Paul: I’m so sorry Kenny
Sunday Mail 49
Paul Walsh has made a heartfelt apology to old bosses Kenny Dalglish and Terry Venables
In a candid and poignant confession of his days at Anf ield and White Hart Lane, the former England striker admits that many of them were spent in a drunken haze.
It’s only now, after joining Alcoholics Anonymous and becoming a volunteer at a local rehabilitation centre, that Walsh is able to remove the “rucksack of crap” he has carried for many years.
The former Liverpool and Tottenham star said: “I had a resentment of Kenny Dalglish for years.
“A f t e r He y s e l , t he manager who bought me ( Joe Fagan) was no more. Kenny took over and we had stood up, toe to toe.
“I was uncontrollable in those moments. Maybe my aggressive attitude to him cost me. Then I got a bad injury so I was angry and resentful about that.
“I missed the FA Cup Final. It was my best season, the 1986 Double-winning season. I was devastated and drank myself senseless. I’d grown up wanting to play in an FA Cup Final. Poor me, poor me. Like it’s never happened to anybody else.
“Only now after going through rehab I realise that maybe Kenny didn’t rate me.
“If I see Kenny again, I’m going to say sorry to him for my reactions towards him.”
Former England and Spurs boss Venables is also on Walsh’s list.
The Sky Sports pundit said: “I went to Tottenham from Liverpool as a bit of a drunk. Living in a hotel, a single lad of 25.
“Venables had given me a great opportunity but in the end he never used to play me, so again I would console myself with drink.
“I had burnt a ll my bridges. Now I realise that once you let a l l that resentment go, it’s great. It’s been like carrying a rucksack of c**p on your back .
“A mate helped me. I joined Alcoholics Anonymous and I’ve been in it four years and I’ve not been drinking.
“One day a week I help out in a rehabilitation centre. I just knocked on the door and asked if I could volunteer.”