On the train from my flat in Glasgow to Greenock this afternoon, I came across a copy of the Irvine Herald and Kilwinning Chronicle, whose back page featured the pouting likeness of Phil Cannie. Clearly, this august journalistic establishment had some news to share regarding the former Morton man, which I shall relate in due course. But, before we get to exactly where he is and what he's doing now, here's a brief retrospective on his career.
Cannie was brought to the club in March 2002 from Pollok Juniors, in order to bolster our strike force to get out of the Third Division. Already having done the rounds on the Junior circuit as well as in the Senior game with Clyde, Phil pretty much defined the "journeyman pro". It was hoped that his arrival at Morton would signal a true unearthing of his talents. Sadly, the first few months of his time with Morton were coloured by their mediocrity. In fact, the defining moment of his contribution in 2002/2003 was his late sending-off against Albion Rovers at Cliftonhill, which allowed the Coatbridge club to capitalise on their free kick and break away for a late winner. Of course, that defeat moved Morton down to 4th place in the table, but also signalled the end of their poor spell and next week they started their 6th game winning streak that eventually saw them promoted as Champions. In this sense, Cannie may well have been instrumental in guiding Morton to Division 2!
With Eddie Annand gone and Peter Weatherson brought in, one would imagine that Cannie's contribution, much like the last season, would be restricted to the odd substitute appearance. In fact, towards the end of 2003/2004, as Morton started their long slide down the table, Cannie featured heavily in the starting lineup, both up-front and on the wing. In this capacity, he looked infinitley better than last season, outperforming many of the inconsistent "stars" but ultimately fighting a losing battle as Morton fell once again to 4th place. An early goal against Alloa 5 weeks from the end of the season helped Morton to a victory, but despite impressive showings such as these, he could not stop the rot, and Morton finished the season losing four straight games. Defeats came against Berwick, Dumbarton, Stenhousemuir - a ludicrously poor performance from the Morton team that saw them lose 4-1 at home to the team who had scored the least goals in senior competition in the UK, even less than East Stirling - and the final humiliation at Airdrie.
With this terrible run, and Morton's failure to achieve promotion, wholesale changes were needed in the squad, and then-manager John McCormack did not waste any time in getting rid of the "fringe" players. Fans questioned the decision to release players such as Robbie Henderson and Cannie, who despite not being blessed with as much skill as some other players, had certainly played a part in the successes of the early part of 2003/2004 and - more importantly - had given some determination and grit to an ailing side. Henderson's release was the more surprising of the two as Morton lacked (and lack) left-sided players, but with the boss aiming to bring in new forwards, the die was cast for Cannie, and his Morton career finished in early June 2004.
This brings us, of course, to the burning question - where is Phil Cannie now? And, the answer is, nobody knows for sure. Everyone knows that he signed for Kilwinning Rangers this summer, returning to the Junior ranks on a reportedly generous wage structure. His league experience and impressive performances were predicted to set him apart in the Junior setup, as he had matured as a player since his days at Pollok.
Sadly, this was not to be, as Cannie clearly did not see eye to eye with Buffs boss Paul Wright from day one. As Kilwinning slid to the bottom of the Stagecoach Super League, Cannie's performances became worse and his behaviour more volatile; his general lack of interest contrasting sharply with outbursts of petulance aimed at the manager, including an alleged incident in which he threw his shinguards into the dugout when substituted in a recent match. The situation between player and boss has become so bad that Cannie has simply stopped showing up at Abbey Park, and has not returned the phone calls from Paul Wright. So, it looks like his career in the Ayrshire Junior scene has come to a sorry end; one can only wonder if he'll make it back into the game, or if Morton will indeed be the last club he was happy at.
Are you in the know at Kilwinning? Any memories of Phil's time at Morton? Or are you just a bored Skunk in need of some light entertainment? Well, why not post something unfunny on our messageboard?