I always enjoyed reading the link to these Star write ups, but during the last week or so my browser wont read the body text which appears as thick gray lines, its the same on my phone too. I guess there is a new software being used that my computer and phone wont read.
I always enjoyed reading the link to these Star write ups, but during the last week or so my browser wont read the body text which appears as thick gray lines, its the same on my phone too. I guess there is a new software being used that my computer and phone wont read.
Anyway I'm sure its an interesting read as usual.
Firstly, it feels great to be back playing and involved in the squad. First impressions of the new manager, Kenny Jackett, have been very good. ADVERTISING inRead invented by Teads With me being frozen out recently, long-term worries were starting to play on my mind. What happens at the end of the season if I haven’t played any games? Trying to get a contract somewhere is difficult if you’ve made no appearances in the year. Job security is something footballers do not possess. It’s a precarious occupation that can have great rewards but is also incredibly unpredictable and can leave many stuck and lost in life. The average football career lasts only eight years. Most players leave school at 16 and go straight into the industry, with 75 per cent of those dropping out of the game by the age of 21. It’s a scary stat for young players who have only football on their CV. The football industry can be very harsh and it can be very worrying and distressing for people trying to make a career in it. It’s not just young players with these thoughts, established professionals have the same worries. I often fret that my career will be cut short through injury or wonder what I would do if I can’t find a club. I am out of contract this season and it is not a nice situation to be in. It’s very frustrating not being involved, which hopefully changes now we’ve had a change of manager. But you still think about how this will impact getting a deal for next season. Players need to be playing regularly to get noticed and tied down to contracts. Not all footballers are paid huge sums of money and, like a lot of people in the country, will have families to look after and bills to pay. Professional footballers need to have a plan B and make plans for life after football. All players need to realise that their football career will come to an end at some point ,and that is why I decided to enrol on a university degree last year in sports journalism and PR. I hopefully graduate next year and I’m hoping this course will make the transition from football to retirement easier for myself. It is a distance learning degree which is ran by the PFA in conjunction with Staffordshire University. I have to travel to Stoke at certain times in the year but this is co-ordinated with my days off from training and the off-season. It’s been a great experience so far and I’ve got to see how the media works around football, which, as a professional footballer, you don’t really take notice of. When I’m listening to footballers being interviewed, I’m now taking notice of the questions asked rather than the answers. I’ve just completed work experience with the media team at Rotherham United, where I got to write for the matchday programme and club website among other tasks I undertook. The weekly column in the Sheffield Star is another opportunity that arose as a result of me undertaking this degree. I’m enjoying airing my opinions and views on various topics in football and also sharing stories and anecdotes from my career. I would love to stay in the game once I retire, be that as a coach, media pundit or journalist, but the journalism degree might open other avenues for me such as qualifying to be a teacher. I’m looking forward to seeing what route this course will lead me down, but at the moment, though, I just want to concentrate fully on my playing career while balancing that with my degree work and graduating.
Read more at: http://www.thestar.co.uk/sport/football/rotherham-united/richard-wood-column-the-millers-defender-gives-the-thumbs-up-to-kenny-jackett-and-eyes-life-after-playing-1-8205275
ROTHERHAM United shot stopper Lee Camp is optimistic new boss Kenny Jackett can drag the Millers away from the Championship drop zone – much like previous manager Neil Warnock did last season.
Jackett – who has been in the hot seat for just a week after replacing the sacked Alan Stubbs – has 32 games of the season remaining to bridge an eight point gap between the Millers at the foot of the Championship table and Derby County who sit in 21st spot.
But goalkeeper Camp, who was last season’s Player of the Year, sees similarities between former Wolves and Swansea gaffer Jackett and Warnock, who replaced Neil Redfearn in February last year and made up a three point deficit in 16 games to keep the Millers in the second tier.
LEE CAMP SAVES PENALTY LAST TIME OUT AGAINST READING
Camp told the Advertiser: “The first thing is you’ve got to keep clean sheets.
“Generally, if a manager loses his job it’s because he’s losing games, if you’re losing games you’re letting goals in so it’s not a good recipe.
“First thing you have to do - which we’ve addressed - is stem the flow of goals, to even have a chance of getting a point, we can’t be two or three nil down chasing games because then you leave yourself wide open to the fours and fives and whatever else can happen.
“That is one thing we have addressed and hopefully we can keep it as tight as we possibly can at the back and at least give the boys – if they do score two goals – the chance of winning the game and getting some reward for their efforts.
“That’s the biggest thing, Neil (Warnock) did that that and now the new manager has come in, addressed that, start from the back, get the basics right and build from there.”
KENNY JACKETT DURING HIS FIRST GAME IN CHARGE OF ROTHERHAM UNITED
Jackett’s newly inherited team have the worst defence in the Football League, conceding 33 times in 14 league outings so far, and those statistics hurt popular ‘keeper Camp.
Camp said: “I have to govern the back four and when goals go in you have to look at yourself. I don’t like conceding goals any time, whether you’re winning or losing, but when you’re losing it hurts even more.
“Different back fours, different formations and injuries haven’t helped, there’s a lot of factors as to why I believe we conceded goals, but I also believe we could have nipped it in the bud a lot sooner.
“I don’t quit, I accept I’m going to concede goals – I’ve conceded many in my life and I’ll concede a lot more – but you get on with it, you have to be tough, be strong, stick to your principles and stick to your processes.
“The more work you do, you can buy your luck, and I believe our luck will change.”
Meanwhile, new signing Peter Odemwingie is likely to be given his debut at Ipswich tomorrow by boss Jackett, whether that be in a starting berth or from the bench later in the game.
ODEMWINGIE COULD MAKE DEBUT AT IPSWICH TOWN
Experienced defender Stephen Kelly is fit and available for selection but long-term absentee Kirk Broadfoot is still a number of weeks away from returning.
On loan midfielder Tom Adeyemi is also missing with a calf injury.
ian, thanks very much for going to the trouble of forwarding the write ups, its very much appreciated. The computer I use is an imac which is starting to be a bit aged, like me, and like me struggles to keep up with the ever advancement in I.T. When I made a living, I had to go along with the built in obsolescence, but now in retirement I cant justify the expense, of constant upgrades.
