Your own football ability - how good are/were you?

[Doctor Zaius]

You don't realise how good professional players are until you play against one. We had a lad play for our uni team for a semester who was also playing in the Finnish top tier. He was ridiculously good.

[danny]

I was enthusiastic let leave it there

[Jordan]

Bang average at best. I was a target man who could hold ball up and good with head but just didnt have an eye for goal. Used to get 6/7 a season in 11 a side but would say i got loads of assists through lay offs and head on’s. 
 

Injuries were my big problem and probably through playing too much. Had tendonitis in both my achilles from 12 year old and it started to stop the enjoyment of playing. 
 

Could always read the game better from the bench than on the pitch and loved the tactical side of the game, unfortunately my manager was an absolute dinosaur long ball merchant who didn’t appreciate anyone with technical ability. 

[Pancrate1892]

4 minutes ago, Doctor Zaius said:

You don't realise how good professional players are until you play against one. We had a lad play for our uni team for a semester who was also playing in the Finnish top tier. He was ridiculously good.

I played on the same team as Oliver Bernard a few year back, he kept asking me to cover him cos he couldn't run. 

Second half he went upfront and smashed about 5 goals in, even crocked, he was still absolutely class 

[Big Geordie]

2 hours ago, leffe186 said:

 My Dad came to watch a lot of my games but I don’t remember him ever praising me or screaming at me. He certainly had a go at a ref or two.

 

Dad was a really good old-school eccentric goalkeeper. I feel incredibly lucky that I actually got to play with him in his “Old Boys” team - he was a 40-year-old keeper, I was a 12-13 year old sweeper in front of him. Getting a tear in my eye just thinking about it

 

Maybe my favourite memory of playing football was in a local team that he had played for briefly in the 1960s. We got to a Cup Final - played at a local stadium with hundreds watching. At the time we played 3-5-2 with me at LWB. Our classy little CB/sweeper got injured, tried to play on and cost us a goal. I moved to CB and held us together. We got to 2-1 but kept missing chances to kill it off. Last second they get a corner, somebody gets to it and heads it down but I’d moved to the goal-line, chested it down like a cocky cunt and volleyed it off the line. Whistle blows. I can still feel the whole thing. Don’t know if my Dad was ever prouder. Think I’ve got something in my eye…

 

My old man - I don't know much about him playing as a young'un, although I know he went in goal for his school (West Sleekburn) and he also played for the sparkies at Ashington Miners Tech back in the early 60's - dad is 6'6 so apparently went in goal! He was canny at cricket - fast bowler, turning out for Cambois, Bomarsund and Ashington for a few years before beer got in the way.

[madras]

13 minutes ago, Doctor Zaius said:

You don't realise how good professional players are until you play against one. We had a lad play for our uni team for a semester who was also playing in the Finnish top tier. He was ridiculously good.

Not even pros. Sunday Morning 5 a side would often have decent level non league players. I could mark someone out the game for 29mins then 2 stonkers in a minute

[Guest reefatoon]

25 minutes ago, Doctor Zaius said:

You don't realise how good professional players are until you play against one. We had a lad play for our uni team for a semester who was also playing in the Finnish top tier. He was ridiculously good.

Yep, agree. I have so many runners up trophy’s from Wallsend Boys club due to Brazil, who just happened to have Alan Thompson, Steve Watson and John Watson playing for them. Didn’t stand a chance 

 

 

Edited November 24, 2023 by reefatoon

[Big Geordie]

11 minutes ago, reefatoon said:

Yep, agree. I have so many runners up trophy’s from Wallsend Boys club due to Brazil, who just happened to have Alan Thompson, Steve Watson and John Watson playing for them. Didn’t stand a chance 

 

 

 

 

They were al the year below me Lee Clark is the same is as me and one afternoon, his school (either Walker of Walbottle) came up to Bedlington to play my year school team in the county cup. Clark even then was a big headed tool - ran the show, with his lot 2-1 ahead at HT. However, he had to get subbed off because he was being that much of a twat with the ref, that he was gonna get sent off. In the end, my school went on to win 5-2.   (I watched the game from the sidelines) A year or two later, Clarky make his full debt for Newcastle (1990) and the rest is history.

 

 

Edited November 24, 2023 by Big Geordie

[OCOCOL]

17 hours ago, TBG said:

Kids are too busy playing on their Playstationbox and watching TicTac videos on their Nokia 3310.

 

I think this is a bit of a myth - yes kids don't play out in the street anymore - mixture of tech socialising, perception of danger, more cars etc.

 

But junior grassroots football is massive - I am sure there are more teams than when I was younger - my 2 sons both play and at U14 level there's 10 divisions in the league and this is just a Newcastle / North Tyneside based league.

