Graft, Pressure and the Gloves | Jonathan Craig

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Welcome back to episode two of this season of Catching Up with EVOGK.
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This week's guest is the phenomenal Jonathan Craig, who's the current first team goalkeeper coach for Sunderland Women's team.
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This episode we're gonna hear all about the sacrifices that Jonathan made to chase his Goalkeeping dream, how he learned to create his own chances through sheer hard work.
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The reality of pressure between the posts, and how he's handled it.
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Why setbacks shape his mindset more than the wins ever did.
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Lessons on resilience, working hard, grafting, staying committed when others gave up.
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And also young keepers are gonna learn from Jonathan's journey, how you can turn dedication into opportunities.
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Anybody who's ever been told no.
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Anybody who's worried about being told no.
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I can tell you Jonathan's been told no more times than you have, and he still got there because he gave everything and put himself into the right positions and created his own luck in his own opportunities to be showcased in order to get there.
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It's a phenomenal story.
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I hope you enjoy listening to it.
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This is catching up, and I'm Paul Banks.
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So welcome back for the second episode of EvoGK's Catching Up Podcast.
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I'm Paul Banks, and today I'm joined by Jonathan Craig.
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Jonathan, welcome to the show.
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Thank you very much, Paul, for having me on.
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Again.
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Again, technical setbacks.
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Technical setbacks.
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This is a second time we're recording, so hopefully just like good, good wine.
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It'll age with time.
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Jonathan, do you want to just talk us through your, your current role and, and what you do
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so, I'm currently the first team goalkeeper coach for Sunderland women.
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been doing that for the past three years, come this October, and, I'm glad I'm just down to that one single role because I've done all roles at the football club from Women's 20 Ones and Boys Academy as well.
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So you've done a lot.
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Yeah, you've done a lot.
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first of all, congratulations to the, to the, women's team at the moment.
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Joint, joint top in their league is a phenomenal, thank you.
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There's plenty clean sheets So far.
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One clean sheet, against Sheffield United, which which was really, really nice.
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And then, when we played Birmingham here, who we think are going to be the best team in the league, they're, fantastic team won one and then we beat Durham on Friday.
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Big Derby one.
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Big Derby.
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Big Derby, which is always nice to when, she, that six in a row, we've now beaten Durham.
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So yeah, that was, that was really, really nice.
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Disappointed that we conceded a goal, but that's just a Goalkeeping coach's prerogative.
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as, as we did with the, the first episode, I'm gonna rewind time back, to your youth.
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And first question I'm gonna ask is, who was your goalkeeping idol when you were growing up?
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Jonathan?
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well, I'm a diehard Rangers fan.
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So my goalkeeping idol was Andy Goram,"the goalie as he was called"the goalie.
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God, rest his soul.
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He invented the position, right?
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yeah, he what an unbelievable goalkeeper, but he's someday that if he, if you looked at him even in his prime, you, when he say he's a world-class goalkeeper, like he's an athlete, he's not what goalkeepers look like nowadays, that's for sure.
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But he was part of an era of unbelievable goalkeepers around the world.
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What was it particularly that separated him from the rest?
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First and foremost, he wasn't the tallest.
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He was only 5'10", 5'11" And I'm not a big guy, not quite that size, but his, his unbelievable speed of reaction.
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he was just an unbelievable shot stopper, but as we class it, as now as he could defend the goal for fun.
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And he always loved playing against Celtic as well.
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He broke their hearts on many of occasion, which was really nice.
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but yeah, He is, it is just the way he defended the goal and he was brave and he was just unbelievable.
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So this was, this was you as a, as, as a young kid, obviously I, I would ask how you got involved in football, but growing, growing up anywhere near Glasgow, it's pretty clear.
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Same as if you grew up in Sunderland or Newcastle, right?
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Yeah.
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All around you when you grew up.
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When did you first decide to get into football yourself?
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Grassroots.
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Yeah.
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So, you wouldn't believe this, but when, when I was born, I had zero hand to eye coordination.
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I would, I would, wave there and be looking there.
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so that in itself, how I've become, how I became a goalkeeper and how I've become a professional goalkeeper coach is crazy to think.
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Yeah.
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but it, it was just something that happened at a family barbecue and we were playing rounders and somebody just hit the ball and I just went like that and Got it.
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So yeah, I just, I caught this ball and everybody was like, oh, my, word Jonathan, where did that come from?" And then I started to watch about football.
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It was something I wasn't really into, Paul, to be completely honest.
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But then my dad started to explain to me about football and, and what drew me to Goalkeeping, most especially was the tops and the gloves.
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I was like, they look so different from the rest of the players.
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The nineties goalkeeper tops.
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Oh, tremendous, tremendous.
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Best era for goalie tops ever.
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And yeah, I was just like, oh, I quite fancy that.
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Not thinking or knowing exactly what a goalkeeper done, but seeing them just fly about and stopping the ball.
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I just thought, yeah, fancy a bit of that because I was wee bit crazy as a kid.
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And then I started to get into it, played with friends, and then I found out there was teams.
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And back in the early nineties there was a newspaper called the Pink newspaper, it was called, you got all the football scores on this newspaper from all the grassroots and teams used to advertise.
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So let's, let's, let's, just be clear for a lot of the audience that are watching along at home is we didn't have mobile phones, we, you were looking if you had a landline and you certainly didn't have the landline number for any clubs.
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Pink paper, it was for everyone.
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yeah.
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And you'd advertise, you could have like bikes and all sorts of stuff in there.
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like all your secondhand It was, it was, eBay, vintage jobs, market results, news and football all in the same place.
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Yeah.
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Big time.
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And, and we obviously had Teletext but we, God now show our age and, but yeah, there was a team advertised, Tynecastle Boys Club, and my dad spoke to the manager, went along and, yeah, they, they took me on because I was just, it was a very, very good shot stopper.
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And you were the only one dashing off to stand behind the sticks, right?
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Yeah.
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Yep.
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Most definitely.
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So yeah, to, to get involved with Tynecastle at the age of, 15 was, was brilliant.
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But up until then, it was
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just playing with my mates.
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So you'd never even kicked a ball professionally until you were semi-professional, grassroots, professionally, yeah.
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And toys until you were 15, 15.
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and do you play a lot in the streets as well though, right?
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Like that's, that's pretty much everything, isn't it?
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Where I was living at the time, with my mam and dad, there was a wee Park and we called it the Top Park and it was like a triangle.
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And every night during the summer, we would be out there until it was, dark at 10 o'clock till your mam's shouting.
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Yeah, that is exactly it.
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And then even during the winter time, we would, we would just be out there all the time and yeah, I just took such a love to it.
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So did you get much further than grassroots football?
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What, what, what did Yeah.
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So because of the, the family that I've grown up with, with my mam and dad, we're a very, very hardworking family.
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Very Work driven and my dad constantly talked about, extra training.
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we found a club, Edinburgh City U18's.
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I was only 15, but they trained on a different night from Tynecastle.
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So I went along there, done some extra training, and a gentleman called Stuart Thomas.
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I'm not sure what his role was at the club.
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He wasn't a coach, but he, He was a'Gadgy', I wouldn't even say a Gadgy think he was part of the committee with something along those lines.
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But he got a job at East Sterling, which you could class as a cat 3 academy and liked me that much.
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He took me there with him.
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He was the only player that he actually signed, the rest of the East Sterling staff signed the rest of the players.
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So to take me along, I was, I was blown away by the opportunity and we got to play against other, cat two, cat one academies and yeah, it was an eyeopener, that's for sure.
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but just learning the game completely differently and and that's when I got my first Goalkeeping coach as well.
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And a gentleman called Bobby, and unfortunately Bobby passed away, a few years ago, but, he wasn't even a goalkeeper coach.
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He went on the SFA licenses and just learn and had, practice books and everything.
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And yeah, it was, I was loving that.
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And then that's when obviously I'm thinking to myself, oh, us as goalies have goalie coaches.
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We have our own personal coaches.
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Yeah.
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Yeah.
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And.
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But yeah, I spent about six months at East Sterling and unfortunately, my, my big mouth got me in trouble because, I was opinionated as, as a, as a, young kid.
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And, basically I called the first in goalkeeper coach a clown said, you don't dunno that, do it.
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Talking about Yeah, that would do it.
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Yeah.
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Yeah.
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it might be a clown, but it's a clown in charge.
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Yeah.
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this is the thing.
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yeah.
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But then I, I was fortunate enough with my mam and dad, they just kept on pushing me and they, they put letters out to all academies around Scotland and Doug Feland came back and said, yeah, we'll take you in on trial.
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And I was there for about six months and, just wasn't to be the basically too small.
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Too small.
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And but never stopped me from thinking, I want a
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career in football.
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And that's, I think, having, having heard your story, previously, that that's what stands out for me is throughout the time you were constantly up against, people saying no, or, or pushing back on you, and you found a way every single time to prove them wrong, to, to grasp opportunities, to create opportunities to get yourself in front of people, right?
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yeah.
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Even just taking on extra training.
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Like it's that, it's that hardworking mentality, right?
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Yep.
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Yeah.
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And that's that I, if there's any piece of advice that I could give to any kid, boy or girl, as a goalkeeper or football player, never, ever stop working hard.
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Like talent could get you far but hard work and really push you to the, the really, really top level.
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Yeah.
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so that's definitely one piece of advice that I would give any football player and anybody in life.
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No honesty.
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it's true.
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And, and that's why there's so many business analogies drawn in line with team sports and football particularly, is what's, what's true in football is, is really just the life skills for everything else that you, you learn.
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It's why I, it's why I love watching my son play football, whether, whether career goes further or not, it's the skills that he's learning, the disappointments, the setbacks, how you deal with the setbacks.
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but it's definitely, it's, it's a fantastic, it's a fantastic story.
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But so you, you've been kind of, you've gone as far as you can as a, as a keeper itself, like what's in your head at this point?
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I wasn't at the cleverest at school, unfortunately, and like I thought to myself, what do I want outta my life?
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And my mam and dad obviously pushed me towards, towards that as well.
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And what do you want outta.
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My mam and dad ran their own business.
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They had their own charcoal business.
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And soon as I left high school, I went straight into that.
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And in all honesty, I Hated it Hated it.
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it, it was just a way of life that I wouldn't, I wouldn't want to do for the rest of my life.
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So I just thought to myself, how much can I really push on my coaching and just put in all the beliefs and the hard work that my mam and dad have installed in me?
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How far can I push, in all honesty.
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And there's a bit of luck that's needed along the way.
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You need to meet the right people.
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There's a, there is a famous scene in football.
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It's not what you know, it's who you know.
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What you know will get you in the door, but you need to know people.
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And, I just put myself, put myself out there and when I was still working in.
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Or not even working.
