Adam Brogden: an Arsenal fan and Untold contributor

It is with utterly overwhelming sadness that I have to report the death of one of Untold Arsenal’s most valued contributors, Adam Brogden.

Lydia Cubinakova, Adam’s partner wrote to me earlier this week to tell me that Adam was taken away from us suddenly on Monday night at about 22:15 in a fatal tragic road accident.

I have to admit I am completely taken aback by this reminder once again of how fragile life is, and how easily it can be snatched from us.  Indeed I find it hard to gather together the words to express my feelings.

Writing for Untold can often be a bit of a thankless task – sometimes articles get ignored, sometimes they just result in a range of abuse from our more occasional readers.   But irrespective of response Adam always wrote articles which made everyone think.  Indeed he often took us in completely new directions which is why I loved to publish his work.

His knowledge of the subjects that he chose to write upon was detailed indeed – as shown in his last series for us: the three part Lost in Bureaucracy set of articles, about the European Commission’s agenda in relation to football.  Adam gave us a perspective in a way that I felt no one had attempted before.

But in his writing he also regularly came closer to home, as when he asked the simple question, “Are the Play-offs fair?” and when he challenged us all asking if the Big Five was fair.

Prior to that he was unearthing disturbing facts – such as how “Scout 7” has taken over the role of handling scouting requirements of numerous top teams in the world.   Indeed agents, third party ownership, governments, rules and regs – these were the regular ingredients of Adam’s articles.I had the pleasure of reading each of these articles before anyone else, and occasionally suggested (or even in my role as editor pushed a little harder than mere “suggestion”) a few amendments.

But such changes were tiny and Adam never minded.  He was just happy to be able to make a contribution to Untold.What made Adam special from where I sit was that he was not only a first rate fan of Arsenal, but also one of those guys who believed in what Untold was trying to do.

He believed it was worthwhile digging around to see what was going on in the underbelly of football.  And he found in Untold a place that he felt his work should be published and would be noticed.It has been such a pleasure to have had Adam write for us, and as I write this I am still sitting here still in shock that his life, his work, and all his potential should be taken away from us.

I am sure every reader of Untold will join with me in offering Lydia all our condolences and our thoughts for her, and for Adam’s family and friends.  His work will stay here on the Untold archives, as a tribute to an Arsenal fan who felt it was worth exploring what lies beneath football, and sharing his findings with the rest of us.Adam, we’ll miss you.

Tony Attwood, on behalf of everyone associated with Untold.

63 Replies to “Adam Brogden: an Arsenal fan and Untold contributor”

  1. So sorry to hear this news. Loved reading his excellent contributions and comments to this site. Best wishes to Adams wife, family and friends. Really tragic news.

  2. This is terrible news, Adam produced some of the finest and best researched articles to appear on Untold, I always looked forward to reading his work. My sincere condolences and thoughts are with his family and friends.

  3. Very, very sad news. May he rest in peace and may his family find the strength to cope with their loss. Life is simply not fair sometimes.

  4. It is hard to add too much, only ‘knowing’ somebody from their writings, but a loss to Untold is bad, a loss of life is a real tragedy.

    Condolences to all close to him, may their memories keep his spirit alive.

  5. My clearest memory of Adam is his defence of me when Matt made a rude comment on my parenting in response to my article on Suarez. Empathy is the quality that he displayed in defending me. He was a good person.

    I am saddened to learn that he is gone. I hope that his wife, children, extended family and friends have the fortitude to bear the sad loss. He will be missed here at Untold Arsenal.

  6. This is the second blow the Untold family had to suffer in a very short period of time.

    I had to stop for a while after reading this sad article. I never have seen Adam in person but I have exchanged lots of mails with him behind the scenes. I just checked them and the first went back to October 2010. So that is just 3 years this month.

    He was also one of the persons who helped me behind the scenes of the referee reviews. He provided me with data about refs from the lower leagues that came up. Gave me names and data of their games. Interesting stuff that helped me in writing articles about some refs.

    Adam was only 38 years old. So young. Too young to die.
    Why….

