Who did you play with or against in school or youth football who made it big time and what were they like as youngsters

[Pablo123]

That was an “L” not an “H” ;-)

And, she was a very good looker, as you know!

She certainly was , her Younger brother Gavin was in my form , we used to comment that his sister was a bit tasty

 

[ChicagoBlue]

Very impressive mate :)

Not really. I turned down a contract at Leeds to stay in school. They had 38 pros on their books, which meant between the First, Reserve and Youth Teams, there would have to be injuries for everyone to get a game every week, even at Youth Level!

I was fortunate, too, in that Jimmy Adamson, who started my career at Sunderland, took me to Leeds, where Dave Merrington took a shine to me and quickly moved me forward.

While I have been a Blue since the day I was born, I didn’t really like it that much at City Juniors. It was very cliquey and everyone sucked up to the few “known” names and some of them acted like stars when they were no-ones.

Sunderland was a great place. They took really good care of me financially, put me up in their “Player Hostel” on the waterfront, and the club itself seemed like a really nice, old school club.

Leeds was obviously much easier to get to on the weekends and I contemplated moving there at 16, as they found me a place to live, were going to accommodate my A Levels, and had already had me training with the First Team (and doing separate sessions with just me and Terry Connors), but when I turned down their contract offer they were quite unhappy!

From there, I went to Oldham, as they’d been calling and it was just down the street. It was alright, but felt like a distinct backwards step and cemented my view that I was going to Uni…which brought me to the States to play, which paid for school. Met my wife there, got drafted in the Pro Draft, played 3 yrs Pro after Uni, but realized it was still in its infancy, especially money wise, so got a job as a Financial Analyst with my Finance degree. That pretty much ended any serious thoughts about football, so it became more about playing for fun, although I’ll admit I made a few quid for some “cash in hand” appearances in tournaments and such. Even got a nice trip up to Canada out of that! ;-)

Career ended when I tore my right quad (still have a depression in it where it didn’t heal properly, because I didn’t have surgery) and from there I just concentrated on flying.

Et voila!

There are a million “almost” and “who knows what might have been?” football stories out there, so I’m by no means anything special in that regard. However, I do feel like IF the FA was not such a fucking insider, secret handshake society place, and I’d made the England Team when I was selected for, and went to, Lilleshall, I might have been “something,” as it would have felt like a springboard!

I worked my socks off, scored some great goals, and was on my best behavior, but it became clear VERY QUICKLY who the darlings were and I was a nobody from nowhere who didn’t have “people” there introducing me around, etc… The whole experience kind of soured me towards the business aspect of football, but to be fair, my Dad knowing a few people did help open a few doors for me, so it would be hypocritical of me to slag off the whole “friends and family” aspect to getting ahead.

So, in essence, that’s my “waaaay too much” story of life on the periphery of big time football, but, as I said, there are a million lads across the country (and probably on here) who have similar “brush with greatness” stories and mine is quite unremarkable. City-Sunderland-Leeds-Oldham (and even played a friendly game for Wigan!) could just as easily be Tranmere-Everton-Bolton-Wrexham for someone else!

Have made a better life, and probably much more money, following my own path outside of football. She is a cruel mistress and every player is one challenge away from the scrap heap. My old man, God rest his soul, played almost 20 yrs in and around the “almost REALLY made it” levels, and never came away with a penny from the game and that was a stark lesson for me. Never met a harder worker or a better striker. Malcolm Allison once said to him, “if I’d met you before you were 29, I’d have made you an England player!” Well, he did play for England Youth and got the cap and the works, but still ended up on the football scrap heap trying to make a crust well into his 30s, so no regrets on my part.

Life is good. Married 37 yrs (same woman!), 2 brilliant kids, a good living doing something I love, and a great set of siblings still in Manchester (going to Greece with my brother and his lovely wife later this year) and extended family.

In short, Bill Shankley was only partially correct! There ARE other things in life more important than football…but for the next 24 hours, there will not be many!!