 

Back to the point I was average - my younger brother had trials for Newcastle - eh was  a goalkeeper and his understudy for county got in - which seems unfair as they basically had a match and my brothers team won 5-0 and he didn't have to make a save. He was academic too - but if he hadn't have been he could have played league football. Represented the North of England and his school team won the all England Championship in c. 1999.

[RS]

56 minutes ago, Doctor Zaius said:

You don't realise how good professional players are until you play against one. We had a lad play for our uni team for a semester who was also playing in the Finnish top tier. He was ridiculously good.

Aye. Very true.  Played with a few ex pros and they were different class. Even when they were fouling the levels of professional sly nastiness was something to behold. 
Had a young lad on Derbys books fill in on our weekly 7 a side once and he was literally untouchable. Couldn’t even get near him to foul the bastard. 

[GeordieDazzler]

Below average player, above average shithouse 

[Lush Vlad]

2 minutes ago, RS said:

Aye. Very true.  Played with a few ex pros and they were different class. Even when they were fouling the levels of professional sly nastiness was something to behold. 
Had a young lad on Derbys books fill in on our weekly 7 a side once and he was literally untouchable. Couldn’t even get near him to foul the bastard. 

The bit about fouling is so true. Played with a good mate when he was on his way down the football pyramid from

about 4-5 leagues higher than me. Always thought he was a cultured, left footed attacking mid type. Which he was. But fuck me, some of the subtle fouls made me blush and I was a dirty bastad when I needed to be  

[aussiemag]

Played and kept a draw against a few players that made it in Europe or played in the World Cup. They were a couple of years younger in the West Australian League; Trent Sainsbury ( 1 appearance for Inter Milan), Chris Herd (36 appearances for Aston Villa), Ryan Edwards (Reading, Hearts), Adam Taggart (World Cup for Australia), Josh Risdon (World Cup for Australia). I was pretty average though. Horrible first touch. 

[Kid Icarus]

1 hour ago, Doctor Zaius said:

You don't realise how good professional players are until you play against one. We had a lad play for our uni team for a semester who was also playing in the Finnish top tier. He was ridiculously good.

 

Honestly, it's a mixed bag for me. I went to school with a handful of players who were in academies and played pro, some of them were unbelievable, some you couldn't really work out what was seen to be so special about them. 

 

 

Edited November 24, 2023 by Kid Icarus

[TBG]

Got a mate who was regularly getting scouted/doing trials for Premier League clubs when we were in high school.

 

He had it all. Strength. Pace. Finishing, but never made it at any level.

 

Which always made me think, if he wasn't good enough to make it, just how good are those that do. 

 

Then I remember Matty Pattison made it. 

 

 

Edited November 24, 2023 by TBG

[Shak]

5 hours ago, Lish007 said:

Good at 5-a-side, absolutely shocking at 11-a-side (just got lost and was always more difficult to see the match on the ground than on a telly!!). 

 

Loved playing though, would love to do 5 a side again. I could pick a great through ball and was good at finding space. I'm quite tall and slim so other girls underestimated me and Id slam them against the wall and get the ball back, very wiry strength. Was my secret weapon! 

 

Was actually goalkeeper for a while which I was good at. Was a good rush keeper like Neeek Pope! 

 

I'm basically a male version of this 

 

Far better at 5 a side and such.

 

Got a nickname for life out of my goalkeeping escapades but generally preferred being outfield.

 

In retrospect, my best position for 11 a side was probably CB but never played there as I was a reasonable CF.

[GEFAFWISP]

43 minutes ago, Kid Icarus said:

 

Honestly, it's a mixed bag for me. I went to school with a handful of players who were in academies and played pro, some of them were unbelievable, some you couldn't really work out what was seen to be so special about them. 

 

 

 

Was one of them Jack Colback? Bet he was shite even against pub teams.

[TRon]

8 minutes ago, Shak said:

 

I'm basically a male version of this 

 

Far better at 5 a side and such.

 

Got a nickname for life out of my goalkeeping escapades but generally preferred being outfield.

 

In retrospect, my best position for 11 a side was probably CB but never played there as I was a reasonable CF.

 

Same here. Was a CB for school but the larger pitches didn't really suit me as I am not blessed with pace. Played in the Eldon square 5 a side leagues ages ago and that was much better as it allowed me to get forward and I was a pretty decent finisher.

[The Butcher]

Pretty good in my younger days. Got called up to a regional talent thing at the age of 14,15,16.

 

Played with and against people who made it a as a pro. One played in Serie A and in the Championship. Think he's got 75+ caps for his country as well.

 

Fucked my ankle badly at 17, spent more than a year out and that was that. 

