| Petr Cech 22:56 - Nov 27 with 3276 views | Sharkey |
I like the story about Petr Cech making his debut in the top UK ice-hockey league, Belfast v Glasgow, 6000 crowd, and saying that ice-hockey keeper was what he always wanted to be, but his dad chose football for him because the gear was more affordable.( Hladky said the other day that he has no interest in staying in football when his playing days are over, which is another Czech keeper saying a much milder version of the same thing.) But it got me wondering , are there any Town players who spring to mind as being very open about football is just something they do because they happen to be good at it and that’s where the money is, and never even supported any club or been a fan at all ( Olof Mellberg was one I remember). You see these stories sometimes about Premier League players who trained all week and had no idea that e.g . Northampton was not in the Premier League and that it was a League Cup game.)
I guess you have to be supremely talented to think like that and just land up playing football. I’m not talking about people like Supple and perhaps even Garvan who (sadly) became disenchanted with it, but people who said they were never really interested in the first place.
( please spare us all the ‘so-and-so never looked interested’ and stick to people who actually said they weren’t .) |  | | |  |
| Petr Cech on 23:12 - Nov 27 with 2623 views | MattinLondon |
A few years ago the Cameroonian left-back (whose name I cannot recall) was very open in his dislike for football. It was just something that he was good at. And even Gabriel Batistuta and David Batty developed a dislike for the sport.
Not really surprising- they probably last played football for fun at around eight and then it becomes serious business. Each year, seeing friends get thrown to the pavement and years spent not really being able to go to mates birthday parties etc etc.
Getting to the top, or just playing professionally, takes dedication and commitment rather than love for the game. Must be some Town players through the years that didn’t love football but didn’t publicly admit to it. |  | | |
| Petr Cech on 23:15 - Nov 27 with 2598 views | PhilTWTD |
| Petr Cech on 23:12 - Nov 27 by MattinLondon |
A few years ago the Cameroonian left-back (whose name I cannot recall) was very open in his dislike for football. It was just something that he was good at. And even Gabriel Batistuta and David Batty developed a dislike for the sport.
Not really surprising- they probably last played football for fun at around eight and then it becomes serious business. Each year, seeing friends get thrown to the pavement and years spent not really being able to go to mates birthday parties etc etc.
Getting to the top, or just playing professionally, takes dedication and commitment rather than love for the game. Must be some Town players through the years that didn’t love football but didn’t publicly admit to it. |
Benoît Assou-Ekotto is the Cameroonian you were thinking of. |  | | |
| Petr Cech on 23:25 - Nov 27 with 2583 views | MattinLondon |
| Petr Cech on 23:15 - Nov 27 by PhilTWTD |
Benoît Assou-Ekotto is the Cameroonian you were thinking of. |
Phil, without naming names, have you ever felt that some Town players weren’t overly keen on football? Footballers tend to come across as quite guarded so not sure whether sch emotions come out in interviews. | | | |
| Petr Cech on 23:32 - Nov 27 with 2569 views | Sharkey |
| Petr Cech on 23:25 - Nov 27 by MattinLondon |
Phil, without naming names, have you ever felt that some Town players weren’t overly keen on football? Footballers tend to come across as quite guarded so not sure whether sch emotions come out in interviews. |
It usually doesn't come out till a few years after they've retired, when their team-mates joke about it.
(By the way, disappointingly, Mellberg, - who did say when at A.Villa that he wasn't interested in football and had never supported any team - is now a coach at Brommapojkarna in Stockholm.) [Post edited 27 Nov 2023 23:33]
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| Petr Cech on 23:44 - Nov 27 with 2533 views | PhilTWTD |
| Petr Cech on 23:25 - Nov 27 by MattinLondon |
Phil, without naming names, have you ever felt that some Town players weren’t overly keen on football? Footballers tend to come across as quite guarded so not sure whether sch emotions come out in interviews. |
I've got the impression that a player I spoke to some years ago was less than enthused with playing at a lower level having been with Town, but other than Shane Supple I can't think of any who have openly said they've fallen out of love with the game. | | | |
| Petr Cech on 00:06 - Nov 28 with 2480 views | Illinoisblue |
| Petr Cech on 23:12 - Nov 27 by MattinLondon |
A few years ago the Cameroonian left-back (whose name I cannot recall) was very open in his dislike for football. It was just something that he was good at. And even Gabriel Batistuta and David Batty developed a dislike for the sport.
