McGeehan and the black dog on ALL our shoulders

Having reflected on yesterday's performance again and my own views on McGeehan's performance, I started to think, a young lad - only 23 - playing out of position in a very highly competitive and very public arena and I started to feel a bit ashamed at my own judgemental behaviour and expectations on the lad. It made me wonder; I work in IT and I know for a fact that when I'm configuring a simple sftp connection or configuring a complex database that there is a big difference between me doing it on my own or sharing a screen and doing it on a conference call in front of my business clients or peer workers. The pressure even over something like that is tangible, and yet we expect these young lads to take it in their stride and be free of self doubt.
Now, I don't know about anyone else, but I have never had a week at work when I've not thought -"well, today is the day they finally realise Im useless and overpaid and a waste of space and they can just sack me because it will just do everyone a favour" or something to that effect.
I then switched on tonight a documentary on cricket called "mind games" which talked about this very same self-doubt in the worlds top cricketers have; anyone who has followed cricket a bit in the last 10-15 years will know who Glenn McGrath is, he took over 550 wickers for Australia in a career lasting nearly 15 years and he admits on the program that 75% of the mental battle is not with the guy at the other end but with yourself and the voice in your head telling you your not good enough and if you win that battle then the other battle with the guy your trying to get out is the easy part.
As Hussain observes, some people are born with a natural toughness - like Darren Gough or Ian Botham and they can cope better but for others you have to teach yourself. I know from my experience that in my late teens and early twenties I paid far too much attention to the voice telling me I was useless and it has taken me a long time and a lot of conscious effort to ignore it or to at least listen and rationalise it. Even Steve Waugh, probably the best Australian batsman in the last 20 years admitted he wondered 'what I am doing here, I'm not good enough'. I think Alec Stewart had an interesting observation, that when you get to the elite level of sport then the differences in ability are really small, but the big difference between the best and the also-rans is the mental side.
So, in conclusion to my rambling and reflecting on the lessons from cricket we can take in life and in football, I think we need to remember the black dog we all carry and hopefully can understand that no one in a red shirt is intentionally playing badly or not trying, they are displaying their human frailties in a most public of arena's and we should remember our own doubts and fears when we judge them.

 

Bloody good post wakey.

 

It’s the selectors who have the responsibility if the tool doesn’t do the job it’s selected for

 

Cracking post Wakey, but considering the numbers on the terraces, all of whom may be carting their black dog around and using the match to offload some of it, I wonder what the implications are for the player-supporter relationship?

 

A very good post. I don’t know if that is true or not in McGeehans case, but I hope if it is he can find his way back. He’s clearly a level headed lad. Worked his way back up the leagues from (I may be wrong) being released by Chelsea where he was offered a contract extension but chose to play football as he needed games to develop.

I don’t think any of us have seen the player we signed from Luton yet (pre injury). He was a free scoring attack minded midfielder. I think this management team, and a supportive club like ours, is as good an environment as any to get back on track.

Alex Mowatt is showing that a player can take time to settle, particularly young lads. I really hope the same follows with McGeehan.

Edit: this article is a good read on McGeehan.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/35833792

 

Unreal post.

 

I couldn't agree with you more, if anyone wants to hear about stuff like this in football, Big Jon Parkin's podcast with Mick Rathbone the other week was brilliant talking about how he dealt with playing football, the pressure and the mental battles he had getting into football.

 

Fabulous post. I'll add a little to it too. Many young players up sticks away from family, friends and their support networks. In the case of Cameron, he's been coming back from a serious injury. I can fully relate to that and this post reminds me of my mood as a young lad having moved offices from Leeds to London and in 2 weeks losing my gf of the time and rupturing my knee. There are times when people unvoluntarily get taken to dark places.

Maybe we should think about that before venting at young kids who are trying. They may not succeed, but neither do we. By all means highlight flaws and areas for improvement. But as Barnsley fans, even when we're doing well, the slightest scent of blood in the water... of our own players, club and set up... and jesus we have a Jekyll nature to be visceral and nasty.

