Des Walker
Encyclopedia
Desmond Sinclair "Des" Walker (born 26 November 1965 in Homerton
, London
) is a former England
international
footballer who is best remembered for his spells with Nottingham Forest
and Sheffield Wednesday
. He is considered one of the best defenders to play in English football.
, was spotted playing locally in London and was signed by Forest in 1980 as an apprentice. Known for being unafraid of pitching youngsters into the first team if they were good enough, Forest manager Brian Clough
, trying to build a second great side after his ageing European Cup
winning team broke up, gave Walker his debut in March 1984 at the age of 18, just two months before the end of the 1983-84
First Division
campaign in which Forest finished third and qualified for the UEFA Cup
.
Forest made progress with Walker and his fellow young graduates from the youth academy gaining ground and plaudits. Further top half-finishes in the League were followed by a run to the semi-finals of the FA Cup
in 1988 with Walker in outstanding form, to the extent that calls began to come from football observers for England coach Bobby Robson
to select Walker to play for his country.
Tragedy struck a week after the League Cup triumph, however, when Forest and Liverpool met for the second season in a row in the FA Cup semi-finals, and the Hillsborough disaster
claimed the lives of 96 Liverpool fans. When the game was re-scheduled, Walker struggled against a rampant Liverpool side who won 3-1.
The following year, Forest won their first trophy for nine seasons when, with Walker again in outstanding form, they won the League Cup
with a 3-1 victory at Wembley over Luton Town
. They also finished third in the First Division, but were unable to compete in the UEFA Cup
as the ban on English clubs in European competition, arising from the Heysel
tragedy of 1985, still had one season
to run
Walker got his second League Cup winner's medal when Forest retained the trophy in 1990 with victory over Oldham Athletic
and, despite a disappointing League season for Forest, Walker was a certain name on the list of 22 players whom Robson took to the 1990 FIFA World Cup
in Italy
.
Despite English clubs being re-admitted to Europe for the 1990-91 season
, places in the competition were initially limited, and League Cup winners Forest were not included; the only UEFA Cup
place that season went to league runners-up Aston Villa
. Walker was now in his 25th year, and despite playing for one of England's most successful clubs, he had not yet been given a chance to prove himself in European competition.
On New Year's Day
1992, Forest played Luton in a League game and the game reached the last few minutes with Forest 1-0 down. Walker ventured forward as an emergency measure, as central defenders often do in such situations, and found himself chasing a long pass through on goal. Despite having no known finishing prowess and a goalscoring record to prove it, Walker unleashed a fierce shot into the roof of the net to earn Forest a point. The crowd and the rest of Forest team went berserk in their celebration of Walker finally breaking his duck. Prior to the game, an old lady who called up GEM AM radio's hotline predicted in a competition that "Number 4" would be the first goalscorer for Forest. On hearing this the staff laughed hysterically that she had selected Des Walker as the first goalscorer. Ironically enough, Walker scored Forest's first goal; his only ever goal in over 700 senior appearances for clubs and country. Having conceded a few own goals in his time, it was perhaps ironic that his only goal at the right end was scored against a Forest goalkeeper, Steve Sutton
, who was on loan to Luton at the time.
Later that season
, Forest reached another League Cup final, but lost it to Manchester United
. Walker then travelled with the England squad to Euro 92
in Sweden
but England failed to get beyond the group stages.
, coached by Sven-Göran Eriksson
, for £1.5 million. Walker's pace suffered after a long-term injury and his England career was cut short as a result. He lasted just one season at Sampdoria, before returning to England to join Sheffield Wednesday for £2.7 million.
In his first season, Wednesday finished seventh in the Premier League, but blew what was effectively their last chance of silverware in February, when suffering a hefty defeat at the hands of Manchester United in the semi-finals of the League Cup
. 1994-95 and 1995-96 brought bottom-half finishes, although Wednesday were never in any acute danger of relegation.
1996-97 began brilliantly for Wednesday, who topped the Premier League at the end of August. However, they were unable to keep up their excellent form, and seventh place in the final table wasn't even enough for a UEFA Cup place.
His time at Sheffield Wednesday brought mixed fortunes, although he played in the overwhelming majority of the club's games following his arrival in 1993.
