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2003–04 Walsall F.C. Season
During the 2003–04 season, Walsall participated in the Football League First Division. Season summary Walsall started the season strongly with 4–1 wins over local rivals West Bromwich Albion and Nottingham Forest, and on Boxing Day were four points off the play-offs. However, the club's form slumped in 2004, with the club not picking up another league win until March. Manager Colin Lee was sacked on 16 April, though the official reason given was that Lee had contacted Plymouth Argyle regarding their managerial vacancy. Paul Merson was appointed temporary player-manager, assisted by fellow player Simon Osborn. Ultimately, Walsall would be relegated on the last day of the season despite a 3–2 win over Rotherham United: an extra two goals scored during the campaign would have been enough for them to climb above Gillingham to safety. Despite the sorry end to the campaign, Paul Merson was handed a permanent contract as manager. Defender Paul Ritchie was named as the club's ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Walsall F
Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre in the West Midlands County, England. Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located north-west of Birmingham, east of Wolverhampton and from Lichfield. Walsall is the administrative centre of the wider Metropolitan Borough of Walsall. It was transferred from Staffordshire to the newly created West Midlands County in 1974. At the 2011 census, the town's built-up area had a population of 67,594, with the wider borough having a population of 269,323. Neighbouring settlements in the borough include Darlaston, Brownhills, Pelsall, Willenhall, Bloxwich and Aldridge. History Early settlement The name Walsall is derived from " Walh halh", meaning "valley of the Welsh", referring to the British who first lived in the area. However, it is believed that a manor was held here by William FitzAnsculf, who held numerous manors in the Midlands. By the first part of the 13th century, Walsall was a small ma ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jimmy Walker (footballer, Born 1973)
James Barry Walker (born 9 July 1973) is an English former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Since 2013, Walker has been a goalkeeping coach at numerous clubs. Early life Walker was born on 9 July 1973 at 3.00am in Sutton-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, weighing 7lbs 13oz. His father, Barry, was employed as a miner before working in an office, while his mother ran her own hairdressing salon. He has a younger sister, Elizabeth. When Walker was eleven years old, his parents divorced, and he continued to live with his mother. Within a year, his father married again to his step-mother, Hilary. Club career Walsall Walker joined Notts County as a trainee in July 1991, but failed to make a first-team appearance and moved to Walsall in August 1993, making his debut in the same month. He went on to make 475 appearances in all competitions for Walsall in eleven years, the most by any goalkeeper for the club and became a cult hero at Bescot Stadium. While at Walsal ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kris Taylor
Kris Taylor (born 12 January 1984) is an English football manager and former professional player who is a player-coach at club Chasetown. Primarily as a left-sided midfielder, he never made the first team at Manchester United and instead went on to spend over three seasons at Walsall after signing in February 2003. He spent two seasons at Hereford United from 2007 to 2009, before moving on to Port Vale for another two season spell. Following this he signed with non-league Darlington in June 2011, before his contract was terminated in January 2012. He signed with AFC Telford United in August 2012, and was loaned out to Hednesford Town in March 2013. His move to Hednesford was permanent three months later after he helped the club to win the Birmingham Senior Cup and the Northern Premier League play-off final. He continued playing for the club after beating testicular cancer in 2014, representing Hednesford Town, Rushall Olympic, Stafford Rangers, Sutton Coldfield Town, and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Craig Burley
Craig William Burley (born 24 September 1971) is a Scottish former professional footballer and sports television pundit and co-commentator for ESPN. As a player he was a midfielder from 1989 until 2004, notably playing in the Premier League for Chelsea and Derby County and in the Scottish Premier League for Celtic. He also played for Dundee and finished his career in the Football League with Preston North End and Walsall. He earned 46 caps for Scotland, scoring 3 goals. Since retiring and working as a pundit amongst others he has worked for BBC Sport, ESPN and BT Sport. Club career Burley began his professional career with Chelsea in 1989, however he didn't make his debut until April 1991 when he came on as a substitute for Kerry Dixon in a 7–0 defeat against Nottingham Forest. He made his first appearance in the newly formed Premier League on 5 December 1992 in a 2–1 away win at Tottenham Hotspur. He went on to become a regular under Glenn Hoddle and played ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vinny Samways
