Sometime in the not so distant past, at long last, I decided to put my lifelong, enduring passion for what the great Pele once coined ‘The Beautiful Game’ into something useful. Too many nights had been spent on the sofa, idly flicking through some on-demand visual entertainment hub without ever actually deciding what to watch. Many an hour had frivolously been frittered away wastefully as the thumb scrolled repeatedly, almost of it’s own free will, past images of a former classmates evening meal or an ex colleagues holiday snaps.
This is in no way to pontificate that my own life was of any greater interest than the aforementioned peers, or that what they were projecting to the digital world was something I objected to, but quite succinctly I was wasting my time, I was wasting large chunks of my life.
As John Lithgow quite eloquently put it when he stepped into the shoes of Winston Churchill in his portrayal for The Crown; “To waste time is a grievous sin!“.
Writing has always been something that I loved to do from a young age, but unlike many of my other interests in life, it was not always something that I applied myself to with any manner of discipline or even the most basic level of commitment.
Around five years ago, changing that changed so much for me.
Making a commitment to regular, often longform writing, has reaffirmed my love of the English language, kept me sharp, broadened my mind and ensured that the old adage remains true – every day is a school day. It gives the very limited free time I have both purpose and meaning.
A natural offshoot from writing has been the recent dipping of the toe into the world of podcasting. As an involuntary technophobe and audio neophyte, this venture is both daunting and exciting.
The maiden episode, featuring ex Leeds and Rotherham boss Neil Redfearn, was one in which I learned a lot. Listening to Neil’s experiences in top level football brought a level of insight I can safely say I’ve never experienced first hand before. The role of a football manager is one that I’ve been fixated with for as long as I can remember.
Chatting to Neil brought out the human element to managing a top level club. Often these people managing the clubs we love are viewed only through the prism of television or media. It’s as if they exist in a parallel football universe where they go into cold storage until the weekend comes around and then they spring to life again, ready to tell us it’s “one game at time” or “he’s not that type of player“.
Incessant pressure to deliver three points come hell or high water isn’t something an individual can compartmentalise or park at the end of the day. In football management, there’s no such thing as work life balance or a clocking out machine.
Football is about dreaming. Dreaming you score the winning goal, dreaming you play for the club you love, dreaming you manage the team to the league title. It allows an ember of our childhood to burn brightly within us all the way through adulthood, accompanying us to the very end. So many of us fall in love with the game through an almost identical route – parental inheritance. To hear Neil say that when he walked out of the tunnel at Elland Road under the lights as Leeds United manager – the club he grew up supporting – that he glanced over to where he and his father had once sat to watch games together was genuinely moving. It’s exactly what the game is all about.
Neil Redfearn was a fantastic first guest and I’ll always be grateful to him for his time.
Through The Football Conversations Podcast on Eclectic Football Interest, I hope to deliver exactly what it says on the tin. Football discussion with football people – players, managers, writers, fans. We have some great guests lined up and if you have a story to tell or a subject you feel needs covering get in touch.
“A day without football is a day lost” – Ernst Happel.