Wednesday finished in the bottom half of the Premier League during the next two seasons before finally being relegated in 1999-2000
. They narrowly avoided a second successive relegation in 2000-01
, after which Walker left Hillsborough
after eight years.
at Burton Albion
(where he was manager) and a short stint in the U.S. playing for the New York Metro Stars in their 9/11 benefit matches against DC United. Forest manager, Paul Hart
then asked if Walker could train with Forest, who were now a struggling in the second tier of English football. In July 2002, Walker signed for Forest on a permanent basis.
Walker made almost 60 more appearances in his second spell for Forest, nearly a decade after he had left them, and finally left the club at the age of 38 with a total of 354 appearances for the club to his name - and one goal. His final competitive appearance for Forest came against Wigan Athletic on 7 August 2004.
A testimonial match was held in his honour - this drew thousands of spectators but controversy was caused when the player was arrested several hours later. He became first team coach at Forest afterwards but left in January 2005 when Gary Megson
was appointed as manager.
Des took part in the Hong Kong Soccer Sevens in 2009, and was seen wearing a Denver Nuggets
jersey alongside local football hero Tim Cresswell formerly of USRC.
in a game against Denmark
in 1988. It was not long before Walker was a regular starter in the side, with competition for central defensive places hot at the time - Adams, Terry Butcher
and Mark Wright were all also in contention.
. Playing in a three-man defence alongside Wright and Butcher (Adams did not make the squad), Walker shrugged off knocks and fatigue to enjoy a superb tournament, which ended when England were knocked out on penalties by West Germany
in the semi-finals.
Walker subsequently became England's defensive linchpin after Butcher decided to retire, continuing to feature regularly after Graham Taylor
had taken over as manager.
Walker's form continued to progress at club level, although he did score an own goal in the 1991 FA Cup Final
which blew Nottingham Forest's chances of FA Cup
glory against Tottenham Hotspur
, and yet again Walker was robbed of the chance of playing in Europe.
But, after a move to Italian side U.C. Sampdoria
in 1992, Walker was regularly played out of position - often at fullback. As a result Walker's form for England suffered.
England were leading 2-1 against Holland
when Walker fouled Dutch winger Marc Overmars
inside England's penalty area with four minutes remaining. The penalty
was converted and England were facing a struggle to make it to the finals in the United States
.
Walker continued to make major mistakes and had a very poor performance against Poland
, twice conceding possession, once just outside the penalty box leading to Poland's goal, and nearly gifting Poland a second goal through a mix up with Chris Woods
.
England's hopes of qualifying were dealt a huge blow during a 0-2 loss to Norway
. Walker was largely at fault for the first goal. After committing a foul near the corner flag Walker began to argue with the referee, only to be caught out with a quick free kick which was crossed for Øyvind Leonhardsen
to score. Walker also made other errors which nearly increased Norway's advantage.
Walker was dropped for other crucial qualifiers, a 3-0 win over Poland and a devastating 0-2 loss against Holland. Walker was included in Taylor's last match in November 1993. It proved to be one of the most infamous, as San Marino scored the fastest World Cup goal ever after just eight seconds. England won 7-1 but failed to make the finals in America in 1994 (they had needed to win by seven clear goals and hope that Holland lost in Poland, but the Dutch won anyway so England's result was academic). It also proved to be Walker's last game for England, although he continued to play professionally at club level for the next 11 years.
After England failed to get through to the finals in the U.S.
, Walker's international career ended with 59 caps and no goals.
At the height of his career, Forest and Owls fans frequently chanted "You'll never beat Des Walker." This was turned into "You'll never meet Des Walker" as a private joke among journalists, commenting on Walker's refusal to talk to the press at this point.
In 2007, he came out top alongside Peter Swan in a poll to find Sheffield Wednesday's two greatest ever centre backs on the website Vital Football
.
Homerton
Homerton is a place in the London Borough of Hackney. It is bordered to the west by Hackney Central, to the north by Lower Clapton, in the east by Hackney Wick, Leyton and by South Hackney to the south.-Origins:...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
) is a former England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
international
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
footballer who is best remembered for his spells with Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest F.C.
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship...
and Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday F.C.
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club are a football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, who are currently competing in the Football League One in the 2011-12 season, in England. Sheffield Wednesday are one of the oldest professional clubs in the world and the fourth oldest in the...
