Paddy Lacey, ex professional footballer and current professional boxer joins us on this weeks pod. Watch along for Paddy’s incredible story of ups and downs throughout both of his professional careers, and how he is now on the path to become a world champion in the near future.
so um welcome to the podcast common sense with Joey Barton um Patrick sha Lacy born 1993 um honestly really uh really uh happy to have you on mate you’ve got a fascinating story I’ve obviously tracked your journey for a little bit because you’re one of those kind of Underdog characters and I keep seeing you picking yourself up and going again and for me I don’t know about you know the listeners out there but I just want to see them kind of kids get on and do fantastic and do well because I believe it’s it’s an incredible message yeah being squeaky clean doing everything right that is one way of going about it but for every one of them there’s nine other Lads like myself like yourself pad who maybe don’t get it right all the time but get up the next day with an intention of getting better so pad welcome to the show nice one Joe appreciate it mate so where to start really where where do you start ever everon and Li p Liverpool yeah how’d you get into Liverpool and my dad was a red you got no choice no choice for his uncle his brother sorry John me Uncle he’s a blue so they’re all mixed in their family like you and I yeah there’s a lot of Lio families like that when when you play in glasgo or some like some cities where there’s a more intense rivalry it’s very rare you there about people going on the game together people have brothers uncles I’ve got three Lads one of my Lads is a liver pan just can’t just G that way and as I say in Liverpool usually the religion is passed on to you by your grandfather your grandmother via your dad or your mother but sometimes people will go and support the other team so how many ever sonian have just got so my uncle John my nan is a blue then there’s my dad Tony I don’t think our Joseph these are all my uncles of me on so mix bag I think three and two I don’t know about the girls all my aunties I couldn’t tell you they just go to keep the whoever’s happy they don’t start winding anyone up and then your brothers and yourself all brother all well sh man you now he’s been that long when did you start well so was a bit of a Mad one with with with SH Joe because obviously he’s been up Manu since he was five my dad took him up to Manu and then um he just doubted after him but you would because he was obviously talented kid he was a good player as a kid from five years old and then so this is pad’s brother brother who’s at man united is he 17 16 17 and England International under 15 16 17 Wing Striker yeah somewhere anywhere forward player he can play free kick specialist yeah he’s got free kicks no certainly not I’ve never scor fre you got you got a goal of the month against pompy oh yeah I got I them from outside the box like yeah but not really dead ball specialist I used used to let them all argue about I can be ask getting involved with all that y know was playing now I could take a fre kick but could be asked all right so we’ll get to your shame we’ll get to your dad cuz I know you got a bit of a football in background there but we I had Tony Bell you on on the first podcast and Tony is obviously fantastic boxer that he’s known for but was a bit of a frustrated Center forward and he’s obviously a South Ender com coming from kind of Pary talk and and obviously you’re from the north end and Tony spoke about we talking a little bit about racism in terms of being from south end and Crossing across the city and he said I used to go across to the north end all the time to box so he said same as us via footy through boxing or whatever because it’s a true meritocracy in terms of you judged on how good you are a football or boxing um color goes because you go he’s a good fighter or he’s a good footballer um and I always think it from to be from this city you got to be one of three things and the all begin with f you’ve got to be funny you’ve got to be good at fussy or you got to be good at fighting if you don’t carry one of them rights it’s gonna be tough growing up in in may he side um so growing up Crosby you’re saying North from the Dingle after jnes so then it was just yeah used to go up and have a B in the park and that with the lads but I don’t think they wanted to settle so we we’re kind of classed as East the John isn’t it yeah um and then I think they just decided because my mom’s Granddad had moveed to watero with me aunti Maisy um that when they used to visit him they said it’s nice around here and then there was an house going on that street Ste do you want to just get an out here then because I don’t think she wants to go to Dingle and my dad didn’t want to go to JNS so you’d end up obviously you’ve got like Southport and all that out their ways which people do if people do really really well from Liverpool he kind of end up B Southport with all the golf coures are whatever if you do all right for yourselves Crosby and all around there it is it is it is a nice part of the world and then you’ve obviously got on your doorstep there kind of Bole obviously City Center um Croc of K real footballing for for the kids who are obviously Rough and Ready from them areas you’ll be mixing playing junior football with them so where did you start playing your Junior footy so um I always remember me best mate he lived about Five Doors Down Cony there was a sign up on the chiy he must have only been seven and he knock but I was always playing with the ball didn’t have a te him just in the street yeah and he was Hopeless by the way and still as bad now he just could never get football as much as we were out and then um they knock on it said look there’s a team that having Tri down in the park literally facing our house the park was just straight up one road it go down and so went down to me first ever proper footy session aside from what I was doing with my dad’s obviously kicking the ball so how old are you five or six no I’m about seven I think I started under eight I think my first season was and um and I thought I was very good only listen to me dad my dad could see Jo a little bit of technical ability he could play who did you that play for he played for Liverpool 27 he got a whts and then I think Wigan asked me dad to sign and he boxed as a junior and he’ started going I think the story was something along he needed to strengthen up a bit as every 17 year old so we started going back to a gym which he done a little bit of sparing it was all just dor and sa training not a boxing gym P but there was a ring there so he was mixing it with some Jo Dorman and PLS and different things and then as soon as he Le sat him down and said look we’re not going to keep you on we on than hard about you that’s what he always to V had about yet but there’s one of the best teams in Europe I think that’ be about 83 something like that dominant yeah coming out out of a dominance there’s a lot of there’s a lot of blanches to it on the way down isn’t it Jo I mean you could have went salvaged a good career in football yeah you don’t have that safety net now now if you come out to Liverpool’s Academy there’s a network of agents and before you know it you you know you’re in front of a lot of Agents back in what what’s that3 something like that I think 84 it’s still you know it’s still very much behind the face team it’ll be a bit of a skeleton you know in terms of the reserves of the big clubs will be big but then it’s not like it is now where there’s big Nets out to catch anyone who misses or Falls in between the cracks um and at that point if you’re not big and physical you’re not going to get accelerated on because the pitches are slightly different in the early 80s than they are now and the real set is in terms of you know if you’re a young whipper snapper you can’t play men’s football because if you can’t look after yourself you’re not going to get a kick um so your dad finishes playing play amate does he play on the non League scene he literally Jo went to Wigan and then the de he was boxing and I think it was Ray Matias I could be getting the wrong I think was there Foria but I think he was there then he said look we want your P we at your boxing now as well I’m at your boxing for the Golden Gloves down the south end and me I said just walked away I’m not stopping this boxing cuz you he called the boxing BG don’t you when you start you can’t you can’t keep yourself away from it I done it myself Jo was playing the conference and had a few amateur fights playing for B in the National League and had a few amateur fights I was thinking I shouldn’t really be doing this SP seven eight rounds and i’ be for playing Grimsby at home but I was I was just loving it I got man of the match that day JoJo you probably would have got a [ __ ] man of the match if you if you did not done the seven round I I couldn’t keep away from it just something was IM me to do it and like you just said about the three FS you know I’ve got I say I’ve got a very limited you know skill set of things I’ve Le in life fighting’s one of them that I’ve learned very early on with me Dad everything you know disagreement it ends in a fight you know you can’t really argue without and have follow through football yeah um and florline so man is three you can if you get all three and you can add a few more on your Flying L you I mean and as I say there’s another one to have fun you know we do all that but you got to have fun as well like I think sometimes you know you don’t know what don’t know what life’s going to throw at you don’t know how long you’re going to get and you might as well be optimistic and have a [ __ ] laugh and a joke if you’re doing it listen there’s times you got to knuckle down and be serious M but there’s loads of times where you’ve got an option to be serious or you’ve got an option to have a bit of fun and I always think you know take the fun option MH because at some point in your life there’s going to be times when you just can’t that’s not an option you got to be serious so your dad then is clearly talented at football bit of a sport Billy would you say yeah it’s you the elest kid no I’ve got an older sister two years older is she a sport no sport no all right so you’re the first lad on you’re you Carri the family name the Lacy family name but I’ve got a C he a good runner show me I’ve got my cousin Dean La he played for Everton okay up until he got a call up to L showa the last year L show was going he done his Cru and I had another cousin me me that was M Ton’s ladine his son Tony ran for England as well all athletes and then me me cousin my dad’s brother John my cousin Joey played for everon as well Joe you saying I heard you say your dad was good did run for PE Aras yeah R for PE Arias all right yeah my dad’s an athlete he doesn’t look much of one now got fantastic genetics sport my mom she ran the marathon in under four hours only picked her up at 30 years old do you get I mean and she picked her up at 30 train for six weeks me dad said she was just a natural Running P she never knew that she she could do that he said until she just got out and got out to running me dad went [ __ ] hell you’ve never run your whole life you’re fantastic said then she six weeks later she was doing a mar she’s only gentics yeah yeah you really have when you know when you look at it and you again had a little spell bu breeding R hces and um you know the blood the the bloodline so important ra pigeons well you like big dunk one one of my mat is old man Gary Gary gr’s dad was massive into pigeon I’m not really it’s more my dad’s thing but you know sometimes in the summer time he spends a right they go for Bru like 10 grand the pigeon and all that like there fing Lo in sound Get You Lo if you want that’s that’s how I start off as a kid I go to me my shop and it used to be pigeons on St South Road for anyone in waterl that leads down to the beach hundreds of pigeons and I catch the ones with the ring and me look and got not bad keeper sh lash that away so you had the proverbial pigeon catcher well that was me big big thing as a kid I I could catch a pigeon with yeah there there’s obviously a technique as there is to any that was a little thing in the p i just walk over with the pigeon say there you go man have many Talent who don’t know he’s a pigeon fan big dunks from M was a big mad pigeon man loads of boxers out there you think Paul schmith had to go as well loads of people so what is it in that what’s the thing with the with the Solace with the training the pigeons to come back or what is it Joe no one really knows how how they know the way home to be honest it’s a it’s a guess but it’s something in the mind it yeah I think it’s something to do with the sunset they’ve got some type of um thing in them so I documentary about it most of it is genetics as well as you were just saying yeah so so and you you ra them from chicks take it to so you take them all s off the young ones sell off the ones that aren’t good enough no you sell off the Young on you to make your money back on the pigeon that you bought is it like dogs where if you get a pedigree pigeon you can obviously breed from it and OB s The Offspring out so so it is or if you get you you could pick up one you know that you you could catch in the streets and as long as you found the fell who stamped on it do you want to back now that could bre the champ Jo you could say to your m to the pigeon Club look they got offline have then and they just started Hing around the pigeons come ass getting home seeing the bed or something listen we’ve all been there we we know that get that um so the sport and genetics then it it your dad obviously Sportsman athlete in terms of boxer footballer so clearly very very competent in terms of you could probably T his hands to most sport if you can play them tennis table tennis whenever wi or the golf or whatever comes on it I would imagine you’re one of them kids like all the kids are in Lio where you’re out and about on the street you know playing sport um getting chased you know whatever whatever it is to keep yourselves occupied so at what point then do you do you know you go to football what age School in it Jo no one could tackle year in school so but then I always remember getting me eye wiped he plays for the W4 is now our captain Peter eny I played against him under eight n something like that and he was just too good for me me and my dad come home in the days we were like [ __ ] H we thought you were good and he was brilliant so at that point had you’d been the best lad in your in your street in Street school as you going through and then in that League up until I met one person and then the year later I was better than him by then had a good year and then I was kicking on and kicking on and then so what you’re seven eight n at this at this age yeah I would say it was about nine then when I probably got as good as him after the year of football so at at nine you realize I’m I’m I’m a little bit better than average so like there’s kids who you see just play foot it because they love it and you go they never would say was the best in the league me and him but he he was better than me all right and then the year later I was probably as good if so what league this P I think the high time League all right there yeah is it is it is the lads who were getting scouted who you because at that time you different to me when when we were inmy or Center of Excellence they were known as then you could still play for your your team on a on a on a Sunday or a Saturday but you train with Everton I was at ever Tuesday Thursday but then I could play with St Andre Rover who was me team from Bay on a I think you could you couldn’t if you played for liol I don’t think but I I first sign Foria all right and then I could I’m sure I could yeah because sometimes if they were in Premier League acmy or whatever and they were League clubs I don’t know what it felt like football league clubs they didn’t have the same Academy cuz they changed to kind of seven 17s 19s and then I don’t know whe they’ve changed it again to 23s or something like that but at that point I think the Premier League clubs could keep their players in whereas the championship and League one and obviously League 2 clubs could still do the old system yeah so uh eight or nine you sign for Tamia yeah I think I was 10 I done a year at Tamia with the likes and max power all right yeah Max he was the the best kid I’ve ever seen at 10 years of age wow just played like a man in Step passing it round my dad used to be made up because obviously he played the year above if Max played I was a center forward then Joe right I was getting at least an at because he was that good I mean and then um from then so this what eight what AG you 10 now I think 10 so we done a season till 11 just as I was going to senior school and then I had an opportunity to go to Manu or Liverpool so are you supplementing your football so you’re playing for Tamia training on Tuesday Sunday league so playing for Den sat playing Sunday League I think all right so give us your week give us your week um Monday Monday probably out with the ball with me Dad all right where Street on the field no Vicky Park top of M Mar’s Road boots on boots on was he did he get me on the track I always remember the same track I went to last night Joe I can’t remember not that me dad was a big disciplinarian but you know you’ve probably had the chokers you that play football when you play Bad y we tell you what you done WR was the other way me AR was playing himself on a satday so I was left in my own devices I us to K off that he didn’t get on my case so I grew up it’s why this similarities but then little bit to slideing do moments I grew up want me half to have put pressure on me because some of my mates I was playing with who were talented players the half us are get in the car give it to them and i’ be like I I have want him he trust me you did look at it now know stor you want what you haven’t got you I mean if one just got a black eye you want one [ __ ] they got a black eye I’ll have one of that you know what I mean it’s you You’ always feel as a kid cuz you don’t know the way you you feel like you’re missing out when actually when you look back at it it’s sort of when we Face bounced into each other talk a bit philosophical there’s a guy half a shop an hour and it’s whether your life’s mapped out for you so it’s just determin determinism or or fate like sorry your lik math out for your fate is just the way it was meant to be all the ups and downs or through your decision determinism can you chart your course so can you make things and I look I look and I always remember going into that lecture and I was like no no you you make it with your determinism and you you make your way and then coming out of it have to listen to the arguments like oh actually no [ __ ] a lot of stuff is just fate you know and and there’s a healthy balance between the two I I think it keeps the ego in check if you’re down the determinism one where I’m the master of my own destiny and every decision I make and forget the gods or or look I’m going to you know youve the saying uh about hard work out Works look or something and then we all go even Tiger Woods you know the the famous chip where it stops on the edge and then goes in if that doesn’t happen then it’s a different who knows you I mean but like when I look at that I go are we a product of Fate so is your brother Shay going to be the best England player know because you’d got in a couple of scrapes and he goal like you learn from people around you in your PE group dad your uncles you’re this he’s looking at you going right up P he’s done that and he ends up going and getting 100 caps for England and becomes the next D Bingham well hopefully lad well he’s got a chance and he if he’s if he’s there at 15 16 or you know with with us around him he’s got a right chance and the fact that yor is open and honest and transparent about your your eyes and your lows I think I’ll give him a right chance because to have somebody with that LE level of experience real real life experience um who’s already already climbed a mountain in front yeah as a [ __ ] [ __ ] on the journey with you tell you what gives you the right chance um but let’s get back to upad so for me um you’re heading down this path then where you know you’re a good player at 10 so you know you’re better than the kids in in in your local area so you think I’ve got a chance here and and you’re obviously watching Liverpool who’s in the Liverpool teams who’s you who you looking to inspire you at that at that point Stevie J Stevie is the main man even though I was a center forward then I was always a center forward just Stevie’s always the boy for me yeah and outside of Liverpool did you look at anyone um who you base your game on in terms of back then I was just um a center forward had composure could hold the ball up well in the new way the net was Joe never blistered in speed but Tech typ similar me dad always said Teddy shingham but never watched much of Teddy show do you he what I mean yeah yeah you miss you on 96 and that don’t you you forget just that generation so what’s your first World Cup what’s the first World Cup first World Cup is 2002 that I can really remember joy that South afria South was it Korea or something yeah Korea yeah Brazil Germany in the final Jo and you always remember the back to them getting all your stickers getting all your players yeah and England is that Beckham scores the pent to kind of get over France 90 France 98 is it 2 does he score a pen against Argentina didn’t he 2002 oh no we guess be by Brazil is it Seaman Ronald chips with the I’m thinking I’m thinking 2006 or 2010 there I think um so that’s your first World Cup the next in terms of I’m trying to think you face big final for like Liverpool well me f talk well some of them in 2001 so me m security f um St so they used to look after the cups Jo so the night before the car and Cup Final when Robbie fby played Birmingham Robbie scored a volley if you remember I think we went to pens D pce played center half of Birmingham yeah and we had we used to have Cardiff we used to we used to have the trophies in our room the night before to go to and they used to get passed on to the football club so I always remember we was in a lift and all gang of Blum he got him we’ve got all the pites an ass and um so my dad’s best M stay he had a son who was the year below me L he played for Everton I went out a club then but he was at EV from five stay for Ev until he was 16 played proud for H Preston and Ai and I talented player fat ass on him though and he said what’s in the box me follow and come to our room and uh we’ll show you opens the Box the car and cup know [ __ ] hell you scousers can rob anything but it must be some bu seeing them cuz obviously you see them on the T but then to touch them my God and then to see few hours later or whatever you heo got old them at his birthday parties as a kid he used to have would have a football tournament he’d have the Premier League title the FA Cup and the Carin cup all in the room I remember used to there famous picture isn’t it a St Gerard in an EV kit with all the not seen it no I remember seeing one of it in an EV kit there’s a famous picture cuz it’s like the go in heon but at that age there one of me flying je there he is yeah I think that’s with the league and the charity shield in it but I I always thought this is super imposed but I don’t think it is it at that point no you throw every kit on aren’t you I’ve got one in ever kit because me AR followed on fny Jeff’s carpet on the dock today yeah and frny gave me 50 Quid and all he said was you want to [ __ ] know support Liverpool off and be a tofe I walked home like got to me Dad’s vom was like Wow said dad I don’t want to sport pill no more when I got a I think he was 28 Jeff I think he was was he nine yeah remember him coming through 28 when he first come through something like that yeah I think he don’t he hadn’t been to Arsenal yet cuz he come back on loan didn’t he from arsal I don’t think he was back on loan he was still there and anyway when I got two ever kits got Jeff on the back and my dad took me to a derby goodon EV got slapped Li P one just walked out [ __ ] that that that was a good few weeks but there’s always a weird one there’s a few always say people always have a little wobble and it more kind of ever tonian going to because usually you’ve got a better team than us than than liver pons coming the other way but it it does happen weirdly I remember our like saying that growing up our joshon now but his dad was a Manu fan yeah he died while his dad was he was eight and a half months in his mom’s belly and his dad was sadly murdered and um he was a Manu fan so our Julie always when I was a kid I a Manu did the girls kind of AR a and i’ always looked for Manu because the dad did and then our Josh comes online and obviously all the family have drawn around because because he’s he’s obviously lost his dad so he was always like my younger brother M cuz your cousins you’re tighten Liverpool’s cousins anyway my cousins are but especially when something like that happens where it just draws you around and um obviously um he supports Arsenal hard Josh I think at one point because ARS had the belt and night kits with the you know Stephan Schwarz and Ian W and all that and he loved they always had the proper night K with the short they had a great team they W they weren’t like what they became under venger but always had belts of kits like really really like Nike went in kits at that point you know it was your own Bros it was a bit of Adidas or whatever but then this this kick came you had like bruer Dortmund who had it and a few big European clubs but Arsenal take this kit on and our Josh ends up supporting Arsenal and then he had a couple of years supporting Arsenal heavy I’m like and then he come back to ever I think after that he’s NE he’s never but but again once you start playing you’re saying there about younger brother supporting Manu once you start playing you look for your results you know you’ve got an KNE for Liverpool I would imagine um but once you’re playing against Liverpool did you ever did you ever play a preseason friendly or anything because I know Ai and some of them local CLS play Li well we played Bradford in the FA Cup and i’ had a goal Center mid I fell out with John cuz he sign me preseason and then I couldn’t get in John Coleman John yeah so you know little Scotty BR so I remember Scotty pulled him and said scff he’s running all over me and say in here I’ve been where he is so give him a goal he needs to play ahead of me because I was I was running the show in training and just was sitting on the bench and probably get 10 minutes so Paul Coy went look I’ll get back on mean I said I go I go back part time I said cuz it’s an [ __ ] Joe and when you care that much about your profession and I always wanted to get on and felt like I was getting old back even when I was doing well how old are your earpad I’m 22 23 when I joined a so done the roads in non league and then anyway um I went in for a few games when Scotty or Sheamus the captain got injured and then I was out the team as soon as they were back F and I thought I’ve went in scored go them Sheamus can there he’s been a St over about 10 years there not half and he’s been Captain for Sheamus great lad and then um I got pulled out but they they got to the playoffs the year before they should have went up all matics in lead two so I think he knew what he was getting from them over 45 games don’t know whether he thought I could have got S cost points or whatever and then we had a lad Zack Viner on loan from Bristol City yeah good player and he got he got injured Zach so then I said to co he said I’ve played right back a load the gam so B and I played about two or three at the ass end of the season before he went yeah not one we watched there I said honestly I have I said I can easy play there so then I stepped in um right back then to play against badford it was a big FA Cup game atford and I hadn’t played there but I was just bled it so what he done was he had John O Sullivan as a Winger and just done 11v 11 but just get the ball to John run up py see what he can do face it up Jo can you go past him is he going to get roasted tomorrow against Blackford funny enough a play fantastic in the game and then I was in for five six games Joe yeah right back doing really well Joe was so [ __ ] easy even Center mid we’ve got to look all Landers it’s chaotic in the middle of the pitch playing there as a kid when I was smaller [ __ ] it’s it’s easy in a but EAS sorry joeck Wing coming at you yeah stop it or unless you got like a lazy [ __ ] Midfield in front of you if you would have played on the left and M in front of you you might if I was going around Jo Jo running beyond beyond obviously it would have been as just sat in and done Jo played safe but i’ done reasonably well and then Zach got back fit for I can’t remember the game which was the night the night that I went out and Chuck the drugs which is part of the story but I just got pulled out the squ out the team and five games at right back out position really and I think I was honest with him and said L I never really played right back but I just want to play for the team I’ll do a job for the team and I’ve end up doing really well yeah all right and then Zach’s back fit but what you don’t know is you know he may have had in his deal that you have to pay all his wages if if he doesn’t play it’s a common thing in it Joe he might just he might just fancy The Defender play in in defense he a fantastic player so there’s no real big thing to be let down and I remember when he named the team and Jimmy just see me all well fall apart Jimmy B play with your dad and Jimmy waited behind and he went P to feel so sorry for you lad he said you don’t deserve that so so John N so we named the team in address room at one o00 yeah around old school cuz yeah I think it was all yeah so and and I’ll come back to this cuz this is a massive point in terms of your life cuz and I want to pick it up here cuz I think it’s important for for people to get it so we’ll get back to that cuz between that game and did just play satti and you’re out the team dropped yeah and you haven’t been explained to so you said you’re old world Clos on it’s just like and then Tuesday is is when you get you get tested on the Tuesday but obviously it’s so we’ll get back to that where I just want to fill in is last time I’m talking to you there you 10 you’re at Samia you’re playing as a striker you know you’re you’re a really good player in your in your area yeah you’re the best in in the itown league and then the Scotty road that was only one league in the itown then Scotty Road league and then you played it so you’re playing against a bit more fa the field it was fair to the field then we you know there used to be teams the peacock to fly over H Crosby Stewart had a fantastic team Conor Roberts who was a top player should have been a loads of good players that I play start hearing about people you go he is a good and he’s a good player yeah exactly all Conor Roberts was a crew okay and he was the top top player yeah so you’re now St to Benchmark yourself against other people in the city you know and and where the mouth goes around he’s meant to be brilliant he’s meant to be so if you’re a good player you kind of want to play them especially if you’re in a good team you know and you’re a good player so you’re playing as a striker here now though so so you’re you’re a striker but on Sunday League I think I play center mid okay should be in the thick of the action all right so you like the tackling side of it love it Jo sharing tackles I nasty Dojo nasty lipo you said to me when I signed for lipol which we get into he said look P like your tackles are fair but what you’re doing I used to get a lot of people cast off J CU I waitting I time and put me full weit into it go right through them and loads of people at Academy level up theia to say there’s nothing wrong with The Tackle no one really T that was the one thing I’ve always interesting because you saying when it when it when it comes to the fighting you you felt like you got the boxing BG and it brought you’re alive and then when you’re playing 40 you’re a shingham type so you’re clearly a competent technician you can play number 10 you can play center and half you you know you can play center mid you can play right back so you know you’ve got a good skill set there to be able to to play multiple positions cuz sometimes only Strikers can play or Wingers can play in certain positions so when you’re mixing that and you it’s very rare that you get somebody then who has the devilment you know if you’re a technical player you either have goal scoring ability assist ability taking people on ability or you’d have getting the ball back doing the hard the dir part of the game but it seems like you’ve got I’m just an all I all not exceptional at anything Joe wouldn’t say not exceptional at not but just a decent allrounder so if you got you’re saying if you’re a good allrounder is the boxing come online at this point obviously your dad’s a good good barometer for you from football Athletics boxing so the imagine you’ve grown up doing a little bit of all of that so he’s pushing you into is he steing you into one or the other um no he there’s no boxing really as a kid