Simon Walton and his clubs

When a player like Simon Walton changes the surroundings, that doesn’t come as a surprise to anyone and is as if someone else goes to practice. You can say that the young hope of English football is still searching for the place to settle his unpredictable temper, and finally start playing at the expected level which he rarely did so far.

This time, his parent club Plymouth have loaned him to Blackpool until the end of the season where Walton will yet again try to fight for the starting berth. On the last day of the loaning transfer window, many people were surprised by Pilgrims’ decision to loan the temperamental player to their direct relegation rivals. According to League rules, he will not be allowed to play for Tangerines against Plymouth on 4th, April, but he could become a significant boost to the club in other important games and directly harm his parent club. That is why Plymouth manager Paul Sturrock’s statement sounded a bit weird when he said: “ Wearing a Blackpool shirt, Walton might help Plymouth by ruling out another relegation rival…” still, it appears that all the good old Sturrock had in mind was to get rid of the undisciplined 20-year-old for whom Blackpool is already the 8th club in the career.

This boy made his first football steps in his home town, Leeds, playing at the time, in a solid Leeds United, in 2004. He remains remembered as the player who was dismissed at his very first senior game (in a friendly against Valencia in August 2004). Even at that time, it was evident that old Elland Road “bullies” were his idols: David Batty, Alan Smith and Lee Bowyer, boys who hadn’t been wearing the yellow shirt at the time. That season wasn’t that bad for him, he managed to score three goals, but he was completely forgotten in the next one.

That is why, in the summer of 2006, he went on to boost up, at the time, Premier League outfit, Charlton Athletic, but he was again loaned in order to gain the experience. In his short spell at Ipswich he managed to score three goals, played a lot of games but in the next term remained unnoticed in Cardiff City ( apart from the red card he earned against his own Leeds United). Without a single game played in Charlton, in the summer of 2007 he was transferred to QPR with his price going lower and lower after each transfer.

Soon after, he broke his leg in Fulham game and, in order to recover, was yet again transferred  in January to, at the time, play-off contenders, Hull City where he left no trail at all. still, last summer Plymouth estimated this was a player with bright future in front of him and who is worth spending £750.000. Record-breaking transfer hoped to bring out the qualities of the young defensive-midfielder. But it didn’t…

In his uninjured times, Walton had been causing incidents and last December against Barnsley, he saw red due to unsporty conduct and earned a three-match ban which made his manager Paul Sturrock to place him on the transfer list. Since then, he has played only three games for Pylgrims, with the arrival of Carl Fletcher, loaned Crystal Palace midfielder,  his chances were additionally limited.

Walton will test his luck on Bloomfield Road in Blackpool and the English starlet Nicola Tappenden a model whose pictures in The Sun’s famous “page 3”made her a star will be waiting for him at home. Will Blackpool suit her and their daughter? I doubt it… Simon is too unstable and unable to be at one club for a longer period of time and you should expect more news on him and his globetrotter faith. If nothing else, there is surely a red card or two waiting for him as soon as he steps on the pitch…

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