As a footballer I’ve sat in a fair few dressing rooms and seen some crazy stuff that players get up to when they’re not on the pitch.

I remember being at Arsenal as a young boy, there was so many guys who would bring the changing room alive with their humour and spontaneous practical jokes. The first person who springs to mind was Ian Wright. I still laugh when I remember watching him drive off with the team coach at the London Colney training ground.

Being at Spurs was no different, the banter was hilarious. Robbie Keane and Jamie Redknapp were also great people to be around. They would love to wind each other up by secretly sending prank texts from the other one’s phone. Robbie would text Louise Redknapp pretending to be Jamie and then Jamie would get revenge by texting the Ireland manager from Robbie’s phone.

Of course there’s also all the usual stuff you have to put up with like someone cutting up your brand new Armani suit and putting shit in your shoes. But sometimes the wind-ups aren’t always so obvious.

When I was at Barnsley, Andy Johnson had a phobia of cotton wool so we put loads in his jeans. When he came back after training he put his hands in his pockets and started freaking out and having a bit of a seizure. He got so mad that he threatened to bring in a dead rat because he lived in a farm house and had some big ones kicking about.

I remember one player at Spurs who had slept with this girl who was in the public eye and she wasn’t the best looking. When the boys, especially Robbie Keane, found out about it they never stopped hammering him about it. They even got her number from his phone and started calling her up.

Players are like hunters who can smell their prey – if they sense weakness they’ll kill you.

You do get some guys who are goody two shoes – a bit more sensible than the rest. They get ripped to pieces every day with banter and if they’re not strong they end up wanting to leave the club. Sometimes it gets too much because players don’t stop. Players are like hunters who can smell their prey – if they sense weakness they’ll kill you.

For the most part it’s pretty funny but sometimes it can be too much for a player. When I was at Arsenal there was a young Italian kid called Niccolo Galli who was an amazing player and an amazing person but some English guys would get on his back so much he used to go home crying. They would say what are you doing here – you shouldn’t be in England. It got too much for him because he was only 16 and a foreigner living in another land. Sometimes I have to deal with that here inMoldova. If you’re weak they’ll get under your skin you and make you wish you could go home.

At Spurs there was one player who used to get hammered because the others didn’t rate him. They’d banter about his bad touch and that he was ‘stealing a living’. They’d make out they were only joking but you know never a truer word said in jest. It got really bad one Christmas party and I don’t know if it affected him but he left Spurs pretty soon after.

I saw one manager actually holding a player up by the scruff of his shirt – the kid was in tears.

I’ve met some players that are so crazy you do wonder where they’d be if they weren’t playing football. There was this one guy who kept me laughing the whole time. Once we went on tour and out of nowhere he ran across the hotel lobby and did a two footed tackle on a plant pot in and smashed it to pieces. He was only wearing his flip flops!

Then there was this other bloke was at Tottenham who was ruthless. We were on tour one time and he needed to go to the toilet but his roommate was in there so instead he shat on the floor . Then he put a £50 note on it and left the room. I used to ask him what he was going to do at the weekend and he’d always say something like: “Get drunk, get into a scrap and end up in a cell. Bob’s your uncle, I’ll be back in Monday morning.” He knew he was going to get arrested before he was even drunk!

I’ve seen players fight each other in the dressing room. I remember after one game a really big name star was talking to younger player who called him a ‘fucking cunt’. The star just smacked the kid and busted his nose up for being too mouthy. In terms of physical size they were as big as each other but the big name player is a star and in his mind that made him King Kong.

It’s not just the players who get wound up in the dressing room. Some managers get really heated too. I saw one manager actually holding a player up by the scruff of his shirt – the kid was in tears. One time, I saw a manager go face to face and nose to nose with this great big player who he thought wasn’t putting his life on the line for the team. The gaffer was clearly looking to get a reaction from the player in the hope that he’d take his anger out on to the pitch. Funnily enough,it worked.

But then again that’s just the way it is when you’re around men all day, every day.

