Dele Alli at Everton

[Jody]

I rewatched some bits of the interview again.

What he did between age 12 & 16 is just incredible - to go through what he did before 11 and to progress that fast in football to be playing pro in 16 is almost impossible. I would say impossible, but only he has gone ahead & done it

And a big shout out to his adopted family. This could not have happened if not for the stability & love they gave.

Absolutely. I remember when his adopted family, in particular his brother, were being judged on here for their influence on him - how little we knew.

It should serve as a lesson to us all in not being so judgemental - certainly when it comes to the player as a person, their motives etc.. I’d definitely include myself in that and will try to be better.

I wish him all the best.

 

[Locotoro]

Mourinho was the worst possible manager for Dele at the time he was appointed. Conte no better.

I don't know if that's as clear cut as you make it.

If Dele continues under another manager like Poch who puts his arm around him instead of Mourinho who challenges him and gives him the warning "make the most of your opportunity because tomorrow it will be gone" then perhaps he never gets to this point where he is starting to work through his demons whilst he's still young enough for it not to have overshadowed his entire adult life.

Dele was constantly saying he didn't want to be helped. It's possible that Mourinho challenging him to be better showed him that actually he does need help.

 

[PaulM]

I don't know if that's as clear cut as you make it.

If Dele continues under another manager like Poch who puts his arm around him instead of Mourinho who challenges him and gives him the warning "make the most of your opportunity because tomorrow it will be gone" then perhaps he never gets to this point where he is starting to work through his demons whilst he's still young enough for it not to have overshadowed his entire adult life.

Dele was constantly saying he didn't want to be helped. It's possible that Mourinho challenging him to be better showed him that actually he does need help.

The amount of fans, many of whom are our own, saying about a player “that prick needs a manager who’ll tell him how shit he’s been rather than someone mollycoddling him” is too many to count.

This is why that approach rarely works and for every player it turns around, it can help destroy several more. That’s not to blame Jose in any way for what happened to Dele by the way.

 

[RuskyM]

The amount of fans, many of whom are our own, saying about a player “that prick needs a manager who’ll tell him how shit he’s been rather than someone mollycoddling him” is too many to count.

This is why that approach rarely works and for every player it turns around, it can help destroy several more. That’s not to blame Jose in any way for what happened to Dele by the way.

It's the same as the "they need hard discipline - bring back national service", often by people who didn't have to do national service and wouldn't have to do it now. Being bollocked is always fine when it's not you being bollocked.

And I see Rory Jennings has said "I wasn't saying anything different, it's changed now!". One vital word he doesn't say is "sorry". Tory ****.

 

[Trent Crimm]

Proud of the SC with the responses in here today. Gives hope.

Head to the BBC licence fee thread. You will soon lose that hope

 

[Locotoro]

The amount of fans, many of whom are our own, saying about a player “that prick needs a manager who’ll tell him how shit he’s been rather than someone mollycoddling him” is too many to count.

This is why that approach rarely works and for every player it turns around, it can help destroy several more. That’s not to blame Jose in any way for what happened to Dele by the way.

I'm not disagreeing with you. It didn't help his career in the short term but it may have saved his life in the long term.

He's young and has time to sort through them

 

[jackson]

The Athletic did an investigation 2 years ago into sleeping pills. Seems like it is a massive problem in the game. Makes me wonder what else is being hidden. Steroids? Class A drugs?

Football's addiction to sleeping pills - 'a disease spreading quietly across the game'

The Athletic talks to people in the game about the rise in addiction to sleeping pills and the dangers of it

theathletic.com

Here, The Athletic can reveal:

• Players across every level of the professional game are using lorazepam, temazepam and diazepam; prescription-based medications that are habit-forming and are associated with dementia
• Some players have ignored the advice of their club doctors and have proceeded to medicate unsupervised
• Some players feel pressurised into using them due to the relentless nature of football’s schedule
• They have been used to treat anxiety, as well as insomnia related to the increasing number of night games and long-distance travel
• Players are widely unaware of the dangers of sedatives due to a lack of education in relation to their perils
• At least one elite footballer at a top Premier League club has been left out of fixtures because of his dependency

I was quite surprised/shocked to hear that it was common place among pro footballers and administered by the club's tbh

 

[kev1nxxx]

We've got Ali, Deli Ali, I just don't think you understand.... He only cost 5mill, He's better than Ozil, We've got Deli Ali............

