Michael Johnson.....

[BoyBlue_1985]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tsZzkxGs9hM[/youtube]

 

[mad zab]

Wasted his football career at City good player on is day.Its a shame we gave him a 5 year contract coz he wasnt worth it.

Have to disagree with you.

He was worth it at he time, and we did it to fend off teams like Liverpool.

Just sorry to see how it has all ended.

 

[taconinja]

Do not be so sure its easy to lose a couple million on one bad drunken night at the crap tables. Ask Allen Iverson or Michael Jordan you forget these guys are not educated they think it will last forever. If he is drinking and gambling I would say that he is most likely broke or near enough there already.

To be fair, Michael Jordan despite leaving after his sophomore year had a decent education at his university. Iverson I grant like many others was simply there to play the sport before going to a professional league. Your point otherwise is something I generally agree with.

Agreed im not using them as examples of a lack of education but as an example of how easy it is to lose millions in one night. Granted unlike Johnson these guys pockets are much deeper so they bounced back. But that £25 000 a week Johnson was on does not last long when you drinking and gambling and pissing it down the toilet.

Yeah there's a not completely unfounded theory about Michael Jordan that his dad was killed because of the huge gambling debts he had racked up and that his stint playing baseball was in reality due to a suspension by the NBA because he had been caught gambling on his own games by the league. It's amazing how much of a mess a person can make of their own life even with the crazy money they might be bringing in.

 

[teddykgb]

Still hard to criticize him after reading Lake's biography. Although Lake was ultimately done in by his physical injuries, he goes into great detail about the depression of having the entire world ripped out from under you at a young age. It's not hard to see how a young man could turn to alcohol in those situations and make a bad situation worse. Of course we'd all like to think we'd appreciate the opportunity and double down on our efforts, but it seems like the outcome here is more tragic than the complete waste of talent some want to make it out to be.

 

[omcfc]

I think he is the probverbial case of the guy who had it all but just didn't realise it until it was too late.

I mean it's winning the lottery isn't it? Being born with great footballing talent, getting a place with a big team, making league cup appearances, ready to work hard and emerge onto the English footballing stage.

I guess you need a jot of discipline too or it means diddly squat.

 

[BoyBlue_1985]

To be fair, Michael Jordan despite leaving after his sophomore year had a decent education at his university. Iverson I grant like many others was simply there to play the sport before going to a professional league. Your point otherwise is something I generally agree with.

Agreed im not using them as examples of a lack of education but as an example of how easy it is to lose millions in one night. Granted unlike Johnson these guys pockets are much deeper so they bounced back. But that £25 000 a week Johnson was on does not last long when you drinking and gambling and pissing it down the toilet.

Yeah there's a not completely unfounded theory about Michael Jordan that his dad was killed because of the huge gambling debts he had racked up and that his stint playing baseball was in reality due to a suspension by the NBA because he had been caught gambling on his own games by the league. It's amazing how much of a mess a person can make of their own life even with the crazy money they might be bringing in.

The man is worth $500 million

 

[Ladybarn Blue .]

I remember seeing MJ when he came on against Scunthorpe(?) in the League Cup under Hughes. He looked like somebody had blown him up with a bicycle pump, but he still had a productive cameo and scored a great goal, though I thought he looked embarrassed as the other players congratulated him afterwards (sign of what was to come?)

Sometimes we take for granted the need for mental strength in whatever we do, whether it's working to get back fit at the start of a Premier League career, or learning how to wire the plugs as a budding 'sparky'. There are all sorts of reasons people go off the rails, even with strong parenting, friendships and so on.

I hope MJ has had a decent rep/adviser behind him who's put some of that £25,000/week away as a 'nest egg' and that he finds the mental strength and guidance to wipe the slate clean and embark on a worthwhile venture.

I pray that he does so; I'll never forget the joy of seeing that local lad score those blinders under Sven.

Good luck Michael.

Hear hear , might i suggest we leave the lad alone please.

I for one am getting no pleasure in seeing his appearance but please not another Gasgcoine etc etc .

Would the lad not be a perfect client of Tony Adams in his clinic.

He needs some help , yes even more help than he has had already .

Once a blue always a blue !! remember .

He is one of ours , sorry we have made him the way he is
now ( pressure expectations etc etc ), just get behind him or go and laugh somewhere else .

He could be your son , brother or friend .

I have a very good friend that attends Audley Court , joint services medical re-habilition in Shropshire , even after 30 years he still needs help , infact he went away this Xmas to give his family a break .

 

[didactic]

To be fair, Michael Jordan despite leaving after his sophomore year had a decent education at his university. Iverson I grant like many others was simply there to play the sport before going to a professional league. Your point otherwise is something I generally agree with.

Agreed im not using them as examples of a lack of education but as an example of how easy it is to lose millions in one night. Granted unlike Johnson these guys pockets are much deeper so they bounced back. But that £25 000 a week Johnson was on does not last long when you drinking and gambling and pissing it down the toilet.

Yeah there's a not completely unfounded theory about Michael Jordan that his dad was killed because of the huge gambling debts he had racked up and that his stint playing baseball was in reality due to a suspension by the NBA because he had been caught gambling on his own games by the league. It's amazing how much of a mess a person can make of their own life even with the crazy money they might be bringing in.

Yea I heard that and that his name was too big and too powerful to drag into the mud so they used the "baseball" angle to get him help as well as suspend him without the press coverage. He was betting $1 000 000 a hole on rounds of golf.

 

[WNRH]

Jack Wilshere had a serious injury that kept him out for 18 months, did he at any stage even put on an ounce of weight during his rehabilitation process? No because he dedicated his life to getting back onto that pitch and respected the club and the fans who pays his wages.

Using Jack Wilshere as a shining example of how to behave when injured is laughable. He's as well known in certain parts of London for being a pisshead (at the very least) as Johnson is in Manchester. And an obnoxious, violent and cowardly excuse for a pisshead at that.

Laughable? hahahahaha, Jack Wilshere is that much of a pisshead and is so unprofessional that after 18 months of being out with a serious injury, not only is he back playing but he has been Arsenal's best player this season and will walk into the England squad. Correct me if i am wrong but i never saw pictures of Jack Wilshere putting on 2-3 stone of weight because he was out injured?

I also don't believe during his rehabilitation he was out most nights till the early hours drinking, gambling and ending the night with a donner kebab before not getting out of bed for work in the morning.

So yes, Jack Wilshere is a shining example of how a young player with the world at his feet
should behave and apply himself in his work when he is out of action for a very long time regarldess of whether he is a nasty so or so when out and about.

 

[Mad Eyed Screamer]

I'd like to think maybe the media can look at this scenario and refrain from the endless building up of young players - the new George Best, the new Ryan Giggs, the new Colin Bell, etc etc etc
let the young players become themselves rather than yesterday's hero....

but I somehow think I am wasting a bit of cyber space in typing this.....

Shame he went out via the back door....... best wishes to him.
With all the planned academy development how about seeing if he'd like to get involved there somehow?

Im not sure he would be the right sort of role model for the kids would he mate ? In terms of ability though im sure he would be able to help in some way or another.

I wasn't really thinking of him being a role model (I hate that term! lol) more just getting involved in coaching and that side of it.
Of course, coaching isn't for every ex player but it's still away to get involved in the game, or like Lakey did, train to become a physio.
That is where the PFA should be helping him to retrain in a new career that is still involved in the game.