only on his hands just teaching me you know the basics of how to punch and if you do get into any squabbles outside our front door well I want you to do something that was it yeah that’s kind of right of passage is it be able to look after yourself stop yourself getting bullied when boxing was ever mentioned 10 11 12 that I’d like to go to a boxing gym now it was just shut down complete because I think me dad kind of naively thought that I would make the same mistake earlier on Jo cuz he left football 17 and probably he overthought and thought could I have done something in that football of a stu but I went to boxing he didn’t want me to go I’m good to football tell him 12 and same at Liverpool but I want a box and then the boxing to take over like I did with him and then and also it’s a [ __ ] tough life being a boxer well that’s what he used to say stuff like being a footballer but obviously the consequences later on are a lot more D for boxers shut down early with the boxing but it was on the tell was it fraty Fight Night back in them days y fry fight nights yeah yeah so we us always watched the boxing and always spoke about Sky Sports is that Sky Sports yeah so yeah you always had a a good card I always remember watching [ __ ] Matthew Macklin and Jamie Mo I think on a Friday night and it was just that was brutal I remember being day before the game and you over like there was a few Lads in our Dr you Trevor CLA who liked the boxing and we were all in our room and you could lad shouting through the walls cuz it was like he the fight just went one way or the other probably the best fight I’ve ever seen yeah it was yeah um life there yeah brain cells there and you know talk about CTA and stuff like that I can’t imagine yeah but but again you know that’s what they sign off for you know it’s like when I he footballers and they talk about the consequences of hips knees of Bones being aing and breaking when when you get older I’m like well if you’d offered us you know the opportunity to play yeah and we understand the consequences it must be the same for the fighter pad you know you’d understand there’s going to be a consequence getting into so I can understand your dad is wanting to keep you out of arms way and probably coming online there if if he’s you know what are you born 93 93 so the Premier League is a year old so you’ve come off the back of Italian 9 day you go you’re free when you’re around 96 is on two or three footballs now you’re going to earn a [ __ ] fortune M so your dad’s probably going knows the politics a boxing knows how hard it is to be a boxer knows you’re going to [ __ ] don’t want to see your kid get punched in the face if you can help it if you if you have to do that then you have to do it but then you can naturally see how he wants you to be a football and especially if if you’re talented and you’ve got that football you know family football lineage um I think I always think certainly in this city everyone wants to be a footballer first yeah most definitely you know we’ve had some great Fighters we’re talking about that’s why I want to get you on we had Tony bellu who obviously I think if he could have been would have been a center forward for Everton ends up having to knock someone El at Everton’s gr you know which is an incredible thing well I see you talk about you getting your goal of the month and you said the only the only better feeling you had was when you koed someone after get flawed still by that Jo I always go back and forth with it you what I mean I’m fortunate that I’ve been able to do both but that just it it wer really for me Joe it’s because me two little brothers my dad is day watching I that’s the one and only time I’ve ever been on me ass SP or fighting just walked on as you said when you when you’re smelling yourself Joe and the the world as a way to bring you back down literally on your last so I went out that fight because I’ve been flattening everyone like the last three four fights in first round and it just bounced across the ring as if like this is job done already before it even threw a punch and a Big Sean heeden his name was from up in warington sat me right on my ass and I just ass me the ass at the canas I was coherent like and I just don’t mean two little brothers they’re watching oh my God what like the [ __ ] AR to be in the mouth so I jumped up and I was beating me chest and I there’s a good video of it and I’m saying come on get in the middle of the ring I just turned into it’s a or you just blood just like You’ done that to me and it’s just like right we’re having a proper fight now where we’re mixing it so this is interesting because there’s this fight or flight yeah some people at that moment could go completely different way but obviously it brought the the eye of the tiger out in you yeah made me angry and then the referee he wouldn’t let me start fighting he count eight count or something eight counts and but I jumped up and started Bea me chest and doing all that what type of shot did he catch you with you’ve gone out he sent me the video show I think it was a right hand I’m just Square on straight down the middle and on my ass and then he said look you’re not I’m not going to let you go back into the middle of the Ring until you calm yourself down this isn’t a street fight referee who probably referee me dad when he was amateur told he that old so we had to calm down and then he let us come back together and within about 30 seconds it was it was all over he was flattened so you end up getting him out today yeah and then I was beating me chest and grabbing me bollocks and saying to me dad don’t worry and me two little blood because they were watching from the things say don’t [ __ ] worry about it boys yeah that’s a danger of that game though isn’t it you I mean it must be horible for the people who in the ring me all my family ate the boxer now me Dad’s know you’ve done enough now Sean cuz the real fights are starting now do you get the mean where you can get yeah you taking the head guards off and you’ve done enough yet it’s a positive thing now but I’m not done yet to the so I’ve got another five six years they’ll have to Eno it well it’s strange in terms of to see somebody I know Kus wood out somebody who crossed over and but it’s very very strange to see somebody you know because to make it in the football league you’ve got to be a talented player it’s not easy to play in in the football league um and I just want to tell tie that up for people I mean it’s still in my mind cuz I know your story better than most but you you at Samy at at 10 at what age did you you leave Tamia what what time did you move so we only done a year at tra and as I say if Max was in the team I know I scored a l the goals so then I went to man united for like a little test a few three four weeks with Jesse lingard Yeah Revel Morrison and I was due to go to Manu on like the fourth week so have four weeks there and then see which one you sign and so you’re going into man News theing Room lingard i’ played with rll Q Mega talented kid I don’t it’s been said a million times what a player so at that point then are they that good at that that age funny enough they were the two worst players okay so I went into from Samy there’s a big step up to obviously Man United and you’re 1112 yeah yeah 1112 so Ryan toner Cliff was in that Squad Tom Thor I think his name Center half e Flyers literally they all end up going to have Mela David meler he got released at 16 but anyway they all fantastic group of players and the reason Shay ended up back at man united was because of a coach called Mark Dempsey don’t know whether you’re familiar with him he come through with all them but his coaching with Ren mste okay at the time he dad’s a you know he was a footballer newer stuff he’s sitting back from these sessions going wow these are fabulous sessions these for young kids how how good are they and how well drilled are they and how the coaches carry themselves and how they talk to the kids I mean Dad was a big thing driving for s for man you s for Manu well D I want to I’m a lipol fan I want to go and see what lipol is like to me and um so when Shay and Lewis was a ag me two little brothers you know me dad rang Manchester United and said Can can I bring me Lads up here see what I mean so do you never ever scouted L to man united he just got took on the back of what a coach done 12 years previous with the older brother dur so but U anyway I I stayed there for a month and then I said dad I still want to go to Liverpool within a week I was s Jes at Liverpool yeah so who’s at is this Liverpool Conor CI my age group then Ali Whitt Jennings was did Jennings was he sangi did sangi look after him sangi done him yet so D me and Dale L off because I was Center forward with Dale and he he he’d run past and just set me back that’s what it seemed like mun like 15 16 remember he was he was a mad kid doell yeah he’s from Kenny Dale okay yeah still plays to the Molly now but um probably he was a different type of player to Max at 12 13 he was like a Rooney sort of okay he was small he was squat he could hit the ball from outside the box you could not strengthwise go near him blister and Pace go past the player you only have to see his Clips when he played V time he had 178 what he was doing in League one he was just picking up the ball the halfway line dribbling pass them all and then I think he got blighted with injuries at Bayern Munich bad diet didn’t have no skills really to to look after himself Joe struggled to get a train an fell Arthur used to bring him in I Arthur Edwards was it I think used to bring him to train all the time otherwise he couldn’t get there D and he stayed in our a few times then me and him H it off still be good M today and and I think lipol had just had enough of he was always misbehaving throughout the school 15 so at that time and as much as he loved him and you could see he was a player he just had to wipe the lands with him so he went to tr and he was playing for the first team 16 17 and then Bayern Munich by 19 and Liverpool had just released him two three two years before yeah I’ve seen that happen a few times you know what I mean in terms of you know I was released a 14 pad they haven’t told me I was too small I’d gone from kind of last we were down to the last 30 for LW and you know you you know you’re in the top 80 in the country and within six months I’d got released all not good enough and again I had you know I went the best behave but still to been at EV since I was 80 yeah we had some some good lads can thought it was going to be all right but never grew and again couple of coaches Chang and before you know it you’re not fancied and you’re gone yeah and then you have to go for so when like saying there you’re you’re going so you go all right I know few decent players year you said max power you go all right I’m all right yeah go to Liverpool and you’re like man united so you so you start to get almost by going and competing you’re kind of figuring out where where you are so man united you don’t bother signing for them you go right I’m going to Liverpool that’s your team and then I think it was like the third week I was atool I think i’ already sign now who plays man then and i’ just been there for say a month to six weeks and scor kissed the bad jaw L against man and I’ve been there just literally a few weeks before a carington you caring carington it was yeah and then at the time um lipol there was a lot of coaches that were um School teachers okay yeah so um I don’t know I think it was more a case of my dad Whatever Gets said at home the kid will then take withdom do you get what I mean so me Dad I can’t remember what the problem was I always remember I was sub against would your dad come watch to get your playing for Liverpool on or something I was flying they said that we’ll have to pay something to Tam don’t know what that is compensation isn’t it Jo so it’s a few thousand whatever he said so you got to be better than everyone in so anyway not better than everyone but so when you’re going to man united and Lio you’re still under contract at Sam they got SCH boy forms on you so yeah basically they need to be weigh in for me to take another little step up because I Tam was easy I was just banging them in from Sunday League the jump from Sunday League to Tam w’t that much I didn’t think but then the jump from tra to the likes of Liverpool yeah well you’re playing all the other Academy teams down at TR might be playing crew or sorry crew might crew might be playing like noty and stuff like that yeah Ro and then when I went to Li I was still banging him in but um I don’t know me dad me well I found with me it’s like any Jo he’s improved as a parent and me Mom and Dad as I as to go through the kids like she’s the youngest so they’ve learn to Le how to behave at football clubs and what to do with the kids cuz I was you have to [ __ ] it up sometimes and I was their first son who was good at football so they made Lou of mistakes that they done with the best interest so my son’s this and my when really you know it’s the first lap trying to get to the top of Everest you need to have a few goals maybe not getting there and go you close there but next time we need to so sounds sounds mad talking to you but it looks like Shay and and obviously leou you said your younger brothers there are going to reap the benefits I hope so well they will absolutely cuz once once once you’ve had your fingers bent you know in terms of you go right through that or actually don’t do that sometimes it’s easier to tell people not to do it and go look what happened to me as it is to sell someone to do it and go like I’m starting to push my lad now to say look you need to get fit he’s only 12 I’m saying you need to be in shape you can’t be playing fortnite you need to like be doing pull-ups here you know you want to be a player exactly you know you’re not just going to be a good player because you’re surrounded by people surrounded by people who play fory like you’re going to have to get yourself in ordered and get yourself in shape so 13 14 for me a massive years for a young developer certainly aete footballer because testosterone you know you’re not a baby anymore you’re coming into now you know football’s getting a bit more physical people are getting ears on the chest people are getting ears on the face getting muzzies and that and it stop stop stops to be a little bit about fun and starts to be about all right am I going to be able to turn this into life after school you know which as I say if you’re if you’re inmy and you’re bouncing around and you’re playing footy we all dream about cracking it getting on Match of the day getting weighed in you know going and playing in the big stadiums so 1514 you you’ve signed from Samia to Man United and Liverpool being on your case and you’ve gone to Liverpool taught me through liol how long are you at liol for so I was sign for two years school boy forms yeah it was at the end 14 16s or something no I only signed so say I was 11 Jo to 13 I think okay I don’t know the is I just I done three years Sunday League I League one League year two years in the Scotty Road and I think one of them was a Sam and then I sign Li for a couple of two years I think and they only lasted about six months I always remember um I spoke to Kodi about this when I fit this car it’s not long ago um I was on the bench against Everton now Jo used to play like four quarters didn’t he have 20 minutes back in them days so so like you would probably be leaving your strongest team to end the game should you need the goal or whatever I me fell was walking on the pitch saying come out son you’re not being on the bench yeah and he was just kind of but he was always on Me on the way I’m saying son I think we [ __ ] up the cult unit is nowhere near as good as mans so is Conor Cody Conor Cody’s our fell Omar and all that doing the same no only my a bit of a exactly and even I knew that cuz I protested and said I’m not gone yeah get yourself back now cuz I knew is that because he just cares about you that much yeah well from the GetGo i’ signed as soon as I went into the p scor a couple of games middles the first game they went look if if you want a sign just go Li support them I said D I’m not waiting and then straight away me dad always judged on the coaching fair play to him and me dad was after a couple of weeks went some [ __ ] up here he said I’m telling you now the coaching was better at man united with that Dutch fellow r m Mark Dempsey he said I’m watching the sessions and what you need need as a young player and that’s the one thing I can give me dad me dad in the back garden with Shay at three years old said Son oh sorry there is something special here so I’m telling you now watched you watch le the Changers because we had the ball Lefty two years old Joe did this is something totally different and he knew straight away I didn’t know what I’m looking for Joe three four five and then as six and seven and what he could do on the pitch and flip flapping and just doing all I was like [ __ ] H that you spot on AR you you can identify a player and very yeah yeah well he’s been a good player he’s good Sportsman so you’ll know the running you’ll know the running numbers I heard you saying he pegging at like five minute miles if you’re doing five minute miles at 171 18 and you said he was doing it a 46 he’s clearly a competent athlete he’s obviously a grafter in terms of he’s putting floors down he’s he’s working his [ __ ] off to to put for the hit replacement now that’s what he just said I can’t wait for the hit replacement so I can start running again the great ethics to give people now the problem you’ve got is when you’re a as such a dominant Force like that you can’t be overbearing yeah I was lucky in terms my dad was doing his own thing C going out on the A and on the charie and that g missing so over weekend he was going over in bed or he was doing his own thing so I had to get myself up and get after it so I can I had the contrast of that I’d be like where the why doesn’t why is he asked whether I and i’ be like I’m [ __ ] I’m going to be well better than you now in the offseason and i’ give me a few little pointers and he’d pedal a bike and say right you need to get fit as I got to 16 17 18 but at that age 13 14 I didn’t have that pushy ey fell I seen loads of lads who were talented with them and I kind of wanted one I was like why haven’t I got one but looking back at it now it was probably a blessing didn’t it was a blessing that I had me that because when we from the ages started getting a ball at two to getting signed at trir at nine my dad coached me for the whole the whole time trir eased off in probably two sessions a week but then when I went to Liverpool and we had a little bit of a Fallout me dad just said look I’ll be honest I’m a little bit frustrated because we had the opportunities to sign for Man United and they’re doing it the Dutch way and this is how the sessions and this is what’s going on and it’s all ball Mastery and this that you’re just getting me on to get it and just pass it within a second of having the ball touch and pass he saying you’re going to have a 11 players doing the same thing some play is he saying this to the academy coaches to the academy coaches and straight away they got the back up and was like we don’t want to Man United coach their kids better than um so usually usually um people want to help people who they life don’t they so if your AR is being a bit of bracer than that but you he’s got a flat nose me fellas like that just natur and you you know you look at him he’s intimidating which he doesn’t realize that he is and like even now I say dad like the way you talk to people and the way your mannerisms are I said people are like whoa is he I you’re not even angry yeah so um and then it kind of went on for the C a few months after doing so well and scoring so many goals so you’re playing as a striker still still as a striker yeah and um what was the last thing yeah CU speaking to Conor when his car about two years ago I think it was Conor wad I always remember your last game he was always the captain Conor fantastic at top yeah Center mid just get it give a similar to max power I would say just fantastic half now he Conor middle I remember Conor crying in the changing roomes and I reminded him at how old are we then 12 Conor crying because he played bad cuz he didn’t want to get in the car with his dad after the game all right okay and I say around Conor when Conor just do what I do time to [ __ ] off so did you have that relationship with your dad where you had leg him if he was on your case well I I couldn’t go nowhere i’ probably be granded not to sit on the couch and he’ speak to me about me game like the I went to track last night and he always brings up it’s pure trauma for me Joe so I’ve come in I can’t remember how old I was I don’t even think I was in senior school cuz I walked on from Junior School between which was you not far from our house and he said you’re not fit enough son I think I might have been around time me a time and um he said so I’m going to get you on the track today he said and yo if you run a mile we there’s no the clock can’t lie we’ll see how fit you are I’m like what and I didn’t like running I don’t think any [ __ ] 10year old or 11y old Ball’s out that when you’ve got to get a time and you going to your fastest just took me there and just went goad go and I can remember holding back to tears me throat dry think I’m [ __ ] hell you bastard and like look son that’s your time you know we near fit enough so if we’re going to do anything in this football you need to get a bit more mobile and I’m thinking [ __ ] me it is right but it’s the way the message he very staining look this is what’s getting done and do Tiger Wood kind of Dad’s background would leis and shade have done all that with me on the track but it’s the message that I give to him and say look we need to do this boys and don’t think you are going to be judged at oh you’re a bad athlete cuz we’re going to improve from this and like the kids buy into it then was I’m a lot softer than me dad and say look this is why we’re doing it this and they go all right let’s get it done we’ll think about it from this perspective Pat if you’ve got you so your dad you’re you’re the Elder son your dad your dad’s a mad Sportsman he’s been coaching himself self t or what he’s picked on his journey you’re the eldest son so you’re the first you’re his first coaching project yeah and he’s obviously Hing that and Hing that and H that so obviously the youngest the Next Generation get the benefit of it where he’s gone right that to where there I shouldn’t have given him a kick up the ass there hether an arm around the shoulder because your old man’s climbing without ropes ex he’s not a psychologist but he’s trying his best to give his kids the best opportunities I think it’s very very admirable so 14 1 puberty starts coming in for me they’re big years for a developing footballer if you’re not on the [ __ ] straighten that out if you’re trying to be one of the lads if you’re trying to be getting a beard if you’re trying to have a foot in both both camps where you want to be [ __ ] half hanging around with the loons and half [ __ ] on the scene and in parties when people are babysitting I’ve seen many many mega talented kids who 4 could do both cut corners and they’ll be the exceptions of the rule never make never make it Beyond 14 to 17 18 well me last game for Liverpool was against Man City and I could never ever remember this game and Conor CI said can’t you remember your last game so was I only been there say 6 nine months and um I sted the center half in the face he’s put his head lower I think it was the ball to read the ball and something happened he said I held your back he said in your eyes I always remember your eyes I’m only 12 years old here 13 maybe 12 I was yeah and he said you were just gone and I thinking all right and then um so then they just pulled me dad at city’s training would there have been plat lane or whatever just your frustrations are starting to come out in pck now yeah do I mean you’ve told us about the coaching I mean you’ve tried to bring him off against everon now looking him your kid’s losing his head I mean that went sad but let’s do our mutual consent yeah so I remember when I got in the car and he just said Lu um I think it’s you not me I mean I think it’s me not you so I’ve had to squabble with the coaches have done this so we’ll just get back to how it was because he he still ran it um a Sunday lead side as got boys um so he said just come back play get let’s enjoy your football he said I’ll coach you like I did for the first seven years of your football and life me and you’ll get out on the park every day soon I won’t let you down and me and you’ll get on the track so then we got back but as soon as I left Liverpool blackb got aware of it and he found our house and said look come up to a game tomorrow night we need you to meet the academy director and all this so we go was in a box he said look we can’t believe Li pool have let you leave can we um do you want to sign and I’m just sat there I did to be honest yo me knows it now and me went don’t worry so mean you [ __ ] sort this fuzzy career out so I end the phoned again the next night saying look you said you were going to think about it is he going to sign I can’t remember what D offering Jo but it was like a great Academy as well at the time it was all pristine and it was brand new was as good as anyone my dad shouted up the stairs but I knew what he wanted his answer to be because he’d said previously me and you some we’ll we’ll do it together like he went cuz he got he watched the coaching uh like me that was he probably felt a bit of guilt that his frustrations LED you to get constantly watching videos and buying videos himself and doing his own own work on how to coach kids and what needs to be done so um he’s watching me saying I’ll just do that with me lad and if you play SU he can go back into the academy stuff 16 15 16 but in hindsight now he says son you you done a year there at Samia 6 months at Liverpool and then I end up doing a year at black B before being a full-time um Chey yts told me that say lad you only done two and a half years of Academy football b a man have been chased by Academy clubs from 8 years old and in the middle of this you’re still supplementing it by playing with your mat on a Saturday and Sunday playing you playing for your school team I would take so as soon as I knocked back black B my dad shed up the stairs and said you’re going to sign son it’s up to you but I knew what he wanted me to say went no dad me and you yeah so we’ll do our thing so like blackb and then within about I’d say a year I snapped the bottom of me leg went into a tackle with a with some big bully of a Sunday League player he was played for millennium um the fell end up getting done for he was out raping women at that age he come out like an historical crime his DNA must have been done from then and 10 years later he was he was a mountain of a kid 16 15 15 he might have been so a year on from them cuz I’m 14 then and uh I always remember he bullied and when I was at Liverpool shouting things on so I thought right tomorrow you’re getting it and I flew into a tackle and as me [ __ ] come back Jo me L just your so I stood up but never had a bad inury in me whole life before and don’t like Conor McGregor that you can just stand on it until you twist I never twisted and my dad’s the manager of this team you all right lad or what I’m like I’m all right just k a minute that I’m trying to J job couldn’t get going me I I’ve never been injured could never ever be injured up until today I still play with injes and uh he just said come off then and sat down and just went like that [ __ ] hell so went to hospital then I to get a screws in me ankle that held me up for a year then Joe so then me dad thought right I just need to it’s when the plan of action to train you and Coach it and place you in the league as half talk not because you done a little bit of it and then um you got injured for a year and we 10 to 15 now the business end of it aren’t you Jo you about to leave school aren’t you so you need to have some further employment to go I started to come back to football and training out with my dad he’s always picked the pieces up as much as he sounds like a bit of a tool now without my dad me L sh nothing Jo in terms of football it’s all geared on me listen you’re just talking about the things he could have done better you’re not talking about all the things he did fantastic all things that he did fantastic he made me into the player so um and the patience you are more importantly most definitely and um so then from 15 just started to get myself back fit and I always remembered he rang the black B Scout that used to love me Don long from I think he’s from Thon Don still may be scouting now and he called me me dad said come and have a lock of our P he’s only just getting back fit on but I’ll have him up to shape and I was running with a limp he went pad he’s running with a limp don’t know what happened but reab if you don’t reab properly and then um I end up getting into a black p brought me in on trial and like the just the little bits of schemes that my dad done for a job was fantastic so you go into like a Development Group before you go in with the main group so in the development groups I’m doing all like but I was no longer the player I was cuz I was always dead strong Joe and loads of lads are grew I just went a bit fragile and my dad watched me train with the main group and I was on my ass more than playing 15 15 yeah and so you’re late developer in terms of like most definitely Joe when you started getting like pubes that like 14 15 look I used to pull me eyelashes out in school to PL it I was about I was the same really late online I’d see Lads with like chest and big 80 balls and I’ll be like i w i wen’t that small in stat no to just like yeah I just wen’t really mature at all so then I always remember getting knocked over and looking up at the window my dad was just like I just can’t believe what’s going on here with your son and then um well well that’s the thing pad from 140 if you’ve been rough and ready you can be Rough and Ready 12 13 14 I was and then all of a sudden 14 15 16 I just never moved on yeah I was struggled I was still aggressive but it couldn’t if for me power and then I was 17 18 the same 19 20 a grw CAU everyone up I didn’t me D till was 20 M so I was really late so when I when I look back through that you’re 14 15 yeah you’re not the most developed you’ve had a key injury at 14 15 which is they’re massive years like Lads I remember having always good slatterus cuz I was getting grow pains about 16 17 and then there was really talented lads who picked up injuries at at that Junction and that can really throw you off because you think you’re going to be a top player and then all of a sudden you don’t get off of the yts yeah for me when you’re 15 16 there you’ve come out of the pool so your boy old Club you [ __ ] our Fell’s obviously trying to do the best but you’re caught with sitting in the car as you said there and he’s trying to do his best by you but you just surrounded by in critiquing the coaches about sometimes just your tongue and you know maybe what we talk about now is yet you could have done that better little we should have just done the things that I think that don’t topping up privately me and you could have went and done our own little bits and then you could have stayed in the system I just needed to Clos me mouth but he’s always outspoken me that and he that he’s learned that and now man you say they wouldn’t believe that you’re talking about the same dad cuz he’s leared all them mistakes so he’s never said not one word to man you ever and there’s probably been things along the way you thought bloody hell that could have been better but he knows now don’t say nothing it all works out when you get in supplemented saying or whatever um so all right so 15 16 you’re now facing the reality of you’re leaving school MH in terms of so I remember I only I only go back to me and I knew at these Junctions when all the outside distractions can come online for the young lad especially if you go the footy certainly in this city because you know your reputation goes before you and if you’re a decent fighter and you come from a good family like you do where you know people are always looking to test you in this city mainly to see where they at so you you your lifestyle earpad from 13 so did you smoke in school no never tried SM getting into like petty crime or yeah it was always misbehaving so go shoplifting in town or robing and that and U just just doing my kids D but always fight D has been a St since 5 years old so the reason one of the reasons when we go back to my dad boxing used to say to me you don’t need to box because you’re fighting every other week playing football you know you’re fighting here you’re fighting there I couldn’t help myself all the time Jo obviously I played for a lot of Crosby team that would deemed a bit soft so we play teams from Scotty Road here there wherever and it’d always be me fighting because they didn’t really have a fight would you play up and down the age groups would you sometimes play with older kids well me fell out there was a fantastic coach in this city you may be aware of him Steven H who coached me dad so he was the manager of the Allon and they was a