very knowledgeable. He knew exactly what he was talking about.

“When people like that start talking, it’s time to start listening.

Now an agent, Eyre added: “He was always a pleasure to sit down with and I was in awe of him.

“When somebody like Jimmy is talking, you don’t really say a lot – you just listen to what he has to say.

“He gave me some really good advice, especially when I started at Blackpool from non-league.

“So I’m very grateful for the time I spent speaking with him. I was very lucky.

“We were a very close-knit family at Blackpool and there were a lot of great players linked to the club, like Jimmy, and when we got to the play-offs they were involved.”