. He is considered one of the best defenders to play in English football.
Nottingham Forest
Walker, a pacy and hard-tackling central defenderDefender (football)
Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking....
, was spotted playing locally in London and was signed by Forest in 1980 as an apprentice. Known for being unafraid of pitching youngsters into the first team if they were good enough, Forest manager Brian Clough
Brian Clough
Brian Howard Clough, OBE was an English footballer and football manager. He is most notable for his success with Derby County and Nottingham Forest. His achievement of winning back-to-back European Cups with Nottingham Forest, a traditionally moderate provincial English club, is considered to be...
, trying to build a second great side after his ageing European Cup
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
winning team broke up, gave Walker his debut in March 1984 at the age of 18, just two months before the end of the 1983-84
1983-84 in English football
The 1983–84 season was the 104th season of competitive football in England.- First Division :Liverpool had a great first season under the management of Joe Fagan as they wrapped up their third successive league title and the 15th in their history...
First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
campaign in which Forest finished third and qualified for the UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
.
Forest made progress with Walker and his fellow young graduates from the youth academy gaining ground and plaudits. Further top half-finishes in the League were followed by a run to the semi-finals of the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
in 1988 with Walker in outstanding form, to the extent that calls began to come from football observers for England coach Bobby Robson
Bobby Robson
Sir Robert William "Bobby" Robson, CBE was an English footballer and manager, who coached seven European clubs and the England national team during his career....
to select Walker to play for his country.
Tragedy struck a week after the League Cup triumph, however, when Forest and Liverpool met for the second season in a row in the FA Cup semi-finals, and the Hillsborough disaster
Hillsborough disaster
The Hillsborough disaster was a human crush that occurred on 15 April 1989 at Hillsborough, a football stadium, the home of Sheffield Wednesday F.C. in Sheffield, England, resulting in the deaths of 96 people, and 766 being injured, all fans of Liverpool F.C....
claimed the lives of 96 Liverpool fans. When the game was re-scheduled, Walker struggled against a rampant Liverpool side who won 3-1.
The following year, Forest won their first trophy for nine seasons when, with Walker again in outstanding form, they won the League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
with a 3-1 victory at Wembley over Luton Town
Luton Town F.C.
Luton Town Football Club is an English professional football club based since 1905 at Kenilworth Road, Luton, Bedfordshire. The club currently competes in the fifth tier of English football, the Conference National, for the third consecutive season during the 2011–12 season.Formed in 1885, it was...
. They also finished third in the First Division, but were unable to compete in the UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
as the ban on English clubs in European competition, arising from the Heysel
Heysel Stadium disaster
The Heysel Stadium disaster occurred on 29 May 1985 when escaping fans were pressed against a wall in the Heysel Stadium in Brussels, Belgium, as a result of rioting before the start of the 1985 European Cup Final between Liverpool of England and Juventus of Italy...
tragedy of 1985, still had one season
1989-90 in English football
-European competitions:English clubs were still banned from competing in European competitions following the Heysel Stadium disaster.- First Division :...
to run
Walker got his second League Cup winner's medal when Forest retained the trophy in 1990 with victory over Oldham Athletic
Oldham Athletic A.F.C.
Oldham Athletic Association Football Club is an English association football club based at Boundary Park, on Sheepfoot Lane in Oldham, Greater Manchester. The club currently competes in the Football League One, the third tier of the English league...
and, despite a disappointing League season for Forest, Walker was a certain name on the list of 22 players whom Robson took to the 1990 FIFA World Cup
1990 FIFA World Cup
The 1990 FIFA World Cup was the 14th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 8 June to 8 July 1990 in Italy, the second country to host the event twice. Teams representing 116 national football associations from all six populated...
in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.
Despite English clubs being re-admitted to Europe for the 1990-91 season
1990-91 in English football
The 1990–91 season was the 111th season of competitive football in England.- First Division :Arsenal won the league. Runners-up spot was achieved by Liverpool, who had led the table for much of the first half of the season but had been shell-shocked in February by the sudden resignation of manager...
, places in the competition were initially limited, and League Cup winners Forest were not included; the only UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
place that season went to league runners-up Aston Villa
Aston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
. Walker was now in his 25th year, and despite playing for one of England's most successful clubs, he had not yet been given a chance to prove himself in European competition.
