Firstly, who do you support?
I always say I’m a born Wolves fan- being from the Midlands and it’s my dad’s team too- but I also admit to being a (not so closet) Man United fan as well.
Wolves are the ones closest to my heart though.
Wolves, interesting, how do you rate their chances this and/ or next season?
Being a Wolves fan has been purgatory for most of my life, although there have been some highlights: Matt Murray saving a penalty in the 46th minute of the 2003 Championship playoff final; beating Man Utd. 1-0 at Molineux the following season; being relegated twice in 2 years after that, oh, wait...
So, it’s no surprise that to be a fan right now is the most exciting time pretty much in living memory and I’m just enjoying the ride.
Wolverhampton Wanderers.....past glory....future glory?
More specifically, I think the whole setup of the club has some great positivity and the right people surrounding it and I do believe they are building strong foundations for success. They’ve done fantastically well this year and I hope next year is more of the same, and, assuming some of the big boys don’t come in and poach our players, I think Wolves could be competing for a Champions League spot in the next couple of years.
Can Messi do it on a rainy Thursday in Wolverhampton?
When did you first play footy or is this all new to you?
I played a lot as a kid- my dad always wanted me to be a left winger - but when I went to secondary school, I had to pretend I was into rugby, so I stopped. Football was unmentionable, unfortunately.
I realised the error of my ways when I went to uni and started having a kickabout again after that and haven’t stopped since.
What bit of advice would you give to someone just starting out footy?
I think consistency is the most important thing to begin with. We’ve been lucky and found a good group who are up for playing pretty much every week, which has been great. It helps you gel as a team and you’d be surprised how rusty you get even if you only skip 1 or 2 weeks. I’d hate to think how bad I am right now after 3 months of drinking beer in lockdown!
Failing that, you simply must buy the most expensive boots out there. Everyone knows that’s what makes a great player, duh.
Do you play for fun, fitness, competitiveness or all 3?
Combination of the 3, but I think the social aspect of it will always be the most important for me.
It’s no fun if you’re not winning, but competition to the point where we’re all pissed off at each other is not what I’m about either. We’re not pro’s, at the end of the day.
Racism has reared its ugly head globally, what do you think football can do to, if anything?
I don’t think sport can, or indeed should, unilaterally be an ambassador for racial equality or force the change in attitudes in and of itself. But I do think it can form part of a wider societal approach to redressing the mindsets towards race within our culture.
Having said that, it’s demonstrably a beacon for good and is, clearly, an unparalleled platform from which to portray messages of positivity and togetherness.
Ultimately, more people watch football and are influenced by the lives, lifestyles, and attitudes of the players than they are by that of politicians.
Whether they like it or not, young football professionals have had this responsibility thrust upon them. The power of this is undeniable. We are fortunate, then, that there are so many footballers who have shouldered this responsibility without flinching and are becoming a driving force for change that we desperately need.
To contextualise this for myself, I often think of the example of Raheem Sterling, a lad my age, who not only deals with the stresses of being a professional footballer, but has taken it upon himself to become an outspoken advocate of racial equality. It shouldn’t be up to him, but unfortunately it is.
That is all to say that it frequently appears that footballers do more good than people who are elected officials. People who are twice their age and have actively sought out the responsibility of government. People whose actual job it is to advocate for change. Unfortunately, true change cannot come without the backing of these people, however averse to it they may be.
Okay, rant aside: overall, we, as a global society, need to holistically revise and re-educate ourselves on the role of race in our culture. Football can have an impact on that, being part of the voice of the people, but it will require input from all levels of government too, for it to truly be crystallized and enshrined for future generations.
Billy (3rd from left) with fellow se7enistas, ManBaby, Tey and Frodo @ our 2019 Xmas Work Do!
Do you agree with football returning during the Covid-19 crisis?
If you’d asked me 6 weeks ago, I would have said no.
However, I think we’ve weathered the majority of the storm by now and, as far as I understand, the science suggests that the risks are mitigated such that it should be relatively safe. I think if we follow the example of the Bundesliga, which has been very successful, things should be okay.
That being said, I would have no qualms in halting it again if the evidence suggests that reinfection rates are rising, and it is no longer safe to continue.
From a purely selfish perspective I can’t bloody wait for the football to come back though!
What’s your opinion on VAR and more technology in general being introduced to football?
VAR has not been kind to Wolves this season, so I’m minded to say we should just sack the whole thing off.
Ultimately, I think technology is going to benefit the game but there inevitably are going to be teething problems.
But I do think fans like to moan at the ref. It’s part of the game to a certain extent and is an excuse for your own team’s shortcomings.
*Chanting* “The referee’s a top bloke and we all make mistakes sometimes!”
Wait, that’s not right, is it?
Turf trainers or boots?
Don’t mind either way, as long as we can have a kickabout!
Who is your favourite footballer and why?
Paul Scholes is my favourite player of all time. I think he was a great professional on and off the pitch and his skill is in no doubt. Go on YouTube and search “Paul Scholes passing compilation” if you don’t believe me.
I think he probably wasn’t rated as highly as some of his contemporaries (Lampard and Gerrard, for example), maybe just because he was the quiet one, and he definitely retired from England duty too soon.
But his coat pockets are jangling with more winner’s medals than both of them combined, not that he’d ever show off about it, of course.
Dream 7-a-side team? Name them?
For this, I’m assuming all these players are in their prime (Strong United flavour here, tsk):
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