Steve Walsh - Legend 1

[Jake_Foxes]

What a legend he is ! OMG, he was class ! Used to be my favourite playerr !!

[He's not bald]

What a legend he is ! OMG, he was class ! Used to be my favourite playerr !!

can still picture him now when he scored the winner against the sheep sh**gers!

[Jake_Foxes]

He was a f**king awesome player ! Had him on the back of my shirt everytime !

Walkers Stadium should have a Steve Walsh Stand !

[Raj]

Spoke to him on the phone a couple of days ago!!!

Thanks go to my pal at LCFC!!!!

[Kent Fox]

Spoke to him on the phone a couple of days ago!!!

Thanks go to my pal at LCFC!!!!

And did you ask the legend a sensible question, Raj, or just babble?

[Raj]

And did you ask the legend a sensible question, Raj, or just babble?

Pure and utter babble!!!!!!

erm so erm Steve yeah....erm......good goals....er.......yeah......legend...er...Did you sleep with Elliots missus!!???

[AoWW]

Pure and utter babble!!!!!!

erm so erm Steve yeah....erm......good goals....er.......yeah......legend...er...Did you sleep with Elliots missus!!???

And the response to that utter garbage was...?!!!

[davieG]

Probably

Sleep!

[Raj]

And the response to that utter garbage was...?!!!

I Presume you mean about him and Elliots missus?????.......a true gentleman would never boast about such conquests!!!

In reply to my conversation with him,he said it was a pleasure and a thrill and he'd never participated in such an interesting and enthralling conversation before EVER!!!!

[Super Arj]

in the top 5 greats in my opinion

[Ultra]

For City, no question.

Probably in the top 1..

[Corky]

I can always remember trying to be Walshie in the playground at first school. I've been a season-ticket holder at Filbert Street/Way since I was four years old (1994/1995) and all my mates followed Man Utd and Arsenal so they had no idea who Walshie was. Was always in awe watching him from the Double Decker every other Saturday.

Great times, great memories, great player!

[davieG]

Weekend Wonder

Leicester City's Steve Walsh (left) heads the ball away from Arsenal's Martin Keown at Highbury in 1997

Leicester City legend Steve Walsh encapsulates the spirit of the old school defender. On the pitch he was big, snarling, nasty, horrible b*stard.

But he's a winner. The sort of man you'd follow into battle. The sort of man you want on your side. The sort of man you didn't want to come up against.

He is the record holder for the most red cards in the Football League, 13, an unenviable score he holds jointly with Roy McDonough.

In the context of today's diluted game critics might argue he was nothing more than a bruiser, but to the English football purist he was a brave and fearless defender who led by example.

The fact that the PFA voted him as the greatest Leicester City player in the club's history in 2007 shows how highly regarded he is.

During a career spanning 21 years, Walsh also played for Wigan, Norwich City, Tamworth and Coventry City.

The 44-year-old now has his fingers in a number of pies. He runs his own Soccer Academy with Muzzy Izzet called Future Foxes, set to launch this Easter.

He's also set up Legends UK, an event and memorabilia company. On top of this he writes a weekly column for the Leicester Mercury.

An ambassador of Special Olympics Leicester 2009, Walsh is a now a big softy, but he still has a few names on his wanted list….

Have you played Sunday League football?

Between the age of 10 and 14 I played for Lytham YMCA in the Blackpool and Fylde League. Rather embarrassingly, we used to run out to the tune of YMCA by the Village People too!

Any tips for playing with a hangover?

Your best bet is to start the game and then pull up with a hamstring injury ten minutes in. That way you don't have to do much running, avoid the wrath of the gaffer and enjoy an early bath on your own!

Saying that, my old team mate, goalkeeper Paul Cooper swore by cherry flavoured Tunes, keeping the stagnant ale off of your breath!

What's the best way to deal with a speedy striker?

I'd say an early clip to his legs, which would deter the lad from hanging around me for too long. Then I'd send them on their way to Matt Elliott.

Anyone remember what Dennis Bergkamp did to Matty in the 3-3 draw between Leicester and Arsenal? No prizes for guessing who sent him that way – and I got Matt out of jail with the last minute equaliser.

I play like

Hard to say, but I was hardly Alan Hansen was I?

Other people say I play like

Leicester's answer to Terry Butcher.

Best football achievement

Either scoring two goals at Wembley to win the 1994 Play-off final against Derby County, Leicester's first ever win at the Twin Towers, or captaining our League Cup triumph over Middlesbrough in 1997.

Worst moment in football

Either my 25 operations due to endless injury problems, or being ousted from Leicester by Peter Taylor. Scant reward for 14 years loyal service.

Best player in our team

It's got to be Muzzy Izzet and Neil Lennon. They were consistently top-notch and often outperformed more well-known opponents.

Team supported

Leicester City

My football hero

Alan Hansen as a defender, Kenny Dalglish as a pure attacking talent.

My football villain

Obviously Peter Taylor, but Dennis Wise is still on my hitlist.

Why I'm a Weekend Wonder

I was brought up with the game and was even around my dad's team at the age of two. Football is the game that gave me so much and I hope to be able to give quite a bit back over the coming years.

