RIP Phil O'Donnell

[Sweet & Tender Hooligan]

Today's result and performance at home to Gretna was overshadowed by news of the death of ex-Celt Phil O'Donnell, who suffered a reported "seizure" during Motherwell's 5-3 win over Dundee Utd at Fir Park, moments prior to being substituted ("a coincidence", remarked 'Well manager Mark McGhee), and died shortly after in Wishaw General hospital. Phil was 35, club captain at Motherwell and leaves behind a wife and four young children. As a member of the extended Celtic family and, more importantly still, as a husband and father to his own, the condolences of all at Celtic Underground go out to Phil's family and friends. May he rest in peace.


Having twice won the SPFA Young Player of the Year award with Motherwell, O'Donnell was signed by Tommy Burns early in the 1994-95 'Hampden' season, aged 22, in a £1.75m deal which not only helped him achieve a boyhood ambition, but also made him the club's record signing for a short time. For myself as a young schoolchild at the time, that particular factoid coupled with the fact that he immediately hammered two goals past Partick Thistle on his debut was enough to confirm him in my mind as One Helluva Player. Unfortunately for myself and others equally keen to see O'Donnell live up to his full potential, his career thereafter was wrought by a series of injuries which plagued his form both during his five seasons with Celtic and then even more so during a difficult four year spell in England with Sheffield Wednesday, when he ought to have been at his peak.

Nevertheless in his time at Celtic Park O'Donnell completed the domestic sweep of  Premier League, Scottish Cup and League Cup championships, with a winners medal in each competition from his time playing under Burns, and then Dutchman Wim Jansen. As a result of his constant injury troubles he featured sporadically under both managers, and then also Jozef Venglos in his final season with the club, but it was a mark of his usefulness when fit that over the course, he made his fair share of appearances in the 'big games', versus Rangers, and European opposition (including Liverpool, at a time when he was fighting with characteristic vigour for his place in the team early on in Jansen's tenure). His total of 89 league appearances (124 in all competitions) and 16 goals (20) averages out at less than 20 league games per season, and if that statistic fully reflects the extent to which all those injuries played havoc with his potential, it does nothing to underline the dedication with which O'Donnell continued to pursue each successive opportunity at the club he grew up supporting.

That said, Phil still managed to time arguably his most productive season for when it mattered most, in 1997-98, when he was an important member of the squad which prevented Rangers from achieving the dreaded 'Ten in a Row'. He also played the following season in a famous 5-1 thrashing of Dick Advocaat's hun side at Celtic Park, picking out Henrik Larsson with a first-time delivery for Celtic's fourth of the afternoon, and what was only the second of many goals to come in the derby fixture for Larsson himself.

By the end of that term O'Donnell had put enough together enough quality performances to convince Sheffield Wednesday manager Danny Wilson that he, along with fellow Celtic squad player Simon Donnelly, were worth a punt on a free transfer, as part of Wednesday's own post-Paolo Di Canio reconstruction efforts. In truth the move looked a good one for both Celtic and the player(s) in question, offering O'Donnell a shot at the English Premiership at a time when he was hardly likely to move up to the next level in terms of playing opportunities with Celtic, but if anything his injury problems mounted in the Steel City, where he played only once in his debut season and on only 20 occasions overall, with Wednesday tumbling down the divisions all the while.  In 2003, he returned to Motherwell, winning a contract in January 2004 after proving himself all over again during a period of some months on trial - an undoubted testament to his personal resilience and professionalism, given the challenge laid before him at such a late stage in his career and after so many extended periods out of the game.

The move offered him the chance to bookend his career at the club where he had first broke through as a teenager, and where he was still held in high regard amongst fans on account of his goalscoring exploits in the now legendary 1991 Scottish Cup final, which saw the Fir Park men defeat Dundee Utd 4-3 in one of the few 'all-provincial' Cup finals of recent decades. It was form during this spell which led to his one and only cap for Scotland, against Switzerland in 1994. He remains Motherwell's record sale to this day, and at the time of his death was captaining a new generation of youngsters within the first team there, enjoying the club's first serious tilt at the European positions since those days in the early-to-mid nineties when he himself first emerged. If the story of O'Donnell's career is one of opportunities snatched at cruelly by fate, then his death is all the more tragic for the fact that it befell him so unexpectedly during what was a well-deserved indian summer for the player.

Motherwell owner John Boyle remarked: "This is an unspeakable tragedy for Phil's family.  At this stage we do not know the exact cause of death but the Club is obviously liaising with the medical staff at Wishaw General. Everyone at Motherwell is shocked to the core and we are sure that everyone involved in Scottish football will feel the same. Phil was not only an inspirational player for Motherwell and Club Captain, but was an inspirational person.  All of us at Motherwell are thinking of his wife Eileen and their four children."
 

Manager Mark McGhee added: "We are all totally devastated and our thoughts are with Phil's wife and family.Phil was a great professional and gave everything when he played the game.This is a shocking tragedy."

 

Celtic also produced an official statement on the club website, reading "Everyone connected with Celtic Football Club is absolutely devastated at the news of Phil’s death. He was a tremendous professional with every club he played for, and in his second spell at Motherwell proved to be a great example to all the younger players at the club. The thoughts and prayers of everyone at Celtic are with Phil’s family, friends and team-mates at Motherwell at this desperately sad time. The flags at Celtic Park are flying at half-mast as a mark of respect."

 

Sheffield Wednesday were also quick to comment officially, stating "Sheffield Wednesday Football Club would like to express sincere condolences to the family of Motherwell captain, Phil O'Donnell, who tragically died after collapsing in his side's 5-3 win over Dundee United on Saturday... Everyone at Sheffield Wednesday would like to express our sympathies to those who knew Phil O'Donnell. Our thoughts are with his family at this very sad time."

[Sweet & Tender Hooligan]

Sorry, just seen Mac's thread now. Will leave this one too, doesnt feel right deleting it.

[Lunatic]

RIP. another sad soccer death