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in May 26th you did a famous tweet I'll speak soon with no filter you ready to
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speak 100 and seismic news for the Premier League football is brutal that 15 is being
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rejected at Leicester 18 I got towards got a squad number took the pictures I'll know where the club says and I'll
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look into sign you no more you have scoliosis in your back it hasn't affected your game Tony I'm a Tony I
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don't feel like as Ivan Tony has won his first England caller you missed out on the final World
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Cup squad do you know why the allegations somebody's out to get me to stop me from playing finger Ivan Tony
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has been suspended for eight months with breaching at betting rules I read the whole fa report you acknowledge that you
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lied in that meeting with the FX I didn't lie I just couldn't really remember you admit to 232 breaches
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destroy those I didn't do vital responsibility so the whole process could be cleared up but the bit I to
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struggle with is that using someone else to do the best you'd said to give me I
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can't have that one in my name bets for your team to lose it's a bigger story
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what impact was it having on your life with me I never saw nothing I'm not sure
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emotions that's been times I've just I'm in a room on my own Just Looking Into
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Thin Air and just we're gonna get back to football clubs are gonna come knocking the next Club
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I'll go to if I was to move it would be before this episode starts I have a small favor to ask from you two months
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ago 74 of people that watch this channel didn't subscribe we're now down to 69 my
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goal is 50 so if you've ever liked any of the videos we've posted if you like
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this channel can you do me a quick favor and hit the Subscribe button it helps this channel more than you know and the
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bigger the channel gets as you've seen the bigger the guests get thank you and
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enjoy this episode [Music] foreign [Music] I always believe that to understand a
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person you have to understand their earliest years I kind of see our earliest years as the like oven that
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we're formed in so if I if if you take me back to your earliest years what do I
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need to know about you to understand the man you are today what were the characteristics of that environment that
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shaped you just out the front of where lives like on the front is a park unlike the older guys will just be out the
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front playing and that's me at like seven eight trying to get involved and these guys are like 15 16 and they were
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playing rough no matter if you're eight nine ten trying to play with us play with them they're gonna be rough so
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that kind of helped me into today's game how I am now progressed a lot quicker and like even
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when I was like 16 breaking through Northampton I kind of had that bashing around at a young age by the older guys
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so being 16 getting Bust Around by men let's say I was kind of like used to it
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what about hard work what was your were you a hard-working man at that age in terms of running and I I never liked
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running I was always the lazy one at the back of the at the back of the group because I knew when it's time to get on
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the pitch I would score goals but like we all know hard work beats Talent when talent
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doesn't work hard so it's like kind of like if you've got the talent and you
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can work on the hard work and put them both together then you give yourself the best chance of
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becoming a top athlete and you and you put the work in to improve that part of your
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game and attitude yeah I had to because there was when I was training like when I was at
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Leicester I got told I wasn't getting a scholarship there so then I went to I
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didn't really wanna play football as much because being rejected at Leicester is kind of like
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okay let me just chill for now but then like my parents just like go to go to Northampton because that was
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a game that we played Northampton when I was at Leicester and then I think the Phantom said if anybody gets released
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from them let us know I think Lester must have put me in touch with Northampton and I was kind of like
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I'm in an hour and about going but then I ended up going and it was kind of like
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everybody's playing for scholarship and then it was like on the last day everybody already knows again a
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scholarship and I was the only one that wasn't told so everyone is in the dressing room
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talking ah we've got scholarship scholarship and I'm there still on trial thinking
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when am I getting told and it wasn't until the next morning on the meeting like the first meeting of all the
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scholarship players joined up I got a phone call and said he's got a scholarship we'd like him to
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come down and I think that point was kind of like okay I got scholarship this is my chance
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now but there was a moment there where you were because of the rejection from Leicester you were considering
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doing something else with your life yeah I feel like nobody likes rejection like being rejected it's not the best
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feeling and it being like basically you're not good enough to be playing football how I saw it you're not
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good enough to be playing football even though it was just I'm not good enough for Leicester I might be good
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enough somewhere else somebody else might value what my quality is a lot more than Lester did have to see that in
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the moment though yeah it's very hard it's very hard and how old 16s was like
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15 15 yeah that's kind of like you don't want it you don't you want that rejection again it's like a kind of
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fear of getting that again then when I do like I said when I got the scholarship on what's new
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it wasn't happening again because your journey through football just generally has been a real climb
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you know it's been a real real climb like and also reflect on the fact that most so many kids at that age 16 years
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old they get they get a rejection and they don't bounce back from it and if they don't make it to the very top
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they'll often take that badly and pursue a different career path but you're rejected at 16
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you persevered you got into the team at Northampton you made a good um good impression there and then
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eventually you end up at Newcastle at what 19 18. 18 years old how was that experience
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it was crazy first time away from home at such a young age 18 is like and as well you thought he was a man
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like from League two there was talks of you going to a Premier League team and like
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I would never in the Northampton changing feel like I was a man like there was talks going
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on but nothing's done until it's done so it's kind of like actually before I
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was going to Newcastle I was supposed to go to wolves right but I've got there I've got tools
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um I've met everybody winning the change rooms got my number on uh took the pictures
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they come to the contract side and then I think that was a bit of talk with my agent and the club
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on certain things and then it related back to us and I was all just confused me my family didn't know what was going
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on and then I don't know where the club come out and said um we're not looking to sign you no more
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due to you having scoliosis in your back so we just think it was so confused from
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getting the squad number meeting all the players meeting all the staff and then for them to come out and say
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your scoliosis in your in your back we wasn't we're not looking to sign you
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it's kind of like is that really the reason is there more behind it but then
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be from having to go back to Northampton like I've said my goodbyes at Northampton and I'm supposed to be
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concerning the Wolves then the next day I'm back in Northampton and training
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with the boys everybody's like what's happening and when I just sat me down and said listen
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don't dwell on that I'm sure other things will come and come into place and
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I think a few weeks later new class we're interested in I went there scoliosis in your back what
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is scoliosis and were they aware that you had scoliosis I thought there was aware because before
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we set up to see a specialist because they they I feel like that wanted to know what was going on
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how bad it was because I think it was certain scoliosis it stops you from walking at a certain age and just gets
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worse and worse but I feel like I would be busy especially she said you'd be lucky to be walking at
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28 still really yeah and then I was just like it doesn't really register like you think at the
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time at 18 I'm thinking well I'm fine now I'm I'm enjoying football now so
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it's that really registered but being 27. closer to 28 you kind of think well
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I'm strong fit and healthy food continuously so what is scoliosis where your back's not straight
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It's like got a slack yeah yeah hasn't affected your game I don't feel
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like it has and you know going back to moving to Newcastle it's like going from League two to Premier league
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is crazy like as soon as since I went there I don't know fancy you get recognized but it's not crazy
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and then go into their Newcastle I'm in the hotel everybody's recognizing me straight away
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it's like a crowd outside the hotel waiting to see me and it's kind of like
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this is what happened so fast you're away from home as well away from home bam a long way as well
