MESSAGES of support have come in after it emerged that one of the legends of North-East football has been rushed into hospital.

Bob Stokoe, the manager of Sunderland AFC's famous 1973 FA Cup winning team, was said to be in a "poorly" condition last night.

The 73-year-old former Newcastle United player was taken to the University Hospital of Hartlepool on Wednesday.

Details of his condition were not known last night, but Mr Stokoe has been suffering from a severe form of dementia for several years.

Friends and former players have spoken of their shock and sadness at the news that Mr Stokoe had been transferred to hospital from the Elwick Grange nursing home, in Hartlepool.

Jim Montgomery, the goalkeeper in the 1973 FA Cup final victory over Leeds United, said: "The news is a shock but we've known he had been suffering from dementia for some time.

"He really is a superb man and absolutely everyone who knows him will wish him the best, including all the team from 1973. It's really sad to see him decline since the death of his wife, Joan."

John Fickling, vice-chairman at Sunderland FC, said: "Bob Stokoe is a legendary figure and someone who will always hold a special place in the club's history. Bob was known at The Messiah to Sunderland fans, but he is not only a Sunderland hero but a North-East legend."

Mr Stokoe managed Sunderland between 1972 and 1976 during which time Sunderland won the cup - the last North-East team to win a trophy - and secured promotion to the old Division One.

He returned briefly in 1987 and narrowly failed to save the club from relegation to the old Division Three. He also played in the famous Newcastle United teams of the 1950s.