 

[ClonedFromSandrosBeard]

So I think there needs to be some tempering of things here. Dele said that he personally wouldn't have chosen to do this interview so early but was forced to by tabloid pressure and I worry that this attention may be a bit too soon in his recovery.

I'm reminded of when I 'graduated' therapy because I was no longer having panic attacks at work only to have not really gotten on top of my issues and for the anxiety and depression to come back three years later. Obviously Dele's not me and everyone has their own 'journey' (hate that word when it comes to mental health). What I'm saying is, there are scenarios where Dele hasn't yet hit his low point, he may not get back to where he was or may slip up and I hope that we can all remember the empathy we have now for that moment if it arrives.

I also want to say a big fuck you to this interview being sponsored by a betting company which has probably lead to so many sadder stories of addiction than Dele's but gets to slap it's name across what I truly believe is an important piece of football journalism.

My 2p. Massive love to Dele and I love that men are being more open about mental health in public life now.

 

[gavspur]

What a fantastic footballer.

 

[PrettyColors]

Dele was at one point a real bona fide hero for every true Spurs fan out there I’d think.

no player encapsulates the Poch era and persona better than him. No one.

I love that he owned his mistakes, I love that he hasn’t made excuses, I love that he was simply real and honest in ways that no footballer ever is. Guy is a proper legend in my eyes and I still have nothing but the utmost respect for him.

 

[SandroClegane]

Maybe don't assume someone isn't a top professional because of what they wear, how they style their hair, what they do in their free time, etc.

Still remember fighting those battles on here. Terrible what he's had to endure.

 

[carmeldevil]

The Athletic did an investigation 2 years ago into sleeping pills. Seems like it is a massive problem in the game. Makes me wonder what else is being hidden. Steroids? Class A drugs?

Football's addiction to sleeping pills - 'a disease spreading quietly across the game'

The Athletic talks to people in the game about the rise in addiction to sleeping pills and the dangers of it

theathletic.com

Here, The Athletic can reveal:

• Players across every level of the professional game are using lorazepam, temazepam and diazepam; prescription-based medications that are habit-forming and are associated with dementia
• Some players have ignored the advice of their club doctors and have proceeded to medicate unsupervised
• Some players feel pressurised into using them due to the relentless nature of football’s schedule
• They have been used to treat anxiety, as well as insomnia related to the increasing number of night games and long-distance travel
• Players are widely unaware of the dangers of sedatives due to a lack of education in relation to their perils
• At least one elite footballer at a top Premier League club has been left out of fixtures because of his dependency

For sure abuse of Adderall (ADHD meds) and painkillers are occurring in sports. Players need to find the edge to stay focused and then find pills to dull the pain and aches so they can keep on playing.

 

[ernie78]

I thought he came across incredibly eloquent with a lot of self awareness.
Tough viewing but what immediately hit me was how, unfortunately, his story is similar to many men with addiction/offending/gang affiliation that I have supported over the years.

The fact that he even became one of the most exciting players in world football for a couple of years is incredible given what he’d been through (I suspect we only know a fraction)
A lot of praise for his adoptive family as there were a lot of pieces for them to pick up when the adopted Dele.

I really hope he can now get back to football, would love to see him ripping teams apart with that swagger again.

 

[Archibald&Crooks]

As we all (ought to) know, footballers are just like us, they have their problems, they have their issues and they have the same weaknesses. This story reinforces that and made me think......It leaves a bad taste knowing what he got on here, it was OTT for sure. Now i'm not suggesting it had anything to do with this but when it transfers itself over to actually being shouted at a player at the ground, or social media..............You just never know.

