James Walker (footballer born 1973)

Infobox Football biography
playername = Jimmy Walker


fullname = James Barry Walker
height = height|ft=5|in=11
dateofbirth = birth date and age|1973|7|9
cityofbirth = Sutton-in-Ashfield
countryofbirth = England
currentclub = West Ham United
clubnumber = 23
position = Goalkeeper
youthyears = 1991–1993
youthclubs = Notts County
years = 1993–2004
2004–
clubs = Walsall
West Ham United
caps(goals) = 403 (0)
013 (0)
pcupdate = 21:32, 28 August 2008 (UTC)

James Barry "Jimmy" Walker (born July 9, 1973 in Sutton-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire) is a professional English footballer. Walker, a goalkeeper, plays for Premier League club, West Ham United, wearing squad number 23.

Background

He is nicknamed "Wacka" because of the distance of his kicking,cite news | date | url=http://www.whufc.com/team/?page_id=1219&player_id=60 | title=Player Profiles: Jimmy Walker | publisher=West Ham United Official Site | accessdate=2007-06-13] a variation on his life-long family nickname of "Wack"Fact|date=February 2007. He is best known for his agility and ability to make world-class saves which defy his diminutive goalkeeper's frame of 5'11".

Club career

Walsall

Walker joined Notts County as a trainee in July 1991 but failed to make a first appearancecite news | date= | url=http://www.soccerbase.com/players_details.sd?playerid=8237 | title=Soccerbase: Jimmy Walker | publisher=The Racing Post | accessdate=2007-06-13] and moved to Walsall in August 1993, making his debut in the same month. He went on to make over 470 appearances in all competitions for Walsall in ten years, the most by any goalkeeper for the club, and became a cult hero at Bescot Stadium. While at Walsall he was a key player in three promotion seasons and won their Player of the Season award twice. He was awarded a testimonial in the summer of 2003. Walker's popularity proved such that an autobiography was commissioned to coincide with his testimonial season; ghosted by Walsall FC programme editor, Andrew Poole, it proved to be a relative success with fans of Walsall and of West Ham United.

Walker's successes at Walsall included promotion from Division Three in 1995 and from Division Two in 1999 and again 2001.

West Ham United

The London club acquired Walker's services from Walsall on a Bosman free transfer in the summer of 2004. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/w/west_ham_utd/3795647.stm "Hammers snap up Walker"] , BBC Sport, 10 June 2004. Retrieved 7 July 2007.] Walker, who provided competition for Stephen Bywater, [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/w/west_ham_utd/3800673.stm "Walker sad to leave Walsall"] , BBC Sport, 12 June 2004. Retrieved 7 July 2007.] was the second choice goalkeeper at Upton Park but gained a regular first team place within a year of his arrival. Walker helped West Ham win promotion in 2005 but a serious knee injury in the closing stages of the play-off final [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/w/west_ham_utd/4663295.stm "Walker set for road to recovery"] , BBC Sport, 8 July 2005. Retrieved 7 July 2007.] saw him miss the majority of the 2005-06 season. He made first appearance since the knee injury, and his Premiership debut at the age of 32, in a 4-2 defeat to Portsmouth in March 2006. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_prem/4796526.stm "West Ham 2-4 Portsmouth"] , BBC Sport, 18 March 2006. Retrieved 7 July 2007.] He made only two more first team appearances but collected a FA Cup Final runners up medal as an unused substitute in May 2006. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/fa_cup/4756045.stm "Liverpool 3-3 West Ham (aet)"] , BBC Sport, 13 May 2006. Retrieved 7 July 2007.] The presence of Roy Carroll and Robert Green as goalkeepers at West Ham during the 2006/07 season meant that Walker's first-team chances were limited though he remained very popular at Upton Park. He is most respected by West Ham fans for saving a penalty taken by Frank Lampard (who is an unpopular figure at Upton Park) in the League Cup in October 2004.

References

External links

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