It is with great sadness that I bring you news of the passing of one of our most treasured posters, the knowledgeable, eloquent, and humorous El Barbudo (Geoff Pearson).

After a long battle against cancer, Geoff sadly passed away earlier this month at Overgate Hospice in Elland.

Many were privileged to know Geoff through his posting on Southstander.com and the Sin Bin, although some of us were lucky enough to spend time with Geoff and Gill and can be honoured to count Geoff amongst our friends.

Geoff will be greatly missed by all who knew him, and all who crossed literary swords with him (usually losing) on these forums. Our thoughts are with his family at this difficult time.

If anyone would like to make a donation in Geoff's memory then please do so to rlOvergate Hospicerl.

Next time you are at a game, please raise a glass in his memory.



[sizeRest in Peace Geoff, we'll miss you.[/size

[i[sizeAlso posted on the Sin Bin.[/size[/i

Shocking news R.I.P mate!

Very, very sad. A real gentleman. I wondered why I hadn't seen him with Gill this year. The forum, and the world, is a lesser place.

This is the second Southstander who sat in my section at Headingley to pass in recent months. many probably won't recall snook who was an infrequent poster from some time ago who also passed away a month ago.

Very sad news.Heart goes out to all his family and friends.

R.I.P Geoff

Goodness me... that news has come as a shock. I did wonder why he hadn't been around on the forums, in particular the Sin Bin where he was usually handing sundry right-wing reactionaries their @rses on there.

RIP Geoff with a 'G'.

RIP, will be sadly missed. I also wondered why no posts for a while. A very respected poster on here.

Very sad news. RIP.

RIP Geoff. Thoughts and condolences go to his family.

Awful news. RIP Geoff.

That's really sad. Never met the man but always respected what he had to say. Intelligent, informed and spoke to people on the forum genuinely, as if he was in the same room as them.

R.I.P. El Barbudo

Awful news. Never met him but shared opinions on here for years


R.I.P Geoff

A Gentleman and a Scholar, my abiding memory of him is of sitting in the sun outside a bar in Perpignan for the exhibition game against London in 2005, we spent all afternoon there chatting and laughing and when the bill came for the beers it was in excess of 200 euros THEN we went for food

The best compliment I can ever pay anyone is when you spend your first five minutes with them and you think you've known them all your life - that was Geoff, his online persona wasn't an online persona, it was him, open, honest and full of humour, a nice bloke, my sincere condolences to Gill.

A sad, sad day.

Always sad when such a well thought of gent such as El B passes on. By the level of praise for the man from his friends on here shows the measure of the man.

I never met the bloke in real life, but it's good to know that if I had done it really would have been as sparkling as some of his posts / views on here and that's good to know.

RIP El B.

RIP mate.