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When I was coaching in grassroots, my mam and dad opened up a door with, my first ever mentor, a gentleman called Billy Thompson, and unfortunately, he passed away a few years ago, and that, that was devastating to me because he was my first mentor and he was the head of goalkeeper at Kilmarnock.
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And I went for a couple weeks and I asked him, listen, is all right if I come back for the remainder of the season?
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And once again, I, that was me just pushing myself forward.
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If I got a yes, then brilliant.
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If I got a no, then no, problem.
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But I would find a way to keep on pushing myself.
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Fortunately enough, I got a yes and he just, he taught me the ropes and one of the first things that he turned around and said to me or asked me was Right, Jonathan.
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What do you think is the most important factor of being a goalkeeper coach?
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And I'm thinking to myself, not think, not using the term knowledges that I use nowadays, but I'm like, content has to be high up there.
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Your identification of the, the specific actions that the goalkeepers are making and, and just every piecing everything together.
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Oh, he thought he needed to hear.
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Yeah.
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Yeah.
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And he said, and he turned around and he actually leaned forward and looked at me and he, he says, can you kick a ball?
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And my eyes started to roll about and I went, yeah, I think so.
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And he's as a goalkeeper coach, that is the first thing that you need because you work in such a small group, so you have to have the ability to serve.
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And I was like.
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I won't use the language that I used in my own head at that point, but I was like, that obviously makes sense.
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And Billy could strike the ball right foot, left foot off the deck, volleys, half volleys, sign, winder, skimmers, dippers crosses.
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He could do everything left and right footed.
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And I'm just like, oh my word.
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So then e everything starts to piece together again.
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So once again, the hard work mentality comes in.
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And I, and that was the first day, that Billy asked me that.
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So I went home to my dad.
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I'm like, dad, you won't believe this.
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He's what is that And I told him what he said, and where my parents live now, where I live for 20 odd years of my life, big, massive field out the back.
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And he says, me And you are out in that field every night and, and you're striking the ball And, Once again, some nights, I'm not going to use the language that I use with my dad here.
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but he, he just kept on saying again, again, and I just caused him, had to strike a football.
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Yep.
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Yeah.
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Again, and now unfortunately enough that my, my left foot is, I'm proud of my left foot.
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But it's just, you think that, right?
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You're going into coaching and you're learning all these different things about goalkeeper coaching and about goalkeeping.
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But as a goalkeeper coach, what is the basis and the basics that You need You need to be able to serve a ball.
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Yeah.
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So once again, for all the kids that will watch this, when you come to the Camp EvoGK, and you miss a target, and I'm shouting at you saying Target, that is why Work the keeper.
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Work the keeper.
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Yep.
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Because you're working on your own distribution at the same time.
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Yeah.
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yeah, it's, it's, it's interesting though because I'll bet there's a lot of people out there who put a lot of thought into, if I'm, if I'm gonna be a footballer, I need?
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to be able to, it's not just about being able to save the goals I tell, I drill it into my son, you've gotta do the, the passes You've gotta be passing across the floor.
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You've gotta be able to receive the ball.
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You've gotta be able to stop the ball.
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And, he's, he's only seven, but I, I feel him rolling his eyes every time I say it come up, we're gonna do passing.
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I was like, oh, dad, I do the exciting stuff.
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Yeah.
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But but how many people actually sit there and think about the time served coaches that are out there, the goalkeeper coaches that are out there, and you're right.
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it's, every, every role has its basics.
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And if you're prepared to, do the hard work and push yourself through that, then, as you said before, it's, there's a certain amount of talent in there.
00:19:13.535 --> 00:19:19.865
But actually it's also about that 10,000 attempts make perfect, right?
00:19:20.075 --> 00:19:22.295
And, and a 100,000 make you even better.
00:19:22.295 --> 00:19:24.410
So why, why stop once you gotta keep going.
00:19:24.980 --> 00:19:25.220
Yeah.
00:19:26.599 --> 00:19:33.440
but then you, there's, there's a, there's a journey for you to get to your first team goalkeeper coach, which you eventually got to, right?
00:19:34.339 --> 00:19:34.730
yeah.
00:19:34.730 --> 00:19:51.589
So, I was working, so I was fortunate enough to get into Hearts Academy through a gentleman, called Willie Aicherson and I thank Willie for, really starting me on my journey in professional football.
00:19:52.069 --> 00:20:00.470
And he got the job at East Fife and to, a, a Scottish League one club at the time.
00:20:01.069 --> 00:20:20.019
And it was, as a Rangers fan, this was a hard time for me as a Rangers fan because it's when we got demoted all the way down to the third division in Scotland, but they obviously got promoted into League One, and that was the season when I was at East Fife.
00:20:22.115 --> 00:20:23.375
To go Ibrox.
00:20:23.644 --> 00:20:25.115
I was absolutely buzzing.
00:20:25.692 --> 00:20:26.704
Oh, I would proper buzzing.
00:20:26.734 --> 00:20:28.654
I had my dad and this come on, glee sheets.
00:20:29.974 --> 00:20:35.855
We were 1-0 down after 30 seconds, there's a picture of me sat like that with a stern face.
00:20:35.855 --> 00:20:37.025
I'm like, on sick.
00:20:39.125 --> 00:20:52.989
but yeah, he, because we were going full time and the owner at the time just chucked money at it with no thought process about what it was gonna look like.
00:20:53.404 --> 00:20:54.005
Back when you could.
00:20:54.470 --> 00:20:54.759
Yeah.
00:20:55.384 --> 00:20:55.744
Yeah.
00:20:55.805 --> 00:20:57.755
But back when it was about how Rich is your owner.
00:20:57.934 --> 00:21:10.375
yeah, yeah, he brought me in and I think I was only 28, 29 years old.
00:21:10.974 --> 00:21:12.875
And I'm now at Hearts Academy.
00:21:12.875 --> 00:21:13.835
I'm doing hearts.
00:21:13.835 --> 00:21:21.154
I'm, I'm working with international football players at hearts and working with top level.
00:21:21.785 --> 00:21:33.875
Kids as well to then get that opportunity and to go in and work with, a goalkeeper called Mikey Andrews.
00:21:34.025 --> 00:21:47.015
and Mikey was a Scotland, U21 goalkeeper and brilliant pedigree and worked with two other goalies as well.
00:21:47.015 --> 00:21:53.765
And it was just, it was an eye-opener to see how it was, how it was all going to work, and how we all got pieced together.
00:21:54.484 --> 00:21:59.285
Uh, unfortunately the time there got cut short, fortunately.
00:21:59.704 --> 00:22:04.994
he lost his job and his entire staff went with him.
00:22:05.184 --> 00:22:07.684
And that's football.
00:22:07.924 --> 00:22:08.224
Yep.
00:22:08.345 --> 00:22:09.095
That's football.
00:22:09.154 --> 00:22:12.065
You're just like, it happens.
00:22:13.835 --> 00:22:14.644
but then.
00:22:16.759 --> 00:22:17.869
Then what's next?
00:22:17.900 --> 00:22:19.230
Because I was still at Hearts.
00:22:19.490 --> 00:22:22.009
I was still working at Hearts, which, which was fine.
00:22:23.000 --> 00:22:35.660
but having other things on, on top of that, it was just, it was a time that, I've came outta first team football and back into Academy football full, full-time.
00:22:35.720 --> 00:22:42.769
And it was, it was a point in my career that I thought, how can I push again?
00:22:43.160 --> 00:22:43.579
What's next?
00:22:43.640 --> 00:22:45.049
What's next, what's next?
00:22:45.680 --> 00:22:46.730
for Jonathan Craig?
00:22:48.529 --> 00:22:56.059
and I just kept on pushing and kept on pushing at heart, attend my first Goalkeeping senior license when I was there.
00:22:56.059 --> 00:23:00.769
And, it made me feel qualified at that point.
00:23:00.799 --> 00:23:03.140
And I'm like, Push again.
00:23:03.859 --> 00:23:04.849
Never stand still.
00:23:05.420 --> 00:23:08.839
And it was, yeah.
00:23:09.230 --> 00:23:09.769
There was a point
00:23:09.769 --> 00:23:13.099
where you volunteered right to, to go warm keepers up to get noticed, right?
00:23:13.400 --> 00:23:13.730
Yeah.
00:23:13.910 --> 00:23:24.940
When I first went into Hearts, I went from one day a week or one night a week to two nights a week to then two nights plus a game on a Sunday.
00:23:25.454 --> 00:23:31.930
And then, and then I pushed myself forward again to try and come in full time.
00:23:31.930 --> 00:23:40.180
However, I got told I was in for two weeks and, I got given all the kit, I was buzzing.
00:23:40.180 --> 00:23:44.230
My mam was buzzing because my mam's side of the family are all hearts fans, so it made them very proud.
00:23:45.130 --> 00:23:45.220
Yeah.
00:23:45.849 --> 00:23:53.780
but then I got pulled aside by the academy manager John Murray saying, Unfortunately, circumstances at the top have changed.
00:23:55.930 --> 00:24:02.319
we can't take you on because Stevie Banks is dropping down, to U19's in academy.
00:24:02.980 --> 00:24:08.109
and that was, that was the year of mad Vlad Romanoff crazy.
00:24:08.470 --> 00:24:11.079
And he.
00:24:11.799 --> 00:24:14.950
But Willie, turned round and said to me, I'll be in touch in two weeks.
00:24:15.339 --> 00:24:16.819
And it was two weeks to that day.
00:24:18.279 --> 00:24:33.099
That, yeah, he called me and then it got me in, and then everything started to really, really, build and asked John if I could come in, to shadow Banksy with the U19's.
00:24:33.789 --> 00:24:39.857
And they got back in from mam and dad saying, we'll back you financially, we'll take care of everything and whatnot.
00:24:40.119 --> 00:24:43.660
And, once again, amazing parents.
00:24:44.450 --> 00:24:47.930
Just to back me as much as, as much as they have.
00:24:48.910 --> 00:24:54.099
And, but then yeah, as I say, things just started to build.
00:24:54.430 --> 00:25:01.589
And unfortunately for banks, he, he hurt his knee and he couldn't take training anymore, so I ended, ended up taking on the U19s.
00:25:01.839 --> 00:25:02.289
Yeah.
00:25:02.500 --> 00:25:02.859
Yeah.
00:25:02.895 --> 00:25:03.490
Straight in.
00:25:03.579 --> 00:25:05.470
I ended up taking the u19s.
00:25:05.680 --> 00:25:07.359
Full time reserves.
00:25:07.599 --> 00:25:07.750
Mm.
00:25:08.529 --> 00:25:14.440
And as you say, all volunteered not paid, in their seven days a week.
00:25:15.279 --> 00:25:20.170
And between doing u19s, reserves, academy, it was literally seven days.
00:25:20.319 --> 00:25:20.529
Yeah.
