Latest / PoshUnfiltered / PoshUnfiltered Ep 4: Matt Garbett - The World Cup, Playing Abroad and Growing Up Away From Home

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PoshUnfiltered Ep 4: Matt Garbett - The World Cup, Playing Abroad and Growing Up Away From Home · PoshUnfiltered

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_02: Hello and welcome to episode four of Pop Unfiltered.
• 0:04
  SPEAKER_02: My name is Phil Adlam.
• 0:05
  SPEAKER_02: I'm joined by two internationals.
• 0:07
  SPEAKER_02: One who represented Scotland, played seven games, even though he's clearly English, and Matt Garbert, of course, is already into his 40s in terms of international caps for New Zealand.
• 0:17
  SPEAKER_02: So welcome to the podcast, Matt.
• 0:19
  SPEAKER_02: Great to see you.
• 0:20
  SPEAKER_02: And I obviously wanted to get you on as a guest because during the summer you've obviously had a really bad thing to deal with because you went away.
• 0:28
  SPEAKER_02: We all watched John Latelli against England, kind of rooting for you, kind of not.
• 0:32
  SPEAKER_02: And then, of course, you got injured in training.
• 0:34
  SPEAKER_02: Can you just talk us through your thoughts after the England game and obviously what led to the injury?
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, so firstly, obviously, I went out quite early.
• 0:44
  SPEAKER_03: I was one of the first guys.
• 0:46
  SPEAKER_03: There was about five or six of us that um went out quite early out to America to start um the training camp.
• 0:53
  SPEAKER_03: Obviously, some lads were still in season and um, you know, sort of a roll-in system before the official camp opened.
• 0:59
  SPEAKER_03: So yeah, I got a lot of work in over there.
• 1:02
  SPEAKER_03: I didn't really have an off-season to be honest.
• 1:04
  SPEAKER_03: Obviously, the season finished here May 1st, and I kept training.
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and then obviously I got out there and you know, it was a good few weeks.
• 1:12
  SPEAKER_03: Um, I felt probably the fittest I've ever felt.
• 1:15
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and I was probably in a space where I really was for the first time on the national team, I wasn't sure if I was gonna start or not.
• 1:23
  SPEAKER_03: Um, usually I was you know, I kind of had an idea if I was gonna play or not.
• 1:28
  SPEAKER_03: So I really had to like fight and work myself into the uh the team.
• 1:32
  SPEAKER_03: Um, so obviously the first game was more again it was against Haiti in Miami.
• 1:37
  SPEAKER_03: Um, you know, it was a bit um, you know, getting players minutes, half half time, kind of making five, six, seven subs.
• 1:47
  SPEAKER_03: So obviously I've come on in the 45th minute, um, played a half, you know, we didn't do so well.
• 1:52
  SPEAKER_03: We I think we lost 3, 4-0.
• 1:55
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and then I ended up getting the you know, the starting the starting position for the game against England.
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_03: And um I think my performance in the England game is what clamped my.
• 2:05
  SPEAKER_03: I don't know if people will people won't know this, but the first game against Iran in the World Cup I was meant to be starting.
• 2:11
  SPEAKER_03: So that England game, I think, is the one which sort of clinched me to, you know, get that starting spot.
• 2:17
  SPEAKER_03: Um, so it was, you know, a good first four or five weeks, you know, positive, kind of rarely fit, training was good.
• 2:26
  SPEAKER_03: And then, yeah, unfortunately, uh two days before the first game against Iran on the 16th of June, I um basically tore my hamstring off the bone.
• 2:37
  SPEAKER_03: So um, yeah, it was quite a tough one to take.
• 2:41
  SPEAKER_03: You know, it was kind of a freak accident.
• 2:43
  SPEAKER_03: You know, I did all my routine, my warm-up, my stretching, all that stuff before training.
• 2:49
  SPEAKER_03: Um, was in a really good place.
• 2:51
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and then I sort of knew straight away when it happened, it was like a gunshot pop, which you know, I thought, okay, you know, probably out of the World Cup.
• 3:02
  SPEAKER_03: You know, there's two days until the first game, probably another 10 days of the tournament left.
• 3:08
  SPEAKER_03: And then I was just hoping, you know, you know, my next, you know, hope was no surgery.
• 3:13
  SPEAKER_03: Um obviously ended up having to get surgery, and it was quite a you know, tough time that I went through.
• 3:20
  SPEAKER_03: I think um, you know, I went through a lot of adversity during that time.
• 3:24
  SPEAKER_03: Um, also learned a lot about myself, one as a footballer, but even more so as a person.
• 3:29
  SPEAKER_03: Um, so obviously I stayed out for the first game and then um after that to come back for surgery in London.
• 3:36
  SPEAKER_02: So I mean when when someone says they rip the hamstring off the bone, Craig, you you you had hamstring sort of buttons, no hamstrings at all.
• 3:44
  SPEAKER_00: No, I had like little tears here and there, but never like, yeah.
• 3:47
  SPEAKER_00: I mean ripping it off the bone is is serious.
• 3:50
  SPEAKER_00: So obviously you've done amazingly well to to come back from from that.
• 3:54
  SPEAKER_00: When you were out there, what was like because obviously you had a hard season in in over here, and then obviously we only could see from the TV like how the how the heat was playing an impact, and obviously you were out there training a lot before the actual tournament it kind of got started.
• 4:07
  SPEAKER_00: So, how did that have an impact on you?
• 4:09
  SPEAKER_00: Like, how did you find your way through that?
• 4:11
  SPEAKER_00: And do you think that had an impact on maybe getting injured?
• 4:14
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, so obviously we started out in Florida, and the heat in Florida was much more severe than the heat in Los Angeles and San Diego where our base was.
• 4:23
  SPEAKER_03: So out in uh Florida was quite tough for the boys, you know.
• 4:27
  SPEAKER_03: We were struggling in trainings, you know, like the heat was you know, it was intense.
• 4:31
  SPEAKER_03: And then obviously, when we went out to San Diego, which where our base camp was, is a lot less intense in terms of the heat.
• 4:41
  SPEAKER_03: So it's a tough one to say because even before I went out, there was a lot of talk about the the grounds are they hard, are they not because of the heat, you know, going onto a new surface.
• 4:50
  SPEAKER_03: But I I wouldn't say it really had an impact because you know I did train throughout the whole four or five weeks, and I think it was just one of them.
• 4:59
  SPEAKER_03: I've actually never had a muscle injury before.
• 5:01
  SPEAKER_03: I've had lots of ankle problems, but not nothing to do with the muscles.
• 5:05
  SPEAKER_03: Um, so I think it was just one of them cases where it was just a bit of a freak accident where I put too much load into the leg in an unnatural position and it's it's just gone.
• 5:15
  SPEAKER_02: So because you because you do you're very structured, aren't you, with your warm up and making sure you do the right things, and you're someone who's very disciplined in in the way that you do that.
• 5:23
  SPEAKER_02: So I suppose that's particularly galling, isn't it, when an incident like that happens?
• 5:27
  SPEAKER_02: Because you see, some players probably don't go through the same routine as you and and kind of get through the tournament.
• 5:32
  SPEAKER_02: So when when how how quickly did you have to get your head around what had happened?
• 5:36
  SPEAKER_02: Because it was so close to the start of the World Cup, I guess it was it was devastating at that particular moment.
• 5:42
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, so obviously when it happened, um I've gone, you know, the fit one of the physios I'm very close with, so he sort of looks after me a lot, and he just literally did one test, which was push down on the shoulder, and I was like, nah, I can't.
• 5:55
  SPEAKER_03: So then I ended up having a scan that afternoon and sort of got a few different opinions over the next couple of days, and you know, the overriding opinion was you need surgery.
