Former Sunderland AFC chairman Sir Bob Murray pays tribute to former Sunderland Echo football writer Geoff Storey

Geoff, who was at the Echo for 40 years, passed away last week aged 83.

Beginning his career at the paper in the accounts department, he volunteered to cover sports events and eventually moved across full-time to the sports department.

He was Sunderland AFC Reserve team reporter when chief sports writer Billy Butterfield retired in 1979 and stepped into the main role, which he went on to hold for 19 years.

It was an eventful time for the club, a period which saw Geoff deal with no fewer than nine managers, as well as the creation of a new home for the Black Cats in the form of the Stadium of Light.

Sir Bob Murray met Geoff when he took over the Roker Park hotseat from Sir Tom Cowie.

“I really liked the guy,” he said.

"He was there when I started in ‘86, so I knew him from the first day of being chairman to when he retired.

Being the Echo’s chief football writer can be a difficult job, with fans all too ready to voice their opinions on the side’s success and not infrequent failures.

It is a line that Sir Bob said Geoff always walked with grace: “The guy had so much integrity and honesty,” he said.

"He was in a very difficult position. where he was covering Sunderland, a very big club, for a very important newspaper, which could be tricky at times.

"He criticised me, which I don’t have a problem with – he was only doing his job.

"There was so much professionalism in a really difficult job that he had.”

So respected was Geoff that he was accorded an honour not offered to may sports writers: “I invited him onto the club bus – he used to travel with the players, that’s how much we thought of him,” said Sir Bob.

"I had total respect for him.”

A funeral service is to be held next Tuesday, November 15, at Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Church in Penshaw at 9.45am. A wake will be held at the Biddick Inn, Washington from 11am.