TEAM MATES

#8


I know this is 'thefightback' blog but I've just read through my previous posts and I can't quite believe how much of an emotional roller coaster I've been on. It's not until I've sat down and read back what I have written is that you see the journey I've been on and the best bit yet is this is just the start. What am I going to be like in a couple of months time? My thoughts and my feelings have fluctuated so much already. Yes I want this blog to be a diary and a chronology of events in my 'fightback' but also I think I should evolve the blog along the way. I am no academic and I am not claiming to be something I'm not but I am going to have a bit of fun along the way, so why not make the blog a bit more fun.


Over the course of the festive period there has been so much football on the tele. Daily rations of football fun it seems. Don't get me started on the english football schedule, 2 games in 48 hours is a joke in my opinion and whilst its good for fans, for the players it is a no no. How can you expect these guys to play with so little recovery between games??whats the knock on effect with injuries, national teams etc. It's crazy and definitely something which needs looked at and yes I know its part of festive tradition but its ludricous to demand that of players. Rant over, anyway it got me thinking about players I have played with and characters in the game I know as I watched many on the box over Christmas.So I decided to do a soccer am esque question slot....

Best Player I've Played With?

1.
Best player I have played with?.........This is quite an easy one for me really. There has been so many good players I have had the pleasure of playing alongside and I've also played alongside some terrible ones(they would say the same for me) . Every club I've been at has had some top players and I've been lucky in a respect to have had the pleasure of playing with them. I am no doubt going to miss some players out but these are the ones off the top of my head. The first player I played alongside in the reserves at Ipswich Town FC was a certain Titus Bramble. I made my debut against Chelsea alongside the big man and at that time he was the best up and coming defender in the country and was playing regular in the Premier league so that was a good experience. John Mcgreal was also another who I had massive respect for as a youngster, he was an older pro at the time at Ipswich and played in the reserves with me a bit and I used to love playing with him, he was a top pro and great centre half and very much under rated in my eyes. Jim Magilton was another one at Ipswich who I admired. Jim was a perfectionist and used to demand the best from all around him and this showed me what being a professional footballer was all about. My time at Ipswich was full of top players and young players who have gone on to be top players. Darren Bent and Darren Ambrose being another two. Onto my time at Hibernian and again so many good young players such as Scott Brown, Kevin Thompson, Steven Whittaker, Steven Fletcher who all got big moves away from hibs. For me though the one player who was an absolute pleasure to play with was Guillaume Beuzelin. What a player on his day, full of tricks and composure to match. Boozy was a top player for the club and was a fans favourite and it was easy to see why. I used to just give him the ball and stand back and watch him and laugh at times at some of the stuff he did. Overall I would have to say none of these players have made it to the best for me. That has to be the man above. I played with 'Roons' as we called him then in the England Youth set up through the age groups, that was until after the u17 European Championships in Denmark...This is when he hit super stardom. A little while after that is when he scored his famous goal against Arsenal. I remember a training session we had at Bisham Abbey as we were preparing for a game and we were doing 1v1's and sure enough I got paired with him. Even Back then he was a top player but I wouldn't have dreamed him to go on to do what hes done. Amazing! He had to run at me with the ball 10 times from half way and see how many he scored. Now you can tell this was a while ago because he didn't score. Fair does he hit the post, bar and the keeper was pulling of world class saves but at least I can say the now great Wayne Rooney couldn't manage to score....

        

Best Player Played Against?

2.
This question is relatively hard to answer. It's a question you frequently get asked on match day programmes etc, but It's a question I find hard to answer as people in general expect you to say someone from your own league but for me and I don't mean to sound arrogant here but If I am playing to the best of my ability which I have done many times since being in Scotland (not many times I can hear many fans saying) but I don't find opponents hard to play against. Each pose you different problems but I always have faith in eventually getting to grips with them. Yes, I've had many a difficult  games against different opponents but that was partly down to me and not them. I am rambling now and don't mean to be disrespectful to lots of great players I have played against, the more difficult ones being John Hartson, Jan Vennegor of Hesselink, Dado Prso to name a few but the real opponents I didn't know whether to go for a shit, shave or a haircut with is these guys below.........

Yes, This was meant to be the day when I was going to test myself against the best team in the world. What an experience it was. It was a strange experience looking back at it as I remember being so angry at some of my team mates swapping shirts with these guys and still being happy after the game. We had just lost 6-0 for goodness sake and I was raging. I was raging at myself as this was a big test and it was one in my eyes I'd failed. Big time!! I'd never lost a game by that sort of score and also I have never been outclassed on a pitch like that. In hindsight I should have swapped shirts but I was so angry at the score, luckily the kit man had got a shirt for me so I now have Pedro's shirt as a memento from the game. Seriously though these guys were unbelievable as a front three. Messi was a joke. I remember him running at me and I knew exactly where he was going, it was the only place he could go so I'm thinking 'BANG' tackle. Take that Messi!!! Before I blinked he was gone. 'Yeah good tackle Hoggy'. Unbelievable player and for me he is the best player ever. Gudjonhson and Henry weren't bad either but the best player on the planet was frightening and it was only a pre season game and he was half fit! Looking back on that game now I still feel a tinge of embarrassment but that's thrown in with a sense of pride to say I have shared the same field as the one and only Lionel Messi..........