ceredigion Posted 18 May 2014 Share Posted 18 May 2014 Obviously there will have been many threads in the past about Walshie, but I make no apologies for starting another one as I consider him to have been by a long stretch the most inspirational Leicester player in my nearly forty years as a supporter. Man Utd have Cantona and Giggs, Liverpool have Dalglish and Gerrard, Arsenal have Bergkamp and Viera, Chelsea have Zola and Lampard. But we will always have Walshie and personally I wouldn't swap him for anyone else. So here are my own top ten memories of his phenomenal career with the club. Some are good, some are bad and some are downright ugly but each I think sums up in its way what a privilege it was to have watched Leicester's greatest ever Number Five. 1- August 1987, Div 2, Shrewsbury at home. Walshie hadn't pulled up any trees in his 1st season with the club which ended in relegation. In the opening game of the 87/88 campaign he was keen to make amends. Unfortunately he went about it the wrong way. David Geddes scored the only goal as Shrewsbury beat us 1-0. Later in the game Walshie broke Geddes' jaw and received a record 11 match ban. City fans were now doubting both his temperament and his ability. 2 - September 1990, Div 2, Middlesbrough away. Walshie is the recipient of yet another red card (he managed a hat-trick of dismissals this season) and City crash to a 6-0 defeat at Ayresome Park. It was only September but this was City's 7th league defeat in a row. The relegation battle was well and truly on and would go all the way to the last minute of the last game, but Walshie was there for the happy ending against Oxford. 3 - September 1991. League Cup, Arsenal at home. The League champions fetch up at Filbert Street for a 1st leg tie in the League Cup. New signing Ian Wright scores for them on his debut in the first half. City had made a promising start to the 91/92 season under new manager Brian Little and were unbeaten at home. With 89 minutes on the scoreboard, City get a corner in front of the South Stand and Walshie rises above everyone to power a bullet header past David Seaman, spoil Ian Wright's debut and send us all home happy and optimistic. 4 - May 1992, Div 2, Newcastle at home. An incredibly tense last league match of the 91/92 season. If City won they might go up, if Newcastle lost or drew they might go down. With 90 minutes up, Newcastle were 1-0 ahead and were safe. Then Walshie equalised in injury time. Promotion was back on for us and relegation was back on for them. Was there time for another goal? There was, and Walshie scored it a minute later. Trouble was it was an own goal and the last kick of the game. Newcastle were safe, we had to settle for the play-offs and thousands of City fans invaded the pitch to console a heartbroken Walshie. 5 - December 1992. Div 1 (new style), Swindon at home. A freezing cold day and a frost-bound pitch. City fans ask themselves what is going on as Walshie starts the game as our new centre forward in a Little and Large partnership with Julian Joachim. He stays up front for the rest of the season, scoring goal after goal, as City go all the way to another Wembley play-off final, eventually losing in a 4-3 classic against Swindon, in which he scores his 16th of the season. 6 - May 1994, Play-Off Final, Derby at Wembley. THAT GAME. Already a club legend and still only half way through his City career, Walshie had missed most of the 93/94 season through injury. He re-emerged in an injury-ravaged City team as they scraped over the line in the play-off semi final against Tranmere. His finest hour came against Derby in the final. It was City's 7th appearance at Wembley and we'd lost all the previous 6, going 1-0 down on each occasion. We went 1-0 down again, but Walshie scored a comical equaliser at the end of the 1st half, before scoring what I believe must be one of Wembley's greatest ever winning goals. The Wembley hoodoo was broken, we were back in the top-flight and 40,000 City fans had the happiest day of their lives. 7 - April 1996, Div 1, Charlton away. City are back in the 2nd tier and Walshie is back in defence. We are 9th in the league and the fans want O'Neill out. The play-offs seem beyond our reach and we're playing Charlton at the Valley, a ground where we never, ever win. Steve Claridge scores his first goal for the club to put us 1-0 up, but late in the game our spirits are crushed as Charlton equalise. But they don't. Somehow Walshie, in his 30s by now, hooks the ball out from under the crossbar for one of the best goal-line clearances I've ever seen. And TV replays show the ball didn't cross the line. City go on to win the game and take 22 out of the last 27 points of the season and finish 6th, in the play-offs yet again. 