The 'where are they now?' files

[Doc_Piptorious]

Ouch!

So did you get them in the end? And how did you get in in and around the Clonmel area?

[badpiggy]

I know a guy who had a contract with Chelsea at 20 and who is now working in a Spar after a stint in Dunnes Stores.

He and Willie Boland were two of the players regarded as being the next big things in Irish footy at the time. Willie went on have a career in the game whereas the other lad, the more highly rated of the two, had an injury and that was that.


Not really something unique to footy though. Pretty much every sport is littered with similar tales. Boxing can be even crueller than footy with how quickly a former talent can be discarded. Seen a lot of up and comers start a year looking like they might be on the way to being a real talent and finishing the year in a dole line.

At what age did he drop out of football? I think I find the idea of falling down to earning a couple of hundred quid a week playing football much more miserable than working in a Spar. Surely that's your love of football being a pyrrhic victory - "still 35 and still playing"

[Doc_Piptorious]

At what age did he drop out of football? I think I find the idea of falling down to earning a couple of hundred quid a week playing football much more miserable than working in a Spar. Surely that's your love of football being a pyrrhic victory - "still 35 and still playing"

23.


Signed with Chelsea as a teen and bypassed some of his education along the way. Got a first team contract at 20. Got injured a month later. Then three years of going on loan after loan with the league he was being loaned to dropping each time along with ACL injuries mounting up.

Then back to living in Ireland. Tried to get into a few LOI teams, could not as he needed an income so he went to Tesco briefly, then Dunnes and eventually Spar.

He struggled for many years with not being a footballer and his mental health suffered as a result.

Is 52 now and thinking of doing his leaving cert.

[badpiggy]

23.


Signed with Chelsea as a teen and bypassed some of his education along the way. Got a first team contract at 20. Got injured a month later. Then three years of going on loan after loan with the league he was being loaned to dropping each time along with ACL injuries mounting up.

Then back to living in Ireland. Tried to get into a few LOI teams, could not as he needed an income so he went to Tesco briefly, then Dunnes and eventually Spar.

He struggled for many years with not being a footballer and his mental health suffered as a result.

Is 52 now and thinking of doing his leaving cert.

****in hell. Sport can be so cruel. It's another part of the "sports gone soft" **** I really detest from some ex-pros - just because you were lucky enough having left school at 12 to win the European Cup and paly til you were 35, how many of your peers were injured out of the game at 23 and were ****ed forever. Football really is a sport where very few of the ex-pros have anything of value to say other than their war stories etc. Maybe all sport is like that.

[dom9]

From the Sparta Prague article I posted in that thread:

Patrik Berger - now spends his time fishing and playing golf.

So it's not all bad news.

[brightred]

So did you get them in the end? And how did you get in in and around the Clonmel area?

Was back in Cahir a few weeks ago. Failed to track down the boxers but bought a nice pair of Asics in Clonmel. Also had a pint in a lovely pub.
Tipp is a great spot!

[Doc_Piptorious]

Was back in Cahir a few weeks ago. Failed to track down the boxers but bought a nice pair of Asics in Clonmel. Also had a pint in a lovely pub.
Tipp is a great spot!

Parts of it anyway.


For my money other than Ballina across from Killaloe, the parts you were in are the best.


That whole Cahir-Clonmel-Kilsheelan area and surrounds.


Nice spots to eat, to have a waner, to drink, to sleep and more than a few really cool folk in the area.

[brightred]

Parts of it anyway.


For my money other than Ballina across from Killaloe, the parts you were in are the best.


That whole Cahir-Clonmel-Kilsheelan area and surrounds.


Nice spots to eat, to have a waner, to drink, to sleep and more than a few really cool folk in the area.

Very true. Had a lovely meal in Chez Hans in Cashel. Best dinner I've had in a while.

[Doc_Piptorious]

Very true. Had a lovely meal in Chez Hans in Cashel. Best dinner I've had in a while.

Nice choice.


Cashel is a lovely little town now. Been amazing growth there since the motorway was finished some years back.

Has gone from being a tiny limping along village to being a proper commuter town.

[rudedog]

So did you get them in the end? And how did you get in in and around the Clonmel area?

You definitely don’t want your boxers riding up into the Clonmel area

[Norbs]

That's awful.

Dropping down to Spar from Dunnes Stores must have been really traumatic.

[brightred]

I see Norbs can relate to that!

[Doc_Piptorious]

I see Norbs can relate to that!

Well he would be an authority on mental trauma given he has gingers within his circles.

[Norbs]

Rude

[SB]

Could be a lot worse though.


At least he is not the poster that asks me where to buy boxer shorts.

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