00:25:20.650 --> 00:25:32.380
Because I was going from under u19s on a Friday to go watching U9s and U10s on a Saturday and then U15s to U17s or U14s and U13s, U12s on a Sunday.
00:25:32.619 --> 00:25:33.369
It's a busy life.
00:25:34.089 --> 00:25:35.019
It's a great life though.
00:25:35.529 --> 00:25:36.220
Great life.
00:25:36.339 --> 00:25:37.599
I wouldn't have never changed it.
00:25:39.130 --> 00:25:39.579
Yeah.
00:25:39.789 --> 00:25:40.299
yeah.
00:25:40.420 --> 00:25:47.559
But people have just got to realise to make your name, especially in this game, you've got the sacrifice.
00:25:47.650 --> 00:25:47.890
Yeah.
00:25:48.130 --> 00:26:03.355
Got the sacrifice a lot and personally and everything, when all my friends were going out and having good time and drinking and meeting, their girlfriends and their partners and whatnot.
00:26:04.150 --> 00:26:05.680
I wa I was in the house.
00:26:05.920 --> 00:26:06.940
I was in the house.
00:26:07.029 --> 00:26:08.380
You come now, John.
00:26:08.440 --> 00:26:08.779
No, no.
00:26:08.859 --> 00:26:09.759
I've gotta again tomorrow.
00:26:10.420 --> 00:26:12.279
I'm, and that's the sacrifice that you make.
00:26:12.309 --> 00:26:12.549
Yeah.
00:26:13.960 --> 00:26:16.119
and then you started the road to real Kashmere, right?
00:26:17.950 --> 00:26:18.400
Yeah.
00:26:18.910 --> 00:26:24.740
between all of that, God, God, Hibs Left, left Hearts,, went to Hibs.
00:26:24.759 --> 00:26:26.380
That went down like a lead balloon.
00:26:26.769 --> 00:26:31.990
Spent three years there, working with their academy.
00:26:31.990 --> 00:26:34.059
But in between all of that as well.
00:26:34.059 --> 00:26:37.660
I went to be Rangers was first team goalkeeper coach there.
00:26:37.660 --> 00:26:39.670
That was, was again, amazing.
00:26:39.789 --> 00:26:44.319
Loved that, loved my time there, successful.
00:26:46.299 --> 00:26:51.920
and, and then I was full time at the SFA Scotch Football Association doing performance high school.
00:26:52.630 --> 00:26:55.615
And all of that married together,
00:26:55.615 --> 00:26:58.039
What's Performance High school for, for the kids that haven't been through there.
00:26:58.420 --> 00:27:01.720
So it's basically kids who play for academies.
00:27:01.795 --> 00:27:01.855
Yeah.
00:27:02.515 --> 00:27:10.134
And the trial to come to the, their, their specific, performance high school in certain areas.
00:27:10.134 --> 00:27:11.825
I think there's seven or eight in Scotland.
00:27:12.315 --> 00:27:16.795
Edburg Glasgow, five, Dundee.
00:27:17.424 --> 00:27:30.234
And these are boys and girls who, we all feel that can make professional careers and national careers, in the game.
00:27:30.684 --> 00:27:36.204
So yeah, I was in charge of, all the goalkeepers.
00:27:37.075 --> 00:27:39.595
And it was about this time that you met James as well, right?
00:27:40.295 --> 00:27:46.585
Yeah, I met James just before I went out to India.
00:27:46.825 --> 00:27:55.494
He, he ran a conference with my friend, Ross was present going on, and he says, you want to come through?
00:27:55.494 --> 00:27:59.545
And it was, that's Slaley Hall, and that's when I first met James and.
00:28:01.720 --> 00:28:06.819
Then we just stayed in touch on Facebook and then swapped numbers and everything.
00:28:06.819 --> 00:28:12.759
and he, I had left Hibs and went to Barnsley.
00:28:13.630 --> 00:28:23.470
had a wonderful opportunity to go to Barnsley as Lead Academy Goalkeeping coach, which I was never going to turn down because I was doing Hibs, Berwick Rangers, SFA.
00:28:23.470 --> 00:28:25.839
So I was jumping all over the place, Paul.
00:28:25.839 --> 00:28:27.640
And it was hard.
00:28:27.789 --> 00:28:27.970
Yeah.
00:28:27.970 --> 00:28:29.230
It was something a bit more permanent.
00:28:29.349 --> 00:28:29.799
Yeah.
00:28:31.329 --> 00:28:32.980
I was never gonna turn down that opportunity.
00:28:33.009 --> 00:28:38.950
And then when James came, gave me a call, he said, can I come out and watch you?
00:28:38.950 --> 00:28:44.859
And I'm gonna bring Lee Barris, who was one of the directors for, EVO at the time.
00:28:44.859 --> 00:28:46.210
So I said, yeah, no problem.
00:28:46.960 --> 00:28:51.819
So he came out and watched me take a one-on-one session, and I was like, I'm really sorry guys.
00:28:51.819 --> 00:28:53.319
I've only got one goalkeeper the day.
00:28:53.319 --> 00:28:55.329
And they're like, no, no, no, that's fine, that's fine.
00:28:55.990 --> 00:28:58.964
And that's when it all started.
00:28:59.065 --> 00:29:00.125
He watched me.
00:29:00.789 --> 00:29:01.509
Contacted me.
00:29:01.509 --> 00:29:01.930
No pressure.
00:29:02.440 --> 00:29:02.920
No pressure.
00:29:02.920 --> 00:29:04.160
No none.
00:29:04.299 --> 00:29:05.079
None whatsoever.
00:29:06.400 --> 00:29:14.260
And, He then contacted me and said, listen, I want you involved in the camp once again at Slaley Hall.
00:29:14.365 --> 00:29:16.915
And Tony Parks was the headliner for it.
00:29:17.125 --> 00:29:21.056
And I was a wee bit, God, this is rather daunting.
00:29:21.506 --> 00:29:23.036
like, he was, this is real.
00:29:23.036 --> 00:29:23.665
Yeah.
00:29:23.875 --> 00:29:26.496
He was head of goalkeeper at Tottenham.
00:29:26.546 --> 00:29:26.726
Yeah.
00:29:26.726 --> 00:29:27.115
God.
00:29:27.205 --> 00:29:28.105
Working with Hugo Lloris.
00:29:28.105 --> 00:29:29.766
World Cup winner.
00:29:30.776 --> 00:29:35.425
And he, I thought, am I gonna be up to the level here?
00:29:36.355 --> 00:29:41.395
I always backed myself, but I thought, am I gonna be up to the level here working with guys like him?
00:29:42.236 --> 00:29:50.726
And I'd said to James, listen, I'm flying out to India, a week's time.
00:29:51.175 --> 00:29:52.496
And he's no, that's fine.
00:29:52.615 --> 00:29:53.096
that's fine.
00:29:53.096 --> 00:29:54.115
We'll just see how.
00:29:54.566 --> 00:29:57.115
he get on and whatnot and parks.
00:29:57.115 --> 00:29:59.096
He gave me a loan review, so I was buzzing.
00:29:59.816 --> 00:30:00.865
I was proper buzzing.
00:30:01.435 --> 00:30:01.826
Yeah.
00:30:01.826 --> 00:30:05.336
And seven years later, right?
00:30:06.086 --> 00:30:06.596
What was that, sorry?
00:30:06.596 --> 00:30:06.715
Being
00:30:06.715 --> 00:30:08.036
validated by one of the legends,
00:30:08.036 --> 00:30:08.125
right?
00:30:08.125 --> 00:30:08.336
Oh God.
00:30:08.455 --> 00:30:08.846
Yeah.
00:30:08.846 --> 00:30:08.855
Yeah.
00:30:09.086 --> 00:30:10.195
And I was just like, wow.
00:30:10.945 --> 00:30:13.826
So now we're talking seven years later.
00:30:14.756 --> 00:30:14.965
Yeah.
00:30:14.996 --> 00:30:21.266
Part of that and looking at the way that has grown, I mean, dear me, it's just been unbelievable.
00:30:21.266 --> 00:30:25.375
And working with your Tony Parks at that point.
00:30:25.586 --> 00:30:25.736
Yeah.
00:30:25.736 --> 00:30:35.730
Eric Steeles, your Jack Robertsons, Chris Williams, Wilco, God, Dave Watson, who we had here previously.
00:30:36.159 --> 00:30:37.148
the list goes on.
00:30:37.153 --> 00:30:37.483
It does.
00:30:37.483 --> 00:30:38.013
It really does.
00:30:38.013 --> 00:30:38.023
Yeah.
00:30:38.138 --> 00:30:47.979
The list goes on and that's testament to James and what he's produced and, and the level of coaches that he's brought in and even the support staff.
00:30:48.189 --> 00:30:48.999
Um, unbelievable
00:30:49.588 --> 00:30:51.848
So in the meantime, you are heading out to India.
00:30:52.644 --> 00:30:53.124
Why?
00:30:53.394 --> 00:30:56.903
like how do you, how do you become a goalkeeper coach who's heading out to India?
00:30:56.903 --> 00:30:59.693
Because that's, that's not something I would've heard anybody considering.
00:30:59.993 --> 00:31:03.294
So my time at Barnsley was coming to an end.
00:31:04.403 --> 00:31:06.263
and this is how fickle football was.
00:31:06.263 --> 00:31:24.534
Sometimes it, I got told after producer two England Goalkeepers and, one of them who just recently left, Manchester United, yeah, I got told that I've not done enough and my contract isn't going to be getting renewed.
00:31:25.134 --> 00:31:27.683
So I was, I was in trouble.
00:31:28.044 --> 00:31:29.273
I was in in trouble.
00:31:29.273 --> 00:31:34.554
I was, was devastated and I just thought, what's next?
00:31:34.703 --> 00:31:43.733
But my friend Ross, he spoke to me about two or three weeks prior and he said, you might hear from Jimmy Lindsay.
00:31:45.203 --> 00:31:47.153
And I thought nothing else solved that.
00:31:47.153 --> 00:31:50.604
And Jimmy was a guy that I worked with at Hearts.
00:31:51.398 --> 00:32:01.808
And, I tell you a funny story, Paul, after I got told this, I had to sort out a few things and I missed a couple days of work and whatnot.
00:32:01.808 --> 00:32:10.368
And, but then I went back in and I saw the club pastor, at Barnsley and I got on really, really well with him.
00:32:11.249 --> 00:32:14.078
And he says, oh, Jonathan, I've not seen you in a couple days.
00:32:14.078 --> 00:32:15.398
And I explained why?
00:32:15.398 --> 00:32:18.459
And he says, it's alright if I say I pray for you.
00:32:19.179 --> 00:32:24.189
And I said to him, Peter, I'm not, I'm not a Catholic.
00:32:24.189 --> 00:32:25.239
I'm I'm, a Christian.