Vincent Samways (born 27 October 1968) is an English former professional footballer and manager who played as a central midfielder from 1986 until 2006. He notably played in the Premier League for Tottenham Hotspur and Everton. He also played in the Football League for Wolverhampton Wanderers, Birmingham City and Walsall, and in Spain for Sevilla, Las Palmas and Algeciras. After retiring he went on to manage Spanish lower league side San Pedro. Playing career Samways was born in Bethnal Green, London, and began his football career in Tottenham Hotspur's youth system. He won the FA Cup with Tottenham in 1991, and helped them reach the semi-finals of the competition in 1993. He was a regular player in the side which reached the quarter-finals of the European Cup Winners' Cup during the 1991–92 season. Samways was put on the transfer list in the 1992 close season, but was taken off it at his own request and would spend a further two seasons at White Hart Lane. He joined E ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mark Wright (footballer, Born 1982)
Mark Anthony Wright (born 24 February 1982 in Wolverhampton) is an English former professional footballer. Playing career Walsall Wright is a product of Walsall's youth system, and aside from a short spell at Nuneaton Borough for some first-team experience, he plied his trade steadily at the Bescot Stadium with Walsall for seven years. His first appearance in a Walsall shirt came as a late substitute in the 1–1 draw at West Ham United in the 2000–01 League Cup second round. Despite a further handful of substitute appearances he did not make the side regularly, and the 2001–02 season saw him spend some time at Nuneaton Borough. Wright was judged ready for stand-in starting action in 2002, and finally cemented his place in the team by the beginning of 2004. Milton Keynes Dons Mark was released by Walsall in May 2007, and subsequently joined Milton Keynes Dons. At Milton Keynes he enjoyed arguably the best season of his career, netting 13 goals from the right wing, many of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gary Birch (footballer)
Gary Stephen Birch (born 8 October 1981) is an English former football player and manager who played as a striker. He was most recently the manager at Walsall Wood. Playing career Birch scored on his AFC Telford debut in the 4–3 victory against Mossley at Seel Park. Birch came on as a substitute before scoring the winning goal. Struggling with his weight, in September 2007, he was loaned to Rushall Olympic in an attempt to gain match fitness. Birch left the club at the end of the 2007–08 season to join Chasetown. Birch netted his 50th Chasetown goal in all competitions in a 1–1 home draw with Chorley on 27 August 2011. He departed from the club in June 2012, and signed for Solihull Moors. Management career In October 2014 he was appointed manager of Lichfield City Lichfield () is a cathedral city and civil parish in Staffordshire, England. Lichfield is situated roughly south-east of the county town of Stafford, south-east of Rugeley, north-east of Walsall, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Neil Emblen
Neil Emblen (born 19 June 1971) is an English former professional footballer who is the assistant coach of Colorado Rapids and New Zealand. He has served as assistant head coach of New Zealand under Ricki Herbert and of Anthony Hudson, and was briefly the interim head coach prior to Hudson's appointment. He was the head coach of the New Zealand U23's during the 2012 Summer Olympics. He spent the majority of his career in English football with Millwall, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Crystal Palace, Norwich City and Walsall, before moving to New Zealand. Club career Emblen started his career as a youth player at Tonbridge Angels before moving to Sittingbourne and then Millwall for a fee of £210,000 including Michael Harle. After spending a year with the Lions, Emblen was sold to Wolverhampton Wanderers for £600,000, where he would become a regular during his three years at Molineux. A £2,000,000 move to Crystal Palace beckoned in 1997 but would last just one season, and in 1 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pedro Matías
Pedro Manuel Miguel Matías (born 11 October 1973) is a Spanish retired footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. He spent the vast majority of his professional career in England, representing six clubs, mainly Walsall for which he appeared in 162 competitive matches and scored 27 goals. Club career Born in Madrid, Matías was an unsuccessful Real Madrid youth graduate, only playing for its reserves for three seasons, two of those in the Segunda División. For 1996–97 he was released but stayed in that level, appearing regularly and being relegated with Almería. After a couple of months with Logroñés also in the second tier, Matías left his homeland, going on to spend the following decade in the English Football League with six teams: Macclesfield Town, Tranmere Rovers, Walsall – by far his biggest spell with any club in the country, five seasons – Blackpool (where he scored once against Brighton & Hove Albion), Bristol Rovers and Kidderminster ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Darren Wrack
Darren Wrack (born 5 May 1976) is an English former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He scored 55 goals from 509 league and cup appearances in a 17-year career in the English Football League and Conference. He began his career at Derby County in 1994, and helped the club to win promotion out of the First Division in 1995–96, before he was sold on to Grimsby Town in July 1996. He never established himself in the Grimsby first team, and had a brief loan spell at Shrewsbury Town, before moving on to Walsall in July 1998. He went on to spend ten years with the club, winning promotion out of the Second Division in 1998–99 and out of League Two in 2006–07. He was also voted onto the PFA Team of the Year in 1998–99. He joined Kettering Town in July 2008 after receiving treatment at the Sporting Chance Clinic for a gambling addiction. He joined Stafford Rangers in September 2010, before announcing his retirement in January 2011. He later worked as a scout f ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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