Not really surprising- they probably last played football for fun at around eight and then it becomes serious business. Each year, seeing friends get thrown to the pavement and years spent not really being able to go to mates birthday parties etc etc.
Getting to the top, or just playing professionally, takes dedication and commitment rather than love for the game. Must be some Town players through the years that didn’t love football but didn’t publicly admit to it. |
Didn’t Danny Mills say similar after he stopped playing? Basically said he had no interest in the game. Unfathomable to most fans. |  |
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| Petr Cech on 00:22 - Nov 28 with 2460 views | Sharkey |
Mick Channon was one who made it clear during his playing days that he was more nterested in horse racing than in football and could hardly wait for his football career to be over.
I fully understand players falling out of love with the game, just getting tired of the grind, more and more injuries, and especially if they drop down the leagues, - all the travel to away games for a start, the buses and the accommodation getting worse and worse .
But I'm really interested in the players who if you ask them who they supported as a little kid, they say 'nobody, wasn't ever a fan'. (At the other end of the scale ,was anyone else a teeny bit taken aback the other day, when Cole Skuse, asked about what he thought of Town this season, started by saying' 'Obviously, I'm a Bristol C. fan, but...' .? A fan first, a player later. [Post edited 28 Nov 2023 0:51]
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| Petr Cech on 02:13 - Nov 28 with 2374 views | Illinoisblue |
| Petr Cech on 00:22 - Nov 28 by Sharkey |
Mick Channon was one who made it clear during his playing days that he was more nterested in horse racing than in football and could hardly wait for his football career to be over.
I fully understand players falling out of love with the game, just getting tired of the grind, more and more injuries, and especially if they drop down the leagues, - all the travel to away games for a start, the buses and the accommodation getting worse and worse .
But I'm really interested in the players who if you ask them who they supported as a little kid, they say 'nobody, wasn't ever a fan'. (At the other end of the scale ,was anyone else a teeny bit taken aback the other day, when Cole Skuse, asked about what he thought of Town this season, started by saying' 'Obviously, I'm a Bristol C. fan, but...' .? A fan first, a player later. [Post edited 28 Nov 2023 0:51]
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Timely read: from Liverpool to Fleetwood to out the game and happy to be out of it.
https://theathletic.com/4956690/2023/10/13/joe-maguire-liverpool-interview/ | |
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| Petr Cech on 08:01 - Nov 28 with 2163 views | homer_123 |
Shane Supple certainly fell out of love with football.
Sylvain Legwinski also wasn't enamored with football. |  |
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| Petr Cech on 08:17 - Nov 28 with 2138 views | Herbivore |
| Petr Cech on 00:06 - Nov 28 by Illinoisblue |
Didn’t Danny Mills say similar after he stopped playing? Basically said he had no interest in the game. Unfathomable to most fans. |
Isn't he now a pundit? I can understand rinsing a playing career when you're not into footy, but continuing in punditry when you aren't interested in what you're watching seems a bit weird. That said I'm sure there was something about Andy Hinchcliffe similarly not really being into football at all and he's now on Sky as well. |  |
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| Petr Cech on 08:28 - Nov 28 with 2123 views | gordon |
| Petr Cech on 23:15 - Nov 27 by PhilTWTD |
Benoît Assou-Ekotto is the Cameroonian you were thinking of. |
Assou-Ekotto was a really interesting guy, I got the impression he mainly disliked the business of football, the attitudes, and didn't care about watching it on TV etc:
"The people on the tube are very friendly. Sometimes they ask me about the last game, sometimes they ask me if I'm really Benoit Assou-Ekotto... and sometimes I say no, he is my little brother!
