Tracy McConnell funeral held in West Heath
He said: “The turnout today is testament to what a popular guy Tracy was and how much he will be missed.
“He treated everybody with utmost respect and he was a real family man.
“It must be awful for his family but I hope they can take some comfort from the fact that so many people wanted to be here today.”
Another friend, David McCarthy, aged 48, added: “I hadn’t seen Tracy for a few years but I wanted to come today because he was a great bloke.
“I’m not surprised so many people have turned out, Tracy and his whole family are very popular.”
A post-mortem examination revealed that Mr McConnell died of head injuries.
The Fordrough, on Redhill Road, was closed down after police were granted emergency powers to shut the premises.
Magistrates were told that officers had been called to 65 incidents in 14 months.
Landlady Kath Keen has since said she has no interest in running the pub any more.
* Jason D’Aguilar, aged 21, of Northfield, has been charged with Mr McConnell’s manslaughter. He will appear in court next month to enter a plea to the charge.
