Stoke City say farewell to club record holder Jonathan Walters as he departs for Burnley

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Jonathan Walters departed Stoke City last week to bring an end to what has been a hugely successful seven-year spell in The Potteries after Burnley announced that the Republic of Ireland International had signed a two-year deal at Turf Moor.

The 33-year-old has been one of the most influential player’s in Stoke City’s recent history and is an extremely popular figure both within the dressing room and amongst the supporters in the stands. He has personified the fight, drive, endeavour and occasional brilliance that has characterised The Potter’s decade-long stay in the Premier League and he leaves with a vast array of club records in his name.

Here, The Boot Room recaps some of the best of Jonathan Walters during his Stoke City career.

Consistent, reliant and dependable

Jonathan Walters signed for Stoke City in the summer of 2010 for £2.75 million from Championship side Ipswich Town. The striker had fallen foul of Roy Keane, then in charge at Portman Road, and had been stripped of the club captaincy and frozen out of the first team in controversial fashion after stating his desire to leave. The Potters beat off competition for his services from Queens Park Rangers, although the transfer attracted little attention from outside The Potteries.

Walters proceeded to become a central component of the rigid, structured team moulded by Tony Pulis at the Bet365 Stadium, being deployed either as a second striker or as a make-shift wide player. His limitless endeavour and work rate perfectly suited the direct style of play implemented by Pulis which relied on fitness and a high work ethic rather than technical brilliance. However, Walters was also favoured by Mark Hughes, who was appointed as manager in the summer of 2013, and the Republic of Ireland International swiftly fitted into a new, fluent and more aesthetically pleasing style of play.

Over the duration of his seven-year spell at Stoke City, Walters made 269 appearances across all competitions and played over 20,000 minutes of competitive first team football. His resilience and reliability were exemplified when he started 102 consecutive matches in the Premier League and the 33-year-old’s ability to cement himself as a key component in the very different styles of play adopted by Pulis and Hughes.

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Goals, goals, goals

Whilst Jonathan Walters will not be listed among the all-time great strikers who have graced the Premier League his endeavour and work rate was also complimented by occasional brilliance and an ability to score important goals at vital times.

The Irishman is not renowned for being a stereotypical natural goal scorer and throughout his career the forward’s record in front of goal has been relatively solid yet unspectacular. At Portman Road he averaged a goal every four games in The Championship which meant that his arrival at Stoke City was met with indifference, rather than excitement.

However, Walters has proven to be vital to the club’s Premier League success and the 33-year-old has developed a reputation for scoring important goals at key moments in matches. He found the back of the net 62 times for The Potters in all competitions, seven of which have come against Liverpool – not bad considering he is an Everton supporter! More impressively, Walters is Stoke City’s record goal scorer in the Premier League (43 in total) and is also the only player who has scored a hat-trick for the club in the Premier League.

His crowning moment came in the FA Cup semi-final victory against Bolton Wanderers in 2011 at Wembley. Picking up the ball on the half-way line, Walters waltzed his way down the left touchline, cut inside, and curled a beautifully struck 30-yard strike into the bottom corner of the net in front of 30,000 ecstatic Stoke City supporters.

Farewell to a modern day hero

Jonathan Walters departs Stoke City holding the club record(s) for the number of consecutive starts (102) and number of goals (43), whilst he remains the only player to have scored a hat-trick in the Premier League. He has been a significant influence around the club and his work ethic, endeavour, tenacity and occasional brilliance have made him a key component of the team under two successive managers. The Irishman is hugely popular amongst The Potters supporters who will undoubtedly show their appreciation when he returns to the Bet365 Stadium with Burnley later this season.

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