Des WALKER

It's the greatest compliment to Des Walker that his magnificent England career has never really been matched by a central defender since, in that Walker was uniquely known for sheer pace. The speed of Nottingham Forest's fine young centre back was the first thing which observers noticed when he broke into the first team at the City Ground; his toughness, positional awareness and impeccable timing in the tackle were spotted secondarily.

Walker was one of two young stars touted for greatness by the media as Bobby Robson looked to the future after England's shoddy campaign at the 1988 European Championships, and with caution duly thrown to the wind, Des and his fellow protegee Paul Gascoigne featured in England's first game after returning from West Germany in disgrace. Walker came on as a substitute for Tony Adams - who was a year his junior but 15 caps and one major tournament into his international career - as England beat Denmark 1-0 and then he subbed for the same player in a qualifier for the 1990 World Cup a month later as Sweden held England to a Wembley goalless draw.

The full debut was not far away and Robson put him alongside the seasoned Terry Butcher in a friendly against Greece which England won 2-1. Butcher was superb for Walker as a mentor and teacher in the international ways; however, Walker was equally as good for Butcher, in that he was the first regular partner the England stalwart had had whose pace meant he genuinely didn't have to worry about keeping tabs on nippier centre forwards. Des concentrated on all that, staying on shoulders and then timing his tackles with real aplomb, and a partnership was born to the effect that Adams was cast aside completely.

Walker started every game of 1989 as England qualified for the World Cup without conceding a goal, and he was touted internationally as 'one to watch' for the finals in Italy. Walker's place at the finals was secured by his form in the qualifying campaign (the photo above is during the 3-0 win against Poland on 3rd June '89) and he enjoyed the preparation period of early 1990, in the midst of an unbroken run of England games which would almost take England to the pinnacle of world football. Des was a healthy 18 caps into his career - including the last 16 consecutively - by the time he joined his team-mates on the plane for Italy. (Matthew Rudd)

Des Walker played every minute of England's campaign at the 1990 World Cup, initially starting in a back four alongside Butcher as England drew 1-1 with the Republic of Ireland in Cagliari in a howling gale. England then drew 0-0 with Holland in a game which saw them first employ three central defenders, with Walker and Butcher being joined by the excellent Mark Wright as the spare man sweeping up. Des was exceptional on the night, never letting Holland's feared hitman Marco Van Basten - who had terrorised England's defence two years earlier at the European Championships - out of his sights.

Manager Robson reverted to 4-4-2, with Walker alongside Wright, for the 1-0 victory over Egypt which, as the only game not to finish in a draw, meant England topped their group. The sweeper system was back as Belgium were then defeated thanks a last-ditch David Platt goal which saw England through to a quarter-final meeting with the tournaments surprise package Cameroon. The heat and fatigue contributed to some knocks and bruises but Walker stood firm, despite pains of his own, to maintain his composure and concentration against the well-built and uncompromising Cameroon players.

The sweeper system continued to work well, despite a few near-misses, and England won 3-2 to get to the semi-finals. West Germany awaited and England's defence held firm (see photo above, Des tracking Rudi Voller), only conceding thanks to a set-piece and devilish deflection. Walker's fitness was severely tested as he went through a whole 120 minutes for the third time in eight days but he held firm.

England equalised but then lost on penalties - Des had never had any kind of shot at goal in professional football, so his likelihood of taking a penalty was nil - and the heroic England side plodded through the third-place play-off against hosts Italy, with Walker winning his 25th cap. He was a stunning find for England; even-tempered but stout, quick but with great timing, and with great courage and a facility to read the game. But now, with the World Cup over, he had lost his partner Butcher to inevitable retirement, so he was now expected to help lead England's defence into a new era under Graham Taylor. (Matthew Rudd)

Des Walker played alongside Mark Wright in Graham Taylor's first five games in charge including three qualifiers for the 1992 European Championship - a 2-0 win over Poland and two 1-1 draws against the Republic of Ireland (the photo above is during the game in Dublin - photo G. Herringshaw ©). Finally Walker missed a game at the beginning of May - after 28 consecutive appearances - when injury ruled him out of a qualifier against Turkey, which England won 1-0. Involvement in the FA Cup final kept him out of the next game - England beat the USSR 3-1 in the first game of a mini-tournament - before Walker returned in a 2-2 draw against Argentina during the same event.

He was now undisputably England's top defender and went on England's summer tour of Australasia, playing in all four scheduled games. When the final two qualifiers came round at the end of 1991, Des had a new defensive partner - Tottenham's recalled Gary Mabbutt - and England beat Turkey and drew in Poland to guarantee their place in Sweden the following summer. Life as an international was still a rosy one for Walker, who featured in all six of the warm-up games of 1992 before jetting off with a depleted but in-form squad for the European Championships.

Injury to Mark Wright and UEFA's refusal to allow Graham Taylor to recall Tony Adams from exile was one of a number of issues which wholly ruined England's bid to win the 1992 European Championships. As a consequence, Des was playing with largely unfamiliar partners, with Keith Curle and Martin Keown not having the international clout to give Walker confidence that he could concentrate on his job, based on using his pace and timing. England were over-defensive as a consequence and their attacking options were muted as the midfield dropped back, and two goalless draws were the result in a pair of highly dull games against Denmark and France. Walker found himself exposed too often in the win-or-bust game against Sweden in the final group match and a late goal from Tomas Brolin did the damage. Taylor bemoaned his lack of luck with injuries but his own tactical shortcomings and desire to pick players based on reliability rather than ability shone through England's woe. (Matthew Rudd)

There was a World Cup in 1994 to aim for, and Des Walker - who had by now moved to Sampdoria - found himself back alongside a rejuvenated Tony Adams for much of the campaign. England drew 1-1 with Norway and beat Turkey 4-0, both at Wembley, the latter of which gave Des his 50th cap in, remarkably, just 53 games since his debut. England beat San Marino 6-0 (the photo above is during the game. Photo G. Herringshaw) before going on their World Cup travels for the first time, and Walker and Adams were inpenetrable as England defeated Turkey 2-0 in Izmir. Then would come the most memorable incident - for all the wrong reasons - of Walker's international career when Holland visited Wembley and England went 2-0 up.

The Dutch had pulled one back and England were clinging on with four minutes to go when Walker, beaten for pace for probably the first time in his time with England when Marc Overmars sprinted from him with the ball, had little choice but to scythe the winger down. Peter van Vossen slotted home the penalty and more points were dropped. A draw in Poland and a shocking 2-0 defeat in Norway - when Walker's defensive authority was compromised by Taylor's imposition of an untested wing back system - left England's dream of a place at the World Cup hanging by a thread.

Victory in Rotterdam was now a must, and England didn't help themselves with a defeat to the USA in the first game of a summer tour. Walker - who had joined Sheffield Wednesday after just a year in Italy - was exonerated, coming on as a sub with the damage done, but was soon back in the team as Rotterdam loomed. The manner of England's defeat in Holland caused an outcry in England, with Ronald Koeman escaping a red card for a professional foul and then scoring from a free kick moments later. England lost 2-0 and then beat San Marino 7-1 in the surreal final qualifier with no atmosphere whatsoever. Taylor quit and it also proved to be the end of the line for Walker, with new manager Terry Venables never once sele

cting him, despite being only 27 at the time of the San Marino defeat. Des won 59 caps in 64 games in little more than five years, an astonishing ratio, and was about utilising his greatest strengths without causing any fuss. He had few delicacies as a player - he was quick, he could tackle and then he got rid. There was little more to Des Walker than that. The key was that he did these things better than anyone. (Matthew Rudd)