8 - May 1996, Play-Off Final, Crystal Palace at Wembley. We win at Wembley again. It's becoming a habit. The heroes? Steve Claridge for his last-gasp winner? Neil Lennon for covering every blade of grass? Zelko Kalac for confusing everyone right at the end? For me it's Walshie again for a brilliant tackle against David Hopkin, Palace's best player on the day. Walshie slid in, won the ball and sent Hopkin 6 feet into the air uttering a cry of pain which was heard all round the ground. The ref awarded a throw-in and never has the expression ''hard but fair'' been more appropriate. Hopkin lasted another 5 minutes before limping off. I don't suppose Walshie has been on his Christmas Card list ever since. And as if that wasn't enough, right at the end, with 3 minutes left of extra-time, Walshie goes up for a corner at the Palace end. He wins the ball in the air but falls heavily and injures his ankle. Palace break away downfield and look like they might get the winner, until Walshie limps back into the penalty area and manages to block a goalbound shot. It's like a scene out of ''Zulu''. 9 - August 1997, Premier League, Arsenal at home. A game made famous by Dennis Bergkamp's wonder hat-trick, hailed by many as the best hat-trick ever. Bergkamp made it 3-2 to Arsenal in the 94th minute with a wonder goal, a dress rehearsal for the one he scored for Holland against Argentina in the 1998 World Cup also in injury time. Luckily for Holland, Steve Walsh wasn't playing for Argentina that day. In the 95th and last minute at Filbert Street that night, City got a corner. Walshie went forward and for the 2nd time in his career powered a last-gasp header past David Seaman to earn a dramatic draw against Arsenal. Lightning does strike twice. 10 - January 2000, League Cup, Fulham away. Walshie's last ever goal for the club and what an important one it was. It was his last season and he was only a bit-part player by now but he still managed a last minute equaliser in this quarter-final match at Fulham. City went on to win a penalty shoot out and ended up winning the trophy for a third time by beating Tranmere. Sadly, Walshie had got himself sent off a couple of weeks earlier (his last ever red card) and was suspended for the final. So the wheel came full circle. Our most talented ever player? Certainly not. Our cleanest and fairest ever player? No way Jose, no way never. Scored more own goals and earned more red cards than any other player? Guilty on both counts. But my favourite ever City player? Definitely. No shadow of a doubt. And yours too, probably, if you watched City between 1986 and 2000, The only man to play for us in the old First Division and the Premier League. Will we ever see his like again? If we do, we'll be very very lucky. 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Sharpe's Fox Posted 18 May 2014 Share Posted 18 May 2014 Buy Steve Walsh's autobiography NOW from any good bookstore for only £7.99! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rico Posted 18 May 2014 Share Posted 18 May 2014 You missed out his seasonal battles with Steve Bull every time we played Wolves Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rain King Posted 18 May 2014 Share Posted 18 May 2014 Nice. But number 10 was at Filbert Street. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vlad the Fox Posted 18 May 2014 Share Posted 18 May 2014 He was a man mountain for us in the cup replay against Middlesbrough. With prior, they both won absolutely everything as they threw the kitchen sink at us in trying to get an equaliser. I'm sure I can remember him getting sent off on his debut against Shrewsbury for rugby tackling a player??? Am I getting mixed up With the geddis incident or am I right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ceredigion Posted 18 May 2014 Author Share Posted 18 May 2014 You missed out his seasonal battles with Steve Bull every time we played Wolves I couldn't fit everything in. But didn't Walshie get sent off 1 year, then Bull the next, then both of them in the same game the year after? I wouldn't be surprised if they're good mates now though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vlad the Fox Posted 18 May 2014 Share Posted 18 May 2014 You missed out his seasonal battles with Steve Bull every time we played Wolves Yes. They were ferocious, which carried on into the stands. Was always a great atmosphere when we played wolves and I still hate them now for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vlad the Fox Posted 18 May 2014 Share Posted 18 May 2014 I couldn't fit everything in. But didn't Walshie get sent off 1 year, then Bull the next, then both of them in the same game the year after? I wouldn't be surprised if they're good mates now though. Think bull was sent off first. I can remember scrapping in the tunnel, could have been them both being sent off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ceredigion Posted 18 May 2014 Author Share Posted 18 May 2014 Nice. But number 10 was at Filbert Street. Was it? I confess it's the only one of my memories where I wasn't actually at the game. I just remember listening to the radio commentary. Even better then that his last goal was at Filbo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vlad the Fox Posted 18 May 2014 Share Posted 18 May 2014 Was it? I confess it's the only one of my memories where I wasn't actually at the game. I just remember listening to the radio commentary. Even better then that his last goal was at Filbo. Yes. If it's the game I'm thinking about Fulham missed their first three penalties in front of the Kop which sent us through. Didn't we beat arsenal in a penalty shootout in the next round? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rain King Posted 18 May 2014 Share Posted 18 May 2014 It was and to make it sweeter It was Walsh's horrendous mistake that had led to Fulham going into the lead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sylofox Posted 18 May 2014 Share Posted 18 May 2014 I couldn't fit everything in. But didn't Walshie get sent off 1 year, then Bull the next, then both of them in the same game the year after? I wouldn't be surprised if they're good mates now though. Should be they do after dinner speaches together Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kitchandro Posted 18 May 2014 Share Posted 18 May 2014 Yes. If it's the game I'm thinking about Fulham missed their first three penalties in front of the Kop which sent us through. Didn't we beat arsenal in a penalty shootout in the next round? That was the FA Cup. We beat Leeds and Fulham on penalties on the way to the Wortho Cup final. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ceredigion Posted 18 May 2014 Author Share Posted 18 May 2014 Yes. If it's the game I'm thinking about Fulham missed their first three penalties in front of the Kop which sent us through. Didn't we beat arsenal in a penalty shootout in the next round? The penalty shoot out against Arsenal was in the FA Cup, not the League Cup. Still a great moment for us though. Third round at Highbury and we drew 0-0, the only time I remember us not losing at Highbury, 0-0 in the replay at Filbert Street too and we didn't have a shot on target in either game. They had loads. 5-5 in the shoot out and then they missed in the sudden death. We had our 1st clear chance after 3 hours of football and took it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vlad the Fox Posted 18 May 2014 Share Posted 18 May 2014 Thanks. Was the arsenal game the same season? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ceredigion Posted 18 May 2014 Author Share Posted 18 May 2014 Thanks. Was the arsenal game the same season? I think so. I think in the 4th round we played Chelsea away and lost with Walshie getting sent off and missing the League Cup Final as a result. So all those games would have been played within the space of 3 or 4 weeks around January/February 2000. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ealingfox Posted 18 May 2014 Share Posted 18 May 2014 If this thread was laden with Youtube clips it would go down as FoxesTalk's best ever thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-blue- Posted 19 May 2014 Share Posted 19 May 2014 Great thread Fantastic player and epitomises everything I love about our club. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grandad. Posted 19 May 2014 Share Posted 19 May 2014 Arsenal in 97 and the Fulham goal were my favourites, I have the pleasure of knowing the man very well and he gets a lot of stick I know, and I do try to stay out of threads regarding him and bite my lip at comments but he is a very genuine man, someone I will always admire. Top bloke and a fantastic footballer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ric Flair Posted 19 May 2014 Share Posted 19 May 2014 What a man, he's also got time for anyone when you meet him. I've had many a beer with him and he's probably in the top 5 most important people to ever walk this planet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vicki Vixen Posted 19 May 2014 Share Posted 19 May 2014 Great memories. Had his name on the back of my Fox Leisure home shirt as a kid. Another memory for me is Blackburn away early on in the 98/99 season, we were 1-0 down and had a clear penalty turned down in the last minute right on front of the City fans. I swear Walshie was a split second from knocking the ref out, just the look of rage on his face like nothing I've ever seen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lcfcliam Posted 19 May 2014 Share Posted 19 May 2014 Completely irrelevant but I seen him at my work yesterday Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Len Finsbury Posted 19 May 2014 Share Posted 19 May 2014 In the very early nineties, I was an apprentice at Central Motors, the Ford dealer near on Belgrave Road. Back in those days, the majority of Leicester City staff and the top players drove sponsored Ford cars and they would regularly bring them in for service or repair. As an apprentice, and general dogsbody, it was always my job to take customers to work when they'd brought their cars in. One morning, I had Steve Walsh waiting for a lift back to Belvoir Drive. We both got in the white Escort van and I said to him to direct me as he probably knew a quicker way than I did, which he started to do. After turning off into a road near the holiday Inn, he said "you do realise this is a bus lane only, don't you?', thanks Steve! He then turned up the radio as loud as he could and started singing "Dizzy" by Vic Reeves and the Wonderstuff while hanging halfway out of the window. That's my greatest memory of him. An absolute nutter, in the nicest possible way! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silverdaz Posted 19 May 2014 Share Posted 19 May 2014 Buying Rihad Mahrez quality signing well done Steve Walsh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beliall Posted 19 May 2014 Share Posted 19 May 2014 Wrong walshie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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