On New Year's Day
New Year's Day
New Year's Day is observed on January 1, the first day of the year on the modern Gregorian calendar as well as the Julian calendar used in ancient Rome...
1992, Forest played Luton in a League game and the game reached the last few minutes with Forest 1-0 down. Walker ventured forward as an emergency measure, as central defenders often do in such situations, and found himself chasing a long pass through on goal. Despite having no known finishing prowess and a goalscoring record to prove it, Walker unleashed a fierce shot into the roof of the net to earn Forest a point. The crowd and the rest of Forest team went berserk in their celebration of Walker finally breaking his duck. Prior to the game, an old lady who called up GEM AM radio's hotline predicted in a competition that "Number 4" would be the first goalscorer for Forest. On hearing this the staff laughed hysterically that she had selected Des Walker as the first goalscorer. Ironically enough, Walker scored Forest's first goal; his only ever goal in over 700 senior appearances for clubs and country. Having conceded a few own goals in his time, it was perhaps ironic that his only goal at the right end was scored against a Forest goalkeeper, Steve Sutton
Steve Sutton (footballer)
Stephen "Steve" Sutton is an English former professional football goalkeeper, currently working as a coach.-Playing career:...
, who was on loan to Luton at the time.
Later that season
1991-92 in English football
- First Division :The last-ever league championship before the creation of the Premier League was won by Leeds United who overhauled Manchester United thanks to the efforts of, among others, Gordon Strachan, Lee Chapman, David Batty, Gary Speed and Gary McAllister...
, Forest reached another League Cup final, but lost it to Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
. Walker then travelled with the England squad to Euro 92
1992 UEFA European Football Championship
The 1992 UEFA European Football Championship final tournament was hosted by Sweden between 10 and 26 June 1992. It was the ninth European Football Championship, which is held every four years and supported by UEFA. Eight national teams contested the championship, which was won by Denmark, one of...
in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
but England failed to get beyond the group stages.
Sampdoria
After the Euro 1992, he was sold to Italian side SampdoriaU.C. Sampdoria
Unione Calcio Sampdoria is an Italian association football club based in Genoa. The club was formed in 1946 from the merger of two existing sports clubs whose roots can be traced back to the 1890s, Sampierdarenese and Andrea Doria...
, coached by Sven-Göran Eriksson
Sven-Göran Eriksson
Sven-Göran Eriksson , in Sweden commonly referred to just by his nickname Svennis, is a Swedish ex-football manager. From October 2010 to October 2011 he managed Football League Championship side Leicester City....
, for £1.5 million. Walker's pace suffered after a long-term injury and his England career was cut short as a result. He lasted just one season at Sampdoria, before returning to England to join Sheffield Wednesday for £2.7 million.
Sheffield Wednesday
Between 1993 and 2001, Walker made more than 300 appearances for Sheffield Wednesday under eight different managers. He again became a favourite of the fans and picked up the captain's armband. Amid Sheffield Wednesday's growing financial strain associated with their precipitous fall from the upper league Walker was released from his contract in 2001.In his first season, Wednesday finished seventh in the Premier League, but blew what was effectively their last chance of silverware in February, when suffering a hefty defeat at the hands of Manchester United in the semi-finals of the League Cup
League Cup
In association football, a League Cup or Secondary Cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament to be called "League Cup" was held in Scotland in 1946/47 and was entitled the Scottish...
. 1994-95 and 1995-96 brought bottom-half finishes, although Wednesday were never in any acute danger of relegation.
1996-97 began brilliantly for Wednesday, who topped the Premier League at the end of August. However, they were unable to keep up their excellent form, and seventh place in the final table wasn't even enough for a UEFA Cup place.
His time at Sheffield Wednesday brought mixed fortunes, although he played in the overwhelming majority of the club's games following his arrival in 1993.
Wednesday finished in the bottom half of the Premier League during the next two seasons before finally being relegated in 1999-2000
1999-2000 in English football
-Premier League:Manchester United were crowned FA Premier League champions with an 18-point margin over runners-up Arsenal and with just 3 league defeats all season. This was despite their failure to retain the European Cup and withdrawal from the FA Cup in order to compete in the FIFA Club World...