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what you what are you feeling when Newcastle make that phone call and they they say they're interested in you and
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then you move there what does it feel like as an 18 year old because I can only imagine I was I was always playing
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football when I was younger I was always hoping a little bit to be a football I knew I wasn't good enough but you know
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I'm going with that whole got injured at 16. yeah he's crazy he is crazy he
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this is so exciting like you want to tell everybody you want to say I'm going here tomorrow yeah I'm
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going here I'm going here but with me how I am nothing's done till it's done
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especially after the Wolves stuff yeah like that was on the back of my mind so I'm thinking right just wait until it's
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all sorted then you can tell everyone well I'm so excited I want to tell this person that person this is
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something so yeah it was it was crazy my head was all over the place I'm thinking
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I'm actually going to the Premier League like I've made it I'm here but little did I know is how far if I
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made it what happened I feel like when you take that step you get you get noticed more
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you get more money and just just do silly things like like you get mixed in the wrong crowd
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going out and buying things you wouldn't normally Buy just a bit naive and it's as well being away from
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my family although they kept on telling me don't do nothing silly look after
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your money this and that you're gonna think okay but they're not here to
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control what I've got hold of right now I can spend it on this I can spend on
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that like you just do things like I said things you never normally do like we're
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getting personal shoppers to come to the house and you don't think I'll go to the shop and
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buy yourself stuff if you want to do that so it's like these kind of things but
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yeah I think it didn't come at me fast I wouldn't say that I'd say just like a surprise kind
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of thing like like I said I thought I'd made it so whatever happens I'm fine I'm in the
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Premier League what was the advice that you needed at that point that you didn't get like if
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you could go back now and have a chat with Ivan and say listen bro you arrive at Newcastle that day and you get a
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chance just to say a couple of things to him what'd you say I'll sit down and
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have a long chat with him it would be a long chat no I think I'll just say like this is
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where the hard work starts it's not finished you're not you can't pull it on
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cruise control you got to go to exit gear like yeah I'm at a Premier League club
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but I haven't played yet I've not got continuous games under my belt to be saying okay I'm a premier
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league player now so it's like I'd say to yeah a younger Ivan or anybody that's in that situation go and
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doing such a big jump to say that's when the hard work starts were you in cruise control do you think
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yeah yeah if if I even was moving I'd probably put a handbrake on really yeah
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I just thought I'm Premier League now as well you've seen all the big boys
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like literally training there it's like yeah I'm here now and you play two games before they
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loaned you out yeah come off the bench twice against United and Chelsea and then you went on quite a long loan spell
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Barnsley Shrewsbury Wiggins gunthorpe when you find out you're getting loaned
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out how do you receive that as a player I've always wondered this when you're a
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young player in the club big you're in the Premier League because I think there's a lot about Manchester United as
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a big fan we always low now are like younger ads and I wonder how how that's
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positioned to you as a player and how you receive it it's not the best feeling okay because
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at the time it's kind of like I want you know I'm here like I'm here now you want to send me away
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like yeah and you got the personal shopper coming over exactly yeah yeah so I need to I need to sort some things out
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to me come in Shrewsbury yeah I don't think you'll travel that far But now y'all I feel like like it's at
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that age you don't really think what you're gonna learn for I mean first team experience is
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this is probably the best at that age as well and like knowing that because I feel like I just specter
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Houston football is cool like tick attacker pretty football then go into League one like I said on loan
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you're gonna get bashed around so you need to be ready for that physical battle
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and I feel like going online definitely help me looking back now it helped me a lot but at the time I was thinking I
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don't need to go and learn I'm ready to be playing in the Premier League I feel
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like from Young I've always had that that my dad always told me no matter where you are if you have that mentality
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that you're a premier league player but at the moment you're just on League one
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that's fine but if you don't have that mentality that I'm a premier league player so I don't
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need to try here then it's not going to work out so it doesn't matter where you are if you have the
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mentality I should be playing in the Prem but right now I'm playing here that's fine
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and I feel like you you go you go a Long Way to the where I am now um I'm feeling playing
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that bit of device that my dad gave me was very key when you went off on loan and
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they say okay you're leaving Newcastle now does that take you out of cruise control and into like I've got something
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to prove again it should it should have it did but it didn't really because I
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always believed that no matter what happened where I went I'm going back to Newcastle
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so no matter if I played didn't play at all or played rubbish I'm going back to
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Newcastle back to the Premier League but not knowing the effects that could have
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well it did have in the end even though I think all the clubs I went to about one
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hour I left goal scorer but it was like I could have looking back I feel like I could have went that
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extra step further yeah scunthorpe united six girls and 15 appearances showed a huge promise while you're on
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your loan spells as a prolific goal scorer and then at 22 years old you transferred to Peterborough United
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after failing to secure a regular place at Newcastle now that that must have been an interesting moment because
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that's kind of like another knock back in it goes back to like Lester the Leicester rejection and stuff that's
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like another step down you've made it to the Prem and now you've got to take a step down
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yeah it was a must not actually not I wouldn't say a massive not not back it
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was a knockback but it was kind of like maybe a not back I needed at the time because like I remember sitting down
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with my dad and my agent at the time and saying listen like me me and my dad are brutal whoever
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we work with we want not we want the honest honest truth no matter if they say we don't want him he's not good enough
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for us I'd rather my agent tell me that but how the relationship was that the
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agent with my agent at the time it kind of sugarcoat things right so meanwhile that kind of had to get out of
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him what did the club say like just tell us be honest and his words were the club
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don't think you're good enough already at the time at this moment in time
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so it's kind of like in my head it's like okay fine no problem it's time for
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me to go elsewhere then regroup restart it wasn't like I was too old it was just it was just uh
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not back and set back that like I said at the time probably needed to kick start my journey again do you think
00:17:55
Newcastle were right in saying that um possibly like don't get me wrong you go to a great Club they had some they've
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had some great players in doing very well at the moment but I feel like I didn't really have
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a chance in the first team to prove if I was good good enough I feel personally anyway I know too far
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at the time was when Newcastle were fighting to stay stay up in the Premier League when Rafa Benitez
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first come in oh yeah so it's kind of understandable you wanted these players uh
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try and keep them up we wanted to experience and stuff more than like to be given youth younger
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players a chance and stuff is that what you're saying yeah I feel like I mean
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you can't really put so much responsibility on you players or young players to keep you up in the Premier
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League it's such a big ask but I feel like maybe The Following Season it was kind of like
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could he get a Sniff and I think he kind of was it is his own players in them and
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done his own own thing which is that's football so if you go to Peterborough
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um you're close to your family at this point yeah yeah oh Mommy's boy at Art so
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I leave my mum around close and did it change your attitude moving to Peterborough unlike this whole cruise
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control thing yeah he did and especially when I went to first went to Peterborough
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I wasn't playing at the first I'd say 10 games the strikers out in front of me it was
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scoring every game assistant playing well but the manager at the time Steve Evans
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was just saying the warrior trance will come and when your chance comes it's up to you to take
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it a new trance came yeah and then took it uh yeah 100 took it he scored 24 goals
