27th April – Walter Pandiani

Uruguayans have been hit and miss in the Premier League, there have been some like Luis Suarez and then others that had a lot of quality but did not quite cut it like Diego Forlan.

Unfortunately ‘El Rifle’ fits more into the second category. Walter Pandiani had two spells at Birmingham City while they were in the Premier League and it seemed like they had signed one of the best finishers in Europe at the time. After playing for Progreso, Basanez and Penarol in his home country he made the move to Spain to play for Deportivo La Coruna. Although he was never a regular starter he had a phenomenal record and scored a lot of goals off the bench. In between the years of 2000 and 2005 he played 86 league games for the club and scored 31 goals including 13 in the 2003-04 season. During his time at the club he went out on loan to Mallorca and scored 13 goals in 33 games for them and was getting a growing reputation of someone that knew where the back of the net was.

After several run ins with Deportivo coach Javier Irureta he made his move to Birmingham City initially on loan. It did not take him long to show off his talents as he scored on his debut in a 2-1 win over Southampton. Manager Steve Bruce said after the game: “Walter Pandiani arrived yesterday with no boots, and he doesn’t speak a word of English, but he’ll give us a lift.” In his next 13 appearances he managed three goals and this led to Birmingham signing him permanently for £3 million.

However he failed to show the form of his loan spell and only half a season later he was sold to Espanyol for £1 million. He played 31 times in the league for Birmingham scoring only six goals. His first full season at new club Espanyol was interesting as he only scored seven league goals but this included a first half hatrick away to Real Madrid. Although he struggled domestically everything he touched in the UEFA Cup seemed to go in as he ended the campaign as the top scorer in the competition with 11 goals. The club lost in the final on penalties against Spanish rivals Sevilla.

Pandiani then left the club for Osasuna where he was hardly used in his first season at the club but in his second season he ended it as their top scorer. He played a key role in a victory over Real Madrid in which he was involved in a verbal spat with Cristiano Ronaldo. Pandiani saying about the Portuguese player. “As a footballer he is a phenomenon but to do the things he does, maybe he has a screw loose.”

After leaving Osasuna he rejoined Espanyol but this was only for one season which he spent mostly on the bench but he did manage to grab late winner against Getafe and Real Betis. In 2012 he joined Villarreal and on his debut he scored the winning goal and followed this up the next week by scoring the winner again. However these were the only two goals he scored in the league.

At his next club Atletico Baleares he started in a game alongside his son with Pandiani Senior scoring in a 2-1 defeat. In October 2013 they both joined Uruguayan club Miramar Misiones where they still play.

The last word can go to former Birmingham City co owner David Sullivan just after selling the player: “Walter is not a bad player and he did well recently against Manchester United and Chelsea. You’ve got to take your hat off to his commitment towards the club, he scored important goals

6th April – Fabrice Muamba

Fabrice Muamba is 26 today and everyone knows that he may not have seen this birthday after what happened at White Hart Lane.

Thankfully he recovered and has carried on with his life and has that huge grin on his face that everyone was happy to see again. But it is important to remember that he had a pretty decent career and was always a model professional who had the respect of his teammates and managers. Steve Bruce said: “He is a pleasure to manage.” Alex McLeish said: “He is a manager’s dream.” And Gary Megson said: “He is a great person to be around.”

Muamba’s career is remarkable and his whole life has been an interesting journey. The midfielder moved to England at the age of 11 but he could not speak a word of English however he still went on to get 10 GCSE’s and A-Levels in English, French and Maths. This just proves he is not the stereotypical footballer and will have no problems in getting media work in the future.

Onto his career and he first signed for Arsenal where he did not quite make it into the first team but did play two League Cup games and was a very well liked player at the club. At the start of the 2006-07 season he joined Birmingham City and was very impressive winning the fans Young Player of the Year award after some performances that reminded everyone of a young Patrick Vieira. This led to them signing him permanently and he played 37 times in the Premier League that season, unfortunately it ended in relegation.

He would not be going back to the Championship as Bolton Wanderers paid a fee of £5 million to bring him to the club. He had a solid first season at the club barely missing a game but his second season he went on to even better things and was once again picking up individual accolades. This time The Bolton News Player of the Year. He was rewarded with a new four year contract and he was progressing well in the England set up, playing in every age group up to the full national team.

It is unfortunate that his career has been cut short because he would have been a very good player in the Premier League for years to come but as he said himself he has lived the dream by being a professional footballer and there is more to life than football. He seems very happy in all aspects of his life and this is a credit to the man himself who has always been a positive person and someone that is generous and loving.

The final word can go to David Sullivan the West Ham owner who was at Birmingham City at the same time as Muamba and commented on how good of a person he is. “He actually gave Karen Brady his first framed England under 21 shirt as a gesture of thanks for us giving him his big chance.”