I’m not pretending to know what goes in Chris Husseys mind, if he genuinely wants to be an EDI driector than a footballer good luck to him. (Strange it happens just at the point in his life when his football career would have ended soon though.)
If that is the case though its incredibly disrespectful to thousands of walsall fans who would pay to play for walsall if they were capable.
I suspect he has had a substantial pay rise and the job enables him to stay in football while leading a normal life while not having the pressure of coaching or management.
He’s not the first Saddler to become involved with the PFA.
“I have made the decision to retire from full-time football and pursue a new and exciting opportunity outside of the sport”
So nothing to do with football then Chris?
I like your posts Andy, I generally find you one of the more constructive posters and agree with many of your takes on things……but I just can’t get my head around this take….
I’m pretty sure that at no point in his youth did he aspire to be an EDI rep for the PFA over being a footballer. But we’re talking about someone who’s been a footballer and is clever enough to spot that it’s indeed a very short career that he was rapidly approaching the end of.
I don’t know but I imagine the stress mentally and most definitely physically was becoming too much for him and if he was waking up most mornings unhappy and in pain, not really looking forward to going to work, it would’ve been quite an unhappy period of his life and one he’d have been almost looking forward to ending.
But that’s not even strange is it. It makes perfect sense! His football career was nearing its end and sometimes that crossover doesn’t always happen as smoothly as we’d choose, where one career ends and the new one begins the day after. Sometimes you have to make a tough decision on what prolongs your working life and most importantly maintains a happy and enjoyable life at home for you and your family.
Honestly I challenge anyone on here (other than an under 25 whose existence basically means taking care of yourself and focussing on your own goals and ambition) to make a decision that doesn’t involve first and foremost looking after your immediate family.
Wow that’s the worst part of this whole post for me. So a player is being disrespectful to fans by retiring and pursuing a completely different career at a time when most likely outcome is a football club is about (within 18-12 months max) to toss you aside without a second thought, just because they’d have paid to have done your job had they been lucky enough to have had the talent and dedication to do it in the first place?
my heads gone sorry.
The issue is the way he’s gone about it. No one minds that he’s retired. You really dont need to write another load of paragraphs as if no-one understands this.
The statement when he retired said.
“After only a short spell as a professional football player at this great club, I have made the decision to retire from full-time football and pursue a new and exciting opportunity outside of the sport.
“My time with Walsall has been short but I have learnt an awful lot in that short space of time. I am immensely grateful for the support of the fans, teammates, and coaching staff throughout my time here, especially the gaffer for bringing me to the football club.
“However, life presents us with unique chances for personal and professional growth, and I believe this new endeavour will allow me to explore different facets of my abilities and interests."
Any genuine reading of that would imply hed been given a job that was better than being a walsall player (even saying it was outside of football, as Cully noted).
The reality is, its not a better job than being footballer, and there was no zero need to lie about it being outside of the sport,
He just needed to say, my body/mind cant hack this any more. Im sorry for messing you about thinking i could finish this season. I was wrong and ive got an opportunity to further my post playing career.
No need to imply playing for walsall was second best as he has done. Zero need to treat us like mugs by saying it was outside of football. Just should have been honest.
Not surprised Chris has gone into that line of work as he took a dig at Dave Challinor when he signed for us, regarding issues at Stockport last season and I’ve seen others mention the same.
Is anyone really still arsed about Chris Hussey? Carlos Caniero has more of a legacy at the club than he has.
The overreaction of the century continues …
But you quite literally don’t!
I didnt need the whole retirement statement. Anyone who believes every word of an official statement as being the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth needs their head testing. They’re written by a third party with the intention of being as bland and inoffensive to both parties to give the appearance of the most amicable of partings regardless.
Personally I think it was amicable any way but the statement was simply to be as vanilla as possible.
But for him he has been given a job that is right now FOR CHRIS HUSSEY and his family, better than playing for Walsall!! That’s not a problem. It’s not insulting. It’s just where he’s at right now after working to be a pro footballer and making countless sacrifices you and I cannot comprehend since he was 8 years old!
The reality is it is for Chris Hussey right now at his age and stage of career.
So many footballer say the day they retired was the best day of their lives!!