 

[Pablo123]

Not really. I turned down a contract at Leeds to stay in school. They had 38 pros on their books, which meant between the First, Reserve and Youth Teams, there would have to be injuries for everyone Yo get a game every week, even at Youth Level!

I was fortunate, too, in that Jimmy Adamson, who started my career at Sunderland, took me to Leeds, where Dave Merrington took a shine to me and quickly moved me forward.

While I have been a Blue since that day I was born, I didn’t really like it that much at City. It was very cliquey and everyone sucked up to the few “known” names and some of them acted like stars when they were no-ones.

Sunderland was a great place. They took really good care of me financially, put me up in their “Player Hostel” on the waterfront, and the club itself seemed like a really nice, old school club.

Leeds was obviously much easier to get to on the weekends from school and I contemplated moving there at 16, as they found me a place to live, were going to accommodate my A Levels, and had already had me training with the First Team (and doing separate sessions with just me and Terry Connors), but when I turned down their contract offer they were quite unhappy!

From there, I went to Oldham, as they’d been calling and it was just down the street. It was alright, but felt like a distinct backwards step and cemented my view that I was going to Uni…which brought me to the States to play, which paid for school. Met my wife there, got drafted in the Pro Draft, played 3 yrs Pro after Uni, but realized it was still in its infancy, especially money wise, so got a job as a Financial Analyst with my Finance degree. That pretty much ended any serious thoughts about football, so it became more about playing for fun, although I’ll admit I made a few quid for some “cash in hand” appearances in tournaments and such. Even got a nice trip up to Canada out of that! ;-)

Career ended when I tore my right quad (still have a depression in it where it didn’t heal properly, because I didn’t have surgery) and from there I just concentrated on flying.

Et voila!

There are a million “almost” and “who knows what might have been?” football stories out there, so I’m by no means anything special in that regard. However, I do feel like IF the FA was not such a fuvking insuder

I think you honed your skills when a few of us used to leap over the fence at Seel Park until we got chased off : ))))

 

[wahablue]

Years back,as I am a FOC,David Connor and Alf Wood,two promising lads in the Manchester Boys team,and City.

 

[ChicagoBlue]

I think you honed your skills when a few of us used to leap over the fence at Seel Park until we got chased off : ))))

LOL!!

Ah, the good old days! It did help that we could literally be in the house before any old bugger chasing us off could have even made it to the goals at the school end!!!

Thanks for the happy memory! Good times!

 

[pride in battle]

Not really. I turned down a contract at Leeds to stay in school. They had 38 pros on their books, which meant between the First, Reserve and Youth Teams, there would have to be injuries for everyone Yo get a game every week, even at Youth Level!

I was fortunate, too, in that Jimmy Adamson, who started my career at Sunderland, took me to Leeds, where Dave Merrington took a shine to me and quickly moved me forward.

While I have been a Blue since that day I was born, I didn’t really like it that much at City. It was very cliquey and everyone sucked up to the few “known” names and some of them acted like stars when they were no-ones.

Sunderland was a great place. They took really good care of me financially, put me up in their “Player Hostel” on the waterfront, and the club itself seemed like a really nice, old school club.

Leeds was obviously much easier to get to on the weekends from school and I contemplated moving there at 16, as they found me a place to live, were going to accommodate my A Levels, and had already had me training with the First Team (and doing separate sessions with just me and Terry Connors), but when I turned down their contract offer they were quite unhappy!

From there, I went to Oldham, as they’d been calling and it was just down the street. It was alright, but felt like a distinct backwards step and cemented my view that I was going to Uni…which brought me to the States to play, which paid for school. Met my wife there, got drafted in the Pro Draft, played 3 yrs Pro after Uni, but realized it was still in its infancy, especially money wise, so got a job as a Financial Analyst with my Finance degree. That pretty much ended any serious thoughts about football, so it became more about playing for fun, although I’ll admit I made a few quid for some “cash in hand” appearances in tournaments and such. Even got a nice trip up to Canada out of that! ;-)

Career ended when I tore my right quad (still have a depression in it where it didn’t heal properly, because I didn’t have surgery) and from there I just concentrated on flying.

