Legacy: The Autobiography of Tim Cahill. Tim Cahill

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ footballer was a job—no different from being a bricklayer, teacher or doctor. I had to treat my training as serious work. I’d get my football, head out to the local park—about a five-minute jog—lace up my boots, juggle the ball, do some laps, then some sprints. I’d pretty much follow the set routine I’d followed since my assessment by the Institute of Sport.

      I felt like Dartford was in the middle of nowhere. While everyone my age was off at school, there I was alone in that little park running wind sprints and juggling the ball and taking practice free kicks.

      Truth be told, it was miserable. Coming from Sydney’s hot climate, my first weeks in England seemed so bloody cold. Many days the skies were completely grey or filled with a cold, lashing rain. It made me realize how lucky I’d been growing up in a city like Sydney, with its green landscape and beaches.

      It was more than cold—the atmosphere of that season and the park itself felt almost eerie. The park was immense—it had eight training pitches—but none of them were in use in the middle of a work and school day. I was completely alone out there, and sometimes I’d get this otherworldly feeling, picturing what I must have looked like to a plane passing overhead: a solitary figure practising football, lost in a sea of green.

      Day after day, that was my routine. Even to the housewives and postmen in the neighbourhood, I must have seemed mad.

      I can tell you, if it had gone on much longer, I would have been.

      I realized how important it was for me to have more in my life than solitary training. I needed to be part of a community. I was doing what I had to do, yes, but it was vital for me to have the Stanley kids, as well as Glenn and Lindsey and my new mates on Glenn’s adult touch-rugby team.

      After six weeks, football pre-season started in earnest, and at last I got a phone call from Allen Batsford.

      “Lad, it’s time,” Allen said. “You ready? Can’t promise you anything but let’s have a look at you.”

      Allen made a phone call to Bob Pearson, the head scout of Millwall at that time. Because I was so nervous that day, I wore the socks and shorts of two different clubs, and my favourite Manchester United jersey—such a crazy look. I was a ball of energy.

      I got picked up to meet Allen and Bob for the first time face to face.

      “Son, nice to finally meet you, what’ve you been up to?” Bob asked.

      I described my daily regimen of training solo, jogging down to the park, even some of the more advanced exercises I’d learned back home at the Institute of Sport in Sydney. And keeping up my cardio fitness with the touch-rugby league.

      That was all well and good, but they both wanted to know about my footballing. When was the last time I’d played in a match?

      “I suppose it’s been … well, nearly three months ago.”

      “You think you’re fit for trial?” Bob asked, looking a bit concerned.

      “I’m fit,” I said. “I can run all day. I’ve been training hard. No doubt in my mind I’m match-fit.”

      “Alright then. We’re going to take you to the training facilities in Bromley, throw you in with a few of the new boys. Some of the older boys as well. You’ll have a run around. We’ll see where you’re at.”

      It seemed all very matter-of-fact to them, but for me this was one of the biggest mornings of my life. I knew my future—at least whatever career I might have as a professional footballer—was dependent on what I did in the next sixty or ninety minutes. What they’d casually called a run around …

      Millwall’s home is the famous South London stadium known as the Den. But the Millwall first team, reserves, youth team and academy all trained at a facility six-and-a-half miles further south, in Bromley, right near Beckenham Place Park.

      As we drove up that first time, I saw it was a beautiful area: there was a glade up the road, a nice shopping centre, and little well-kept family homes across the street on Calmont Road. The training ground itself had four or five pitches in use and clubhouses, with one whole side fenced in by the car park, the other side open to the forest behind us.

      I’m not going to sugar-coat it. The first morning of my trial was bloody scary.

      Here I was—an unknown face, some teenager from Australia. Why on earth were these English kids going to give me a chance, trying to take one of their spots?