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in 32 League One games at Peterborough which is insane yeah yeah like well like the competitions all over the field but
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especially as as a striker you need to you drop the school goals and especially when the other two scoring goes if you
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get a one Sniff and you don't score you'll back out again and it gives him
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another opportunity the director of football at Peterborough said you were an incredibly hard worker
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he also said you were their best defender because you headed away nine out of ten Corners
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I feel like yeah them games I kind of had a magnet on my head that was just bringing the vote towards me but yeah
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now I think the hard work as well like when I'm loved by a manager I feel like I'm a
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club I feel like it's in me to want to give back I want to do a lot of things
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for like run for a brick wall four the manager that's wanted me in this position did they become like proxy
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father figures to you in that regard because you're clearly a man that's
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close to your father did they kind of you see what I'm saying is that is it a
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similar relationship like uh where you want to do them proud when I first signed a piece with Steve
00:21:05
Evans like the first time you spoke to me he was just it was like a friend like a
00:21:10
normal chat even though you got the respect as a manager but he was saying listen I want you to come in school
00:21:15
girls and go go go how like the goal just go for us benefits you and us because we're
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going to go higher and you're going to go out so it's a win-win and I think
00:21:28
him putting an arm around me at that time knowing I've come from a Premier League club
00:21:34
and saying it's not really not back this is where you kicks out your journey
00:21:39
again having that I think definitely helped me and didn't you have I read somewhere
00:21:46
that you had a agreement with them like a verbal agreement that if a bigger Club
00:21:48
came knocking they wouldn't stand in your way Peterborough that probably was a verbal agreement but
00:21:54
if anybody knows the fee of a fever staff and the owners and therefore we have different ideas but I mean yeah I
00:22:02
guess when I did go that was the right timing like every every player thinks when there's a
00:22:08
move on the cars you want to try and rush it through and if things aren't right they're not right
00:22:13
for a reason like you can't rush good things good things aren't rust I think at the time that was a chance I
00:22:20
could have went to somewhere I try and rush it through and it was like don't
00:22:23
worry oh really so there was office from other clubs there was office from other
00:22:25
clubs yeah but big clubs um biggest at a time okay Championship clubs yeah Championship clubs and he was
00:22:32
saying just just be patient you're gonna get a better club and I'm just there like not
00:22:39
kick him out I'm not throwing my toys out of the problem just be like wow it's
00:22:42
just a chance to move now who used to know what can happen blah blah and then I ended up staying in
00:22:49
and I went to Brentford which was probably the best choice in the end and around this time I
00:22:55
mean just before then 21 years old you become a father for the first time yeah I mean that's that's as well what
00:23:01
helps me Kickstart My Journeys as well because I feel like I've got people to provide for
00:23:09
um I have expensive taste as well so it's either choosing my expensive taste
00:23:14
for my family so if I could school goals and help both then it's perfect so I think that's what
00:23:22
helped me pick things up and I had to provide for people does that Focus you because I'm not a
00:23:28
dad yet but it's around the corner for me I'm sure um does that Focus your priorities in a
00:23:33
sense like does it make because I speak to my mates who have always had kids and
00:23:37
they almost described that moment when their baby first comes they kind of see the world differently and they're like
00:23:42
responsibilities differently and stuff 100 100 like you can't do the things you
00:23:48
normally do you have to think baby first in all aspects did it make your game better 100
00:23:55
yeah yeah 100 definitely how it's in like I want to make him proud so when he's older that's my dad he's done
00:24:04
this he's doing this this is this so it's kind of like a pride thing as well
00:24:08
as wanting to do well for my family and have a better better lifestyle for everybody not just me and my people
00:24:17
provide for when did you find out that Brentford are interested it was actually training at St George's
00:24:23
Park yeah uh with Peterborough and there's talks of going here there and I was kind of like
00:24:32
I'm gonna know him just like yeah when it's when it's something concrete then
00:24:37
let me know right now I just want to focus on training hard because it's easy to if you let us stray
00:24:45
when this club's interested in you this club's interesting you hear loads of
00:24:48
things but then nothing's concrete like this is all well and good he's looking at you
00:24:54
he's looking at you but this time I'm not a kid no more when they want me and
00:24:58
put a bidding then we can start talking was hearing they're interested what does
00:25:04
that mean that doesn't mean nothing like everybody can be interested but nobody
00:25:09
wants you yeah yeah so when Brentford come along and I was I was interested and actually put a bid in
00:25:14
that's great it's like okay I spoke to the manager he kind of it was straightforward and said you're
00:25:22
gonna come in and be the main man we want you to be starting every game and school goals and
00:25:28
do your job then either take us up or go to a go to a higher Club so you get that call from Brentford they
00:25:37
put a bid in you speak to the manager Thomas Frank yes and Thomas says listen you're going to be on number one
00:25:45
I think it was a no-brainer I think I did speak to other clubs um actually I went into Rangers oh nice
00:25:53
spoke with uh the manager there which is Steven Gerard at the time and Manchester United did you speak to
00:26:01
yeah they said I wasn't good enough yeah I went to I went to um went to Rangers
00:26:10
we spoke a bit but then they said I was like twos of those two strikes at the time
00:26:17
and then I was looking to get another one in so it would have been like four strikes I think and I think the
00:26:21
formation they played majority of the time one strike at top so you would have been like third choice or something yeah
00:26:26
something like this but and then uh we went to Celtic we spoke to Celtic and I think it was like
00:26:33
the same there I'm one of three strikes or something like this and I think at the time of when it was I was moving
00:26:42
I wanted to be like the main guy like I think the crucial thing for me is playing games
00:26:49
even though I backed myself on competing with other Strikers but I honestly know
00:26:53
that when I go in what first first through the door on the main man up front and it's up to me to keep my
00:27:00
position I feel like when I went to uh when I spoke to the manager at Brentford he pretty much
00:27:06
said you're the main guy and I don't see nobody taking your spot so you make sure you produce produce the
00:27:15
goods and it feels really you you've worked a lot of clubs um you've played a lot of different
00:27:21
clubs brunfield are special they're really really special because they are based on their resources they are
00:27:27
objectively over achieving in a really really significant way um what is it about Brentford from your
00:27:35
experience that is make what is that magic that they have hard work plain and simple hard work
00:27:42
like we're not the best technically gifted team we have some magicians in the team but other than
00:27:50
that it's just hard work I mean and we fear nobody we respect them we don't fear them
00:27:57
so when we go to the let's say I'm filled away or Chelsea aware of these kind of games
00:28:05
we know they're probably on paper better than us got some big names and this and
00:28:09
that but if at the end of the day the main thing that wins the games is hard work and a little bit of quality I
00:28:17
guess putting the hole in the back of the net and I feel like throughout the throughout the club everybody knows what
00:28:24
the manager wants you have to you have to you have to be willing to run for your teammate plus
00:28:29
your left first your right and the fans and everybody and everybody knows the responsibility they have
00:28:35
on their shoulders when they step onto the pitch so I think that's that's probably what's
00:28:40
brought us to where and how well we're doing at the moment and even like at the moment the team
00:28:46
playing without me I hear and people say oh drinking breakfast we're going to be
00:28:51
like this now you're not playing this and that I don't think in no they're not
00:28:55
gonna struggle because they work hard and when you work hard you give yourself the best chance
00:29:02
of winning the game and I I know deep down Brentford would be fine with or without me
00:29:08
well you've played a lot of clubs right so you can kind of compare and contrast
00:29:11
is there anything else other than just that work ethic that you've noticed is
00:29:15
just different at Brentford so you've got super hard work is there anything else their approach to things
00:29:21
or the strategy or the way that they I feel like they're to govern this as well
00:29:25
how everybody's like everybody talk to everyone I've been at clubs where it's
00:29:29
like a certain groups it there certain groups that they're like everybody's divided
00:29:34
it's like but it's not that rental everybody makes it to everybody how you got people
00:29:39
of Spanish Danish which is majority of the club at the moment um English and everything and everybody
00:29:48
just mix it together so it's not like oh let me where my friends where should
00:29:54
I sit down at lunch you just get your lunch sit down here you talk with forever and the manager
00:30:01
that comes from him I feel like he makes sure that togetherness and humbleness like there's no
00:30:08
nobody at the club thinks they're better than nobody like even last season I scored 20 goals I was I
00:30:14
wasn't about nobody I Was the Same the person that doesn't really play too
00:30:18
much they're not less of a person than me we're all the same we'll in it together
00:30:25
so I feel like that comes from the manager and his philosophy at the club and how he wants things to be run what
00:30:31
are the things that you often think with managers and CEOs and stuff like there's
00:30:34
they have their like core principles which you just get bored of hearing because they say over and over and over
00:30:40
and over again what are those things that he just repeats over and over and over again togetherness yeah humble yeah
00:30:46
an attitude and I guess he polices that pretty yeah all the time it's all over the club it's
00:30:54
all in the meetings which is probably why like I said we do we're doing so well
00:31:02
as a club and as a whole whole unit what's the what's the dressing room the
00:31:09
training ground dressing room culture like I can ask this because I've spoken to so
00:31:14
many players at United in particular and especially in the Fergie areas they always talk about the like the
00:31:19
self-policing culture in the dressing room you know like what's that like versus other clubs yeah it's like like I
00:31:27
said it's yeah it's good there's other clubs I've been at has it's been good as
00:31:31
well but not how it is in Brentford I feel like Brentford is probably one of the best
00:31:35
dressings I've been in in terms of everybody knows that drill everybody knows that position everybody's helping
00:31:44
others like everybody's just like the respect if something's on the floor tidy
00:31:48
pick up pull in there like them kind of things is key if you want to be achieving something big and I feel like
00:31:57
with that in the change room as well as in the gym or in the in the dinner is key and everybody's up for everybody
00:32:07
it was it's like one big family unit 26 years old you're named brentford's
00:32:13
player of the season um you scored 12 goals in the First Premier League season and then you scored 20
00:32:19
goals in your second Premier League season finishing third in the golden beat rankings behind Harland and Harry
00:32:25
Kane that's big yeah it is big is Big but sometimes I don't really realize how big it is
00:32:36
because sometimes I'm at home I'm thinking yeah well not first in my head if you're
00:32:41
not first you're lost then let my family say but look who you're behind and look at the caliber
00:32:47
players that are playing in the Premier League and you scored more than these guys
00:32:52
I'm always thinking yeah but I could have scored more and you think it's
00:32:55
called more than Holland I mean not more but I look back on chances that should have been a goal and I feel like
00:33:10
there probably is like 15 15 16 chances that I probably could have scored or should have scored