year for lipol who Steven Hill Steven Hill no but he managed Ste who play for li My AG there was a it might be as lad as lad Steven as well ER around your age lad played for England under 14s under 15s with those P when you used to go to padgate now on the trials was that LE Winger MH and he don’t think he got a YT or made it but I I remember a kid stepen Hill really really talented so the their team that stepen had which was two years above me who who end up being pro them oburu Adam Peppa remember FL FL I think he was proam had a [ __ ] fantastic sh so the year below them we dad said can he start coming to your training because you do a mix session yeah and you know I’m not in the Academy I can’t remember what years this was about just when I left Liverpool before I broke me leg so I went and played the year above myself for the the sou me half Sunday morning I play i d me right away 45 minutes to do end the lipol play a game for them and dve me back so he always made do and took me to coaching there of thday night just so it just went me and him he had me took me to Ed running club of a Tuesday or yeah a Tuesday I had to go to running clubs get smok by all Runners but I turned up and took me medicine and got a better well well L the thing what are you doing in between what your diet like what what your lifestyle like are you having late nights are you are you are you squiring away so are you trying to be one of the lads like trying to be because at that point 14 15 for me not well for me I had a choice in terms of lads are starting to get into where they can earn a few quid being up to no good and they’re not going to be footballers and they’re into you know the the the stuff that um leads to a life of crime a 14 15 cuz they’re leaving school and they’re like we want to get nice of course few quid in our PO for nice clothes and whatever you need for you know as as you becoming an adult so are you not like I remember just going right I’m going to be a footy player and I had to take me as hard as it was I had to switch myself off from all my mates because I thought I’ve seen well better players than me try and be a Jack thead and be a footy player and I had family members who some mental fortitude to see that told Joo at a young age and realized that you know that’s what I shouldn’t be doing in order to get to where I need to go no I was looking I’ll tell you why I was lucky because this is the fight and determinism argument um my mom and dad got divorced because my dad was 10 years younger than my M and he was out getting on a Charlie after foot and going miss him for two or three days and me m just in the end threw him out so my dad got kicked out to his moms me and I went with my dad cuz I had three there’s three of us got two younger brothers twins who were six years younger so i’ I’ve dad a split I’ve gone with my dad and me Nan was more of a disciplinarian in me Mom and Dad so she kept me on a tight leash and without a if I stayed in think made where so we moved from the John’s to do you know where NOS Le school is so literally just by Village there but I was off the estate lad yeah so just a little bit mates from our road and all that who were and friends and you could go out on the street by as everyone’s door was open you know everyone knew everyone no one had knock on every day and you know when Liverpool such an incestuous City and everybody knows everybody so you know for me you he these stories of people making it and not making it and I’d seen these talented kids just you know get it wrong and they would in every Boozer that you went in or every you know I was traveling around no with nossle United at the time because my dad was playing and Bradley a Big M was a fantastic player yeah but again someone who probably should have done a bit more and never he never really pushed that onto me but then I’d seen NOS Le United all these kids coming out of Liverpool pool and Everton who would been talented not making it having to get on the tools and getting 90 quid a week to play for nosy in the unibor Prem and getting a reality checks what was that ped Paulo no who owned it PA Grandad they owned it the o oh yeah and they related to arold a Brad’s Grandad on one side is Paulo yeah who’s the Lord M side no Paul was the Grandad who was the Lord May big white beard he was the Lord may his son’s Paul who was the manager used to have a twitch big on the on on the non- league scene and now yet got Paul’s lad is Joe yeah who who Who’s quite heavy Joe lost lost a bit now yeah but he was when we were kids and obviously Bradley’s dad is Pedro yeah and Pedro was a player for the team even though it’s his it’s his uncle who was the manager and his granddad who his dad sorry who’s the owner and then Ro became the manager yeah so he played for years and then became the manager so in them teams then noly with uni Bon Prem B Northwest counties you know sixth and seventh tier MH but the cap all the kids who never made it who never got whes at Everton Liverpool Samia some of the other club’s crew and the scouters would come and play for nosy yeah and then they’ obviously run into allow the lads who were experienced Pros in the lower league you know from from mey side and they after them you know this is a different game down here so you you got you go on that Journey because you’ve been in anemy bouncing around get injured 15 16 sign for black ban sign for black B then Teddy MC Phillips Ted and Carri Bo was the under 18 manager so the year above me was Phil Jones Phil okay my age group another iting lad Tom Donan all right I don’t know him but and Oliver noban Center mid Peter B was three cent he playing now no he was a Peter he went to pet he played in the championship all of a quality yeah good passer of the ball yeah technically brilliant where is he now now he moved this year did he and then it was coming up so basically I got signed on the back of I went to Jo the night cup Joe Blackpool Jo the night cup yeah yeah so I got chck there but I was still on trial and I went had a fantastic night Cup who did we play Sheffield United knocked us out which was Harry MaGuire was captain of the their team we done really well though we got pulled like the group of De which was Arsenal with Ben F all right yeah West Ham and ipswitch and who was the big lad I always forget his name who went to Sunderland from ipswitch the big strong lad Conor wiam Conor Wickam and we had a l called mik Richards mik never ended up doing much not the one not mik Richards not mik Richards mik what was mik second name I can’t remember sorry mik’s second name and he basically just used to run run through everyone Jo well bigger well stronger Joe and we beat Arsenal 1 nil West Ham 3-0 ips switch 1 nil and we end up getting beat in the semifinal so Harry McGuire always remember he was a scout call me a scout gun he sent him M then yeah so we kicking each other and then um black B Sami on the back of that yes only a year so that’s your year 16 season so you’re leaving school straight to Black so I’m not leaving school yet I’m in me last year of school but I’ve got that last year contract so that was say 15 I think it’s under 15 so I’ve sorted and really I worked very hard out to get to that point cuz i’ come from a broken leg Yeah and Sunday league and kind of had a bad two or three years there and come out me that about great so so how are you feeling at this point you feeling confident no Joe I always felt inferior no I felt inferior at blackb the players were better than me I could feel I could sense it whether it was me confidence I just because I missed out on a few years played Sunday League had the broken leg was physically weaker I just went myself a black B for one when you’re playing Sunday League are you still playing as a kind of 10 or no Cent Midfield then totally Center Midfield Center forward with a gone which come back that’s strange because you’ve got you’ve had a leg break and then You’ gone into a more physical position position yeah but that never right or your left leg that you broke me right and you’re right footed yeah so that’s a [ __ ] big break that the one good thing that come out of that me that was always left foot and right foot every that’s to do me right has do left he forgot that with Le and Sh cuz they can’t stand up on their right’s a big argument not well you need them it’s so much I can do as much with both that’s the only good thing I can do is me striking the ball me left or me right is just as good probably because of all the trauma to me right leg all right and me leg I’ve had seven knee UPS haven’t I on your right two cruets yeah to remain two Recons and then the rest of did you get septus or something like that you get a bad infection with one of them right I’ll get that I’ll get it that so anyway got side and then um we played the game there was a fell was he Wally DS he ran the academy and yeah we we played a team from New Zealand and it we knew the scholarships were coming soon people are going to start getting off of them and we played this game and he never ever used to watch the under 16s and Jo I couldn’t SLP a bag of cement it was on a greasy pitch they were dead fit but they were limited but it was just a really bad day I think I felt the pressure of he was watching and anyway Lo be old we have four ctim like Michael come from Man City he didn’t last long he only lasted six months into a scholarship but he was the one he signed Tom Donan have been there from when he was eight and Oliver no B come from Bolton at about 12 and then I’ve been there for a year and they’ve released us three and kept that lad he only lasted six months so this is just for any young footballers you get I mean these the play professionals that have watched us over the course and all of no ended up having a fantastic career Tom Donan then went and signed for Everton who were better than blackb signed for two years and Everton went too um keen on him and they end up winning the Premier League the whole of the thing and fullam I think they played in the final but I give you nothing we’ll give you the two-year PL tonight yeah he does a bit of boxing our gy I’m still one of me close mates and um and that’s a show don’t show you leave school then what happens when you leave school so basically black B released me and they put a thing on assist all right so yeah all right so you you got the 16 you got a contract like all right now you’re waiting on as we all are a 15 16 some Lads get a two year YT and a year Pro because they Mega talented or there’s other clubs after them some Lads I was the same I’m scrapping around I’m like how am I going to get off of any I got off of a non contract so they said look didn’t give me a YT and by the way YT is government back so they get the [ __ ] money covered off the club they were that unsure about B he said look we’re going to give you a non contract I never went into digs in Manchester because I just saying they w w prar to pay there was too much outlay so I had to get the bus on the national Express in every day I’m back every day pick me K up on your Tod so when people talk about the [ __ ] hard yards no there was me and alad St Aston from and then chrisy sh was a year older than us and then he he SED he came from runor like when we were like 17 or 18 on trial and then got a contract and then got ahead of like he was a year older mhm he then got a car and then he was tring with the first team and he just Leed us like he he he went there off at half one you don’t finish at half three which is fair enough now looking back we were like you [ __ ] rats you sold us out here we have to get the bus we W getting into like our s night Wednesday sorry Joe and I always my dad always says he can do what he wants would do anything for him frny Jeffers will be a problem take me home of Take Me Entertain of Monday morning I’d stay up there all week and you know say every Tuesday he say you’re all right lad do you want to go home today cuz you’re off of a Wednesday I’d say FL I’d love to but he’s going to keep us was here he Academy manager till 3:00 and he’d sit in the car he sit in the car remember that the your life don’t you Tony like that with me he done it numerous times to get to me me dad just to bring me home for one night to see me family fantastic and he’s still like family to me fny know but yes and again you remember that and how that made you feel more than anything he’s probably spoked about from the technical aspect as a player so it is true black I used to always say to me people don’t care what you know till you know how much you care and I always remember I always think and it’s absolutely right once you know someone cares and like but you’re old man there you got a level of permission to say what you know 10 and0 as a middleweight boxer as a pro you know most people won’t get the permission to [ __ ] tell you what they feel like you’re old maners so 167 they KY it cuz now you’re like I’m I’m going to have to [ __ ] get a job here I was I was sweating Joe so as soon as they put me on the like the circulus we was a good team the black p so they’ve told you we’re not going to give you a YT well at the end of to all the other clubs I knew it was coming cuz I played bad in that game went look he was watching so I don’t think you’re going to get anything so be prepared we’ve been here before you’re going to have to go elsewhere how’s your arm Fell’s attitude to Black B at this point I think he he’ um he’ had his eye wiped and with everything that went on post you know him kicking off at Li I think and then the answer thought right I’m saying not on no one he’s adjusted for the better he’s adjusted so um and I just remember I played in against the under 18s I think it was on in house game he put me back up front Joe I end up getting three and Gary Bo yeah you know Gary he was at selford than that yeah where’s this come from P I think up you you’ve been here say 14 months and You’ played Center Midfield the old time I think you a better Center forward than I started having a few games Center forward and scored against who was that team remember lels he was a forest L Captain yeah scored a couple against few other teams and anyway Terry just rang me D me D played football with Terry at I think he was the year belone but you knew of each other p with thenard not on the that was my dad’s think me and Gary are saying give him something the kids got something he hasn’t been here as long as the other kids but we like him as a s v he said and Wally whether he’s just giving me that joke Wally D was Sam allad West H I thought you on about I don’t know W I think it’s I think it’s Wally D or maybe Wally something else I don’t know Google that now for the black black B sure his name is South African Wally Academy go on anyway sorry pad and then yeah anyway so he said pad we’ve been trying to get him sh him so a scholarship he’s well worthy of it Wally blackb Academy manager there’s a fellow Wally blackb yeah I can’t remember what the Fell’s name was and he said P he’s been the BL he doesn’t he doesn’t fancy him as a player he doesn’t think he’s going to do nothing all right so went on the circulus and then I had like NCH for me and said look we’re going to fly you down from Manchester Airport and you’re going to come in in for the weekend so I’m thinking wow this is all like knowledge cuz he was in the championship at the time black B probably flating around Europa League in that D days then he was not bad so for all right and I remember I went to Bley first and Barley’s um football club then it was just at a school it was terrible but it we knew this was coming in a couple of years and a trained and the weather was terrible I come from training indor black B of the pristine Academy and uh we trained it B and he w’t nowhere near as good as a black bear Lads and straight away after the first session the fell went look we’ll offer him a scholarship now I don’t need to look no more me dad went L to speak to me lad and me dad I remember him in his big coat the only parent out of the C on watching the session because it was hail storm rain and it was terrific and I got in the car and I knew me dad wanted to say like [ __ ] you don’t want to S there and them conditions remaining with that training pitch with templey and just to PL him I just went yeah no I love that that that doesn’t bother me that [ __ ] been playing Sunday League me Whole Life that’ll do me yeah that was surprised to me for all right son still goes on but I just had to give him something cuz he was low at a been leg from blackb and then see him he had a much lower standard with where facilities and then he only played one game against bford that scored a couple of goals and then Sheffield Wednesday was just going to do week there play week Sheffield Wednesday week knowledge We There was all other clubs and then I went to sheffi Wednesday which was an academy and so they played they like see your man use black band your 11 and um after the first week I trained stay up there Tuesday Thursday I mean Thursday Friday because I was still in school Jo got the train up there and M D dropped me off to digs the first night he cried the eyes out leaving me the first night and then I played and straight away the academy manager Shan mcau he come over to me that my L he a sign million percent same as what Bley had done um and me that went look with Keen because you’re an academy and he gets a play used the manager a chef Chef Brian was the manager Brian La was manager dead nice quiet fell lovely fell player Brian as well and then you said Jeffers is there is is all that any other Scout come the season after okay yeah so r that is I bumped into Franny in the when I was about 10 that was about seven when he made me be in evertonian so I just bounced over to him at 15 I must have been then yeah cuz I was born March it was before that the end of the season 15 years old but I was sign I’d sign now cuz I used to leave school Tuesday Thursday and me last year and go down to shf Wednesday cuz I’d sign me what you do train uh train Friday play Saturday morning and come back TR Thursday night with the 16th Friday morning with the 18 Saturday and then me dad will take me home because he comes every game but I get the train from school so I leave school tday 11 12:00 something like that and get but Sheffield’s not that far as the crow flies but it’s a nightmare to get to just cuz the mountain range between the two cities so um so you so then you leave school all right so when you leave school have you got a contract to go into yeah Che scholarship and like me dad kicks himself now and says so when to look at the standard of the banley lads and the Sheffield Wednesday Lads you know I didn’t have an agent of the give give him a one year Pro on top of that I probably could have nud for that but who sped anyway makes no difference I mean looking at it you go you know you’re getting out the city at cheffield cuz if you didn’t if you’re full you’ve got to move to Sheffield did you go in digs P Jo went into digs fantastic digs with Pat and Mike um just you in there no she she lived upstairs and then downstairs we had our own bathroom and three three bedrooms big double beds big massive chies the the fridge was open stacked she wakes up in the morning if she wants the full English you make it full English she you wants the fruit smoy with some white protein and she just do anything for it with to the point when I come home and like wind up me own mom like a competition started then you get what I mean like I’ll do this and I’ll do that and me Mom used to say yeah but you’ve stayed there every Sunday and a roast din not as good as man all oh good so they’ve looked after you then and you felt you felt you didn’t miss home you didn’t you know obviously you missed home because you’re away from home for the first time but you’re not pining to get home like some Lads go and stay digs and all you want to do is get back home well to be honest the first digs where woman that never dropped me off and he CRI we sat down for tea on the Thursday night the night before before training or was it the Friday night before the game Joe you know I was I’ve always been up with me food eating I’m sat there think how am I supposed to play on this tomorrow the amount of food you’re saving me so I can’t remember where they at yeah went upstairs and around me dad my dad I said I don’t want to be rude I said but like they’ve cut a little boiled potato into four and like give me two of them I said I need a have a play to them to run tomorrow when son just go to chiy he said now tell the club on the weekend is there any other digs because don’t feed him enough and he doesn’t want to be mud so I shot the chippy said I’m going the shop I got a chippy for the night after and then they moved me the next weekend to Pat Mike and then I stayed there then for two two and a bit years so did you get any first team appearances at jef wed get close to with preseason or anything well Alan aine yeah yeah he replaced um Brian LS and then in the fa youth cup we played Ram which is was a derby and um I think we went down to 10 and they went down to nine one of those was with injury though he couldn’t make any more subs and the last kick of extra time I went past a few players in the Box dribbled off the left wing I think I was in like a 10 that night scored so runs over but it was Don Valley remember with the lap round Joe so I have to I’m running off extra time and I clapped my own goal just because I’d seen it on S I remember that fell a player he jumped over the stadium and sat in a seat years ago and sha mcau the manager he was a bit of a knack and when I look back onsight now he went he was really trying to help me Joe like to the point where he played under Alex Ferguson and he was saying he was given me some of the chats that fagy was giving him and he used to say pad you’re far better than everyone that we’ve got here you just need to listen to me son but I always like I remember him sitting down saying you’re doing this thing off a goal kick or a ball into a forward I can’t quite where out where what you’re doing with it and it was Steven J joining him like Torres or something with he had the to B forward me had seen Steven jard do it and he’s trying to like implement it on me but he had jaby alono underneath keep the center of the pitch of course so he said you vacate in the middle of the pitch which I would scream a young kid now I mean and so that that’s a problem though if you’ve got a coach telling you one thing and then your dad’s got a really strong and your dad’s your hero no matter what every kid growing up especially if your dad’s a top Sportsman and you know he’s he’s got the standing in multiple sports like that and Bal me I I constantly had that and um he ended up giving a pro contract out to aad who was no in near as good as me Cel and it was kind of we come to the end of oura because I was constantly getting in trouble and not outside of football but like very opinionated ear on Joe just problem and I always knew I was better than the Sheffield Wy Lads I was a lot better than them so I felt like I had told the line more than M at the me and like if things were wrong we used to you pushed the line they push the land behind I was pushing the line constantly we used to see a psychologist VI after the game of Saturday and we have to speak to her Monday and basically she just go back and she tell him where it was nothing where she come back and forth she just listened to what we thought to find out where the changing rooms was at there was no no real sitting down and if remember creeping into 4y when I was there and I just said it I said whatever we say in here is like basically held against us I said we see a psychologist but it’s not one to one where you’re confidential yeah where you’re trying to digest what each of us think and how we can come out the other side and make us better players literally you just listen to what we say and then go back pad’s not having this or he’s not doing this and he doesn’t believe I just so it cause lad of friction and I was always I was captain of the under 18s Liam Palmer was the year above me Palmer so he went on gu Oliver yeah he was the year above me yeah and um yeah so then towards the end of the second year I just I playing what 17s 19s here under 18s I’m playing for the reserves and I One points I was captain of the B and Shan after me first year said P you a lot and now this second year keep listening and you know everything will be SED but at this point pad you just training with the kids i’ had a few goals once I scored that goal in the fa youth cup the next day I was training so that was a he was on the same sight here yeah all right so you can see the face team see them there yeah they see their cars in the car park but I tell you’re in a separate changing room and yeah but like obviously because I knew Franny Franny’s good me to it then like who was it Micky gray Tommy Miller so I had to clean there change the names they were shaving me head and I I felt like yeah took you under the wing a little bit he was good with me so once I scored in that fa youth cup SE McCoy coming in man you’ve just acted like an absolute idiot after that goal how am I supposed to sell you to the chairman I mean to the manager he said you’re behaving like that off a goal I went sorry said it was last minute I said I don’t even know we coming to me head he said but we’re through to the next round than me nothing by and he kind of made me feel as if I was a bit stupid next morning Al Na comes in with Billy bar and he went P what a [ __ ] goal to go past four plays in the 120th minute and the celebration we were laughing you’re training with us today so I’m thinking you know you’re saying one thing and you know these were laugh having it I trained and I scored the screamer but I always remember Joe I obviously never got to nowhere near the levels of Premier League this was I think they may have even been League one I’m must he wrap the ball into you and that’s the the level of the game that’s what I keep trying to say to people about like when saying about like the women I’m going the pace that comes into when you spoke about that I relate back to that and I go it was played at a different velocity for one of your ways Jo the ball is wrapped in and you better deal with it and I’m thinking [ __ ] me I was always could to run those Joe and then I played with the first I was think [ __ ] me but again it’s like anything like some people you don’t know whether you can handle it or not till you’re in there some people people as you say are better suited to Academy football same way some people are better suited to you know amateur boxing yeah and but you can’t some people are just made for the pros some people are made to play in big stadiums under big pressure because when they going gets stuff the tough get going some people are the most tal of people in the world but the minute the [ __ ] adversity comes or the setbacks come they just can’t keep getting themselves off the canvas and if you’re going to be successful at anything it’s hopefully any kids out there listening to it I think me and you are a testament to mhm keep getting yourself up off the canvas no matter what life throws at you so you’re at jef w I just want to get us now from Chef wed all right so you’ve been at Chef wed two years you you you haven’t got in the face team although it looks like you know Alan a got shcked you played in the first I haven’t played but I was starting to get it he was having me train maybe two times a week okay so and I was starting to take get on with the players felt like oh I’m the next one them so what days are you training with them so like a a FL and a the other side exactly so you’re well thought off then so what I was and then he got sack then you’re not firing into see see when this was happening with me I’m firing into every comp I’d go across like I’m I’m trying to take J well once it did happen we was in the Dom and Indo and Clinton Morrison turned out and I’ve lifted him with a tackle on a Friday and he yeah and Joe what I would do the same to a kid now Joe and say you [ __ ] messing you I’m playing some I’m starting and D P he come out and said look we’ve all been [ __ ] 17 years old give him [ __ ] off so Liam Palmer he was getting a good go then I think he made a few appearances so I was the next one saying I’m thinking the next one’s me I think yeah to what I mean and then he got sck Gary megon and I had a couple of squabbles with the academy manager just falling out still a Shan fell yeah cuz in preseason he called me a [ __ ] once and I flew with him Joe CU you can’t you can’t do that I played against an un League team this fell starts to kick me and I’ve said look not bed I said I’ll give you the slap if you’re you’re a young kid here I’m only 16 17 starts me second year you’re 17 I said if you try and do that again I said mate I slap you on the back of your neck and then at the end of the game Sean I think we got beat or I can’t remember and he just said he said what did you say to the fell in the second half I said if he leaves one on me and I said I’ll slap the back your neck or whatever said I can’t remember Joe and he went but can’t you remember in the corner he left I went no not really went and you never done nothing and he boun bounc the ball and went you [ __ ] and I just flipped out straight away you can’t call people that by to and then he just backed [ __ ] himself and V Oliver and Nathan modes grabbed me and Tagg me the Chang smashed the changes up and he half went white and then he pulled me in Monday when P I didn’t realize sorry you know let’s get over it we’ve had a few little tips but you’re a top player and let’s just like mediate the situation anyway um I got offer I played in a reserve game of valy parade for Bradford I mean against Bradford which they had they were struggling in League two at the time pet Peter Jackson was the manager Coler was the assistant good player fantastic inou with mid play for Forest Spot got a few England appear Cooper and anyway but I was a mano I could tackle and I think that’s all down to it’s all down to the years or Sunday League Joe maybe you know played in The Academy system your whole life I might have had that St in game I don’t know so we played in this Reserve game against Lee Bolan who else was there more England Captain than me and I played I played really well in the reserve game and they were strong and we was young and um anyway the agents at the time phon him and said look I’ve just had a kid playing he said told me I never watched the game but he said he done really well and Colin went I took the game he said um what’s happening with the cheffield Wednesday well he’s done really well but he isn’t keen on the academy manager and I think the academy manager you know isn’t too keen on him he says well will’ll sign him and he can play League football him he’s got a bit of B him get up for me others it was probably five for 11 Joe still still not no strength really and shouldering people off but you know I would could get around the pitch and I could tackle so then um I comes into Sean and says look Sean am I ready to go and just do a little week here cuz these might be offing me something me and you have banged EDS 15 times in the last last two season we’ve had Fallout about different things so it goes and Kev Ellison was there you Kev he still playing Kev only stop last year he’s still gone yeah but and anyway done a week there and he offer me a good contact so basic who’s the manager there then Peter Jackson you you get like 150 quid for your first year Pro the low levels and they give me a lot more three times that Joe so it was like and they put out in the paper when they saw me 1 18 cheffy Wy have made a mistake but there’s just a little twist in the tail just before he end so that was agreed and then I was at cheffy Wednesday just till the end of the season before I goes and joins in the summer and we played everon who went on Tom Don and he won everything and I played fantastic now me agents there with a nice L bag talking to all the his name was I can’t remember at the time [ __ ] someone me football this is the trauma to the punches sorry Joe it will come to me we come back to it and he’s talking to our parents Peter Peter Conan he’s talking to all con that’s P con talking to people on the sideline and I had a stor and we got be 3-1 but Joe and more than mixed it with he was the best team in England at the time played really well so I got called The Academy manager Sean mall he says come up to me room after this basically said pad I can’t have a player as good as you leaving this football club when you’ve just played like that against so the best team in England I said well Sean give CES a contact six months ago I said M to play him yeah but because you wouldn’t listen to me I was trying Jo he listen so he got his contact you don’t so I said what you want to do then I said cuz leads have asked me to go in Monday he said don’t go into leads he said I I’ll get a contact R up for you Monday and you can sign it and we’ll just forget everything let’s just so we shook his hand and looked him in the eye and said I’ll be here mondy and come on me half I was like Vlad Le him he’s been he’s made it hard work for you for two years but he was in the championship at time he got relegated and or he went back to the championship you know you’ve been moing about him for two years and you keep doing this and doing that and I don’t I’m not a l of them go to leads and if Leeds doesn’t