• 6:06
  SPEAKER_03: So my mind was sort of set, it was a very emotional first few days.
• 6:10
  SPEAKER_03: Um, you know, there were a lot of tears.
• 6:12
  SPEAKER_03: I was still in camp.
• 6:13
  SPEAKER_03: I wanted to stay in camp.
• 6:14
  SPEAKER_02: Um, I was interested about that because as you say, you because you had to have surgery, and I remember watching the game, I think it was two o'clock over here, and obviously knowing that you weren't involved, and I was thinking to myself, if I was him, would I would I want to be there?
• 6:27
  SPEAKER_02: Would I want to be away?
• 6:28
  SPEAKER_02: Would I want to fly home straight away?
• 6:29
  SPEAKER_02: What was going through your mind?
• 6:30
  SPEAKER_03: So yeah, it was interesting because I actually I got pulled by the head coach, Darren Baisley, and then also by Chris Wood, our captain.
• 6:37
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and they both said they really want me to stay because they said basically I'm a big character in the environment.
• 6:44
  SPEAKER_03: They they think you know, me going, I'll be missed, and you know, you sort of lose that kind of you know, I've been there for five, six, six years now.
• 6:52
  SPEAKER_03: So um they both came to me and said, listen, like if you want to stay, you know, the lads want you to stay.
• 6:57
  SPEAKER_03: So um that was really nice to hear.
• 7:00
  SPEAKER_03: Um, obviously, I stayed as long as I could.
• 7:02
  SPEAKER_03: Um, I stayed at the first game in LA against Iran, and then um, you know, but I did have that mindset was you know, I want to get surgery done as quick as possible so I can get back, you know, as quick as possible.
• 7:14
  SPEAKER_03: Um, so then obviously I had to come back um after the first game when they went to Vancouver.
• 7:18
  SPEAKER_03: I went I went back to London.
• 7:20
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, because it must have I was thinking it must have been so hard to then have to watch as well, because you you build your lifetime up to this, don't you, in terms of being involved and then to have it taken away so cruelly at the last gasp.
• 7:32
  SPEAKER_02: I'm I'm wondering what my mindset would have been.
• 7:34
  SPEAKER_02: I'd have been.
• 7:34
  SPEAKER_03: Oh mate, I was I was in I was in tears to be honest.
• 7:36
  SPEAKER_03: The worst part was at the actual game when the lads walked out, and obviously you guys would have watched the World Cup.
• 7:43
  SPEAKER_03: There's a new format where the whole squad comes out for the anthems rather than just the starting 11.
• 7:47
  SPEAKER_03: So me sitting behind the dugout, you know, singing the New Zealand national anthem, I I couldn't keep it in, you know.
• 7:53
  SPEAKER_03: Um, so that that was probably the toughest part.
• 7:56
  SPEAKER_03: Also on walking out to the pitch, you know, checking it out and stuff, you know, the national TV and Z cameras caught me sort of emotional and and and broadcasted it.
• 8:06
  SPEAKER_03: So it was it was tough, you know, like it wasn't easy, and everyone looks back at like maybe the last year or two.
• 8:11
  SPEAKER_03: But as you said, it's like, you know, since the age of 10, 11, 12, you know, waking up at 6 a.m.
• 8:17
  SPEAKER_03: missing school because of it, you know, like you know, you sort of don't work up to it when you think about it back then, but it all plays a part, right?
• 8:25
  SPEAKER_03: You know, all the sacrifices your mum and dad make.
• 8:28
  SPEAKER_03: My mum and dad was out there, that was the toughest part, actually.
• 8:30
  SPEAKER_03: Um, my mum and dad out there, and then they were in LA, and you know, two days before they sent me a photo like how good is this, like on Santa Monica Beach, and like that, loving it.
• 8:41
  SPEAKER_03: They spent thousands to to go out there and watch me, you know, and then obviously I made that phone call, and you know, it was tough.
• 8:47
  SPEAKER_03: And then they had to drive down, and you know, my mum was just in tears, my dad was in tears, my dad never cries, you know, so it wasn't easy, you know.
• 8:55
  SPEAKER_03: So, yeah.
• 8:56
  SPEAKER_02: How how I mean it's it's such a horrible thing to to sort of reminisce on.
• 9:00
  SPEAKER_02: I know it is for yourself as well.
• 9:02
  SPEAKER_02: How important did those family members and friends become for you?
• 9:06
  SPEAKER_02: And and and I suppose conversely, how for for you for them as well, because you all go through it together as you were unit, aren't you?
• 9:14
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, exactly.
• 9:14
  SPEAKER_03: My mum and dad were massive, you know.
• 9:16
  SPEAKER_03: They cancelled their whole Vancouver trip, um, came out to me with with me to London, they looked after me after surgery.
• 9:23
  SPEAKER_03: Like, yeah, I don't really have anyone out here in terms of family, you know.
• 9:27
  SPEAKER_03: I do a little bit.
• 9:28
  SPEAKER_03: Um, but you know, if I was here alone after surgery, I wouldn't have been able to do anything.
• 9:33
  SPEAKER_03: I couldn't put on my underwear, I couldn't go in the shower by myself.
• 9:37
  SPEAKER_03: So like they really did baby me like around, you know, the house and you know, cooking for me, all that stuff, um, while I basically couldn't walk for the first two, three days.
• 9:46
  SPEAKER_03: So, you know, my parents they're great, they they would they helped out massively, and um, you know, I honestly don't know what I would have done if they didn't come out to London after the surgery.
• 9:56
  SPEAKER_02: So yeah.
• 9:57
  SPEAKER_02: Because Craig, you were out for 13 months, and we we spoke on the podcast before that people don't realise outside of you know being being in a dressing room just what an injury can do to the to the mental state as well as the physical state.
• 10:09
  SPEAKER_02: You obviously out for such a long time.
• 10:11
  SPEAKER_02: You said yourself on the podcast that you couldn't do anything.
• 10:12
  SPEAKER_02: Rio was on the last podcast, and he was talking about how important his his partner was, and obviously young baby as well.
• 10:19
  SPEAKER_02: How do you mentally get to a point whereby you accept it?
• 10:23
  SPEAKER_02: Because I I I can't get through my head how I would mentally accept it to be able to move forward.
• 10:29
  SPEAKER_00: I think it takes time, doesn't it?
• 10:30
  SPEAKER_00: It's is it it's a wound, and obviously building up to the to the World Cup is is such a big tournament.
• 10:36
  SPEAKER_00: It takes a lot to uh to get through to that stage.
• 10:39
  SPEAKER_00: So I think you keep it for a while while you're you're injured, and I think once you start kind of finding your way back and you start coming out of the injury, you kind of retrospectively look back at it and then you take that fuel as fuel for to move you forward to the to the next kind of once you're playing again, and it's and then the next goal is to get back in the squad, the next goal is to play, the next goal is to then be in that team to for the next World Cup.
• 11:01
  SPEAKER_00: So as much as you look back at in and it is something that's you don't want to happen, it's kind of like you take it, you understand it, you take what you need from it, and you have to you have to move forward because football doesn't stop.
• 11:12
  SPEAKER_00: It's constant, it's constantly moving.
• 11:13
  SPEAKER_00: So, and as you said, like having good people, your family around you.
• 11:17
  SPEAKER_00: I think that's a great way of taking it a away from your head sometimes.
• 11:21
  SPEAKER_00: Can you if you're on your own, you can sit there and you can can go over everything.
• 11:24
  SPEAKER_00: If I'd have done that right, if I'd done that, maybe if that hadn't happened, having having having family there, it's sometimes it's a blocker, isn't it?
• 11:32
  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes you you you just have that noise that's kind of it stops you from going back back to those places.