00:33:16
so if I was as clinical as Ireland was not to say I'll beat him but I could be
00:33:24
a lot higher than a lot higher than 20. England 's football team I saw I think I saw a post on your
00:33:32
Instagram a couple of weeks ago about that being a huge dream for you to play for England yeah
00:33:39
I think everybody wants to pay for England yeah I remember just screaming like Gerard's name and the lampard's name
00:33:49
like when I'm on the field just kicking and they said when that opportunity was around and I was in
00:33:57
talks of it just didn't it didn't feel real from being Ivan from the fountain just playing out
00:34:05
the front getting bashed around by the old a lot too actually having a chance to play for England was
00:34:11
something I would never have jumped off you missed out on the final World Cup squad
00:34:18
um lots of circulating rumors about why do you know why um I guess I guess it comes down to
00:34:30
allegations on the Ben scandal but I feel like personally I felt like it was a bit of a
00:34:39
questionable time when they decided to bring it all out and then when they actually dealt with the situation come
00:34:45
the end of the season is kind of like why'd you bring out then to and then punish me
00:34:54
at the end of the season so they brought so I guess you're saying that you suspect they brought it out at
00:35:00
that time to prevent you going to play for England I assume so I'm to make it a
00:35:03
bigger story ah okay personally anyway I don't know if it's true that how not to know what's
00:35:10
behind the scenes but I feel like if you have somebody go into the World Cup that's
00:35:15
supposed to be betting then it's kind of like a bigger story what's the real I'm not really clued up
00:35:23
on this or how fa thinks the fa the England team play Under the fa yeah and the fa are also the sort of
00:35:34
body that brought the charges against you yeah so they so one might assume that they release
00:35:40
the charges at that point because if they didn't then there might be some ramifications on the England team or the
00:35:45
perceptions of England team or something yeah I assume so right like I'm not too
00:35:50
aware of all this stuff but I feel like it was a bit of a coincidence when they desire to bring it
00:35:56
all out and then having to be dealt with the punishment at the end of the season
00:36:04
so far after it's kind of like I mean you know well I feel like yes I'm banned now but
00:36:13
the biggest punishment for me was missing out on playing at the World Cup personally
00:36:18
I felt more hurt and what's the word kind of like yeah I just I just felt I felt down
00:36:30
around the time it felt like somebody's out to get me at that time to stop me from playing for England it was
00:36:39
in my head like that's just how I seen it at the time it's like they want to punish me for this
00:36:45
missing out on England the World Cup like everybody's dream to be playing at the World Cup
00:36:51
and then further down the line ban me as well it's kind of like a double hit I feel
00:37:02
in a sense was like I said if he was going to do if he's gonna stop me from going to World Cup do it there
00:37:09
and then and deal with it deal with the whole situation rather than doing that missing out on
00:37:14
the World Cup and then let me play the rest of the season and then binding me off to the season
00:37:20
is it is not enough in my head to be fair anyway I felt down about it what does that mean
00:37:27
in real terms if I was a flyer on the wall in your life when when that information came in that was probably my
00:37:34
excuse me that was probably that the lowest point I was like with me I'll never show
00:37:41
nothing I'm not sure emotion too tough but I think that was probably the lowest point I felt
00:37:49
like you'd ask me about uh yeah he's always but that is what it is it's kind of like
00:37:55
I don't want to talk about it yeah damn it hurt it did hurt do you cry no I don't feel like crying solves
00:38:07
anything personally that's my personal views everybody says to we need to show emotion you can cry
00:38:14
isn't this it's okay but like I feel like I've only acquired once when
00:38:19
I see my Nancy from losing my pap and seeing her her as much as she was killed me inside
00:38:31
and it was kind of like I didn't cry cry but it was like tears in my eyes coming
00:38:36
down and it's kind of like it was painful do you express your how you're feeling
00:38:42
to anyone in your life at that point to your partner to your family your mum your dad when you when you find out that
00:38:47
you're not going to play for England and they've you know the rumors are out
00:38:50
about this gambling situation do you tell anyone how you're actually feeling
00:38:55
um no but people that know me know my actions and how that leads to how I'm feeling
00:39:03
like I'd be a lot more like Snappy about things or I'll just be like I can just be like a zombie talking to
00:39:12
me and it's not like really registering but my head's not really in the room kind of
00:39:17
thing and that people that know me know like something's up something's wrong what
00:39:25
was the reality of the situation what was going on inside your head and how was it when you say down and you
00:39:31
say that was the lowest point how what does that mean in real terms um I wouldn't say depressed as such
00:39:42
but it's kind of like not far off that if anything towards that direction but
00:39:49
not completely because like that's still how I stay in my head it's like
00:39:56
next opportunity next next day another day is another day to put things right and try and be as
00:40:02
positive as I can have you ever had anxiety probably but how I am I don't let it
00:40:13
get to me as much like I'd say the loan spells when when I'm on loan I'm in a room on my own there's been
00:40:22
times I've just literally sat there and about the TV on just just sat there I'm
00:40:27
just like chilling and just looking to thin air and just thinking about things but I've never
00:40:38
actually I'd never like let nobody know how I'm feeling because how I am as a
00:40:44
person I feel like it it eats away at me but I'm just always a smiley one always like I asked people at Brent for
00:40:55
now on the Drake I'm making sure everyone's fine these kind of things I think that's my kind of way of
00:41:02
beating my emotions um if I see this person happy for me doing that then it kind of brings me up
00:41:10
to make me happy kind of thing did you did you not speak to anyone like a professional about about this stuff
00:41:16
because I always think when we bottle up our emotions it's not like they go away
00:41:20
it's like almost like they they eat us up from inside and they they come out in
00:41:24
other ways like you were saying snappiness or whatever or you know surely there's someone around you that
00:41:30
said you need to see someone yeah that's yeah there was but as well me being
00:41:34
stubborn is kind of like nah I'm fine it's fine like I'll be right next
00:41:40
tomorrow I'll be right later I'll be right next week I feel like I can speak to anyone in my
00:41:46
family but like my stomach is just don't allow me to I think a lot of men can relate to that
00:41:54
you know yeah 100 I feel like that personally in May 20 26th uh you did a famous tweet
00:42:07
do you know that's what I'm talking about yeah I'll speak soon with no
00:42:12
filter you ready to speak um what did that tweet mean that was just speak on everything really
00:42:22
but obviously when I've done that they went crazy and then I think my family just said listen you
00:42:29
don't need to talk just when you get on a pitch that if you do the talking but what's up damage is done you can't
00:42:38
talk and it's not gonna help no situation if anything could not damage my reputation
00:42:45
or my career but just make people think not that I care what people think is just could put in the words that who do
00:42:54
you think he is that kind of thing but it doesn't benefit no parties what headspace were you and when you tweeted
00:42:59
that probably a reckless one really yeah how are you feeling thinking I don't care attitude
00:43:09
I'd say kind of a defense mechanism against pretty much yeah against everybody
00:43:16
like even like little things like for the whole situation not not like my friends my friends my friends the one I
00:43:25
sit with better people I chill with all the time but it's even that one that
00:43:29
goes I don't know if it's just me thinking side of things but it's like when I go
00:43:33
certain places like maybe some people don't want to be associated with me in a
00:43:38
certain way of obviously because the media kind of thing and it's kind of like
00:43:43
not killing that image but it's kind of like you're doing this guy he's a match
00:43:47
fixer his match fixing football the the I'm not even like I remember at the time
00:43:55
when there was allegations I wanted to go to a restaurant and I was like no you can't uh we're not taking you
00:44:04
the restaurant a restaurant I was like what do you mean that's ours because the allegations
00:44:10
we're not allowing you in or something like this I was actually so confused I was thinking for starters it's
00:44:18
allegations and secondly your restaurant how can you not let somebody introduce a bad press
00:44:24
That's Why They Call It Bad press I was just baffled and even to like my car insurance
00:44:34
they wouldn't insult me due to the whole scandal I was just like a car insurance they
00:44:42
don't want me on their books because which was baffling I read through the the whole
00:44:51
um fa report many many pages I think it was like 25 2500 pages I have it here just to understand the case better just
00:44:58
so I made sure I didn't make any errors in my observations but there's no I
00:45:03
think there's actually a line in there where the commissions say they um didn't believe you were doing any
00:45:08
match fixing it was far from match fixing yeah I wrote that down in my in my notes that
00:45:14
um They concluded that you hadn't been match fixing or anything like that in
00:45:19
the report um so that that allegation from whoever said that the restaurant or whatever
00:45:24
um doesn't seem to have a basis in the report at all I'm sure there was certain
00:45:29
articles on saying match fixing as well which is that's probably the media for
00:45:34
you making it a big talking point when the fa first Contact you and and they ask they make a request for
00:45:42
information don't they so they want to know more information this is dating back to 2022 I believe
00:45:49
when you get that first Contact how does that feel like your dad or your agent must have told you that the fa
00:45:56
have been in touch well they wanted information from as far back as 2015. so it's kind of like
00:46:06
well I haven't got that uh I had back then to give you information but I wanted to cooperate how I can to
00:46:15
let you investigate what you want to investigate and when I was when I the club actually
00:46:20
pulled me into a room and they spoke to me and said they're faving in touch with
00:46:24
you match fixing this and that they want to speak to you and I said okay this is Brentford yeah that's okay
00:46:32
no problem like then he is that have you done any bits whilst whilst you've been at Brentford
00:46:39
and have you been betting on football and I was like no I haven't I haven't
00:46:46
done no bets are fixing fixing football match fixing football like he's like okay well
00:46:52
therefore I want to speak to you don't delete nothing on your phone because there's a system like they said
00:46:59
they can get like old messages or whatever they said I said no problem I'm not I'm not doing nothing
00:47:05
if they can go through what they want to go through and then they called you in for an
00:47:10
interview in May 2022. yeah and they ask you all these questions again about what
00:47:15
you've been involved in with betting Etc yeah and they asked me certain things happen like I said
00:47:23
seven eight years ago onto the top of my head so much information in front of me at
00:47:29
one time it's kind of like as you can't remember I can't remember and there's
00:47:34
I think I was in there for like what five hours five hours yeah but at that time you you maintained to
00:47:41
them that you're not betting on football yeah and I was I wasn't aware what what
00:47:46
that was what I was trying to get you acknowledged later on that you you basically lied in that meeting with the
00:47:52
fa I didn't lie I just couldn't really remember what what they was asking for
00:47:56
at the time I couldn't remember until they brought certain things in front of
00:47:59
me and it was kind of like okay he's talking about my memory and we like I said I cooperate with everything
00:48:04
they wanted to do and we kind of spoke on it and then I told him the truth about everything one of the things
00:48:10
people might find surprising is they they asked for your they asked for your mobile phones and stuff and then they
00:48:15
like image your mobile phones to check like all the messages you've sent to people
00:48:19
going back a long time on the on these phones to find out everything you've been said and also as you said they they
00:48:25
ask you not to delete any messages which you didn't from from what the commission
00:48:29
said um but how does that feel when the fa asks for your mobile phone and they you know
00:48:35
they're going to scan it for everything it doesn't feel yeah it's just kind of like
00:48:40
it's your privacy and they're like invading it it's kind of like I've got certain pitch on there I won't
00:48:47
want them to see like these kind of things so it's pretty much like you have to go with
00:48:53
