All profits from 'Walker's Way' will be donated to dementia charities
Villa Park
Villa Park
Jim Walker never kicked a ball for Aston Villa, yet his input was as crucial as that of anyone who performed on the pitch.
Walker, Villa’s physio from 1987 to 2004, was the man who nursed injured players back to fitness as quickly as possible. His efforts paid dividends, with Villa twice finishing as runners-up in English football’s top division, as well as winning the League Cup in 1994 and 1996.
Now, he is sharing his vast collection of anecdotes in an entertaining book called 'Walker's Way' about his time in the treatment room, featuring a foreword by Paul McGrath - the flawed genius who benefitted more than anyone from Walker’s expertise.
Among the stories, Walker reveals his biggest regret during his time as Villa physio: not being able to get the late Gary Shaw back to full fitness.
Gary Shaw
(Image: Photo by Rusty Cheyne/Allsport/Getty Images/Hulton Archive)
Gary Shaw
“At his peak, Gary had been the golden boy of English football, his partnership with Peter Withe, helping the club to the League Championship, European Cup and UEFA Super Cup in the early 1980s,” Walker recalls.
“By the time I arrived in the summer of 1987, though, his career had been blighted by a succession of injuries, and sadly he didn’t respond to any of the treatment I gave him. The situation wasn’t helped by the fact that so many other players were injured when I arrived.
“On my first morning, there were 18 first-team and reserve players in the treatment room at Bodymoor Heath. Some of them were on the mend, but to say the place was crowded would be an understatement.
“It meant I couldn’t give Gary the dedicated attention he required, and it didn’t help that Graham Taylor never really took to him as a player. I think the club’s new manager had assessed all the playing staff and decided that Gary wasn’t likely to make much impact on a promotion bid after all his setbacks.
“Although he was always okay with me, I think Gary expected more than I could provide, and it’s possible that he blamed me for the way things turned out. That season proved to be his last in claret and blue. He started only two games, including a 5-0 home defeat by Bradford City in the Simod Cup, and was a substitute in three others before joining Boldklub of Copenhagen.
“Like everyone else, I was so sad to hear about Gary’s death following a fall outside his home in September 2024. It was a tragic end for someone who had been such an immensely talented footballer.
“At least I unwittingly did him a favour just a few months before his passing. Chatting with former Arsenal striker Alan Smith before a match at Villa Park, I mentioned to the Sky TV co-commentator that Gary would be watching from the press box as part of his Opta Stats duties. Alan, in turn, told his producer, and during a break in play, the Sky cameras zoomed in on Gary Shaw, the media man.
“Talk about being in the right place at the right time. Terry Mancini, another ex-Arsenal player, just happened to be watching the game on television. The following day he contacted Gary to ask if he would like to play in a charity golf day he was organising in Portugal.”
The book will be published in September by Curtis Sport, priced at £11.95 plus postage & packaging. All profits from the book will be donated to dementia charities. Find out more here