Steven Caulker

pee dubya

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https://www.theguardian.com/footbal...ng-qpr?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Copy_to_clipboard

Yet another reminder of the human side of football.

I remember when he first broke into the team at Spurs he looked like he had everything to be an England international for years to come. Then a strange move to Cardiff and downward spiral.

I don't want to turn this into another Bravo thread, but when you hear ironic cheering in the stadium when he catches the ball, the constant digs in the media from ex-pros/pundits, and the general level of abuse and basically bullying that he's been through in the last season, makes me wonder how i'd cope in that situation and it's definitely not as well as he has. There's such a difference in his demeanour and performances when he's playing for Chile and when he was at Barcelona, it clearly has affected him.

There's the usual argument about being highly paid to deal with the pressure etc etc, it has some validity however time and time again we see footballers spiral into destructive patterns of behaviour, the constant pressure and scrutiny must be very difficult for some people to deal with, and as in the article above, the money can make it worse.

It won't happen because the game is such an outlet for the emotion of fans, but i'd like to see players in general treated a bit more like you'd treat anyone else, just with a little bit of respect, no matter how poorly they're performing on the pitch. The fan can go home and feel better having vented some pent up frustration, but the footballer can go home carrying all the baggage and weight of the expectation and abuse.

Anyway, hopefully Caulker has got control of his problems for good, and can perhaps fulfil some of the potential that he clearly did have.
 
So it was Bravo you wanted to mention after all of that then ?
No, he's just an obvious example on our doorstep as part of a wider issue, another one would be Sterling who's been the victim of a nationwide media and fan campaign of abuse and hatred for the last 2 years. He's just a kid but is living his life in a constant pressure cooker, on the outside he seems to be coping remarkably well, but to me it's no wonder he sometimes looks anxious on the pitch. Who know's how he's actually coping off it.
 
No, he's just an obvious example on our doorstep as part of a wider issue, another one would be Sterling who's been the victim of a nationwide media and fan campaign of abuse and hatred for the last 2 years. He's just a kid but is living his life in a constant pressure cooker, on the outside he seems to be coping remarkably well, but to me it's no wonder he sometimes looks anxious on the pitch. Who know's how he's actually coping off it.

Well Sterling would have been a slightly better example than a 33yo been there and done that keeper, who may or may not be suffering due to a few groans, it hardly compares with the article you linked to about a young man who struggled with his own mental demons rather than people booing him at games, which led him to become a gambling addict and then a booze addict and then the thought to end his own life, in no way shape or form does it resemble Bravo's current situation.
 
the crowd also boo and laugh and eckel in theaters its all part of playing to a live audience

football crowds today have to be so PC and just think back to the old days when anything goes from the stands and a lot of players loved it and played up to the crowd for a reaction it was seen as a sign of respect when you knew the best player was getting the bird from the crowd. football fans are not daft if they can work somebody of there game to help there team they was bang right on it. they called it the 12th man and many managers would call for the help in the press or tv radio the days before the game

football works both ways and fans are a very big part of the game and sometimes people forget that and we don't just want to got to games to watch we are the 12th man we can play a part in our team winning by getting on the back of somebody or the whole team. just look at that game away to liverpool the game when they boo everything in blue and white every touch and every player got the bird for the full 90mins even after the game outside was like a war zone and not nice

liverpool fans did everything to help liverpool win that game and they and stevie G was giving it the big I am we don't lose it from here stuff city just buckled under the pressure we could not get going in the game the liverpool fans did help the team that day with booing the city players
 
I have heard from 2 very good sources that Caulker was a drinker and behaved badly - once on the Barbados tour(which he references) and another incident in Hale(he later went back into the establishment to apologises).

Having read the interview, it explains a lot. A sad story from a player who appeared to have it all
 
https://www.theguardian.com/footbal...ng-qpr?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Copy_to_clipboard

Yet another reminder of the human side of football.

I remember when he first broke into the team at Spurs he looked like he had everything to be an England international for years to come. Then a strange move to Cardiff and downward spiral.

I don't want to turn this into another Bravo thread, but when you hear ironic cheering in the stadium when he catches the ball, the constant digs in the media from ex-pros/pundits, and the general level of abuse and basically bullying that he's been through in the last season, makes me wonder how i'd cope in that situation and it's definitely not as well as he has. There's such a difference in his demeanour and performances when he's playing for Chile and when he was at Barcelona, it clearly has affected him.

There's the usual argument about being highly paid to deal with the pressure etc etc, it has some validity however time and time again we see footballers spiral into destructive patterns of behaviour, the constant pressure and scrutiny must be very difficult for some people to deal with, and as in the article above, the money can make it worse.

It won't happen because the game is such an outlet for the emotion of fans, but i'd like to see players in general treated a bit more like you'd treat anyone else, just with a little bit of respect, no matter how poorly they're performing on the pitch. The fan can go home and feel better having vented some pent up frustration, but the footballer can go home carrying all the baggage and weight of the expectation and abuse.

Anyway, hopefully Caulker has got control of his problems for good, and can perhaps fulfil some of the potential that he clearly did have.

He got treated well, played consistently shite for us then the heckling started.
 
He got treated well, played consistently shite for us then the heckling started.
I don't think its appropriate to compare bravo with caulker, but in what way was he treated well? He wasn't really treated with anything but a slight unease at first, which quickly spiralled. The abuse also came long before his consistent awful form. He was generally good up until around the chelsea game imo, but had dropped 1 or 2 clangers.
 
Well Sterling would have been a slightly better example than a 33yo been there and done that keeper, who may or may not be suffering due to a few groans, it hardly compares with the article you linked to about a young man who struggled with his own mental demons rather than people booing him at games, which led him to become a gambling addict and then a booze addict and then the thought to end his own life, in no way shape or form does it resemble Bravo's current situation.

It was a vicious circle. We’d lose at the weekend and the fans would get at me, and I’d be breaking. I really wanted to help us get results but we weren’t good enough and I’d walk away taking responsibility in my head for the whole team’s failings. I couldn’t sleep, worrying about what had happened. The only relief I found was in alcohol.

The point is, you don't know what effect it's having on the player. Either way, whether he's young or old, experienced or not. Did you read the book about Robert Enke?

I only mentioned Bravo because i'd just watched the Confed cup and he looked like a different man, not just a better player.
 
Mental illness is a right bastard and money or no money, is a great leveller in society. Nobody is immune and it should not have the stigma attached to it that it does. Barton highlighted a similar issue once; young lad goes from having bugger all to having loads and has no guidance whatsoever and it look like Caulker is another one. The real tragedy is, that you'd think, in this day and age, clubs would protect their assets much better. Seemingly not....
 

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