. They narrowly avoided a second successive relegation in 2000-01
2000-01 in English football
The 2000–01 season was the 121st season of competitive football in England.-Overview:Manchester United secured their 3rd Premiership title in succession and their 7th title in just nine seasons...
, after which Walker left Hillsborough
Hillsborough Stadium
Hillsborough Stadium is the home of Sheffield Wednesday football club, Sheffield, England. Football has been played at the ground since it was opened on 2 September 1899, when Wednesday moved from their original ground at Olive Grove. Today it is a 39,812 capacity all-seater stadium, making it the...
after eight years.
Return to Forest
He briefly trained with his ex-Forest team-mate Nigel CloughNigel Clough
Nigel Howard Clough is an English former footballer and the current manager of Derby County. Playing predominately as a striker, but later in his career was used as a midfielder, Clough was capped by England 14 times in the early 1990s....
at Burton Albion
Burton Albion F.C.
Burton Albion Football Club are a professional English football club based in the town of Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire. The club's home ground is the Pirelli Stadium, having moved from Eton Park in 2005...
(where he was manager) and a short stint in the U.S. playing for the New York Metro Stars in their 9/11 benefit matches against DC United. Forest manager, Paul Hart
Paul Hart
Paul Hart is an English football manager and former football defender, who is currently Academy Director at Charlton Athletic. The son of Johnny Hart, a football inside forward and manager, Hart had five-year spells with both Blackpool and Leeds United, while also playing for Nottingham Forest and...
then asked if Walker could train with Forest, who were now a struggling in the second tier of English football. In July 2002, Walker signed for Forest on a permanent basis.
Walker made almost 60 more appearances in his second spell for Forest, nearly a decade after he had left them, and finally left the club at the age of 38 with a total of 354 appearances for the club to his name - and one goal. His final competitive appearance for Forest came against Wigan Athletic on 7 August 2004.
A testimonial match was held in his honour - this drew thousands of spectators but controversy was caused when the player was arrested several hours later. He became first team coach at Forest afterwards but left in January 2005 when Gary Megson
Gary Megson
Gary John Megson is an English former football player and is currently manager of Sheffield Wednesday.He has previously managed Norwich City, Blackpool, Stockport County, Stoke City, West Bromwich Albion, Nottingham Forest, Leicester City and Bolton Wanderers...
was appointed as manager.
Des took part in the Hong Kong Soccer Sevens in 2009, and was seen wearing a Denver Nuggets
Denver Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets are a professional basketball team based in Denver, Colorado. They play in the National Basketball Association . They were founded as the Denver Rockets in 1967 as a charter franchise of the American Basketball Association, and became one of that league's more successful teams...
jersey alongside local football hero Tim Cresswell formerly of USRC.
International career
Walker made his international debut as a substitute for Tony AdamsTony Adams (footballer)
Tony Alexander Adams, MBE is an English football manager and former player.Adams spent his entire playing career of 22 years as a defender at Arsenal. He is considered one of the greatest Arsenal players of all time by the club's own fans and was included in the Football League 100 Legends...
in a game against Denmark
Denmark national football team
The Denmark national football team represents Denmark in association football and is controlled by the Danish Football Association , the governing body for the football clubs which are organized under DBU...
in 1988. It was not long before Walker was a regular starter in the side, with competition for central defensive places hot at the time - Adams, Terry Butcher
Terry Butcher
Terence Ian "Terry" Butcher is an English football manager and former player. He was a highly successful football player and made his name as an uncompromising defender with Ipswich Town and Rangers in the 1980s. He was also a captain of England and won 77 caps in a ten-year international career...
and Mark Wright were all also in contention.
Italia 90
At Italia 90 Walker started all seven of the games in which England would play, gaining international acclaim which was only overshadowed by another new young star in Paul GascoignePaul Gascoigne
Paul John Gascoigne , commonly referred to as Gazza, is a retired English professional footballer.Playing in the position of midfield, Gascoigne's career included spells at Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur, Lazio, Rangers, Middlesbrough, Everton and Gansu Tianma, where he scored at least a goal...