• 11:38
  SPEAKER_03: Mate, I was I was just thinking about the what-ifs the whole time.
• 11:41
  SPEAKER_03: Like, what if I'd done this or what if I did this, or like the way it happened is I did a little dribble and say, what if I just passed it back, you know, it never would have happened, you know.
• 11:51
  SPEAKER_03: So then you just go through the what-ifs in your mind, and and then you look at the tournament, you're like, what if I played in it?
• 11:56
  SPEAKER_03: Like from a selfish and personal point of view, you know.
• 11:58
  SPEAKER_03: Like you see some of the lads that played in our team that got got moves and kicked on a lot, was like, yeah, that you know, that could have been me.
• 12:05
  SPEAKER_03: And you know, maybe it just wasn't my time.
• 12:07
  SPEAKER_03: And as you said, you try to take out all the positives and be optimistic about the future, and just you know, I'm 24, I've hopefully got maybe two more in me, and um, you know, so I'm just what got me through it, which was trying to, as you said, take the positives out of the situation, and you know, as you said, once you start to get into that mode of like coming out of the injury and being able to move again a little bit more and more, and you start to like aim for the small goals and the small achievements, and you're in a good space.
• 12:37
  SPEAKER_02: So I suppose it's one of those as well.
• 12:39
  SPEAKER_02: When you went to get the surgery, obviously the World Cup's still going on at that particular moment.
• 12:43
  SPEAKER_02: Of course, you're wanting your team to do well, but I guess at that point you're probably not thinking about football at all, are you?
• 12:48
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, I I was someone that was religiously watched all the games, but I I guess from your point of view, did it did it take a little bit away from because of that?
• 12:54
  SPEAKER_03: Yes, and no.
• 12:55
  SPEAKER_03: I'm I uh you know, I'm a football fan at heart, you know.
• 12:58
  SPEAKER_03: Like I was still involved in the in the group chat to send you messages like good luck, lads, you know, before the games when when they were um out there, and you know, obviously when I was back in London, I w I watched them, you know, I was up at 2 a.m.
• 13:11
  SPEAKER_03: watching the game.
• 13:12
  SPEAKER_03: So um I did watch all the World Cup games, you know, I was couch ridden for about a week of meeting that to that point.
• 13:20
  SPEAKER_03: So like I was I was just locked in watching all the games, and you know, um as you said, it it was a little bit tough, but you know, you sort of accept that what's happened has happened, and you just got to move past, and you know, the World Cup's on it every four years.
• 13:33
  SPEAKER_03: So if I can't play and I'll watch it, you know.
• 13:36
  SPEAKER_02: So and and and obviously from a New Zealand perspective, obviously losing you was obviously a blow to them.
• 13:41
  SPEAKER_02: And I I guess it's one of those where from the outside looking in, you look at the expectation of a country like New Zealand going into a World Cup and think, is it just um to try and get out of the group stage?
• 13:51
  SPEAKER_02: We spoke, I think, beforehand, did we after the England game?
• 13:53
  SPEAKER_02: We were sort of saying that that's the aim, isn't it?
• 13:55
  SPEAKER_02: Did did you feel that it was almost not quite there?
• 14:00
  SPEAKER_02: You you you kind of you kind of probably felt looking back on it as a team that you could have done better, maybe?
• 14:05
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, well, to start off with we were, you know, against Iran, we drew two all and we could have easily won that, and we were like all over news and media outlets because of how well we played, you know, that a couple of the goals we scored were unbelievable team goals, you know.
• 14:18
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and then I sort of look at myself if I was in there, like what you know, I look at the game and I watched obviously and I thought, okay, I I could have you know done something here because the spaces were opened and the kind of player I am was in you know in the pockets and you know it was a game for me to be in.
• 14:32
  SPEAKER_03: So you sort of look at that kind of way, and then obviously we drew two-o, and then you know, you sort of say, well, if we won that game, you know, we could have kicked on, and then against Egypt, we went 1-0 up, and um, you know, we were good for like the first half, and then obviously, you know, football was a game of two halves, and then they just took over in the second half, and then we always knew the last game was a bit gonna be you know tough against Belgium, um, and I think it just collapsed a little bit at the end.
• 14:58
  SPEAKER_03: But you always say, like, you know, you're we were so close, but you know, that's how football works.
• 15:05
  SPEAKER_03: You can be so close, but just you know, you don't have that final edge to kind of get over the line.
• 15:11
  SPEAKER_02: We'll continue the conversation with Matt and Craig in in a part two of this podcast, so stay with us.
• 15:18
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• 15:21
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• 15:28
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• 15:31
  SPEAKER_02: Welcome back to part two of Posh Unfiltered, joined by Matt Gulliber and of course Craig McHel Smith as well.
• 15:37
  SPEAKER_02: We were obviously talking in part one about the devastation of the summer for obviously Matt.
• 15:41
  SPEAKER_02: And in terms of recovery, and the recovery is obviously part mental, obviously a lot of physical stuff.
• 15:47
  SPEAKER_02: Um, wouldn't you get your head around after the operation?
• 15:51
  SPEAKER_02: What was your thought process?
• 15:52
  SPEAKER_02: Because you obviously went back to New Zealand to do a lot of the rehab there, and why wouldn't you, to be fair?
• 15:57
  SPEAKER_02: It's a obviously a great place to be doing your rehab.
• 15:59
  SPEAKER_02: Um, but also, was it important for you to have people around you that could help you in terms of that support network?
• 16:05
  SPEAKER_03: It's probably the best decision I made going back home.
• 16:07
  SPEAKER_03: Um, you know, I had a few options obviously once I had the surgery.
• 16:11
  SPEAKER_03: I had a few options of, you know, one was go back home, work with some of the guys I know, um, some very good quality guys, to be fair.
• 16:19
  SPEAKER_03: Um, another was to potentially go out to Qatar and work at the SPY Academy out there, and then another one was potentially at St.
• 16:26
  SPEAKER_03: George's Park with PFI.
• 16:28
  SPEAKER_03: I think the main one was for me was it would I think it would be too tough being around in Peterborough by myself for that long, just after quite an emotional kind of time for me.
• 16:39
  SPEAKER_03: So ultimately, um I went back out to New Zealand and I did the main core first two months of my rehab out there.
• 16:47
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and it was quite intense, you know, it was Monday to Friday, quite like four or five hours a day.
• 16:53
  SPEAKER_03: Um and yeah, I think it was just made the process so much easier for myself.
• 17:00
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and we were just speaking about before, you know, like physios, and I think someone once told me you trust the person, not the program.
• 17:08
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and these guys I really trusted.
• 17:11
  SPEAKER_03: Um, not to say I don't trust anyone here or anything, but you know, as a player, you sort of, you know, you know who knows you best in your body as a person, um, and you sort of come to grips with, you know, for example, the reason why I went out to New Zealand is because the fizzy I was working with is based in Switzerland, um, Kiwi guy, he said you should go out there, you know, you're they're really good.
• 17:36
  SPEAKER_03: And I said, like, would you recommend me uh recommend me going out there?
• 17:38
  SPEAKER_03: And he said, Yeah, um, they'll do a good job on you.
• 17:41
  SPEAKER_03: Um, so yeah, I went home and it was it was great, you know.
• 17:45
  SPEAKER_03: I think the last time I went home for longer than two weeks was five, six years ago, you know.
• 17:50
  SPEAKER_03: So um, yeah, it was it was it was a great time back home.
• 17:54
  SPEAKER_02: Because that's the thing, Craig, isn't it?
• 17:56
  SPEAKER_02: We we've had this conversation on the podcast before that one of the worst things about being injured is watching all the players go out to train.