Believe it or not, playing for Walsall in League 2 isnt as glamorous as we all like to think. It may be to a young fella at the start of his career, but when it’s the stage of winding it all down and you’re staying in cheap Novotels 3 times a month sharing a room with a 24 year old on his Xbox until midnight, eating plain pasta and broccoli for breakfast, waking up barely able to walk and getting to work an hour before the others so you can stretch yourself into a position that enables you to run 6-8 Km in a training session every day……not to mention the very same people you claim he’s disrespecting were the very same people (myself included I may add) who were calling him a c*nt for having the audacity to mis-head a ball to an opposition player who managed to score a one off worldy at your expense!!
Dont be kidding anyone on that this would’ve made a blind bit of difference to anyone who was of the opinion similar to yours. Come on!
The statement did all it could to avoid anything like this at all. It most definitely didn’t imply playing for Walsall was second best (even if it was in comparison to having a normal job and a normal life for the first time in his life….).
Patronising much! Get over yourself.
Its clear to me you dont understand the ethics involved in signing a contract
Ok, so you dont mind being lied to. Some of us do.
Also the context here is that he signed 2 months ago. Its a nonsense to pretend this has come out of nowhere. He’s treated Walsall very poorly.
Again. As i have said I understand that! Im not sure how clearer i can make it.
But, he signed a contract for 12 months. The cost of signing that contract is to forego other opportunities, even if the other opportunities are better for Chris Hussey. You cant seem to comprehend this concept!
As someone else noted this site is UpThe Saddlers. Its not Upthe ChrisHussey!
So refer to that in the leaving statement then. Hed get a lot more respect than pretending hes got a better job, when in reality hes just got a job that better meets his life circumstance.
Jesus Christ….Andy……no one suggested or pretended that he has a better job!!! That’s simply your personal interpretation of it. It’s not mine. It didn’t state that so it’s entirely subjective on your part.
The end of a football doesn’t really give you much notice Andy. Whether it be yours or the clubs choice!
Not many get the privilege of retiring at a convenient time for all. Ask Ben Foster…ask Sam Baldock….Gary Neville made the decision at half time in a game…Paul scholes retired twice…it happens get over yourself.
There’s no hard evidence to say we were. Only subjective speculation. I’m happy to take the statement at face value though.
It wasn’t at all. Stop taking it personally I’ve already said I generally like and respect many of your posts.
I worked in contracts and did some training in contractual law so I understand it and respect it.
Contracts are there for when one party objects to another’s conduct. We didn’t. We mutually agreed it was best for all involved. End of.
Yes, Id already said if Sadler’s ok with it so am I.
Doesnt alter the fact that Chris Hussey hasnt treated Walsall fc very well.
End of.
Sorry, this is nonsense. Any one with a brain can see the signs. The actual end might come suddenly, but lets not pretend it happens overnight.
Look let’s agree to disagree.
I can’t understand your view and you disagree entirely with mine so we’ll never find middle ground which is fine.
What I would say on your point about paying to play for Walsall, is, I have no idea of your age profession or football ability but assuming you’re between 40-65 and are fit and fully employed / employable, if we had a magic wand and placed you as a footballer at Walsall I would almost guarantee that a) you’d earn less money than you currently are and b) within a fortnight you’d be begging to go back to your old job and normal life….
Assuming i was good and fit enough then, yes i would take a pay cut to play for Walsall assuming it gives me enough for lifes necessities.
I dont think i would want my old job if I was good and fit enough. If either of those 2 things changed then I might consider signing for Wolves.
Id also definitely see out my contract if that is what the manager wanted.
Your brain may know but your heart will rule your head for months…
Emotions are stronger than sense. It’s all to do with the emotional part of the brain which is the limbic system of the hypothalamus which is connected to the cerebral cortex which drives emotions. It’s far more powerful than the rational section of the brain in the frontal lobes which is situated behind the forehead.
But either Chris Hussey retired because he didnt/couldnt play football any longer (in which case fine, but refer to it your retirement note and dont have a job lined up suspiciously quickly)
Or Hussey didnt need to retire and hes acted a bit poorly towards Walsall by acting in his own self interests.
You cant have it both ways.
The unknown to me is how disappointed Sadler is. He seems ok so im happy to move on.
Andy I’ve said already…I give up. Nothing you’re saying I agree with so we need to stop.
Chris Hussey scored for Walsall in the 2015/16 season.
Can’t wait for Chris Hussey to be brought back in 20 years as guest of honour on the pitch when we play against one of his former clubs Stockport, Cheltenham, Port Vale etc. 
P.S. I am aware it will most likely be against Bury when they are overtaking us in the football league but that is a different debate.