W up we’ll sign for blord B some [ __ ] him off it’s only a football club so then anyway went to leads and think me cab was marked they all made to Academy level AR the academy managers bring him in and wipe his eye and say you know CU I done really well when I went to leads I said to R me dad better than these L I played against him for years well two years and then they never offered me not in anyway so signs for blanford in um the summer Peter Jackson and with the L of you know you’ll play league two football yeah and um dropping down to come back hope yeah they had um Nick alen I think his name was who was the snc coach or Fitness coach whatever you want to call him at middles bre or Colin Cooper BL him in and every Sprint Joe and that’s probably what something I lacked in my game great engin to run non-stop but stop Sprint as you go up the levels that’s what it’s all about isn’t it atticism starts to pay more yeah it’s um it’s more of a game of basketball sometimes when you’re watching the pr now yeah and um I to me RA F same inter sh he’s been out with for four four months now he’s done at 16 I done at 18 and Lewis our middle brother he done at 17 all our rec F have went around the same age whatever that’s down to genetics or it might might be training program could it could be shot whatever it but we all done it and um I was injured then for the end of the pre-season I was out for 6 weeks then TI to come back and it went again I took a pen at the end of a training session I just tweeted it again I was out for another month so as well as they keep getting them little setbacks little setbacks and then you TR shave a few days or a few weeks off your rehab and then you get another [ __ ] set back and then you’re just chasing your t confidence goes Peter Jackson went then the manager of the army and Phil Parkinson who was the rexon manager yeah Phil and he come in straight away and look you down the bottom third the bottom in the league the team that’s been selected up until this point obviously isn’t working so we’re going to play 11v 11 today and I don’t know much about you watch the last few games but there’s probably players I haven’t seen Jo I had a stor and it was unfit so he calls me straight up to his office and he says Pat he said he said don’t even know who you are he said but I’ve just watched the play there I was a Center Midfield myself he said I was impressed he said but I’ve been told you know you’ve been injured for the two months of the first three months of the Season you need to um go and get some game time and is your lifestyle F here is it’s not your life cuz I still felt like a eating right sleeping right on days off Wednesday going I wouldn’t say so just wants to get back on the pitch and then um he just said look round to round by yours where your mom and dad can help you with the lift cuz they had the card and then me car got stolen one of them ones for the book place and then so then he thing he said where do you want to go south port or vo I’m going to phone him and said look he’s he’s ready to play league two now so we can play conference North for conference so um I said I’m sure me Dad’s made the manager of V motors have edit that out that [ __ ] car insurance bumped up there I’m Jing anyway imag yeah so the um he rang Vox all Motors then Joe so your Chef wed to Fox Motors no I’m sign for Bradford hav oh sorry Bradford [ __ ] the conference the only two leagues below there’s only the national league and there was the national league North so you go to so so you’ve had half a sniff of Chef W’s first team then you gone to Bradford and you’re meant to be dropping down to come to come back up so you think I’m going to get more game time more senior footy and you’re 7 18 year so they’re still quite young I think I played one preseason game that’s the only minutes I had on a pitch before I got injured so I hadn’t played the game that season right so you’re 18 manager changes Peter Jackson to Phil you tring with the first team yeah played in the 11 V 11 done well yeah and he was start and then he said we’ll s a lone out for you pad you’ll have to train here twice and whatever Club you go to so we s of Vox or M you went National League it’s Men’s Football go there for a month or put some air on your balls yeah yeah get get get an air get fit and then he asked me he said who who do you see yourself playing with he said Sor mid I thought it was a bit of a loaded question Jo you get the me and lot I don’t know whether he’s R Richie Richie Jones he was at Manu come through man the name yeah I’ve heard the name and I just went look with me and him I think you’ve got loads of legs I said he he he played 250 League games or whatever it was he all IAD s he said so go there and then then that’s where I met your Josh then so you end up at Vox or what would they be uni Bon Prem then or one below that even there was the national league North so is that t eight so the conference is tier five un T tier six and Jo he was a some s like you see Vox all Motors and late MCG there Josh late MCG and Josh was up front now Cent mid me was sent a mid then so as soon as I went to training on like a Tuesday or a Thursday night show the um the manager said to me after I went [ __ ] elad he said you can just see he’s got it he’s levels above and so I went straight into the team and I always remember lad Shan Williams who went to have a good career for alham in the conference he walks over to the manager and said you just Nam the team of Thursday night I’m not [ __ ] playing this this SM he’s like two years older than me he’s just stand up and he’s in the team you missing and he end up leaving and I end up getting on with Sean later on in life and we spoke and um so then I started playing non league but I only lasted about four games Jo done a one two R the box of harate and I dangled me Towing just to get the free kick and someone crunched me KNE KNE operation then I need to clean your first first knee operation first knee operation yeah not when a Cru hyper what’s it called hyper extension that way and then um so hyper extensions where you need goes that that way out yeah that way out so then it it done something to me cage to me cage and damag ligaments so was out for another three months then do you need surgery on there yeah but I went to go and see Steve bolland in Bradford he done all the he had R keing up on his walls and all that and he’s done real top end stuff and um so you get your knee up there you’ve so your finished me’s finished so then got har um har got in the football league sorry Fox all Motors tier six ended up getting to the FA Cup first round so you know in terms of you’re not a million you’ve dropped down there you haven’t dropped into the Oblivion you’ve dropped down you say but conference not yeah and they had some fantastic David man who was a good play he come through um you who played Josh Josh Josh and Leon were our two best players to be honest with you the complimented L was a year younger than me two years younger than me at EV and just used to score for fun like a real good goal SC if you could imagine me at 18 Jo it was a bit worrying and you’re a center mid now Center mid I’m going [ __ ] hell he play for Vox all Motors you know this is some [ __ ] standard there that made me a little bit worried made me doubt myself to think confidence again you know these are [ __ ] B there there’s that in Jo they seemed not too far off when I train with Bradford every face te they seemed like a smidgen I’m think I’m [ __ ] hell but our first 11 not Sager yeah not sag no no not sag no way my life but that’s the thing isn’t it you know the the professionalism and as I say you’re now seeing going oh my God I thought I was going to be like easy for me yeah and was it hell and that’s a thing so that’s a big thing as well um you’ve gone from 10 and I’m looking at going [ __ ] me you’ve jumped around you’re looking for a bit of stability a coach to work with someone who believes in you to give you you know I had nine years from 14 to 23 at City yeah so it’s that stability and and it wasn’t always great I was struggling for a lot of that but the familiarity you know the the routine of going to the same training ground seeing familiar faces also not having to prove yourself you know every time you go to a new club you got to prove yourself you’re on again plus also the social stigma every you is still oh no I’m at man you now oh no I’m at liol now oh no I’ve just been released by black now oh no just been released by City proud people when you when you when you’ve left a football club me Dad don’t go in lad give you a few days off because of being the floor well it’s tough in it because we we carry around you know Li you see you know the bravado people very very proud uh people as as most people are but you know certainly when you know there’s that expectation on you everyone knows you business and here Pat’s going to be the next 40 player he’s the talented kid and then all of a sudden you’ve got a you know it’s hard enough picking yourself up off the canvas never mind [ __ ] having to tell everyone story that must have been hard mate must have been hard so fair play but sometimes I always felt like it w Really me getting [ __ ] off as a player it was a little bit of an elbow to me fell cuz he was a gra well maybe that’s a defense mechanism because maybe you ain’t good enough and and and maybe you know cuz at the end of the day lad if you’re good enough find out the [ __ ] find way to get it there so you know if you’re touching go which it sounds like you are and then you’ve got an RL who’s a [ __ ] right noisy in the background you know with the greatest intention as a coach you’re going and if you’re answering back and you’re going I’ve got a marginal call this kid with a great attitude or [ __ ] Billy big exactly yeah I always felt like that there was some players who maybe a little bit lesser but they they kicked on and kicked on and kicked on CU last a lot better than me but Conor was good though and he’s got a great attitude fantastic gives you the right chance if you’re good and you haven’t got a great attitude still got a chance John Flanagan was another one that played with us sorry I missed John off flano great attitude may maybe not like as a fullback and ATT tackle of flano not the most flamboyant player but had a [ __ ] fantastic career I mean if it wasn’t for knee injuries I don’t know you know was close World Cup squad in terms of I think he got on the provisional list FL I love John he’s great kid but bad injury and then you know as I say in our profession in any profession you you’re one bad one bad moment away from it never being the same again so let me just get you I just want to get you now from you’re at Bradford now you now have oxs and from Vox alls to AI because we I want to get you back in that dressing room at AI just before that Tuesday game at Arley pool so I went to vxs loan um got ended then then I picked the loan back up after me he was out for three months got the ass end of the season got paid up a Bradford then he just pulled me in Pary and said look pad you’re on three times as much as them other l I need you to go I’ll give you a little lumpsum and you can go and play non League he said these can’t he said so I can’t even [ __ ] them off he said cuz they got no way to not going to get paid and at that level every penny is massive for your budget you know is it League two there League two yeah and he were struggling and he went get and I get rid of someone else and Jo what Jo I went back at him straight away and this is a fell who coached Me by himself and he’s the first team I had time for me in the afterno assist what’s Parky as well the little fell yeah he he’s like a little Bal fell but they all say is they’re a really good double act they’re com I didn’t really have too much to do with him because I think he’s kept Cs on at first and um I argued with him I said lad I’ve been injured all season I said you’re just trying to show me the door I said I’ll just playing the Reser games I said and just see how this year because it’s been nothing but injuries anyway do I mean and um anyway we compromised and I got paid up and went to thw but I was lower than the SL belly in terms of confidence I they finished the season at thron me dad picked up the pieces in the you’re 189 now with thron um I would have just 10 19 wouldn’t I yeah and you’re playing against 30 ass men now this is points and if you [ __ ] confence nor still if you don’t pick a maret up this is not unlucky mate that’s part of your development this is what the [ __ ] are you doing you’ve just cost me me [ __ ] wages well the first day of VX saw me first game there was a prop of fight fists split lips black eye with the keeper Scott and the center half Jonah Jonah was a good player and a ball went across the box that he thought the keeper should have claimed and the keeper thought he should have ented the no man’s land no man’s land Jo there was no need to thr punches which I thought and one waited behind the doors and telling this can’t remember think that was Jonah and anyway B they’ve let rip each other and I’m thinking wow this is men’s football these care that much about three points that we beat hard that day yeah was that up Ahad cuz that’s where City’s C this players we used to play for Reserve I think was flying and I scored that [ __ ] that room and you’re seeing punches from so you’re in with men this is the men’s game now you’re seeing the reality of of the men’s game where every penny is important because people are paying for hundreds of pound no thousands and tens of thousands and hundreds of thousands and that’s how they pay the bills that’s how you get yeah that’s how you get your bills paid so that in terms of you’re coming out of Bradford on 450 which is good money for a [ __ ] young 18y old who’s not in the face team then the reality of right you’re going to go play for Drs then I would imagine thrs don’t pay in are they the same level of same level give me 200 quid pay game or a week D I think it was just a week or you get like a 50 Quid win bonus or something like mad py was a bit mad he never used to tie and pay some players if we got beat but like Jo and so I was just following him back to his room say lad I’m getting paid and like no you all light and some days I mean confidence was shot I mean he I never played well but I was still getting paid yeah and but some that when I think B was a constrictor he used to do that big fell Johnny King or Johnny King was that was I mean I’m sorry Johnny King so Dron is is up near Manchester so you not like I think that’s the city side though Dron isn’t it yeah you’re not yeah you’re not going million miles into it there was a few lads who played with me from dryon Paddy Wilson who was a good Striker and a Winger called tricky and Mike something they all came from DS Noley and I are three black black lads in the mid90s which was just done a of but were brilliant players and then roals do NOS Le United tier six tier s who kind of depending on whe they got backing they could try and get in a conference or not you know that was the big thing to get in a conference and you’re them playing with men and are you playing every week yeah it started every game for ringham and thros never on the bench for any anything but as a striker or Center mid I’m all Center mid from saying I’m a center mid now Center mid now yeah and then to to get myself in the team Joe I had to be robust and get round a pitch and win the ball back and there was no real know because I did have a little bit of ability and I could play center forward but what got me paid and got me in the team verti was being a little nasty Center mid running around and tackling and then when I went to aington say three four years later John Colman said lad I can’t believe leave how good you actually are on the ball but you know it’s all teams and systems and tactics and what’s needed that kept me in the team I’m playing every week from the age of 18 to 22 them four years of great learning know to be able to do that at rington but again this what people miss so you know you’re 18 19 there and you’re playing against men all right so we we got a bit of exposure 18 and 19 at Reserve because at that point Reserve team players if you didn’t play on a Saturday for the first team you played in the resis reses were strong it’s different now but the reses were really strong so we’d play leads Man City whoever didn’t play for our first team man cities would be with us on a Tuesday night and whoever didn’t play for leaders first team so I remember playing at 1819 against Olivier dor who was at leads who’ gone from everon a [ __ ] more than old on my own and the shot of confidence I got from because I thought I’ve watched that come play on the [ __ ] I had a couple little ones with cheffrey wedy against Robbie Savage Derby and again Nottingham Forest was a Del ball yeah yeah a few other players that you played was great little things to learn and stand and go up against them Jo so this is what I’m going to say to you so I don’t make me debut till 20 right and it’s in the Premier League and it’s against middles bre and I I wasn’t the manager Keegan said to me at the time you get the ball back today and you give it to dead simple to one of our players and when you haven’t got the ball just Man Mark janino don’t let him have a kick cuz I was aggressive so I literally was limited by the time I finish me career or you some arue I was limitting my old career by the time I finish me career I was a completely different player because you do what you need to do what the manager needs to do to get you in the [ __ ] team and then you you go you know what I’m [ __ ] bit better than this and I’ll take a bit more on and you develop so the earlier you get in I always say getting thrown in the deep end the more you Le but also if you get thrown in at the wrong time it can [ __ ] blow your sh BS or if you get too much money at the wrong time or you know you know you can get you’re saying about Dale Jennings there you can get a big move at the wrong time and you you move to a foreign country where you don’t speak the language and you [ __ ] got no support structure around you and yeah you know how how are you going to survive if you’re out there on your own so you’re now playing men’s footy you’ve you’ve had a little bit of the academy and and kind of Reserve team footy where you’ve played against a few names too you know what I think I’m as good as them you’ve got this confidence that there’s something in there so it’s keeping you persistent through the non- league scene because it must be [ __ ] disarten to go from really talented kid liol man united toon it does yeah it ches you up and you start to question yourself really when I signed for alham in that summer I went on to Al moram under Jim Bentley a fortunately got to play against Everton in his testimonial all right so I’m on trial and me dad picked up the pieces because you could tell I was a bit shot of pieces at um thr done just the way I was controlling the ball getting around on the pitch he saying son obviously I’ve watched it since he was a kid it’s not you you’ve been injured All Season which you understand and hard work s are all out and he was on the track with me Joe 6:00 every morning before he would on his floor line and Jo run for run he wasn’t running as quick as me but I’ll tell you what he went too far off he was only early 40s then would he have been or something um so he and it helped me Joe so then I went to Mor I done well and I think Jim only offered me 150 quid a week so Jim Bentley Jim Bentley yeah and um i’ played against alham on the Tuesday so you get 150 a week to go to moram which is [ __ ] miles away and train in Manchester now but I don’t know what they did at the time they trained at the ground and you’re getting 200 quid a week to play and train twice a week so you get 50 Quid a week less to to go full time but then I’d spoke to alham and alham said look we’ll give you 275 all right yeah and we’ve just been relegated from the conference but we’re going to be a good side this year Le in at the manager me Dad new who played for Watford since half I think with Andy GR whatever me dad knew does he want to he always bounc between the conference and and the uni Bond they were big in the uni Bond and maybe not full time now the flying again and um he went to if he wants to sign your son he’s been a top player go ahead just don’t sign the 150 275 and I’ll learn you the trade yeah he said so you bulletproof them for your rest of your life on the floor so it’s all right then s Jim thanks no thanks went walham played with some fantastic players a really good play really good team in the conference not so tier six and another good but it was football football football and I always felt like leing it was a little bit Ash on me because I was the youngest but I played when I look back played 26 games in the season we got into the OR 26 starts was it I can’t remember we got into the playoffs and we got beat in the semis against Brackley and then but them little say 30 games that season that I would have played people took note of who’s that kid he’s only 19 you what I mean playing against playing against men he’s not a bad kid him and then um we had a fullback Matt Dy buzzer he was mates with the bow manager who had met previously Dave bis and they just got relegated from the conference yeah and he rang me and said look do you fancy this next season we’re going to be challenging alham you just got beat in the playoffs always been kind of big biggish in the on League you won’t be in and out you’ll be in every week for me I went S I said because I’m in and out here and it’s it’s winding me up a little bit so then I went to B and um Jo what you were talking about stability Jo with it own there because that was the only time well me whole life I played for battle literally every week for three years and I went from being a decent non League midfielder Cent midfielder to being like one of the best around back into the league yeah and I I just I looked around and there was no one like non leue you get some players on the slide or you get some young players like yasses that would up not in particular cuz I played him the year before and he was too good for me but um I thought you know what I’m [ __ ] I fancy the job here and I was starting to look up again job previously I was just working and it was just it was just a job and I’m learn to tr with my dad and it’s some money on the up and like if people asked him a football I said I packed in and you know I didn’t think much in on Le because I didn’t understand it at the time I just how how’s your lifestyle here are you still [ __ ] dedicated or you you starting to saying I always training did our job but the the the party had creeped in then so what am I I’m about yeah I’m 19 yeah CU I went to creamfield that summer yeah I’m 19 so party literally just started alam’s year only just started then going out drinking cuz I didn’t really drink in me scholarship maybe a little bit say 17 18 but you know maybe twice twice a year we a big Boozer or anything like that so um yeah that starts creep in then a few bad habits and I’m on the floor all day saying of night a b all the way saying through to then and then I end up being a good midfielder ueno probably played at under than 50 games by the time he was 22 but none in the league none in the league you played 150 Senior Games Senior Games [ __ ] rude waien in there yeah i’ and I’ve leared me trade and I I I think I was ready to go maybe could have went before and know late so B iard you say when you went to B B struggled he just come down from the conference struggled he’s had to struggled at first so but you’re Play You’re a major player in that team yeah and then the Dave bis got sucked and this was me first time whereas you know I say this to Lewis and Jay you won’t be everyone’s cup te I was Dave bis’s cupy but then a manager can come in and stay to away Jo absolutely Joe you are for me this manager come in D Edon who was the manager of workington which was a dby he’s got a statue outside car’s going he scored some type of goal and he come in he [ __ ] love me more than Dave bayis and this was a fell from the lakes that I just played against on boxing day come in and he just pulled me and just like look like you’re playing every weekend I really think this have played it and just believe I could do no wrong so that must have been you’re saying you quite low low confidence that must have been a real shot of yeah he BL in but Dave bis had said things in the paper like we think B P’s going to go on and have a career and he played had a good career So I listened a little bit and then I think someone else coming along another one it was yeah it was fantastic and then we end up winning the league the following year back to the conference back to the conference and then we played the next season in the conference and I was playing every week and Joe I always remember I’m sure you said this in your book that you were purposely so someone got sign in your position you would go up against them every day didn’t you because obviously we read your book what we going and you would make it hard for them every single day so they wave the White Flag yeah yeah so and I also needed to know listen when they go and get stuff out in the arena where’s his where’s his stress points yeah now I look back now and I think would you done it differently but you don’t know any better you you do it you’re doing the best you can with the information you have available so everyone yeah and when you when you look back at it like that you know this this need to be perfect dissolves yeah like it’s it’s really interesting listening to you there because there’s no correct pathway for anyone everyone’s Pathways all different we’re all different lives aren’t we so Random absolutely but if you’ve got that thing where you’re like I’m going to [ __ ] turn this around which you know you know your determination you got a lot of stuff going on in the background there it would have been easy with the injuries and the and then you know the fact that you’ve kept yourself going to the point where you’ve dipped out of the league you know the the big Club structure the chef wed and now you’re in the non league and then you’ve grafted over three years to get yourself back on a upward cave looking back up now going right can I get back in the [ __ ] Football League yeah so how come about the majority of That League is fulltime the conference and it was even then big money there can be big money well there is now because there’s no ffp in the conference always so Stockport Rex and all that you know you’ve seen it with Fleetwood there’s been a few big hitters in the in the conference a lot of conference sides can pay more than the league two League one because as I say there’s no Financial Le to get out of though in it Jokers they’ve only got one and one playoff do you know I’ve done all four leagues two bottom two as a manager two in one but but uh championship and obviously Prem and the conference everyone says it’s the hardest leag well I thought that when I played it I just thought everyone is so big so fit so strong but not as much football at League two level I thought wow this is [ __ ] half easy this well there’s only one automatic and then it’s playoff in it it’s five four in the playoffs in it yeah or is it seven it’s one goes automatic and then six in it six they do two semis and then you [ __ ] so one goes automatic two and three get to the semi and then six seven all play confence North is the same four go down out of that league in the conference North the top winners win it and then the the next four yeah and in the play different it’s hard if you’re playing in it cuz you know you finish second or third you’d want to get an automatic promotion out of a tough league but in terms of keeping the league going and and entertainment because you I suppose no matter how [ __ ] bad your team is at Christmas if you do if you’re all eight you’ve got half a chance of getting in the playoffs or one of them positions um so get promot to the conference BTA one of your L teammates to the title I know you sh them Sam Finley playing filed heay yeah Sam was a top top player yeah good player quality so we used to play against him then and Sam last brist he’s a lad so I of him but he’s the year above me I think he was ever as well coming through when he was young kid and about him and then I got to play against him that that season Joe you know it was nice to know that I not spotted him but you know I rated him at the time and then he’s went on had a good career like you can spot for he’s got a bit of B him so you go as I say you go Barrow then and just go in the conference after you you become a major part of that team playing every week go to Barrow Barrow were in the conference old your own in there take yeah done well but the manager then got the shck Evon um and I got I had to have another knee up yeah so D Emon got sacked I think he was only about 16th something like that that but we had a big owner who went to America with a dollar in a dream Paul castner’s name was come back bought the club I was made up cuz after me first year as soon as this new manager got the job d d Emon I was there for three seasons I got a new deal and I was on good money for that level and I was still working and we only trained in Lancaster I think it was or no we trained in Preston at the time it was way too far Jo and I was in a good money and then as soon as like we had a little wobble in the the conference which was a tough League he sacked them straight away and he brought in Paul Cox who got Mansfield out of That League the name year year or two before and the first game we we won and I just went down to put the tunes on me phone and he went py put the music on so been that mean he just slipped out of place and had a book and that needed his so back on so I was out for three months or something like that that Jo me second KN and then when I come back same knee right knee I can’t remember remember I’ve had that many on both of them I forget them now and then I flew into a tackle the first game he started me when I was back fit and I crunch someone in the corner he said we’ve been missing that little bit of biting midfielder Pao Bringers but everything was so direct with him Joe to the point I mean the were tactics playing to the point where like it w’t enjoyable oh nice and um I remember his training on a Friday shape and I got the ball and I just passed it forward and strike his feet just the blat and pass that was on and he stopped and he went P don’t want that he said when you getting it instead of getting Ted on the half and playing it Forward FaceTime [ __ ] off over the fullback said which is all well and good when people are squeezing it I went but you know why had a pass on there I said surely the one in feet there that we can build from he said the one looped over the side no no no don’t want any of that I said [ __ ] hell me I could still do this if you just want someone to [ __ ] Vol it so we we we we had not that we had a big Tiff about it um I just opinion yeah but I just thought it was just a bit daed in some in certain instances we were just a little bit too direct and um anyway so it comes out the team and then I had a little goal right back but in the meantime the games that I had played Jay flan flaner who was the captain of um AI for years and John Coleman’s good mate he watched and he knew me Dad and he said look he’s quality him he said whatever happens here he said Co will take him no messing scouting Coy picks up Bargains and yeah he’s done really well so then he Jay told co co got me watched and then I went to W in the summer so in League two League two and I went to go and watch them to give me second the last game of the season the to beat Brest Rover was it or possibly yeah or AFC Wimbledon went is this when Lon were in that League when I played he won the year Lon were in it which I played the year before fori so um I went to watch the game and he at the bar the last minute they drew 3-3 which made meant that they had to go into the playoffs and fight AFC Wimbledon sure it was against Bristol Rovers that game they do 3-3 anyway and then they got beat in the playoff semis get up yeah go and they got beat in the semis this will be 2015 or 16 16 it’ be yeah at the end of the season and the ground was 80 when they scored not the 30 for J now f was it in the no it was the last game of the season I think AI only needed a points and it was automatic promotion and they got beat 3-2 it might have been Bristol Rovers then it it may have been somebody else um and anyway so what so was thinking blood could not be only going to League two yeah could be going to [ __ ] League one they go up yeah if they go up and anyway the they lost the last game of the season whoever they played against and then I joined him in in the preseason always a good runner Joe so I’m always up at the front on on every tax 21 22 yeah no I’m 22 23 all right so you three years Al a year I’ve had Barrow a year sorry I’ve had Bradford the year Al a year and three years A B so 18 23 did you say as well well D was the loone at the ass the Bradford so I was um so you end up back in the league now you’re Ai and as I say I don’t mean to beind to John and Jimmy Jimmy B play with me half John have known I think done an incredible job at transform that football CL incredible when you see the stand and how far