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Marc Tierney called time on his football career yesterday, stating one of his biggest regrets was not getting the chance to work with Neil Lennon.
The 29-year-old was forced to retire after four bouts of surgery on a fractured ankle sustained in a Championship game against Yeovil Town in September 2013.
Tierney had made just eight appearances for the Whites after a summer move from Norwich City but was told by surgeons in the US that a return to the professional game was impossible.
Speaking yesterday, the Salford-born defender thanked Wanderers and Lennon for standing by him during his continuing rehabilitation.
“Working under him (Lennon) would have been a great fit,” he said. “I remember when I moved to Bolton, I spoke with Paul Lambert who is a good friend of Lenny, probably because they are cut from the same cloth, he was very complimentary. So, I am sure he will do great things at Bolton.
“He knows where I am and has got my number if he thinks I can offer anything to Bolton going forward.
"He has been fantastic with me while I have been at the club. It can only be good to be around someone like Neil but for me it is time to move on.”
Tierney got messages of support from team-mates old and new and also got a call from Brighton boss Chris Hughton, who worked with him at Norwich, offering him a glimpse at a new career opportunity.
“I had a good conversation with Chris today when he heard about the news,” he said. “That made me think about going into coaching.
“One of the things he said was if I wanted to go down to Brighton and watch a couple of sessions of his, I would be most welcome.
“I am sure there are plenty of managers I have worked for before that will help. Football is like that in these situations.
“I’ve also thought about media work because I think I have a good knowledge of the game having played in every league. I do think I can give something back.
“But just for now and the way it has ended I intend to take stock for a couple of months over the summer and think before I make any decision.”
Rumours that Tierney would be forced to retire have been circulating for several months but the decision was only made once surgeons said there was nothing more they could do to repair the damaged ankle sufficiently to stand up to the rigours of football.
“The more you go under the knife, the more you are thinking the ankle is not looking like an ankle anymore,” Tierney said.
“You are trying, particularly after the fourth op, to pull something out of the bag and something positive will happen. Unfortunately, though, it has just ran its course.
“The surgeon told me it had gone beyond all hope of improving. He told me I wasn’t moving any further forward and if anything I was going backwards.
“I remember being at Oldham when Paul Lake came as a physio thinking ‘blimey he had to retire because of his knee at a very early age’. And here’s me now at 29 in the same position after what was the first major injury I’ve ever had: a broken leg and broken ankle.
“After the fourth operation it would have been a miraculous recovery from where I was. But there was no way I was going to stop playing without being told.”
Such was the extent of the injury – which occurred in a crunching touchline challenge with Yeovil’s Shane Duffy, now at Blackburn Rovers – that Tierney has never been at the stage where a comeback was on the cards.
“I’ve gone out and done a couple of strides with the physio with a real pain in my ankle, gritting my teeth to try to get through it,” he said. “Slowly though it got worse and worse until there was no point in continuing.
“The only solace I can take is that I wasn’t teased with the fact I might have been able to play again. Right from the word go, it hadn’t got back to anywhere near what it needed to be to even train with the lads.
“Every surgery I had I hoped it might work but unfortunately it didn’t. With me it was an accumulation of things – the talus bone in my foot, the fibula, chipped a bone off the ankle and ruptured a lot of ligaments.
“It was such a catastrophic injury that the impact was massive.
“Even now I can’t go on a long walk, never mind a jog. I am still getting physio through the club to try and live what you would call a normal recreational life. I ended on good terms with the club and they agreed, because I put my body on the line for the club, they will allow me to come in for physio for up to another year if need be. I am very grateful.
“But it is just one of those injuries you don’t want to get as a professional.”
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The 29-year-old was forced to retire after four bouts of surgery on a fractured ankle sustained in a Championship game against Yeovil Town in September 2013.
Tierney had made just eight appearances for the Whites after a summer move from Norwich City but was told by surgeons in the US that a return to the professional game was impossible.
Speaking yesterday, the Salford-born defender thanked Wanderers and Lennon for standing by him during his continuing rehabilitation.
“Working under him (Lennon) would have been a great fit,” he said. “I remember when I moved to Bolton, I spoke with Paul Lambert who is a good friend of Lenny, probably because they are cut from the same cloth, he was very complimentary. So, I am sure he will do great things at Bolton.
“He knows where I am and has got my number if he thinks I can offer anything to Bolton going forward.
"He has been fantastic with me while I have been at the club. It can only be good to be around someone like Neil but for me it is time to move on.”
Tierney got messages of support from team-mates old and new and also got a call from Brighton boss Chris Hughton, who worked with him at Norwich, offering him a glimpse at a new career opportunity.
“I had a good conversation with Chris today when he heard about the news,” he said. “That made me think about going into coaching.
“One of the things he said was if I wanted to go down to Brighton and watch a couple of sessions of his, I would be most welcome.
“I am sure there are plenty of managers I have worked for before that will help. Football is like that in these situations.
“I’ve also thought about media work because I think I have a good knowledge of the game having played in every league. I do think I can give something back.
“But just for now and the way it has ended I intend to take stock for a couple of months over the summer and think before I make any decision.”
Rumours that Tierney would be forced to retire have been circulating for several months but the decision was only made once surgeons said there was nothing more they could do to repair the damaged ankle sufficiently to stand up to the rigours of football.
“The more you go under the knife, the more you are thinking the ankle is not looking like an ankle anymore,” Tierney said.
“You are trying, particularly after the fourth op, to pull something out of the bag and something positive will happen. Unfortunately, though, it has just ran its course.
“The surgeon told me it had gone beyond all hope of improving. He told me I wasn’t moving any further forward and if anything I was going backwards.
“I remember being at Oldham when Paul Lake came as a physio thinking ‘blimey he had to retire because of his knee at a very early age’. And here’s me now at 29 in the same position after what was the first major injury I’ve ever had: a broken leg and broken ankle.
“After the fourth operation it would have been a miraculous recovery from where I was. But there was no way I was going to stop playing without being told.”
Such was the extent of the injury – which occurred in a crunching touchline challenge with Yeovil’s Shane Duffy, now at Blackburn Rovers – that Tierney has never been at the stage where a comeback was on the cards.
“I’ve gone out and done a couple of strides with the physio with a real pain in my ankle, gritting my teeth to try to get through it,” he said. “Slowly though it got worse and worse until there was no point in continuing.
“The only solace I can take is that I wasn’t teased with the fact I might have been able to play again. Right from the word go, it hadn’t got back to anywhere near what it needed to be to even train with the lads.
“Every surgery I had I hoped it might work but unfortunately it didn’t. With me it was an accumulation of things – the talus bone in my foot, the fibula, chipped a bone off the ankle and ruptured a lot of ligaments.
“It was such a catastrophic injury that the impact was massive.
“Even now I can’t go on a long walk, never mind a jog. I am still getting physio through the club to try and live what you would call a normal recreational life. I ended on good terms with the club and they agreed, because I put my body on the line for the club, they will allow me to come in for physio for up to another year if need be. I am very grateful.
“But it is just one of those injuries you don’t want to get as a professional.”
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