    RIP Adam, we at Untold will remember you.

  7. Really glad someone has put this up.

    Adam was an old friend of mine from back in the day. Sadly back then we had no media like fb and twitter so sadly we lost contact. Adam reached out to me only 2 weeks ago after not talking for 10 years.

    Crazy as I’ve been going arsenal for the last 20 years and subscribe to most blogs and fan groups, but never realised he wrote on here.

    Would really appreciate if one of the admins here could get in contact and send me some links of Adams work. Also feel free to meet up , if you want to attend the funeral.

    RIP Adam – You will be remembered by all of us that raved together! And by all the gooners that read your work on here!

    Just hope your looking down and seeing the mark you made bruvva!

    Mikey b x

  8. Very sad news… I really loved reading whatever he wrote be it a comment or an article. My sincere condolences to Lydia and his family… A real loss to Untold family

  9. Thank you everyone for your kind words.

    I had no idea that his passion about the game went this far.

    My only hope is that his crusade continues and others continue his fight for fairness in a ‘game’ you all love.

    Adam is survived by his 3 1/2 year old son Benjamin who has only just started in his first football team.
    Adam was proud to have seen his son, in a football kit, playing in a team only last Saturday.

    I am humbled to be his older brother and to know the impact he has had on so many lives.

  10. i have followed untold for the past three years aimost the same time Adam started writing for untold. Even tho this is my first time of posting a comment i felt it
    neccessary to relay my deepest sadness and sorrows at the death of adam and send my condolences to his family and friends. 38 is such a young age to die. I am also grateful that i had the previlage of reading his articles which were lovely concice an
    d full of informatio. R.I.P ADAM YOU WILL BE MISSED.

  11. Terribly sad news. Deepest condolences to all the family & loved ones. Our thoughts & wishes are with you.

    RIP Adam.

  12. This is very sad news, I really respected Adam, his viewpoint and the way he conveyed his thoughts to us. My deepest sympathy go to Lydia and his family.

  13. I only knew Adam through his writings here and from a few threads/conversations on another blog. And I can’t find the words to describe how highly I thought of him.
    As others have said our thoughts are with his friends and family.

  14. Really sorry to hear of Adam’s sudden demise . While like most here I did not know him personally , but have enjoyed his very indepth, fact filled and informative articles .
    I ‘ve saved a few of the links he loved to provide data about UEFA & FIFA amongst others .He did mentioned here that he had a medical condition for which he was overcoming.
    Many a time I would post something funny or inspirational when I noticed that he was getting ‘hot under the collar ‘ here , and I like to think that this helped him to pacify and cool him down.
    Go in peace ,friend and find solace and joy in His arms .
    My heartfelt condolences also to his immediate family and friends .

  15. Had wanted to use this here for sometime now.

    Heart touching inspirational story

    A long time ago, there was a huge apple tree. A little boy loved to come and play around it everyday. He climbed to the treetop, ate the apples, and took a nap under the shadow.

    He loved the tree and the tree loved to play with him. Time went by, the little boy had grown up and he no longer played around the tree every day.
    One day, the boy came back to the tree and he looked sad.

    “Come and play with me”, the tree asked the boy.

    “I am no longer a kid, I do not play around trees any more” the boy replied.

    “I want toys. I need money to buy them.”

    “Sorry, but I do not have money, but you can pick all my apples and sell them. So, you will have money.”

    The boy was so excited. He grabbed all the apples on the tree and left happily. The boy never came back after he picked the apples. The tree was sad.

    One day, the boy who now turned into a man returned and the tree was excited.

    “Come and play with me” the tree said.

    “I do not have time to play. I have to work for my family. We need a house for shelter. Can you help me?”

    “Sorry, but I do not have any house. But you can chop off my branches to build your house.” So the man cut all the branches of the tree and left happily. The tree was glad to see him happy but the man never came back since then. The tree was again lonely and sad.

    One hot summer day, the man returned and the tree was delighted.

    “Come and play with me!” the tree said.