they’ve come punched above the the the the weight of the club for years um I’m trying to say this is respectfully as I can but you’re going from kind of non-league conference Barrow DRS D altering him to aington who are probably the you know a professional non-league team and in terms of you know John and Jimmy were fantastic non- league players and run that dressing room as close I think as you could get being full time with with kind of non- League um strengths to it you know the sing song and the Bev on the coach and right we’re on this Astro T and we’re getting launched off at 11:15 because in a pub breakfast in a pub go on give us a little bit of background about a because I hear great stuff about it it must be great they do well when I when I was a the last year of B obviously it’s about the owner to come over so there was there was plenty of money at B we ain’t good do at the time and they were TR we trained at a university so it was brand new Joe you had all the facilities there at Lancaster uni yeah so it was quite good then i’ I’ve sign I’ve jumped up another league but then so B you’re getting paid you’re 450 that you were getting paid coming out of Bradford all right so I B you in like 800 quid and and you’ve got your trade going now so you get your trade as a floor floor Flor layer in the afternoon though I couldn’t do it of a day and go to train of night because that last year and all that yeah so still having a little go off of a Wednesday a full day fitting Wednesday so um probably say home yeah was doing well Joe so sometimes I used to think Grand a year there what what what’s the point you know is this all it’s cracked up to be if the money’s not that good and am I really going to go and play The Champ where I’m going to get looked after and get weighed in or am I going to fly around lead to and are you training two days a week or four days a week Wednesday off Wednesday off yeah right unless if we lost say Monday Tuesday off Wednesday in Thursday Friday play Saturday off Sunday so that’s a professional schedule yeah know that that was a b and we done that painly you know what I mean that’s not so then you go to AI on that same schedule same schedule but you’re having breakfast in a pub and in terms of the do I don’t mean to you don’t have to tell me the numbers Pad but say I was going to say Co us chip you down he chip me down so like I think I start on five ton okay like so you’ve took a cut to get back in the football league I’ve took a cut to get back in the league but I was happy to take Joe obviously it was incentive base where we we go through games five more more and I just thought I’m not even bothered I’m just an actual football professional footballer so um you always say how many League appearances have you got I don’t even know that’s what I mean at the end of your care you know they s up your league appearances they don’t start up your conference ones or your um Northwest counties or your lower league ones but you from the fourth and above you know you’re professional um player and then you have a good preseason there said you’re always at the front of the the runner the runner you H the ground Runner um no I got an injury just towards the end of preseason someone crunched me in a game um and you know I was out for a few weeks then but um once to come back from that I just started training really well that’s when we went into Scotty Brown turnning around saying GAA come on fa is fair I’m 33 now I think so where are we in the season here P literally the first game of the season sep September end of August yeah and I was training really well was always one of the fittest in preseason and he was in the car scho with me said lad I’ve told myself p and Scotty still one ex yeah went to Bristol City I think from great I think they played the Bristol together maybe sure they did yeah and then um I went Scotty said I’m going to pull him soon I said cuz lad I’ve he’s Chi me D way you I said I could be in a lot more I said never want to come in and just be a bench war that said it’s no good to me so went up to COI pulled him out to me and Pad I’ve got a plan for you he said but these Lads got me to the playoffs we should have went up automatically last year I know what I’m getting you’ll be introduced slowly and lad I’m going to expect you to be a star to come the end of the season as a manager I can see that but as a player I could also see your frustration to get the meel but I’m just like lad I’ve played under 50 games of men football don’t worry about me playing me you’ve been playing every week I’ve been playing every week since I was 18 so there’s no big stress to get I me and then anyway um I think Scotty the the pouth game he was best man at his his best made funeral so weding sorry funeral was that a FR SL at the end up getting divorced he might fing so he best man his best mat W so we threw one in Scotty I don’t think he could be honest and say this is the wed no whatever and he threw one in but I didn’t even know this at the time because he kept it right under Z he told me at the end of the season so I turns up um I’ve been on the bench i’ come on against Mor come on against um Johan Flanigan at Bley we beat them in the Carin Cup oh right yeah I remember that yeah remember I come on the last half an hour of that game and come on against moram but funny enough the only time I’ve ever the lights have went out Nick pop knocked me out in the last kick of the game Jo big fell poy jumped up for an another and he just come up to course and we were beaten him one and just jumped and S his head and I’m watching thinking I’m not adding that cuz it’s the man in front of me but I’m in the air bang I sleep oh so I came back B in the January so i’ gone to Rangers in between that you played in the cup you winning and Po’s come up for the to try and get a goal now the keeper comes up like [ __ ] CA that and he’s nuted you nuted me Joe and I’m asleep and every muscle in my body was tense like this was like didn’t know where I was what I was doing but the VIS said pad we’re winning against Bley one nilly you’re going to have to stay on it was about 30 seconds left so play got on and then I complained to the fio said I think I’m a bit concuss there and we were both getting stitches in the changing rooms both getting out glued in the physio room me and that Nick PO said lad I said I can remember the ball coming in and I w’t going to ready he said what was you going for there he went up just coming up to causeing trouble he said it happened I said [ __ ] hell now yeah well do have four for but me manager is Steve Woods he has his own certain thing I was going to say we I’ll get on to poy we get the rematch if he’s the only one who’s [ __ ] he 10 off so you’re the only one who put away whatever he’s a about six foot fast six so so you get so you get knocked out in that game and then he w’t going to play me there was more M because because you had something to do with your head yeah prot yeah something like that and L have kicked off I said L I only said to the I’ve bang me I said what are you about I’m not cuz was du to start you would be able to play now yeah so go went so cuz of had the stits in the back of me I’m last player went do [ __ ] all wrong with me when P you can’t start T that the other you shouldn’t even be on the bench but I argued the TOs cuz I just wanted the go Joe well you’ve been waiting for an opportunity yeah and then I got a little 15 minutes against Mor think we drew with him and then the week after I didn’t think I was starting cuz Scotty was starting and he went to this wedding won the week before though we drew against so you’re not thinking he’s changing the team he’s not Chang we hadn’t played that bad to be honest and H because I would have told me dad but me dad was took sh the on thinking he’s only going to come off the bench the last 10 minutes like he has or half an hour the last the previous games and walked in Jimmy will went as your daddy here and I went say no Jim why he went cuz pH him like just today the game this is yeah Portsmouth Portsmouth in League two is kie the manager to pouth the manager that’s a big [ __ ] game now joh they fell out and all that so um I rang me Dad and I said Dad look I said how quick can you get you just been told before the warm up I’m starting and Jimmy wants me to phone you and tell you to you pad yeah is waiting on the satday he he had [ __ ] I think two stairs Landings or something where it’s going to take him a few hours so me I went I’m got to P but good look devastated so we told the fell who Flo he was doing and said look you couldn’t get Sky Sports on he said cuz me lad’s getting his first half for thatlingon today and I’m supposed to be there but I mean the fellow was have a football fan himself so he gets it up and then the I think it was like the 80th minute 86th minute I can’t remember what minute exactly I whipped that goal in for goal of the month scored the winner the winner yeah and I played I played really well Jo got man of the match so then I thought y as soon as I played the first game I thought there’s no way cuz that’s pman through a top team Fu FA Cup winners not long there’s no way I’m coming back down to non League I was kind of going I can play a little bit better than Jo than this who’s playing for Portsmouth D who you playing against for Portsmouth I always remember an Irish fellow just giving me all kinds of abuse well have to get the goal on yeah we’ll have to get the goal on One goal of the month goal of the month yeah so Gary Roberts you know Gad G’s a good player yeah was he at ppy he was at pompy then oh yeah clicker playing for us he at Jordan yeah he’s a good player Jordan Clark so who else played for this part of Team Tom Davies who’s now captain of our Lewis’s there he is of Lewis’s Tamia team he’s the club captain and there was some fell who was just trying to give me absolute stick yeah it must have been fair to back to goal that’s G Robo there number 11 for pompy seven years ago is that Callum Johnson there at left back yeah Callum no he never played with me he was the year after when I come out of jail number six there um no Michael was in my Lio youth team sorry I never said that when I was a kid to the Michael’s another one yeah so Omar be there all right he end up going to Jan he was unbelievable Jan Janan danian yeah Billy ke probably the best center for ever play with there it is clicker we had a very good team to be honest Joe sha mcconville there I think he’s got like the highest assists that’s a great go in non League take that back for us now not non league in like League two and League one um I don’t know Joe that’s a great goal if you listen to John Coleman’s [ __ ] interview after the game he turns around says look at all a massive surprise py SC he said we played the bounce game in the week so Jimmy and that Ys are Ys is on the on the Ben which he was always a starter don’t know whether he was struggling with his cares or something great little te that’s a great H but the best thing about it not really the goal is John’s interview after the game pears he says it doesn’t surprise me he said he scored yet Matty was another top player but if you look at all them clicker got a move Omar got a move Matty got a move um there’s about five a six in the got a move well he was earlier but I mean after this uh D and Cho you got to move there’s like five six seven of me teammates that all went and jumped up another level or some even two Terry gnell there that’s ran to cuz i’ scored three screamers in a bounce game on the Tuesday two of me left and one with me right one similar to that with me right foot and Terry great goal Terry goell going to score a screamer today after them I’ve been doing it insane and like it was a reallying thing and that’s what Coy says in the interview he says doesn’t surprise he said cuz he can hit them from outside the box he scored these three goals all from outside the box was was you for that in your care before that not really got a few goals of the season but I was when I played the battle for them three years me two Center halfs Danny Livy and Simon Grant they played hundreds of games in on League they were off on the slide and he wouldn’t let me go anywhere I had to been there so it’ be literally one on the edge of the box that had scored a screamer two or three of them a season that was it yeah you they not letting you get far away it exposes them probably good Ling for you in ofing the I’ve had a little goal Center half myself I do the same thing Joe yeah well when you l in the position you saying earlier on your managers having a go for K and trying to be Gerard and make the Box you probably needed that at your stage of development two our saying [ __ ] said there you and use your energy when required not when you [ __ ] which is funny as yo it reminds me when I was at Battle we signed a fell briggsy Keith Briggs don’t know whether you’re familiar with him played Le to and whatever you and we were struggling and he got sanded and he sand Senter mid and I was always was playing he said look we play side by side not where you’re vacating and leaving me and um I always remember he coming the changing rooms and we had a bit of a tiff I said lad you can’t move I said I’m I’m trying to make something at this game you went you’re killing me he said you know why I can’t do that no more stay beside me and yeah and we can run the game and it [ __ ] resonated with me we were so bang onone cuz I used to vacate cuz I was full of beans when you’re a young man and he end up being our Le’s UT Manley small well it is a small we’ll get to that in a just get me the date of that game up now last one yeah yeah what was the date of that py game been September 2016 you’re on in you’re ear on in the season here all right and then but what killed me then Joe we played West Ham in because we beat Burnley in the car cup we beat Bradford Burnley and then we played got West Ham away to West Ham in the next round of the cup and that was on that Wednesday night now Scotty Brown 3 one in and said he was Ill but I went in and got M of the match and scored that goal against pompy against pompy so then as we traving down there on the Tuesday we trained and I think I just get fixtures from that thing there just because yeah just just was up I knew I went getting selected and even though i’ went in and i’ done what I needed to do Jo had scored and I got M of the match all right so this is the 18th for September you’ve scored the winner you’ve got man of the match you’re on an upward trajectory got few little setbacks but you you’ve played a load of games of battle you’ve got your move into the league you’ve had a little bit of a disrupted preseason but you’re now 18 for September scoring the winner yeah your [ __ ] tails up you know you’re looking back up again and then let’s just get from this game because this is key cuz it put you in that oh like there’s the pompy game has it got the cup game because it was literally on the Wednesday efl and no not the efl FA Cup look so if you look at yeah it’s three days later lad three days later three days later we traveled down and then I went in the team and he he did pull me did he pull you the day before the night before no I think I’ll go into the story anyway because I didn’t play anyway so me had have gone so Scotty’s gone away didn’t he 31 in which you don’t know about you just think he’s sick you’ve scored the winner in his absence and got out of the match and now you’ve got West Ham away and you think yeah I had I had I had 15 16 people travel down from Liverpool drove all the way to the Olympic Stadium to watch me and um anyway didn’t play and then so you’re on the bench was on the bench and then a sub was getting done at about 80 something minutes I think it was 80 because it was nil nil or 75 and we used to have a like called Romy boo I’ve tell stories about best the best so Scotty’s thinking clamping up with side CS because he’s been on the booze at the wedding all weekend and um so I’m thinking it’s got to be me and he brought Romy B on as a as a like a side by side Midfield field and not of 10 cuz that’s where he played predominantly R me I’ve never seen him play there and didn’t bring me on and I’m thinking I just got man of the match played well and Romy comes on and he he kicks pet and pet in the 93rd minute Ben’s running the top corner so as we come into the changeing I got p and AR and John Coleman says the reason I never brought you on there he said because I thought you could Jo kick someone loses the game and loses the game he said so blow on me most varience played and Romy Bak who’s played 400 OD games he said he done exactly what I thought in my head that you would do he said lost us the game he said you couldn’t write a part he said but we’ve got Colchester on Saturday yeah Colchester away because we stayed down in London and he said you you you playing sat P night he just apologized I said well no good apologies now you there’s a game satday so so he’s going a little bit of a Mad run there cuz he’s win a c Chester and then it’s draw loss draw win against Blackpool so where’s where’s this Harley pool game is the Harley pool game there 18th ma 27 November my gamees there you’ve lost four on the spin so you’ve lost I think it was the FA Cup game though the week before the the stevenage game FA Cup first round that’ll be walking yeah cuz it was away sorry second round yeah walking away win 3-0 yeah so that was the week before the Harley pool game oh no wasn’t we beat L ons or did we draw with l no it’s Wan’s the fourth of December yeah go up to uh go up now late nor was the week after the four yeah the 10th of December so you’re in the team there I’m in the team it’s my job because we’re talking about positions I go was in Center midday and I always remember the Mansfield game after the Colchester game either Scotty or Sheamus went fit so I played against um Mansfield and at half time Jo played really well and I come in and John John it was said look I’m Midfield there have been miles off it because they were fit next week so he was trying to dig me out but I played really well I went Coy I said I can have if you want to bring Sheamus or Scotty whoever was injured you want to bring them back into the fall but don’t tell me I’ve had a stinker when I haven’t I said I can’t deal with that I said don’t mind Man games and he went no I know the [ __ ] running the show like what games I just walked up the change went sub me down lad cuz a probably a bad attitude at the time but it was just a a bogus claim that they Midfield done nothing bad on I was tight man I play good football you can watch the the clips on YouTube anyway but um so then the next game lo and behold I was out of the teams yet I me the two Center mids that he always want it was in and then he had a little goal right back um which would have been yeah no Steven and jeroma is that’s the game there Steven aome stome sorry I thought it over goam Steven and jome I play play against Lon right back and played really well and he drops you st he drops me for the stevenage game and just I I play well to the and had gone so in between you go out on a Saturday night I go out on a Saturday night I have a few lines of char literally a few lines is that the first time you’ve had the line notepad no no I’d had in i’ had in non League I’ve been to glb I’ve been to IB for it was just part of being an on Le when does that when does that when does that come online for you in terms of when when do you start not just having a bevy you’re saying you’re not a Bev are you w a Bevier 17 18 1920 it was 1920 yeah so is that knocking around with your mates or older Lads in the non- league scene and non League scene and all both both groups of people to be honest Jo so what non League I kind of give up then people forgetting a non League there’s hardly no testing compared to when you come in the league I’ve been tested once in non league and the seven years I’ve played it well there’s no point cuz if you [ __ ] tested the non legal you’d be banning them every [ __ ] week exactly you wouldn’t want to do it would he because they bring their aim into dis yeah there’s no point there’s not you know in terms of you know there’s not the have rang the fa and said all my Lads are it just to get them Shack to get them have to oh yeah well Chelsea done allegedly I don’t want to get [ __ ] Su by Chelsea but that was allegedly what was done to Adan M oh was it yeah allegedly there been loads of cases of that f up if if they know you’re at it and also you’re not in favor there’s also cases in to talk about it um where people have been tested at recreationally and and they’ve been kind of buried you know there’s loads of sof players have a of yeah that some are still playing now that have failed recreational drug test but have you know had they kind of kept on the on the QT and um and then obviously um there’s other Lads who’ve had a fail and they [ __ ] plased all over the [ __ ] newspapers so you’re fuming here you’ve obviously had the half decent season you’re in the league this your fa you’re back in the league and then it looks like in the October November you know few things are happening and it just starts to go away so you go out on this on this Saturday after not playing your fuming had a few points few points lead to all all the other nonsense that that can be there whether that’s but usually around that time I would never have it cuz I felt like a footballer then because I was in the football league but then I just like I keep getting somewhere and then I just keep getting knocked back down so there was the thing in preseason where Scott even saying let him play and he wouldn’t that was like a little bit of a stress then I got myself on the team but he didn’t want to play me Center because he knew what he was getting so then I’ve had to go right back now so there’s like three things Jo well I’m doing as much as I can and then right back I’ve played well I played against but for one week um loting the next week two [ __ ] big clubs and played really well in both games and then I’m out the squad again and then that’s when Jimmy said P I feel so sorry for you when stepped in against two of the biggest clubs around that well Bradford with the league of Brothers um and you’ve obviously had the FA Cup ties and that where you challenge yourself against Bley challenge yourself against obviously West Ham so and then have led to having a bad decision and then a 31 in on the Monday Joe once i’ been out I just thought you know what lad I’m sick i’ [ __ ] giv as much and signing because I’m not when a trainer say really hard I thought banging me head against the yeah I’m I’m banging me head against the wall with this Coy I don’t know you know why would you why you would drop me down when we’ve been playing well well I’ve been playing well and then um so so you think you think if he’ have managed I’m not wantan to put this on CO’s toes can’t on your to I’m just saying if it managed differently if it have been managed differently you know you know maybe communicated while you were playing a bit differently do you think that the that the change outut yeah defo I just needed so I felt a little bit in just like I was banging me head against the wall didn’t think I was getting in you whether sensor mid he didn’t want to play me sentor mid so then I had to go right back and then I was doing well right back and then he didn’t want to play me right back I’m thinking what the [ __ ] have I this hon if you’re honest was your [ __ ] doing like because I say tii was a bit of a professional non- league club and and you know I’ve heard stories about who wants to train today Lads and and they all get off or whatever listen it works with them they overachieve but is would would you be able to land on our say look I was [ __ ] given that profession absolutely everything um I would or was you was you trying to be you know was you trying to play and go on the A and be one of the lads and stay stay in the A and be drinking culture at the time so of a Saturday we’d have a few on the coach H said We R away but then we meet of a Sunday well that’s part of it build your team as well yeah bring build team but yeah I would say I would you because I can’t remember ever you know using any drugs in any time before that so I don’t know when the the time before so that’s December is it so you’ve obviously just November the drug test end of November is it so maybe the summer time when I was drug test will have be 19th of November there 2016 all right so your test sorry your drug test will have been 22nd of November so you gone out on a Saturday you’re off the [ __ ] one thing leads to another for you know you’ve had a you had a few lines of Charlie you’ve done it before so you going you know so you’re going [ __ ] hell like thr in or whatever is it two you you know it’s it’s prominent in leag two or days Lo the without your system you know all the all the so you’re thinking along the same lines and in the non- league obviously you don’t get tested or your chance of getting tested compared to uh in the league or higher up the leagues is less so you’re teing up you go to signing on a Monday no I rang in Monday and said look don’t feel too well won’t be in today and then Co rang me in the evening and said all right P I know your head’s a little bit gone about the weekend but Z struggling with his just the Bristol City Bristol City he was struggling with his growing or something that he’d been out for so he played that Saturday and then Tuesday probably coming a bit too soon but he was starting but with he last the full 90 he said P need you to come on to I’m thinking well I have hope he plays and gets injured and then I’m back in [ __ ] it I’m there do you get what I mean when really you should have stayed away and just said I’m not doing it but things yeah so well if he’s struggling I might be back on the team tails up then straight away not thinking that you might fail if if you’re tested or you just think there’s no chance we’ll get tested year yeah I didn’t even think of it to be honest Joe didn’t even think of it I think I because I was so used to in non League you could do it and get away with it and i’ never ever been testing me whole life even as a scholar as a face your prob i’ never ever been tested so one that kind of slip through the net of you know maybe if you got tested in on league and you got some education or you got nothing did you from no one so so you turn up to that game and you’re ready to play even though you’ve had an every weekend you’re but I knew wouldn’t be starting I just knew like as soon as he puts his hand up and says look I’m struggling I’m off and I was going to say it’s not the first time you’ve had a nice out on the Saturday and got up got up and played Tuesday yeah that was a regular not regular urance that’s a lie but you know i’ done it previously so so you’re like the fact that you’ve been on the a Saturday night and you recovered on Sunday Monday you’re not worried about starting in the league is it harly pool away away I’m sure they were struggling R of time as well all right so you so you go into that game play the game you lost that 2-0 did you play well not play well come on only the last 20 minutes when it was 2-0 I think I think they were already getting beat and he started struggling see what come on for who does that say there what for Billy ke was it yeah bil ke come on Center mid I think yeah and but time Terry gell me mate he came went party went drug testers here you winding me up CU i’ said to him [ __ ] ended up out in town all I was the weekend lad and then he he Lo me in the face I’m telling you should have had a stroke there lad well I jumped up for an I jumped up for an and it crossed me mind should I just lay and like you know I’m going to hospital you testing me and I just thought n you what the chance two from each team 18 I should never have took the rist Jo but this is the thing about fakers it was going through me mind all the time W be where you are he didn’t so then coming off the pitch you walk and I’m just thinking go on pick someone else to pick Billy now got a one in 10 chance so and then just think y me py Lacy sicking disgusting feeling you feel like though it’s like maybe this [ __ ] needed to happen from you know maybe as as peculiar as it is for you to get thrown out or even be at that game based on what’s happened maybe it was just what was meant to be for you P Jo honest to God because like I always yed to box as a kid and it was a common thing that I used to say to me Dad and you know Joe what I can honestly say I’ve never had no dreams in football where a score a 30 yards game or a play in the stadium but I’ve had dreams and dreams since I was a kid of boxing and which is strange isn’t it and I’ve had like for the footballer yeah I’ve never had like I watched the game say estan buul and couldn’t sleep that night but I watched Joe caragi beat Jeff Le and I could not sleep with the things in me head thinking I was only a bin thinking I can’t do that I can’t do that and ask me d be like glad shut up you the football and just like all that off so so you play on that Tuesday all right so you’ve you’ve pissed in the [ __ ] jar it wasn’t air sample or blood then he just piss in the jar but Joe it was like that oh yeah you get man marked and they man but as soon as Ted goell told me that i’ had four liters of water y couldn’t move on a come on yeah couldn’t move tring to flush it so then I’ve had a B I don’t know whether I can take that you know he said that’s literally water said L the next one one’s going to be the same as cuz I’ve Dr about six liters he was like [ __ ] hell so anyway said I’ll take it so getting on the coach Jimmy bell went to me you don’t look too good there what’s up with you obviously you must have looked [ __ ] like I’d seen a ghost and sits on the coach and Terry then told the lads what i’ told him on the bench he’s been out the weekend then so then all the lads are just looking at me like this and then lad are telling your stories of this lab went out of a Saturday and was fine of a Tuesday and this and that so I’m just sat there like that thinking and then I think we played Wen in the FA Cup someone must have been injured cuz I was back in Center Midfield and I was that was the only game that I played for aington out of however many you played there say you’ve played on the next satday over because that’s gone you’ve gone Saturday Tuesday Saturday and then there’s a break there come on I come on right back against y just have a look at that for me because I can’t quite remember that game sure did right back against y yeah you are pad coming on for Zack Zack V oh yeah so Z oh was I on in the first half yeah and then the next week played center mid against walking in the FA Cup we beat them but it didn’t play particularly well and that was the only game I never really played well for Lai and Coy pulled me after the WAN game Wan game went L to be honest you haven’t been yourself around the place he said you’re not worried about that thing the weekend maybe the MERS through the group we will have done the walls will have years in any football I went them all rights but I had nothing for over a week now so what’s that on the 22nd I had nothing against yville yeah and then we went into the late Orient games that’s the 10th so how long’s that Harley B the 22nd to the 10th so we’re about three weeks now three weeks yeah and um I started in the 10 of the the late noran game and I think it was either Shan mcconville or mat P got sent up by end up [ __ ] right back and then Center off and start in the 10 and that’s what it was like right back one week Center mid [ __ ] Center off but they have to to make do with the budget don’t they J me they incredible yeah and um I played really well that night in the Walken game in the Walken game yeah not the Walken game against to Lake nor that was me lastes there for as well oh yeah so we played against um Chesterfield in a cup was it the efl cup or something and we were absolutely brilliant and he said I cannot believe this stand that was a good side that they end up winning the league next year all them finished above Lon who had Andre Gray yeah and then went on to multiple promotions didn’t to now be in the Premier League so so so you get when did you get the phone call and when did you get there you fail the test Wednesday after this game so you played in this game yeah sleep the game off get home Wednesday Jimmy Bell said something to me after the game as well like [ __ ] I wish I a few more of him about me this game and think [ __ ] well keep me in the team then please Jim and I I forgot about this drugs test now CU that your last game team I thought that and it was literally five years to the day of my last game I fought for him who knows mate who knows so so so you get the phone call who who calls you the the club or the manager and John Coleman how how how’s that go he just said pad sitting down and I didn’t [ __ ] have a clue I was like why what you went your F dos test you think you’d got past it yeah it’s three weeks Jo in it cuz people were saying to me if you don’t he in 10 days or two weeks this was three weeks i’ i’ had a little dip where I play Bad one week where me head was swed and then come out of it then after that we because the lad are saying if you don’t make it this week then I’m actually bouncing for that late ning game I’ve got away with it never tou a drug ever again in my life and then the [ __ ] the phone call comes then and then just the the