In the wake of the departure of Mo Johnston and Preki from Toronto FC. I know many fans will be happy with the board’s decision. The real job they have on their hands now is filling the void with the right people and the right philosophy. Being such a big franchise with the potential to be the biggest in the MLS, there will be many coaches with Toronto on their minds.

As a former Toronto FC player and a fan of the club, I am hoping that the powers that be, see the need for a football philosophy to be  implemented throughout the club. From the academy all the way to the first team. This will give them a good base for nurturing talent to play in a system which will be used prominently throughout the club. Barcelona and Arsenal’s player development models are perfect examples of this idea. Through this philosophy you can create an identity for the club and bring forth an entertaining brand of football. If the club could achieve this objective, I believe this would be a success which the fans would embrace. It’s not every year that a team is going to make the play offs but if you can bring entertainment to the fans regardless, I feel this would provide value for the money spent on season tickets and travel expenses. Football is an art that should be displayed beautifully.

This leads me to the departure of Preki. I never met the man, but I know he came with a big reputation and high expectations. Unfortunately he did not last longer than a year.

What was sad was the brand of football he brought to BMO field. This is what I call anti football. It can win you games but its not the most entertaining or expansive way of playing. I am sure you would rather see your team go out and attack with flair and ask questions of the other team.
Football is an art that should be displayed beautifully.

I don’t think the play on the pitch was a clear indication of Mo Johnston’s work, even though I thought his business practice with individuals he did not want to keep was completely and utterly ludicrous. That’s through personal dealings and dealings with many of the former and present players.

As a player Mo had to suffer a lot of personal backlash and I think he has become severely ruthless as a result. His actions would leave a sour taste within the dressing room. Creating a tense working environment for no real reason. You have to feel you can trust your GM and that will bode well for the relationship between players and the powers that be. No trust equates to no harmony!!

I respected him more for his mental strength, I did not understand some of his decisions, especially of late. The acquisition of Mista as a DP left me dumbfounded. First off lets clarify what the DP should be bringing to the table. Some say he should be known globally which will help sell merchandise and raise the awareness of the franchise and league. While making an impact on the field with goals and assists.

First of all I don’t think there should be a DP slot any more as not one player makes the team. So to have the title of a DP brings unnecessary pressure. Take Julian De Guzman for example. Very talented player who has come under huge scrutiny because of his salary. I believe he is not understood as a player by most fans who have slated him. Playing in Spain is a whole different ball game where the value of possession, technique and tactical acumen is on another level. So to ask him to come and do what he has done over in La Liga is not so simple. It’s a different on field environment. We spoke once and I was shocked that he had come back to play in the MLS as he was peaking in his career in Europe. He has become a victim of his own success, because what he is brilliant at does not equate to a DP status in the eyes of the masses. Back in Spain he is valued for his quick passing and hustling. But you have to remember in Spain they make better angles to receive and keep the ball. It makes a big difference, I personally did not understand why they splashed so much money on him as you have a guy like Sam Cronin coming through who could have grown to be as good as Julian in the near future.

If you are going to keep the DP slot then surely Dwayne De Rosario should be a DP !! That’s not even an argument. The guy has scored most of your goals since he has been at the club. He is a homegrown player with the club in his heart and he is respected throughout the league as a match winning player. What more does the guy have to do to be given what’s given to others just because they played in Europe. It’s sending out the wrong message to players who are doing well in the league.

If the league want to move to another level, they need to allow the DP budget to be spent evenly throughout the squad, which would allow the coach, whoever that may be, to acquire more quantity of quality, rather than a big name surrounded by a team of workers. Then we would see a revolution unfold.

Coming back to Toronto and the clubs search for a new coach and GM. I hope that they give the job to someone closer to home. Maybe Nick Dasovic, who is very well liked amongst the players. He knows his stuff and has he likes to play football. My brief spell working with him was very refreshing as he was modern and made training enjoyable and productive. Mind you, I do not feel what Toronto FC will display from now until the end of the season is any reflection of Nick Dasovic, neither in a good or bad way.

