Our latest guest on the podcast is Mr Terry Phelan.
Terry is an ex-premier league footballer who also represented the Republic of Ireland, internationally. Terry played a key role in Ireland's 1994 FIFA World Cup run as well as playing a key part in Wimbledon’s 1988 FA Cup triumph with the infamous "Crazy Gang”. He has also coached and mentored teams in various parts of the world, drawing from his experiences as a professional in the UK, the United States and New Zealand.In the first part of this podcast, Terry gives us an insight into his career as well as highlighting the importance of fitness.
1:28 - Beginning of the conversation
4:26 - "I had 2 friends - a ball and a wall, and they never went missing”
05:32 - You think to yourself - if you have a natural ability, what can you do with it?”
Multi-sport dev as a kid - gave him a broader vision and the FUNdamentals.
Never wasted natural talent in any of the sports
8:14 -“I was the only one in Salford wearing a City shirt, so I had to be fast and agile”
10:38 - “ If I have the natural gift and the fitness - let’s use it!”
11:55 - “The reason I took Martial arts was to keep me supple"
12:28 - It’s the enjoyment and fun while having an array of different sports and even competing at them.
13:52 - "We didn’t have a lot, but we had sports, and sports was the biggest thing.”
14:28 - "I always had something to fall back on - if not for football, I would have probably done athletics!”
15:58 - "I loved running, I would run everywhere - a lot like Forrest Gump!”
16:43 - At 13 years old - "When I have my trial match and I go down to Elland Road, I need to be better than anyone else and how am I going to do that? "
17:47 - "I never let my fitness drop - I learned by myself by doing what was good for me."
21:32 - "Going into the season, I was as fresh as a daisy!”
21:57 - "Something special was given to me and I wasn’t going to let myself down - that’s the number one!”
23:05 - "I started asking the physios - what can I do better; how can I do better?”
24:20 - "I used to go outside and do my own shadow play - no one asked me to do it, I just did it myself”
29:58 - If you’re given something, don’t misuse it - use it to the best of your abilities - learn and learn more.”
32:40 - "I’ve got to bring in whatever I’ve learnt and give it to other coaches.”
31:16 - "My goal - Can I help other people and get them better?"
33:46 - Athletes nowadays have all the resources, but misuse it because they don’t use their own self-respect and commitment. You have got to be accountable for it as a person, especially as an athlete.
35:00 - "I am an athlete, leave me; if I want to run all day long, let me run all day long!"
35:58 - "As I got older, I started looking at different aspects of everything and taking it to different parts of the world."
39:35 - "The only club I went to where I learnt the art of fitness, was at Fulham.”
41:10 - Story of the Sport Science set up at Fulham and how they ended up winning the Championship (2001)
43:15 - "What I learnt at Fulham, I brought it around the world.”
43:34 - The importance of courage!