Has anyone on here played professionally?

Next doors lad has just been released from Burnley's academy after being there since being a kid. There is a possibility that he could play for Curzon Ashton. He is a good lad and I feel sorry for him.
 
In my early teens I was captain of Gatley Rangers for a couple of seasons, a sunday league youth team. Both Peter Barnes and his brother Keith were on the team. They were both bloody good and I thought if anything, Keith had the more natural flair, but he lacked Peter's application. When the City scouts came, Peter was selected. The rest is history. I think Keith might have gone on to play for Latics but not 100% sure of that.
 
Mozzer said:
Next doors lad has just been released from Burnley's academy after being there since being a kid. There is a possibility that he could play for Curzon Ashton. He is a good lad and I feel sorry for him.
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It’s a perilous career. A huge number of men want to be professional footballers. I’d love to have played.
 
We entered a summer football 5 a side tournament organised by Darlington FC. I was about 33 at the time and through reffing knew a few decent up & coming players. Our starting line up was
GK Ben Roberts - playing for Boro at the time and is now keeper coach at Brighton
Paul Jarps - 2 seasons at Coventry - now under 18 coach at Sunderland
Stuart Brightwell - no relation but had been at the rags for 2 years as a kid. Ended up in the MLS
Mark Tinkler - who was at Southend at the time. When he was at York he got me tickets for that game
Adam Reed - think he was at Blackburn at the time - now a physio for Boro

Now we went on to beat Darlington in the final who then went on to complain to the organiser that we were fielding "proper pros". Can you imagine a set of pro's rocking up for a local summer tournament these days.
 
I don't want to go off topic but I wish all pro footballers and managers would have to ref a few games. I've done it twice and I have so much respect for them. It's bloody hard!
 
jimharri said:
How many academy kids go on to make a career at the top levels of the game (PL/Championship)? 1 in 100? 1 in 200?
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Look at the City squad and there’s only Foden broke through. They’ve spent a fortune on the campus and I’m cynical as to how they find the next Aguero.
 
peoffrey said:
A lad from my first work was offered a contract at Walsall as an 18 year old but turned it down because he liked drinking, smoking and chasing the girls too much. What a wanker.
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met a few like that over the years,all the talent in the world but could really take it or leave it & never took it that seriously,each to their own i suppose...
 
Had trials for Sheffield Wednesday and Ipswich that's as far as I got. After my second trial with Ipswich and didnt make it I started to lose interest and ended up drinking the head of myself every weekend :)
 
I know off the top of my head four lads who turned their backs on football to be gangsters.
I once worked with Grant Holts brother who was regarded by everyone who knew them both as the better footballer. By his own admission he said he was a complete piss pot at the early age of sixteen and after cleaning first team players boots at Carlisle he would be in the pub straight after them.
They moved him to Bury to try and get him away from the drinking culture he was in.
At Bury he did exactly the same and ended up getting fucked off by them.
Another lad I know played for Salford City pre Neville & Co's takeover and Chorley. He then went to Fleetwood but fucked it off as he was homesick. He got put up with some old dear and did not like it. (Rooney would have loved it)
He still plays and regular gets double hat tricks playing Sunday league. Just did not have the commitment for full time.
 
I played for Stockport Reserves then Rochdale in the early/mid 90’s. Mainly reserves. Played about 20 first team matches For dale. I scored twice as “A Tralist” in the pink final!!! We were really shit. Only really big game I Was part of was a total thrashing at Liverpool in the cup. 7-0. I was the only squad member not to make the bench :( Dogger collymore scored about 5 I think. He was actually ok. Fowler was an arse hole. He barely could bring himself to shake hands with us. I got injured and was only on a month to month trialist contract. They didn’t let me access the physio because it was too expensive so they said get better and let us know. I didn't recover for months and by the time I had they weren’t interested. I played some none league after that and played some 2nd XI cricket before I realised I was shit at both football and cricket so became a pe teacher haha. I didn’t appreciate what I had at the time And was only young. Would love to go back in time with a bit more maturity and knowledge. “Nearly” playing in front of 30000 at Anfield was a bit of a buzz. It must have been terrifying to actually play. That’s the only Really big game I was part of. The fact it should of been 15-0 spoilt it a bit!!!! I played a few games with Paul moulden as well which for a city fan was ace. He was unbelievable in training but we weren’t good enough to get him the ball in games. The biggest crowd I played in was a benefit game for my mate who was a pro but got cancer. About 10000 at Birmingham playing for a midlands XI. That was pretty cool. Until I had to come off after crashing heads with Brian kilkline! Jesus that hurt
 
My uncle was a pro, was at Burnley late 60's top division, made 3 appearance's, debut at anfield, still very young but was in a very bad car crash, broke both legs, and that was the end of his career as a top level player. On his road to recovery he trained with City, so knew Bell, Lee, buzzer, Doyle etc

Had an offer to play in South Africa for Cape Town City and has been there ever since, been a coach, manager, and worked with players like Mark Fish, Lucas Radebe and others who ended up in the PL.
 
Lad was at city from 11 - 16 years old , he said it was quite clicky , Lee Croft being the best of the bunch that came out of there . Got released and went to Rochdale had one training session and said it wasn't for him , wish I'd had half is talent . Talks about now with a hint of regret .
 
Lad I know plays semi pro....he’s only 20 and loves the game getting called off it’s raining as he gets paid anyway, £200 per game.

He’s fit as a fiddle yet still often eats shit.....’Ronaldo doesn’t eat 2 pies for his dinner you know’ I remind him, frustrates me to fuck iih.....great opportunity but he’s simply not that arsed.
 
Was at Chester for a while when they were in old 4th division, used to clean Ian Rush’s boots!!, spent few years playing in welsh league, then mostly west Cheshire league, some really good sides around then, cammell lairds, Poulton Vics, Merseyside police to name a few
 
2 left feet, fucking rubbish so no but genuinely believe had i took my rugby league seriously i could have gone on to maybe have a career in the game. Alas birds and booze seemed far more important at the time.
 
Stuart Brightwell who I played with a few years ago was on the rags books but was let go at 19. Whenever, you ask him what it was like at utd when Slur Alex was in charge all he talks aboutis how many women he shagged and how much he drank. Wonder why he never got on.
 
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