Another name that I think should be thrown in the hat should be Carl Robinson. He knows the club well and has a good footballing acumen, which would be important when creating the philosophy for the club. Some may say, Robinson has no experience in management, to them I would reply, he has been a manager while playing at home and abroad, ask the players who have played with him and they will tell you. Secondly, Preki has just shown you that experience in management is not enough. Guardiola did not need experience to lead Barcelona to 5 trophies in one season. You need to acquire or develop good football players. Intelligent players with good technique. Barcelona have the blueprint for Toronto FC to follow. I would love Uncle Danny Dichio to have his say in who should be chosen along with Jimmy Brennan who are both important components to the clubs future.

I hope this gives all you Toronto fans a different perspective on how the club should consider moving forward. The club needs to win get into the play offs but also bring some stability to the technical philosophy. I say give the job to Daso or Robinson and have Dichio working alongside them. Give them time to build a philosophy like Wenger has done at Arsenal. Produce talent so you don’t have to waste money on a suspect DP. Find your own gem, your own Fabregas or Walcott. No one can tell me the talent is not there as I have been across the country and have seen it first hand. Its time for the scouts to do what they do best.

Love you Toronto see you soon Rohan Ricketts

In the wake of the Wayne Rooney sex allegation scandal, many of you will be mystified as to why a young man who’s at the top of his trade and who seems to have a happy relationship with his childhood sweetheart could allow himself to ruin it all by purchasing sex from a high class prostitute.

Well, I’m sorry to say that it’s not that simple when you are a professional footballer. When I was first thrust into the limelight at Spurs, I was exposed to a whole different lifestyle: the clubs, restaurants, cars and women. I soon discovered that there’s a sense of entitlement that comes with the money and fame of being a footballer which makes you think you can do anything you like and no one can hurt you.

When I went on tour with one of my former clubs, girls would make their way to the rooms of the players and just knock on the room doors offering pleasures. Some would decline but not everyone has such discipline! I instantly saw how much quick and easy sex goes on.

There were nights, we went to the strip club and there was loads of money flying around and all the girls were going the extra mile just for the cash. Even if you don’t want to get involved it’s right in your face.

I remember a time when one former England international who was always a good boy woke up in his hotel room to find a girl hiding in his bathroom. She had been brought in by another player. He didn’t do anything with her and went mad at the other player – but a lesser man would have found it hard to resist the temptation.

One night out with a team-mate of mine, he ordered champagne and pointed out to me how the girls would spot where the bottle service was going and would slowly shuffle their fancy shoes in the direction of the table. As players, we would then have a field day as all the leg work which is usually required had already been done.

The girls can be like vultures – they see football as a market and they want the most expensive brands. They equate you to your market value. Players will shag each other’s mistresses all the time as well and some of the girls seemed to get their kicks out of that.

One time I was chatting to a girl and she was proud to tell me that she was up in the 30s with football players. She thought that telling me that was cool. I still see the same faces popping up online with same aim of meeting a football player: I personally think that for the players who are single shouldn’t be under scrutiny, although I feel they should gather some self control and balance. But it’s the married players I feel need to really take a look at their decision-making as its costing them their families and their privacy.

Just look at Tiger Woods. What he did is no different to what goes on with so many footballers: going from sim card to sim card as if the FBI was after them, just to keep their secret a secret. It’s become second nature for a lot to lie their way through life, not facing up to their weakness. For some of them it’s an illness.

Some of the wives and girlfriends must think to themselves: “How the hell do I keep my man from straying ?” I will tell you now darling, you can’t! So no matter if you get a boob job, new haircut, sexy clothes, none of that will play a factor if he wants to sample a bit of Sandra from Essex.

As we all saw with Cheryl Tweedy, being beautiful sometimes isn’t enough. There was one International player who I used to play with and he was always messing around. I’d go round his place and his girlfriend would complain to me about it. He’d just be sitting there straight-faced with a sense of entitlement that he can do anything he pleases. At the time I would have liked to tell her she should just walk away from him, as she was a very close friend of mine before I had met him, but because my mate was there I had to have his back because that’s what you do. It’s like a code of silence because in football there’s a lot on the line and players don’t want to risk it all by speaking out!