00:32:25.239 --> 00:32:27.999
I'm, and he like, no, it's absolutely fine.
00:32:27.999 --> 00:32:38.153
So we went into the prayer room and the first thing that he said to God, he says, please open lots of doors for this fantastic young man that night.
00:32:38.588 --> 00:32:39.429
Jimmy called me.
00:32:40.568 --> 00:32:44.439
Jimmy called me, and I was just like, oh my God, this is just crazy.
00:32:45.098 --> 00:32:47.318
It's crazy how this has happened.
00:32:48.068 --> 00:32:54.348
And the manager for real Kashmir is a gentleman called David Robertson, who is a ranger's legend.
00:32:55.568 --> 00:32:58.868
And Jimmy said, ah, it's David Robertson, who's the manager.
00:32:58.868 --> 00:33:00.858
I'm like, ex left back?
00:33:00.999 --> 00:33:02.618
Ranger's, Left back, David Robertson?
00:33:02.693 --> 00:33:03.939
He's yeah, that's a gaffer.
00:33:04.719 --> 00:33:06.009
I was like, oh, wow.
00:33:06.939 --> 00:33:10.659
And I asked him about the role and he says, yeah, it's first team goalkeeper coach.
00:33:10.659 --> 00:33:16.808
And so I traveled back to Scotland to have a conversation with David, and Jimmy.
00:33:17.469 --> 00:33:23.798
And one of the first things that David turned in and said to me, he says, have you seen a documentary?
00:33:24.608 --> 00:33:25.598
I'm like, documentary?
00:33:25.598 --> 00:33:27.038
And he's yeah.
00:33:27.233 --> 00:33:34.288
And would make it a second part as well when we go back out there, so if you if you decide to come, you'll be in it.
00:33:34.749 --> 00:33:36.759
And I'm like, no.
00:33:37.358 --> 00:33:40.778
And he says, I recommend you watching this documentary.
00:33:41.558 --> 00:33:43.419
So had a conversation.
00:33:43.808 --> 00:33:45.818
There was no money discussed right away.
00:33:45.818 --> 00:33:49.358
And then I'm headed back to the train station in Dundee.
00:33:49.884 --> 00:33:52.493
And Jimmy called me and says, what do you think?
00:33:52.523 --> 00:33:55.854
And I'm like, listen, it, it all sounds really, really good.
00:33:55.854 --> 00:33:56.663
Sounds great.
00:33:57.413 --> 00:34:06.354
And also, when I was going to the venue, when I was meeting them, I got confirmation that I'd just passed my UEFA goalkeeping license.
00:34:06.354 --> 00:34:11.634
So I was think to myself, just add a few zero's on the end of, yeah, I'm on my contract.
00:34:14.664 --> 00:34:15.713
I, but this is your prime, right?
00:34:15.713 --> 00:34:18.653
Like you've, you've produced England goalkeepers at this point in time.
00:34:19.224 --> 00:34:20.693
this is, why not?
00:34:21.293 --> 00:34:21.684
Yeah.
00:34:21.923 --> 00:34:22.344
Yeah.
00:34:22.494 --> 00:34:23.423
Something different.
00:34:23.574 --> 00:34:24.474
New culture.
00:34:25.134 --> 00:34:26.244
Could I be successful?
00:34:27.233 --> 00:34:35.304
Because touch wood, everywhere where I went, I've, I have produced and yeah.
00:34:35.784 --> 00:34:37.043
It's not arrogance.
00:34:37.914 --> 00:34:40.974
I've just got, I've got the records to prove it.
00:34:41.123 --> 00:34:41.364
Yeah.
00:34:43.208 --> 00:34:45.818
Because I just believe in myself, but I've always stayed humble.
00:34:46.028 --> 00:34:47.679
I'll never ever forget where I've came from.
00:34:47.679 --> 00:34:51.009
Yeah, And the people who've helped me get to where Yeah, I am.
00:34:51.338 --> 00:34:52.989
So that's another life lesson.
00:34:52.989 --> 00:34:53.719
Always be humble.
00:34:54.699 --> 00:34:55.329
but yeah.
00:34:57.728 --> 00:35:00.009
but when Jimmy came back with the offer, I was like, Nope.
00:35:00.309 --> 00:35:01.059
No chance.
00:35:01.509 --> 00:35:03.188
I'm not coming out to India for that.
00:35:03.429 --> 00:35:04.688
Absolutely no chance.
00:35:05.289 --> 00:35:15.518
And there was a bit of toing and froing and they eventually came back with an offer, that obviously accepted.
00:35:15.699 --> 00:35:25.268
And I spoke to a few professional friends as well, and they said, you imagine how good that's gonna look on a CV, that you're going completely outside your comfort zone.
00:35:25.268 --> 00:35:26.289
You're going out there.
00:35:26.289 --> 00:35:36.458
And, but what I didn't know at the time was about real Kashmir is it's the most militarised zone on the planet.
00:35:37.208 --> 00:35:39.789
It's right in between India and Pakistan.
00:35:41.498 --> 00:35:42.429
There's killings.
00:35:42.969 --> 00:35:47.139
There's bombings, there's no wifi, there's no phone service.
00:35:47.139 --> 00:35:48.639
Good job you put those zeroes on the end, right?
00:35:48.668 --> 00:35:48.969
Oh yeah.
00:35:50.469 --> 00:36:01.773
And don't get me wrong, the most stunning part of India that you'll see, and it's only part of India that snows because it's right next to the Himalayas.
00:36:02.713 --> 00:36:04.659
So you could imagine the scenery.
00:36:04.764 --> 00:36:05.054
Yeah.
00:36:05.059 --> 00:36:05.349
Yeah.
00:36:05.498 --> 00:36:06.309
Every day.
00:36:06.369 --> 00:36:12.518
But you're, you're looking at the poverty and we've had games canceled.
00:36:12.518 --> 00:36:18.548
We couldn't come back to Kashmir right away because of all the violence that was going on.
00:36:18.548 --> 00:36:30.878
And then when we eventually went back after the longest preseason in history, about four months, preseason should be a maximum of two, if that.
00:36:31.028 --> 00:36:31.509
Yeah.
00:36:32.108 --> 00:36:34.219
We got back and we weren't allowed to train our.
00:36:34.614 --> 00:36:40.164
At our stadium, we had to be in isolation behind basically closed doors.
00:36:40.494 --> 00:36:42.653
So we went to a local high school.
00:36:43.313 --> 00:36:50.963
We had to start training at, half past six in the morning, and We had to be back at the club hotel by half past eight.
00:36:52.074 --> 00:36:52.643
Yep.
00:36:52.673 --> 00:36:56.003
So we're now going back to a hotel without any wifi.
00:36:56.304 --> 00:36:58.614
Without any internet for the entire day.
00:36:58.643 --> 00:36:59.903
For the entire day.
00:37:00.713 --> 00:37:05.423
And you're just, when you talk about mental strength Yeah.
00:37:06.623 --> 00:37:13.164
Like you could deal with, if you could deal with that, you could deal with anything and Yeah.
00:37:13.253 --> 00:37:15.623
You've got like armed guards taking you to stadiums and stuff, right?
00:37:15.623 --> 00:37:15.744
Yeah.
00:37:15.744 --> 00:37:17.364
I have my own body guard.
00:37:19.014 --> 00:37:30.023
it was, it was quite funny when I came back after my first season out there, I'd done a podcast and one of the presenters asked me, what's the difference between cashmere?
00:37:30.684 --> 00:37:32.693
And where you live in Scotland.
00:37:32.693 --> 00:37:43.074
And I, and I said to him, so where I live in Scotland, in in Dalkeith, we just go to the local shop, we buy our groceries, we go up to the cashier, we pay'em money.
00:37:43.463 --> 00:37:45.653
And they're like, they said, don't like that and cash me.
00:37:45.653 --> 00:37:50.634
I'm like, oh, it was we local shop just down the road, the only one called the Kashmere Mart.
00:37:51.173 --> 00:38:03.954
And yeah, you go pick up, your groceries or get whatever you wanted to get your box of pop and your Chris and and whatnot, and you start at the cashier and somebody walks in with an AK 47 strapped around their shoulders.
00:38:04.164 --> 00:38:05.034
Nobody bats an eye.
00:38:07.373 --> 00:38:11.514
And that was, that was a way of life that I had to understand.
00:38:11.514 --> 00:38:19.373
So when I watched a documentary and thinking, bloody hell, am I seriously considering going out to this place?
00:38:19.753 --> 00:38:29.574
And just mentally prepare myself for this is what I'll look like, and you have to be ready for it because you've made this choice.
00:38:29.903 --> 00:38:31.344
You made this choice in your life.
00:38:33.143 --> 00:38:36.233
And to be fair, I would never have changed that.
00:38:36.233 --> 00:38:37.974
again for the world.
00:38:39.324 --> 00:38:48.076
It sounds like a, an experience of, of kind of culture and just being outside of what any of us would consider normal.
00:38:48.521 --> 00:38:56.650
And, and I, I, but I bet that that has its own benefits as well in terms of a reset for yourself and, and obviously COVID happened while you were out there as well, right?
00:38:56.951 --> 00:38:59.007
Yeah, it made me a better man.
00:38:59.007 --> 00:39:15.418
It made me like I've all, I appreciate everybody in my family, I appreciate all my friends, but I didn't quite appreciate life as much until I went out there and I just saw, as I said, the poverty, how people lived.
00:39:15.956 --> 00:39:18.117
I'll never forget what I decided.
00:39:19.286 --> 00:39:29.697
What I wanted to do was I would get tons of old goalie gloves and just pictures, pieces of paper or whatnot, and I would get my goalies to sign them.
00:39:30.356 --> 00:39:41.157
And before every single home game, I would pick out a kid in the stand and I would give them the gloves or the piece of paper with the signatures Yeah.
00:39:41.336 --> 00:39:41.726
On it.
00:39:42.117 --> 00:39:48.297
And I just thought, that's just going to be, give a wee bit back to these people.
00:39:48.297 --> 00:39:50.547
And I'm a passionate man, yeah.
00:39:50.547 --> 00:39:51.447
I'm, I'm crazy.
00:39:51.867 --> 00:39:56.666
Like when it comes to football, and they would see that passion in me.
00:39:57.717 --> 00:40:03.146
I celebrate every goal like I've scored it myself and Or every save.
00:40:03.416 --> 00:40:04.317
Or every save.
00:40:04.407 --> 00:40:04.827
Yeah.
00:40:05.086 --> 00:40:06.257
Yeah, well and truly.
00:40:06.507 --> 00:40:12.416
And it was just to bring a bit of happiness to these kids' lives.
00:40:12.536 --> 00:40:12.717
Yeah.
00:40:12.746 --> 00:40:13.257
As well.
00:40:13.737 --> 00:40:16.347
And, but you've gotta think about the future as well, right?