      I knew that on the park I could play to the best of my ability, but if the other lads wanted to make me look bad, it was easy enough to do. Just don’t pass me the ball properly or send in a high cross for a header that no one could reach. Trust me, skilled players can make any

      Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

      Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

      Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

      Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.

iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAwYAAAShCAIAAAAGGhtbAAAACXBIWXMAAC4jAAAuIwF4pT92AAAH aWlDQ1BQaG90b3Nob3AgSUNDIHByb2ZpbGUAAHjalZVZVJMHHsX/35KVkEAIEJDlg7AbSEBkFQqE VfZVwJUkHxAJJCZhq2LpqIjiAlYsVRAVpI4riFAcl0pFK+JYgQq44AZapVgVR9SplnngzLEvnXPm Pv3OPee/PN0LQOcFh4aEoUEA+QU6TVJECJGekUnQhgEDFJhAA+csmVYNfy0EYHoIEACAQVdplERS n+958Fhz2DQvv641kcXNh/8thkyt0QFQewCgV05qZQC0agBYV6xT6wDgJQDwNClJEgAEB6Csz/kT S//EmvSMTABqJQDwcma5HgB40lluBQBeekYmMXv208+yQk3RrIeeBQAmGIM1uIAnBEIUJMNSyAUN lMFGqIF6aIFWOAOX4AbchnF4Ae8RDGEjfESAuCLeSAgSgyxCspA8pAgpRzYjtUgjchg5hZxHepFB ZBR5ikwhH1EaaohaoA6oGPVHw9AENBMlUTW6Gq1Aa9B69BDajn6P9qHD6Bj6Av2A0TFjzBYTYQuw KCwNk2Ma7AtsK7YHO4x1YZexm9g49hpHcUPcBhfjQXgCvgJX4+V4Db4fP4lfxH/GH+NvKXSKOUVI CaQkUGSUQkolZQ/lOKWbcpPylPKBakC1o/pQY6lZ1CJqFXUftYPaR31AnaaxaAKaLy2elk0ro+2k HaVdpN2hvabr0QV0f3oKPZ9eQW+kd9EH6JMMKoNg+DFSGSrGZsZBRjfjLuMdk8cUM2OZCmYFs4l5 gXmP+buemZ63XqqeTm+HXpveDb2XLA5LxIpnqVjbWa2sftaUvpH+fP00/RL93frn9O+zUbY9O4qt ZFezT7FH2B85NpxwTh6nhtPJuWuAGjgZxBsUGTQY9BhMGhoZ+hvKDbcYdhje49K47txM7nruce4t I9xIZJRptMGozWiUx+B58WS8at453oQx3zjcWGfcZDxggpiITVaYVJtcMHlpamOaZLrOtMP0Cd+M H80v47fyx8xMzRaarTVrN/vF3MI80bzC/Kz51BynOcvn1M65ZoFb+FtoLY5YjFtaWqZZbrfstcKs AqyKrU5aPbd2tpZb77MeJcyINOIrot+GYxNrU2Vz1ZZhG2lbaXtFQBdECTYJ+uxYdnF21XYD9sb2 6fZ77O87CBxyHI46vHL0clzj+IMT3SnOqdbprrOds9L5lPMHlzCXbS4jc23nKud2ChFhjLBOOOYq dl3j2utm4iZza3ObEcWJGkSTYn9xlfiuu9C9zP26B+Gh8eiZZzpv5bxznoaepOfp+ez5svldXmwv udcZb663wvuCD99nlU+vr63vGt8hP7HfZr/H/kH+9f7vFqQsaAtgB+QF9AY6BlYEPv4s9LPmIDxI HnQp2CG4MngiJCbkhIQrKZTcCg0IPRBGC8sPGwj3CW+MoEbkR9yMDIhsieJElUQ9WhizsDPaJnpL 9LsYeUx/bEDskTh+XEXcm3h5/GCCJKE9UZC4M4maVJw0kbwk+aeUkJTOVJfUxjRe2ua0mUVFiybT 5el3MpIz+jJDM88v9l7ctkS45Nultkv3LjNf9vVy3vKaFZwV27JYWVuketIqGUu2Vc6WV5Ncsjab n12fQ+Q05zrnnlB4Ks6sDF55JS8hb0SZpXyWr83/WLBRxVU1qJ3VHauCV13XLNFMaEt0NN2uQofC zqKIopFiRfGHkm2lNqUdn0d+Prpas4a2pqFsXtnVtVlr339RU+5SfvHLJV9O/61mnXDdj+tlG2BD Q4VfxcjG4krjyo5NqZvebN5V5V11a8vqrVZbu7eR2xnbj1cnV7+vadwRvuP5V7U7A3Y+qd2+y3fX 2Ndb63zrxr+p2R2we2JPXX14/ZuG5r0pjXhjx76c/fz9fQfKmtybHjd/czCuBWs5/a36kOOhe3/f dTj+CP1I99HVx7yOvTp+7ISi1aF1rG3/y СКАЧАТЬ