    “I am getting old. I want to go sailing to relax myself. Can you give me a boat?” said the man.

    “Use my trunk to build your boat. You can sail far away and be happy.”

    So the man cut the tree trunk to make a boat. He went sailing and never showed up for a long time.

    Finally, the man returned after many years. “Sorry, my boy. But I do not have anything for you anymore. No more apples for you”, the tree said. “No problem, I do not have any teeth to bite” the
    man replied.

    “No more trunk for you to climb on.” “I am too old for that now” the man said. “I really cannot give you anything, the only thing left is my dying roots,” the tree said with tears.

    “I do not need much now, just a place to rest. I am tired after all these years,” the man replied.

    “Good! Old tree roots are the best place to lean on and rest, come sit down with me and rest.” The man sat down and the tree was glad and smiled with tears.

    This is a story of everyone. The tree is like our parents. When we were young, we loved to play with our Mum and Dad. When we grow up, we leave them; only come to them when we need something or when we are in trouble. No matter what, parents will always be there and give everything they could just to make you happy.

    You may think the boy is cruel to the tree, but that is how all of us treat our parents. We take them for granted; we don’t appreciate all they do for us, until it’s too late.

    ~ Moral ~ Treat your parents with loving care…. For you will know their value, when you see their empty chair…We never know the love of our parents for us; till we have become parents .

  16. After wasting time responding to ignorant comments on the previous blog I now see this next article. It just goes to show what is truly important.

    My deepest sympathies to Lydia, Bejamin, Jason and other friends and family of Adam’s. Really hard to believe – and feel so, so sad for a little boy now growing up without his Dad.

  17. I can only add my condolences to those above, it is truly awful news which as Tony says, puts everything else into sharp perspective.

  18. My God Brickfields you sure are an artist.

    In the comment of another article you asked if Tony and I cringed when we saw your name. I cannot speak for Tony but I know that when I read your name in the comment section that I will or laugh or nod because another wisdom you shared with us. Or in this case on a day like today after hearing that Adam has died I feel very moved and touched.
    Someone said to me after I had written an article that they had cried. And until this day that was the nicest comment I have ever read about one of my articles. If you have touched someone over such an artificial thing as the internet and their cables and made them cry, you have written a wonderful thing.

    Today I have been touched twice. First Tony his article and now your comment. So true….

  19. As a regular contributor to the UA community and a fellow Arsenal fanatic, my prayers go out to Adam’s family and for the repose of his soul. It is touching and beautiful to see the variety of support and sensitive responses our community shares at sad moments like this. I feel Adam has taken the route we will all ultimately travel considerably earlier than many of us will but he will be waiting at our common destination wearing an Arsenal shirt and cheering us on to the finish line.

  20. I know a game of football is not that important at such a time.
    But a win of Arsenal tomorrow will be a win for Adam in my book.

  21. So sorry to hear the tragic news, his articles were always an interesting and intelligent read. And I’ll always think of him in the neverending quest for a Slovakian curry.

  22. A very sad news after the death of Dogface’s wife, may his soul rest in peace & may God give his family the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.

  23. I just wanted to echo Mike Barnett comments (please see above). I had the pleasure of knowing Adam for near on 20 years on a personal level. I too am a die hard Gooners fan and after seeing and reading soo many comments on this site and many other sites of how Adam touched the hearts of many – I too feel humbled to have met and know him. May Adam find peace wherever he is. God bless son. x

  24. Shocked and stunned. Adam and I had a few friendly run ins on here but we always respected each other. My condolences go to his family.

  25. Very sad news, really enjoyed Adam’s contributions. I became aware of one of the best investigative & rare breed of journalists in the business, Andrew Jennings, after Adam kept referring to him. He always came across as very knowledgeable on every subject he wrote or commented about. Will be sorely missed. RIP Adam.

  26. I’ve only just come online so I could catch up on a few things before tomorrow’s game, but reading this, put’s things in perspective. I have got to add my condolences on the sad news.

    Adam was a fantastic contributor to this site and I always made the effort to read his interesting articles and posts.

