Former Sheffield Wednesday boss Paul Sturrock on suffering with Parkinson's disease

The 63-year-old led Wednesday to the Championship after a dramatic 4-2 extra-time win against Hartlepool United in the League One play-off final in 2005 at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.

He was sacked by the Owls in October 2006 with Wednesday 21st in the Championship.

Sturrock revealed he was suffering with the condition for the first time in June 2008 but the ex Southampton and Plymouth Argyle manager had been living with it for some years before.

Sadly his Parkinson’s is now impacting on his life and the Scot can no longer dress himself or put his own shoes on.

In an interview with The Times, Sturrock said: “I now know that my Parkinson’s has cost me in terms of my managerial career.

“I did well as a manager, I had quite a bit of success at various clubs, but I think a lot of club chairmen looked at me, looked at my Parkinson’s, and said ‘no, not him’.

“It didn’t affect me professionally for years. I was at Plymouth, then Southampton, then Sheffield Wednesday, then Swindon Town, then back to Plymouth in 2007, and in all that time, while I was living with Parkinson’s, I was fine. The one thing was, I got knackered in the evenings. Parkinson’s saps your strength. But I was working away fine.”

He added: “For all my troubles, I still enjoy life, and I’ve had a great life. I’ve remained an optimist and I’ve no complaints. But I also have to face facts. I’ve always cracked on with things but the day will come soon when I can’t crack on with it. I know that one day I’m going to be in a wheelchair.

“As a disease it slowly gnaws away at you. You get to the stage — I’m getting there now — where you can’t dress yourself and you can feel the deterioration. Down the line you know your body is packing up. That’s what I’m facing.”