with Willo Flood

STREETS AHEAD

We might play in red, but the Aberdeen dressing room has become something of an emerald enclave this season as an influx of Irishmen have played a big part in what has already been a memorable season for the Dons.

At the heart of that resurgence has been Willo Flood, Aberdeen’s perpetual motion man, fired on by a very special kind of fuel?

“There’s no great secret to why I can run all day – if you are as grumpy as I am, you just want to go out and run it off! My missus will tell you that I am a bit grumpy. I don’t know what it is. Even when I was a kid I have always wanted to play football 24/7. I would be out playing on the streets all day, every day. When you become a professional player obviously pre-season training helps you with your fitness but to me, it comes naturally, it’s something I have had from a young age”.

His athleticism and his ability were spotted early on, back home in Dublin. Famed local side Cherry Orchard quickly put him on the path to success.

“I played for a different team when I was six and then when I was seven, the Cherry Orchard manager approached me and I joined them. I was lucky as they are a great club. They have produced a lot of players over the years including Jonny Hayes and Adam Rooney, so they have done well for Aberdeen! In my team, there were seven or eight of us who came across to this country but only myself and Mark Yates who is at Bradford are still here – Mark is still a good mate. A few other friends are now playing back home in the League of Ireland.

“Dublin produces so many players – I think it is because of street football. A lot of people say that you need to get so many coaching hours into children, but we never got that when we were kids. We just played street football all the time. When you go to the streets of Dublin you used to see lots of kids playing football. I don’t think it is something you see in today’s society. That is why the coaches have to get the hours into the youth players because of the amount of time that is spent in front of computers.

“There is maybe not as much football played as when I was growing up but games are still played. When I was growing up, our estate would play against other estates. There was always that competitive edge. That is why I maybe get still get aggressive on the pitch! There were no referees as well. We refereed the games ourselves, so inevitably a few punches would fly!

“Growing up in Dublin was great, I really enjoyed it. I had a good family. My mum and dad were very supportive. My dad was into fishing and my mum would do a lot around the house. Good times. I was not fond of school but I went and just kept my head down. Dublin made me what I am today”.

So many good players have come out of Ireland over the years that the scouts are always hovering over youth football there. Unsurprisingly, the offers started to roll in for young Willo.

“I had a few offers, I was actually a decent player back then! I had an offer from Arsenal, Manchester United, Celtic, Liverpool, a good few. I don’t know where the Aberdeen scout was! The reason I signed for Manchester City was because they were in the Championship, they were a big club, but I thought I would have a chance of playing there. I also got on well with the people around the club and the youth team coaches – Angus Gibson, Frankie Bone and Paul Power. I thought the three of them would be good for my development and they were. The only unfortunate thing for me was that when I went over there, they got promoted to the Premiership! At that time they started pumping a little bit if cash in, nothing like today’s money though. I was still able to make my debut under Kevin Keegan and I am very thankful to him. Without him, I would probably not be in the game today.

“He was very positive in his approach. Kevin never really spoke much about the opposition. He was very good to me. He gave me that confidence in myself. He would just tell me to go out and express myself. I think he used to like it when I kicked a few of the older boys in training, because he was not the biggest himself and he knew where I was coming from. Obviously I was nowhere as near as good as him, but he liked my tenacity.

“I also had a lot of time for him because I remember the first team used to play at 3pm on a Saturday and we used to play youth games at 11am. Every Saturday morning he would come and watch the u17s play and then the u19s. He was at every game as well as every reserve game, so it was not a case of him only being concerned with the first team. He would know all the youth players and for example he took me up to train with the first team when I was only 16 to give me a taste of it.

“A lot of people used to say about his coaching that he did not do this or he did not do that but I thought he did not have to because he knew every single person at the club and knew which players were coming through and which ones were not going to make it.

“I really enjoyed working under him but then Kevin left and Stuart Pearce came in and he did not fancy me so I moved on. I don’t really know what Kevin is doing these days, he is sometimes on TV. He is probably just sitting counting his cash!

“I moved to Cardiff, and that was a bit odd. Dave Jones signed me late on, just before the season started so I was not expecting to play. I never really think he gave me a fair crack if I am being honest. So I left there. Later on, I went back to England and I really enjoyed Middlesboro. I played the first eight games and everything was going really well, I was happy with my form but then I got a serious injury. I got myself sorted and came back for the first game of the next season and got injured again eleven minutes in. I was then out until February or March. Then Gordon Strachan left and Tony Mowbray came in.