what they're saying otherwise I feel like I think you get a longer band for not cooperating or something like this
00:48:59
so what what can I do yes you want to take my phone take my phone and all your bank statements as well they also your
00:49:07
bank statements which you handed over as well yeah um you hand it over I believe multiple
00:49:13
phones no just one phone oh just the one yeah I thought there was a there was some they said that was another phone
00:49:18
but that wasn't that much fun I had that as well and then eventually you admit to
00:49:23
232 breaches of their rules and their favorite E8 um which is betting over five seasons from
00:49:31
25th of February 2017 debating up until January 21. yes and like I said there was people saying I
00:49:44
was match fixing but none of it was match fixing it was just like I said before I was betting myself to school
00:49:49
first from I think this was a while back and it's kind of like that's not
00:49:58
like I'm not trying to not try and I'm still trying to do the right thing it's
00:50:02
not like I'm smashing someone and getting a yellow card here then everywhere
00:50:07
yeah and the report actually does say that it says that you weren't you weren't this the commission said that
00:50:12
you weren't match fixing which is a completely different completely different thing yeah they're making bets
00:50:17
on like games that you're either you're playing in on yourself to school all
00:50:21
betting on the team when you're not in the team which is what from what I read
00:50:24
which is what what happened gambling and generally when did that start in your life when did you start first gambling
00:50:32
um I think it's just kind of like as you're young it's like a little flutter
00:50:36
they call it like you're in like the fair arcade kind of thing just trying to win a little change or
00:50:41
something or these kind of things so I'd say like around 15 or 15 and such and it and it got progressively worse
00:50:55
yeah I'd say the more money you get the more the higher the seats go that's kind of like
00:51:03
oh if I lose this it's fine this is coming next month was did you not realize you know
00:51:08
throughout those sort of five years when you were betting a lot 232 breaches that
00:51:13
your relationship with betting was unhealthy I think on the on the 200 and was it for 82 breaches like that was
00:51:20
there was some bets in there that ladder record making that that but I was willing to take responsibility just to
00:51:28
get the process all over and done with because having that hovering over me and trying to
00:51:34
concentrate my career is not is not the best feeling far from the best feeling and then Adam I've done well to finish
00:51:39
on 20 goals if that hanging over me but in terms of thinking do you have a problem it's kind
00:51:48
of like you don't think of if I lose this this is gonna happen so it's like oh once I won this this
00:51:56
this and this can happen you never think of the negatives you'd always think of the positives
00:52:03
and being on the money I was on which affords a lot of time and it's kind of like
00:52:09
it's fine I'll get there in the back end of the month oh that's coming back this and this
00:52:13
month oh he owes me this it's fine what impact was it having on your life betting
00:52:20
um I feel like it was just the impact it would have it was just waiting for payday right that
00:52:32
might happen through the month she weren't prepared it but you could spend your wage and then
00:52:36
wait for payday spend your wage wait for payday yeah well I'd pay and sort everything I need to pay for first and
00:52:43
then it's like I got this play with do that it's fine but it'll come soon
00:52:48
so it wasn't it wasn't like spend this money I should be giving here or paying on this you took care of your
00:52:55
I took care of what needed to be careful and my head is kind of like my money is my
00:53:01
money for I couldn't spend it how I wanna and yeah pretty much pretty much like that
00:53:07
I've made my money it's up to me I want to spend it one of the one of the things that was
00:53:15
quite surprising is bets against bets for your team to lose when you weren't
00:53:19
playing in the team the you you must you knew bedding was wrong right like you knew that as a
00:53:24
footballer you weren't allowed to bet my knowledge of not my knowledge of betting on football
00:53:31
though I don't think I recall once somebody coming and just giving a talk on their experience but not you
00:53:40
can't bet on football so it wasn't like I shouldn't be better than this shouldn't be bad on that and I
00:53:45
feel like I think the best that on my team to lose when I'm not playing I think a few of the majority of those
00:53:52
were within the bets that I know about a person I think I didn't didn't do but I still took responsibility
00:54:00
of them for them so the whole process could get cleared up and you um you don't know
00:54:07
about some of these bets you're saying because you did them through somebody
00:54:10
else yeah because and you did them through somebody else because you you knew you weren't allowed to right it
00:54:15
wasn't through that I didn't knew I wasn't allowed to is that I didn't see
00:54:18
what I didn't want my parents seeing while I'm doing my money this was a point of contention in the
00:54:24
documents the fa said you know he's betting through somebody because he didn't want he didn't want the fa to
00:54:30
find out you're saying you you bet through somebody else because your parents the male was going to the house
00:54:35
and you didn't want them opening up the post and seeing it yeah that's right
00:54:38
essentially that was a point I mean the commission go go their own way on that um and then okay so moving on from that
00:54:46
there's there's all these aggravating factors in the in the document um was he aware of the rules I think you
00:54:53
eventually admitted that you were aware of the rules in terms of not being able to bet on football
00:54:58
um going back to the days I think at Northampton I think was it Northampton um one of your previous chat I think
00:55:06
your previous chairman at the football club was thrown out because of a betting Scandal and then you have a relative in
00:55:12
your life that was also issued with a breach of the fa rules for betting in 2007 as well so they can
00:55:18
commission concluded that you were aware of the rules and that you couldn't bet
00:55:22
but you sort of counteract that by saying you didn't have I think it was it was kind of a gray area right but I
00:55:27
think there was a time where like I said the the clubs I've been at they were like beginning of every season
00:55:34
though I feel like they'd have somebody come in but not actually tell you what
00:55:38
you can and what you can't bet on what would that person say just like this is
00:55:41
its experiences on betting like he'd come in and say this is uh and then I've
00:55:47
lost this much I've gone through this so when if you think about Ben don't do it
00:55:54
so it wasn't like you can't be banned on football or you can't be betting on yeah
00:55:58
you can't be better on football it was just his experiences of going through a
00:56:02
gambling stage because uh so so you didn't know you could you couldn't bet as a player no I
00:56:09
think it was a gray area something like you'd hear you can you hit it you can't
00:56:14
and then there's certain things you say you can't bet on like I feel like it was a gray area
00:56:21
and you admitted in the second aggravating factors about knowing knowing whether you basically missing to
00:56:27
whether you were betting or not and in the interview with the commission during the process you said that you had lied
00:56:33
early on by saying I don't vote on football in an earlier interview um but you know that was one of the
00:56:40
first interviews you had and you had responded I didn't burn football and yeah that that wasn't accurate yeah that
00:56:45
was when obviously they threw everything got me I thought if I was just deny it then it's it's all fine I wouldn't find
00:56:50
nothing but then went through and then yeah I'd meet uh I'm admitted to what Adam
00:57:00
in the fa the fourth average rate in fact was whether the player sought to conceal his identity when he set up his
00:57:05
own betting account 2017 the commission um didn't accept the fa submission there
00:57:10
they didn't they didn't believe that you'd concealed it in that regard
00:57:14
um whether the player deleted messages issue number five commission concluded that there wasn't evidence that you
00:57:19
deleted any messages they they I was accused of dilemma's yeah that's right yeah by the fa but the
00:57:25
commission said that they didn't have substantial evidence for that yeah um kind of just I was told not to and
00:57:32
you didn't delete nothing from the club the commission couldn't find any
00:57:36
evidence that you had deleted anything so um and then the phone issue we've talked
00:57:40
about already the last issue was around whether you had a gambling addiction and
00:57:45
they brought out a psychologist called Dr Philip hopley who looked you did interviews with you
00:57:51
um he's a highly qualified and experienced psychiatric expert according to the commission and he interviewed you
00:57:56
on two occasions and he formed a clear opinion that you had a gambling addiction
00:58:01
and accordingly the commission accepted the findings of the doctor on this issue
00:58:06
and that's part of the reason that you were given a more lenient sentence um because Dr hopley said that you had
00:58:12
an impulsive uh compulsive disorder yeah was that the first time you'd heard
00:58:20
of gambling addiction yeah through this process this tribunal yeah because I feel like
00:58:28
it wouldn't be in me to bring myself forward to speak to one of these people
00:58:34
to see if I did have one so it's kind of like like I said my stubbornness comes comes into play on
00:58:42
this one it's kind of like no fine I can stop when I want to stop did he expect someone explain to you a
00:58:50
gambling addiction is since then a little bit yeah we did speak with us how to play on on around around one
00:59:00
addiction is but it's kind of like you don't allow yourself to believe it
00:59:07
like I feel like it's gonna stop doing something I feel like people think in
00:59:12
the head I can stop with one but not not knowing deep down you probably can't could you
00:59:18
have stopped probably yeah it's it's I feel like it's 50 50. you could have stopped but I feel
00:59:32
like a thrill on it is kind of like what keeps you going because the fa though sort of
00:59:37
counterpointed that was that there was periods where you you didn't you didn't
00:59:41
gamble so they would they were saying that to the commission that you know it's not gambling addiction because
00:59:45
there's parts of his journey where he's not gambling or he's betting on other
00:59:48
things for example um do you still gamble now no anything no any betting at all across
00:59:57
any not has that required therapy or any sort of professional support I think it's kind
01:00:03
of being in the public eye if I was to be like going into these places and these kind of things
01:00:13
I think it's more the embarrassment those eyes still continue this kind of thing
01:00:20
so I I wouldn't allow myself and like you look back you I feel like he's
01:00:27
sit take a back seat and look up all the money you've lost and what you could have went on and what and
01:00:34
especially now having people to provide for it's kind of like you can't be spending that money on this
01:00:40
it can go to to here or like just manage your money bro our luck of things and how I look at me off I see
01:00:48
that as being naive we don't really get much information do we uh growing up about gambling
01:00:57
well really it had it like how to spend our money or tax especially I think about you guys as like young you know 20
01:01:03
year olds that I just you know playing football and then you become millionaires because you're good at it
01:01:08
it's kind of different for like my Pursuit because like building a business you have to see a focus your Finance
01:01:13
people around you you have controls budgets forecasts P L's all this stuff so you know you're surrounded by like
01:01:20
money minds and brains around you when you're building a business but being a
01:01:23
young 20 year old millionaire who I'm presuming nobody gave you Financial education
01:01:31
no it's kind of like you said yeah being having that much money at tender age
01:01:35
it's kind of like what do I do with it and I'm not a family that comes from money
01:01:42
so it's not like my parents could help me a lot with that but they they would have their say on certain things
01:01:49
but it's like you kind of have to try and just manage it yourself and just assume doing this is the right thing
01:01:59
you don't know what you don't know pretty much the bit of this case that I that I was I
01:02:06
was I found difficult is that using someone else to do the best because for me that's that points to like in that he
01:02:13
did know I think that's what people would think they'd look at that again of
01:02:15
course 100 conceal it because I'm thinking your mom your mom and dad ain't
01:02:19
opened your post at 27 years old like my mum ain't gonna open my post no this was
01:02:22
it was when I was away yeah so I know my post did go to my parents and I feel like of course your
01:02:30
parents want to be knowing what's going on if you're getting this letter through that's
01:02:34
you're not paying this or like like I said seeing what you're spending your money on and I feel like
01:02:40
because we're a tight family my mom would worry about that and there was actually times where she's
