Farewell to the head of The Millwall Family

The word that lingers in my head since the news broke about Millwall owner John Berylson’s tragic death is: “perspective”.

As football fans – and certainly as Millwall supporters – we get so intensely immersed in following our club that it’s easy to forget that world isn’t really that big or important.

Every once in a while, life comes along, taps you on the shoulder, and reminds you just how tiny and insignificant it actually is.

I don’t think there can be a better example of that than what’s happened at Millwall Football Club in the last two months.

The drama of the last match of the season – where John Berylson had been mingling amongst the fans before kick-off as he did so often in his time at the club. Then the way the match – and our season – ended in such heartbreak and, let’s be honest, a certain degree of anger, which underlines that irrational intensity that football brings.

John Berylson’s reaction to that disappointment was so typical of the man. It was a calm reflection, a positive spin on how good the season overall had been, and a vote of thanks to the team, management, and supporters.

Always looking up, not down, and thanks to him, for the last few seasons (and for much of his tenure) that’s exactly what we’ve been doing. No longer looking over our shoulders at the relegation places, but up, and at the possibilities of promotion, or at the very least, progress.

That was him all over. There was no blame, no negativity and it wasn’t all about him.

It would have been very easy for him to behave like so many other club chairmen and owners. To have been critical, even throwing his hand in, reminding us of how much time and cash he’d invested in the club and how he expected more.

Like the chairman of the non-league club that lost their play-off final who in the immediate aftermath threw his toys out of the pram and put the club up for sale!

But that simply wasn’t the John Berylson way.

One thing we’ve come to expect as Millwall supporters over the years is the unexpected. There have been very few constants at the club and little stability. Things have gone well for a season or two then, been plunged into disarray at a moment’s notice.

The last 16/17 years that John Berylson has been involved and owned the club have seen an unprecedented level of stability, progress, and investment.

He’s had our back.

For me personally, that’s what made that last day easier to swallow. You knew he wouldn’t produce some knee-jerk reaction. He’d take stock, cover our losses from last season out of his own pocket once more, and then ask manager Gary Rowett what he needed to improve the squad to allow us to make another challenge again next season.

That’s the beauty of football. Whatever misfortune it throws at us, there’s always next season to put it right.

As we trudged away from The Den after that Blackburn defeat, most of us couldn’t imagine a worse feeling at that moment, as Millwall supporters, than that sting of missing out on our chance at a shot at The Premier League.

Right now, we can see it for what it was: Just another blip. Just another day in the life of supporting The Lions.

Now we know what loss really feels like. Perspective

People not involved in or who have no real knowledge of football may well look on at the outpouring of grief at the club in the aftermath of those tragic events and found it puzzling. They might sneer that we’re treating it like we’ve lost a family member.

Well, in a way, we have.

People talk about the ‘football family’ and we often mention the ‘Millwall Family’. They’re not just throwaway emotive handles.

They are real.

A club like Millwall, which is lucky to still be an integral part of its community, becomes a family, and not just on matchdays. That bond builds over time and is so much stronger when you have an owner who understands that he is merely a custodian of the club; that the club existed before and will continue to exist after his tenure. Obviously, I don’t mean that with any disrespect and while I never met him, I’m pretty sure John Berylson would agree with that sentiment. He certainly showed it in his words and deeds.

It’s a massive cliché, but he really was our rock. The head of The Millwall Family.

So many football club owners are either completely anonymous or just distant figures occasionally captured on camera sitting in the directors’ box.

Many believe they are the club.

I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve read about a football club dropping down the divisions, out of the league or out of existence altogether because of an owner who simply saw them as a business plaything. Every time I did, I reminded myself of how lucky I was to be a supporter of a club that had, without a doubt, the best chairman & owner in the game.

There is going to be lots discussed over the coming days and weeks. Talk of tributes, naming stands, installing plaques and statues. Then the more unpalatable but inevitable discussions of ‘where now for Millwall?’.

But that is not for now. Right now, the best thing every single supporter, player, and member of staff of Millwall Football Club can do is remember John Berylson with two very simple words:

Thank You.

These Words were written by Merv Payne.