• 18:02
  SPEAKER_02: And if you're in the physio room and everyone's there, it's great, it's a buzz.
• 18:06
  SPEAKER_02: But as soon as they disappear, it's just you and your body, and sometimes a physio who is obviously there to try and make you better.
• 18:14
  SPEAKER_02: Um, environments are so key, aren't they?
• 18:17
  SPEAKER_02: How did you find it when you were coming back from your long-term injury?
• 18:20
  SPEAKER_00: I found it tough because it was it I was injured just before the end of the season, and we I was in in all summer by myself.
• 18:26
  SPEAKER_00: So, as you were saying, kind of off there, it was like you need to have someone around you who gets you you can have a laugh with and make the process as easy as possible and as enjoyable as possible.
• 18:37
  SPEAKER_00: Like you want people around.
• 18:38
  SPEAKER_00: Obviously, if you met going home, it probably made the the process easier, like obviously the disappointment of the World Cup, but then to go back, be back home, be around people that you can kind of relax around.
• 18:48
  SPEAKER_00: The process probably was better than being somewhere where you didn't feel kind of as comfortable, and that's what I kind of found is like having the right people who can build you up when you because obviously some days you just don't want to do it, it's like it's repetitious, isn't it?
• 19:01
  SPEAKER_00: The same thing over and over again.
• 19:03
  SPEAKER_00: But if you've got those people around you, then it's kind of like it makes it easier to do it.
• 19:07
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I think that's the thing.
• 19:08
  SPEAKER_02: We spoke about discipline on this podcast before that um as a footballer, you're used to routine, and I guess when an injury happens, the discipline that you need then to get up every morning knowing that you're gonna do the same thing.
• 19:22
  SPEAKER_02: But I suppose it's the little small wins, isn't it?
• 19:24
  SPEAKER_02: So that the going back to New Zealand was a small win because you're then surrounded by what you're used to seeing, you know, looking out the window, speaking to friends, speaking to family, and I guess that gets you through the the grind.
• 19:36
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, well, that's exactly right.
• 19:38
  SPEAKER_03: You know, I tried to look at you know the silver linings basically.
• 19:42
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and there was a silver lining, you know, getting to go back home and do my rehab with Kiwi guys, you know.
• 19:49
  SPEAKER_03: I was in a different city in Auckland to where the city I'm from, which all my mates actually from the city I grew up with, all my mates that grew up with me in Wellington were based in Auckland, and that's where I was based in Auckland because that's where the the rehab clinic was and and the physios I was working with.
• 20:06
  SPEAKER_03: So even being back home and you know, you know, I went to watch the All Blacks, you know, you sort of got to do things like when I finish training, I have to go home.
• 20:15
  SPEAKER_03: So what what else do I do?
• 20:16
  SPEAKER_03: You know, like you know, when here do my rehab and I can catch up for a coffee with my mates, you know, and Auckland's a lovely city.
• 20:23
  SPEAKER_03: The weather was you know, it was peak winter and the weather was unreal, you know, it was hot, and um, so yeah, I tried to look at the silver linings, and as I said, that made the uh process much easier.
• 20:34
  SPEAKER_02: Because it's interesting though, we're gonna sort of delve into it a little bit in the in the last episode, the last part of this podcast, sorry.
• 20:39
  SPEAKER_02: Um, but being away from home and and your friends and your mates, and because you've you kind of travel the globe to follow your football dream.
• 20:47
  SPEAKER_02: Um, you're obviously talking to them a lot, probably on FaceTime and on Tech Summary, but nothing beats being in their company, right?
• 20:53
  SPEAKER_02: It's always feel like you could be away from your mates back home for I don't know, six months, eight months, and then suddenly you have coffee and it's exactly the same, right?
• 21:00
  SPEAKER_03: You go out to New Zealand, you won't want to come back.
• 21:03
  SPEAKER_03: It's honestly the lifestyle is just you know, it's so me, you know, it's very relaxed, the people are so nice.
• 21:10
  SPEAKER_03: Um, you know, just being around that kind of Kiwi, you know, there's I don't know if you know the Maori people out there, the indigenous people, you know, being around that kind of Pacific Island again.
• 21:20
  SPEAKER_03: Um it was just yeah, unreal.
• 21:22
  SPEAKER_03: Going out to you know, places I used to go to.
• 21:25
  SPEAKER_03: I made a couple trips home to where I was, you know, where I grew up on the weekend, and um, you know, nothing beats home and everyone has their home, you know.
• 21:35
  SPEAKER_03: So my home is back in New Zealand and um, you know, I I loved it back there.
• 21:40
  SPEAKER_03: And yeah.
• 21:40
  SPEAKER_02: I I'm beginning to wonder where they must have wrestled and come back.
• 21:44
  SPEAKER_02: I don't know.
• 21:44
  SPEAKER_02: Was that hard?
• 21:45
  SPEAKER_02: I mean coming back in all seriousness.
• 21:47
  SPEAKER_02: And I know I know that y you were saying football's a job, right?
• 21:50
  SPEAKER_02: And and you you're here to make the most out of the career that you you have for the amount of time that you have.
• 21:55
  SPEAKER_02: But equally, I suppose when you go back home, you miss it more when you think you're gonna have to leave.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, true, but I was at a stage where the last three, four weeks I was out on the grass in New Zealand.
• 22:06
  SPEAKER_03: So I sort of sensed I was sort of getting to back to, you know, nearly training.
• 22:12
  SPEAKER_03: And um at the end of the day, I'm a high performance athlete, you know, and nothing beats being in matches in that competitive environment and wanting to win.
• 22:22
  SPEAKER_03: So, you know, I was kind of you know understood that I was coming back into reality.
• 22:28
  SPEAKER_00: Um, isn't it?
• 22:31
  SPEAKER_00: It's like you you you had that time, you've come over here, you've been in this country, you've been away from family, friends, and stuff, and then it's kind of like you go home, you see all of that.
• 22:38
  SPEAKER_00: I think sometimes it is you're the environment.
• 22:40
  SPEAKER_00: When you change your environment, it gives you that boost, and obviously you've done all the hard work, and then now you're kind of refreshed, and you know that at this moment in time your time's come to be at home, and now you you can come back into this country and then hit the ground running.
• 22:54
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, exactly.
• 22:54
  SPEAKER_03: I think two months was like the most perfect amount of time I could have been back.
• 22:58
  SPEAKER_03: And as you said, that was just a mental refresh of spend time with family and friends to get my core work done with my my hamstring and come back for that.
• 23:10
  SPEAKER_03: So you know, obviously, I'm still getting up to speed with the rhythm of you know training games, training games, recovering and stuff.
• 23:18
  SPEAKER_03: Um but you know, I think I did a really good rehab back home and you know, I wouldn't have had it any other way.
• 23:24
  SPEAKER_03: So um I think I was going definitely going home regardless, you know.
• 23:30
  SPEAKER_02: It's interesting because obviously the type of injury that you had as well is as um again, I'm not a high performance athlete, as most people will probably sympathize with.
• 23:38
  SPEAKER_02: Um you are, but I I I guess from a mental point of view, um, in terms of an injury like that, and the injury that you had as well, sometimes that's the last hurdle, isn't it?
• 23:46
  SPEAKER_02: Because obviously you can do all the work physically, but until you get back on the pitch, and obviously you've been back out there and you've been playing.
• 23:52
  SPEAKER_02: Is that something that you have to just come put completely to the back of your mind?
• 23:56
  SPEAKER_03: Well, I think it's a it's a big thing on like confidence and the anxiety, and you sort of get a sense for that, and you know, obviously it builds over time, but you know, it's sort of you know it's normal, it's natural.