00:40:16.347 --> 00:40:23.637
Like you want your next goalkeeper to turn up at some point, and if, if no kids are, all they're bothered about is watching the football, not, not actually taking part in it.
00:40:23.637 --> 00:40:23.786
Yeah.
00:40:23.817 --> 00:40:25.077
Then what, what have you
00:40:25.077 --> 00:40:25.347
got?
00:40:25.496 --> 00:40:26.277
A hundred percent.
00:40:28.407 --> 00:40:34.677
yeah, it, it made me a better human being and I already was and Yeah.
00:40:34.681 --> 00:40:36.626
as you, as you mentioned, COVID.
00:40:38.306 --> 00:40:38.697
Wow.
00:40:39.177 --> 00:40:40.347
47 days.
00:40:40.347 --> 00:40:40.617
Paul.
00:40:40.617 --> 00:40:41.847
47 days.
00:40:41.907 --> 00:40:51.266
Myself, David and David's wife had flew out a week earlier, so that went doing like a lead balloon when we were stuck there.
00:40:52.496 --> 00:40:53.936
so she was stuck out there.
00:40:54.266 --> 00:41:08.322
Assistant manager, Jimmy, we had six foreign players, six or seven foreign players, and two of them were, British, Callum Higginbottom, and Mason Robertson, who was David's son.
00:41:09.387 --> 00:41:15.896
And we had the African guys out there as well, and we were stuck 47 days.
00:41:16.916 --> 00:41:31.293
It was that was just one of the toughest times of my entire life because I'm thousands and thousands of miles away from my mam and dad, but I don't know why we can't get back.
00:41:32.103 --> 00:41:40.443
And with David being that so much of a celebrity and people knowing who he is, he'd done interviews.
00:41:40.757 --> 00:41:41.836
he'd done so much.
00:41:41.836 --> 00:41:45.677
It was in the newspapers and just trying to get us back.
00:41:46.036 --> 00:41:46.246
Yeah.
00:41:47.027 --> 00:41:58.336
And when we did, we had to drive in a week in a wee van, full of our kit and took about 14 hours to get to a place called Jammu.
00:41:59.117 --> 00:42:03.916
But part of the journey was on a road where it was just a mountain on site.
00:42:04.936 --> 00:42:06.766
no barriers on this side.
00:42:07.336 --> 00:42:08.402
I swear to God, James
00:42:08.402 --> 00:42:08.987
Bond, right?
00:42:09.197 --> 00:42:09.586
Oh, yeah.
00:42:10.007 --> 00:42:21.496
I swear to God, my head was like this for the entire journey, and every time I looked up, I got squeamish and I felt like I was gonna be sick because of you've just got that on the side.
00:42:21.527 --> 00:42:25.427
If any rocks came down, I wouldn't be sat here, right there.
00:42:27.407 --> 00:42:31.547
but this is a lad who grew up a stone's throw from the Highlands, And, and this is, this is real.
00:42:31.876 --> 00:42:32.146
Yeah.
00:42:32.146 --> 00:42:33.077
These are real mountains.
00:42:33.137 --> 00:42:33.376
Yeah.
00:42:33.376 --> 00:42:38.177
But, so I was just like, oh my God, this is crazy.
00:42:39.047 --> 00:42:48.106
But, yeah, we got home, but I had agreed a new contract to to go back out, so, yeah.
00:42:48.106 --> 00:42:49.306
But wow.
00:42:49.547 --> 00:42:51.016
Unbelievable experience.
00:42:51.016 --> 00:43:06.617
And a very successful and rewarding one for me personally as well though, because Phurba Lachenpa, my goalkeeper, who the manager and Mason identified and signed, He had an unbelievable season.
00:43:07.757 --> 00:43:20.927
got an I league team of the season, got an overall team of the season between I league and ISL, and, and, he won overall Indian player of the year.
00:43:20.987 --> 00:43:21.887
Not just goalkeeper.
00:43:22.036 --> 00:43:22.936
Not just goalkeeper
00:43:23.237 --> 00:43:23.806
player.
00:43:24.286 --> 00:43:28.007
And I was just like, oh my God, this is crazy, crazy.
00:43:28.007 --> 00:43:39.797
And I still speak to him to this day and he, he was just an unbelievable goalkeeper that could, could kick the legs of himself, was brilliant in the air coming for crosses.
00:43:39.797 --> 00:43:41.867
But he was an unbelievable shots stopper.
00:43:42.407 --> 00:43:44.056
He could defend the golfer fun.
00:43:44.056 --> 00:43:47.777
And I was like, oh my God, this kid is, he's got something.
00:43:47.777 --> 00:43:56.983
And he then went on to, now at Mumbai, being at Mumbai for a number of years now, being part of the national team as well.
00:43:56.983 --> 00:43:59.623
And yeah, it's always.
00:44:00.298 --> 00:44:04.469
We're so proud to help him in, in his journey to get there.
00:44:05.458 --> 00:44:05.789
It's,
00:44:05.818 --> 00:44:15.088
it's interesting because obviously there's, we, we have one of the, we have the best league in the world, in the Premier League right here in England.
00:44:15.989 --> 00:44:22.438
And we, I think for a lot of people, we just assume that all the best goalkeepers are, they're either here or they're at the big clubs that we already know, right?
00:44:22.438 --> 00:44:33.659
Like they're at Barcelona and they're at Real Madrid or, and yet his, his living proof that like out there where English people would never even think to look for the, the star players.
00:44:33.688 --> 00:44:37.349
There are incredible players out there who are quite happy where they are.
00:44:37.414 --> 00:44:44.248
Don't feel the need to come to the Premier League probably don't get the opportunity to come either, but it's just, it blows my mind now.
00:44:44.248 --> 00:44:53.068
It is just, I wonder how many amazing players are out there in, in different countries around the world that we'll never even hear about that could blow the socks off some of the players that we know and love.
00:44:53.309 --> 00:44:53.579
Yeah.
00:44:53.699 --> 00:44:54.119
Amazing.
00:44:54.119 --> 00:44:54.358
It's,
00:44:54.364 --> 00:44:55.199
it's unbelievable.
00:44:55.378 --> 00:44:56.608
And then top all that off.
00:44:56.818 --> 00:44:57.898
You did eventually make it home.
00:44:58.443 --> 00:44:59.759
You, you spent how many seasons?
00:44:59.759 --> 00:45:00.463
Three seasons out there.
00:45:00.478 --> 00:45:00.599
Three
00:45:00.599 --> 00:45:01.528
seasons out there.
00:45:01.528 --> 00:45:05.668
And the, the other two seasons were really successful.
00:45:05.668 --> 00:45:14.219
We won, the IFS shield back to back, first time that the club had ever won the eye face shield, obviously first time round.
00:45:14.849 --> 00:45:18.599
My goalkeeper saved a penalty in the final as well, so you could hear me from the heavens.
00:45:19.679 --> 00:45:29.518
I was delighted big and, yeah, we went on and had the successful season in the second season and finished mid table.
00:45:29.789 --> 00:45:35.398
It was good for us, because we didn't have the biggest budget in the world comparing to other teams.
00:45:35.909 --> 00:45:41.579
And it was a test as well, because we were under a bio bubble because of COVID.
00:45:41.579 --> 00:45:43.168
So everything was a go gutter.
00:45:44.108 --> 00:45:54.018
I was actually taking goalkeepers for sessions in a hotel lobby at times because we were only at ever allowed out outside for, For training in games.
00:45:54.347 --> 00:46:01.788
But when two of my goalkeepers obviously weren't playing Match Day plus one, what were we doing?
00:46:02.208 --> 00:46:03.467
We couldn't do anything.
00:46:03.617 --> 00:46:07.367
So I was taking goalie sessions in, in a hotel lobby.
00:46:07.757 --> 00:46:09.827
I don't think I would be able to do that here in the Hilton.
00:46:10.608 --> 00:46:11.568
No, no.
00:46:11.958 --> 00:46:14.333
I wouldn't have thought, I don't think people would be too happy about it to be fair.
00:46:14.393 --> 00:46:17.688
But, but that's what was needed.
00:46:17.927 --> 00:46:21.527
You just gotta do what you just had to do what, what was needed.
00:46:21.527 --> 00:46:28.547
And then we tried to make a big push for it in the third season, signed some really, really top quality players.
00:46:28.818 --> 00:46:33.588
Retained IFA Shield again, scored equalizer in Stoppage time.
00:46:34.452 --> 00:46:35.612
I was way down the touch line.
00:46:35.612 --> 00:46:37.532
Sounds familiar for a Sunderland fan fan all sounds familiar.
00:46:38.563 --> 00:46:40.373
Yeah, I was way down the TUR touch.
00:46:40.398 --> 00:46:41.057
It was mental.
00:46:41.057 --> 00:46:42.527
And then we won at two, one.
00:46:42.648 --> 00:46:43.128
Brilliant.
00:46:43.128 --> 00:46:45.378
And we started league season really, really well.
00:46:46.217 --> 00:46:48.737
But then it was a COVID outbreak in all the hotels.
00:46:49.717 --> 00:46:50.807
league got suspended.
00:46:52.233 --> 00:46:55.623
We didn't do the proper thing and take everybody back to Kashmir.
00:46:56.492 --> 00:47:04.952
the owner, God bless soul, let people, let players go back to their home hometowns.
00:47:05.373 --> 00:47:08.583
some players didn't return because they couldn't deal with the isolation.
00:47:09.362 --> 00:47:16.141
And unfortunately we went down to the last game of the season, trying to stave off relegation.
00:47:17.583 --> 00:47:21.994
And me and David both said after that was done, we were just like, no, We're done.
00:47:22.684 --> 00:47:23.043
We're done.
00:47:23.134 --> 00:47:23.643
That's it.
00:47:24.213 --> 00:47:32.313
and yeah, we eventually, I eventually got home and I was just, thank God for that.
00:47:34.023 --> 00:47:34.594
So yeah.
00:47:34.713 --> 00:47:35.373
Got home.
00:47:36.813 --> 00:47:39.693
It's, I bet it makes you appreciate the small things though, right?
00:47:39.873 --> 00:47:40.534
A hundred percent.
00:47:40.954 --> 00:47:41.494
A hundred percent.
00:47:41.494 --> 00:47:42.393
It's an experience.
00:47:42.423 --> 00:47:42.693
Yeah.
00:47:42.878 --> 00:47:44.704
And I made some wonderful friends out there.
00:47:44.934 --> 00:47:46.403
David especially.
00:47:48.349 --> 00:47:51.048
He does so much for me and we still keep in contact.
00:47:51.048 --> 00:47:56.688
And, yeah, it was just, it was a wonderful time.
00:47:56.688 --> 00:47:57.554
I wouldn't have changed it.
00:47:58.579 --> 00:48:00.139
Except for COVID of course.
