Simon Whaley

Simon Whaley played a total of 120 games for PNE and scored 14 goals, in his prime he could be by far the best player on the pitch, even sometimes more effective than the legendary David Nugent. But what looked set to be a promising career, slowly declined and the announcement today at the young age of 26, of his retirement is sad news.

Whaley signed for PNE from Bury, in January 2006 for around £250,000 and played a crucial role in getting the club to the play-offs that season.

The following year after more play-off disappointment Whaley started brightly and worked very effectively with star striker David Nugent. His pace terrorised defences, as he ran wild up the right hand flank. On his day his delivery was superb and he became a crucial player in the strong team under Billy Davies. Premier League teams were often reported interested in the right midfielder, particularly Middlesbrough who were believed to have made a bid of £2.5million which was turned down, showing how highly rated Whaley was.

In the later stages of Paul Simpsons reign of terror and later Alan Irvine's time in charge, Whaley's form gradually worsened after reports of fall outs and the mysterious 'marble table incident' that led to a broken toe, he was sent out on loan before eventually moving to Norwich City.

But Whaley never again hit the heights of his first couple of years at Preston when he played alongside the likes of Nugent. After playing for a host of clubs, he today took the decision today to retire from the game due to continuous knee troubles. 

We wish Simon good luck in his future endeavours, whatever they may be and thank him for the service he gave to the club and the memories of delight that he has left with us fans, particularly of him tearing up the opposition's left back time and time again.