John Shuker

[Madox80]

Just seen on Facebook that John Shuker passed away this evening ?

Another Oxford United legend gone. RIP

 

[Oufcrealist]

Heard that John has sadly passed away tonight. He has been ill for a while.
A very good utility player who could play left back one week and striker the next and score!! Great memories for me when I was a nipper
RIP, a great servant to OUFC

 

[dabigfella]

Sad, sad, sad. I watched him all through his career at Headington and Oxford. Solid left back who was once converted to a forward and scored enough goals to stop us from being relegated. The consummate professional.

 

[warksox]

Very sad. He was playing full back at my very first game at the Manor as a kid, in the gold and black days.
A true professional. RIP

 

[Gold and Black]

Yes a great clubman. Great contribution wherever he played.
Lodged with our local butcher, Harold Kimber who was a director at The club at the time. Farewell Shukes big part of our past gone but not forgotten

 

[Malc]

RIP John. I must have seen most of your matches. Sad day.

 

[LowerSouth]

Very sad.
Lovely human being .

 

[Manorlounger]

Another rock in defence and a fine captain. One of the team that defined my earliest ventures into football. RIP.
Sadly John was too ill to attend the 1893 club recently but wanted to come back when well enough.

 

[Pooleox]

Great player. RIP John

 

[dickwalton1964]

Very sad to hear this. Shuker, Lucas, Roberts and Clarke were the back four when I first started watching Oxford and John was as dependable as they come. He was one of those players you sensed was a nice bloke off the pitch too and living locally and having met him a few times he was definitely that.

It’s been a sad few weeks for Oxford United in terms of losing a couple of genuine club legends but how fitting that the club is flying high at the time of their passing.

RIP John Shuker. Legend and gentleman.

 

[Manorman]

Saw him play throughout the 60’s. Great club servant and reminds me of Ruffels in many ways. RIP John

 

[windmill]

So many of the old guard no longer with us. Tony Jones, Maurice Kyle, Graham Atkinson, Cyril Beavon, Harry Fearnley, Nigel Cassidy and more, I am sure. Used to think they would go on forever. The bedrock of the great club we have today.

 

[Northstandboy]

It's been a bad month for the club, 3 deaths of ex players/managers.

RIP

 

[oxfordkits]

Such sad news. He arguably served the best period in our history. From joining the league in 1962 through to playing against the likes of Bobby Moore, Kevin Keegan, Bobby Charlton & George Best in the early 1970's. RIP John Shuker - a true servant to our club.

 

[Marked Ox]

RIP John. Thoughts and condolences to the family and friends.

 

[Colin B]

One of those players who seemed to be a fixture when I started watching OUFC in the sixties. Very versatile, rarely injured, and very dependable, which is why he made so many appearances over a lengthy period.

RIP Shukes another legend taken too soon. Jim will be waiting for you in the Supporters Club Bar in the sky.

 

[Johnf]

Very sad news
John played when I first started going up the Manor he was a good solid defender and could play anywhere on the pitch, saw him score quite a few as striker. A real utility player the likes of which you don’t see very often in today’s football.

Rest in peace John

 

[Belgium Yellow]

It was on the cards, but very sad to hear . RIP John

 

[Sarge]

I think I saw Shuke's play in just about every outfield position for the U's, back then he wouldve been referred to as a utility player, one of a handful of real legends of OUFC. R.I.P.

 

[Canterbury exile]

I saw Shukes play in the very early 60s and then throughout his career. Left back and as been said converted to a striker to keep us up by scoring about 8/9 goals in maybe 12 games. Skippered the side after the Tank. A vague memory he was sent off with 2 others at Blackpool. Very odd as he was rarely in trouble with refs. A great servant RIP.

 

[Victor1986]

RIP John Shuker - club legend; him on one side & Dick Lucas on the other. A sad day but he will be having a smile at us sitting pretty in League 1!

 

[swolley]

RIP John. He scored the first Oxford goal I ever saw v Brighton at the manor circa 1966/7. I also sat next to him and Colin Harrington in the Town Hall at one of those crisis meetings pre uncle Firoz. Great club man.

 

[Foley]

A vague memory he was sent off with 2 others at Blackpool. Very odd as he was rarely in trouble with refs. A great servant RIP.

Yes very strange. Peter Houseman also sent off ( also strange) and Mick Tait I believe ( not so much if a surprise.
Like many others on here, I started watching oufc in the late 60's and John Shuker was pretty much an ever present for quite a few years.
RIP

 

[dickwalton1964]

Yes very strange. Peter Houseman also sent off ( also strange) and Mick Tait I believe ( not so much if a surprise.
Like many others on here, I started watching oufc in the late 60's and John Shuker was pretty much an ever present for quite a few years.
RIP

They didn’t seem to do squad rotation back in those days, never seemed to get injured and never seemingly lost form ! You just turned up every week to watch Oxford and assumed John was playing - and he always was !

 

[Gary Baldi]

Sad, sad news - it would have been nice if he had been able to get one last send off from the fans before he passed away, but we can give it to him anyway.

Respects to all of his friends and family, John Shuker was a good man

 

[Foley]

They didn’t seem to do squad rotation back in those days, never seemed to get injured and never seemingly lost form ! You just turned up every week to watch Oxford and assumed John was playing - and he always was !

Indeed. Normally numbers 1 to 11 (John S was normally 3 in my time as he was left back for most of that period.

 

[bazzer9461]

RIP John Shuker

 

[rambler]

Very sad to hear of his passing, R.I.P John Shuker a real club legend.
I was one of the lucky ones to have watched him play at the Manor.

 

[Foley]

So many memories.
JS joined the club the season after my father took me to my first game at the Manor and was with us for very nearly the next twenty years.
That superb Back 4 of Lucas, Smithson, Clarke and Shuker remains a powerful memory from my college years.
And then that season he was moved to striker. I'll always remember when Peter Houseman chipped the ball over John's left shoulder and he volleyed it on the run first time without it touching the ground. Real skill.
And I was stood just a few yards away at Blackpool when he got sent himself sent off.
RIP a true club legend.
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What happened to get him sent off? He was normally pretty mild mannered?

 

[dickwalton1964]

Bizarrely I can’t ever remember seeing Shukes score a goal for us and I was really surprised when I saw how many he actually did score ! I can recall seeing goals from all the other defenders in that era but not one from John ! I started watching us in 1971 so must have seen a fair few of his but strange how I can’t recall any.