Southampton’s Ted Bates statue fiasco

Ollie Irish

21st, March 2007

3 Comments

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This is our favourite story of the week, no question:

An 11-foot bronze statue of Southampton legend Ted Bates,
erected last week outside St Mary’s stadium will now be taken down after fans branded it a ‘joke’. Saints’ supporters are livid that the statue of Bates, who played for,
coached and served on the board at Southampton between 1937 and 2003, was
put up with legs the same length as its arms (see photo – it’s true!), and a grinning face that bears an uncanny resemblance to former Porstmouth chairman Milan Mandaric (again, I can see their point).

BREAKING NEWS: In fact, it seems the statue was taken down earlier today.

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The statue cost £112,000 to make, half of which was raised by
fans through the Ted Bates Trust, the other half coming from the club.
Members of the Trust were shown pictures of the sculpture before it
went up, but insisted that the version they saw was a more
accurate likeness.

I’m really trying very hard to sympathise with Saints’ fans on this – Bates was a great man and a great servant to the club – but that picture does make me giggle like a little girl.

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3 Comments

  1. Matt says:

    That’s one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen!

  2. Ollie, Pies Ed. says:

    it cracks me up, even now

  3. Adz says:

    Would love to see the hatchet-job the sculptor would have of LeTissier’s boyish good looks!!!