This is why, in a couple of other threads, there's been a kickback against the vitriol and spite aimed at our own players and quite right too. If it's not seen as OK here on SC, maybe one or two people will have a think and realise it's not OK anywhere, not here and not at the ground. Criticism is one thing but it has to be balanced and fair, if we can put an end to the nasty nature of it all, maybe it'll filter through, I don't know, but it has to start somewhere...........

I'm not sure if I worded it properly and there's more I wanted to say, apologies i'm in a bit of a rush but maybe i'll add to it when I get back.

 

[PLTuck]

As we all (ought to) know, footballers are just like us, they have their problems, they have their issues and they have the same weaknesses. This story reinforces that and made me think......It leaves a bad taste knowing what he got on here, it was OTT for sure. Now i'm not suggesting it had anything to do with this but when it transfers itself over to actually being shouted at a player at the ground, or social media..............You just never know.

This is why, in a couple of other threads, there's been a kickback against the vitriol and spite aimed at our own players and quite right too. If it's not seen as OK here on SC, maybe one or two people will have a think and realise it's not OK anywhere, not here and not at the ground. Criticism is one thing but it has to be balanced and fair, if we can put an end to the nasty nature of it all, maybe it'll filter through, I don't know, but it has to start somewhere...........

I'm not sure if I worded it properly and there's more I wanted to say, apologies i'm in a bit of a rush but maybe i'll add to it when I get back.

I hope it opens a wider discussion about the treatment of people in the public eye, which I think has been an issue for decades but is now exacerbated by social media. Rags like The Sun are at the centre of promoting this culture and need to be properly held to account as they never seem to change but all of us as human beings need to stop buying that shit (literally and figureatively) and be less ****y to each other.

 

[Tucker]

Finally got to watch the wholes thing last night. That was a really tough watch. Credit to Gary Neville for being such a supportive and genuine interviewer and giving Dele the breathing space to say what he wanted to say without hectoring him for more details or snippets. Think he deserves a lot of respect for that.

As for Dele himself I really hope this is a turning point for him and he finds what he’s been missing in his football for a few years. Addiction never really goes away, so he’s going to be fighting that in the tough times ahead. But it looks like he knows now that when things do get tough he needs to open up to others for help. He doesn’t want us feeling sorry for him, so I won’t. What I will do though is say how fucking brave and open he’s been. He’s an example to others that are going through shit. Get help. Even if deep in yourself you don’t want that help, just talk to someone because it lifts weight off you and lets you think more clearly.

Genuinely hope he smashes it at Everton this season, Dyche is the perfect guy to help him too I think.

 

[chas vs dave]

I hope it opens a wider discussion about the treatment of people in the public eye, which I think has been an issue for decades but is now exacerbated by social media. Rags like The Sun are at the centre of promoting this culture and need to be properly held to account as they never seem to change but all of us as human beings need to stop buying that shit (literally and figureatively) and be less ****y to each other.

There are people who sadly think that money can just wash away everything. It cannot erase the past, or fix trauma. Yes, it does allow you easier access to support, however until you accept you need help, money is not going to do anything.

In parallel, if you have money, it's also easier to access such destructive things, so it's a double edged sword.

I'm just hoping that Dele doing what he does will raise awareness that everyday people need more support.

 

[Sid Tottenham]

I've got high hopes for this young man after watching that, he could easily blame others or circumstances but he's taking responsibility it's the tougher road for sure but its the only road if you want to get better.
I wish him all the best and my view on him has changed immeasurably very impressive young man and Everton might just have got themselves an absolute bargain.

 

[funkycoldmedina]

I think it's always worth remembering there is an important distinction between drug addiction and dependence. One is where you feel you need it a lot to get through specific events, that's what it sounds like Dele has, the other is broadly speaking, where your body has a chemical need for what you're taking, generally opioids. The 2nd is a lot harder to get rid of as it's associated with all the physical crap plus the mental side associated with the first.