• 24:06
  SPEAKER_03: You're gonna feel a bit nervous coming back, like what if I do this, what if I do that?
• 24:10
  SPEAKER_03: Um so I think it's just building that confidence again, and you know, I think for myself, you know, I play two games of 30 minutes each, um, and it's just sort of building back into that rhythm of you know, putting my body in unnatural positions and you know, playing obviously myself, you know, I'm the kind of player I am, it's very explosive, you know, turning and you know, very unnatural positions.
• 24:34
  SPEAKER_03: Uh so yeah, I think it's just that confidence and anxiety just having it release at the back of your head and just playing a game and that flows there.
• 24:43
  SPEAKER_02: I'm interested to know, obviously, in terms of how your football journey began because obviously in New Zealand, as you mentioned touched on before, there there are so many other prominent sports within within that country.
• 24:53
  SPEAKER_02: Obviously, you you got the cricket, you've got obviously the rugby.
• 24:56
  SPEAKER_02: How how did football become the the main thing for you?
• 25:00
  SPEAKER_02: Was it something you grew up around, or did you just try it and suddenly you realize you were quite good at it?
• 25:06
  SPEAKER_03: Funny enough, well, rugby is actually the number one sport in the country and it's not even close.
• 25:11
  SPEAKER_03: Um, you know, it's rugby, rugby, rugby.
• 25:13
  SPEAKER_03: I started playing rugby first.
• 25:15
  SPEAKER_03: I played until about the age of 11.
• 25:19
  SPEAKER_03: And then, yeah, it was weird.
• 25:21
  SPEAKER_03: My my brother and my old man would, you know, they would always kick a ball out on the street, football out on the street, um, and I would always just join them.
• 25:29
  SPEAKER_03: So I was kicking, you know, two different shapes of balls all the time.
• 25:32
  SPEAKER_03: So I sort of just, you know, my mates at school were playing more football than rugby as well.
• 25:37
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and then I just made the you know, the switch over.
• 25:40
  SPEAKER_03: I just called it when I was like, alright, I'm gonna make the switch over.
• 25:43
  SPEAKER_03: I went into an academy, it was you know the number one performing academy in in New Zealand at the time.
• 25:49
  SPEAKER_03: Um and I was you know going in at 6 a.m.
• 25:51
  SPEAKER_03: and then uh missing periods of school because of it, because you know we we I was training up with the age group above, and you know, I just sort of just became obsessed with you know the sport of football.
• 26:03
  SPEAKER_03: Was in that position or yeah, actually, what as in like a midfielder?
• 26:08
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, as an attacking midfielder.
• 26:10
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, to be fair, more or less always in that position.
• 26:13
  SPEAKER_03: Um, even when I played rugby, I don't know if you know, I was first five, which is you know the number ten role, which just does all the kicking.
• 26:20
  SPEAKER_03: Um, so I think I always had that in me anyway.
• 26:23
  SPEAKER_02: Um you might be surprised when you're taking up football, because obviously I'm guessing they were key rugby players as well.
• 26:28
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, it was it was a little bit weird because as I moved from rugby to football, I moved an hour up up the country um and into like central Wellington, um, which is the capital city.
• 26:42
  SPEAKER_03: So then my mates sort of shifted and I made new mates, you know.
• 26:47
  SPEAKER_03: So my new mates didn't really have the sense I played rugby, you know.
• 26:51
  SPEAKER_03: So they knew me as a footballer.
• 26:53
  SPEAKER_03: Um, so yeah, it was uh it didn't really affect much in that in that sense.
• 26:59
  SPEAKER_02: You were a footballer, weren't you?
• 27:00
  SPEAKER_02: You didn't play any of the sports, did you?
• 27:02
  SPEAKER_00: No, I played a bit of cricket, but I was awful of that.
• 27:04
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 27:06
  SPEAKER_00: I could chase it.
• 27:07
  SPEAKER_00: I was good at chasing balls, so I was good at running basically, so you're running after balls, but not so much that's a kick it for our chase after.
• 27:13
  SPEAKER_02: Exactly.
• 27:14
  SPEAKER_02: And we're gonna talk about it in the in the last part of the podcast because um obviously when you're playing or coming from a country that isn't primarily football as a main sport, you have to make a real big decision on on how you want this to be in terms of a career.
• 27:28
  SPEAKER_02: How old were you when you suddenly thought, you know what, I'm actually quite good at this, I could do this as a career.
• 27:33
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and and what what was the sort of aim at that point?
• 27:38
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, so I was so yeah, I would say it was around the age of 16, 15, 16.
• 27:45
  SPEAKER_03: Well, actually, if you want to get into depth of a of probably the age of 12, because I was going in at 6 a.m.
• 27:52
  SPEAKER_03: an hour drive.
• 27:53
  SPEAKER_03: You already made that commitment.
• 27:55
  SPEAKER_03: Dad was missing work, um, part of work, I was missing part of school.
• 28:00
  SPEAKER_03: So once you do that every day, you've you know you're committed, right?
• 28:03
  SPEAKER_03: You know, you can always stop after a year or two, but once you're in that, you know, sort of routine you and you and you love the love of the game, you're not gonna stop.
• 28:11
  SPEAKER_03: And I think that started at 12, but then it really started at 16 as well because the coach that was you know basically dedicated his life to you know, us lads.
• 28:23
  SPEAKER_03: Um basically he was going over to Sweden for some project and he said at 16 or 17, he's like, I'll come over, like use it as a base.
• 28:31
  SPEAKER_03: Um, you know, at the time I had the 17s World Cup, you know, go to the 17s World Cup, come use it as a base, um, go on trial around Europe, whatever.
• 28:40
  SPEAKER_03: Anyway, I ended up having a good World Cup, 17s World Cup, and then I went out to Sweden when I was like 17.
• 28:46
  SPEAKER_02: So we'll talk about that more in in part three, um, because as I say, it's uh it's a it's a long way to go from New Zealand to Sweden.
• 28:53
  SPEAKER_02: I know.
• 28:54
  SPEAKER_02: Um uh it's certainly not from Wellington to Auckland, so we'll continue that conversation very shortly.
• 28:58
  SPEAKER_01: Tickets are also available for our away clash with Bromley on October the 24th, as well as the massive away tie at Bradford in the fourth round of the Carabael Cup on the 27th of October, the furthest the club had got in the competition in 17 years.
• 29:12
  SPEAKER_01: So get behind the lads and be there for hopefully another fantastic away day in the club.
• 29:20
  SPEAKER_02: Well, welcome to the final part of Posh and the Phil to myself, Phil Adlem, Craig McCal Smith, who's now actually our striker coach at Peachman United, he's taking all the credit for Harry Lennon scoring goals, and uh our guest Matt Gallagher.
• 29:31
  SPEAKER_02: And we were speaking earlier on in the podcast about the sacrifices you make to follow your your dream as a footballer.
• 29:37
  SPEAKER_02: And just ahead of the last break, we were talking about the the under-17 World Cup and you'd go over to Sweden um to sort of make a base and kind of follow your dream from then.
• 29:46
  SPEAKER_02: So, do you want to pick up the story then?
• 29:47
  SPEAKER_02: Because obviously, first and foremost, what was the initial reaction when he said come to Sweden?
• 29:52
  SPEAKER_02: Were you all in at that point?
• 29:53
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, I was pretty all in.
• 29:55
  SPEAKER_03: Um, you know, the normal route people take as a 17-year-old is going through academies, right?
• 30:01
  SPEAKER_03: I went straight into men's football at the time, and the club I was at was in the first Elstwins Gun, which is the first division in Sweden.
• 30:08
  SPEAKER_03: Um, so that route I took was a bit, you know, unique, you know, to say, um, especially for a young Kiwi New Zealander.
