Why?

 

Another one who desparately wants away from Roy but Roy knows he cant afford to let him go. Handed in transfer request 3 times now and it's been denied. He's a player that deserved a call up and i wouldnt be surprised if he still gets one if he gets a move to Stoke.

 

He had and still does. Ipswich's best player overall the last 3 seasons. Have you seen the lad play much? If someone like Green can get a call up, Walters has a chance. Sure Stoke are willing to pay 3 mill + for him...

 

 

 

 

 

I agree Grannyrule, when you look at the likes of Sheridan been given a chance, this lad should have well been called up by now

 

He looks a decent player. A move to the Prem can only be a good thing. He deserves a call up from Trapp and that will be a formality once he steps up a division. Not getting on with Keane is hardly something you could hold against any man!!

 

@ Propagandhi – seen as you are usually in the know, do you have any idea what’s going on with Terry Dixon?? 

 

what, because he fell out with Keane he automatically has a bad attitude....jaysus that's like saying that half the u21 squad have attitude problems because they've fallen out with Don Givens!

 

oh, and he's played with us since u21 level so i'm happy enough to call him Irish

 

Don't think he'll ever reach the heights that were once predicted but hopefully he can get a career for himself somewhere

 

Stoke are set to complete one of the summer’s longest-running transfer sagas with the £3million purchase of Ipswich forward Jon Walters.

The player travelled to the Britannia Stadium after the two clubs finally thrashed out a deal, meaning QPR boss Neil Warnock missed out after his weekend attempt to hijack the move.

The Tractor Boys are also on the brink of saying farewell to another two strikers, Jon Stead and Pablo Counago.

Former England Under-21 star Stead has had second thoughts about joining Bristol City and is discussing a £250,000 move to Ashton Gate.

Stead turned down both City and Blackpool in recent weeks but is close to agreeing a deal after being offered improved personal terms.

Spanish striker Counago, frozen out at Portman Road after a bust-up with boss Roy Keane, is set to join Championship rivals Crystal Palace on loan.

Ironically, the two clubs face each other at Selhurst Park on Saturday and there is likely to be an agreement in place that Counago sits out the game.

Both Stead and Counago were among eight players transfer-listed this summer by Keane as he looked to trim the club’s wage bill and raise funds for his own reinforcements.

He would have preferred to keep Birkenhead-born Walters but the player has been looking to get away all summer, preferably to his native North West.

When Walters reinforced his desire to move on it led to a breakdown in relations between the pair. Walters was not only stripped of the captaincy but told he would never play for Ipswich again as long as Keane was manager.

Now Keane will be looking to spend a large chunk of the incoming cash to supplement his squad.

A £750,000 move for Wigan striker Jason Scotland is already in the pipeline but the Latics have put the deal on hold while they seek reinforcements of their own.

Keane is also likely to step up his interest in Cardiff striker Michael Chopra, a long-term target who might be available now that the Bluebirds have clinched the loan capture of Manchester City striker Craig Bellamy.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1304162/Stoke-set-complete-signing-Ipswich-striker-Jon-Walters-3m.html?ito=feeds-newsxml#ixzz0wy5HZXvd - http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1304162/Stoke-set-complete-signing-Ipswich-striker-Jon-Walters-3m.html?ito=feeds-newsxml#ixzz0wy5HZXvd

 

Up front or on the wing. His best position could possibly be in the hole behind the front 2.

 

He'll get his chance at Stoke, and if he takes it, he'll probably get a call. It's not as if we have a load of quality strikers to chose from.

 

 

 

He's a big enough lad aswell isn't he?  Could offer a decent alternative up front

I'M glad Jon Walters has signed for Stoke because I've got a bone to pick with him.

Jon was barely 20-years-old when he played for me at Wrexham – and a pretty good job he did for one season at The Racecourse.

But when he was out of contract, he not only left, but left for Wrexham's biggest rivals Chester.

Well, we didn't have two pennies to rub together in those days, so there was nothing we could do to keep him. But Chester, Jon? 

Oh well, I suppose I can forgive him anything now that he's signed for us.

I took Jon from Hull on a free transfer after remembering his impressive form as a youngster in the reserves at both Blackburn and Bolton before that.

He played up front for me at Wrexham and did a great job because he was a good target-man and would run the channels all day long.

He's a 100 per cent grafter, in training and in games, and just the kind of player Tony Pulis loves.