lowest of lows what’s the worst thing about it in terms of you you you’ve got to tell your mom and dad yeah that you let the manager down or you’ve let the club down or you what’s the them I’m just playing for the football club as soon as I was they’ll [ __ ] me off anyway I’m not asked about any of them it’s just um would your mom and dad have any that you take a bit of Charlie maybe knew have a b but well my mom would never believe it because she’s always thought of have me head screwed on was always quite clever in school yeah but my dad he’s on it he’s one of the lads he’s like Tracy he plays football at 3:00 finishes at half five comes home gets changed maybe has a bite to eat with his mates but he’s out till 2 3:00 he said you know I’ve drank me all life I can’t last till 2 3:00 in the morning even when I was young you know you KN especially if you’ve played you want to go to bed something’s keeping him out at night and um my mom was just always oh he’s out with the lads and they go home and they all got a taxi at a similar time and Jo probably paper it over the cracks but my dad could see you know something going also you know if you keep there’s a great saying Peter K used to say to me I told you the sport chance fell used to say Joe because I always be fighting in town in a bevy and he’d say if you keep going the [ __ ] air addresses eventually you’ll get a aircut so if you keep getting drunk and going into nightclubs in Li you [ __ ] got a big tagger on your back that that same sayel when I fail a drugs test in the PFA said look go and see a psychologist you need some because you you’re totally um you’re left out in the late you can’t even go into the football club boot yeah so the the interesting thing for me was I heard you say about if you’d have gone the training ground and you’d have been testing the training ground on the Monday it’d have been kind of kept on the QT and education but because you failed after the game on a sorry Tuesday it’s considered almost like a stimulant performance in so that was the first thing I have to fight to say look I’m at a foure ban now so so what does coy say to you on the phone you failed test we’ve been told he said you can’t even come in the training ground he said just get into to the PFA tell them what you’re telling you you’ll be copied into emails and pick it up from there and just let me know how it goes he so then how does that move on um I spoke to Simon Barker at the PFA told him what went on and um I I said look Shimon obviously I’m trying to wle me way out of this Joe I’m saying that was like water Jo me piss I said should we test the be sample and like he Tri to make out as if like no there was like copious amounts of whatever [ __ ] benane or whatever they call it don’t do the the J what you fail your drugs test for is in you pissed saying there’s this type of [ __ ] whatever thing there’s loads of a pointless testing that so I’m thinking L only you may as well test it because you just don’t know and I still don’t know to this day would I have fell under the [ __ ] things if I tested me B sample because I never got to do it if you’ve done it and you go have done it if you hadn’t done it you could see testing the B sample but you know you’ve done it I I don’t know the measurements or whatever I just said lad I re it’s worth testing that but you know you’ve had a line of char R me way out of well again but you can’t [ __ ] change what’s happened P there’s much you want to pretend stuff hasn’t happened I always want I always want it for your home thing Joe dad wanted to say ja that would have just got me off obviously you live in regret don’t you think and could I have me way out of there and made the thing yeah you’ve got you got nowhere to go that you’ve been caught yeah you’re [ __ ] unlucky but like you know unu because I’ve done it haven’t I yeah you’ve done it but I mean to get tested to firstly to to end up playing on a Tuesday after getting out the squad on the on the satday or whatever the [ __ ] the fact that you’ve played and then you sub and you’ve got on and you’ve tested you like you are unlucky there but also you make your own look in terms of you know if you hadn’t been out on the sh you wouldn’t have failed the test so how then how does it go from you’ve had the phone call to now I would imagine if it’s if it’s a Tuesday you they probably banned you [ __ ] four years is it four five year BF yeah it’s a four so basically sh back said look pad you’re facing a four year ban I’m like 22 23 23 I think I am Joe [ __ ] that’s the major part you’re in basically is over is it because missed them four years I end up [ __ ] missing three years anyway regardless so anyway prove that it went for um to take performance performance in an and drugs we done that and so you have to go in front of the fa yeah and yeah later along the line so this was I got to ban December I actually didn’t go in front of the fa until May oh he’s [ __ ] hell so then it’s a long time at home and I was always struggling to when they would sit down and tell me dad this so you haven’t told your dad now no I haven’t I never told me dad for three weeks all right so you’ve stopped your last game there against um Harley poool no no you played against I just have a look sry when did Liverpool play Man I mean when man scored that goal at goodon can you remember it was it one0 years ago few years ago it was like the 90th minute Mane winner goal there leate [Music] winner4 let’s have a look it was on 19th December 2018 no can’t be that must have been been the year before cuz it was 2017 type in 2017 I’ll just know how long I kep Joe m Joe that’s it there you got it yeah but it couldn’t have been 2018 that’s that might just be the replay yeah and it may have been in 2018 maybe in the Jan then no say Man winner yeah yeah 19th of December 2018 yeah so with a year out there but it may just be uploaded there’s fell there’s big rumors on climb W there yeah cuz he Wen missing yeah so that was a last minute winner but I’m sure it was in maybe the January I don’t think I went through Christmas today but Jo I’m just getting up every morning driving to Total Fitness and staying there so you’re leaving your you’re living with your mom and dad here you think you’re going to training I’m getting up going at the same time that I would go and meet the lads and i’ just go into Total Fitness yeah and not that he had much desire motivation to train I had to do something them in the time that I was there so I’d do like a 40 minute jog I’d get on the bike for 40 minutes i’ have a stretch do a bit of standing conditioning maybe have a swim soona and to up about five six seven hours until I go right I’d have me dinner it’s 2:00 now so I can head home and blend and then never played that week I me half said the first week you the squad this week I said no I said struggling with me you know oh because after that Bradford game I had a chance to play against Liverpool on Tuesday we had a little announc game against klopp and all these players that watch from the Cup end yeah and because I played right back every was right foot y couldn’t move me because I was I couldn’t it was just I was constantly left and right in the middle of the pitch so never got to play so we said oh that I flared up again that and SAU first SAU the F and no went there who was it Paul who was like other thing in Crosby Paul was all right yeah and so we went all right and the next week come you on the squad again and you have been doing for and you Mom and Dad’s intuition which he was right about when I had sep they knew looking at me that I was ill and there was something seriously up with me because I’m the son and me dad was like to shut him up lad like have you fell out with him or just be honest I went no no no not and that and then that night we watched that on the couch and then yeah and he was buzzing because Liverpool had scored a last minute winner and I just thought you know what it’s not a bad time to tell him now cuz he’s [ __ ] bouncing and I just bring him back how does that conversation go I think he just knew stay away like in me face Jo upset he just knew something bad was coming and Joe when I told him that Joe foot he just [ __ ] up he he was like [ __ ] hell son thought it was a lot it was something was I don’t know how it could be wor and you know something had train from two years of age since 23 i’ done 21 years with the football and I’ve wrecked it all I still had me Health yeah and you know stuff like that my dad was just fantastic as much as you know he’s a little bit of an noted and he’s one about certain things and he picked me up a million times and he picked me up a million times more me dad he just went son I’m not bother you’ve made a mistake in life and we all done it so don’t worry and just dug me in a crow I went Dad I said I’m devastated I [ __ ] it all up just as I was going and me dad was just was like you know what son obviously I know me f he said you weren’t going backwards you were definitely going forwards with your 4y career you know every time you’ve played you’ve played well and you’re only 22 23 but it is what it is and you’ll get yourself out of it I’m love and support you then he told me Mom and me mom’s a little bit feisty obviously she’s off the John’s so there was a little bit less [ __ ] don’t think she understood it really to be honest probably f with you as well yeah I think she was because she been then she looked off because she’d Stu up for me for years saying oh shut up he’s not taking nothing or doing nothing and she’d always fought me Corner then to find out not that I B either but you know I was I was keeping things from her and you don’t ever want to know like it’s different with your dad maybe because he’s been a lad and he’s been around a scene and he’s play for his box so he’s one of the boys he knows what’s going on with your mom you’re a son she’s like he wouldn’t do that cuz your B wouldn’t melt if you exactly Joe so you know but then the reality of it is they also don’t there’s stuff that they don’t need to know I mean there there’s a man’s world and there’s a woman’s World certainly when when you’re a young lad and Maring like you were and and your dad gets around you so you go to the fa in the May which is a prolonged period your head’s all over the G you’ve got to tell your dad and psychologist and been to all these things who’s paying for this the club PFA the PFA so P yeah fantastic to just get me down there so I went down to London like you know where the Premier League officers are all where it’s all posture I don’t really know all [ __ ] down with this fell I’m trying to explain he’s like so you haven’t took drugs since you’ve been at rockington I’m like no not once he’s so why did you choose to go and see him that night so I’m like well basically I got dropped of the team and he’s like that’s not normal is it I’m like well that’s the way I felt that I’m going to go and have 20 ler and then get on the Charlie I said because I just had enough of it si I was losing money to what I was earning the year before and getting the pistol and people forget with football you can scor the winner against Port [ __ ] one week and be the [ __ ] of the town and then two weeks later manager fancy a Binger or you have a few stinkers and you’re the biggest [ __ ] in the building and it’s it’s the cycle of that it’s great if you’re brilliant and you can ride the C of the wave and you play well every week but that’s not a normal trajectory for for for most people so the fa’s ban comes in the May did he B in the May yeah so I went down there and Coy wrote me a letter loads of people have wrote me a letter Co said look literally if you bring this out we’re because they kept paying me aington to be fair to him and Co said if they look after you we’ll be able to look after you but if they put put it out in the um papers the papers he said we got to sack it cuz we had all a big betting Scandal years before said obviously what me and you just went on about you the name of the football club it’s kind of you looked at as amateurish or whatever even though it’s made M as well went at the Milad V yeah so then I went all light and he wrote me a letter and this that and the other and um basically he got washed as side Simon B pulled me in the room before he went look said I’ve been to five five six or seven of these he I’m B onone every single one he said what you going to get a 16 month or 18mth B I can’t remember I said but I thought I was coming down here for not cu the psych the same round look in them instances when he h a l like that he’s not really functioning as a normal thing because I think Jake livmore got done the year before and something had happened with his misses I think he’ had a still born he went out and he been out and then thing said look I don’t even know what happened he said woke up and suck drugs um so not obviously that’s a very TBO along the same lines and he said 16 month B thought and then we went into the room and he said straight away 16 month B thought [ __ ] hell you’ve been right six times one of the odds on that so it was kind of seemed like it was a bit of a um facade really that you know maybe it’s done house that’s just what I perceived anyway Kangaroo Court it is a kangaroo court mostt like definitely the fa lad definitely the fa I’ve been in there a few times it’s me to I just thought I walked away and then by the time I got to the train station walked up Wembley W out to get on the train it was already on the fa website so coy rang me how did we get on that I you know he’ spoke to me from AAR and backed me up and support Jimmy Bell for me loads of times said look pad you’ll get through this lad I’m [ __ ] all devastated for you’ve had a fantastic half a season um this that I went all right and I said L to put it online already Co went that was the one request if you can just keep this in house or this kid’s going to be on the dollar Monday cuz we’re going to sack him and you know what’s he going to do for the next 16 months he’s banned i’ done five months of the ban already though hadn’t I yeah so then but in the meantime Jo once I was banned because I couldn’t play football I just boxed so I would had a few amate fights when I was a battle in the conference and won them I think it was like four so are you still doing the seconds and sparring and doing the do all that and then there was a competition called the har g box club which is at the Ali P which is everyone flies in from all over the world America thing you and there’s am how much this is so there’s a under 20s tournament but you need to have like a minimum of five fights to go in it and then there’s an Open Class any over 20 you deemed as open class so I don’t think i’ even a five fights here so I think the Sur pulled in a favor just to get me in the under 20s but I’ve been training really hard for this so where are you playing at then what club you at here I was contacted to aington through all the training but then got sacked just before the tournament started under 20s I thought you were 23 22 sorry under 20 bouts Sor all right under 20 fights I think you’re under timesing yeah and then anyway so I trained really hard and that kept me going Jo sh to aim towards you you’ve got your your your negative test obviously you’re training in the Total Fitness you’ve ended up between Total Fitness and telling your Al like You’ had to tell your dad three weeks you said afterwards in the mind I’ve missed one there Joe so when I scored that goal against Portsmouth yeah I sced cuz I fell up with Co cuz I hadn’t started yet I started going back into the boxing gym and had a couple of fights the year before and thought I’m not playing of looks like I’m going to be back in non League anyway I want to keep this boxing up so I beat that lad I knock and sorry I scored that goal of the month and then on the following week after cuz we played in London that week the week after I boxed in [ __ ] k when I was a pro football but I thought they agreed to fight and I didn’t want to look like a [ __ ] house Jo youo Joe you you were playing a dangerous game here I knocked them out anyway I knocked them out in the fight and I think it got back to Coley someone from cuz it was in K the fight there K lad and someone come over to me I remember Steven jard brother was there watching the fight and he’s like glad you play for what are you doing said I’m last on stick around and that was just one then I thought I’m not doing that again cuz it left me in a situation where I felt pressure from the am Jimmy you’re fighting and then I was playing footy thought nah this is no good this so I just likeed it then um so you had to tell your half tell me so I just kept training Jo I was in the Total Fitness I told the boxing tell your P you’ve been doing three weeks living a li going out the house as if you’re [ __ ] still in the job you tell your you always say a problem shared is a problem after relief then cuz now you can deal with it once your dad and your man know you can you can start to heal it you you know so you you’re now still going to Total Fitness doing the same days yeah and it started back at I don’t know whether I’d ever stopped going to the the shy Boxing Club I think I’d always just kep the training ground now you can’t play training ground so I started training of a day in the shy so you still getting a W for 40 though yeah still playing me fair enough to them and um I wouldn’t get back on me van start your pro career day what sorry you’ve started your pro career day without knowing cuz you’re getting your FY wage to be a pro boss exactly yeah and I’m training the day with David be Paul Edwards still I wouldn’t get as soon as I signed for aing and for was football I had a time then where I was thinking I’m not get when once I got sacked sorry I’m not getting back on that fan but then in the end I had you to pay the bills so you get what I mean so um but you’ve worked hard to get out the van and then you think going it all up back on it but anyway I had to and um so you’re doing your training now your bang comes in in the May so in the may you get trained all the way up to the May 16 month ban and just thought right in mid June I’ve got this tournament let’s get this one because it’s it’s a prestigious tournament in amateur boxing and he had no right to win it Joe no right middle middleweight 75 kilograms so um anyway wins the fight beat a Swedish fella a lad Rob MRA who end up turn and pl he had a few and another Rob mcra Carl not Rob mcen yeah Rob um what was Rob name sorry Rob sh I can’t Miguel Migel Rob Migel not Rob McCracken sorry yeah Rob Migel beat him in the semis and beat another lad who’s boxing PL this weekend Liam Forest so beat three good Fighters and won myself a gold medal but it was a little bit weird with me Dad the night before the final CU he was really interested in me boxing and he’d seen how much I was deeply affected by the football and then to have me head training and seeing a little smile on me face cuz I was struggling to smile Jo I was defo depressed you know to to [ __ ] it all up and then I had he wasn’t yeah to have the boxing then um something to make me train cuz my dad loves his training gives me a purpose he was so interested and you’re well done son and if you get the F I’m going to come down to London and come and watch it and um did did they before like I just knew in his voice straight away and me me me Anie B he passed away but he didn’t want to tell me cuz you can get emotionally drained yeah as a fighter yeah yeah and then I just looked at me WhatsApp and my sister’s picture you can do a status or a picture was that with her heartbreaking I thought oh my God cuz she wasn’t well for a while bloody hell she was a massive she bought me my face car just the best woman you’ve ever met like everyone in the love in the family nieces nephews brothers sisters everyone loved her she was everyone’s favorite so it was devastating that’s how old was she P I been then so she’s about 8 years older than my dad so 2016 me dad 68 so she would have been about 50 something early 50 not that old yeah and I’ve been to see her a couple of weeks before in the hospital cuz I knew she was I knew she was really a but she didn’t want to tell me that cuz she looked after me dad when he was a kid I felt a feet and a feet were freezing B said your feet are freezing can’t you get them she me ass that week she went no circulation no circulation on me hands and me feet are freezing lad went oh [ __ ] hell I said so what’s happening with this operation that you’re going to get B aren’t you going to and she said between me and you P She Went I’m not getting them on she went I’m too week to have it so I’m like well what happens now she went so it’s the end she went about just promis me something me fell he’s very um he’s an emotional guy do I mean even though you know he he’s a tough fell and she me don’t tell him CU he’s my baby brother cuz he’s the youngest lad I think he’s the youngest out the whole lot me dad oh no CES and don’t tell him cuz he’s been baby brother and I don’t want him to know until know what happens [ __ ] H so I knew it was coming so I was keeping something from my dad then my dad ended up keeping something from me and then anyway I won the tournament and I trained out for like three four months for this J and as soon as I win I’ve got the video I just kicked a bottom rope and Eddie M coach goes well in P [ __ ] there because I just keep all everything together up until that point and then um it comes home Jo and me dad obviously found out that a t he’ never ever give me a pass for me to go on the a he didn’t mind me having a bottle L on the couch wasn’t the footy with him it comes home with this medal i’ worked out for all the family and TS and I think me dad had see me mates who were you know going to GL or something like that and I wen’t even intended on going Jo and this is what we’re talking about fate I was never intending to go to Glaston b i the fairest thing away from it taking drugs or going to a music FES or anything and the airers exactly it’s mad it and that psychologist Dave K that’s what he used to say to me you go to Barbies get your haircut and um I thing them my dad went lad you’ve you’ve been in [ __ ] same o for the last six months this is June since November since that drugs test you’ve done so well you got your ban in the may I got the ban in the way but I didn’t say in to play with anyone I I mean yeah you got your ban in the may you got your boxing back on in the what and then June May June this was June yeah so won that like the 15th of June 16th of June me dad was made we went like go to Glass and be with your mates I don’t you’ve got you banned for the next 18 months anyway just [ __ ] but I’ve done six months that you banned for another year anyway 10 months 11 months yeah so then I go then and then just got ni job so so you go down with your group of mates uh you’re obviously up to you obviously [ __ ] everyone everyone no good at GL B aren you’re going for the dance or party obviously having a nail obviously other things come into it as well you know no no one’s stupid here so you te up there you’ve just come out of a [ __ ] hurricane pretty much you know you’ve got a drugs band from 40 you’ve got your ban now confirmed so you know how long you’ve got to wa to get your footy license back in the midst of that you’ve got your boxing going again yeah you’ve had a great result here at a at a a prestigious tournament for for your level things are looking up again you probably got a smile and a bit of confidence for the first time and then you go to because I’ve got me auntie who dad well that I was very close to so I’m from a personal point of view you’ve just got yourself back on an even ke then you’ve had this other hurricane wash over the family of your Auntie’s uh passing so you’re emotionally [ __ ] Tumbl dry aren’t you you’re all over the Gaff there then you go right I [ __ ] you know glass and B for me restores my faith in humanity so you go down there and you just feel all the love in those dance tents and in them fields and you come out of there I I always feel certainly me a much better person so you’re going down there to try and get that feeling let off a bit of Ste probably had a beer a lger in between yeah none so we’re all down there for the same reasons and they end up getting pulled by buses they said they was all looking for Scouts and cuz loads of Scouts are blacked out so I just and hav remembered what you a GL you’re in GL what GL GL we got to the GL start on the Wednesday show we Wednesday all day getting down on the Monday hardcore well they all wait outside and all that I can’t remember we had a coach I think and yeah we was in there all Wednesday and then Thursday mornings when I got nicked inside the festival inside the festival so there was all these black notes going about among scouters but where the passing of money is going to go on with who you associate with so it’s within Scout housers we’ all be buying things off each other or whatever um and a busy just come over to me I’m walk around with t and I had me drugs on me because a few people in my tent didn’t really know I didn’t want to leave them me T just for yourself Clos of course then he just says oh mate we want to say used there’s about 12 or 15 you scou she are all getting scared I’ve got flip flops on I was only going for the shower that’s all yeah goe sh if you want to he said we’re looking for black notes yeah don’t worry and then I went [ __ ] I’ve got me drugs so we just said to the [ __ ] he said L I’ve got me parel of drugs on me it’s not much like you look don’t worry he said it’ll have to be bed when I find it he said but you’re like GL everyone’s got this me we understand what’s going on goes all right chance and then he just shined some light on me money and I had about 8 900 quid and he’s like oh you’ve got 13 of them a black say I don’t know what you want me to do them mate [ __ ] lash them as well he went no I can’t what you mean you can’t just get rid of them he say oh no it’s you’ve got to get Nick for this and go down the station so even then Joe I didn’t even know I thought I’ll be out in the afternoon and pay a fine I don’t have a clue what was going on with him he said I have you got them I said I don’t know and um the busy when I got in the car s he was like mate you’re going to get jail for this like you’re going to get at least a year jail I’m thinking what for 1 black not that I don’t know how [ __ ] go and lo beh old so we got bailed from the police St on me interview said don’t know I’ve got them asked your drugs standing glass them yeah so it would be bath magistrate to go to in the morning I went to the police station done an interview and he went look you’ve got money on you you’ve had a job your whole life so they find it in the cells over in the not overnight they let me go about 10:00 go and get yourself an Hotel CU we got too many people getting ni the glass and be we need ourselves said all right when I got an Hotel turned up to the magistrate at 10:00 in the morning um and then they said look you got to come back in three weeks to CR court so did you go back to Glen yeah I went back St back into glastenbury um and then when I come home I had to B me atie which I was thankful that I went in prison for that he would have reminded me so I got to talk funeral and stuff like that and then I went back to the match Bristol it was was Bristol yeah no clown caugh and literally as soon as stepped in there the judge was like wow he was mad he he looked at me scalled at me and he said why isn’t he getting done for incens of Supply because he had so much grams of drugs and the prosecutions like no offense that’s not your job do you get what I mean and because if you looked into the background I’d had Charlie before and now I’m on a [ __ ] Bender because of one of tournaments me I mean so I just thought that’s strange why are he’s given to me because I drove down I was back four lane then and um I went for a PR sentence report like a week before where you sit down with obviously someone and said look I’ve always been a florl been a part-time footballer the box and and on the way down there me tire a tire on me van based so rang the fell and I said look mate traveling all the way from Liverpool to Bristol here however long that is 4 hours something like that is a joke yeah to Bristol I used to drive past the crown every day probably three and a half hours on a good Ro he went oh look mate if you’re not coming don’t have me I said L said I’m coming I said but the best T take a picture now sent him a picture got picked up um got the tire fix drove down and he waited an hour after work he went what a great lader actually was coming loads of people BL me and say oh yeah I’m coming but he don’t and he said there’s no way you’ve had a job your whole life cuz I had things R from Ban’s carpets I had things from everyone saying you know he’s been a great um fell to to to work with in that and um there’s no way you should get a custodial sentence I tag up most and this and that’s I was going down there without a bag or not I had a whistle on but I didn’t have nothing to take into jail with me CU I didn’t think that I was getting him with this presetting support and he just took me to T the judge and just said um you’re the worst type of person cuz you’ve got things going for you you’ve got a let off England Boxing that you’ve just won a big tournament and obviously we can see what’s happened with your football which was kind of me mitigation towards Jo don’t be too St on him but he thought the opposite but when I sat down me list she went this is the W Jud we could have had this so I was like do you want me to dust the here and come back and would it be a different M no just sit there and going to have to deal with this so there was people up who had more notes and have more drugs than me and got less a set so I got to stain inest you’re coming in from out of town to GL and B you got Dr on SC as well but I think it was more a case of like you know you can do something like some people can’t and you skills I had a limited set of skills but I did have some skills Flor L it’s going to sound [ __ ] mad but he’s actually help you exactly Joe and I hated that man do you get what I mean but I needed not to be locked up like I was some loose cannon but you the thinking time what we spoke about before just to sit there and think I wonder if have I ended up here in life when you know me football career was looking up I can do a bit of this boxing because just won that tournament which he had no rights in Winning boxing Lads he was on their 23rd fight in the final and I it was like my seventh fight they should be well more skilled than me do you me with the talent comes the the madness you know don’t don’t give you all a talent you’re clearly a very talented fell but you’ve obviously got that self- sabator inside that as I say the the big the big thing is ichus so there was the famous Greek god of Greek ichus who had wings and he flew too close to the Sun and the wings melted that’s that’s who I take go when when when I’m [ __ ] flying I remember to stay away from that that ego that sun cuz the wings melt off and then it [ __ ] hurs when you hit the ground simil similarities I can smell in your journey pad so you you you’re now going down not expect you’re expecting to get community service or [ __ ] slap on the wrists you know for what it is and you’ve got a judge now who’s like thing you’re getting a custodial sentence regardless of what goes on here you’re getting a custodial sentence for [ __ ] didn’t even pack a bag but people always ask me what was worst when you got sentenced or the phone call off John Coleman the worst was the phone call off John Coleman that was the worst feeling I’ve ever had in me life that to say that you [ __ ] up then what did he give you what sentence did he give you I think he give me 18 months he gave me two months for meos give me two well that’s whatever ecstasy yeah two months for me charie and 14 months for the for the black do all right you the me Tom so you’re getting your footy band’s going to finish whilst you’re inside there unless you get out for good behav yet which I did do so that got me out just before Christmas I think Joe on a tag so where you do your jail down in Bristol so I started off in Bristol but straight away I was on me belt to the fellow like get me away from here because it was Bing me I the voices Jo the accent no was like corish South Southwest person who who your M man Robin vaugh theau Robin vaugh he was on another Wing we spoke to him but I got sentenced with a like called Joe kavana from doy who a new Jo anyway through boxing he’s he’s a featherweight now so you paded up then with him down there onry man with got with some bloy fell and he was he got in with a scout dom dom Val I would think his name was so they was p Mike fell he was cool he was all right so um and then I was just on the bus saying like get me home I said Walton um strange ways anywhere as close as you can just to wear a familiar voice to be honest Jo and I done won a month and Str a month yeah I got being better for youly warington yeah but I didn’t get no gym or not and that was like killed me so um anyway after two three weeks there um he he got me a move and said do you want to go and he asked Joe K said do you want to go with them us a m you got senten the same day and Joe would thought n this is easy because we was getting the gym and it was quite a well-run jail to be honest Bristol and