Forest Green Rovers striker Troy Deeney has slammed his fellow professionals whilst also outlining his future plans, courtesy of an interview with The Telegraph.
The veteran is one of football’s marmite players. Should he be on your team he is a great asset, but on the opposition side, he is the target of abuse. This though only proves that he is a player and a person of great spirit and determination.
Deeney may not have hit the true heights of a player’s intended career when first starting, then again few do, but when he does finally hang up his boots he will look back at more highs than lows. A long career, and now approaching his 20th season, most will remember his time at Watford where he amassed 389 games and bagged 131 goals.
The Birmingham-born striker, now 35, is not ready to stop playing yet though. He has recently signed for League Two outfit Forest Green Rovers, a role as player-coach which is likely to see him switch to the latter sooner rather than later. He has addressed both of these topics, in his unique style whilst talking to The Telegraph.
“I spent some time in Dubai in the summer and I saw a few lads, I won’t name names, who can’t get a club, who have been out for two years because, in my opinion, of their ignorance. They are used to a certain amount of money, used to playing at a certain level. Everyone thinks they have to quit. They have been offered to the club and thought, ‘I am too good for that’, But it’s ignorance. Ignorance. We are just so up our own ***** now, footballers.”
Ambition
Of course, this is a sweeping generalisation, and given Deeney is now in a position where he can still play on to a decent level, it does show that you do have to make some self-sacrifice to do so. The body is not as it used to be and the acceptance of that is not easy for some. Those who wish to carry on playing need to be in good shape physically and mentally. There is no harm in holding out for a better option, but at the same time, a footballer should be using his skill set as long as possible.
“People think we are entitled. We are not entitled. I think we have just got so comfortable with the luxuries that are the Prem (Premier League) and now the Championship that it’s like. ‘Oh, I am not going to League Two’. Well. Think about when you started. It was your dream You would have done anything to say football was your job.”
Troy Deeney is looking to the future as well. His lofty ambitions have never been put on ice, and as his drop into the lower leagues shows, he still has a huge passion for the game. The next steps seem obvious to him.
“I want to be a manager and go as high as I can. The ultimate is to be an international manager – whether that is England or Brazil. Whether you can get there is a different thing.”
Writers View
Troy Deeney for now though, League Two is his trade, and he will give it his all. Forest Green Rovers may not be the glamourous job that he yearns for, but you wouldn’t put it past him to ruffle a few more feathers before he calls quits on his playing days and becomes embroiled in the business of club management. Love him or loathe him, he has made an indelible mark already and, with his attitude, who knows where it will lead.
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