[Ultra]

Still playing I believe, as an occasional sub for Anstey Nomads.

And his soccer school, run with Muzzy Izzet, starts tomorrow.

[ajthefox]

First player I ever met was Walshy, came to my local newsagents when I was about 6 and signed my football, was chuffed to bits.

My dads VCR of that final at Wembley is probably my most played VCR. Was only 4 at the time it actually happened but remember watching it over again when I was a couple of years older

[leicester ghost]

I don't usually read footballers books though i did read Jamie Lawrences......interesting to hear his comments on his teamates at the time........as for Walshy,Lawrence basically described him as a legend of the club.....and he is......Walshy was our rock who you felt confident was representing you on the terrace .....and those goals against Derby will live forever in the minds of Leicester fans that were there......a hundred per centre player.

[davieG]

OS

The main football story 26 years ago this week was Diego Maradona's infamous 'Hand of God' goal against Peter Shilton in the World Cup quarter-finals in Mexico. However, a story of far greater significance that week, from a Leicester City point of view, was the signing of future Club legend, Steve Walsh.

When 21-year-old Steve signed for Leicester, he had already made his reputation as an uncompromising and totally committed defender (and occasional striker) with Third Division Wigan, who had only been a league club for four years. He had made his Wigan debut in September 1982, aged 17, as a replacement for his injured manager, another left footed defender, the ex-Liverpool and Forest defender Larry Lloyd. The match was at Maine Road against First Division Manchester City in the second round of the Milk (League) Cup. Also making his Wigan debut that day was another 17-year-old, David Lowe. Years later these two were to be team mates at Leicester City.

Steve's early career at Wigan soon manifested those traits of Steve's play for which he became famous. His manager commented on how he played 'out of his skin' on his debut, as he threw heart and soul into defending his goal. In his second game, on his 18th birthday, he was shown his first red card after he had retaliated to a push by taking a swing at Exeter forward Steve Neville.

Two months later, Larry Lloyd hung up his boots and Steve was established as Wigan's centre-half. His committed and determined performances soon attracted the attention of other clubs such as Chelsea, West Ham, Charlton and Derby, but Steve stayed at Wigan for four seasons. Larry Lloyd was replaced as manager by (briefly) Bobby Charlton, Harry McNally and finally Bryan Hamilton, the ex- Ipswich, Everton and Northern Ireland star who had cut his managerial teeth at Tranmere Rovers. By this time, Steve was developing a reputation as a hard tackling and competitive defender with a bad disciplinary record, which caused him to miss too many matches. Hamilton worked hard on impressing on Steve the importance of keeping out of trouble.

Hamilton also experimented with playing Steve as a striker, a decision which helped to benefit Leicester in years to come, most famously in the 1994 Play-Off Final against Derby. It was also under Hamilton that Steve had the first of his seven trips to Wembley when, alongside future Leicester team mates Mike Newell and David Lowe, he was part of the Wigan side which won the Freight Rover trophy in 1985, beating Frank McLintock's Brentford.

By now, Steve was valued at £200,000 by Wigan. Leicester's Gordon Milne, who had just sold Gary Lineker to Everton, was very interested in signing Steve to play alongside his new signing Russell Osman. However, Bryan Hamilton planned to build the Wigan side around Steve for the 1985/86 season.

In the event, all plans for Steve's future were thrown into total disarray when he broke his left leg playing against his hometown club Preston in a pre-season Lancashire Manx Cup game at Springfield Road. He missed the majority of the season, but was back in the first team by the end of it.

In the close season of 1986, with Gary Lineker starring in the World Cup Finals in Mexico on his way to winning the Golden Boot, Gordon Milne was moved upstairs to become General Manager at Leicester.

This meant that the Club needed a first team coach. Boosted by his appearances on a TV World Cup panel, Wigan's manager Hamilton was appointed to work alongside Milne. One of his first decisions was to bring his Wigan protégé Steve Walsh to Filbert Street.

Steve didn't have an agent and negotiated directly with Milne. In the end he agreed a four-year contract. His wages were to increase progressively during the contract and he received a signing-on fee. He subsequently felt that he could have pushed for more money but he was delighted to be playing in the top division.

The transfer fee reported in the press was £100,000. The initial fee was £76,000, with another £25,000 to be paid after Steve's first 25 appearances and a further £15,000 after 50 games. The £250,000 sell-on fee that Leicester received from Everton upon Lineker's sale to Barcelona financed the deal.

This was money well spent. Twenty-six years ago this week, the Club knew they had signed a good player in Steve Walsh, but few would have envisaged the tremendous impact he would make.

Steve went on to play in 449 games for Leicester over the next 14 years, scoring 62 goals. Along the way, he became a Leicester City folk hero. Whether he was captaining the side, collecting red cards, scoring vital goals, appearing in six Wembley finals for Leicester, winning the Player of the Year Award, overcoming serious injuries or putting in countless never-say-die performances, he was always, at the very least, the fans' favourite, but for many he was much more than that. He was the embodiment of Leicester City's fighting spirit, a cult hero whose reputation will be difficult to surpass.

[Bayfox]

what was that pink shirt last night all about!!!

not that i'm going to tell him not to wear it.