RIP Phil O’Donnell: Taken too soon…
I have to admit I cried a little when I heard this news and I’m still a bit stunned. I first heard of him while visiting relatives in hamilton at the age of 15. He was already bombing up and down between penalty areas then and someone mistook me for him on the street. (Idon’t look like him). I’ve followed his career since then and in a way he lived my footballing dream, playing for Celtic being Captain of his hometown club and respected by his peers and fans alike. It’s Boy’s Own stuff apart the injuries that plagued his career.
So I raise a glass to Phil and his family and outline a bit of his career and why he was loved.
Phil was a free running box-to-box midfield player. He was born in Hamilton up the road from Motherwell where he became much loved player during his two spells there. I met him once and saw him play many times (although i never played against him) due to my connections with both Motherwell and Glasgow. My favourite moment was his diving header in the Scottish cup final when he was still a young player. Phil played for his hometown team and then his boyhood heroes (Celtic) winning trophies with both. His career was plagued by injury and at a time when he should have been demonstrating his ability as one of the best midfielders in the UK he was languishing on a treatment table. He left Sheffield Wednesday to go back to his hometown club in 2004 and was made club captain shortly after. He comes from a footballing family and with 3 or 4 nephews playing both at Motherwell and elsewhere in the game in Scotland and lately had become known as “Uncle Phil” a nickname he took in good spirit. He collapsed while being substituted during an SPL match against Dundee Utd at Fir Park last Saturday. He died at 5:15pm that day. He was only 35.
You’ve probably never heard of him, but then all he did that was newsworthy was play football.
In an era when too often footballers are in the headlines for the wrong reasons he was truly one of the good guys. And the world is a little colder for his loss…
(Originally posted at The B-Team Blog)