Transcription
You finish your career at Celtic. Was that always planned? Did you always plan your career from when you knew one move to the next?
>> No. No, not at all. Not at all. Couldn't afford to. I think at one point I held the cards and then I very much didn't. From pretty much from that moment on I didn't hold the cards.
Did you recognize that at that time or was it still a delayed like I'm still in control of where I end up or was it just like
>> No.
>> At what moment do you knew from when you left City?
>> I I knew because it's a the very much a cry me a river situation but like I'd just signed a brilliant contract. Two I was two maybe two years into a five-year contract of which very few goalkeepers would have got in the world.
>> Yeah.
>> And which is great but when I become available out of nowhere I'm 29, I play for England, I've got I'm going to cut They they have to see me as a business, right? So it's going to cost a lot of money to buy me. I've publicly been said that I ain't that guy. So to go to the teams to justify the price tag and to justify justify my wages I'd have to have gone to one of the top teams in Europe. That wasn't going to happen. It absolutely was not going to happen. So cuz to go there you have to be in demand. I'd gone from being in demand potentially to my stock was starting to dip. So I was very much stuck in a situation where I thought I'll be able to go on loan but I'm also This all kind of happened mid August. It wasn't nailed on from June. It wasn't nailed on. It wasn't conversations that could be had. It was conversations with my agents. Go in, you know, you've done it before. Go and show what you're about. Build a relation relationship. Start the season well, you never know. So I I'll be honest in my mind I was saying you need to start having conversations. Something's not right. But to become available mid August and be that kind of expenditure that a club would have to make when goalkeeper decisions, defensive decisions are made quite early.
>> Yeah.
>> No one's got a spare whatever they wanted to form me or a spare wage to to to take over. So, I thought maybe I'd be able to get some loans. I I made myself available to go anywhere. I I was willing to go any top league, not a problem. That's why how I ended up in Italy. Um and yeah, and then very quickly I realized that it wasn't that simple. It wasn't quite as simple as me being a good goalie and being available.
>> Yeah.
>> There's got to be spots for you. There's got to be things that are available. And then uh yeah, that was a very very quickly I realized I didn't hold the cards. So, I kind of had to wheel and deal and find my way. How I ended up at Torino, I will never speak I can't speak highly enough of them as people and as a football club. It was an amazing 8 months for me personally growth, seeing the world. How on earth I've ended up there, financially how it all worked out, I
>> [laughter]
>> So, was it all right? Yeah.
>> I I scored a goal. But yeah, to answer your Joel, that was when I realized right okay, it's not quite the landscape that
>> Okay. So, it was quick then. It was quick.
>> Oh, it was a slap in the face.
>> But yeah, but we move. Yeah, yeah.
>> So, and then like I say, there was no nothing's promised to me. I never I never have been entitled and never will be. So, I was willing to do whatever it took, but it's not great being a a loanee at 30 30-plus. Um that's when you want to be established. You want to be sitting on a contract and you can build into a team. And I just that just never quite happened afterwards. Some somewhat some my fault. Did I perform to my levels? It was only when I got back to Celtic and I played consistently as an important player that I realized I was only a top keeper when I was the keeper in the team that everyone trusted and everyone believed in. Cuz I didn't necessarily have the sparkling stuff anymore, but I had that solid thing. And hopefully
>> What's he like up there, Joel?
>> Amazing.
>> Like like explain cuz it's like it's not just football is it? It's like it's mad.
>> No. And uh And I loved it for that and and it was it was asked whether I was ready and I never I didn't really give an answer because I didn't know. I thought there was no point in me answering. There's no point in me having a preconception of this because I don't know about you, Joel. Anyone I spoke to about Celtic particularly or you know, there's obviously two clubs in that city but I can't talk for them. I don't say I respect Joel.
>> Yeah.
>> And and not you're all saying exactly the same thing. I don't say I don't That's not my business. I'm not going to get involved in that business. I learned that very quick in Glasgow. That it's a great place to be. Don't step out line. Don't step out line. If you If you don't step out line, which I didn't beautiful place to be. People let you know where their allegiances are. Um and obviously you you have to kind of sift your way through the language and not take offense to it cuz it's not often meant in offense. But um Yeah, I getting back to it like uh anyone who I've asked or spoke to about the situation, they said it's hard to I can't explain it. So I thought if you can't explain it, I've just got to go and experience it. And it was everything that I needed, everything I wanted from the latter end of my career um to make me be able to do 3 years later that you just calmly take my gloves off. Get myself off. It was it was everything for me. I loved it as a club. I loved it as the intensity, the pressure the expectation, the drama. Nothing was simple and that's exactly how I like it.
>> By the way, the weather So you know, the weather's a problem.
>> mind all that, mate.
>> Yeah, the cold I can't deal with the cold, mate. That's that's not for me.
>> So so it's not the weather. Manchester has bad weather.
>> Yeah, it is but they're up there.
>> [laughter]
>> North for the war. Yeah, you were north for the war.
>> Yeah, man.