Back then, I could see him playing in the Championship one day because he was always willing to work and listen.

But now he's got his chance in the Premier League, and I must say I'm genuinely delighted for him because it's great reward for all the hard work he's put in down the years.

He was prepared to drop down the divisions and prove himself on the way back up again, so there's a lesson there for many players.

It will be interesting to see where Tony plays him against Tottenham tomorrow.

If he does play wide, he'll put a shift in for us and he's bright enough to know when to join in because he understands the game.

The question I can't answer is whether or not he's got a trick or two up his sleeve to get past his man out wide.

Tottenham at home is a toughie, make no mistake, but after watching their first two games on TV against Man City and Young Boys, I reckon Ricardo Fuller should be licking his lips in anticipation.

That's because Michael Dawson has started the season so poorly in the heart of their defence.

His positional sense has looked dodgy, he's got caught flat a few times, his touch has been unsure and he hasn't seemed to know when to drop off. If he can win an England cap on that kind of showing, then it's only a matter of time before Ryan Shawcross gets the nod.

If I was Harry Redknapp, a new centre-half would certainly be top of my priorities before next week's deadline.

I just hope he doesn't come knocking on Stoke's door for one of ours.

It will be interesting to see what Harry does in attack if Jermain Defoe is ruled out injured, as everyone is expecting.

I think he has to go for Peter Crouch's height against Stoke, so that would probably mean Robbie Keane alongside him as Crouch and Roman Pavlyuchenko would be a bit similar in attack.

Aaron Lennon and Gareth Bale will be handfuls out wide, so it's vital our full-backs play well tomorrow.

I'm just wondering whether that might mean a recall for Andy Wilkinson at right-back because Tony might fancy him more against Bale.

Tottenham wouldn't have picked Stoke away between their two Champions League ties if they'd had the choice.

So let's hope the Stoke boys prove as much tomorrow by getting our first points on the board.

 

 

Is he playing up top or out wide Citz?

 

yea and he scored. they just didnt count the goal!!!

 

He'll certainly have a very good chance if he gets in at Stoke. Definately an option for us. We could certainly do with another back up option up front...

 

Former Blue Jon Walters has hit back at Roy Keane in one of this morning’s tabloids, claiming that he had to send a photo of his vomit to the Town boss in order to prove he was suffering from a virus ahead of the Exeter Carling Cup tie.

 

Ridiculous.

 

Ward/Kelly/O'Dea/Delaney/Cunningham > Kilbane

 

Andrews/Gibson/Fahey/Wilson/Andy Reid/Steven Reid/McCarthy/Lawrence/O'Shea/Meyler > Green

 

Long/Keogh/Murphy/Folan/Sheridan > Walters

He is a big strong quick lad who can play upfront and on the wing.

Walters and Keane could potentially make a good partnership (in the absense of Doyle).

Anywho, I am satisfied with Keane, Doyle, Long, Folan and Stokes. There is no point in getting too excited about Walters. Granted that at 27 he has the world at his feet and his record of 1 goal in 9 games for Stoke is exceptional.

 Probably. Dont really folow english soccer so wouldnt be up to speed on fringe players. Just had a quick glimpse at the Herald tonight and apparently Keane had a fight with him.

 

And do you think the same about the northern irish lads that have declared for us despite playing with the nordies at youth level

 

People can feel that they're part of 1 nationality - its not one of the other for some, they can feel close to muliple nationalities they have connections with

Jonathan Roland Walters

"I'd prefer Julie Walters. She could run around like a clueless t** too, and have no bearing on a game," is one of the kinder comments.

Jonathan Walters is determined to make the most of his chance at Stoke after an eventful time at Ipswich. Photo: Getty Images

Tuesday November 09 2010

ON FRIDAY afternoon, the eagerly anticipated good news spread like wildfire amongst Jonathan Walters' nearest and dearest.His phone buzzed with congratulations.

For the first time, his name had appeared in an Irish senior squad, with Giovanni Trapattoni indicating that the Stoke recruit will either be capped against Norway next week or in the Carling Nations Cup clash with Wales in February.

Three months after his elevation to the top flight, it represents another leap for a man who just four years ago was fighting to remain in the game while plying his trade for a club that no longer exists.