• 30:18
  SPEAKER_03: Um, not people won't won't know, but if you're a New Zealander coming into Europe, you always have to be better than the European kid because if a coach has a choice between the Kiwi kid and the European kid, they're always going to take the European kid, right?
• 30:29
  SPEAKER_03: It's just how it works, you know.
• 30:31
  SPEAKER_03: New Zealand's a rugby country, you know, who's this guy flying on the other side of the world coming over, you know?
• 30:36
  SPEAKER_03: Um so it wasn't, you know, the easiest route.
• 30:39
  SPEAKER_03: It was a definitely a unique route that I took.
• 30:42
  SPEAKER_03: Um, but you know, that's been my journey and that's where I started at.
• 30:45
  SPEAKER_03: And you know, I learned a lot, played some games, you know, played 16 games, didn't obviously start all of them.
• 30:51
  SPEAKER_03: Um, but you know, to have that first season in Europe under my belt, playing men's football, you know, it's you know, that's where I started.
• 30:59
  SPEAKER_02: So what was that lifestyle like then for for you in in Sweden?
• 31:02
  SPEAKER_02: Because I'm trying to imagine if I'd have had the um the balls to do that, and I I definitely know I wouldn't have.
• 31:08
  SPEAKER_00: Going from like fairly good weather to window probably.
• 31:12
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, and I've gone in January, which is like the seasons over there are flipped, aren't they?
• 31:20
  SPEAKER_03: So like the seasons finish in November and this the pre-season starts in January.
• 31:24
  SPEAKER_00: Um did I tell you getting used to?
• 31:26
  SPEAKER_00: Did like obviously because the weather switches would have been different, completely different.
• 31:30
  SPEAKER_03: Or like first time properly seeing snow.
• 31:33
  SPEAKER_03: Like obviously in New Zealand we had snow, but not like a meter of snow, you know.
• 31:37
  SPEAKER_03: Like, so obviously I've gone over and it's you know freezing cold, you know.
• 31:42
  SPEAKER_03: To be honest, the time my time in Sweden was a bit weird because it was when COVID was, right?
• 31:48
  SPEAKER_03: So obviously, seasons were stopped, but in saying that, Sweden was the best country to live in during COVID because they didn't have the lockdowns, they didn't have the restrictions, you know.
• 31:57
  SPEAKER_03: We were still training, we were going into training.
• 31:59
  SPEAKER_03: The only restrictions they really had was your like restaurants and your bars and whatever, like you could only have six people at a time.
• 32:07
  SPEAKER_03: So, you know, my time was a little bit, you know, yes and no, kind of like it wasn't like complete freedom, but insane that I loved it, you know.
• 32:18
  SPEAKER_03: I loved it.
• 32:18
  SPEAKER_03: I was along the beach in in Sweden in the summer, it was great.
• 32:23
  SPEAKER_03: Um, so yeah.
• 32:24
  SPEAKER_02: Were you were you constantly in conversations with your family at that point?
• 32:27
  SPEAKER_02: Were you do you bring home every day?
• 32:29
  SPEAKER_02: Were you sort of giving them updates of how things were going?
• 32:31
  SPEAKER_02: Were they kind of following your your journey from from there?
• 32:34
  SPEAKER_03: Well, yeah, obviously I had to learn all the basics of living alone, right?
• 32:37
  SPEAKER_03: I I lived alone.
• 32:38
  SPEAKER_03: I you know, I know over here they do like digs and stuff, but I've lived alone since I was 17.
• 32:43
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and that when I went out to Sweden first on trial and that before I signed in Sweden, there was another two Kiwi guys that basically they were a couple years older, but they taught me all the basics of like cooking and cleaning, well not cleaning, but cooking and all that cooking and all that stuff, you know.
• 33:01
  SPEAKER_03: So like that was massive for when I moved in by myself.
• 33:05
  SPEAKER_03: I could do all the basics.
• 33:06
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and then obviously over time you just start to learn and then call your mum on 2 a.m.
• 33:10
  SPEAKER_02: on the other side of how do you do this, you know?
• 33:13
  SPEAKER_02: Um you didn't learn any Swedish then?
• 33:16
  SPEAKER_02: No, it's a hard language, that isn't it?
• 33:18
  SPEAKER_03: I think it's hard, it's pretty hard, but yeah, so it's tough when these countries are so good at English as well that you know when you speak English, everyone speaks English.
• 33:27
  SPEAKER_03: So you sort of dismiss like all right, I don't think everyone can speak English.
• 33:31
  SPEAKER_03: So what was it?
• 33:32
  SPEAKER_00: So what was the difference in football like from obviously in New Zealand to going to playing in Sweden?
• 33:37
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, so yeah, so I played men's football in New Zealand at 15.
• 33:43
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, um, obviously there wasn't professional is you know, top amateur, whatever.
• 33:48
  SPEAKER_03: Um so it was a bit different, you know.
• 33:52
  SPEAKER_03: You're going obviously into a professional environment now, so you're getting into like proper changing rooms, routines of like reporting at nine, you know, coming out at like two or three, you got breakfast, you got lunch, all that stuff on.
• 34:05
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and then the actual football itself was you know, this mentality of win-win-win.
• 34:10
  SPEAKER_03: Whereas where I grew up was how to play football, you know, like kind of do it the right way, you know, it wasn't this massive mentality of winning.
• 34:18
  SPEAKER_03: And we'll probably get on to it when I went to Italy because that's a whole nother thing, you know.
• 34:23
  SPEAKER_03: Whereas in Italy, I I obviously started off for the first six months in the 19s, and then I progressed into the first team for the last year and a half.
• 34:35
  SPEAKER_03: But even in the 19s, I've never seen it where compared to first team environments, they only want to win.
• 34:42
  SPEAKER_03: The director of you know, the academy director, they call it like a sporting academy director.
• 34:48
  SPEAKER_03: He's at every training, watching every training, you know, like he's on the phone, like if a player's messed up or whatever, like he's calling, you know, like it was ridiculous.
• 34:56
  SPEAKER_03: I honestly in Italy it's like no other, they just want to win.
• 35:00
  SPEAKER_02: You went there after Sweden, right?
• 35:01
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, after Sweden.
• 35:02
  SPEAKER_03: So I went to Tokyo Olympics, played it, played a couple games out there.
• 35:06
  SPEAKER_03: We went to the quarterfinals, obviously, we played Japan.
• 35:09
  SPEAKER_03: I did quite well as well there, um, and then obviously got the move from Yeah, but before we go to the internet, because you talk it's good to be.
• 35:21
  SPEAKER_02: I'm always intrigued from a player perspective with the Olympics compared to say a World Cup in terms of what a player's mentality is with a competition like that.
• 35:30
  SPEAKER_02: Because obviously, primarily it's under 21s 23, sorry, in the Olympics.
• 35:36
  SPEAKER_00: You can still win something if you go to the Olympics and win a gold or win a medal at the Olympics, it's fucking special.
• 35:41
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, real.
• 35:41
  SPEAKER_02: Is that what you had it?
• 35:42
  SPEAKER_02: Is that what you were thinking?
• 35:43
  SPEAKER_03: Well, yeah, we we we took Japan to penalty shootouts, you know, and if we had won against Japan in the penalty, we obviously lost in the quarterfinal.
• 35:50
  SPEAKER_03: But if we had won, you know, you're playing for a medal, right?
• 35:53
  SPEAKER_03: If it's a bronze medal, you you know, it's a medal, yeah.
• 35:57
  SPEAKER_03: It's usually the Olympics, you think individual sports, right?
• 36:00
  SPEAKER_03: So even to be, you know, playing at the Olympics, involved in the bubble.
