David Rocastle

[The GFP]

David Carlyle Rocastle - 2nd May 1967 to 31st March 2001

Davis career with Arsenal F.C (31st December 1984 to 4th August 1992)

Arsenal debut - 28th September 1985 v Newcastle Utd
Last Arsenal game - 2nd May 1992 v Southampton (A 5-1 home win)

League - 228 Games & 14 Goals
FA Cup - 20 Games & 4 Goals
League Cup - 33 Games & 6 Goals

Total - 290 Games & 24 Goals

*Arsenal.com says its 277 games & 34 goals

David played 290 games fro Arsenal and was capped by England 14 times.

David had been diagnosed as suffering from non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. He had been undergoing a course of chemotherapy to battle against a cancer which attacks the immune system.

David helped Arsenal to the League title in 1989 and 1991 after picking up a League Cup winners' medal in 1987 with Arsenal. He also had spells at Manchester City, Leeds Utd, Chelsea and also went on loan to Norwich City.

David brought the curtain down on his professional career in England when he moved to Hull City in 1997.

After leaving English football behind him he went to play for Sabah in Malaysia in 1998 but retired from football in December 1999.





















There was a trust set up by his family & friends but it seems the links ive found are not working.

This link is to raise money for the Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital in Rockys name : http://www.justgiving.com/Arsenal-Family

[The GFP]

I remember the exact place i was and what i was doing the moment i found out he had passed away.

I was on my way to the game that morning (Arsenal 2-0 Spurs) and was half way down the M11 when the Radio 5 announced at the mid day news that David has passed away.

We were driving through a contraflow and the sun was shining and i had my sun glasses on and my girlfriend of the time was with me and she could see i was upset as she could see tears rolling down my cheeks and she said it would be a good idea to pull over, i was not sobbing or screaming but just felt so utterly moved by the news that i could not hold the tears back and i just turned the radio off and drove to Highbury without either of us saying another word and that was the first time she had ever saw me cry and the last until my cat died in September 2010!

I must also add that the Spurs fans were from memory superb that day and did not mock or jeer him/us and i think they even joined in with the Rocky song.

Ive seen us win titles, cups and ive seen us loose and ive never once shed a tear over the result of a game but Rocky was such a special part of my love for not only Arsenal but for the game as i started going to see Arsenal when he was breaking through to the first team and he was one of my firsat Arsenal heroes along with Paul Merson.

Only after checking my Rothmans Football Yearbooks did i see that Davids last game for us was the 5-1 home win v Southampton which i remember very well as Ian Wright & Gary Lineker were battling it out to be the leagues top scorer and on the last game of the season Lineker had 1 more goal than Wrighty and at half time we heard that Lineker has scored for spurzzz and wa snow 2 goals in front of Wrighty as it was 0-0 at Highbury.

In the second half we scored 5 and Wrighty got a hat trick and beat Lineker by 1 goal and only now did i realise that that was Rockys last ever game for us.

Strange that that day sticks in my memory so well.

Little did we know then that in 3 months and 2 days later Rocky would be sold to Leeds Utd for £2,000,000.

RIP Rocky