And so in the space of 90 minutes, on a cold Manchester evening, we saw our dreams of the FA Cup disappear for another twelve months. The performance itself wasn’t too bad, for all the chances created we still didn’t really threaten, but that’s my only real negative. Aside from that, a huge positive has to be the performances of our full backs, Dan Potts and Jordan Spence. Both academy graduates and youngsters nurtured by our club.
Whereas before the line-ups were announced a lot of us were guessing and naming our sides for the tie, much of the feedback about playing the youngsters was cautious. The more negative amongst us saw this as being a possible mistake. The opinions were, if we took a hammering from a rampant Manchester United side, Spence and Potts may have struggled to recover due to age and inexperience. This fortunately was not the case. As noted previously, both put in strong performances, but it brings me on to my points.
Until the concerned comments were made, I’d never really thought of how derisory comments could affect a players’ performance, be it from the press or the terraces. Nor, how it could affect their state of mind. Currently on our books we have Mark Noble, James Tomkins, Danny Potts, Jordan Spence and the recently returning Joe Cole, who all came through our academy. Other players who have include the Ferdinands, Frank Lampard, Michael Carrick and Jermain Defoe amongst others. Whilst they’re out being hero worshipped and living the dream, they’re also under a microscope and enormous pressure from a young age. With undoubted talent being blessed on young footballers, it is always worth noting that these youngsters have to soak up attention. With progress being made within all professional football clubs, and our academy one of the most recognised in the country, it’s about time we congratulated and respected the guys behind the scenes. Be it Tony Carr or the unnamed sports psychiatrists, to keep a youngster level-headed and successful is no mean feat.
This unfortunately is currently being made more and more difficult. Now there is more money involved in the game, players are being treated less like people and more like commodities. If a player is out injured, often, instead of finding a replacement within the club, the perfect replacement will be purchased. Where on the face of things this is exciting for the fans as it seems the club is ambitious, the knock-on effect for the prospective replacement AND injured party is unknown.
This week saw Michael Johnson end his Manchester City career end. Predicted a glittering career and to be ‘The new Colin Bell’ in many experts eyes, Johnson tried to overcome injuries. Unfortunately, his talent has been wasted as injuries struck at a time when money was coming into his club. Whereas many will not sympathise with him after he had his contract paid off, Johnson has been suffering in silence for many years. With news of his contract termination being leaked, Johnson asked for privacy to deal with mental illness and to live the rest of his life.
Whether he ever manages to return in any capacity to the game, remains to be seen. How much of a contributing factor football has been to his illness is also unknown, but when we look for a quick fix in the transfer market it does beg the question of how important the signing is.
It’s also time that we took into account the hard work done behind the scenes by the unsung heroes who nurture the young players and bring them through the academies.
Mental health is still an off-limits subject within football. John Gregory, when manager of Aston Villa, did not help the situation with misinformed comments aimed at the plight of Stan Collymore. With West Ham’s own Matt Jarvis trying to break one taboo by appearing on the cover of a gay magazine, it would be nice to think that in 2013 players like Johnson don’t have to suffer in silence, and that depression, along with all linked illnesses within football, can be mentioned without fear of ridicule.
Regards,
Smudgy
@TheRobTaylor32
