Steve Walsh

[worth_the_wait]

I don't think this has been posted before.   A good aricle on Steve Walsh.

 

https://theathletic.co.uk/1780169/2020/04/29/steve-walsh-leicester-martin-oneill-david-pleat/

Steve Walsh on 13 red cards, yoga with Pleat and his parents thinking he’d died
By Rob Tanner 28th Apr 2020

“How is he?” the worried parents of Steve Walsh asked the police officer stood next to the ambulance.
“I’m sorry, I’m afraid he is dead.”
They had just watched as their son was carried off while playing for Wigan Athletic against Preston North End after a late challenge from John Thomas.
Thankfully, Walsh was very much alive. He was waiting for the next ambulance after being carried off on an advertising hoarding with a broken leg. The only stretcher in the ground had been used to carry an elderly fan, who had suffered a heart attack and then passed away, to the only waiting ambulance.
“It was bizarre. My parents thought I was dead,” Walsh explains to The Athletic.
The young defender recovered from that broken leg in his final season at Wigan to become a living legend at Leicester City, during a 14-year spell at Filbert Street between 1986 and 2000. Walsh made six Wembley appearances for the club; four play-off finals, two of which they won, and two League Cup finals, including the 1997 win against Middlesbrough. He also experienced two relegations and two promotions. Walsh made 449 appearances for Leicester — a total which would have been considerably greater had he not suffered several serious knee injuries — and also scored 62 goals, including some of the most important in the club’s history.
For a generation he embodied the never-say-die spirit of Leicester City, scoring memorable late goals to salvage games, such as against Fulham in the quarter-finals of the League Cup in 2000 and the famous 3-3 draw with arsenal at Filbert Street in 1997. Walsh will forever be remembered for his two goals against Derby County in the 1994 play-off final which erased the memory of consecutive controversial play-off final defeats and propelled Leicester into the Premier League, where they would enjoy regular top-10 finishes under Martin O’Neill.
But as well as the moments of glory there were injury battles, a career record 13 dismissals (which probably cost him the chance of an England call-up as well as a small fortune) and the psychological impact of being forced out of his beloved club by Peter Taylor in 2000, a move that sent his life spiralling out of control.
“It has certainly been a rollercoaster ride,” says Walsh, who is involved with the club again while running a football coaching and education course in Leicester with Muzzy Izzet, his friend and former team-mate.
Walsh was born in Fulwood, Lancashire, and thanks to his dad Eddie, football was part of his life from an early age. “He ran a team called Ribbleton Avenue Old Boys and I have pictures of me aged two with them,” says Walsh. “I can still remember being in the dressing room and the smell of liniment. I remember Waverley Park where they used to play those games. I would be at the side kicking a ball. That’s how it started.
....

 

[worth_the_wait]

Apologies - seemed to miss out 95% of the text first time!

[Mark 'expert' Lawrenson]

Absolute legend, provided us with so many great memories!

My 2 favourites 

 

1. winner vs Derby in the play off final.

2. Last minute equaliser vs Arsenal in the Bergkamp hat trick game.

 

[purpleronnie]

10 hours ago, Mark 'expert' Lawrenson said:

Absolute legend, provided us with so many great memories!

My 2 favourites 

 

1. winner vs Derby in the play off final.

2. Last minute equaliser vs Arsenal in the Bergkamp hat trick game.

 

Yeah great moments, I remember watching him equalize against Arsenal in the league cup when arsenal were holder it was Ian wrights debut for Arsenal.  As we so often did back then we scored late on.

 

 

 

[themightyfin]

His battles with Steve Bull is what I'll remember. 

[Lee Monty]

I saw this on twitter and looked at downloading the Athletic thinking to take use of the free trial to read the article and got charged £59.99 good read though now I’m currently arguing with Apple and the Athletic to get my money back 

[rico]

Loved the season he played up front with Joachim, they were a great strike force

[sacreblueits442]

...not too sure why these sports stars end up in adverse tax situations!!!

 Get the government tax to be paid sorted, if not you will always be looking over your shoulder. So many people have fallen foul in this situation and still it continues to happen.

  We all assume that these guys are set up and are comfortable financially but everything is never all it seems.

[TJB-fox]

Great read that thanks for posting.