Et voila!

There are a million “almost” and “who knows what might have been?” football stories out there, so I’m by no means anything special in that regard. However, I do feel like IF the FA was not such a fucking insider, secret handshake society place, and I’d made the England Team when I was selected for, and went to, Lilleshall, I might have been “something,” as it would have felt like a springboard!

I worked my socks off, scored some great goals, and was on my best behavior, but it became clear VERY QUICKLY who the darlings were and I was a nobody from nowhere who didn’t have “people” there introducing me around, etc… The whole experience kind of soured me towards the business aspect of football, but to be fair, my Dad knowing a few people did help open a few doors for me, so it would be hypocritical of me to flag off the whole “friends and family” aspect to getting ahead.

So, in essence, that’s my “waaaay too much” story of life on the periphery of big time football, but, as I said, there are a million lads across the country (and probably on here) who have similar “brush with greatness” stories and mine is quite unremarkable. City-Sunderland-Leeds-Oldham (and even played a friendly game for Wigan!) could just as easily be Tranmere-Everton-Bolton-Wrexham for someone else!

Have made a better life, and probably much more money, following my own path outside of football. She is a cruel mistress and every player is one challenge away from the scrap heap. My old man, God rest his soul, played almost 20 yrs in and around the “almost REALLY made it” levels, and never came away with a penny from the game and that was a stark lesson for me. Never met a harder worker or a better striker. Malcolm Allison once said of him, “if I’d met you before you were 29, I’d have made you an England player!” Well, he did play for England Youth and got the cap and the works, but still ended up on the football scrap heap trying to make a crust well into his 30s, so no regrets on my part.

Life is good. Married 37 yrs (same woman!), 2 brilliant kids, a good living doing something I love, and a great set of siblings still in Manchester (going to Greece with my brother and his lovely wife later this year) and extended family.

In short, Bill Shankley was only partially correct! There ARE other things in life more important than football…but for the next 24 hours, there will not be many!!

You still did a hell of a lot more than the millions of people who play and love the game...thanks for that, I enjoyed reading "your" story :)

 

[ChicagoBlue]

I know so many lads who's lives took a turn for the worse after being released! One lad who was released from United cuz school told them he was failing maths. I can't see the link myself but it ruined his prospect in life!

Anyway great story about nearly playing with Phill! Bet he would have run rings around you!

If you were on schoolboy forms, the schools (and the school football system) owned you! I was in Sunderland one week and was told that if I didn’t report back to Manc for a representative game, I’d never play at Sunderland again! I ended up in a taxi about an hour later, caught a midnight train to Crewe, was picked up and driven to a house to sleep and played the next morning….which was about 5 hrs later!!

It was absolute bollocks, but it was just the way it was.

 

[ChicagoBlue]

Yeah, it reminds me a lot of people who go in to try and join the army. Not the front lines or anything, just literally any part in the army.

I had a mate at university who was so set on joining the marching bands and them who do Trooping of the Colour, wear the bearskins, etc. that he put all his eggs in that basket. He was a euphonium and tuba player. Anyway, they initially rejected him twice because he had an Asperger's diagnosis from when he was 4 years old.

That would have destroyed him - his only other income at the time was a zero hours shift at the Post Office - but thankfully his GP managed to get the diagnosis off his record and he was accepted when he applied a third time. Now he lives in barracks in Twickenham and has done Trooping of the Colour once and has done more Changings of the Guard than he can count.

Glad he got to live his dream! Awesome!

 

[ChicagoBlue]

Yeah think that was her name.

Are you another of us AGS lads?

He’s a top Top Mossley lad…and a relative. Sound as a pound!

 

[ChicagoBlue]

My claim to fame is that I met a chap in a pub whose uncle sat on bus next to a cleaner who once worked for a Firm that had bid for the contract cleaning of the toilets in a pub near Maine Road rumored to be once used by a relative of Mike Doyle's.

Knew his brother’s girlfriend’s cousin…twice removed! ;-)