It was confirmation of a dream come true, a call-up with special resonance. Walters knows that his late Dublin-born mother would have been so proud and is determined to honour her memory and deliver happiness to the family who have provided support through some difficult times.

“If I get the chance to play, it would mean more than anything,” he enthuses. That moment is approaching.

**********

THREE days earlier, Walters was mulling over the possibilities in the media suite at Stoke's impressive new Clayton Wood training complex. The Potters were only able to move in there in July, a month before the affable 27-year-old arrived at Trent Vale following an unusual dispute with a certain Roy Keane.

Clayton Wood is only a short drive from the Britannia Stadium and the club have been based in the area for some time. Before buying the land and constructing this purpose-built complex they used the adjoining Michelin Sports Club and as recently as five years ago there was an absence of dressing-rooms, which meant everyone got changed at the ground and hopped into the cars to make their way to the training pitch. The oft-muddy return trip did nothing for the upholstery.

Now, with a few years in the Premier League under their belt, they possess the wealth to live far more salubriously, although the staff endeavour to retain a down-to-earth attitude.

Five years ago, Walters was grounded in his own reality, living a nightmare that every parent dreads. His first daughter, Scarlett, was born with an unusual condition called gastroschisis, a condition where a baby is born with the stomach and intestines outside the body. “It's not as rare as you might think,” he says. Scarlett spent the first months of her life in hospital, periodically in intensive care. An operation to put the organs back inside met with complications and, following a brief stint at home, more surgery was required.

For Walters and his wife, Jo, it was a stressful experience that left football in the shade. At the time he was a Hull City player, but in name only.

“We lived in the hospital,” he recalls. “I spoke to the manager, Peter Taylor, and I wasn't going to be playing. I wanted to stay fit, I wanted to stay training so I was still going in every day because that takes your mind off everything. And then it was back to the hospital.

“It was really touch and go at the start. There was a problem with the first operation but after a while she had another operation to put them back in and since then everything has been fine, touch wood. That was tough but it makes you realise what you've got.”

**********

BY his own admission, he didn't always appreciate his lot prior to that. He'd arrived at Hull in 2004 with baggage. The promising talent was dropping down the leagues after failing to break through with both Blackburn and Bolton. With the latter he gained Premier League experience but also a desire for a night out and the good life. Loan stints with Hull, Crewe and Barnsley precipitated his permanent departure to The Tigers.

“When you're young, you don't appreciate it,” he recalls. “You don't do the extra bits that you should and don't realise the opportunity until it's gone. Like with a lot of things in life. There'll be other lads the same, lads at Stoke now who'll have the potential but never seem to do it. I've sort of grown up now into who I am.” Scarlett's difficulties ultimately instigated his exit from Hull. She required special care and Walters asked Taylor if he could leave in order to move closer to extended family in the north west. Chairman Adam Pearson facilitated the request.

So he moved to Wrexham for a year and then to Chester, an entity on its last legs. He was a League Two player with a young family, conscious that he was one setback away from drifting out of the game completely. “For me, it was always the aim to come back up the leagues, yet for 99.9pc of footballers that never happens,” he says.

He needed a break and secured it in roundabout fashion. In December of 2006, Chester lost a second-round FA Cup tie to Bury. It transpired that the victors had fielded an ineligible player and the place in the third round was awarded to Chester. They took Championship side Ipswich to a replay and Walters did enough in the two games to convince then Tractor Boys supremo Jim Magilton to splash out. Other clubs had expressed an interest without taking a punt.

For £150,000, the East Anglians had nabbed an individual who would make a rapid impact. So much so, in fact, that Stoke and Wigan made enquiries within his first 12 months at Portman Road. Bids were refused and a new contract was offered, thus providing further security for Scarlett and Walters’ second daughter, Sienna. A call-up to the Ireland ‘B' side was another reward to add to the solitary U-21 cap achieved earlier his career, when Walters scored both goals in a win over Switzerland before joining the long list of youngsters to get on the wrong side of Don Givens.

However, while club-mates Damien Delaney and Alex Bruce were called to senior squads in the early days of Trapattoni's tenure, no invitation was extended to Walters.

Soon, he would have a new club manager cheerleading his cause. Keane rolled in midway through last year, a tsunami when compared to the breezy life that went before. It made life both confusing and interesting for the squad in situ.

At first, everything was rosy. Walters largely escaped the grief meted out to others and was promoted to the captaincy with public praise from Keane ringing in his ears. Behind the scenes, however, they had no real relationship.

