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BLIND, STUPID AND DESPERATE
 
Player profiles:
Paul Devlin
 
Position: Right winger
From: Birmingham City - £150,000 - September 2003
Career stats: Soccerbase
He is: A present from Elton
Past Profiles: May 2004

Profile:

A search of Dogpile produces: - Paul Devlin BSC, PhD Lecturer in Plant Sciences Research Group: Molecular Genetics & Microbiology. What a fine CV for a professional footballer, but I would suggest that this is possibly not our man.

Then again: Paul Devlin is the filmmaker of Power Trip, which tells the story of chaotic transition to capitalism in the former Soviet Republic of Georgia. Well, maybe not!

Ah! What’s this? BBC Sport: Former Widnes winger Paul Devlin finally crossed the rugby divide and signed for Munster. The twenty-two-year-old slimline sprinter was a former Ireland under-twenty-one player. We ARE getting warmer, but no.

Hold on, what’s this? "Welcome to my Icons website. I will be able to give you an insight into my life with Watford.” Gotcha! At the Elton John concert, the big man himself was quoted as saying “Paul Devlin”, thereby proving what everybody already knew but weren’t allowed to say: Our revered ex-chairman bought Paul Devlin from Birmingham City for £150 000 in September 2003. He was remembered for the way he had tormented our defenders in the past.

This five-foot-eight, thirty-three-year-old Scottish international, with the deep Brummie accent, was brilliant in his first year. He suffered from an injury and a change of tactics, which did not suit him, and his form was not so good the following year. This season it is great to see that he shows signs of recapturing his original form with the new manager’s tactics; if only he can sustain his return to fitness he will be a real asset. Tricky and inventive, he is a handful for any defender.

He had two spells at Birmingham and also played for Notts County and Sheffield United. A discussion in a Sheffield pub with Blades supporters showed that they were really cross with him for leaving them and were really not happy at having to face him that day. A good indication of the sort of player he is.

Ed Messenger
Last updated: September 2005