 

Thank you for this, I remember being sent to work in Brighton at 24, being one page ahead of the client type thing and not having a clue what was going on, crying on the phone to my mum and feeling very vulnerable, we pack those memories away and don't realise the stresses we suffer under such pressures.

 

Outstanding post with resonance throughout any career your in. In the building trade for example, as soon as health and safety turn up everyone downs tools and goes for a break. You’re confident you’re good at your job and you’re doing everything correctly but there’s always that doubt. Multiply that health and safety man by 11 and a half thousand, your entire management team, your directors, your friends, parents, grandparents, siblings, the wife and kids who depend on your wage and t.v cameras and it starts to create that ******* black dog that can haunt you.
In my opinion there are a lot of bfc fans that have bought into the way the club is trying to do things and the patience that’s required to proudly develop your own identity by nurturing and not throwing money you haven’t got at the job, not going into overdrive about a missed chance, a bad performance or even a bad spell. After all if we’re being honest, using some of the crank logic you hear in the ground by the professional bleaters, hourihane would have never kicked a ball again for the club after his initial burst onto the scene.

 

Might seem like a daft question, but what is the significance of a black dog on my shoulder?

 

https://jppreston.com/2013/09/21/the-history-of-the-black-dog-as-metaphor/

 

In all honesty I'd get shut of McGeehan and Isgrove in Jan.

Neither offer anything at all.

 

Thanks, I had never heard that phrase before.

 

Brilliant post Wakey. Extremely thought provoking. There must be times where we "all" have
felt inadequate and out of our depth and what we need is an arm round the shoulder and a few
words of encouragement, because no matter how we might judge ourselves, it's comforting to know
that someone in " authority" has probably assigned us to that role because they have confidence in our ability.
Having watched the game for many years, I am convinced that any booing, catcalling and abuse can unsettle a player.
Imagine if you were having doubts around your own self belief and ability, when a half dozen or so colleagues started dancing
round your desk at work shouting things like " you don't know what your'e doing" or worse still " you're sh*t and
you know you are". ? Undoubtedly, what little confidence you had left would quickly evaporate.
McGeehan can play, there's no doubt in my mind about that. Time will tell if he can improve to the levels he showed prior to him breaking his leg. I for one hope that the lad can.

 

Brilliant, thoughtful post. As good as I've read on here. Ever,

 

Try joining the army when your 17 and then doing your first 6 month tour in Ireland when your 19 or todays youngsters fighting in Afghanistan.Trust me that wakes your senses up and it’s not a game.

 

Ridiculous post that basically says, "I've been in the the forces, everyone else has had it easy compared to me".

Not taking anything away from ex forces, but just because someone has possibly had a rough ride in the forces as a young adult doesn't mean nobody else has a rough ride either- mental health doesn't work like that. It's not always situational and doesn't give you the moral high ground just because you chose to join the army.

You have no idea what goes on behind closed doors.

It's comments like yours that prevent people from seeking help because they feel guilty for feeling down or anxious- "just man up" etc etc...

 

Can't see that happening we paid 950k for mcgheen no one would give us anywhere near that now and they is still time for him to come good. Isgrove is a diffrent story still got 2 years left in his contract he seems to be permanently injured so im starting to think whats the point. When he was in the promotion squad he scored 1 goal all season v millwall yet thiam gets pelters because he has only scored 2 in 7 from the same position.
Hedges has got potential to really tear this league up I think he would be a definate starter if he was fit but again he is another one who is always injured. You can have all the talent but if your going to play 7 games a season and take a few grand a week wages is it really worth it?

 

While I agree that constantly being on a players back while he's playing doesn't do any good I don't think that should mean we shouldn't be allowed to make pretty accurate comments after the event.

Mcgeehan as far as Im aware wasn't booed at the game, he didn't get loads of abuse or anything like that. What he has got is people commenting after the fact that his performances haven't been good enough which frankly they haven't.

Also this 'only 23' thing has bugged me for quite a while. 23 isn't exactly a child, in years gone by a 23 year old would have years of football behind them. In fact Mcgeehan does have years behind him, he made his debut as an adult in January 14.