01:02:46
opened it and she's kind of said certain things about it and the fa had highlighted text message
01:02:53
you'd sent me you said to give me I can't have that one in my name what was the app I gambled on on your
01:02:58
phone this time from text messages that they'd found that's the bit that I
01:03:01
struggled with was I was like I wasn't sure that but this chapter of your life
01:03:06
has clearly been a big learning moment 100 I feel like looking back on what I've done what I changed some bits
01:03:16
probably but is what it is and the man I'm now continuing forward is kind of but it's
01:03:23
different to what I was before do you take like when we think about responsibility for our actions what's
01:03:30
what what responsibility do you take for all of this where you say listen this is this is what I take
01:03:35
responsibility for here um and this is also like going back to a question I asked earlier
01:03:42
about like what do you wish someone had had said you when you first did that I don't know
01:03:47
those those bets five five six seven years ago um what's the responsibility you take
01:03:52
and what's the what's the lesson you've taken from this process I think the
01:03:56
responsibility I'd take was yeah I was betting on myself to the school first
01:04:00
which now you I know you shouldn't be doing which I take responsibility and I'll
01:04:04
take full responsibility for the punishment I'm getting now so uh it was it would be
01:04:10
kind of a lack and why I tell my younger self around them kind of times it's like
01:04:17
manage your money but don't get mixed in there wrong crowd I say and just just
01:04:22
don't follow fashion of your own of your own mindset uh mind frame on what you should and should be doing or
01:04:30
if you don't know look more into it and if that's what you really want to do
01:04:34
look more into it and what you can and can and can't do it's interesting because when they were
01:04:39
deliberating your your punishment one of the things that came to mind is perception and what it would the
01:04:47
perception it would send to the rest of the the game um do you think they they made an example
01:04:53
of you I feel so yeah do you think that's right I can't I don't think it's right now but
01:05:02
because you're a high profile Premier League player obviously if if you get away with doing something like this this
01:05:07
could other players lower levels could also emulate it so they've got an opportunity here to send a message 100
01:05:12
100 and I feel like a lot of people think that in terms of if no disrespects are lower leagues but
01:05:21
if I was well actually we actually did look at some cases that was somewhat similar someone worse
01:05:27
and their punishment wasn't like how mine is I think the fact that's the opportunity
01:05:33
the fact that I'm playing in the Premier League doing well snifferon England
01:05:39
kind of like right it's our chance to punish him then people know this is kind
01:05:44
of the punishment you're looking at if you want to do why don't it's funny because I was
01:05:50
actually surprised to read that in the the um the analysis section of this document
01:05:54
where it says the perception of the impact of football betting on the Integrity of the game is key a key
01:05:58
consideration when deciding on your sanction which does kind of suggest that they're
01:06:06
quite intentional in making sure that they make an example of you um thereabouts in their words
01:06:12
um and obviously you have a huge position of influence so that's that's key
01:06:16
um and then they submit that the FAS suggested that you get 12 months ban as a suspension I believe and that was
01:06:24
their final sanction the commission didn't accept that um ordinarily the commission would have
01:06:31
imposed 50 15 months suspension had you not pled guilty to the charges which lowered your sanction and then also
01:06:39
you've got another um reduction in the sanction because of the findings from the Doctor Who found
01:06:44
that you had a gambling addiction which brought your sentence down to eight months
01:06:48
um and you'll find fifty thousand pounds it's interesting because you know I'm a
01:06:53
huge football fan so I want to see you play and I you're on such a role Brentford are on such a role so like as
01:07:00
a football fan although you smashed United last year like it was so it's so good to see like a young black English
01:07:07
striker tearing up the game at his Peak it's getting to see you out of the game
01:07:11
it is and I feel like like how I am a lot of people know how I stay this is this is
01:07:18
nothing I I know for a fact I'll come back stronger than this I'm better than
01:07:22
I was before like this is gives me the hunger against uh recharge and come back on on another another level like like I
01:07:31
said before earlier no time to dwell on things no time to dwell on things and it's like
01:07:38
just when that first game comes and I can play then it's not a ball game it's on
01:07:46
when you found out you you suspended for eight months how did that feel what's that like
01:07:55
um because you know you're in the peak of your powers right now right yeah I
01:07:59
know it's it's painful but I feel like the hard part isn't kind of not
01:08:05
because right now I'll be playing football matches and I kind of be around the players and not the football ground
01:08:13
and things like this and it's kind of like okay that's what you want to do punish
01:08:17
me from there but I thought I'd keep me away from the ground if I wasn't as strong as I was
01:08:23
in my head that would break some people and then we talk about mental health and
01:08:27
all these kind of things and what's that kind of doing to a player that's not allowed in the
01:08:33
environment even though you can't play games but keeping away from the training
01:08:37
ground knowing football's their life and that's all they've done from such a young age
01:08:42
how is that going to help them at all yeah this is I completely agree with you I think I think the sanction itself is
01:08:54
important because it does send a message and I agree with that but the bit that I
01:08:57
just struggle with is the can't train at the club and we know as you you point
01:09:03
out there like mental health keeping active is such an important thing especially if you've
01:09:07
been playing football since you're a kid and it's your purpose it's what you know
01:09:12
um so psychologically and physically there's a a real strong case to keep your keep you active and I've seen a lot
01:09:18
of people have their say on this a lot of people think you know you could have trained at the ground and then use that
01:09:22
time to educate young players on on gambling that would have been useful but to keep you out of the club not allow
01:09:28
you to train and to kind of push you out on your own it seems doesn't feel like
01:09:33
it's smart it doesn't it doesn't add up with what the things they push forward like
01:09:41
like we say the old football Community is on big on Mental Health then the fa go and do this and like
01:09:48
push me away from like my the whole football environment like by all means it's not
01:09:54
a place where I want people to feel sorry for me like that's the last thing that's the last thing I want and me as a
01:10:00
person people that know me with no that's not what one thing I'm trying to
01:10:04
achieve but so that says what if somebody that's not as strong as me in their head
01:10:10
happens to be going through this kind of situation and that punishment is not allowed at the training ground
01:10:15
like that would break them like right now I've been not been around a training
01:10:20
ground it does hurt me but I just know when I'm at the training ground train
01:10:24
harder be ready for the the game when I can play but it's yeah it's like I said it's not a nice
01:10:33
feeling and the whole purpose of not being allowed at the training ground is it's baffling to me but you have hard
01:10:40
days still yeah yeah yeah I feel like everybody has others I mean like with through this
01:10:47
process has there been days where like you're ups and your downs and difficult
01:10:50
days where you start you have low moments because you are away from football the Press is on top of you
01:10:56
yeah I feel like I've a hard Hours hard two hours kind of things like in the
01:11:02
mornings I'd wake up like ah come yesterday but getting a song active when you're there
01:11:10
working it's kind of like oh yeah as much as you don't want to do it you've seen the long run that that time
01:11:17
I didn't want to get up I didn't want to do on uh put the work in it's paying off now
01:11:24
whereas if I'm saying all tomorrow and then tomorrow comes I'll do it next
01:11:29
day so you're still training yeah yeah still keeping fit still doing my own thing
01:11:34
welcome to personal trainer yeah personal trainer which is which is good and it's not like a lenient one this one
01:11:40
one that pushes me so I feel like I'm not got it good but I've got the best people around me to
01:11:48
keep me fit and keep me going and like I said my family is key my family is the one that's what the
01:11:55
other people that's helping me going as well and especially my children you're you're a mummy's boy yeah
01:12:03
sometimes in these moments it's it's difficult for us but it's harder to
01:12:07
watch the impact has on our family right yeah 100 I feel like like even when the whole thing was it
01:12:16
was like those allegations and the people like going into my mum's work and just saying
01:12:22
certain things and I'd be at a petrol station they scream certain things and I'll be with my
01:12:29
family and my children and people just be like shouting dumb things out just like oh you pointed like certain
01:12:39
things that are you put the tenor on today's game or these kind of things or
01:12:42
just silly image all things and how I am I'm kind of hot-headed but especially when families are
01:12:50
involved and my children are around it's kind of like it's hard for me not to want to say
01:12:58
something called do something cool these kind of things it's like going through that period
01:13:06
right it's hard and people that you wouldn't normally speak to or my parents
01:13:10
or family wouldn't normally speak to that'd pop up and just be like oh something
01:13:16
Reviving so it's when the bad things come along how you want to talk and find out what's
01:13:21
going on whereas when I'm screwing goals or getting big for England you don't really
01:13:26
want to say too much but that's life and that's how people are and we don't miss them
01:13:33
we see them we see the evil eyes so it's has this process been um has it illuminated
01:13:42
um things for you in certain areas of your life certain people and some people that their View and stuff you know
01:13:47
because I haven't even thinking about the gaffer Thomas Frank he's come to
01:13:50
your defense multiple times talking about how he disagrees with the way that it's been handled the sanctions
01:13:57
and he thinks that you should be able to train with the team and um be out there educating young kids etc
01:14:03
etc he disagrees with the the decision that the commission made not just soon so uh get out of Southgate as well he
01:14:09
did talk support yeah yeah I know I spoke to him as well but how does that feel then what does
01:14:15
that mean to you it feels good knowing I've got um then behind me obviously the England
01:14:20
manager and my club manager backing me 100 it feels good and it gives me a bit of
01:14:26
extra strength to make sure when I'm back I'm firing and it gives me that bit of
01:14:36
hunger not that I'm lacking it but I feel like the extra boost I feel like okay it's on
01:14:43
one on back kind of thing and the club standing by you in such a way has that kind of cemented your loyalty a
01:14:50
little bit to Brentford yeah I feel like like I said earlier I want a manager in a club to like really
01:14:56
want me and put their arm around me and I feel like throughout the whole situation
01:14:59
have done that you know even even the players as well you know I spoke to loads of them
01:15:06
they don't agree with it but it is what it is and and your mum yeah she's that one is
01:15:15
like going back to the Tweet when I said when I put that tweet up she's the first person to write me a
01:15:20
message me and said listen he doesn't need to do nothing just don't do no more please I've been
01:15:26
saying how she's been sick for she feels sick in her stomach for an hour long
01:15:30
throughout the whole situation and putting out there she's just thinking it's gonna
01:15:37
damage me damage her and damage the family and things like this so I just thought okay
01:15:43
let me just do the talk of my feet and when I'm back get get the family well they're not smiling but happy happy
01:15:52
again and I'm sure they can't well they can't wait to see the there's some back on the pitch screen
01:15:58
goes does she does it mean the most to you to make her happy and to make her feel good
01:16:04
all my family yeah I feel like she always just texts me randomly and she's like she was I don't want to
01:16:12
bother you sometimes I just check on what I've seen on WhatsApp to wait for you to come online to know your okay and
01:16:18
alive and well and that's just that's how my mom is like maybe sometimes like my mum she knows
01:16:25
and she does she calls me random times it'd be 12 at night it would be early
01:16:31
doors just checking in I was fine I love you so much this and that that's our favorite one checking to see
01:16:39
if I'm online on WhatsApp bro with him pestering me in our eyes but so I think
01:16:46