. Playing in a three-man defence alongside Wright and Butcher (Adams did not make the squad), Walker shrugged off knocks and fatigue to enjoy a superb tournament, which ended when England were knocked out on penalties by West Germany
Germany national football team
The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....
in the semi-finals.
Walker subsequently became England's defensive linchpin after Butcher decided to retire, continuing to feature regularly after Graham Taylor
Graham Taylor (football manager)
Graham Taylor OBE is a football pundit, ex-football manager, and a former player. He is best known as the manager of the England national football team, as well as being manager of Watford, a club he took from the Fourth Division to the First in the space of five years, then from bottom of the...
had taken over as manager.
Walker's form continued to progress at club level, although he did score an own goal in the 1991 FA Cup Final
FA Cup Final
The FA Cup Final, commonly referred to in England as just the Cup Final, is the last match in the Football Association Challenge Cup. With an official attendance of 89,826 at the 2007 FA Cup Final, it is the fourth best attended domestic club championship event in the world and the second most...
which blew Nottingham Forest's chances of FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
glory against Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
, and yet again Walker was robbed of the chance of playing in Europe.
But, after a move to Italian side U.C. Sampdoria
U.C. Sampdoria
Unione Calcio Sampdoria is an Italian association football club based in Genoa. The club was formed in 1946 from the merger of two existing sports clubs whose roots can be traced back to the 1890s, Sampierdarenese and Andrea Doria...
in 1992, Walker was regularly played out of position - often at fullback. As a result Walker's form for England suffered.
World Cup 1994 qualification
Walker played in all but one of the qualifiers for the 1994 World Cup. In a crucial 1994 World Cup Qualifier1994 FIFA World Cup qualification
-Qualified teams:The following 24 teams qualified for the 1994 FIFA World Cup: - qualified automatically as hosts - qualified automatically as defending champions-Notes:...
England were leading 2-1 against Holland
Netherlands national football team
The Netherlands National Football Team represents the Netherlands in association football and is controlled by the Royal Dutch Football Association , the governing body for football in the Netherlands...
when Walker fouled Dutch winger Marc Overmars
Marc Overmars
Marc Overmars is a retired Dutch footballer. He is best known as a right-footed left winger, although he is able to use both his feet with equal precision and power...
inside England's penalty area with four minutes remaining. The penalty
Penalty kick
A penalty kick is a type of direct free kick in association football, taken from twelve yards out from goal and with only the goalkeeper of the defending team between the penalty taker and the goal.Penalty kicks are performed during normal play...
was converted and England were facing a struggle to make it to the finals in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Walker continued to make major mistakes and had a very poor performance against Poland
Poland national football team
The Poland national football team represents Poland in association football and is controlled by the Polish Football Association, the governing body for football in Poland...
, twice conceding possession, once just outside the penalty box leading to Poland's goal, and nearly gifting Poland a second goal through a mix up with Chris Woods
Chris Woods
Christopher 'Chris' Charles Eric Woods is a former England international football goalkeeper, who played in the Football League and Premier League for Queens Park Rangers, Norwich City, Sheffield Wednesday, Reading, Southampton and Burnley, in the Scottish Football League for Rangers, and in Major...
.
England's hopes of qualifying were dealt a huge blow during a 0-2 loss to Norway
Norway national football team
The Norway national football team represents Norway in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of Norway, the governing body for football in Norway. Norway's home ground is Ullevaal Stadion in Oslo and their head coach is Egil Olsen...
. Walker was largely at fault for the first goal. After committing a foul near the corner flag Walker began to argue with the referee, only to be caught out with a quick free kick which was crossed for Øyvind Leonhardsen
Øyvind Leonhardsen
Øyvind Leonhardsen is a Norwegian former footballer. He retired after the 2007 season, and at that moment he was captain of Strømsgodset IF in the Norwegian Premier Division, ending a career with nine years in English football with clubs like Wimbledon, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa...
to score. Walker also made other errors which nearly increased Norway's advantage.
Walker was dropped for other crucial qualifiers, a 3-0 win over Poland and a devastating 0-2 loss against Holland. Walker was included in Taylor's last match in November 1993. It proved to be one of the most infamous, as San Marino scored the fastest World Cup goal ever after just eight seconds. England won 7-1 but failed to make the finals in America in 1994 (they had needed to win by seven clear goals and hope that Holland lost in Poland, but the Dutch won anyway so England's result was academic). It also proved to be Walker's last game for England, although he continued to play professionally at club level for the next 11 years.