then I went Jo said I just want to be around some Ms and Scouts with me until some ners and then he last second at like 7 in the morning went [ __ ] I’m coming and then the little journey home when you you’ve been locked up for two three weeks go I was heading home then and I thought right me sentence yo I’ve only got what if I if I behave well I’ve only got four months something like that and I’ll be [ __ ] I’ll be at home in bami Mars on a tag um so then landed there that was more difficult because the jail was Back to Front there was over crowd and there weren’t enough people to know um don’t land rley rley yeah so you’re going to finish your sentence in rizley then hopefully get a tag and get back home back so you’ve obviously had the boxing tournament what where you at with the box now what are your coaches saying to you there like what the [ __ ] going on well I didn’t really speak to I when I wrote to Coy all right I wrote to coy in there and said Co I just can’t believe you know you know me um I ended up in here cuz I’m not no bad lad I’ve never fell out with no one at the training ground I had one fight R in the preseason and knocked someone out in the car back when I got me leg on in that tackle he was some no bed from Manchester some big GT thought he was hard on their um touch line so the chairman was a little bit because he did this Andy Al Andy Al yeah Andy looked at me like cuz the fell was huge so but doesn’t mean you can fight which I know cuz I’ve always box Andy and um Andy was a little bit like he looked at me like I was a bit of a nut on a went I mean and then went but from you are from I’m the same I’m G I’m just but people look at you go you [ __ ] nuts yeah from the outset but that that was the initial thing just a fighting pre season and Jimmy Bell watched me try to shake his hand and whatever and he wouldn’t so then I end up knocking him out but then um and he was a bit like that and then obviously failing A drugs test then going to jail now he’s trying to look at me like I was [ __ ] right to look at you wrong his intuition about you being wrong turned out to be right right so um I wrote to co and he said PAD as soon as you get out of prison you got to come and see me straight away and have a coffee and let’s make up a plan to get you back into football which is fantastic so um so you do the rizzly you get out of rizzly yeah coming out on a tag coming out on a tag but 7 till 7 7 in the morning till seven so I’ve got me van I can always ear money I’ve got a trade behind me that was a mad story P I’ll come back to come back to you getting out of Jil and the reason being is there’s a couple of things that have happened to you so you had a really bad run with knee injuries to the point where you got a knee infection and You’ end up with sepsis you think you’re [ __ ] dying or your old man pulls you and says you’re [ __ ] you’re struggling Ding and how old are you then so that was literally ass soon as I come out Jo all right so 23 23 years old yeah because I come out into December I was 23 and then since 24 in the March yeah so I think it was around the March Time did had this been plaguing you for a while or was this just something up literally cuz aington were doing so well in the football league and we watch it on the channel five yeah and all the lads knew me story Jo was a half decent boxer and was a good footballer and they were flying and I’m sitting there thinking [ __ ] hell that’s Jan that’s yaza that’s [ __ ] Matty be and it’s my [ __ ] teammate here and I’m sat here like a [ __ ] [ __ ] so I was so motivated in jail like you wouldn’t believe the amount of baby challeng I to come find me pad I was in a single P body Stu just nonstop super noodles and Tad it’s all I could D the me but I was nonstop training but no twisting anding like a b or football couldn’t get none of that never got none of that I had the touch I got got Jim Oley in strangeways and then Kenny was in in Walton so he got me out all the time so could get out quite a bit Yeah but but again you know you’ve been unlucky there in terms of not having a decent gym and and for you as an athlete to to maintain your Fitness and your your me mental health as much yeah you need to train all the time not half like these all additional tablets but some of us that’s all I need to do Joe and I’ve calmed down as a person since I’ve become a boxer I used to be a lot more of an not when I was a football things just roll off my back now Jo when I get up and and you’re get over L change I was thinking that as well yeah definitely that job as you as you get older you mature things that a big problem to you when you’re younger don’t see him as much you know within five and 10 years so you’re coming out uh rley you’re on a tag there must be a point where you’d have to decide right I’m going to go back to Coley I’m going to try and get back in footy or I’m going to go down the boxing route so what is that one of my mates Dean one of me close mates Dean it was a GL where de was saying to me lad you’ve been banned why haven’t you been playing for the doy he said I know you think it’s so this is your close mates D got an area in heighton um where from height obviously Crosby but um’s got a lot of family in and we’ll talk about that in a bit but ducot is a good Sunday side you you say be good on the Sunday yeah we’re good we one of the best team so we just got knocked out the national but but that’s a big that’s like the FA Cup champions league on a Sunday and it’s very competitive in the like Liverpool League now but in our Liverpool League Joe they only draw the Liverpool teams out amongst each other until they wh them down to twoo all right so four 12 teams or 14 teams entered and now the pineapple who just they haven’t played outside Liverpool um up until this point now and then the semi-finals or the quarterfinals yeah you don’t want two Scouts teams getting in the final every the year or something like that exactly Joe because the standard of our league if you can win our Prem cup you could win the national cup easy because the standard’s very good to explain to people who are tune into this the the Sunday cup is a straight knockout and obviously people can get a wage on a Sunday playing it me are fell winner I think for the kroi leion but you get a lot of top amateurs from a Saturday some Lads play in the league on a Saturday you’ll go and play on a Sunday for for the wage or for beer tokens to win the Sunday National cup which comes with the same winners medal my dad tells me as the FA Cup so if you win the FA Cup and you win the Sunday cup it’s the same medal or the same footprint of the medal or it used to be and it gets Mega competitive and obviously to win that MH to win that on a Sunday is is the pinle it’s the Champions League so every top Sunday teaming you’re only judged on you win the national cup yeah you know how many times did just win the national cup you know winning the league we’re getting closer the national cup it’s an FA Cup how how would you win a cup to get I mean you don’t know but we’re starting to turn into a good team which has been a long time to um come to that point now we’ve got loads of our Lads playing non League themselves over satday and play for us so but most of our leaders Joe so I used to laugh at him when he’s saying in the class he like well play Sunday League L you m up was just playing in League two fuing and then then so when I come out to thought you know what I need to pick the pieces up I need to get involved with that team that are going to win the League this year because there was only halfway points and he was top of the league play a few games get into training play Sunday League it’s just minutes on a pitch run round and get into Coy training and the first game we played we played against L Smith see the cies 10 minutes in just T and 10 i’ done two million times a play Just T Jing 10 me knee just went Pop I just look around and was like did anyone he that and a few people had he it big pop C snapped I a go to fall over Jo and break me fall dislocated and broke me arm [ __ ] hell yeah that’s that is I know we’ve said a bit of bad luck there but like the more I think about it now at the time I used to laugh about it me arm’s facing that way I always remember M Josh Taylor he played for the cies he went to scho me went like does that happen to you all the time or something cuz I yeah you’re like Hy like double joint deticated me elbow so got a lift to um to hospital and he T been it by a car obviously with left arm left leg and um so they snapped that back into place put this in a cast and then I was saying look I’m more bothered about me need because I’m a footballer you need to look you can’t tell you to cruise ship by ey you need an MRI don’t you so you got to go under the I was due to see Coy on the Monday for a coffee but I’m limping now and me arms in a cast so what do we do over the weekend I cut the cast off get that to to [ __ ] cuz I’ve got to see Co and I can’t go with the cast goes meet him he goes all like L you limp in there said oh we had a little game the weekend just getting the C webs off he says when do you want to come in I said well give us a couple of weeks Coley I said because um I didn’t want to fall on that arm not really about the knee I thought I’ll strap that up and get through it I’m not falling on this arm and popping out of place cuz that’s the worst pain I’ve had that and he goes all right lad he said and then we’ll we’ll talk of a plan of what we need to do now to get you back in football said perfect a week or two went by done a bit of running which you can do it’s twisting anding you can run straight lff but minute you move you you just fall over so um it goes into aington and uh I started saying but I knew something was up with me there obviously cuz he had the pop and so I start no swelling coming it usually it was massive but then I took it all out over like the week that I didn’t go in just done a bit of run well I was just icing it and trying to get as much out so then the Paul Paul who was the physio was me physio the season before I said Paul look obviously you know what’s going on I’m dying to get back in football just strap this knee up so it doesn’t move I’ll put me leggings over and don’t say nothing to go he’s like oh IAD [ __ ] I’ll strap your knee up you know you haven’t got a contact anyway it’s not like you try to bump him out of a contact and you know what he me he’d sign John Duan as a coach then John D johnan went my coach Jo the season before he’ come in in the time that I’ve been to prison all right yeah and I’m going in I’m training every day and Joe was like I hadn’t stopped I I kept playing I was training really well and he come off and say py Lacy best player again P Ry best player so went on for a couple of weeks just with the Cru no cruet yeah never had no cruet so went on for a few weeks and then I pull Co and went L I said you know I’ve come in and more than proed you’re top of the league too now I said but I’ve come in and haven’t kicked the ball for over the year or a year would it be whatever I said I’m training well any chance of giving me a deal till the end of the season I think he was looking along the lines of with top of the league if we resign you and we do have a wobble which every team does you I’ll probably get to blame he said what I want you to do is sign for someone in non League which was his mate team and then Liam Watson yeah and was Liam RoR or Staley bridge then brid and I just keep your nose cleaning then come back in the summer I went no was said lad I’m not doing that in on League no more I’ve done that for five years when I was a kid and it’s an hard League to get out of so then y asked me to go down there D and way just he was Fleetwood assistance yeah I remember that yeah and um I go down there but I couldn’t tell that video to stra me KNE so I couldn’t move the first day in training cuz the the probation wouldn’t let me go I end up just going on my own accord I said if he was going to stand in the way of me going to get a job get your life back on yeah I said then just like me then I said throw me back in jail said pointless anyway they end up getting a phone down there and the first day had a shot me leg went and I just said to him said something’s up with me so told Coy Paul the physio told me said P at least you get it sorted now cuz I’ve been doing a stop and where you can’t move it and then are you p7 28 here no I’m I’m still 23 24 24 I am here cuz I only done four months in jail 5 months in jail though do you get I mean yeah so but you you done five I done five and then I do four months on tags that’s essentially nine months of the 18 months you get I mean got yeah sorry so then um [ __ ] I goes into to see the S and I don’t know what’s up joke cuz I’ve never done a Cru ship before and he just done this with me like they go like that you you’ve got no Cru in your KNE said it’s completely snapped why I go [ __ ] hell I said was that a bad one I knew Cru was you’ve always had Cru he went yeah you’ll be out for minimum a year e so I just said what I’ve just been in jail for five months I’ve just you been banned for however I was like you are winding me up here I can’t catch it bre and the worst thing about it is a you did the B of you before when you’re playing and now rideing ey flying when you’re not playing and now you got the team I’ve just with with no I’m saying [ __ ] me any chance so see how you think the gods are against you yeah so Co didn’t want me to go to Y I said well yov have asked me to go down there because I played against him the year before when I come on there for Zack if you’re the same player we’ll sign you but you’ve got a tag or not because he was in a relegation battle so you go down there you know you’re done in terms of he doesn’t strap it up you know you’re done you come back and then when you get your say how does that come about you have to phone call he say I’m 40 yeah yeah just told Co in the physio sort it for me so I think I got on the NHS list with the physio who I went to go and see someone in the spire and he Manchester no we did Liverpool one all right yeah so we got it done um he said Walk Hard there he said you can put we through oh [ __ ] hell this is great this and Joe Joo we talk about the pitfalls sometimes I don’t mind being injured cuz I’ve got a focus I’ve got something to get back to there only one way out of that yeah do you get what I mean so um I just thought right to all that shit’s happened I’ve got a new now reconstructed let’s let’s go with this and then you still want to be a footballer here still football at this point hasn’t took hold yeah yeah no but it was about two L about two so it goes in two days later three days later and me knees ginormous and the woman come over it was only for the physio session she just touched it your knees infected you’re going have to stick around and see the sergeon said same with him I says the woman sent me in here I said NHS P you on not Pride it’s private but on NH list you get the M Inspire and the Fell’s got a fantastic name won MTM cuz obviously he never meant to [ __ ] do it get the OD one that doesn’t go to plan it just happens to remember a top stage and doing Andy Kohl’s and he hadn’t quite tied the blood vessel off and of course Coy loads and loads probably finished him towards the back end and he was a top well renowned and just scar in it again you go under the San’s knif an atic anything anything can happen yeah you promised it’ll be all right but then you come out as you’re finding did you have infection in there so I had an infection in there so he sat me down he went look he said I’ll cut you open now he said then U we’ll do a clean out right now this is like 5:00 of a Tuesday afternoon or so how how long is this after you actually had the ACL surgery reconstru three four days something like that was I went well I can’t really said CU my bed’s in the car back said my phone’s in the car I said how she he went all late he said well I’ll take the blood out your knee he said I’ll test it monitor he said if I pH you in 24 hours you going have to come back and get your knee cleaned out I went all right great goes home takes the blood don’t hear nothing for 24 hours so I’m fine but I was stopping to eat Joe the infection was taking over my body I wake up in pool of sweats I constantly I was just [ __ ] so me Mom and Dad are starting to see me lose we because lost three stone over three weeks and um I’m not the biggest of lads anyway you must look like you [ __ ] just got so I looked in the middle one night and as I as I looked at I was that scared of me on reflection cuz I was like G and I was turning yellow I did look like a bit I hit the floor boom and me come in he said P I’ve told you for weeks you’re not right L something said hope cancer or something the only illness that associated with death or so then it goes into um an hospital and within 30 minutes been a man I’ve been to see that fell as I was losing weight two or three times Joe Joe the sergeant and he just kept signing off saying if you get W go to the hospital I’m thinking let them in a m I’m in a hospital can’t you do some sort of check I’m not eating I’m waking up and sweat three [ __ ] Stone I’ve lost three stone tell ta Sans but I don’t know anyway so um it’s in hospital then for three weeks fighting infection with the KN iotics all the way yeah they have to cut me open they have to get all the infection cuz it’s it’s septic arthritis it’s so bad it’s so dangerous like that’s what people forget the joint the flesh yeah it’s sto the Regeneration of my armstr so you take your armst string out so that that that leg’s [ __ ] up always did he put your armst string in your Cru do you get a your places they take from like your AR and stuff like that you take it from your patella tendon take it from your pla plant flexor or whatever that’s called so anyway they took that fascia planta fascia so as I took as the talk that I just knew this left leg was never the same because of the infection me sad smaller me Cal smaller and that that hamstring’s never regenerated so that was when I started to to realize looking at me legs that ain’t I’m not going to have the legs to play Cent mid yeah that that that’s not going to cut it no more just know looking at it but also when I always remember whenever I done any knee injuries and I’m coming back obviously you do stuff in the pool because you’re know we B and alter G now they put it in them alter G things which which take the weights off yeah but a lot of the stuff we would do was was box and bags and pads because we’re not moving off a straight line but obious you get the cardio warehous um so I didn’t know whether had that them problems obviously had the knee injury and then you’ve gone right I’m I’m just going to all I can do really is me [ __ ] boxing cuz I can stand and punch and I didn’t know whether you’ve gone that’s what did happen Joe you literally hit the nail on the head as soon as that’s happened I knew it wouldn’t be kicking a ball for a while and um so we started just standing up and literally doing that that what you say I’ve got all the videos on the thing on me phone where me little brothers are padding me I thought right that leg I’ve been told that leg still full of infection no would let me leave the hospital till me infection rates come below a certain a certain all Mar in your blood and all that so so obviously you you’ve got you’ve still you’ve still got your your dressing on yeah but you’re able to get on the pads now yeah but no real range of movement Jo like a stiff skinny leg lost loads but all right I can stand up and I can hit something and not really twist the T but I can just lay me flat and literally just do that so is there a moment where you go like that’s me done with footy I’m getting after this boxing here always like I don’t know maybe maybe it could but football boxing was the main thing then and then there was a competition that was coming up for novice Fighters under 20 fights coming up and now I about eight oh under 10 fights it was all right a national competition so I just started going into the Sol who’d always pick me up when fail the drugs test won that tournament now been to prison now they’re doing the same he said well pad I think it was September and this competition’s happening do you think you could get yourself ready I said to be able to box in about 12 weeks for after that Jo getting infection me like being SC so I don’t know but I’ll try so give me a name then Jo you a purpose gives me a purpose so I start training like a Nutter like I did against for the har the Haren gay tournament I start again and um I done okay in the training got through everything as he should couldn’t really do no roadway stuff like that but I could stand up and I Spar a kid from the Army was B bigger than me though light heavyweight and he duffed me up to be honest Joo and um Eddie the coach Paul Edwards pulled me in when pad look credit for doing as hard training as you have and trying your best but I’m just not going to let you fight and this fight this tournament like a nationwide thing he said because it’s just a little bit too soon and you’re like I went now I said I’m fighting I said if you don’t let me fight said the return to the transport all James R walking there let them bring me into it cuz I was better than you know eight under 10 fights I was better than that I was a little bit better not you know you knew you were better you just hadn’t had the experience so you’re in a nice spot really it’s like being a rour where you’re under the handicap I couldn’t really dance yeah yeah it’s perfect but know when you get in there you’ll be all like you’ll be like Point like if you really want to fight you want to fight so then I went on the four fights or five fights I had in that tournament so you’re starting a quarterfinal in your area semi-final final you win your final then you go through of the five fights they all on the same day no they’re all like a few days apart so you do your quarter on the Tuesday Thursday final Saturday three rounds three only three twos three twos so we end up flattening like three out of five and I fought a very good boxer who a boxing champion now in the fifth fight which was the quarterfinal of the the national Johnny Boy Kylie who’s the area Champion the we below me now BOS lad traveler lad who’ve been boxing from when he was 12 but he was in the under 10 I don’t know how he’s bled that one like but different Johnny Boy Johnny key so just go Johnny take off boy no i l e and then put box it i i e sorry l y boxer there he is so he is the Light Middle tell you what he need to get get that don’t tell and then beat him when I boxed him is’s another little bit of good luck for you y our heads come together no head guards and the amateurs no more and I felt something in the face round weird sensation me cheek B broke don’t remember what side it was I think it was that and comes back to the corner at the end of round one I won the first round as well I said I think I brought me cheekbone then I said when we banged heads together it felt like me cheek come in a bit and me coach went [ __ ] Forget You cheek you w round up here boxed the same and he was tough because I was stopping everyone he was tough as out anything hel yeah well he he I think he’s he’s a traveler but his campsite is on St and then so wins the fight and then a checks in the mid and me [ __ ] face with a big D inside it’s a bad one I remember D play in his cheekbone it’s a bad one it meant to make him make feel sick and all that hosit and then they said look you’re going have to come back in a couple of days get that operation to pop it out and they put like a piece of metal press fracture yeah I couldn’t box in the sem couldn’t box in the semis the F for National Titan that was what was keeping me going I thought for [ __ ] sake so then there was nothing happening boxing wise I was supposed to go in the abas so you’ve hang on a minute you’ve come out to the [ __ ] Wilderness here you’ve got yourself back in order you [ __ ] had the sepsis you overcome it you got yourself back on the even keale there’s another boxing opportunity there’s a clash of heads in it although you’ve won the fight you’ve you’ve fractured your cheekbone which imagine for the box you can still do the training now but you can’t do any Spar nor fighting so you you’ve you’re like [ __ ] sake I’m just getting going getting me boxing care going and there a little setb so you can’t box in the semis in the final which you’ve a the right to be in yeah so you come out of that you’ve obviously got to get it do you have to get S on there s to pop that back in and hold it together there Notting it now yeah but I’m saying how long you going to have to reab from that cuz if you if your G get p in face say [ __ ] hell so then me attention switched them about 3 four months into post op now and I’ve had the op on my face as well so I’m thinking maybe I can get paid footy until I’m able to box again because they’re not letting me they’re not letting me box with injury now so and Liam Watson the manager of cport he Rings me and says he kept in touch with me I was always supposed to sign for Liam at sou PA and then go back to co and at this point there’s a fell from our Golf Club who bought into South Paul who end up buying into R field and South Paul got a few sh for the lower leagues Phil Phil was nice fell second name I can’t remember second name philson so um anyway the there’s good wages going about to to but then there was loads of clubs because I’ve been a good player in them leagues and then I went up and it was only my own the really he still wanted me so I had the Lo the football club saying P will’ll sign your non League [ __ ] hell we be made up to you and Liam said P we’re full time we’ve got a boss fysio don’t know whether you know Dan gabrielson because he come through Everton no I’ve heard the name Dan gabrielson I don’t know would P you imagine because you’re going with s me KNE out T me so much and he was time but I was loving in and money back and Van again Joe so um he let they played Samia in a FA Cup game Southport I think was the first the FA Cup on tell so we said P we’ve got Sol on the Tuesday or the Saturday in the fa what’s in the not the trophy at the V for the low ones he said so than the thingo can you play it was only five and a half months on from doing it the leg was in no way but ACL you’ve come back from ACL and infected half months you’re [ __ ] you’re mad and I just thought I’ll stand center mid and just hopefully land on seconds and just get it and give it to Joe it’s hilarious you one of them games Joe where you’re in the right place and everything drops towards you so I’ll be looking at the center half he’d be adding the ball coming across here and he flick it right on my [ __ ] Bell in for me to play I swear every second ball I picked up could move and the physio was looking at me because he knew he’d had an ACL Dan was looking at my knee in the changing him I could see this fell and he went over to Liam Watson said that lad should not be on a football pitch cuz me th was probably to dangerous anyway should Li l if you can play like that and you know you you you with a stump and a leg we signing they give me good money to sign on League um back with them so I think it was all set up really because Liam is best mates with Coy so it’s time for this assistant to keep your nose clean and then you can go yeah get and then do a year with them get to speed leag League one yeah and anyway it never went [ __ ] top of League one at one points there for a bit telling you went went had some really good starts to League one Seasons Coy they done a phenomenal job um as I say never got them up or they [ __ ] scared a few big clubs remember they winning at Sunderland so you’re then you’re then back in this southp so again yeah t six 18 months then they said look you’re not kicking a ball for another 6 months cuz that leg is in t us but we’ll pay for 6 months all right and I was getting 700 OD quid a week that’s full in six I just thought right I just wake afternoons but i’ started working for a few different flooring companies and I was snow work so I had a couple of lads that work for me they go in the van do this and then I’m coming out to full-time football of a morning say one o00 and then s Lo the floor and it was just chaotic me life I must tell you this I had that you’d kind of KN hold yourself down your AER said about getting your own van because if you’re a floor and you got your own van you’re not when I was about 19 saying I he you telling a story saying that You’ saved up and saved up and saved up and then ended up going on the [ __ ] roulette machine you saved up three grand to bu this two and a half Grand I think it Grand and literally my dad went into work one day and I work with him or he spoke to the fell that ran Ban’s C it’s still going out ban and he said we’ve got too much work coming in we need another fit does anyone know anyone he said well Patrick’s been doing it with me 18 months and he’s [ __ ] out he’s talked to it usually you should do a few years under someone he said but he’s [ __ ] out do you want to get him in Peter he said can he get a van he said he’s got been saving for the last 18 months he’s working with me we’ll get him a van the weekend don’t money and literally Jo I don’t know what happened it’s weird we talk about the sliding doors yeah I went into bookies the same day this is getting discussed you don’t know this is happening you having this conversation just thinking my dad may keep me with him for 3 years or I don’t know and when it’s when the opportunity arises that they need another fitter it could be five years Jo I don’t know and then I come home I’m absolutely devastated never really gambled had a few footy BS i’ lost every penny so you’ve gone in you’ve gone in the [ __ ] bookies here on a and got on the roulette and gambled it all and literally the same day I comes on to me me D went I’ve got good news for you there son I’m in the floor by the way he goes um I’ve got your started B we need to get your van this weekend and you had your little posit sa for it that was it well that was all I was spending on it well that’s mean be known to him it’s [ __ ] gone in the roulette machine so we went and bought a did you tell him though did you say yeah just was honest and he just said are you messing you I said that honestly I’ve never done it before I don’t know what happened he said you’re D anyway I’ll help your out and [ __ ] thing you to pay me back nice one dad the there must be a point where you switch on the boxing ass to to get you where you are today pad when does when does that box life fully come on that happens at Southport so I was still training and I think I was still having a few amateur fights after that tournament yeah cuz I was training for the hareng to get me title again cuz I was still under 20 bouts for the next season so I’m still keeping up my training and me fulltime would you be defending this thing again or You’ W it before want to before but like I wanted to go in the open class to against all the elites all the Internationals around the world and I got beat I got me medicine and realized the standard but they actually won’t let you enter that get I mean and the club was happy to put me in and I was realizing Joe that this leg isn’t what it was one to be a footballer to be to get back to the level I used to be so I’m just I’m um at Southport and the player that Liam wanted to sign going off that game where he had a stump but it kind of everything fell for me y the stars are ly that time and it just I could I needed more time to get back to what I was so absolutely because if you done an ACL it’s a 12 month injury I always think it takes LS another 12 months to get over the mental yeah and to get back to where he was well never mind the fact that you’d been on an even mad joury that’s you know so basically if you look I never the last game was 2016 and then the next game was 2019 for soup don’t know how many games I played end up leaving there going to Staley brid Simon out you know Simon he’s big on his horses the name he’s a family friend of ours for years because of Prof Dr George Wilson who’s thing y he BL his in but it’s all boxing AG but this pays me Bills not League football so Southport in the conference here no the conference six North and stealey Bridge with the league below but this is just about CO’s about to kicking but I know I’m going to be I’m going to be a pro boxer cuz I’ve started saying with pro boxing coaches now John Gillies Dave Tonks my dad’s made Al LaVine Paul Wright one of the right brothers and they’re all saying look you can punch you got um you’re fit you can take your shot do it go for it and your 26 ear pad 26 6 27 something like that so my man was made up and and if we’re honest you your best football you you’re probably in your best you know 27 28 29 30 your best football years but as a boxer you don’t come online till 35 So you you’re clearly smart enough to realize I could actually have a [ __ ] profession here well that’s what I come to Jo because me whole life I’ve thought I was an athlete at some sort yeah it was always good you knew you was an athlete yeah but it’s always been gear to training every day of me life has been training so thought I can never get back to Premier League level or yeah something like that way you know I always aimed for the championship and maybe I Jo that’s what I thought that I thought was achievable with