Being a professional footballer is the best job in the world. Honestly, nothing beats it. But there was one day of the year I hated my job. Christmas Day.
I’ve heard of some managers who would give their players the day off to be with their family that day, on the understanding that they didn’t eat or drink too much, but in all my time as a full-time pro, I was in training every Christmas Day. My time at Ipswich was the worst of all because even before home games we’d be staying at a hotel and when we were playing on Boxing Day, we’d train Christmas Day then head away to the hotel, so there was no family time at all.
You probably won’t believe this, but one of the reasons I hung up my boots was so I could spend time with my family at Christmas. I’d had enough of it and going to New York at this time of year has always been on my bucket list. There’s no chance of doing that when you’re a footballer. And no, I still haven’t done it - although I promised my missus the other day that we’re doing it next year!
It’s a crazy time for players because the games come thick and fast and the Hearts boys will be raring to go coming back from the World Cup break with a great win over Kilmarnock. I was worried about that one because Killie have a good record at Tynecastle, but it was a great performance, orchestrated by my pal Robert Snodgrass, who is going to be one of the signings of the season.
I’ve known Snoddy for years, firstly through just playing against him and having a bit of banter, then when he went to West Ham he was friendly with Aaron Cresswell, who had been my room-mate at Ipswich before moving to the Hammers, and is also a really good pal.
Snoddy phoned me before signing for Hearts to ask me all about the people at the club. He had no shortage of offers and being a real ‘people person’ himself, it was important for him to know what he was going into. I told him it was the best club I’d ever played for and that the most important aspect of it was the people who worked there. It’s just a brilliant club and I was thrilled when he chose to go there.
Getting him to Hearts was a great business from Robbie Neilson and Joe Savage because they have signed so much more than a great footballer. This is no Saturday signing - Snoddy will be the heart and soul of that dressing room and the encouragement and knowledge he will pass onto the younger players is something that money can’t buy.
He might be 35 but age is a total irrelevance in his case. He won’t mind me saying this, but it’s not as if he has lost his pace. He didn’t have any in the first place!
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But game intelligence? Right up there with anyone else in the league. And that left peg is outrageous. Look at the pass he delivered for one of Lawrence Shankland’s goals at the weekend.
He is just a brilliant player and one of the most dedicated professionals I’ve ever met. I’ll never forget about 12 of us going for an Italian on a Christmas night out a couple of years ago. I had two main courses, creamy carbonara the lot, followed by a gut-busting pudding.
Snoddy sat with a salad and chicken breast, no sauce, and a bottle of water. But it didn’t stop him being the life and soul of the party. He’s a great lad and can still be playing at this level for years.
Speaking of Shankland, I was delighted to see him grabbing another couple of goals at the weekend to take his league tally to 11 for the season. Much has been made of Hearts not having a 20-goal a season striker since John Robertson hit that figure way back in 1986 but I am convinced Shankland will do it this term if he stays fit.
I said when he signed that he is exactly what Hearts have been looking for, maybe since wee Robbo hung up his boots - a striker who can get tap ins, headers, wonder goals from outside the box and penalties. Shankland has everything you could wish for in a striker and I’ll bet he is champing at the bit to get at Dundee United and St Johnstone in the next two games before the big one against Hibs on January 2.
I know that’s a match that is usually circled in big red letters weeks in advance, but these two games before the derby are so important that nobody will be thinking about the New Year fixture until the one in Perth on December 28 is out of the way.
Before then, of course, there’s Christmas Day, so all the best for the festivities folks. Next year’s column will be written from the Big Apple - promise!
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