00:48:00.498 --> 00:48:09.228
But, yeah, from a football and a lifestyle and just a life experience point of view, I would never change it.
00:48:10.608 --> 00:48:15.018
And then how did you get from there to working with Sun And Women's team then?
00:48:15.318 --> 00:48:30.679
So I had, I got a message when I was still out in India, from a gentleman, Donnie Forbes, who had, done some work with, with, the Scotland under sixteens girls.
00:48:31.159 --> 00:48:44.494
And, I know that he was working at hubs and he contacted me when I was out there and said, Jonno, I'm on to reach out just to see how you are and watch your.
00:48:44.885 --> 00:48:46.414
What's your plans for the future?
00:48:46.414 --> 00:48:53.914
And he didn't know that I was actually out in India at this point, and he said, can we get catch up?
00:48:53.945 --> 00:48:55.565
And I said, yeah, no problem.
00:48:55.954 --> 00:49:00.695
However, I'm still out in India and I've just got back from a game.
00:49:01.204 --> 00:49:03.155
And he's oh God, I'm, I'm really sorry.
00:49:03.215 --> 00:49:04.355
I'm like, no, no problem.
00:49:04.355 --> 00:49:08.074
So he said, can I give you a call tomorrow?
00:49:08.074 --> 00:49:09.574
And I'm like, yeah, not a problem.
00:49:10.025 --> 00:49:25.894
So he gave me a call the next again day and he said, I've been asked to find a UEFA license to goalkeeper coach for a new position at Hibs as head of Academy Goalkeeper.
00:49:25.894 --> 00:49:26.315
Would you be?
00:49:26.375 --> 00:49:26.945
Yes.
00:49:28.324 --> 00:49:30.454
I didn't even let him finish the sentence.
00:49:30.485 --> 00:49:38.885
I just said, yes, it was head of Academy goalkeeper because I love my time at hubs and to go back I get full time.
00:49:39.125 --> 00:49:40.985
That that would've been so good.
00:49:41.539 --> 00:49:45.050
For me because their training ground is 50 minutes from my house.
00:49:45.353 --> 00:49:46.670
It would've just been ideal.
00:49:47.840 --> 00:49:51.690
But then necessary things happen once again, football.
00:49:52.460 --> 00:49:53.690
Necessary things happen.
00:49:53.690 --> 00:50:00.230
And I was like, nah, listen, I've been a professional coach for this long, I'm UEFA A license holder.
00:50:00.889 --> 00:50:04.579
And he said to me, he says, can you meet the new head of academy?
00:50:05.072 --> 00:50:07.157
I says, yeah, no problem.
00:50:07.269 --> 00:50:14.650
and it was a gentleman, Steve Keen, who, Blackburn Rover fans, known the name.
00:50:15.369 --> 00:50:16.659
he was manager there.
00:50:16.690 --> 00:50:18.099
He was well respected.
00:50:18.099 --> 00:50:20.289
He was, and I thought, yeah.
00:50:20.860 --> 00:50:33.099
I'll go and speak to him and I put on a PowerPoint and whatnot and he said, apply for the job and if I can't get any more money out the money, man, we won't bother putting you through for that review process.
00:50:33.099 --> 00:50:34.119
Won't waste your time.
00:50:34.630 --> 00:50:40.539
So anyway, applied for the job, came back interview and I'm thinking, oh something must have happened.
00:50:40.599 --> 00:50:40.809
Yeah.
00:50:41.920 --> 00:50:43.000
Nothing had happened.
00:50:43.900 --> 00:50:44.380
Yes.
00:50:44.739 --> 00:50:53.650
So I was, just like, okay, we're going to have to discuss something, going forward if I'm successful.
00:50:54.070 --> 00:51:01.960
So I got a phone call from him two weeks later and I'm thinking to myself, ah, he's going to be offering me the job here.
00:51:04.960 --> 00:51:09.940
and he says, John, unfortunately the job spec has changed.
00:51:11.019 --> 00:51:13.150
And I'm like, okay.
00:51:13.510 --> 00:51:18.190
And he said, we're now looking for a girls academy head of academy.
00:51:18.985 --> 00:51:24.144
Or an academy manager along with, boys Academy Goalkeeping coach.
00:51:24.565 --> 00:51:28.135
And I'm like, how on earth can you amalgamate the two?
00:51:28.135 --> 00:51:31.344
But then I put two and two together.
00:51:31.914 --> 00:51:50.965
So Donnie was friends with, gentleman called Scott Ross because they both came from Inverness and Scott was a goalkeeper coach, And he he'd done like Inverness foundation or something for the girls or the women.
00:51:51.235 --> 00:51:52.344
It was something like that.
00:51:52.344 --> 00:52:00.985
So he ticked the boxes and so he ended up getting that job and I was just like, Okay.
00:52:01.405 --> 00:52:01.795
It's like a really
00:52:02.514 --> 00:52:05.304
unique skill set that you, you're not gonna compete with that, right?
00:52:05.335 --> 00:52:05.605
No.
00:52:05.934 --> 00:52:06.775
Or want to?
00:52:06.894 --> 00:52:07.315
Probably,
00:52:07.945 --> 00:52:08.905
no, definitely not.
00:52:09.565 --> 00:52:14.215
So Steve said to me, but the women's manager wants to speak to you.
00:52:14.815 --> 00:52:16.195
And I'm like, Okay.
00:52:18.010 --> 00:52:25.750
And Dean, I knew, I knew Dean, knew him to speak to and just say hello and so forth.
00:52:25.750 --> 00:52:30.579
and he had been contacting me quite a lot and I was putting two and two together here.
00:52:30.579 --> 00:52:33.579
So when I spoke Tommy, he says, do you want to come in?
00:52:33.579 --> 00:52:40.449
I'm not sure your, your views on women's football, but I've got an opportunity here that can bring you.
00:52:40.449 --> 00:52:43.179
in as first team goalkeeper, coach and assistant manager.
00:52:43.900 --> 00:52:45.699
And I said, yeah, okay.
00:52:46.420 --> 00:52:47.199
Go and do it.
00:52:47.949 --> 00:52:51.010
Money wasn't a great, but it was just something to say, right?
00:52:51.309 --> 00:52:52.539
I'm now away from India.
00:52:53.320 --> 00:53:01.000
So went and done that and then I get a phone call again.
00:53:01.150 --> 00:53:01.780
a phone call.
00:53:02.530 --> 00:53:03.309
And it was James.
00:53:04.030 --> 00:53:04.809
It was James.
00:53:04.929 --> 00:53:08.860
He said to me, he said, I know you're really, really enjoying that.
00:53:08.860 --> 00:53:09.054
I have.
00:53:09.074 --> 00:53:15.351
And I was, I was working with, brilliant people, brilliant bunch of goalkeepers as well.
00:53:16.405 --> 00:53:17.905
so I was certainly enjoying it.
00:53:18.505 --> 00:53:27.054
And he said, he said There's a job coming up at Sunderland, what do you think?
00:53:27.954 --> 00:53:29.635
And I went, what's the job?
00:53:29.635 --> 00:53:33.264
And he says, first team goalkeeper, coach for the women.
00:53:34.554 --> 00:53:36.264
And I was like, okay.
00:53:36.594 --> 00:53:37.014
Okay.
00:53:37.014 --> 00:53:40.644
So I went downstairs, spoke to mam and dad.
00:53:41.994 --> 00:53:43.434
'cause I had to move back in with it.
00:53:44.994 --> 00:53:50.784
That's another long story because I didn't get paid for six months in my last season out in India.
00:53:50.784 --> 00:53:52.494
So yeah, I had no money.
00:53:54.565 --> 00:53:58.135
but once again, support mechanism from my mam and dad.
00:53:58.164 --> 00:53:58.824
Unbelievable.
00:53:59.905 --> 00:54:03.775
And they said, you've got to jump at that.
00:54:04.614 --> 00:54:05.934
you've got the jump at that.
00:54:05.934 --> 00:54:10.014
It's going to be more money than what you're on at Hibs A hundred percent.
00:54:10.614 --> 00:54:13.014
And it's Sunderland.
00:54:14.724 --> 00:54:16.614
Unbelievable size football club.
00:54:17.155 --> 00:54:21.264
And I said, and I said, yeah, okay.
00:54:22.074 --> 00:54:37.014
So I applied for the job, obviously, and got the email back to say that I got through to the first interview, first interview stage, which was a PowerPoint.
00:54:39.385 --> 00:54:54.445
and had to analyse the goalkeepers who were here at the time, Claudia and Allison, and then present to, to Mel, who, Mel's one of the best coaches that I've ever worked with.
00:54:55.405 --> 00:54:56.844
she, she's unbelievable.
00:54:58.434 --> 00:55:05.695
but you can, I, I feel I could read people, I could not get a read on her at Tall Absolute Poker face.
00:55:07.255 --> 00:55:07.545
It's
00:55:07.545 --> 00:55:08.025
nothing worse.
00:55:08.175 --> 00:55:09.224
Yeah, no, it's nothing worse.
00:55:10.989 --> 00:55:13.630
and I said that to her after I got the job.
00:55:13.630 --> 00:55:24.326
I was like, Mel, I think yeah, I was trying to read you back and you get anything out, you, and went through that process.
00:55:24.326 --> 00:55:27.146
And when I got home my dad said to me, how'd you think it went?
00:55:27.146 --> 00:55:29.755
And I'm like, yeah, I think I went into really good detail.
00:55:29.755 --> 00:55:36.746
I showed my knowledge, showed my experience, and then there was a second part to that of you.
00:55:36.746 --> 00:55:38.335
And I'm like, oh my what?
00:55:38.815 --> 00:55:54.385
So I had to come back and do a practical session with, three goalies, Claudia Allison and Ellie Jardine, who is gonna be joining U23s team.
00:55:55.135 --> 00:56:00.536
And, but I had a game for Hibs that same night as well.
00:56:00.806 --> 00:56:02.786
So I've had to come here.
00:56:03.806 --> 00:56:04.239
yeah.
00:56:04.766 --> 00:56:11.155
Had to come here a fair drive, deliver a session, half an hour.
00:56:11.155 --> 00:56:16.525
It felt like me being back on my Goalkeeping license because, it's so structured.
00:56:17.635 --> 00:56:20.606
you only had 30 minutes to deliver a session in your assessment.
00:56:20.876 --> 00:56:31.215
That's what felt like I had Mel stood there, Alex came in the head of Academy Goalkeeper and prod came in and he's a legend, like he's produced Jordan Pickford.
00:56:31.405 --> 00:56:36.675
And a Patterson, like he's, he's made this football club millions.
00:56:37.186 --> 00:56:44.175
So he stood there and a gentleman called Sam Guthrie, who I had at Barnsley on trial.