"Or they ask me why I use the tube and I say why not? They say it's strange because I play in the Premier League and use the tube. It's funny to speak to people who are surprised with how you live.
"Not many people in football have the same attitude as me. Nobody is born with a silver spoon in their mouth. When you know where you come from, it's easier to map out where you want to go. You shouldn't forget that." |  | | |
| Petr Cech on 09:11 - Nov 28 with 2044 views | blueasfook |
| Petr Cech on 23:44 - Nov 27 by PhilTWTD |
I've got the impression that a player I spoke to some years ago was less than enthused with playing at a lower level having been with Town, but other than Shane Supple I can't think of any who have openly said they've fallen out of love with the game. |
Shane Supple is a good example. But did you know, he did come back to professional football in 2016 - played for Crumlin and Bohemians. Retired again in 2018 due to a hip injury. |  |
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| Petr Cech on 09:16 - Nov 28 with 2019 views | gobs93 |
Ben White is someone who openly dislikes football - said he never watched when he was younger or takes an interest outside of the games he plays. Interesting interview with him where he mentions the intensity of the games and that all he wants to do is switch off from football in his personal life. |  | | |
| Petr Cech on 09:17 - Nov 28 with 2019 views | MattinLondon |
| Petr Cech on 09:11 - Nov 28 by blueasfook |
Shane Supple is a good example. But did you know, he did come back to professional football in 2016 - played for Crumlin and Bohemians. Retired again in 2018 due to a hip injury. |
He also played GAA.
I’m not sure that he had an issue with the game but more with players not really caring which made him disillusioned. Didn’t he go on loan to Falkirk, where he loved it? | | | |
| Petr Cech on 09:21 - Nov 28 with 2016 views | blueasfook |
| Petr Cech on 09:17 - Nov 28 by MattinLondon |
He also played GAA.
I’m not sure that he had an issue with the game but more with players not really caring which made him disillusioned. Didn’t he go on loan to Falkirk, where he loved it? |
Not sure why! He only made 4 appearances for Falkirk. I liked him as a keeper for us. Small for a goalie but agile. Not sure if he'd ever have become a "great keeper" though. | |
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| Petr Cech on 09:28 - Nov 28 with 1990 views | gordon |
| Petr Cech on 09:21 - Nov 28 by blueasfook |
Not sure why! He only made 4 appearances for Falkirk. I liked him as a keeper for us. Small for a goalie but agile. Not sure if he'd ever have become a "great keeper" though. |
I thought he was potentially really good, incredibly brave, good communicator, great hands, agile and a good shot-stopper, and seemed to have a real presence - unlike Lewis Price who was around at the same time. | | | |
| Petr Cech on 09:41 - Nov 28 with 1926 views | PhilTWTD |
| Petr Cech on 09:11 - Nov 28 by blueasfook |
Shane Supple is a good example. But did you know, he did come back to professional football in 2016 - played for Crumlin and Bohemians. Retired again in 2018 due to a hip injury. |
Yes, spoke to him about it on Life's a Pitch. Crumlin was amateur and I think he was semi-professional with Bohemians. Got a full Ireland call about six months before he was forced to retire. | | | |
| Petr Cech on 09:42 - Nov 28 with 1917 views | itfc_bucks |
I can understand why players fall out of love with football towards the end of their careers, like Danny Mills seems to have.
I only played to a decent semi pro level, but as soon as I wasn't able to play at the level I knew I had been capable of, I rapidly fell out of any sort of desire to play the game
Living coaching kids football now though! | | | |
| Petr Cech on 09:42 - Nov 28 with 1915 views | PhilTWTD |
| Petr Cech on 09:17 - Nov 28 by MattinLondon |
He also played GAA.
