Ahead of the EFL Play-off finals this weekend, we asked the EFL Insider to answer some questions on his time in the English Football League.
This is the first of three parts in our question and answer series with the EFL Insider, where he reveals some unexpected lessons, mental challenges and dressing room banter.
Read on for all the EFL Insider’s secrets!
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What was the most unexpected lesson you learned about football culture when you first broke into the professional ranks?
There are some interesting lessons you learn when you become a professional footballer. Singing in front of the teammates on your first overnight away trip, buying cakes for the whole club when it’s YOUR birthday and team fines that generally only last until the Christmas party!
The most unexpected lesson that I learnt was at the end of my first season. When the manager had individual meetings with everyone about contracts for the next season. Some were offered new contracts and some weren’t. You had been training with, and getting to know, these players all season and then all of a sudden they’re no longer with you. It was a wake up call for me on how fragile our industry can be. So I learned to not take it easy because it can all be taken away so quickly and easy.
Can you recall a specific match where the atmosphere, either from the crowd or within the dressing room, was so intense it almost felt tangible?
Big games like promotion deciders, play offs, relegation scraps or cup games always have an electric atmosphere but one particular game, a local derby against Mansfield away, was very tense. Steve Evans was Mansfield’s manager and things were very tense both on the pitch and in the dugout.
A big tackle was made right by the dugouts and the touchline just erupted. Both dugouts clashed and there were bodies flying about everywhere, the game was stopped for about 10 minutes. In the end our manager was sent off. To make matters worse, Mansfield scored a last minute winner and, when we were walking off the pitch at the end of the game, we were getting dogs abuse from the Mansfield supporters. I remember sitting in the changing rooms afterwards and feeling angry, frustrated and gutted but also thinking that it had been a proper game of football. There’s no feeling like it.
Beyond the tactical battles, what was the most significant ,mental challenge you faced as a player and how did you overcome it?
Injury. I had a long term injury in my mid twenties and I ended up being out for nearly a year. It was very tough mentally.
You spend a lot of time on your own. Rehab in the gym, isolated from the rest of the squad and weekends spent watching from the stands or even at home. It’s a tough time for any footballer because you can’t do the thing you love the most and that’s play football. It feels like your identity is taken away from you. You’re so used to the team environment and, all of a sudden, you hardly spend any time with your teammates. The only way to overcome it is to count down the days, work hard and remember that you will eventually come back. When you do return to fitness, you don’t take football for granted as much as you might have before and you have more of an appreciation for your profession.
Share a memorable anecdote about a teammate – perhaps a quirky ritual, a surprising talent or a moment of unexpected camaraderie.
We had a match in the FA Cup Second Round against a non-league side at home. It was a very foggy, winters day and at half time we were losing 1-0 despite being expected to win comfortably and reach through to the 3rd round.
We came into the changing room at half time and just sat there. The manager didn’t really say too much but then, all of a sudden, one of the players just losses the plot. He starts screaming and shouting at everyone about how bad it is. He flips the drinks table over. Tea, coffer and water goes everywhere. He walks out and slams the changing room door. We all just sat there silently in shock.
Then about 20 seconds later the same player walks back in quite calmly and says ‘Don’t worry about it guys, the games been called off due to fog’ and just sits down. He gets undressed and gets in the shower and we all just burst out laughing.
In the rearranged game we did manage to get the win and received a plum third round draw so it all worked out alright!
What is the biggest misconception you believe fans have about the daily life of a professional footballer in the EFL?
I think people feel that professional footballers have an easy job, where you just have a kick about with your friends for a bit and then go home.
A footballer’s life is great and we aren’t after sympathy but professional football has changed. Modern day footballers are extremely dedicated. They work very hard to maintain an elite level of fitness and spend hours at the training ground trying to improve.
On top of daily training which is both physically and mentally draining, there are daily gym sessions, tactical analysis work, physiotherapy sessions for recovery and injury prevention as well as other team meetings. On match days you have extreme pressure to perform in front of thousands of fans who only care if you win.
Don’t get me wrong, its an amazing job and I’ve been lucky to do it for so long but we aren’t lazy and it’s definitely not easy.
Describe a moment of pure, unadulterated joy on the pitch that had nothing to do with scoring a goal or winning a trophy.
When you become a professional footballer, you quickly understand that winning is the most important thing there is so rarely does any moment beat that feeling of happiness.
But every now and then a moment that isn’t a win just takes your breath away. One such particular moment for me was when a close friend and teammate of mine returned to play for us after overcoming a serious health issue. He came on as a second half substitute and the whole stadium erupted with applause. That moment was touching for all of us but, being so close to him, it meant so much to see him make his comeback.
What was the most audacious piece of dressing room banter you witnessed or were a part of?
I’ve played with some pretty funny guys over the years and it’s hard to pick one particular moment. One lad I played with used to grab the white physio tape to cover your number plate and then write a ridiculous name as your registration plate. I’ve witnessed pigs heads being put in car seats, Vaseline smothered all over the windscreen of a car but the worst is probably one where a player took a dump in another players trainer while he was out training. The stink hit you as soon as you entered the changing room.
Lets just say it didn’t go down well with many people!
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