00:56:44.956 --> 00:56:54.076
So he was there watching as well, and I was just like, I was constantly like, that and I was concentrating on everything I was doing, and I was just like, oh my God, this is.
00:56:54.826 --> 00:56:55.905
This is intense
00:56:55.965 --> 00:56:56.356
all the time.
00:56:56.356 --> 00:56:58.096
They were just checking to see if you could kick with your left foot.
00:56:58.186 --> 00:56:58.755
Yeah, probably.
00:56:59.146 --> 00:56:59.326
Yeah.
00:56:59.331 --> 00:56:59.342
Yeah.
00:56:59.806 --> 00:57:00.465
More than likely.
00:57:00.795 --> 00:57:06.675
I, but then I finished up and they were like, what do you think?
00:57:06.675 --> 00:57:07.666
And I'm like, yeah.
00:57:08.025 --> 00:57:14.445
and I spoke about the goalies and, and whatnot and then went, then I don't drive.
00:57:14.445 --> 00:57:22.186
So I took, I got the train here and Iain(Longstaff) picked me up from the train station to drop me off both times.
00:57:22.576 --> 00:57:25.335
So that's how good of a friend he is.
00:57:26.206 --> 00:57:26.865
what a guy.
00:57:27.436 --> 00:57:36.885
But then I went back to the train station, train straight in Edinburgh and I had to say to mam and dad, can you come and pick up this?
00:57:37.304 --> 00:57:37.514
No.
00:57:37.514 --> 00:57:39.074
That was after the first interview.
00:57:40.514 --> 00:57:43.605
I needed them to pick up my suit and everything and gimme my kit.
00:57:44.175 --> 00:57:50.204
And, but yeah, I had to get changed in the Academy and my Hibs track suit, and then go to the game and.
00:57:51.480 --> 00:58:01.554
All in this time thinking I'm watching the game, but I'm thinking, but I'm a professional, so I had to concentrate on the game.
00:58:01.559 --> 00:58:01.809
Yeah.
00:58:02.125 --> 00:58:07.224
But as soon as I finished, I got home and my dad was like, how do you think you're done?
00:58:07.525 --> 00:58:22.074
And like dad, depending on who, who else they're interviewing, I'll back myself against anybody, content wise, service wise, enthusiasm wise in the way that I deliver my content.
00:58:23.065 --> 00:58:25.014
so yeah, I think I'm in with a chance here.
00:58:26.184 --> 00:58:42.835
So I was sat in the house and this is a week later, I think it was on a Wednesday, and Alex had said, after the practical interview, he said, I'll be in touch next week.
00:58:44.244 --> 00:58:47.545
just to give you obviously our thoughts and.
00:58:48.070 --> 00:58:49.686
What we're going to do going forward.
00:58:49.840 --> 00:58:50.769
I'm like, okay.
00:58:51.309 --> 00:58:56.079
So mobile phone went withheld number, and I'm like, here.
00:58:56.079 --> 00:58:56.530
we go.
00:58:56.679 --> 00:59:05.679
So I went through to our music room in the house and dad has stood in the kitchen and I went, hello?
00:59:05.889 --> 00:59:09.289
and it's, hi Jonathan, it's Alex Clark here from Sunderland.
00:59:09.309 --> 00:59:09.820
How you doing?
00:59:09.820 --> 00:59:11.469
And I'm like, yeah, I'm good, Alex.
00:59:11.469 --> 00:59:12.699
I don't think myself, no.
00:59:12.699 --> 00:59:13.150
Here we go.
00:59:13.869 --> 00:59:14.380
Here we go.
00:59:15.460 --> 00:59:18.969
And he says, you know why I am obviously calling.
00:59:18.969 --> 00:59:20.635
And I'm like, yeah, yeah.
00:59:20.769 --> 00:59:25.269
And he says, first and foremost, thank you very much for applying and coming in and viewing.
00:59:27.309 --> 00:59:32.530
and he said, listen, it's, myself and Mel thought you came across really, really well.
00:59:32.530 --> 00:59:33.760
You presented really well.
00:59:33.760 --> 00:59:40.329
Your detail was really good, and your enthusiasm during the session was was good.
00:59:40.329 --> 00:59:44.199
And, we could see your experience coming through.
00:59:44.199 --> 00:59:45.664
And I was just waiting on the, but.
00:59:47.635 --> 00:59:49.284
You are always waiting on that.
00:59:49.284 --> 00:59:49.704
But yeah.
00:59:50.215 --> 00:59:51.894
And obviously the but never came.
00:59:52.405 --> 00:59:57.324
And he says, we won't offer you the job and this is how much it's going to be.
00:59:58.284 --> 01:00:02.244
And Paul, I kid you not, I lost my voice for the first time in my life.
01:00:02.304 --> 01:00:06.744
I was like, I just need to speak to my family.
01:00:06.744 --> 01:00:07.375
Is that all right?
01:00:07.375 --> 01:00:08.664
Can I give you a call back?
01:00:08.934 --> 01:00:11.724
And he's, and he started to kill himself, laughing, Alex.
01:00:11.724 --> 01:00:12.954
And he says, yeah, no problem.
01:00:12.954 --> 01:00:14.364
You've got my email address.
01:00:14.994 --> 01:00:17.065
Drop me an email and I'll call you straight back.
01:00:17.065 --> 01:00:26.590
And I've walked through and I'm thinking to myself, I've walked through, my dad stood against the unit and he looked at me And I'm like, I got the job.
01:00:26.590 --> 01:00:27.349
What am I going to do?
01:00:28.289 --> 01:00:31.105
And he's what do you think you going to do?
01:00:31.164 --> 01:00:32.155
You're gonna take the job.
01:00:33.355 --> 01:00:37.135
But then I had to leave to go to Hibs for training.
01:00:38.125 --> 01:00:39.775
And I was like, oh wow.
01:00:40.105 --> 01:00:43.320
Like you're going from that back on head.
01:00:43.344 --> 01:00:43.914
Yeah.
01:00:43.914 --> 01:00:50.815
You're going from that to then having to then go and give the bad news to your current employer.
01:00:51.505 --> 01:01:00.324
But I emailed Alex back and he called me straight back and I said, yeah, I would be absolutely delighted to accept the job.
01:01:00.324 --> 01:01:01.585
Thank you very much.
01:01:02.125 --> 01:01:06.400
He asked me notice period and everything at Hibs that I had.
01:01:07.135 --> 01:01:11.335
And I only been at Hibs just under three months, so I only had a week's notice period.
01:01:12.427 --> 01:01:16.164
So it didn't go down too well at Hibs unfortunately.
01:01:16.315 --> 01:01:20.605
And unfortunately though, that's football.
01:01:21.235 --> 01:01:22.045
That's football.
01:01:22.255 --> 01:01:24.565
And I worked my week's notice.
01:01:24.565 --> 01:01:25.320
That works both ways, right?
01:01:25.494 --> 01:01:25.855
Yeah.
01:01:26.514 --> 01:01:26.905
Yeah.
01:01:26.994 --> 01:01:36.715
So I worked my week's notice and then yeah, came here and just unbelievable.
01:01:37.664 --> 01:01:41.385
And you've had, some phenomenal success in the meantime whilst you've been there, right?
01:01:41.724 --> 01:01:42.784
As well, I should say.
01:01:43.315 --> 01:01:46.764
I should say, to be fair, your keepers have had some phenomenal success.
01:01:47.277 --> 01:01:47.547
Yeah.
01:01:47.547 --> 01:01:54.686
So when I came, I didn't realise that the players during my first season, the players were only part-time.
01:01:54.686 --> 01:02:02.817
We were only training three nights a week, but the staff were full-time and we were just building a whole new staff.
01:02:02.817 --> 01:02:06.027
Like only myself and Mel were full-time.
01:02:06.387 --> 01:02:12.177
Steph's the assistant manager, she, she was a school teacher.
01:02:12.177 --> 01:02:20.007
She joined just before Christmas, I think it was full-time, but she had been male's assistant for a number of years.
01:02:20.487 --> 01:02:26.067
We were bringing in a new s and c coach, Jack, a new analyst Adam.
01:02:26.097 --> 01:02:31.586
Both are now no longer at the club, new physio.
01:02:31.887 --> 01:02:36.416
We were just building a whole new coaching structure.
01:02:38.351 --> 01:02:51.762
And to do what we'd done and go against all these heavy hitting teams as a part-time team, and stay in the league, was testament to, to the players.
01:02:51.762 --> 01:03:02.322
But I feel a lot of, to a lot of, praise to me and staff and myself coming in halfway through the season.
01:03:02.322 --> 01:03:13.931
And I was told my one job was, you need to produce a a first choice goalkeeper because they were, they were, topping a change a bit between Claudia and Allison.
01:03:14.771 --> 01:03:28.601
And I said right away I said, listen, Claudia is the strongest outta the two and this is why, and this is what I intend to do with her to go and get her to an even higher level.
01:03:29.322 --> 01:03:34.121
And yeah, so we finished the season, we stayed in the league.
01:03:34.871 --> 01:03:50.862
Which we saw as obviously a positive in itself, but then we went hybrid full-time and Claudia was one full-time goalkeeper and yeah, what an unbelievable season she had to be fair to her.
01:03:53.322 --> 01:03:54.822
she, she listened.
01:03:54.822 --> 01:04:06.311
She was, she implemented everything that I wanted her to do regarding how she defended the goal because she was a fantastic, she has a fantastic shots stopper.
01:04:06.851 --> 01:04:12.731
And yeah, she, went and won a few awards.
01:04:13.692 --> 01:04:14.652
we pushed for the league.
01:04:14.652 --> 01:04:18.132
We got down to, the second last game of the season.
01:04:18.132 --> 01:04:31.061
But what we had as well was a brilliant defensive structure in front of her as well, which a lot of work from Mel and Steph and myself were, were done to go and create that and.
01:04:32.456 --> 01:04:40.047
she won the golden glove outright tenting sheets, which was an unbelievable achievement for her.
01:04:41.396 --> 01:04:45.177
she only got three in the previous season in all competitions.
01:04:45.177 --> 01:04:48.867
I think she hit 12 in all competitions that season.
01:04:49.586 --> 01:04:58.766
And, she, yeah, just had an unbelievable, unbelievable season, a dream season for her.
01:05:00.086 --> 01:05:07.617
But then she decided to to go to the noisy neighbors who were splashing the cash and yeah.
01:05:08.757 --> 01:05:11.416
But once again, That's football, that's football that's football.
01:05:11.416 --> 01:05:15.056
And, it is what it is.
01:05:15.056 --> 01:05:21.177
And like me as a coach, I'll never hold grudges at all.
01:05:22.737 --> 01:05:31.257
I'll remember the good work that I put into her and and all my goalkeepers that I worked with always remember the good things about.
01:05:31.257 --> 01:05:31.436
them.
