“We've lost our mate, and that's what hurts the most.” Tony O'Neill said that as tributes began to gather for Darren Webb, the Manchester United fan and co-host of the Webby & O'Neill podcast who died from cancer on 12 August, his family said. Webb was one half of the show, and the reaction has focused on the same things his friends kept returning to: humour, honesty and a proper devotion to Manchester United.
Tony O'Neill's tribute to Webb
O'Neill's line was matched by the sort of detail that usually tells you the most about a person. “What you saw was what you got,” he said, before adding: “He loved United, loved a laugh and could certainly give you his opinion.” That is how Webb is being remembered by the people who knew him best, not as a polished broadcaster, but as someone who said what he thought and made space for others to laugh with him.
Tim Burgess also described Webb's warmth, saying: “His smile lit up a room and his off-the-record stories about United were a treat to hear.” Webb's family were equally clear about the role football played in his life, saying: “Darren absolutely loved life, his family, friends, followers and his beloved United.”
A fan who followed United everywhere
Webb travelled the world to follow United, and that bit of his life keeps coming up for good reason. It is one thing to support a club from a distance. It is another to build part of your identity around following it wherever it goes, and that was clearly Webb's way of doing it.
United's own scale also explains why so many people around the club have responded. They finished third in the 2025 Premier League table, with 71 points and 20 wins, a reminder of the size of the support Webb was part of. Jem Cook, another fan, said match days would never be the same again. The tributes now sit around one plain fact: the voice behind Webby & O'Neill is gone, and the podcast's co-presenter, family and fellow supporters are left talking about the man who was always there for United.'}
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →
