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I think it would be interesting to hear from people who have friends who have been or are professional football players (down to the National League level), what’s their take on what players understand about their job that supporters generally don’t understand ? I mean, as supporters we understand that the best player in training might not be the best in front of a crowd, but what else?
No names, no clubs, - maybe just the rough level they played at. )
(I say this after meeting someone who played ‘lower leagues’ and lived in Cheshire among elite players, and socially he always found the ‘big’ players as always very very respectful to him as a fellow pro, despite huge salary differences. A few years ago now.)
[Post edited 8 Feb 20:55]
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Professional footballers on 20:55 - Feb 8 with 4887 views
I know someone who plays in the Northern Premier League (Premier Division) so one league below the National League.
No great insights but I think he feels that supporters have no appreciation for the amount of pressure the body takes playing football at a decent level. And the higher up you go, the fast the game is.
Also, a lot of footballers dislike it when fans bang on about loyalty as if they have a few bad games the same fans will want them booted out.
Last thing, a lot (not all) of footballers quite liked lockdown as they could do what they love to do without any abuse. Like going back to having a kick about.
No great insights.
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Professional footballers on 21:00 - Feb 8 with 4815 views
Professional footballers on 20:55 - Feb 8 by MattinLondon
I know someone who plays in the Northern Premier League (Premier Division) so one league below the National League.
No great insights but I think he feels that supporters have no appreciation for the amount of pressure the body takes playing football at a decent level. And the higher up you go, the fast the game is.
Also, a lot of footballers dislike it when fans bang on about loyalty as if they have a few bad games the same fans will want them booted out.
Last thing, a lot (not all) of footballers quite liked lockdown as they could do what they love to do without any abuse. Like going back to having a kick about.
No great insights.
I think they’re interesting insights
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Professional footballers on 21:25 - Feb 8 with 4700 views
I know an ex-town player, decent number of games, played for the club a lot in the last six years and still playing, albeit a bit lower in the pyramid now.
From speaking to him a lot, think my main takeaway is that fans just don't seem to realise that footballers are humans too.
Take Philogene for example, the amount of posts I've seen on X and also on here at times saying he's 'sh1t', waste of money, did we keep the receipt so we can send him back to Villa etc...
This is a lad who's had to uproot his life twice in the space of 6 months, first to go to Villa, and then to us. All his close mates and family aren't near Suffolk, so the only support he's got at the minute is with the club and his fellow team mates, who, by the way, the majority of which he would've met a couple weeks ago. I don't know if he has a partner of course but that's another factor. In fact, for a more seasoned, older pro who might have a wife, kids etc, that plays into it even more as kids will have to move schools etc etc.
Now imagine you had to move for jobs twice in the space of six months and start over. Not saying this is the case for Jaden, but especially if you had to pull your kids out of school twice, your missus having to leave her home and family most likely too. Your first four days at work, where you are working for a completely new company with different procedures (in comparison to style of play...), are they going to be 100% your absolute best, with a clear mind, when you don't really know too many people yet? Probably not.
The bottom line of all this is, I can't stand when people start throwing out silly comments and forgetting - footballers are humans too, and have to deal with human stuff just like the rest of us.
[Post edited 8 Feb 21:26]
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Professional footballers on 21:37 - Feb 8 with 4575 views
Professional footballers on 20:55 - Feb 8 by MattinLondon
I know someone who plays in the Northern Premier League (Premier Division) so one league below the National League.
No great insights but I think he feels that supporters have no appreciation for the amount of pressure the body takes playing football at a decent level. And the higher up you go, the fast the game is.
Also, a lot of footballers dislike it when fans bang on about loyalty as if they have a few bad games the same fans will want them booted out.
Last thing, a lot (not all) of footballers quite liked lockdown as they could do what they love to do without any abuse. Like going back to having a kick about.
No great insights.
And their thoughts aren’t on the fans anyway.
Priorities are: - rest and recovery - being in top shape - getting picked - rest and recovery - rest and recovery
I only played decent level until I was about 14/15. Sleep was several orders of magnitudes higher than worrying about the fans (although we were lucky to get hundreds).
And 100% they don’t think about loyalty the same way (and rightly so - players are far more pragmatic and balanced).
I am fortunate enough to know a professional player in the higher echelons of the pyramid.
Two things that he’s told me that stand out
- It is a freakishly short career! Sign first contract at 18, and may carry on until about 33. That means a potential 50+ year ‘retirement’. Only very few are gazillionaires and can afford to do sod all after finishing playing.
- Players are playing with minor knocks almost all of the time, as they know that if they have any time out then the next cab on the rank could come in and take their place.
Mate played pro at championship level and says there are a lot of players with great ability but don’t have the mental toughness required to train at that level every day and be consistent when playing. Levels are insane
Also most players are very demanding of each other, not always in an aggressive way but that does happen (fist fights at half time etc)
I was never good enough but did play with him in a friendly game and he was miles above everyone else, even though he had stopped being a pro for about 5 years by then
Professional footballers on 22:25 - Feb 8 by Lord_Lucan
Slightly off topic but my mate broke David Moyes leg in training when they played for Shrewsbury.
Moyes made a few of our pub team lads throw up when he was ‘guest coach’ for pre season training in the mid 80s, during his time as a player at Bristol City.
It was an initiative to get the players out and bonding with the fan base in the community at the time.
My mate Mike still hates him with a passion. We’d been out for his stag do the night before and he’d necked a table full of flaming sambucas to round off the evening.
Moyes nearly wet himself laughing when he threw his guts up on the third lap round the pitch.
I’ve said before, my bro-in-law had a 15 year career which started as a YTS player at one of the big London clubs, then continued at a level between Conference South and L2.
Players think a lot of fans are one-eyed morons who have no idea what they are talking about, but also realise that the ones closest to the clubs to volunteer to take on various roles are the lifeblood of the club - and that the game at that level wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for them doing all those little jobs around the place.
It’s also a very transitory industry in that you play with hundreds of players in your career, but once you or they leave the club you’re at together, you rarely hear from them again.
There’s also a lot of comparison at that level…. “So-and-so is rubbish and / or a bellend, how the feck have they got that move to a bigger club”.
A lot of them will also know players further up the food chain and will talk in envy about what car / sponsorship etc they have.
All clubs will have a good / bad reputation in the game, based on the owners / manager / fans.
Professional footballers on 22:57 - Feb 8 by ITFC_Forever
I’ve said before, my bro-in-law had a 15 year career which started as a YTS player at one of the big London clubs, then continued at a level between Conference South and L2.
Players think a lot of fans are one-eyed morons who have no idea what they are talking about, but also realise that the ones closest to the clubs to volunteer to take on various roles are the lifeblood of the club - and that the game at that level wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for them doing all those little jobs around the place.
It’s also a very transitory industry in that you play with hundreds of players in your career, but once you or they leave the club you’re at together, you rarely hear from them again.
There’s also a lot of comparison at that level…. “So-and-so is rubbish and / or a bellend, how the feck have they got that move to a bigger club”.
A lot of them will also know players further up the food chain and will talk in envy about what car / sponsorship etc they have.
All clubs will have a good / bad reputation in the game, based on the owners / manager / fans.
I am friends with ex Town captain and he took a hell of a lot of abuse from our own fans. Yes he wasn't the greatest ever footballer but he gave his all every minute of every game. Often playing through injuries, infact hardly ever missing a game during tougher times under previous ownership. It was the stuff he did off the pitch which he feels people didn't realise the pressure he put himself under
Professional footballers on 00:33 - Feb 9 by Ipswich24
I am friends with ex Town captain and he took a hell of a lot of abuse from our own fans. Yes he wasn't the greatest ever footballer but he gave his all every minute of every game. Often playing through injuries, infact hardly ever missing a game during tougher times under previous ownership. It was the stuff he did off the pitch which he feels people didn't realise the pressure he put himself under
Chambers?
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Professional footballers on 08:28 - Feb 9 with 3436 views
Professional footballers on 04:16 - Feb 9 by melbs_itfc
Chambers?
Sounds like him but he didn’t take a lot of abuse I feel , if it is him I spoken to him few times at football and he really is a top top bloke and what he did off the pitch is just ridiculous .
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Professional footballers on 08:49 - Feb 9 with 3339 views
I was a tiny little bit ‘matey’ with Jay Tabb and Steven Hunt when they were here, couldn’t meet two more different characters really. Tabb spoke about how he was just good at football but had no love for it, Hunt, well I’ve no idea what he spoke about really, was just a nutter.
Professional footballers on 22:04 - Feb 8 by 3_5_2
Mate played pro at championship level and says there are a lot of players with great ability but don’t have the mental toughness required to train at that level every day and be consistent when playing. Levels are insane
Also most players are very demanding of each other, not always in an aggressive way but that does happen (fist fights at half time etc)
I was never good enough but did play with him in a friendly game and he was miles above everyone else, even though he had stopped being a pro for about 5 years by then
The mentality is a huge thing, I played with, and I'm sure loads of others have over the years with guys that had so much ability but just not the mental capacity to go over and above, making sacrifices etc.
Even if I had the natural ability to play the game at the highest level, I wouldn't have made it because when I play sport I didn't care if we won lost or drew, the attitude of 'Win or lose, on the booze' was the mentality.
I think that's why so many players drop out, the mental toughness to go everyday, putting your body through hell, the knock backs needs huge resilience, and very few people have that.
You look at someone like Chappers who has squeezed out every sinew of his ability out due to his mental toughness, he did a great interview where he talked about the sacrifices at an early age, and not many have the willpower at that age to have that capacity to block out all the outside noise.
Which is why scouts these days are looking for a lot more than just footballing ability.
Professional footballers on 08:55 - Feb 9 by hype313
The mentality is a huge thing, I played with, and I'm sure loads of others have over the years with guys that had so much ability but just not the mental capacity to go over and above, making sacrifices etc.
Even if I had the natural ability to play the game at the highest level, I wouldn't have made it because when I play sport I didn't care if we won lost or drew, the attitude of 'Win or lose, on the booze' was the mentality.
I think that's why so many players drop out, the mental toughness to go everyday, putting your body through hell, the knock backs needs huge resilience, and very few people have that.
You look at someone like Chappers who has squeezed out every sinew of his ability out due to his mental toughness, he did a great interview where he talked about the sacrifices at an early age, and not many have the willpower at that age to have that capacity to block out all the outside noise.
Which is why scouts these days are looking for a lot more than just footballing ability.
100% Chaplin’s mentality is off the charts. I’m not sure if this is the interview you are referring to but I watched this video about a year ago and was so impressed. The interviewer is an ex pro so brings more perspective than a lot of other interviews. There are some fascinating insights and I have even more respect for Chappers after seeing how he operates, from a performance mindset perspective in particular. Here is the link to the interview for anyone that may be interested.
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Professional footballers on 10:25 - Feb 9 with 3114 views
Professional footballers on 21:25 - Feb 8 by TresBonne
I know an ex-town player, decent number of games, played for the club a lot in the last six years and still playing, albeit a bit lower in the pyramid now.
From speaking to him a lot, think my main takeaway is that fans just don't seem to realise that footballers are humans too.
Take Philogene for example, the amount of posts I've seen on X and also on here at times saying he's 'sh1t', waste of money, did we keep the receipt so we can send him back to Villa etc...
This is a lad who's had to uproot his life twice in the space of 6 months, first to go to Villa, and then to us. All his close mates and family aren't near Suffolk, so the only support he's got at the minute is with the club and his fellow team mates, who, by the way, the majority of which he would've met a couple weeks ago. I don't know if he has a partner of course but that's another factor. In fact, for a more seasoned, older pro who might have a wife, kids etc, that plays into it even more as kids will have to move schools etc etc.
Now imagine you had to move for jobs twice in the space of six months and start over. Not saying this is the case for Jaden, but especially if you had to pull your kids out of school twice, your missus having to leave her home and family most likely too. Your first four days at work, where you are working for a completely new company with different procedures (in comparison to style of play...), are they going to be 100% your absolute best, with a clear mind, when you don't really know too many people yet? Probably not.
The bottom line of all this is, I can't stand when people start throwing out silly comments and forgetting - footballers are humans too, and have to deal with human stuff just like the rest of us.
[Post edited 8 Feb 21:26]
Really good post this.
I was born underwater, I dried out in the sun.
I started humping volcanoes baby, when I was too young.
Professional footballers on 10:25 - Feb 9 by Dubtractor
Really good post this.
Yep, I really wish some fans would try and back our players a bit more and at least try to consider the human element of what they do.
Yes we know they are paid huge amounts of money but that doesn't mean they can just automatically perform at the very highest level of the game, week in week out for a newly promoted team.
So many seem to have this black & white viewpoint where after just a few games they have decided that a player is 'sh!t' etc. whithout allowing any nuance or context whatsoever to enter their thinking.