I’m not sure that he had an issue with the game but more with players not really caring which made him disillusioned. Didn’t he go on loan to Falkirk, where he loved it? |
Here's a bit a TWTDer, Josh Prenderville, did with him in 2016:  Supple: Still No Regrets 14th Jan 2016 13:40Former Town goalkeeper Shane Supple still has no regrets about his decision to retire from professional football six years ago, he told Josh Prenderville when he caught up with him in Dublin recently.  19
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| Petr Cech on 09:43 - Nov 28 with 1910 views | homer_123 |
| Petr Cech on 23:15 - Nov 27 by PhilTWTD |
Benoît Assou-Ekotto is the Cameroonian you were thinking of. |
He doesn't dislike football as such.
But his attitude towards it is indifferent. | |
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| Petr Cech on 09:48 - Nov 28 with 1903 views | Basuco |
| Petr Cech on 09:28 - Nov 28 by gordon |
I thought he was potentially really good, incredibly brave, good communicator, great hands, agile and a good shot-stopper, and seemed to have a real presence - unlike Lewis Price who was around at the same time. |
I agree, Shane looked a great prospect, not the biggest but a tough, brave and quick keeper, my memory was when he came on after as a sub after I think it was Dion Dublin came in very late, very hard, studs up challenge on Lewis Price, who had to go off. Dublin then quickly went is hard on a young Shane, who jumped to catch a high ball, Shane turned while in the air and met him shoulder to shoulder (typical gallic football type catch) but didn't get put off or pushed off. Great moment for a young keeper. Shame we did not get to see how far in the game he would have reached. (edit: I seem to remember Shane mentioned this in an interview, he said that as a Villa fan who liked Dublin, it was great to be "tested" by him). Another interesting lifes a pitch candidate Phil? [Post edited 28 Nov 2023 10:05]
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| Petr Cech on 10:26 - Nov 28 with 1851 views | shady |
Mick Lambert
could make an interesting Life's a Pitch candidate
Cup final substitute appearance and almost an England cricketer |  | | |
| Petr Cech on 10:29 - Nov 28 with 1839 views | PhilTWTD |
| Petr Cech on 10:26 - Nov 28 by shady |
Mick Lambert
could make an interesting Life's a Pitch candidate
Cup final substitute appearance and almost an England cricketer |
Yes, would be good. Will mention his name to the rest of the team. We spoke to him before on the radio and turned out the sport he was really good at was tennis! Also a very good golfer. | | | |
| Petr Cech on 10:34 - Nov 28 with 1824 views | Kievthegreat |
Sean Longstaff supposedly nearly picked Ice Hockey over football. His dad is a former GB international Ice Hockey player and played at the top level in the UK and around Europe, which is where Sean got his love for the game from.
However, there is very little financial incentive to play Hockey in a lot of countries except for the obvious ones. If you are a top level pro in the UK for example, you'll earn a living, but probably £50k a year (which Sean Longstaff gets every week at Newcastle!). If you get to a bigger European league you can earn a bit more. The only big paydays are if you can play in the NHL (entry level deal is approx £300k per year with best players getting millions), but it's a hugely difficult nut to crack.
It's also crazy expensive for parents. The ice time costs a lot, equipment costs a boatload as well. There's only so many rinks so travel can be quite extensive as distances can get quite large. Football is a lot easier and you can play with just a ball and use your jumpers for a goal. Want to be goalie in football? Here's a pair of gloves. Want to be an ice hockey goalie? I hope you've got a couple of grand lying around for pads, helmet, sticks, blockers, glove, etc... |  | | |
| Petr Cech on 12:07 - Nov 28 with 1705 views | Sharkey |
| Petr Cech on 10:26 - Nov 28 by shady |
Mick Lambert
could make an interesting Life's a Pitch candidate
Cup final substitute appearance and almost an England cricketer |
He was certainly a very decent cricketer (played for Cambridgeshire) but what do you mean by 'almost an England cricketer' '? | | | |
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