ROY OF THE ROVER

Mag! Exclusive to MOTD

“Now, a word, young Mr Race.”

Roy felt Yunis pull him gently away from the others. “Roy?” “Yes, Coach.” “You worked hard today.” “Thanks, Coach.” Roy was waiting for a but.

“But,” Yunis went on, “to be brutally honest, you looked a bit out of your depth.” Roy nodded. He knew it. “You need to work on your strength,” Yunis said. “You need to toughen up and wise up. The game is different at this level. Do you agree?” “I do.” “If the opposition push you,” Yunis went on, “you have to push back – hard. If you don’t, they’ll just ease you out of the way when you get near the penalty area. Like that defender did for that corner near the end of the second half. Are you with me, Roy?” “Yes, Coach.”

“So when they come at you, go at them, put your shoulder in. Hard. If you can use your momentum to counter their momentum, you can stay on your feet and do what you want to do with the ball. Don’t let them bully you. You have to be physical now you’re playing against bigger lads. Otherwise your

talent counts for nothing. Watch how other players do it. Learn. Be clever.” “Yes, Coach.” “I know what you’ve got, Roy, because I’ve watched you playing for years and you are – without question – the most talented young footballer I have ever seen. But I always knew that moving up to this level would be your greatest challenge. You were an extraordinary player when you were a kid, but you’re not playing against kids any more. Understand?” “Yes, Coach.” “And one more thing,” Yunis added. “You need to be more vocal. Call for the ball and shout at your team-mates to demand the ball from them, even off Vinny. Okay?” “Yes, Coach.” “I mean it, Roy, you have to demand it, claim it, insist they give the ball to you. Or they just won’t.”

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