Travelling up to London on a bus which takes 9 and half hours is shift and half! However you can get a lot of work completed which is always a bonus! I had a few deadlines for a blog I was writing and also wanted to watch a few documentaries which were obviously football related. I listened to a few podcasts and therefore was set up for my trip around London. I arrived around 8pm on the Sunday evening, but was buzzing for my club visit to QPR and meeting Chris Ramsey. The next day I was up early and raring to go. It took about 2 hours to get to West London – which included 2 buses and 3 trains and a mile and half walk. I was listening to Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers on my walk so it was an enjoyable stride. I arrived at the training club and met a few ex pros and chatted with them. I then had lunch and watched the under 23’s train which was excellent as the attention to detail was sublime. Watching Chris work for an hour and half was just mesmerising as every player reacted of him. We then chatted about different aspects of the game and then onto the podcast – which will be released soon! Made my journey back and was pleased that everything I wanted to ask in the short amount of time was answered. My next trip was going to be interesting…
I was travelling to MK dons, but due to external factors and things not in my control could have ruined the trip. The first thing was that every member of staff which included the players shook my hand and was polite in their manner. The culture was respectful and felt at home there. I worked with the under 18’s for the morning and really enjoyed watching the coach deal with the players. I also have the privilege of learning from one of the FA tutors who was assessing the coach. Got some lunch, then headed to the stadium. The stadium was out of this world for a League 2 team. Got shown around and then met the under 23’s head coach who was working with the 1st team manager all morning. Due to the adaptability and the management I was on the next train back to London after watching a few more sessions but was supposed to stay 1 more day. I took the next day off and spent time with my dad.
On the Thursday I was heading north to Luton and speaking to the head of coaching Jordan Mccann. Of course, I turned up early and at the wrong training ground (Google maps gave me the wrong address!). I learned a lot from him and during the trip I was shown the training grounds and the academy. When speaking to Jordan, it was a humbling experience as everything he spoke about I couldn’t agree with him more. You will find this podcast interesting and will release it soon.
Overall my journey to the 3 clubs was excellent and would recommend going out your comfort zone when stretching your mindset to innovative ideas. A big thanks to the people who helped me and pushed me try new things.
1footinthegame 