making them happy and making them smile as well is what gives me the filter do well
01:16:53
the Brentford fanbase yeah strong massive as well yeah where I go I'll get I get love from The
01:17:02
Breakfast fun so [Music] what's your uh you're gonna get back to football and uh you've you I can feel
01:17:10
you've got a certain fire inside you yep I think I just not that I need to prove anybody
01:17:21
wrong but there's a lot of haters and doubles out there thinking you're gonna be saying that when he
01:17:27
comes back actually they're right I'm gonna be a different man and even better than that
01:17:32
that guy that scored Them Girls before so how'd you know because Mom I'm built different
01:17:39
my mentality is different I'm not one of these I could have been a great player
01:17:44
hadn't he done this I'm I'm gonna go beyond that honest like I said not a point to prove but
01:17:54
point to proves to myself how would you ensure that happens like what is it that because I think about
01:17:59
controllables what is it that you can control to make sure that you come back even an even better player is it just
01:18:04
training harder is it what is it that you're it's training harder but in my
01:18:08
head every time I step on a pitch I'm thinking in my head I'm gonna score
01:18:12
today I'm going to school when a chance comes I'm gonna score because in the game you your bands get a
01:18:19
chance that you should be scoring so in my head now thinking right when I do play and I do get that chance that I
01:18:26
should be scoring it has to be a goal so it's going to be a goal well if it's not
01:18:30
next won't be a goal or if it's not it will be I'll be two goals you know Brentford is a fantastic team I
01:18:41
think of all the teams in the Premier League if we talk about admiration I really admire Brighton at the moment but
01:18:46
Brentford I absolutely think our brilliant brilliant team really ton of admiration for them
01:18:51
um there's a lot of people that are obviously linking you to other clubs and
01:18:55
saying oh is he gonna join this Manchester United all of that how do you receive all of that you know
01:19:01
all these links to because everyone's looking for a striker Strikers are like
01:19:03
the hardest to find goal scorers in the Premier League you've got Harlan you've
01:19:07
got Kane he's gone now now you're technically the second best Striker that's currently in the league on paper
01:19:13
so you know these big clubs are going to come knocking they're going to say you
01:19:16
know Chelsea's got [ __ ] unlimited money over here united we need a striker how do you
01:19:21
receive all of that I mean like from Young and like I said I don't let this all affect me obviously Ariel going on
01:19:29
in the background but my job is to keep training well when I get the chance in the games to keep scoring and doing well
01:19:36
but I think everybody wants to play at the top of the tree and not that Bradford aren't there
01:19:42
but I feel like playing for a big Club fighting for trophies and these kind of things everybody wants to do and if
01:19:49
the chance was to come along I think I'd be silly not uh not to look more into it but
01:19:57
I feel like yeah and the manager knows that I want to be playing at the highest possible level level possible
01:20:05
and whenever that time comes then this would be it but I can't think of my time at brentford's been
01:20:15
been good be probably one of the best times in my career and that's a special
01:20:19
club like they just got something they got a culture there which is super special so you know that culture you
01:20:25
describe will get the best out of you as a player for sure so it's like great
01:20:29
talent great culture equals great results it's like one plus one equals three
01:20:34
yeah now yeah I like the next Club I go to if I was to move it would be like the rat club
01:20:42
when you say the right Club you're not talking about Liverpool are you I heard
01:20:45
you're a Liverpool fan yeah a Liverpool fan a Liverpool fan I feel you've been a
01:20:49
Liverpool fan your whole life yeah I've been living for my whole life but from Young
01:20:54
I liked I've liked Arsenal I like watching Arsenal from how they play and the kind of how passionate fans are
01:21:04
but yeah level fan level boy at heart and so Liverpool at heart love how Arsenal play love their style their
01:21:12
anything about Manchester United I like I like Barbershop when he was there okay
01:21:16
I liked watching United a lot when both offers it so thank you but we do actually need a striker so I've actually
01:21:23
got a contract here that Eric and Richard Arnold would have given me soon imagine
01:21:29
now listen I hope you um I I just want to see you back playing again because I think I think it's a it's a gift to the
01:21:36
Premier League your talent and also when I look at your story you didn't have a straight line that a
01:21:40
lot of people have in football you went up down up down up down up down and you persevered because the talent is
01:21:46
you can't argue with it you can't argue with the talent and so this whole
01:21:51
gambling section of your life um it's a bit of a blip in there so I heard all you've overcome and you've
01:21:58
taken taken your your punishment um you move on from that you admit responsibility
01:22:04
yeah yeah um and so now it becomes the backup again about the football yeah like you said the Journey's been
01:22:12
it's been wild it's been crazy and if if I was to read a book on myself I'd say this guy's done a lot I've been
01:22:21
through a lot and he's still fighting and it's still climbing to the top of the tree like
01:22:27
how's he managing with that with everything that's going on what's the
01:22:30
goal you know if I if we if we have this conversation again at the end of your career and we sit down here and we go
01:22:37
man and you go damn that was a successful career Steve what happened I want to be playing for England and
01:22:44
scoring goals I don't want to be I played England a couple times I want to be
01:22:52
the main man Wherever I Go and and Finland oh no we got Harry Kane days probably one of the best strikers in the
01:23:01
world if not the best so and that's what I'm up against so I need to get to that level
01:23:10
so it's just six working hard and keep fighting a little Euros around the corner as well yeah and
01:23:18
that's another it's another place I want to get to which I do believe that
01:23:23
in my head I'm right I'm ready to get to you so and at Club level what are your
01:23:28
Ambitions there in football um win the win win trophies win some silverware I feel like
01:23:37
I feel like I want to play for the highest highest level possible playful with playful Club that's I'm loved that not
01:23:49
just one of but I feel like like with all my moves I've not just gone to a club before whatever or money
01:23:59
or whatever I've gone it's been the right step for me and I've achieved something every year
01:24:06
every year I've just got better and better you wanna win the Premier League one day
01:24:11
that's that's the aim that's the M I wanna win the World Cup also on a win trophies that's like
01:24:18
wow I'm being from where I'm from Northampton not many people can achieve them things or be
01:24:28
like yeah he's been at the World Cup he's won the World Cup yeah I know even then that
01:24:34
my mom still lives in the same house really yeah she doesn't want to move she
01:24:39
likes being down people will run there be like yeah I have his mom lives there I do that now
01:24:45
but it'd be more of achievement and I've won something like that and like yeah I'm his mum's there Ivan comes
01:24:52
there all the time I think that's kind of kind of how we are oh I am and you can
01:25:00
see like my mom's she doesn't want to move into some big house she feels safe
01:25:04
and comfy at the house where she's at and that shows that I have another no choice put
01:25:10
to be grounded and you have three kids as well yeah three little boys do you think about them do you think about what
01:25:16
the Legacy you want to leave that they're going to grow up and learn about does that cross your mind a lot yeah
01:25:21
yeah it does I want to leave Alexi that they don't have no pressure on their shoulders to
01:25:28
walk into I just wanted to whether there is a football or whatever industry they look
01:25:33
to go into which obviously I would want to say is football but whatever whatever they do want them
01:25:40
to be successful and be like be strong like my chosen I feel like that I'd want them I do want
01:25:48
them to have the same upbringing I had like I wouldn't put into that private
01:25:52
school under these things because I don't want to just give them everything I wanted to
01:25:56
have to work for certain things what advice would you give them about how to how to navigate say they uh they
01:26:03
do go into football all three of them and they say they come to you one day they say Dad listen I've just got a call
01:26:08
from the biggest club in the world Manchester United and I'm gonna I'm gonna accept it go go to
01:26:14
Manchester playing to Eric um I need some advice dad I'm you know I'm on my way tomorrow what
01:26:21
advice can you give me Dad how the mentality as you're the best player on the pitch
01:26:25
you might not be but having that mentality will help you play Bell and just have the hunger
01:26:35
you haven't got the hunger or the drive you'll step behind already I'd say like also
01:26:43
attitude is key good I'll get you a long way not just in football or work in life
01:26:52
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that you'll save a hundred and fifty dollars on the Pod cover that I have on
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my bed the one I'm talking about grab your pod cover send me a DM and let me
01:28:08
know how you get on a quick word on huel as you know they're a sponsor of this
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podcast and I'm an investor in the company one of the things I've never really explained is how I came to have a
01:28:16
relationship with huel one day in the office many years ago a guy walked past called Michael and he was wearing a
01:28:22
heeled t-shirt and I was really compelled by the logo I just thought from a design aesthetic point of view it
01:28:27
was really interesting and I asked him what that word meant and why he was wearing that T-shirt and he said it's
01:28:32
this brand called heal and they make food that is nutritionally complete and very very convenient and has the planet
01:28:38
in mind and he the next day dropped off a little bottle of fuel on my desk and from that day onwards I completely got
01:28:45
it because I'm someone that cares tremendously about having a nutritionally complete diet but
01:28:50
sometimes because of the way my life is that falls by the wayside so if there was a really convenient reliable
01:28:56
trustworthy way for me to be nutritionally complete in an affordable way I was all ears especially if it's a
01:29:02
way that is conscious of the planet give it a chance give it a shot let me know what you think
01:29:07
you know we needed this this tweet the famous tweet I'll speak soon with no filter I understand that I came from a
01:29:12
place of anger like a bit defensive whatever mood settles your mom text you you're like okay maybe this is not gonna
01:29:18
help the situation there was a lot you wanted to say right you wanted to talk specifically about the allegations
01:29:23
you've decided now from what you're saying that it's not worth it for you to
01:29:26
like go in and dispute things and say this that the other's not true but was
01:29:30
there anything that you do want to say to like the football Community or just to the world generally as a message when
01:29:35
you tweet that like outside of like the stuff where we're like a bit bitter and
01:29:39
hurt because everything that's going on and people are attacking you whatever is
01:29:42
there anything else you wanted to say because I just want to give you a chance just uh
01:29:47
um not really like you said that most of it come from anger and it's kind of like
01:29:52
everybody's against me kind of thing but with that it's kind of like I was
01:29:57
more worried on people like thinking how I am how I am as a person like what they read and what they hear
01:30:07
rather than how I actually am but the the people around me friends family the only people I should be worried about
01:30:15
they know how I am why don't it's expensive Bob down the road how I actually am I probably never
01:30:22
gonna see him again so it doesn't matter that why am I explaining that why am I
01:30:26
going out there to give it like a back and forth like I don't need to do that and it doesn't
01:30:33
benefit me it just benefits him and trying to get more reaction from me so like you said it definitely was out of
01:30:44
our anger anger kind of moment it's kind of like all right let me say distant let
01:30:49
me say that not knowing it's not gonna affect it could it could have so it's not
01:30:56
I don't need to try and prove nobody wrong or prove nobody right it's just
01:31:03
focus on myself family and do I do best which is playing well and scoring goals speaking with your feet
01:31:12
correct I did want to talk to you about one last thing you did a tweet as well about a DM
01:31:17
someone sent you yeah um someone had dm'd you calling you a black c word um and you posted the Tweet
01:31:27
um subsequently you stopped taking the knee during at the start of Premier League games and such
01:31:32
racism and football do you do you still receive racial abuse um still today yeah you do if I was to
01:31:40
post everything I've received that's been racist I'd have easily around 100 messages
01:31:51
