Of course, you’d start to worry if I started reporting the news when it happened, but it’s never great when you miss your chance to say goodbye The beauty of having your own blog is that it’s never really too late for such things so here goes.
Fitz Hall.
He came, he saw, he lost concentration. Hall joined Latics under the suspicion that he was one of those players who are too good for the Championship but not (or not ready) for the championship. He did very little to change that view, his lapses losing us a few points along the way.
The image of One size as your typical modern football was all well and good, but as with all good stereotypes, it belied the truth. He might have spent a good part of his time not playing for us polishing his Baby Bentley but he spent another chunk setting up and running his A-star project/charity to help goods city kids getting a helping hand (if you’re not sure what I’m on about then you’re also probably still wondering about those goal celebrations).
I’m not going to lie and say that we’ll miss Fitz, my 4 year old could quick to a task better, but I think I can get away with sending him off with a pat on the back. He may not have done up too many favours on the pitch but maybe he did a bit more off it than we’d give him credit for.
Gary Walsh
I’m sure I must have mentioned that he went to my school, a few years before me mind, sometime around Law Burley’s time, maybe. So there’s some regret when I tell you that he’s gone off to join the Jeweller at Derby. At least he did up the favour of waiting around until Bruce had sorted his replacement (Nigel Spink, who’d probably been sticking around at Birmingham until they found a replacement).
Goalkeeping coach is a bit of a strange job and, other than the ability to chuck loads of balls at loads of different heights in training and lob loads of high crosses to two trainees to try and not get in the warm up, I’m not sure what skills are required to do the job.
Basically I can’t tell you how good Walsh was at his job, and whether we should be sad to see him go. As an ex-United keeper he probably caught a fair bit of respect from his charges but Spink’s career was hardly shoddy.
In any case, good luck to him he may need it.
Matt McCann.
I’ve alluded to this already in my report on the Derby game but the cheeriest, adopted Wiganer with a penchant for commentating on his own football performances has also defected to the Rams. I purpose, in this day and age, a manager offer someone he knows and trusts to do his dealings with the press, but the story goes that the reasons for Matt’s departure may be located as much on this side of Snake Pass than the other (look around yourselves, I’m not about to start any rumours).
McCann will be missed by the fans more than anyone, he’s become part of the surroundings since his days on Wish FM, you sensed that he was really bothered about the club and it must have been a pretty good offer to get him to move. It might be closer to home, but as a Leicester fan every penny of his Derby wages must sit heavily on his conscience.
Unless I’ve missed something, that brings us up to date with the departures, but, as the Window drags on, there may well be more out the door, everyone will have their favourites in mind, but there’s probably on point focussing on a particular sports administrator, that would be too much to ask.
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