everything that went on but now but it’s mad when I look back now well if you could train with no Cru in your KN with aington at League one level and train well every day why couldn’t you just give yourself more time but anyway me M’s made up with this boxing so I so you you’ve got a chance to be a champion again yeah and do something great and it was kind of turn this negative into a positive because I’ve got two little brothers they had B footballers and like they see me playing against badford in front of how many thousand right back right in front of them and they both come away saying lad you were brilliant today there was only kids then and then not long after Jo I’ve got a bab on me saying to them don’t cry boys I’m going to be home soon like I’m Aldi and the cry the [ __ ] eyes out I mean because we’re close yeah and then when it come out of prison Joe got with the boss I and bed to mean someone I was talking to before I went in and that didn’t half sort me out as well cuz Joe you’re not going out and being pulled into you know you just bore The Devil Makes for doesn’t no longer go in the Aires exactly so it was fantastic for me she playing brilliant and everyone every no we’re open to have some tuno right so young me first I was 30 yeah well that’s me beed’s a year above me so she’s a little bit more like really wants to [ __ ] have them if it happens it happens fantastic but should we be lucky enough um so then I turn around to Chester always wanted to S me with Bard and J I don’t know whether you’re familiar with them off the Su Lads yeah good lads actually good lads and H i’ knocked them back a couple of times when they tried to sign me at different clubs sford and um Chester the year before yeah so sign for sou port instead of Chester and he went look if you don’t sign this time you’re getting [ __ ] off cuz we’ve asked you a few times and yeah so signer but I said look I’m going to be a pro boxer as well I said so I don’t know how that fits for you s we’ll make that way happy to have you so then the boxing start so so that’s the thing so so you’ve off to been boxing at a like decent amateur level in terms of them tournaments in there and but I would imagine there’s there’s a huge switch from amateur boxing into the paid ranks the pro pro it’s different game so I don’t even think like a three round fight now I don’t even think it’s a fight cuz the fight just warming up now Jo as I’m going through the six and the eights and the 10 and you obviously have to mimic that in training and do a 10 round spot for an eight round fight and you have to do an eight round for a six round fight um it just see I used to do three two minute rounds I’ve never even done a three minute i’ done one over in um Copenhagen I boxed one fight there for like Liverpool mey side rep team or whatever won that but U then it go to 4 threes it’s quite da so I’m only human think [ __ ] hell I got long with that cuz I’m blowing up my ass off three two minutes stand you’re in good St though but it’s a different Fitness completely completely I’ve done that a supplement me training and you think your face is [ __ ] then you get on the three minutes that’s all what your muscles are used to doing it’s conditioning for it isn’t it so so looking at you going okay you’re going in now and you’re going in the paid ranks which gym are you attached to so da s up in spe so I used to go into his gym with Al LaVine who was one of my dad’s best mates and he used to train Fighters and because some of his Fighters would Spar his Allan lives up on Blackpool trying to think of fighters from up them ways who who would fight so he had Robbie Davies junior he trained him he trained Andy k um who else Tom F was with him Lo he had loads of Fighters da David be um Neil Perkins he’s been out of 30 OD years his dad was a boxing coach in St Allen gym when they was they had an in you weren’t attached to them as a junior this is a fresh start no yeah just a fresh start but he was really adamant on me when I used to go on and say pad trust me I can do something with you all right just trust me on this you don’t know much about pro boxing you know what you can do in the amateur and you can flatten a few Lads I can turn you into Champion you got to trust me so I’m listening and then I go back another week and think you what I’m [ __ ] let’s do it interestingly did you did you have any confusion coming from your dad again telling cuz he boxed and telling you what to do um not really no he was half behind I don’t I think he always wants me to play the football cuz no one likes to see the Sun get punched in the face no so he he was always trying his best saying you can do it son you just have to reab your leg just a little bit longer and you will get it back just don’t just [ __ ] it off for now so that’s why I kept me handing to be honest yo you know maybe the like does sort itself itself out and to get myself to a stand up where I say Dad I’m only 27 could I go and play the next five six seven eight years in the football league should it happen and then it did happen to be honest Joo I started playing for has to playing really well I changed me game a little bit couldn’t go on rat as much I was just stood in the middle of the pitch read things a little bit better I always remember Gary mall is telling Steven Jad stop [ __ ] running that and think about what you’re doing and it give me that little bit of time and to be honest I have improved I played well for Chester the Chester fans used to like me and um that’s still tier six do Joe and we had a good side and when you’ve been to tier four nearly having a look and you feel like you nearly had a chance of tier three tier six isn’t what it was when you were when you young one coming through and then we played on boxing day T because you do the reverse fixtion on New Year’s Day and that morning this is why I mean football was never supposed to happen I turn around my dad me Dad I know you haven’t been to watch me over the last couple of years since I’ve come out of prison in there I said but I’m back I said I’m playing really well again I said me legs are back I said I’m thinking about giving Co a phone call and saying I’ll spew this boxing amate I didn’t even yeah I don’t think no I hadn’t because it was me first season at yester um I’m back D went [ __ ] i l you mess and I am made up goes and plays tord I’m having a stor start the second half M just snapped maybe it just wasn’t meant to be think [ __ ] hell and you do need a bit of Lu people forget you [ __ ] you know it’s better to be lucky than good sometimes you know people say make or whatever but you [ __ ] need a little bit of Lu yeah so then I just come home that day he went as you Cru that I think it is you know so I didn’t want to tell the boxing JY because I was due to have me Pro debut coming up and but the league got closed down then with Co we were second in the league chestday had a very good squad and um I said that’s me retied I wrote me message to me little brother saying boys y I’m say was 28 I think Joe and that’s me ended now football’s [ __ ] it’s gone like a blink of an eye you probably feel the same about yours it’s gone so quick enjoy it boys and I wrote in the Chester group to all the players years later in the Chester fans [ __ ] unbelievable they raised money for me S and for me S they all the whip round got me like 6,000 and said look come back next season because the season’s ended anyway so we end up getting the me right leg done but I said to me that I’ll never play again he went lad you can’t stop yourself from playing football so what I mean you’ve had a million times that you could have jbed it but you keep playing so stop it love it yeah yeah and then um so then it’s Pro with Shi and started that little journey and I was still playing for Chester time and all the Chester fans were coming to me first few fights I was going to say to you in the boxing you’ve got a you’ve got for a for a lad who was just starting now you had a big following and and I know you get on shows there if you’ve got you know a big big name behind you e you’ve done well as an amateur or you’ve got a big following behind you and obviously seeing you go in and then because of your big following and You’ had a lot of interest you know you got on some big shows yeah with big promoters and you you obviously fight earlier before the big fight in those big Arenas you know it’s not like footy where you play in small Arenas until you get in the big arena yeah you can you can be playing before the big fight takes place in the big Arenas so did that wet your whistle then once you had the taste of that for boxing I I’ve always I’ve always just enjoyed the boxing trainer Love The Spar and love Fight Night um they’re just a trainer of exting yourself and very easy to digest whereas football Jo I don’t I think it’s hard I can St up and do everything right all week and then we can still get slapped 3-0 and I can play [ __ ] and I think I’ve done everything right this week or even you can play well in look [ __ ] because your team got beat or you can play well in the team sh and you lose as well yeah or you can play well and the manager digs it out at the end and says for you m off and you thinking you [ __ ] joking I was good there I thought so there’s the boxing ring boxing ring it’s me for you you smack me more than I smack you then I’ll shake your hand the said L you best than me there it was very easy for me to go through and like after bad spars you have just CU you bad training sessions [ __ ] SP bit there and then you coach us P but when you you went utilizing your job or you went doing this you go know what your spot on there that’s what’s interesting you’re one of the few have you know if I play [ __ ] I’m football and to play [ __ ] on a Saturday and we got a game Tuesday I go right [ __ ] sh there I get myself back on the your Tuesday and then you know you might have five or six [ __ ] games but the games are coming that quick within a few days a week you’ve got a chance to put it right yeah with boxing yeah I missed that it might be 6 weeks 12 weeks three months before you get a chance to put it not not that I’ve been beat amateur o Pro but have you not lost amateur o Pro I lost one down at that tournament in the semi so went to reclaim me all right I boxed yeah no this is not that one this this is the hareng um just as a when was this just as a sign for soup I think was in the summer and um I bed the lad he was from London and he gave decision he took a point off me he said me or I was grabbing or something it was just a fast so don’t even it can be so I don’t even count that but I had yeah and he the next day he’s waigh in to go to his fight and [ __ ] I should have seen the stage from joke CU he took an ID off me and he got stopped in like the first round but he was spent from the day the took the day before thought you know why have you give it to a kid that didn’t win and he doesn’t even want to be in the ring the next day he took a [ __ ] Pac in again because as was gone and he had all cies on his head and anyway so never ever counted that so I think I had 17 am fights W 17 and I stopped probably a little bit more than half of them which is a rarity in amateur boxing then to go into pro boxing ien really stopped that many but you only it takes two to T go J need someone to lock hor with me and then meet me in the middle and then I can land some big shots but as everyone does your initiation to boxing unless you are an elite amateur you know you you’re going to have these fights picked for you to get your ring time to just is what it is but the real fight is start now the real fight to start so as it stands to they pad you’re 10 and0 as a boxer 10 and yeah two Knockouts yeah two Knockouts in terms of the next couple of fights for you obviously you want what what your aim are you aiming to get a or have you got an name or is it like the next fight or is it a British belt or european belt or what I used to when anyone used to ask me I always say I’m aiming for the top Jones will win a world title I SP world champions but I try not to think about it too much now Joe CU I always think about how much time is it going to take me to get there and think I’ll just focus on the next fight and my next fight will be in the next two to three months hopefully had a big bill with Eddie or I may have to go to a small or you got a fight in in the diary no but I had the 27th of April but Eddie’s just put that card up that he’s going to lead so he’s not going to do two cards the same night so I don’t know what’s going to happen I don’t know at the minute but I’m still saying and AD I’m just aiming towards that dat if it’s a little bit sooner a little bit later but this seeson me manager this boxing season the manager said look P you you’re going to be boxing for the title this season whether it’s a WBA Continental IBO European whatever or an area title in England I think two Lads are fighting for that though um which would be what are we we’re the central area of England get you up the rankings where you need to be heading towards a British title so you’re middle ways who who’s who’s doing the rounds in the country at the minute in or or well the best that there is I think he proved it last week his ham this year as he stopped at Liam Williams last week he look devastating I think Liam Williams is obviously a little bit yeah he’s a little bit over the hill now though Liam been a good fighter he’s been a very good fighter yeah I think beefy will stay up middleweight I don’t think Bei will go back down he’s got to he’s got to climb off that poor performance last time got to get going again I seen I seen Callum in the EO the other day obviously he’s like it’s it’s a tough profession because you got [ __ ] I just challenged for a well title there but it’s almost like snakes and Lads you think you’re right there and you got a world title and then doesn’t quite go to plan and next minute you’re [ __ ] down here and you’ve got to work he we back up um so when I look at that I go if if we’re saying the next what are 30 P now 30 yeah so the next five years are your Prime AR they 30 to 35 as a boxer so if I said to you right in five years time we’re sitting down we’re doing this again you’ve smashed it head in all the bad looks gone in foty we [ __ ] got rid of all that bad Lu from now on here everything’s going to go right with your body with your training obviously it’s up to you in the ring what you do do you think you’ve got the ability to become uh worldion yeah million per that’s good mate 100 million per so that must give you laser focus now and listen no matter what’s happened um you’ve got to be mindful of most people don’t make it through two or three of the things that have happened to you MH you have made it through a chaotic period but look where you sit today with what’s in front of you you but I wor you as well Joe what happens when a dude reti in boxing what’s me some people do get lost in the in I don’t know how You’ felt about retiring but I’ve thought straight away I just look back and think I give myself an name of win the arang then win the national tournament then come back to football then think I think what do I do when it’s all over Jo my body is what sounds like going to happen here you got your own your own family to start building here in terms of you know kids will come online and they fundamentally change your life just absolutely especially as a professional athlete who’s on a hero’s journey to make something of yourself all of a sudden these kids come around and and way more important than you completely different entity than what you thought you was before which is good fantastic which is good and obviously you know for you your Prime as a boxer is in front of you MH so all the [ __ ] that’s gone on should only make you more wise MH more more experienced uh more able to deal with the eyes and lows of MH you know start another career as as a fighter and when I look at um as I say the amount of [ __ ] that’s happened to you good bad and indifference obviously pad some of it self-induced I have to I have to say but also sometimes you can self-induce and cause a bit of chaos but actually get a little bit of rubber the green you know you don’t get tested in the AR po game and then who knows you know would you be with Coy and that now you know trying to get out well yeah I had to S you for R got you down there all Fleetwood um and like the beauty of it is you’re still a very very young man still a very very young man who’s got an enormous future in terms of you know to to be somebody who’s played professional football and somebody who’s for for a well title would put you in probably a small handful of people maybe is there a handful of people Kus w got title didn’t he yeah just see just Google out any footballers for for a world title might beio martinz I know he was a football and he talked to it late and he end up being the best middleweight in the world is that was he meant to be G him don’t know I don’t know he’s good looking L like I’m sure did he who did he fight at Martinez he fought Martin M put him down a couple times might be just just have a look at him I think he was Serio Martinez sgio and he as well sure he was a football in his I don’t know whether he ever got paid early life yeah yeah martinz was a keen cyclist and football player but I don’t think he might I don’t think he played Pro I’m saying he’s gay I don’t think it was there’s someone but he started very late as well and there’s loads of people that start boxing late and obviously I look towards them CU what did I start 25 or something but would you would you say I know it’s there’s there’s a big advantage of having a technique and all that from a younger player younger person but would you say not being in those Wars and having all that [ __ ] sparing and punching as I say as you get into your your 30s and and maybe into your late 30s yeah that might pay you back exactly yeah but me D seems to think so but obviously we’re going to be biased and think you know it’s going to pay dividends for us but other people would say oh there’s no way he can contest with him cuz he’s done it since he was five and he only started 25 that’s 20 years extra experience he’s had doing something but you know just for instance the L box the last time that I stopped it quite quick in the first round he’s boxing he was eight yeah he’s 28 I mean you’ve been doing it 10 20 years I’ve been doing it five yeah do you what I mean I look at it I go you know obviously you’re going to be in a rush because you’re in a rush from Life in in footy you know you said There came back from injuries quicker and you know your are fell wantan to be in the face team ear you almost seem like you’ve always been in a rush for to be there quicker than what you may be capable of being would you have to check yourself here to make sure that you don’t do the same with with your boxing career now cuz I would imagine if you take the wrong fight at the wrong time and you not got a massive trainer behind you and you’ve not got a massive amate your pedigree you you know from what I know about boxing if you’re not with the right stable and with the right promoter and you haven’t got the TV company behind you even if you’re the best fighter you might get a [ __ ] fight M so basically my my manager is H Josh Wallington from the St where he is zelfa Barett who’s now going to fight for the world he’s had Jo loads me coach has had British Commonwealth European hasn’t had the world champion yet hopefully I can get so we’ve got a great team but I’m not in charge of any of the picking of the fights or nothing like that just needs to show up to the gym and get told him I’m fighting and there probably be fights where I go [ __ ] hell that’s a bit of a tough one then the Coach T trust me P you you’ll smash him you you’ll go right through him or you know vice versa so that’s why I’m not in charge because they they’ve been out of 30 40 years in the sport and trust them and you’ve got two jobs you get the me whereas you know I’d be a su for if anyone called me out I’d be like what let’s get on and probably get beat by someone in two years time I would wipe the floor because the rate of my Improvement is is vast than me compared to these people you’ve been out 20 years you imagined for improvement you know you can’t improve that much Technically when you’ve been out of 20 years where I’m I find myself Joe very quickly Camp by Camp things are being improving I can do different things I’m thinking they say about is it 10,000 hours and stuff like that yeah that’s the uh Malcolm Gladwell my myew S took didn’t he and wrote The boook Bounce and kind of made it a bit more simple to understand but it did come out of malol gladwell’s book I say it was out outliers where they said um they thought that if you the the theory is if you get 10,000 hours of papers full practice at anything you become world class yeah it was a big study done on it it was done on a couple of girls young girls in chess I won’t boy us with the story because we’ve been gone for four hours whatever but it is for me it it is it is true in terms of you know the more purposefully you practice something it’s strange that you find yourself improving at it you know if that’s a footballer you go from training two days a week as an amateur to four or five days a week as a pro you find you’re improv in your game yeah similarly with boxing you go from being two or three days a week and playing footy to all of a sudden now you’re laser focused on your boxing career you you know your footy career is on a Sunday and it maintains your cardio and you’re trying to probably avoid injury so you don’t miss sessions in the gym but it looks like now your attention span is focused in on oh I could be world champion here got a chance of being an elite level boxer and very few people get the second career chance at something know [ __ ] hell had very few people especially with what you’ve been through and you know you you I listened to Teddy Atlas talk about boxing and he talks about WBC and and and the only thing I fear for is how politicized boxing is not off you know the the rankings are decided by a loot of people who have obviously sitting on the federations and you know times you look at it from the outside and even myself Jo sit on the couch and you just think do I even want to be a part even on the other side sometimes I think I’m just fighting for people to have a laugher I’m the [ __ ] in the ring fighting risking me life yeah just to just to be ridicule if I had the bad performance I was a fuzzy player that had [ __ ] and think what am I doing this for they just all the things that h a football I mean better get a football as well you there for their entertainment aren you you’re used to that you know what I mean you know Tony B talks about the Gladiator you paid entertainment and you know your bodies your business but also there’s very few people who the lights turn on and come alive so you’re also bill fory you know it brings out the best you said it you know the best feeling you had was when you Spar a lot after he put you on your ass it sounds like you know that get your engines rev and having that singular purpose and having that I can be the best in the world honestly P I sit and talking to and I know with thank you so much for coming in it’s a fantastic story and hopefully I’ll get you back on it and hopefully we’re talking to fut world champion with the belts and that and and we’ll be monitored and yeah um but I must say to you you should be incredibly proud of what you’ve gone through and to still be sitting here as a undefeated middleweight boxer with an exciting opportunity to to to maybe be world champion [ __ ] bit of luck goes your way and you’ve had enough bad luck lad in your life hopefully a bit of good luck goes your way um and all I can say to you is keep [ __ ] doing what you’re doing I think it’s an incredibly inspirational story not only to your younger brothers because no doubt about it you’ll have influenced theming factor for me but also for yourself it’s it still looks like you’ve got as I say an enormous opportunity yet you know if you go want to be European Champion British champion Commonwealth Champion or whatever there’s very few people on the planet who’ve played professional football and become a boxing champion I’ve never really talked about like incredible well hopefully we’re talking about about a world championship mate um as I say hopefully we’ll sit here and we’ll we’ll laugh in 10 years time and say [ __ ] and H remember we had that conversation and there years with your belt rounded and the millions and millions of pounds that hopefully that comes with it U it’ be nice mate but but as I say pad thank thanks so much on I talked to you for hours mate uh but what a fascinating story and any young ons out there you get one [ __ ] speed bump in the road don’t [ __ ] give up exactly you get 25 football anything you know you take your licks don’t you Jo and there’s loads of kids in football that I’ve seen growing up that could could have done something in football but they get one knocked back by a club along the way and he just completely jacked in like I’m I’ve been knocked back by loads of clubs that we didn’t even go into and just stuck at it like that so it kind of made me as an adult yeah you it’s not happening there but I’m going to keep going and I will do something like cuz you’re the footy player I don’t only do this with the footy players a footy play not quick fire 10 to finish we ready now quick fire 10 the best player you’ve ever played with footballer has to be Rael don’t it rael’s a talented kid yeah talented kid the best toughest opponent you’ve played against toughest opponent people won’t have really had I used to enjoy playing against Pogba under 18 so he’s not getting it I remember I got me eye wiped he played for Chester Jo sovich I was only 18 he’s still going in he’s still going and he was a race horse Jo couldn’t get nowhere near him he was about 5 years older than me say he was 22 I was 18 23 maybe I think he scored the winner for Fleet play final League two got Fleetwood into League one and that was a tough oh Jo what Leon Osman aie good play he couldn’t get the ball cuz every he was so far away we kept at safe side Jo constantly a foul him to get there that’s a foul to get there where I’m playing against Jack robell he was well bigger I’m thinking I’m taking it off you how can I get off this little [ __ ] so the best yeah yeah Pogba would have been [ __ ] good shs the best Captain you played for who you go follow him into the best Captain um most I always have to speak Jo some of them you know quite quiet never asked you that said who’s the best Captain you had the best Captain I know you’re leader cuz you’re I go with Simon Grant all right where was that H bar bar best manager best manager I’ve had Dar edmon a yeah best goal thinking know who the answer is this best goal oh would have to be that one only one that it’s well fing keep that one as a that’s interesting it was because I was asking Matt Lati this last time but it fit for you because you’re number 10 you’re kind of latis moldo be a fit ofion know I was more of a six I could do it um the best keeper you played against best keeper I played against probably it’s got to be that one that knocked me out next Paul B Paul P well he was yet England H your hero as a kid Stevie J Stevie J you’re sporting hero um I would Joe caragi car zagi all right that’s inting yeah and met M Joe’s one of the best that’s ever come off the [ __ ] it’s interesting that you spoke about the Jeff lazy fight before because I couldn’t sleep Jo that was incredible performance how fit he was for that fight uh five for dinner Dead or Alive five for dinner can I so I need to pick between dead or Al oh I can have SP [ __ ] dead or alive um I’d probably have George best because he’d have a few stories yeah George best Roberto Dan I’ve met him and he was hilarious Muhammad Ali and a stone Roberto there’s three Al yeah um two more athletes that I’d love could be musicians lad could be anything off the T might be [ __ ] Hollywood actresses you know don’t say that if you Misses is listening that’s but Elvis was an non any so I know I know he was but you can have him listen as long I I said ad so you can have him um let me just think that fell off um there’s a film what is it Ridge back or something that saves all the people who won’t carry a Back Mountain no that’s that’s the the Cowboys oh I know yeah for something Ridge where he res going back he i’ love to talk to him yeah he’s the med I only watch that recently so that’s why it’s in me head and um it will probably be a another L the mafia because I love all them films just to qu him on what actually John got or some just to see how it all works what’s it called Andrew Garfield that’s who I was thinking of who was the med who was Desmond dos that’s a weird name all right last one your favorite band or your favorite music favorite um it was the Artic Monkeys years ago when I was a kid but they just gone have now Josh not say I got better oh you would that’s that’s what he say they they W great clo this year it’s been a few bad performances clo lot nil years ago and that’s was terrible certain noise for it you you got have a certain noise for it there BS that you say that you don’t think are going to smash it absolutely a big Elvis fan I probably say Elvis Love Elvis since I was a kid py Lacy thanks so much cheers mate than you common sense with Jo thank you
46 Comments
Good show, i saw paddy on utc podcast and his younger brother is doing quite well at man utd.
Love the channel joey and keep up the good work m8 👌
I love this channel and my husband is extremely grateful. Keep it up and thank you ❤for
Over 4 hours too much
Enjoy listening to you Barton..over in ireland..agree with your views on the so called controversial shite.. I think you would benefit from shortening up the pods because it will benefit your progression as a channel..
4h 13 mins 25 secs, probably 4h 13 mins too long ……
What a channel, keep it up mate 😎👍
Love the ethnic diversity of the guests its inspiring 🎉 Next ep you should get another crusty white male to give their views
Think of watching the Irishman, add 40 min
No thanks
Love the channel Joey, great content ,keep it coming 👍👍
Talented talented family 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Great Podcast this but good if Joey can learn a few more big word to to go with meritocracy
Cracking chat this.
Both those Bonobo albums are 10/10
Great podcast paddy a top fella great story
Cracking pod this 1 bouncing of each other
Love this channel watched everyone now at night at work
Watch it on speed X2 only 2 hours then
Great podcast
4 hours, did yas get the beak in or something?😂
On the point of playing defence being easier than midfield, (i agree), what's the difference in average earnings for goalies; defenders; midfielders & forwards?
Never thought I’d say this,but joey your a legend pal
4 hours , the Titanic could of sank twice an Joseph would still be putting the World to rights, good work
Paddy’s brother Shea has got a great chance. Seen him a few times now what a talent
I have watched all of the podcasts and you have redeemed yourself since your playing days just a bit too lengthy and let the speakers finish a sentence😂
Don’t mind 4 hour good talk mr not Michelle keep it up joey Burnley boy
Enjoying the channel but joey need to let the guests finish a story 😂
Arl’ fella
I was that dad . My son had the best teams clambering to sign him and I blew it because I thought I knew it all . He stopped playing a 20 yrs I regret this everyday . You can’t be a footballer just because your dad wants you to be .
Fs let the guy tell his story instead of you trying to tell it for him. You keep cutting him off
I like Barton n these interviews are qaulity. One thing though, he always says what we are like in Liverpool, we are proud etc, everyone knows your business etc. Same as anywhere else in the country with big social housing estates I think to be fair
paddy played for 73 clubs by the time he was 19 hahaha.
Belter Channel Joey, knew you & Paddy would get on like this. So similar in ways, crazy story. Keep up the boss work 👊🏻
I liked this fella from the start but the first red flag was when he said he got the winner against portsmouth in the 86th minute and after looking the match up, he scored in the 52nd minute, 5 minutes after half time … How do you get that so far wide of the mark if you're telling the truth ??
Could listen to paddy all day long , what a story – 4hrs flew by .
Love this podcast 👊👌 mane goal was 2016 Paddy had it right 👍🏼👍🏼
Fantastic listen this
Get Curtis Woodhouse on!
Great story Paddy had some bad luck there mate, onwards an upwards good luck in future with the boxing 🥊
Hello Joey, your Nan Julia Culshaw,was my Godmother and your mother Julia is my cousin. I only see her and our Maureen at funerals now. My uncle Tom Culshaw was a great boxer. Ah memories. All the best with the podcast, you’ve got that sorted 😊. Joey Byrne.
Brilliant. Top lads
Grate watch this especially if ye scouser
Good story lads👍
Really interesting
Determinism is when you don’t choose your own path. Glad to see he listened during the lecture.
Love him or hate him you HATERS cant deny that Joey is impressive in his communication and very articulate. He should be on mainstream football media as he is heard and shoulders above them clowns on soccer saturday…you telling me Clinton Morrison is better then Joey…….LOOOOL