ANDY Webster was the pioneering footballer made a pariah for taking charge of his own career.
The former Scotland defender became the first professional footballer in the world to walk away from a contract before it ended. It opened the door for others while slamming one shut on himself.
In 2006, with a year left on his Hearts deal, Webster invoked what was a recent loophole introduced by FIFA, as the transfer market was brought into line with EU law.
Webster agreed a deal with Wigan Athletic, it couldn’t be with an another Scottish club under the rule, which didn’t go down well with Hearts owner Vladimir Romanov.
%image('9688675', type="article-full", alt="Vladimir Romanov and Andy Webster")
READ MORE: Rangers striker Alfredo Morelos determined to finish season on a high as he targets Celtic clash
Because he was the first to go down this path, Webster and his agent didn’t get everything right and it eventually cost the player £150,000.
Long story short, he believed Hearts had been given enough time, 15 days notice, back then, but confusion reigned and FIFA found he had broken his contract “without just cause.”
It was a mess and it meant Webster being dropped for the Scottish Cup final that season against Gretna.
Webster recalled: “I sat in the front of the stand watching the game that day! They were difficult times but I had made my decision.
“But if I had been involved in 2006, would I have been involved in the 2012 final, which was arguably the mist important one the club experiences – and of course even final is important. I was fortunate enough to be play in the game we beat Hibs, but was unfortunately not in 2006.
“Ultimately, it’s a winner’s medal I missed out on, which would have been great with me. You have to deal with the situation you find yourself in and move forward.
“Circumstances dictated what happen. As much as that was hugely disappointing for me, I did get the opportunity to play in the English Premiership after that.
“I missed out on a medal but had I not then my path may have been different, I might not have done what I did later on. It’s all hypothetical.”
Webster’s story has been forgotten - not by him - and while that wasn’t an easy time then, it has a happy ending.
%image('9688676', type="article-full", alt="Andy Webster sits in the stands as Valdas Ivanauskas oversees the final")
READ MORE: Neil Lennon is planning to be at Celtic next season
He found his back at Hearts and in 2012, six years after a forced watching brief, he wore the maroon jersey on the Hampden pitch as Hibernian were thrashed 5-1 in the final.
Oh, and two years before that, he won the cup with Dundee United as captain
Webster said: “When I had that disappointment in 2006, you then appreciate things a lot more.
“To get the opportunity to go out on loan at Dundee United, and be able to captain a team that wins the Scottish Cup for the second time in the club’s history, was fantastic when you think back to the quality of United teams that played in Europe and won league titles.
“If 2006 hadn’t happened and I hadn’t gone own the career path I did, I might never have been at Dundee United.”
And then came the salt and sauce final, a game this Jambo just knew his side would make history in.
He said: “That final in 2012, I had a feeling going into it that we would win. If we performed at any level I thought we’d beat Hibs. It’s probably the only time I thought ‘we’ll win today’.
“Sometimes you aren’t really sure. As a defender you are maybe a bit more pessimistic and er on the side of caution.
“But I felt if we performed to any level we’d win. But to get to 5-1 was beyond anybody’s wildest dreams or expectations. It was great for the fans.”
Hearts are back in Mount Florida on Saturday on semi-final duty, another game they should win if they find their best level.
%image('9688683', type="article-full", alt="Craig Levein after the Edinburgh derby")
READ MORE: Nick Rodger: Augusta still a master of self worship
Inverness Caledonian Thistle stand in the way of a final. Surely the top six Premier League team will beat an inconsistent Championship outfit.
Webster said: “You have to manage expectations. When Hearts play on Saturday, anyone who’s anyone will expect them to win.
“Inverness will be going about their business quietly thinking ‘if we can maybe get the first goal, get a foothold in the game, we can build ourselves into it’.
“You can argue for both sides. There’s not as much pressure on Inverness so they have an opportunity to maybe be a bit more free flowing. The expectation levels on Hearts will be high as people will expect them to get to a cup final.”
Andy Webster was speaking at a William Hill media event. William Hill is a proud sponsor of the Scottish Cup
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here