• 36:04
  SPEAKER_03: Um, you know, obviously they create this whole village during the Olympics.
• 36:08
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, there's a lot of myths about that village.
• 36:10
  SPEAKER_03: Is that village it's not, it's definitely the the myths are that it's you predominantly for the individual athletes, so like your swimmers and all the track, all that stuff.
• 36:20
  SPEAKER_03: Whereas the teams are a little bit excluded, so you're like your rugby sevens, your football, your all the team sports, like um they're a little bit that in the they've got access to the village, but they're not staying in the village, so they're a little bit outside the village.
• 36:35
  SPEAKER_03: But the village is a proper village, you know, it's like you know, big hotel apartment building, every uh country's got their own one, and you know, you go dine all together with all the other athletes, that's phenomenal.
• 36:47
  SPEAKER_02: I think I've missed my vacation.
• 36:49
  SPEAKER_02: Imagine going to an Olympics and saying you're and just dropping it in.
• 36:53
  SPEAKER_02: Um, so obviously the Olympics, and then you went to Italy.
• 36:56
  SPEAKER_02: How did the Italy move?
• 36:57
  SPEAKER_02: Did it that come off the back of the Olympics?
• 36:59
  SPEAKER_02: The Olympics, yeah.
• 37:00
  SPEAKER_02: So, what was the thought process then?
• 37:02
  SPEAKER_02: Because obviously you go to another country now, uh, new culture, everything that goes with it.
• 37:06
  SPEAKER_02: Was that something you were in balance that you sort of embellishing at that point?
• 37:09
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, it was kind of the the project they had for me was like, you know, come here, you you know, start off playing with another, but you'll be training with the first thing, which did happen.
• 37:19
  SPEAKER_03: So it was obviously, you know, you go into Serie A as a 19-year-old kid, Torino, you know, historic historical club.
• 37:27
  SPEAKER_03: Um, you know, so it was a big change in terms of a step up, you know, um the chain rooms, the facilities, you know, the food, everything, you know.
• 37:38
  SPEAKER_02: Um the food would allure me though, I think.
• 37:40
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 37:41
  SPEAKER_02: Oh, it was unbelievable.
• 37:42
  SPEAKER_03: The chefs we had, like the chefs will travel everywhere with us, you know, the food was top, you know, it was top, top, top.
• 37:48
  SPEAKER_03: Um, so yeah, that that was one thing I definitely loved over there.
• 37:52
  SPEAKER_03: Um, but yeah, the whole Italy, um, my I think I spent the yeah, two nearly two two years there.
• 37:58
  SPEAKER_03: It was, you know, I learned a lot.
• 37:59
  SPEAKER_03: I was on the bench all the time, you know.
• 38:03
  SPEAKER_03: But you know, 19 years old, you're traveling to San Cerro and Napoli Stadium, you know, you sort of soak it in.
• 38:09
  SPEAKER_03: So I'd look at all the positives, and you know, I had a great coach that he was a bit nuts.
• 38:14
  SPEAKER_03: Um but he was he was a bit nuts, but he was he was a top coach, like you the standards every day in training was unbelievable, and you start to learn and pick up off these you know top pros, right?
• 38:25
  SPEAKER_03: Um, so I no, I loved it on Italy.
• 38:28
  SPEAKER_02: Was that the the bigger challenge with the language barrier?
• 38:30
  SPEAKER_03: So, yeah, so so they didn't speak English out there because my mum's French, I could already speak French.
• 38:35
  SPEAKER_03: So when I went out there, there was a few French lads, it was one English lad.
• 38:39
  SPEAKER_03: Um, but because no one spoke English, you sort of had to pick up Italian.
• 38:44
  SPEAKER_03: So the first six months I had a Belgian, a Belgian guy was with me, and he was in the same boat as me basically, and he could speak French and English with me.
• 38:53
  SPEAKER_03: And we just, you know, we didn't take any lessons, we just started to start to pick it up.
• 38:58
  SPEAKER_03: I don't know.
• 38:59
  SPEAKER_03: We just picked it up after six months.
• 39:00
  SPEAKER_03: I could speak fluently, basically.
• 39:02
  SPEAKER_02: So did you learn any Scottish when you went there?
• 39:04
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah, I've got the accent.
• 39:06
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, because that because again, you you don't you don't consider that really in terms of when you think about footballers and dressing rooms, you just assume that everyone just just communicates through the language of football, but you can't, can you, really?
• 39:18
  SPEAKER_02: Because you've got to be able to be communicate on the pitch and and know what's being asked of you, right?
• 39:23
  SPEAKER_03: Well, usually I think the higher you get in the change rooms, there's so many different cultures, right?
• 39:28
  SPEAKER_03: You've got the Italian boys, you've got the what the Latino boys, like the Spanish, you know, all of them.
• 39:33
  SPEAKER_03: You've got the Portuguese with the Brazilians and stuff, and then you know, you've got the French boys.
• 39:38
  SPEAKER_03: So there's so many different cultures in change rooms, and I think it's so important, and that's what I've been very lucky with is to be able to speak three languages, and you know, even when I went to Holland after the Portuguese guy was online from Lazio in Italy, and you know, I was the only guy that could communicate with him because he didn't speak English, but he spoke Italian.
• 39:57
  SPEAKER_03: So I helped him out a bit, and you know, we got along.
• 39:59
  SPEAKER_03: So you start to you know create these kind of friendships and bonds just in the language, yeah.
• 40:04
  SPEAKER_02: Because Dutch football, yeah, Dutch because the Dutch football, obviously, again, when you when you think of uh Dutch football, you immediately think of the style in which they play.
• 40:13
  SPEAKER_02: Was it what you expected when you went from Italy to Holland?
• 40:18
  SPEAKER_03: Yes and no.
• 40:19
  SPEAKER_03: There's there's a big, you know, you think Dutch football, you think TikToker, you think you know, always on the ground playing, but it's not actually necessarily the case, I found um when you play your big teams, yeah, because uh you know the the the difference between the top teams and the bottom is massive.
• 40:37
  SPEAKER_03: Um but you know they do have that kind of you know identity of to be able to play Johann Croef or that, you know.
• 40:48
  SPEAKER_03: Um, but the managers I had wasn't actually I'm not saying it was like long ball channel, you know, kind of stuff.
• 40:57
  SPEAKER_02: But sometimes you do go with a preconception, right, of of what you expect it to be like.
• 41:01
  SPEAKER_02: And sometimes if it falls short of that, you almost feel a little bit disappointed, right?
• 41:04
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, but I say in Holland you expect good passing football.
• 41:08
  SPEAKER_00: If you go there and it's it's like you're watching over your head, you're thinking, like, what's going on?
• 41:11
  SPEAKER_00: But for you, it's like it's a hell of an education, like to the countries you've gone to, Sweden, Italy, Holland.
• 41:17
  SPEAKER_00: What what are the biggest things you like learned from each of those countries as you made your way this way?
• 41:23
  SPEAKER_03: Well, Italy was a lot more, and it is true, defensive-minded kind of the coach I worked with was man-man all over the park.
• 41:34
  SPEAKER_03: You know, you've got centre back going up to the opposite centre-back.
• 41:37
  SPEAKER_03: If they oh the centre back following the strike, if he drops all the way down, you know, is literally stay on your man.
• 41:42
  SPEAKER_03: If you get done, that's where you're gonna get ball.
• 41:45
  SPEAKER_03: Sorry, you're gonna get you're gonna get shouted at, you know.
• 41:48
  SPEAKER_03: Um, so um that that was that kind of you know perception of you know the defensive mindset of being in Italy, you know, you don't lose your man, and they took pride in that, right?