[Chiltern Fox]

6 hours ago, themightyfin said:

His battles with Steve Bull is what I'll remember. 

I loved the walshy/bully banter with my old wolves boss.

[gw_leics772]

To be fair, losing Walsh broke us as well. 

[poggypogpog]

Put simply. Living Leicester legend.

 

Now all we have to do is arrange an "accidental" meeting where Walsh and Taylor end up stuck in a small room together.

[Guest Cujek]

Needs a statue, next to Vardy's

[worth_the_wait]

In these tough times our definition of "hero" has changed a bit, but keeping it in context of a "football hero" ... then Steve Walsh really was one of Leicester City's top boys.

  

He wasn't the most naturally gifted footballer, but he gave everything for our club over 14 years.

 

He was a great captain, leading all over the pitch (in defence of attack).  

He came back from lots of injuries, and put his body on the line time and again.

He scored dramatic goals at the highest level.

He was the proverbial "person you'd want in the trenches with you".   He inspired people around him.

He loved his battles with the likes of Derby and Wolves, which is what proper footballers should do.

 

Most of all ... he loves our club.  

Lots of players have good times, say a few nice things to the media and fans, and move on.   But Walshy genuinely loves our club.

He's modest, and has quite often sat with fans in the away end without expecting any undue fuss.

 

A top man.

 

[Danizen]

On 05/05/2020 at 10:06, Lee Monty said:

I saw this on twitter and looked at downloading the Athletic thinking to take use of the free trial to read the article and got charged £59.99 good read though now I’m currently arguing with Apple and the Athletic to get my money back 

I read a few articles and thought it was worth the £35/year. I definitely thought it was worth it for the content they were producing pre-covid.

 

My only issue is, I've subscribed to Leicester but I can't find an option to get notifications for general Premier League stuff.

[Heathrow fox]

On 05/05/2020 at 14:17, sacreblueits442 said:

...not too sure why these sports stars end up in adverse tax situations!!!

 Get the government tax to be paid sorted, if not you will always be looking over your shoulder. So many people have fallen foul in this situation and still it continues to happen.

  We all assume that these guys are set up and are comfortable financially but everything is never all it seems.

I think pro football has one of the highest bankruptcy+divorce rates of any industry.Add depression and gambling addiction and being a pro footballer might not be the so called dream job us mere mortals believe it to be.Walsh left the game as the wages started to sky rocket.Even the likes of Matt Le Tissier have to keep working to subsidise their savings.Doing after dinner talks and tv work etc.A friend of mine met Kevin Phillips in a bar in Spain,just after he had signed for Southampton.He told him how vital that contract was for his future financial security.

[weller54]

19 hours ago, Cujek said:

Needs a statue, next to Vardy's

.. both in-between Rachel?

[Guest Cujek]

On 07/05/2020 at 07:48, weller54 said:

.. both in-between Rachel?

of course, i forgot about her!

[HighPeakFox]

Very mixed feelings, having read that. He gave us so many great memories, which I readily acknowledge, yet he somehow tries to justify his assault on Geddis - very much 'sorry but not sorry'. I wish Walshy no harm at all, but there's a side to him that comes across (to me anyway) as less than pleasant.

 

 

[worth_the_wait]

2 hours ago, HighPeakFox said:

Very mixed feelings, having read that. He gave us so many great memories, which I readily acknowledge, yet he somehow tries to justify his assault on Geddis - very much 'sorry but not sorry'. I wish Walshy no harm at all, but there's a side to him that comes across (to me anyway) as less than pleasant.

 

 

In fairness to Walshy, I heard him speak at a supporters do.

 

He said he wasn't proud of any of his sendings off, and wished he had had done things differently ... with ONE exception.    The Geddis case.  He said that Geddis elbowed him in the face.

Walsh told him not to do it again.

Geddis then did exactly the same thing a 2nd time.

Walsh then explicitly warned him, that if he did that a 3rd time, there would be serious trouble..

Geddis then did exactly the same thing a 3rd time.

So Walsh hit him.

 

He said, he didn't mean to hurt him as badly as he did.   But he had warned him 3 times.

 

As I said, Walsh said he wasn't proud of any of the other things he did wrong,   But he would not apologise for the Geddis incident.