    You could tell that he was intelligent, insightful and a man of character not afraid to speak his mind or argue his point. And though I have never met him in person I had a great deal of respect for him and am saddened by the news.

    He is a loss to Untold Arsenal but no doubt an even bigger loss to those who knew him in person. A part of him, lives on in the Arsenal blogasphere at least.

  27. OMG, that was unexpected. I remember reading Adam’s articles and being amazed by the deep insight they provided, and the amount of facts they uncovered. My thoughts go with his friends and family. Be strong!

  28. Thanks , Walter – I know that just like most of the regulars, you’d enjoy some of the inspirational articles that my friends send me daily .
    There have been times that when something very personal had been shared here , I too have teared up, and certain links provided by the regulars have brought a lump to my throat.
    Many of my more (?) funnier posts were for Adam , who always
    seem to enjoy them and took the trouble to respond .Will miss his presence here .
    I too hope we win today ( 2-0 )and wherever he is , he will smiling in approval at the Arsenal.

  29. Walk good Adam, and may your family find the strength to carry on and preserve your memories.

  30. I’m stunned. Never expected to see such sad news. Although he was around on the blog, my first real memory of Adam is having quite a heated argument with him.

    But when we next ‘spoke’, his words were respectful, and even friendly, which was unexpected, and a little humbling. It was as if there was never any problem between us, and he gained my respect right then and there.

    Since then, the quality of his articles, and the depth of research that went into them, the insight he provided on certain aspects of football that no one else even thought of, his ability to rise above narrow club loyalties where more important issues were concerned, were all qualities I liked in him. What a great loss to the Untold community, and I offer my condolences to his family.

  31. …such sad,shocking news, condolences to Adams family and all his friends—hope they can find some strength.

  32. As Adams cousin I feel extremely blessed to have had him as a family member and friend. I thank everyone for their kind words, He was truly an inspiration to everybody who met him and who has read his work. He will be forever missed and always in my heart.
    My love to Auntie Rea, Uncle Bill, Cousin Jason, Lydia and Benjamin.

    Not here in body but forever in our minds.

    I know you will be looking over us all for the rest of our lives.

    RIP Adam xx

  33. So tragic and very sad news. I always enjoyed Adam’s articles for UA. Condolences to his family. It just puts everything else into perspective.

  34. RIP Adam, and another truly sad loss.

    He was one of the people who were slowly showing just how obsolete the traditional media are.

    Investigating the things they are no longer bothered to, and asking the questions that no one else wants to. Always something that made you think; even if you didn’t agree.

    To find this when coming on here at half time in the Norwich game to celebrate, is just another reminder of what really matters.

  35. Adam was a gent, a legend. An absolute diamond geezer who loved his family an friends his team an
    His job. A true friend I’m proud to have known, an will miss forever. To see all the tributes on here, is great. To know that his work was appreciated and that he’s remembered so fondly. Is amazing. A special mans been taken, but never to be forgotten.

  36. Adam was a true teacher and truth-seeker.
    Relentlessly pursuing his in-depth legacy here would be a worthy testimony.

  37. I had the pleasure of a few conversations with Adam on here.
    A very thoughtful and intelligent man. A huge loss to us,
    but more importantly a tragedy for his family and friends.

  38. RIP Adam my gooner friend u will be forever remembered for your great Articles

    go in peace

    Deepest Condolences to Adams family friends and loved ones

  39. I also want to express my condolences. I am quite shocked because I always enjoyed his writings and was thinking what a nice and knowledgeable man he must be. I hope his family will get through this..

  40. R.I.P. Adam. Thank you for having contributed to Untold and helping to make it the site that it is.

  41. My sincerest condolences to Adam’s family and friends. A truly shocking event.

  42. Such sad and unexpected news and a terrible loss for family and friends.

    Condolences to all who knew and loved him.

  43. Really sad to hear this…May his soul rest in peace!

    My condolences to his family and all his near ones…

  44. Oh my God! It’s been quite a while since I came online. How terribly sad. May your soul rest in perfect peace, Adam. You will be sourly missed.

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