This is a small insight into how the fame, can be a gift and curse! For all the players who are living righteous, stay on that path!

- Rohan Ricketts

This is a question which will be asked more frequently amongst parents of young talent at Manchester City and other big clubs who follow a similar business model. The purpose of an academy is to groom young talent into a pedigree which is good enough for the first team. Now it seems as though these big clubs with these big budgets are grooming players to send them out on loan to these lower leagues and then eventually selling them. I really don’t get it!! Why would you spend money on someone if he’s not clearly better than what you have. A prime example of this practice ironically occurred at Man City. A few years back Man City had a bright young striker with all the makings of a good goal scorer coming through the ranks by the name of Bradley Wright Philips. The academy coaches at the club had a lot of faith in Philips’ talents but there was only one problem..the manager at the time thought he needed the experience of a player with first team experience and instead spend 6 million pounds on European striker Georgio Samaras.Looking at the money spent to capture Samara’s signature you would have thought he was clearly more equipped to have an immediate affect on the team than Bradley Wright Philips. Over the course of 2 seasons Samaras never quiet found his form, which can happen to anyone. His goals for game ratio was considered average, scoring 12 in a total of 55 games. The club then cut their losses and sold Samaras realizing that he was not the man for the job. Mean while Bradley’s development had been stifled at a time when he was blossoming and brimming with so much promise. Instead of giving him a chance to show what he can bring to the table, they went out at gambled 6 million on Samaras. This is just a small example of what’s happening every season within these bigger clubs. Eventually you will start to see younger talent opting to join smaller clubs hoping to get a fair chance of making the first team. I personally am sick of seeing young talent not given a real chance to prove themselves and develop in a first team environment at the club they were raised at. If the kid is good enough, give him the opportunity to play with the best players. Don’t send him out on loan to the lower leagues where they are not football/technique conscious!! These clubs need to respect the process of the academies. Don’t strive to buy short term success when in the long term you would have damaged the dreams of your academy trainees. A little food for thought…The price tags you see flying around are they a clear indication of a players worth? Some may say yes, I beg to differ. A price tag today does not me a thing, because the BEST PLAYER in the world cost nothing!! Don’t get caught up in the HYPE…until next time!!    Rohan Ricketts

By Rohan Ricketts

The Premier League was never the best league in the world based on the quality of football. In terms of revenue making, marketing potential and sponsorship deals I would say it IS ahead of the rest of the world. But when you are talking about the ART of football – the way the game should be played, with skill and technique – the Premier League is not better than Spain, Brazil and possibly Argentina.

The English game is based more on power, size and speed rather than technical ability and genuine skill. Thierry Henry’s experience in Spain is an example of why players with pace and power can run riot in the Premier League, yet going to Spain requires more of technical and tactical acumen. Take nothing away from Thierry: he has been an incredible player and a sublime goalscorer. Yet he himself had to admit to the demands from a technical and tactical standpoint with Barcelona were completely different. True football talent such as Xavi and Ronaldinho have rejected coming to England, knowing that the game here is not about their talent but more about their workrate and fitness. The value of the football is critical in Spain; over in England, possession is lost every few seconds and this shows a lack of control and awareness.

I don’t understand how we can watch a team like Barcelona continue to be the best footballing team in the world and not take some serious notes. In England, the coaches and the FA need to see how they develop talent and play such an attractive and effective brand of football. If you want to become a better Tennis player, who would you study? Roger Federer. If you want to become a better Table Tennis player, you would study China’s Ma Long. It’s no different with football.

I’m going to end by saying this ever so bluntly: in Brazil and Spain, if you are not good enough, you don’t play. In England you don’t have to be good enough. You just have to be strong, fast and fit and be able to follow basic tactical orders. If you can do that, you can play. It does leave technical standards to be questioned though.