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Professional footballers on 11:10 - Feb 9 with 2967 views
Professional footballers on 21:25 - Feb 8 by TresBonne
I know an ex-town player, decent number of games, played for the club a lot in the last six years and still playing, albeit a bit lower in the pyramid now.
From speaking to him a lot, think my main takeaway is that fans just don't seem to realise that footballers are humans too.
Take Philogene for example, the amount of posts I've seen on X and also on here at times saying he's 'sh1t', waste of money, did we keep the receipt so we can send him back to Villa etc...
This is a lad who's had to uproot his life twice in the space of 6 months, first to go to Villa, and then to us. All his close mates and family aren't near Suffolk, so the only support he's got at the minute is with the club and his fellow team mates, who, by the way, the majority of which he would've met a couple weeks ago. I don't know if he has a partner of course but that's another factor. In fact, for a more seasoned, older pro who might have a wife, kids etc, that plays into it even more as kids will have to move schools etc etc.
Now imagine you had to move for jobs twice in the space of six months and start over. Not saying this is the case for Jaden, but especially if you had to pull your kids out of school twice, your missus having to leave her home and family most likely too. Your first four days at work, where you are working for a completely new company with different procedures (in comparison to style of play...), are they going to be 100% your absolute best, with a clear mind, when you don't really know too many people yet? Probably not.
The bottom line of all this is, I can't stand when people start throwing out silly comments and forgetting - footballers are humans too, and have to deal with human stuff just like the rest of us.
[Post edited 8 Feb 21:26]
Great post. Agree 100%
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Professional footballers on 11:12 - Feb 9 with 2960 views
Professional footballers on 10:13 - Feb 9 by melbs_itfc
100% Chaplin’s mentality is off the charts. I’m not sure if this is the interview you are referring to but I watched this video about a year ago and was so impressed. The interviewer is an ex pro so brings more perspective than a lot of other interviews. There are some fascinating insights and I have even more respect for Chappers after seeing how he operates, from a performance mindset perspective in particular. Here is the link to the interview for anyone that may be interested.
Chaplin is probably in my top 3/5 ever players to play for Town. Has a head I just want to grab and kiss
Professional footballers on 00:33 - Feb 9 by Ipswich24
I am friends with ex Town captain and he took a hell of a lot of abuse from our own fans. Yes he wasn't the greatest ever footballer but he gave his all every minute of every game. Often playing through injuries, infact hardly ever missing a game during tougher times under previous ownership. It was the stuff he did off the pitch which he feels people didn't realise the pressure he put himself under
Chambers took a lot of abuse? I was at Portsmouth when he got himself sent off and got clapped off to a rendition of ‘One fcking Chambers’. I can’t think of many captains that got away with more than he did
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Professional footballers on 14:40 - Feb 9 with 2612 views
My son was at a club from 8 to 20. He hated other players who coasted through training, or who were 'big time' despite being squad players at a non-descript provincial club. Change in manager can be brutal - you can go from in to out more or less overnight. It was tough when he was released - basically collected his stuff after he'd been told and went home. That was it. His top advice for any aspiring pro - be nice to the dinner staff!
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Professional footballers on 14:55 - Feb 9 with 2571 views
Chambers took a lot of abuse? I was at Portsmouth when he got himself sent off and got clapped off to a rendition of ‘One fcking Chambers’. I can’t think of many captains that got away with more than he did
And your comment sums up exactly why he felt like he did I expect…
“ Got himself sent off” ??
He played for the club in the worst era of modern times, always gave his all, and yet week in week out there was abuse on this board about how he and Skuse were stealing a living.
He wasn’t one of the great Ipswich players, but he’s an absolutely top guy. We were very lucky he was our captain then.
[Post edited 9 Feb 14:56]
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Professional footballers on 15:02 - Feb 9 with 2506 views
Professional footballers on 14:55 - Feb 9 by AVJones
And your comment sums up exactly why he felt like he did I expect…
“ Got himself sent off” ??
He played for the club in the worst era of modern times, always gave his all, and yet week in week out there was abuse on this board about how he and Skuse were stealing a living.
He wasn’t one of the great Ipswich players, but he’s an absolutely top guy. We were very lucky he was our captain then.
[Post edited 9 Feb 14:56]
Think you need to look up the definition of abuse if you think what i said constituted it
What’s the ref supposed to do here with him on a booking?
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