 

Still play at a lower level, but my ankle is still a problem and probably always will be.

[Kid Icarus]

16 minutes ago, GEFAFWISP said:

Was one of them Jack Colback? Bet he was shite even against pub teams.

 

I went to school with him and I'd love to say he was shite, but the truth is he was a few years younger than me and I really can't remember whether he was rated in the school or not tbh. Think I might have played at the same time as him on the field once or twice but my memory's hazy. I think he was at the Sunderland academy at the time. Stuart Nicholson who went on to play for West Brom and a few others was good though. I'll resist the urge to go on about how good David Borley was again.

 

I knew of a lad who was in the academy at the same time as Peter Ramage and he kicks himself for being a bit of a hot head and not sticking in because he reckons everyone would have said Ramage was the least likely to make it, but he got there by working hard and being a bit of a teacher's pet.

 

 

Edited November 24, 2023 by Kid Icarus

[Ghandis Flip-Flop]

1 hour ago, Big Geordie said:

 

They were al the year below me Lee Clark is the same is as me and one afternoon, his school (either Walker of Walbottle) came up to Bedlington to play my year school team in the county cup. Clark even then was a big headed tool - ran the show, with his lot 2-1 ahead at HT. However, he had to get subbed off because he was being that much of a twat with the ref, that he was gonna get sent off. In the end, my school went on to win 5-2.   (I watched the game from the sidelines) A year or two later, Clarky make his full debt for Newcastle (1990) and the rest is history.

 

 

 

Must be about five or so years older than Moi then, I was still at West Sleekburn in 1990. Bedlington's vintage around 1994 wasnt bad either. Definitely two or three who should've gone on to bigger and better things, if theyd had a better head on their shoulders, as the technical ability was there; clearly not the application 

 

 

Edited November 24, 2023 by Ghandis Flip-Flop

[Big Geordie]

6 minutes ago, Ghandis Flip-Flop said:

Must be about five or so years older than Moi then, I was still at West Sleekburn in 1990. Bedlington's vintage around 1994 wasnt bad either. Definitely two or three who should've gone on to bigger and better things, if theyd had a better head on their shoulders, as the technical ability was there; clearly not the application 

 

 

 

There was another lad in my year, who signed for Sunderland but broke his leg in their youth set up. Later was at Wigan and Burnley I think, but never really pushed on. He was a cock and a bully - put me on my arse once, long after the ball had gone during training after school. Bodychecked me full pelt with his shoulder - it fucking hurt.

 

Another lad could have signed for Northampton (Graham Carr was manager at the time) - but decided to go and do an apprenticeship at Alcan, instead. Dave Walton was the only one who made it. Caught up with him on FB a couple of months ago - told me that one of his knees is pretty much shot to pieces. That's why he ultimately had to pack in. Good lad though

[Ghandis Flip-Flop]

2 minutes ago, Big Geordie said:

There was another lad in my year, who signed for Sunderland but broke his leg in their youth set up. Later was at Wigan and Burnley I think, but never really pushed on. He was a cock and a bully - put me on my arse once, long after the ball had gone during training after school. Bodychecked me full pelt with his shoulder - it fucking hurt.

 

Another lad could have signed for Northampton (Graham Carr was manager at the time) - but decided to go and do an apprenticeship at Alcan, instead. Dave Walton was the only one who made it. Caught up with him on FB a couple of months ago - told me that one of his knees is pretty much shot to pieces. That's why he ultimately had to pack in. Good lad though

 

 

Well as much as i think some of my peers were daft not to apply themselves for a bit, at least none of them went the route of Jamie Burt. Who every one of them say is the best player they ever played with by a country mile.

[Big Geordie]

1 minute ago, Ghandis Flip-Flop said:

 

 

Well as much as i think some of my peers were daft not to apply themselves for a bit, at least none of them went the route of Jamie Burt. Who every one of them say is the best player they ever played with by a country mile.

 

Yup - I heard tell of him. Played up front with Michael Owen for England schools I think? Ended up heading down the drugs route., IIRC.

 

This is the kernt who signed for the mackems and broke his leg;

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ian_Patterson_(footballer)

 

I sometimes think back to that day and some of the grief he gave me at school. Rest assured - he wouldn't do it now. I kept on growing tall long after he stopped (I ended up 6'8)

[Dr.Spaceman]

1 hour ago, TBG said:

Got a mate who was regularly getting scouted/doing trials for Premier League clubs when we were in high school.

 

He had it all. Strength. Pace. Finishing, but never made it at any level.

 

Which always made me think, if he wasn't good enough to make it, just how good are those that do. 

 

Then I remember Matty Pattison made it. 

 

 

 

 

My mate was at school with him, said he was unreal.