Profiling those Saddlers that came and went in the blink of an eye...
AS WE embark upon a year of celebration to mark Walsall FC’s 125th Anniversary, a lot will, quite rightly, be said about the most popular players or those who have made the most appearances for the club over the years.But what about those players that came and went in the blink of an eye? They may have only appeared on a handful of occasions, but nevertheless, have made a contribution to the history of this great club of ours.
We will be highlighting some of the forgotten Saddlers from the Bescot Years, continuing with a solid former Greek International...
With The Saddlers finding life tough in the second-tier of English football during the 1999/2000 campaign, higher level experience was added to our ranks with the capture of the versatile Michalis Vlachos from Portsmouth in February 2000.
The former Greece International had been a regular for the likes of Apollon Smyrnis, Olympiacos and AEK Athens in his homeland before getting his chance in the English game with Pompey in 1998.
Making over 50 League appearances for the south coast club, he made 12 outings for Walsall as we put up a brave fight against relegation, only to succumb on the final day of the season.
Vlachos was a versatile performer and solid professional who read the game well. He returned to Greece with Ionikos during the summer of 2000 and ended his playing days where it all began – with Apollon Smyrnis.
He then embarked upon a managerial career with Apollon Eretrias and then Peramaikos.