easy just real off there there there has that increased since the sanctions were
01:31:57
made against you from the commission no because I feel like most of it's just been rubbish that I
01:32:05
get a lot of people are saying but I feel like most of it's from playing a game and
01:32:10
someone's bet on you or you haven't scored and then they come on come for
01:32:15
you for like these kind of things or the fantasy league yeah football league that you don't get enough points and
01:32:21
they'll come at you like this or your score to lose that but also just things like this why don't you stop
01:32:28
taking the knee because I feel like it's it's a certain gesture it's not really it's lost its
01:32:33
purpose and like you can see like before games like people like run off without half of
01:32:40
the knee forgot about it like the purpose isn't there no more I don't think that's doing nothing in the game
01:32:45
to help stop these kind of things from happening more needs to be done for sure for sure
01:32:53
100 all over the world not just in the UK but we obviously saw what happened to veniscus Jr as well in the in the La
01:32:59
Liga um and it does does feel like if there was harsher action taken then a lot of this stuff wouldn't be happening
01:33:07
even from the platforms and also from the police um you know yeah the most most well some of
01:33:14
them are from abroad and it's kind of like it's not in the UK they can't do nothing
01:33:19
about it and I'm like okay so what you just keep sending from wherever but yes we can't do nothing it's not
01:33:30
it's not us okay so it's fine then basically you're saying it's fine yeah it's like what'd
01:33:36
you do yeah I feel like it's lost his purpose personally anyway and I feel like it's kind of like
01:33:44
puppets that people at the top were kind of like let's try this well let's do this keep
01:33:50
people quiet for a bit just do that and be trying it's not trying you're counting down the days now yeah
01:34:01
that is the um it's like really good at Christmas yeah what kind of day counting down the days
01:34:06
or too often trying to be around the boys because like being in football prison at the moment
01:34:13
when I rounded boys I think it won't get easier but it'll get a little bit easier
01:34:18
but not the same was like you train a whole week hard at the end of the week it's not
01:34:24
like and go on a reward you're not playing a match and then is it January you can play yeah
01:34:31
January the 17th you can train again I can't play with matches oh you can play
01:34:34
matches yes 17 for September I can train so oh September you can train in September
01:34:41
I can train yeah okay being a club around the boys okay I say not long yeah not long not long less than a month yeah
01:34:47
it feels like ages or and then you can play in January that's going to be a very big game a lot of people are going
01:34:52
to be watching that yeah do you feel pressure no I know I I I thrive off pressure when it's like he surely he
01:35:01
can't do that he's not gonna be able to do it and that's what the the pressure was
01:35:07
I was spoken about after the playoff final I'm gonna go the penalty after the game it was like you must have
01:35:15
been scared like if you missed you probably could have like you could probably could have lost it
01:35:19
massive I was thinking no I can't wait like I knew four facts I was going up
01:35:25
anyway 100 because it was the pressure and like the reward after it gives you a bigger chance to jump into Premier
01:35:34
League and more money for family so are you trying to prove people right or trying to prove people wrong what
01:35:44
matters more to you uh proving people wrong so I can have a little bigger yeah I like that I like
01:35:52
when I see certain certain tweets and then when I do something I come back to it and just like
01:35:58
a little comment and dig at the person and there's just lots of words you're right you win you've been taking
01:36:05
names throughout this process just like this pundit said this this person I mean
01:36:09
there's loads of pundits I say loads of things it's all opinions but when I come back school enough I'm sure
01:36:15
they'll go back into the bush and back pedal on what they say ladies and gentlemen I'm interrupting
01:36:23
this broadcast with a very special announcement two years ago I started writing a book based on everything I've
01:36:27
learned from doing this podcast and meeting all of the incredible people that have had the privilege of meeting
01:36:31
but also from my career in business from running my marketing businesses my software business my investment fund and
01:36:37
everything else that I've been doing in business and life and from this I've
01:36:40
created a brand new book called The Diary of a CEO the 33 laws for business and life if you want to build something
01:36:47
great all become great yourself like the guests that I've sat here and interviewed I ask you please please
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please read these 33 laws the book I always should have written if you like this podcast this book is for you and it
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is available now in the description of this podcast below and every single day until it's out later this month one
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person that pre-orders it that takes a picture of their pre-order uploads it to their story on Instagram or social media
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and tags me will win a Gold version of this book signed by me and there's only
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and 33 if you're going to win a very very special book we have a closing tradition on this
01:37:35
podcast where the last guest leaves a question for the next guest not knowing who they're going to leave it for sure
01:37:39
so they wrote a question for you here in this diary the question been left for you is
01:37:45
when have you most had to face your fears Poppy the bun because I think loads of things going through
01:38:00
your head it's like like I said if I'm having football at such a young age
01:38:06
not knowing if there's loads of things that God for your head like what how are you going to cope with things
01:38:13
like at the time I was kind of like not wary I feel like I'm a confident person but going out in certain places
01:38:20
the topic is gonna be about the whole Scandal that's going on people gonna talk about it but I'm with
01:38:26
me it's like do they want to talk about it they're thinking do I want to talk
01:38:30
about it um not scared in a way but it's kind of like it's an awkward kind of meeting
01:38:37
kind of thing but yeah it's an elephant in the room yeah yeah yeah and then it
01:38:41
comes to the point where it's like well they'll say something like oh I bet you
01:38:45
can't do that and it's kind of like oh that kind of thing but I'm like yeah
01:38:49
what's done it's done like you could talk about it then I talk about it then I mean it's
01:38:54
cleared so I feel like not knowing what people thinking about you not people not knowing what people
01:39:00
want to kind of talk to you not knowing if you're going to be fit when you come back or
01:39:06
not knowing what you're going to do you whilst you're off at loads of things
01:39:11
going to your head and it's like it hasn't crossed your mind you might like
01:39:14
lose your form or something that that actually did yeah it did at the time but like I know I can get
01:39:22
myself and go swimming uh positions so I don't feel like that that would be such a big issue but
01:39:28
it does cross your mind like whatever the school within the first five games six games
01:39:35
you're gonna think that the world's ending kind of thing but yeah I think
01:39:39
that was the fear of these kind of things not knowing what's next kind of thing and as the days have passed it's
01:39:45
got easier right it's got easy in ways but it's got harder and like oh okay
01:39:50
easier than like too long around the boys and that's kind of like my head's
01:39:56
fine now I'm at the club doing what I do best and enjoy but then it's kind of like
01:40:02
at the end of the week I can't play games whilst uh the game was kind of like
01:40:07
it's like torture watching yeah he's torture like I hate watching games not
01:40:11
when I should be on the pitch do you think you deserve the punishment you got um I mean
01:40:22
if that's what the rules are then so be it that's the punishment I should have got but yeah looking on the
01:40:28
other cases and the fact that they were lower leagues it's kind of like why did he get that and I got this
01:40:39
is it because he's there and I'm here but now I feel like if this is a punishment for doing what
01:40:46
I've done to make that make sure the next person gets that make sure next person gets that like make it all fair
01:40:52
fair and correct what I think it was fair but it is what it is I can't see I can't change nothing now I can't
01:41:07
that's not put me focuses on if it's fair or not that isn't help no situations yeah I think it's possible to
01:41:16
take responsibility for your actions I did that but also to think that it was unfair because they I think maybe
01:41:24
rightly so they are they are making making an example of you because those lower league players that would never
01:41:28
send a message would it of course so with the big wages and the big status and the popularity and all the upsides
01:41:35
comes this other thing which is like bigger sanctions bigger publicity bigger it's more of a talking point and more
01:41:42
and more of a story but and I'll tell you what you go out there and you start
01:41:46
bagging goals yeah ain't nobody gonna be talking about oh anything else that's that's another
01:41:51
reason I want to be scoring goals so four things right and that people talk about my goal scoring rather than
01:41:59
rubbish past I think you I think you're gonna I think you're gonna go back to Brentford and I
01:42:06
think you're gonna [ __ ] tear it up um because I sense a real deep Drive in
01:42:10
you that I've not seen in many people um a real sense of like self-belief and
01:42:15
conviction even what you're saying about the penalties there like I played at
01:42:17
soccer Aid and they came over to me and asked me if I wanted a panel you know I went to the back of the group I swear
01:42:25
of that so hard this year I played this year I got injured before the game at Old Trafford but I played in training
01:42:29
and we had to do a penalty issue out Potch was the manager and um I just said to myself Steve Stafford and take one
01:42:34
and this was to decide who got which dressing room I took one I scored it and then the next day I pulled my pulled my
01:42:39
hamstring got the grade three tear but I was proud of myself for stepping up and
01:42:42
doing it yeah I think if you have in your head I'm gonna do this you have a better chance
01:42:49
of thinking what is this there's no point thinking that I even was yeah back is 100 like it
01:42:57
was Strikers I've played with especially strikes I play with now because he's I'll say I'll say his name
01:43:05
Brian good because he knows he's like my little brother I said something like
01:43:10
when he missed a chance he gets so angry with himself saying bro it's fine you
01:43:15
you're not a robot you can miss chances when the next chance comes you'll score
01:43:20
and he he's he's got a lot better at that and he's been scoring so I think just
01:43:26
don't dwell on things but you've got a big trunk coming up January yes and I
01:43:31
hope you score oh I know I I know I know I know I do well and like I said this is
01:43:37
just another hard one my bumpy road but it's all good it could be worse Ivan thank you thank you for um thank
01:43:46
you for the time thank you for the inspiration you've given me um I feel like I understand you
01:43:52
feel like I understand you and listen we all make mistakes in life I think it's
01:43:55
really important we've all made mistakes having so many mistakes I think it's
01:43:59
yours are obviously more publicly broadcast because of who you are and you're at the top of the game you're the
01:44:02
peak of your powers but um I think it's important as you've said that you you
01:44:07
take responsibility for it you move on and you let the football do the talking and I think that's exactly exactly what
01:44:13
you have done and that's what um I'm really excited to see from you going
01:44:16
forward as I said because you're special you've got a very special talent you've
01:44:21
got a very special mentality and a very special talent to match it and uh we can't let that go to waste so we need
01:44:28
to it will go to waste for sure some of the people around me they won't allow it to go toys so
01:44:35
good thank you so much for your time bro means a lot to me that you um came here
01:44:39
and spoke to me and uh I'm a big fan and I really do hope you end up at Manchester United one day
01:44:44
thanks for having me thanks thanks it's been good it's been good to talk through
01:44:48
things and maybe this can help the next person if there was to think twice on doing side
01:44:54
of things or maybe to open up about sort of thing so yes probably it's probably easiest good
01:45:01
effects off me like I said quick one you guys know that for years now my office is quite literally been
01:45:10
everywhere on a plane in the back of my car in a terminal in an airport or on a train you name it I've probably worked
01:45:17
there ever since I started my first business at 19 years old I've been working on the move all I need is Wi-Fi
01:45:23
a desk and my headphones and I'm set and one of the places that has always had my
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