• 42:00
  SPEAKER_03: And then obviously when you move to Holland, it's a bit more, it is more ball-oriented, kind of.
• 42:05
  SPEAKER_03: They don't really focus so much on the defending side, it's it's quite, you know, you could get games of like 5-4 and that.
• 42:13
  SPEAKER_03: And then coming here, you know, a lot of people ask me what's the difference between League One and Aerodivisie, and you know, I always say not, yeah.
• 42:22
  SPEAKER_03: League one is a lot more transitional up and down, where Eridivisia was a lot more horizontal with side to side.
• 42:28
  SPEAKER_03: So, for example, when the team had a book had the ball in Holland, you know, they would be comfortable to go into a block, and the team with the ball would be happy to just pass it around, you know, the 18-yard box.
• 42:39
  SPEAKER_03: Where here it's a lot more basketball, you know, kind of transitional open spaces.
• 42:44
  SPEAKER_03: Um that that's the major thing I've I've sort of learned and picked up, where you know, there's so many different styles in the in the game where you know each game is different, and especially here, you know.
• 42:57
  SPEAKER_02: Wait, when when you take you back to New Zealand when you were a teenager in New Zealand, was the goal always to get to England, or was the goal just to play in Europe?
• 43:06
  SPEAKER_02: When did it suddenly become because obviously not many people will have had the TV that you have and have Peterborough there?
• 43:13
  SPEAKER_02: Because obviously you've you've you've sampled so many different cultures at big clubs, so your journey is slightly bizarre from an outsider looking in.
• 43:21
  SPEAKER_02: But was it was your goal to play here, or how did you No?
• 43:25
  SPEAKER_03: My goal was always to play in England, and I always said it since a young age.
• 43:29
  SPEAKER_03: Um, you know, when's the right time to come over?
• 43:33
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and then yeah, I thought, you know, well, you know, everyone's journey is different, right?
• 43:38
  SPEAKER_03: You go through different things.
• 43:39
  SPEAKER_03: I obviously went through something in in my last six months in Holland, and ultimately it sort of not shafted me, but it it put me in a situation where not necessarily I had that much leverage and you know, an advantage.
• 43:52
  SPEAKER_03: So um at the end of the day, I thought, you know, let's let me come over to England.
• 43:57
  SPEAKER_03: Originally I had a lot of visa problems to come over.
• 44:00
  SPEAKER_03: Um and I actually did.
• 44:02
  SPEAKER_03: I don't know if people know this, but you know, I could only go on an ESC visa, it's you know, basically a foreign player visa, and in League One, they've only got two per club.
• 44:11
  SPEAKER_03: And I came to Peterborough in August, which is quite late, right?
• 44:14
  SPEAKER_03: So I thought, alright, let me come here.
• 44:16
  SPEAKER_03: It's you know, I spoke to Darren Ferguson, you know, he really convinced me to come here, and I thought it was a great opportunity to come to this club.
• 44:22
  SPEAKER_03: The fans here have only been great with me, even the reception they gave to me out when I came back, I was you know, you know, wow kind of thing.
• 44:31
  SPEAKER_03: And um, you know, for that I'm very grateful because I've been here a year and they really took me in, and you know, New Zealand had on the other side of the world.
• 44:41
  SPEAKER_03: So yeah, I guess.
• 44:43
  SPEAKER_02: Just before we wrap it, I was I was interested actually when you were sort of saying about you know, obviously how it ended Holland.
• 44:47
  SPEAKER_02: Because in my head, I'm thinking, well, as a New Zealand international, surely he's gonna have the pick of most clubs that he wanted to go.
• 44:54
  SPEAKER_02: Do you feel that's an unfair representation of your country that you probably didn't get loads of offers?
• 45:00
  SPEAKER_02: Because the way I see it is surely, you know, looking at your CV, people would be like, Oh, they're desperate to sign you.
• 45:06
  SPEAKER_03: Well, it's because of the visa issue.
• 45:08
  SPEAKER_03: It's got I had offers.
• 45:09
  SPEAKER_03: I had, you know, I can say it now, I was meant to go somewhere else before.
• 45:14
  SPEAKER_03: Um probably I was meant to go somewhere else before, and they thought I would get through the appeal system with the FA, but it didn't go through because I didn't qualify for the points.
• 45:26
  SPEAKER_03: Um, so it wasn't necessarily a matter of offers, it was more just in this series of legal system, you know, like being able to get a working visa, and and luckily now I'm I've got my points, you know.
• 45:37
  SPEAKER_03: So I played here for a year and um I'm off that visa.
• 45:40
  SPEAKER_03: Um, but yeah, I think every situation's different, you know, where you've been the last six months, and you know, and I've loved it here to be honest.
• 45:48
  SPEAKER_03: So I think we too.
• 45:49
  SPEAKER_00: We I when we're homegrown, you never have to worry about these things, do you?
• 45:52
  SPEAKER_00: Like if you go and check to country.
• 45:54
  SPEAKER_02: I mean you're just you came homegrown, you play for Scotland.
• 45:57
  SPEAKER_00: But it's it's so interesting to know about the visas and obviously how that affects you guys like you guys coming from different countries into this country.
• 46:04
  SPEAKER_00: I never knew I never knew the issues that it takes to get in here to play.
• 46:09
  SPEAKER_00: So we kind of have that look that not a lot of it, it's just yeah, uh yeah, exactly.
• 46:14
  SPEAKER_02: You don't think about it as much.
• 46:15
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, we spoke off off camera about who you played for for Scotland, but I imagine when you play for Scotland, you just stick the passport in and everyone does it for you, right?
• 46:21
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, and then you played for Brazil against Brazil and Spain and just like just to wrap up the podcast part.
• 46:25
  SPEAKER_02: Um obviously you're back fit now.
• 46:28
  SPEAKER_02: Obviously, the aim I I guess for you personally is just to get consistency and performance and then kind of see where it takes you, right?
• 46:34
  SPEAKER_02: Because obviously we all know it's open secret, really, that in in the World Cup, we're obviously hoping you do well for your own perspective, and also because from the Cubs perspective, anyone coming off the back of the World Cup is going to put themselves into the shop window and everyone wants to play as as high as they can.
• 46:48
  SPEAKER_02: So, from your point of view now, is it just making sure you're on that pitch, performing at your best, and then whatever happens, happens?
• 46:54
  SPEAKER_03: Well, the reality is I am here right now.
• 46:56
  SPEAKER_03: Um, I'm extremely motivated post-injury.
• 46:59
  SPEAKER_03: I'm extremely motivated to get back out on that pitch and do good for the team.
• 47:02
  SPEAKER_03: Obviously, a new gaffer coming in, fresh start, kind of, you know, the fans have you know they've only showed trust in me and kind of showed that love and appreciation to me.
• 47:13
  SPEAKER_03: So I think it's only fair that I go back out on that pitch and show that back.
• 47:17
  SPEAKER_03: Um, you know, where I am now physically is at a stage where, as I as you said, and as I said to you before, was um sort of just getting into that adaptation of games, training, recovering, being able to cope with Saturday, Tuesdays, and not sort of push myself too much where I have like a setback of six weeks because I've done something else where I've compensated another another muscle.
• 47:41
  SPEAKER_03: So at the moment I'm in a pretty good stage, um building that confidence up again.
• 47:46
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and I'm sure I'll be the player, if not better, that I was last season.
• 47:49
  SPEAKER_02: So that is a perfect place to end um Matt, thank you very much for for joining us on the podcast.
• 47:55
  SPEAKER_02: And um, I hope you've all enjoyed listening to his journey.
• 47:58
  SPEAKER_02: We'll be back in a couple of weeks with episode five of Potion Filtered.
• 48:02
  SPEAKER_02: Cheers.