01:05:31.829 --> 01:05:37.380
Son's a goalkeeper and I watch him, you know, one of the goalkeeper sessions at EVO or or wherever he is at.
01:05:37.380 --> 01:05:40.139
And there's always the keeper mentality.
01:05:40.139 --> 01:05:41.429
It's, it's a tribe, right?
01:05:41.670 --> 01:05:44.250
Like you all play for different teams, but they're all in it together.
01:05:44.550 --> 01:05:46.170
They all, um, they all get each other.
01:05:46.230 --> 01:05:48.000
Nobody gets a keeper like another.
01:05:48.530 --> 01:05:48.750
no.
01:05:48.860 --> 01:05:50.614
Like We are a breed apart.
01:05:51.394 --> 01:05:53.284
and truly we are a breed apart.
01:05:53.614 --> 01:05:56.525
It's it's scary How much different we are.
01:05:56.644 --> 01:06:10.744
So then specifically with, with women's football, then we've seen some tremendous success over the last few years, internationally, nationally, uh, the status of the women's game has elevated so much over the last couple of years.
01:06:12.367 --> 01:06:18.311
I've already seen how it's Evolved regarding how good the goalkeepers are in possession.
01:06:18.311 --> 01:06:19.211
And it's very much.
01:06:19.586 --> 01:06:49.376
Done the same route as the men's game like teams are now wanting goalkeepers, having the ability to go and play and strike the ball, expansive and, being that third center half, to be on the ball And just basically being a attack setter as well, when you are kicking expansive and when you're playing into, or you're playing beyond the press.
01:06:49.766 --> 01:07:04.827
And I just think one of the key factors for how goalkeepers in female game will evolve and how they already have evolved is the physicality and the, and the speed that they move in and around the goal.
01:07:06.161 --> 01:07:07.692
it's really, really impressive.
01:07:07.782 --> 01:07:08.652
Really impressive.
01:07:08.652 --> 01:07:15.581
Like female goalkeepers are never gonna be as powerful as male goalkeepers it is just not gonna happen.
01:07:15.972 --> 01:07:28.211
However, I look at the likes of hannah Hampton and Mary Hers, and their speed and their power is just absolutely sensational.
01:07:28.331 --> 01:07:29.592
Yeah, it's sensational.
01:07:32.442 --> 01:07:45.311
and that is one big factor that I have seen really, really evolve and that's Testament to S&C coaches, sport science and what they're putting in, in the gym.
01:07:45.521 --> 01:07:51.851
and then us as goalkeeper coaches, what we are doing to make them as good as movers as what they are.
01:07:52.842 --> 01:07:55.512
so yeah, that, that's the biggest factor for me.
01:07:56.831 --> 01:07:59.262
the physicality and, and the speed.
01:08:00.077 --> 01:08:02.536
Okay, so we're coming to the end of the episode.
01:08:02.956 --> 01:08:23.840
Uh, there's a few questions I want to get in, but, uh, I just think we've, we've kind of covered your journey, but now I'm thinking in terms of young keepers who are watching this, the parents of keepers who are watching this, what advice would you give to the parents of young keepers who were just kind of in the, in the, in the early stages of their grassroots football?
01:08:24.050 --> 01:08:24.829
What can they do?
01:08:25.306 --> 01:08:31.726
Support them, constantly support them, support them through thick and thin?
01:08:33.556 --> 01:08:37.127
One of my bug bears is do not coach on the sidelines.
01:08:37.577 --> 01:08:41.386
Light your son Light your daughter, play, play.
01:08:42.077 --> 01:08:44.506
Because I'll tell you a very funny story.
01:08:44.537 --> 01:08:52.186
My dad used to do that to me, and my manager at this point actually said, said to him, John, get up that hill.
01:08:52.186 --> 01:08:53.087
Let the boy play.
01:08:54.016 --> 01:08:57.556
Let let your child play, Let them make mistakes.
01:08:57.707 --> 01:09:00.386
Let them learn, from it.
01:09:01.021 --> 01:09:15.152
Don't be too harsh on them, as I say, say, be that supportive mechanism for them, because especially for goalkeepers, we're going to, there's gonna be times where it is going to hurt.
01:09:15.212 --> 01:09:15.271
Yeah.
01:09:16.351 --> 01:09:31.712
Conceding Goals getting hit when you're going into a 50 50 so constantly support them in any way that you can, most definitely, And reach out to people.
01:09:31.921 --> 01:09:34.862
Reach out to other coaches, other clubs.
01:09:35.761 --> 01:09:42.362
What we've got now at EvoGK is something that I never had as a kid talking about development centers.
01:09:44.702 --> 01:09:45.962
there was one in Gateshead.
01:09:45.992 --> 01:09:48.452
I run one here in Sunderland.
01:09:48.992 --> 01:09:57.752
And, there is major, major support for young keepers nowadays, especially here in the Northeast.
01:09:58.877 --> 01:10:01.216
so tap into that as well.
01:10:02.657 --> 01:10:07.667
just to give your sons and your daughters every, every opportunity.
01:10:08.087 --> 01:10:10.936
But yeah, support them constantly.
01:10:11.322 --> 01:10:13.902
I think it's, uh, I think it's great advice.
01:10:14.471 --> 01:10:18.980
Uh, what's the toughest challenge young goalkeepers face right now, in your opinion?
01:10:19.860 --> 01:10:21.586
How, how They deal with setbacks.
01:10:22.515 --> 01:10:26.386
Because young kids nowadays, I, I see it a lot.
01:10:26.836 --> 01:10:29.025
They beat themselves up constantly.
01:10:29.086 --> 01:10:29.595
And that's.
01:10:29.595 --> 01:10:54.256
where the support makers, I'm from, the, from the parents, and the, family comes from where to be a top end goalkeeper and to go and really, really climb the ladder and be that cut above, You have to be so mentally strong in how you deal with setbacks, Because when you deal with setbacks in a positive manner.
01:10:55.095 --> 01:11:03.645
and I talk, I say this to my goalkeepers all the time as well as first team goalies, your next action is the most important one.
01:11:04.605 --> 01:11:15.225
It could be something as simple as a catch right, but that next action is a positive action after a mistake.
01:11:16.095 --> 01:11:19.786
So then the rest of your game can be positive.
01:11:19.966 --> 01:11:20.086
Yeah.
01:11:20.355 --> 01:11:23.360
So That's, that's definitely the main.
01:11:23.360 --> 01:11:23.631
thing.
01:11:24.475 --> 01:11:31.975
And if there's one thing for the modern keeper right now that, that you would have young keepers practicing over and over again.
01:11:32.365 --> 01:11:32.725
What?
01:11:33.055 --> 01:11:34.195
What's that one thing?
01:11:34.393 --> 01:11:37.483
I would say probably the distribution side.
01:11:37.483 --> 01:11:40.662
and a lot of goalkeepers will go, oh my god, John, that's, boring.
01:11:41.323 --> 01:11:55.887
But just because of the way that football is evolving and the goalkeepers have to be so good with the ball at their feet, it is one side of it that you really, really need to practice.
01:11:56.097 --> 01:11:57.688
because it's a skill in itself.
01:11:57.957 --> 01:12:01.228
Don't get me wrong, and steely will love me for saying this.
01:12:01.228 --> 01:12:04.198
I'm old school regarding what a goalkeeper looks like.
01:12:05.578 --> 01:12:09.448
I want them to be 60 to 75%.
01:12:10.287 --> 01:12:11.608
Do what it says on the turn.
01:12:12.207 --> 01:12:13.167
you are a goalkeeper.
01:12:13.167 --> 01:12:14.787
You keep the ball at the back of the net.
01:12:15.268 --> 01:12:15.328
Yeah.
01:12:15.568 --> 01:12:21.268
end of the day, pre preventing chances, preventing goals is your job.
01:12:21.507 --> 01:12:26.847
However, you will probably touch the ball more time with your feet than your hands.
01:12:27.328 --> 01:12:46.932
So having the ability to go and clip the ball into a player kick beyond, play round the press, play through a press is just as important And making that top corner, top hand safe.
01:12:47.233 --> 01:12:51.283
Because at the end of the day, if you give the ball away what's going to happen?
01:12:52.063 --> 01:12:53.712
You are going to be tested.
01:12:53.832 --> 01:12:53.893
Yeah.
01:12:54.582 --> 01:12:58.603
So you keep possession then you're not gonna be as tested.
01:12:58.603 --> 01:12:59.398
as much gonna have the ball.
01:12:59.627 --> 01:13:00.118
exactly.
01:13:00.417 --> 01:13:09.603
And then circling back to Andy Goram, uh, with all that we've discussed today and the evolution of the game since those days, how do you think Andy would fare in today's game?
01:13:10.494 --> 01:13:27.729
I remember my answer, The first time I, I said this and I think, Andy Andy Goram would, he doesn't tick the boxes as a modern day goalkeeper anymore because Andy Goram was never one to come off his line and dominate his area.
01:13:28.838 --> 01:13:30.819
He just dropped back and then defended the goal.
01:13:30.819 --> 01:13:38.573
So if I was going to put in categories, he, he would, have a major career in the game regarding defending the goal.
01:13:39.444 --> 01:13:40.194
No problem.
01:13:40.974 --> 01:13:47.304
Defending the space in behind because he was so brave, going into 50 fifties, no problem.
01:13:48.264 --> 01:13:58.344
and but having the ability to go and play out and defend his especially from cross balls, not so much cutbacks.
01:13:58.344 --> 01:13:59.814
He was really, really good at that.
01:13:59.960 --> 01:14:01.640
he might be a solid first choice.
01:14:01.640 --> 01:14:05.270
but I think he would be more of a second choice and that kills me to say that.
01:14:05.270 --> 01:14:09.555
and just, and the lifestyle game holds.
01:14:09.555 --> 01:14:09.755
yeah.
01:14:09.784 --> 01:14:10.052
It's,
01:14:10.069 --> 01:14:13.670
It's just interesting to compare where we were, those, those days.
01:14:13.670 --> 01:14:19.369
And I remember Andy Gorham playing in goal and I said, when we chatted last time, I had the Pro card.
01:14:19.880 --> 01:14:20.180
Yeah.
01:14:20.180 --> 01:14:24.949
I was, uh, I was always, I was always a big fan of keepers and now we understand why a little bit more.
01:14:24.949 --> 01:14:28.317
But but Jonathan, it's been an absolute pleasure chatting with you today.
01:14:28.646 --> 01:14:31.497
Thank you very much for, for doing this a second time.
01:14:32.157 --> 01:14:34.766
It's been a pleasure and I look forward to seeing you at the camps.
01:14:35.067 --> 01:14:36.146
Yes, top man.
01:14:36.447 --> 01:14:36.881
Thank you very much.
01:14:37.152 --> 01:14:37.561
Take care.
01:14:37.742 --> 01:14:38.162
Cheers.