Tony Cascarino's football lessons: No 2, big fish in small pond or bit-part player

Each week, our expert, Tony Cascarino, will react to a real-life issue from the professional game and relate it to the rest of us. His first lesson focused on the importance of time-keeping following Liam Miller's problems at Sunderland. This week, he discusses whether it’s better to be an occasional player at a big club or a regular in a smaller side.

There have been more rumours this week that Steve Sidwell will seek a move from Chelsea in the summer and it wouldn’t be a surprise. From being a regular at Reading last season, he’s only started seven league games this term.

It’s a dilemma that all ambitious and talented players face, whether amateur or professional: should I move out of my comfort zone and take the risk of joining a bigger club, where things might not go so well?

The decision’s very different depending on your situation. People might look at Sidwell sitting on the bench or in the stands and think he’s made a mistake, but with his signing-on fee and wage increase, he’s gone a long way to setting himself up financially for life. It may be something of a lost year on the pitch for him, but it’s been great for his bank balance.

Couple that with the knowledge you get from playing with top players week-in week-out in training. The higher you go, the more you learn. Wayne Rooney developed as a player to a level that wouldn’t have been possible if he’d stayed at Everton. You might learn, like Sidwell, that perhaps you’re not quite good enough to last among the elite, but it’s something that’s worth finding out. It’s better to know than to spend your life wondering. I’m a firm believer in challenging yourself. Don’t be afraid of taking a risk.

If you’re offered the chance to play for a bigger club, it’s a gut decision, but you can still do research, which most players don’t. You can look at the tactics the new team plays and judge if your game is suited. You can look at how much competition there is for your position. You could seek guarantees from the manager, but good luck with that because managers lie. If they want you, they’ll tell you anything. They can’t always be honest, that’s the nature of their job.

It’s a different problem if you’re a part-timer wondering whether you should take the plunge and go professional. It’s the exact opposite of the Sidwell situation – a move up can damage you financially.

I went from the Kent League to the third division, the second division, then the top-flight. Becoming full-time was an easy decision for me because I was working on a building site at the time. Others have to do a lot of thinking. One player I knew at Gillingham took the plunge aged 25 and became a pro. He had a good job in advertising but gave it up and took a 75 per cent pay cut to join the club. In these situations it’s got to be a very personal decision because individual circumstances vary so much.

At amateur level, it’s different again. Lots of amateurs who can’t get a game are more disheartened than the pros. They’re in it purely for fun, but where’s the fun when you’re not getting on the pitch? There’s nothing more disheartening than that. At the lowest levels, when you’re playing purely for love of the game, and are happy where you are, there’s sense in being a big fish in a small pond. Your main ambition should be to enjoy yourself.

Comments

[AH]

I'm in exactly this situation on this very day... albeit in sub-county league football tomorrow. I'm a regular for the reserves - sometimes captain - but at training this week I was told I'd be sub for the firsts on Saturday, rather than turning out for the ressies. As the big man says above "there’s sense in being a big fish in a small pond. Your main ambition should be to enjoy yourself." So how do I tell the manager that I'm a reserves player and want to play football, not sit on the bench for him?!

[declan]

I seriously disagree that Rooney has developed as a player at utd. He's a dangerous attacker worthy of his place in a potent attacking unit, but at Everton he was believed to have the potential to be the greatest young talent in the game, up there with the likes of Torres and C. Ronaldo, even hailed as the"new Gazza" by many. True greatness has, and will always ,elude Wazza, irrespective of whether he plys his trade with the 2nd or 4th best team in the premiership.

[Peter Hughes]

Hi Tony:
Still waiting for your thoughts on the "gee-ups" by coaches, in particular, the rantings of Sheffield United's "leader" picked up by the BBC prior to extra time at the Riverside.
Have you been gagged ?