“The hardest thing about the injuries was the mental side. It was draining. It was the hardest thing ever. Going in every day, double sessions, hardly having a day off, going into the gym yourself on many days. It was even harder when I recovered from one injury and got another one straight away.

“Thankfully for me, we had good medical staff at Middleboro. They managed to get me back again. The said it would take a full year for me to get back to my best and they were absolutely right.

That first season when I went back to Dundee United did not go that well but thankfully since then everything has gone very well and touch wood, I have had no injury problems.

“I think in the last two years, I’ve played the best football of my career, definitely. I just think when you get into the 28-31 year old age bracket you start reaching your peak. You start having a bit more about you in the changing room, you have more a say in things, managers trust you more – that gives you the confidence to go out and just express yourself”.

Willo certainly isn’t backwards in coming forwards in the dressing room, many of the players saying that he’s the funniest man at the club. Any explanation for that?

“I just think the lads like it when I go a bit nuts and start getting aggressive, they just laugh! I like the way I react when I don’t get things my own way. It is just the way I am. I do have a bit of banter about me, well more than Mark Reynolds anyway.

“There are some good lads in the dressing room. Nicky Weaver with his one liners, Barry Robson loves a moan, but the squad is full of a different types and that is what makes a good changing room. The manager is big on the team spirit. We have our away days. When the manager signs a player it is not just for his football ability. He makes sure they have the correct attitude and are good in the changing room. He has done well to create a changing room with a good blend in it this season.

“After defeats like the semi-final you need a strong dressing room. There is no point in us all being individuals, we have to come together as a team which will make us stronger and bigger. We have won a lot of games this season 1-0. A lot of those wins have come from the good team spirit we have and the willingness to fight for each other”.

He mentioned it first, so let’s delve deeper into that Sunday at Ibrox a fortnight ago. Why couldn’t we repeat the success of the League Cup semi-final?

“St Johnstone were up for it and pressed us high up the pitch. It was one of those games when after we got the first goal, the next goal was vital. If we had scored the second one we would have gone on and won two or three nil. For me personally, I felt more comfortable at half-time at Ibrox than I did in the League Cup game at Tynecastle. We did not play particularly well that day, but came in 2-0 up. There were a few barnys at half-time and I remember thinking how on earth are we two goals ahead? But goals change games and that is exactly what happened in the Scottish Cup. We failed to get the second goal despite having chances.

“People say football is great with a lot of highs but you always remember the lows too, and that semi-final defeat to St Johnstone will stay with me for a long time. It was very disappointing because we felt we could do the cup double. You don’t go to Celtic Park and beat Celtic unless you good enough. We are the only team to beat Celtic this season so we obviously have something about us. We did think that we might have that special season but unfortunately it was not to be. We still need to make sure though that it is a good season by finishing second.

“It has been a good season so far, but I would use the words ‘so far’. We have to make sure it ends up being a good season. We need to make sure we keep working hard and finish the league fixtures strongly. If we can finish second in the league then we can look back and say it has been a good season. Hopefully then the manager will make a few good additions in the summer and we will be ready to go again in July.

“With this manager here, along with Tony Docherty, there are a lot of good things to look forward to at the club. I know what they are like personally and they will be striving to be even better next season and I know what I am like. I will be kicking everyone in front to me to make sure we are better next season”.

This will always be a season to remember for Willo though given that he won his first medal in senior football on that blessed day at Celtic Park.

“I remember speaking to the press before the League Cup Final and making the point that some players go through their whole careers without winning something, some very good players. There are better players than Willo Flood who have played in Scotland and not won anything. Obviously there are worse players than Willo Flood who have won something as well! It is something that is nice to look back upon when your career is over, fond memories”.

There might be another award for Willo yet as the Aberdeen awards approach, including a gong for the goal of the season. What are the chances?

“I think it has a chance but I am sure Jonny Hayes will have something to say about that for his goal against Celtic. I’m sure it will be up there in the top three – actually my header at the start of the season was not bad a well!

“I am always telling Barry Robson that although I don’t score as many goals as him but when I do mine are a bit special. The goals I have scored for clubs have not been that bad. I scored one from 30 yards for Middlesbrough, although to be fair that was a shank! I scored a decent one though against Hearts when I was at Dundee United, I also won the SPL Goal of the Season for an effort against St Mirren. At Manchester City I even put a volley past Rob Green. So I don’t score many but when I do, they are good goals. Maybe the fans should shout shoot more often!”

So, now you know what to do if it’s 0-0 and Willo gets the ball 25 yards out?

Pfa Scotland Goal Of The Year | Jonny Hayes