As English as they come yet adored in Ireland.

Big Jack Charlton has moved on after a very good innings of 85.

Growing up in the north of England, Jack spent his entire football playing career with Leeds United as a no-nonsense central defender, winning several honours.

He was also part of the victorious 1966 England World Cup team, along with his younger brother Bobby.

It was as manager of the Republic of Ireland team however, that Jack really found a second footballing coming and became an Irish folk hero.

And it almost never happened.

At the meeting of the Football Association of Ireland which appointed Jack as manager of the Irish team, former Liverpool manager Bob Paisley had initially been the front runner.

Things somehow went Jacks way at that meeting and he never looked back.

He led Ireland to their first major championship finals, Euro 88, in Germany.

A famous win over his native England, a draw against Russia and an unlucky defeat to the Dutch saw the boys in green acquit themselves very well.

Qualification for the 1990 World Cup followed and the whole country became gripped by football fever.

Italia 90.

Making it through to the last 16 after three group stage draws, Ireland won a tense penalty shoot out against a very talented Romanian team before narrowly going out to hosts Italy in the quarter finals.

During that tournament Jack and the team met Pope John Paul II. It emerged that his Holiness, a former goalkeeper, was more excited to meet Jack than the other way around.

Narrowly failing to qualify for Euro 92, the Irish team were back in the limelight for the 1994 World Cup in the United States.

A memorable opening win against eventual finalists Italy was the highlight before going out somewhat tamely to the Dutch in the round of 16.

Following defeat in a qualification playoff, again against the Dutch in 1996, Jack finally called it quits.

His ten years in charge of the Irish football team is legendary.

His straight talking, direct manner endeared him to the nation.

From time to time Irish people make it big across the water, the likes of Terry Wogan and Graham Norton amongst them.

Very few manage the reverse trick. Big Jack Charlton was one of them.

Gone but never forgotten.