After England failed to get through to the finals in the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Walker's international career ended with 59 caps and no goals.
Style
Walker rarely missed matches but was often criticised for his inconsistent distribution. Defensively he was probably one of the best markers and timers of the tackle of all time, and incurred a remarkably low amount of bookings during the first 10 years of his career despite his often dispossessing opponents with sliding challenges from all directions. Despite not being the tallest centre-half he could leap to beat the tallest forwards in the air and his pace meant even the quickest and most skillful forwards very rarely got any change from him.At the height of his career, Forest and Owls fans frequently chanted "You'll never beat Des Walker." This was turned into "You'll never meet Des Walker" as a private joke among journalists, commenting on Walker's refusal to talk to the press at this point.
In 2007, he came out top alongside Peter Swan in a poll to find Sheffield Wednesday's two greatest ever centre backs on the website Vital Football
Vital Football
Vital Football is an internet sports network website, based in the United Kingdom. It was formed in October 2005 and has individual sites for every football club from the Premier League and the Football League in England and the Scottish Premier League in Scotland...
.
Club
Nottingham ForestNottingham Forest F.C.
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship...
- FA CupFA CupThe Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
- Runner-up: 1991
- League CupFootball League CupThe Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
- Winner: 19891989 Football League Cup FinalThe 1989 Littlewoods Cup Final was a football match played on 9 April 1989 between Nottingham Forest and the 1988 League Cup winners, Luton Town at Wembley Stadium. Nottingham Forest claimed victory in the 29th League Cup final with a 3–1 victory...
, 19901990 Football League Cup FinalThe 1990 Littlewoods Cup Final took place at Wembley Stadium on 29 April 1990, and was contested between Nottingham Forest and Oldham Athletic. A single Nigel Jemson goal gave Forest the cup, equalling Liverpool's then-record of four wins.... - Runner-up: 19921992 Football League Cup FinalThe 1992 Football League Cup Final took place at Wembley Stadium, and was played between Manchester United and Nottingham Forest.Manchester United won 1–0 in what was their first League cup win...
- Winner: 1989
- Full Members CupFull Members CupThe Full Members Cup was an association football cup competition held in English football from 1985 to 1992. It was also known under its sponsored names of the Simod Cup from 1987 to 1989 and the Zenith Data Systems Cup from 1989 to 1992....
- Winner: 1989, 1992
- Football League Centenary TournamentFootball League Centenary TournamentThe Football League Centenary Tournament was held from April 16 to April 17, 1988 at Wembley Stadium to celebrate the 100th birthday of the Football League...
- Winner: 1988
International
EnglandEngland national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
- FIFA World CupFIFA World CupThe FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
- 4th place: 19901990 FIFA World CupThe 1990 FIFA World Cup was the 14th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 8 June to 8 July 1990 in Italy, the second country to host the event twice. Teams representing 116 national football associations from all six populated...
- 4th place: 1990
- Rous CupRous CupThe Rous Cup was a short-lived football competition in the second half of the 1980s, contested between England, Scotland and, in later years, a guest team from South America.-Overview:...
- Winner: 1989
- 1991 England Challenge Cup1991 England Challenge CupThe 1991 England Challenge Cup was a friendly tournament played over the course of a week in May 1991 in England. Wembley Stadium in London and Old Trafford in Manchester were the two venues used. The three way tournament contained the national teams of England, Argentina, and the USSR. England was...
