He’s one of our own... Whitts deserved more of a send-off

FRANCESCO Totti recently departed his native Roma after a 25-year association and to say it was emotional would be an understatement. It was announced last summer that this would be his final year, so the whole season had been like an extended tribute.

It was not uncommon to see Totti emerge from the bench near the end of a contest, make a decisive contribution and for grown men to openly weep on the terraces. There was not a dry eye in the house for his final game, when he made a lap of honour and a address to the gathered fans.

At Chelsea, they halted their final game of the season to form a guard of honour for John Terry’s prearranged substitution. It was a cringeworthy gesture, but wellintended and certainly deserved.

Which brings me on to Peter Whittingham. He was substituted in the 64th minute of his last home game, a 2-0 defeat against champions Newcastle United. There is nothing remarkable about that, as Whittingham rarely lasts 90 minutes these days.

Would this be the last time we would be afforded the opportunity to applaud his efforts? Nobody knew for sure. It transpires that it was indeed Whittingham’s last appearance and we never got the chance to say goodbye. He may not have racked up a quarter-of-a-century’s worth of service like Totti, but 10-and-a-half years is no mean feat.

Whittingham made them appealing. His non-celebrations were something to celebrate and his low maintenance manner meant that he never angled for a move elsewhere, even at the peak of his powers.

There will never be another Whittingham. He was the one constant during the most tumultuous period in the club’s history. He withstood it and was always an integral part of Cardiff’s success during that time.

At the peak of his powers, Whittingham really was something special. During the 2009/10 season, he struck 25 goals in 51 games, as Cardiff fell just short of the top flight. Whittingham was voted Cardiff’s Player of the Year, an accolade he won on three occasions, plus made the PFA Championship Team of the Year.

Of course, these events were in the past and the present paints a very different picture.

Whittingham is not the player he once was. On that I’m sure we can agree. He was stationed on the wing during his most prolific season and no more has the legs to get up and down.

Yet Whittingham remained influential to the end. Last season, he was used more sparingly under Neil Warnock, but still led the way in assists, as per usual, and trailed only Kenneth Zohore in terms of goals. Form is temporary and class is permanent as they say. Whittingham can’t lose that yard of pace he never had and no-one at the club can deliver a set-piece to his standards.

Everyone will have their own opinion on whether or not they would have kept Whittingham on and I’m firmly on the side of the fence that would have extended his stay, for the reasons outlined.

The other side of the divide seem to have adopted a more pragmatic attitude, claiming that the money he frees up on the wage bill could be better spent elsewhere.

I understand that attitude and the obsession with the new, but it also leaves me cold. For me, football is about more than business decisions. Football is also about personalities, memories and feelings.

It is Cardiff City’s right to move players in and out of the club as they see fit. They did offer Whittingham a new deal.

But it would have been nice to see him receive a departure befitting his standing at the club. We were denied the chance to give him the send-off he deserved.

Whittingham may not be from the area, but he was one of our own and will always be a true Cardiff legend. It was a genuine pleasure watching him, he will remain one of my favourites and will prove an unbelievably hard act to follow.

His story deserved a far better ending though.