**********

“THERE was none of that with Roy,” he explains. “He just didn't speak to you much about the playing side of it. There was no extra dealings. It was strange sometimes. It wasn't all doom and gloom. When you're doing well, you're more concentrated on the football and you're happy. But he's a one-off really. There are different things...”

Walters' falling-out with Keane has been well documented. Stoke came knocking again in the summer and the player was interested. He was stripped of the armband after missing a Carling Cup tie due to a virus. Keane insinuated that he was missing the game for scurrilous reasons; Walters sent a picture of his vomit to prove there was no theatrics involved. A £2.75m bid from Tony Pulis ended his spell in the naughty boy’s corner.

“I didn't see the fallout coming,” he admits. “I know everyone had an earful from him. I was one of the ones who'd never really got one. I've had numerous managers and you learn to take different things from each manager. If I get a bollocking or a telling off, I can take it.”

For the up and coming stars at the club, it was harder to swallow. The example of Owen Garvan is raised. Keane was his idol and yet the Dubliner soon realised he was in for a rough time. “He didn't get much of a chance and, when he did, he got an earful all the time,” observes Walters, who is glad his old team-mate escaped to Crystal Palace.

His most interesting criticism of the Keane regime is the effect of his decision to let some established members of staff go. Bryan Klug, head of the highly respected academy which has delivered a production line of talent, was relieved of his post at the start of 2010 and now works for Spurs. Such departures affected morale.

“Bryan had been at the club for probably 20 to 25 years,” says Walters, “and there was Charlie Woods, who was Bobby Robson's number two. Good coaches and good people to have around who were all let go for one reason or another under Roy. “That was disappointing. They were good people to work for and part of what the club is about. Ipswich is a bit unique, it's in the middle of nowhere and it means so much to everyone in the town. When they got let go... all the lads respected them quite well... and that was Roy's decision.”

In the Stoke dressing-room, he can compare Keane war stories. Danny Collins, Danny Higginbotham, Kenwyne Jones and Rory Delap were all at Sunderland during the Drumaville adventure and experienced the unpredictable temper.

“As soon as I got here, everyone asked what I had done,” laughs Walters. “Liam Lawrence was here before he went to Portsmouth as well. They were laughing because they knew exactly what I'd been through.

“Even now I speak to the lads at Ipswich and when they get beat, well, we know what's been said before we even speak to anyone. We guess, ‘Aye, this is what's been said this week' and we ring all the lads and that's what happened. It's eggshells all the time.”

In contrast, he finds his new environment far more settled, with a unity of purpose from the top down. Pulis has faith in Walters and has given him plenty of feedback as well as game time. The demands of Premier League football have asked more of his body, in addition to a better appreciation of the merits of team shape.

“It seems that everyone is six foot plus, as fast and strong as anything and all very comfortable on the ball,” he says. “If you make one mistake, you get punished.”

Difficult

He has learned that in a difficult spell for the Potters, who badly need a positive result when they host Birmingham tonight.

Mind you, he picked the right time to get off the mark in the Premier League, grabbing the winner against Blackburn with Marco Tardelli in attendance last month. With Ireland short of striking options and Trapattoni keen for back-up with physical strength and the versatility to play wide right, then Walters has the attributes to make a positive impression on the Italian.

Although he grew up on the Wirral, the opportunity will be cherished. Walters is from a tight-knit family who've never lost touch with their roots. His mother, Helen Brady, from Clonliffe in Dublin, came to England to work as a nurse in hospitals around Liverpool and met his dad, Jim, there. She was a home bird, though, and every time she could make it back the kids were brought along, mostly camping at Gyles Quay near Carlingford.

“The Brady Bunch,” he smiles. “They're all crazy.” Tragically, Helen passed away when Jonathan was 12. The huge clan rallied around and remain in constant contact.

He randomly lists off the locations of various Brady cousins with impressive detail. An aunt in south Wales, a cousin in London and another who moved to Switzerland. His first cousin, Ciara Burgess, plays camogie for Dublin, and he's still getting grief from that side of the family for missing recent get-togethers due to Stoke commitments.

Next week, football finally delivers him an excuse to visit. The length and emotion of the journey will make the rewards all the sweeter.

Stoke v Birmingham, Live, Sky Sports 2, 7.45

- Daniel McDonnell