: Winner
Career statistics
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's... |
League Cup Football League Cup The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis... |
Other | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Nottingham Forest Nottingham Forest F.C. Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship... |
1984-85 1984-85 in English football The 1984–85 season was the 105th season of competitive football in England.-Bradford City disaster:56 spectators died and more than 200 were injured when a fire ripped through the Main Stand at Valley Parade during Bradford City's Third Division fixture with Lincoln City on 11 May... |
3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 1985–86 | 37 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 43 | 0 | |
| 1986–1987 | 41 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 48 | 0 | |
| 1987-88 1987-88 in English football The 1987–88 season was the 120th season of competitive football in England.- First Division :Liverpool won the league title with a comfortable nine-point margin and just two defeats all season.... |
35 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 42 | 0 | |
| 1988-89 1988-89 in English football The 1988–89 season was the 109th season of competitive football in England.-Hillsborough disaster:On 15 April, a crowd crush at the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest at Hillsborough killed 94 people and injured more than 300. A 95th Liverpool supporter died in hospital... |
34 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 46 | 0 | |
| 1989–90 | 38 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 51 | 0 | |
| 1990-91 | 37 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 53 | 0 | |
| 1991-92 1991-92 in English football - First Division :The last-ever league championship before the creation of the Premier League was won by Leeds United who overhauled Manchester United thanks to the efforts of, among others, Gordon Strachan, Lee Chapman, David Batty, Gary Speed and Gary McAllister... |
32 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 52 | 1 | |
| Total | 264 | 1 | 28 | 0 | 40 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 349 | 1 | |
| Sampdoria U.C. Sampdoria Unione Calcio Sampdoria is an Italian association football club based in Genoa. The club was formed in 1946 from the merger of two existing sports clubs whose roots can be traced back to the 1890s, Sampierdarenese and Andrea Doria... |
1992-93 | 30 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 0 |
| Total | 30 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 0 | |
| Sheffield Wednesday Sheffield Wednesday F.C. Sheffield Wednesday Football Club are a football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, who are currently competing in the Football League One in the 2011-12 season, in England. Sheffield Wednesday are one of the oldest professional clubs in the world and the fourth oldest in the... |
1993-94 1993-94 in English football The 1993-1994 season was the 114th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:From the start of this season, the FA Premier League would be sponsored by Carling Breweries - an association which would last for eight years... |
46 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 53 | 0 |
| 1994-95 1994-95 in English football -Premiership:Blackburn Rovers ended their 81-year wait for the league title thanks to the strike partnership of Alan Shearer and Chris Sutton which scored a total of more than 50 league goals. Manchester United would have made it three league titles in a row if they had been able to turn a 1-1 draw... |
| | ||||||||||
| 1995-96 1995-96 in English football - Premiership :Newcastle United were 12 points clear at the top of Manchester United, but Alex Ferguson's relatively young and inexperienced side overhauled them during the second half of the season to win the title.... |
| | ||||||||||
| 1996-97 1996-97 in English football The 1996–1997 season was the 117th season of competitive football in England.Arrival into the league and exit out of the league returns in the fourth tier for the first time after its 3 season absence with only 1 relegation spot.- Premier League :... |
| | ||||||||||
| 1997–98 | | | ||||||||||
| 1998-99 1998-99 in English football -Premier League:Manchester United overcame close competition from Arsenal, Aston Villa and Chelsea to win their fifth Premiership title in seven seasons thanks to the comeback of Roy Keane after his long-term injury and a transfer raid totalling nearly £30 million which netted Aston Villa striker... |
| | ||||||||||
| 1999–00 | | | ||||||||||
| 2000-01 1998-99 in English football -Premier League:Manchester United overcame close competition from Arsenal, Aston Villa and Chelsea to win their fifth Premiership title in seven seasons thanks to the comeback of Roy Keane after his long-term injury and a transfer raid totalling nearly £30 million which netted Aston Villa striker... |
| | ||||||||||
| Total | |||||||||||
| Nottingham Forest Nottingham Forest F.C. Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship... |
2002-03 2002-03 in English football The 2002-03 season was the 123rd season of competitive football in England.-Most Memorable rise:*Wigan Athletic marked their 25th season of Football League membership by winning the Division Two championship and reaching the league's second tier for the very first time.-Most Memorable... |
31 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 33 | 0 |
| 2003-04 2003-04 in English football The 2003-04 season was the 124th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:Arsenal completed the entire campaign without losing a single league game.... |
25 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 0 | |
| 2004-05 2004-05 in English football The 2004–05 season was the 125th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:*2004–05 was the first season to feature the rebranded Football League. The First Division, Second Division and Third Division were renamed the Football League Championship, Football League One and Football League... |
1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 57 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 60 | 0 | |
| Career Total | 660 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
External links
- Des Walker, Post War English & Scottish Football League A - Z Player's Database
- Des Walker on RSSSF-site
- Overview of career on FA.com