Limping Physio

John Sheridan

Description

Ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes at a professional football club? Veteran physiotherapist John Sheridan has seen just about everything since he entered professional football in 1979 with Luton Town. There he played a key part in the rise of David Pleat's exciting team, and when Pleat moved to Tottenham in 1986, John moved with him. David left the following year, but John remained in his role at White Hart Lane under David's successor, the charismatic Terry Venables. John was reluctantly thrust into the spotlight in 1991 when he nursed Paul Gascoigne back to fitness after a horror tackle in the FA Cup Final left Gazza's career hanging in the balance. Despite playing an integral part in Gazza's rehabilitation, John has remained silent - until now. For the first time he describes what really happened during this traumatic period and how it left him fighting for his sanity. John speaks candidly about his time in football and reveals how he battled anxiety to enter the harsh world of professional football with a disability.

Informations

• Publié par: Pitch Publishing Ltd
• Date de parution: 20 septembre 2021
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781801500302
• Langue: English

Extrait

First published by Pitch Publishing, 2021
Pitch Publishing
A2 Yeoman Gate
Yeoman Way
Durrington
BN13 3QZ
www.pitchpublishing.co.uk
John Sheridan, 2021
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A CIP catalogue record is available for this book from the British Library
Print ISBN 9781801500074
eBook ISBN 9781801500302
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Contents
Foreword by David Pleat
Foreword by Gary Mabbutt MBE
Preface
1. My Early Years
2. From Production Line to Professional Football
3. In at the Deep End
4. Surgeons, Injuries and Professor Smillie
5. Life at Luton in the 1980s
6. Off to Spurs
7. All Change at Spurs
8. Paul Gascoigne and that Free Kick
9. That Tackle
10. The Fightback Begins and Fishy Tales
11. Disaster and the Fightback Begins Again
12. The Beginning of the End at Tottenham
13. A New Start
14. Stories from Around the World
15. Matchdays
16. Injury Management, Assessment and Rehabilitation
17. Other Memories
18. Fun on the Fairway
19. Looking Back
Postscript
Acknowledgements
Photos
Foreword by David Pleat
DURING MY lengthy career in football I have come across many physios at both youth and senior level. John Sheridan is unique!
I employed him at Luton Town shortly after I took over in 1979. John had been recommended to me by an employee who knew him from his role as safety officer at Whitbread s. I got lucky! He was a hard worker who would spend whatever hours were required - never a free Sunday. More importantly we soon realised he had a magic touch and the players respected him for his commitment and understanding of their problems. He became a vital member of our staff - the health and welfare of our players was paramount.
John studied hard and learnt the intricacies of the physiotherapy business, and gained his reward when he became a fully chartered physiotherapist. Players respected him for his attention to detail and ability to progress their injury to full fitness. Nothing was too much trouble.
When a player was felled by injury on the field, John would anticipate with his eagle eye and race on, all the more remarkable because John himself had incurred a limp as a consequence of an accident in his younger days. Some ignorant observers thought it did not look good that the guy treating the injury was injured himself! This disability never troubled John and certainly never concerned me as manager. I knew everyone who worked with him had total respect for him and his ability to perform his job. Bobby Robson once remarked to me that you must have courage to employ a physio who can t run. I replied that it is he who has the courage, for he is a special man.
When I left for Tottenham, I had no second thoughts when I invited John to join me. There he continued to treat players at the top of the footballing tree - established internationals were handled with care. The famous Paul Gascoigne was nursed back to fitness after a bad injury and John went to Lazio with him to help with his recovery.
I hope this book gives you an insight into this special man. A dedicated, kind, knowledgeable and respected person, who over the years many footballers had reason to thank.
David Pleat, January 2021
Foreword by Gary Mabbutt MBE
DURING THE seven years that John Sheridan spent at Spurs, I did not hear anyone have a bad word to say about him. He was an excellent physiotherapist and a gentleman.
In his role as a physio, John was always more concerned with the individual s health and fitness rather than declaring a player fit to play before he was 100 per cent ready.
Personally, me being physically fit to play was also dependent on my type one diabetes being looked after. I was on four injections a day during my career at Spurs and on ten blood tests a day to check my blood sugar levels.
Throughout my career this was all managed by myself but with the backup of a great medical team behind me, and John was always covering my back should any complications arise.
I trusted John 100 per cent. His knowledge of his profession and his expertise were all tested to the utmost degree when being involved in professional football and he carried out his role with great aplomb.
I was once asked the question about whether John s disability had affected his duties and I was bewildered. I had never once even considered that John had a disability. Yes, he had a limp but not once did this ever affect his ability to fulfil his role.
John was a pleasure to work with during his time at Tottenham Hotspur FC.
Gary Mabbutt, January 2021
Preface
WHEN I first sat down to write this book it was primarily for my four beloved grandchildren - Jake, Sam, Lucy and Edward. They would often ask me about my career and time in football, so I decided it was about time to put pen to paper, write down a few of my memories and see where it took me. It was a slow start but the more I wrote the more the recollections, both good and bad, came flooding back. I soon realised that I have had a great life experiencing the highs and lows, with the joys and tears of non-league football through to the professional game at the highest level.
To be able to enjoy a long and successful career in any professional sport you have to make sacrifices and have the support of a loving family, which I am lucky to have. My wife Betty has always been my backbone. She has given me all of her love and support, and looking back I now realise that I have sometimes taken her for granted by spending long hours away from her and my children Debbie, Andy and Paul. I have lost count of the amount of times I had to rush off after hurriedly eating a Christmas dinner and not return until late on Boxing Day evening, then be back up bright and early the next morning to go to the ground and treat the injured players in preparation for the New Year s Day matches.
My story in football stretches over five decades, with literally thousands of games and in fact over 1,000 at the highest level. To have achieved this, I have to thank all of the managers and staff I have worked for and of course a big thank you goes to all of the players I have treated over the years, from the local park players to some of the world s greatest icons of the game. Looking back, I can honestly say I gave each and every one of them 100 per cent.
I would also like to thank my youngest son Paul for putting my notes and ramblings into some sort of order. I am indebted to him for all the hours and hours he has spent deciphering my memories from the scraps of paper I gave him. I am sure he has enjoyed it and along the way learnt a few things about his old dad that he never knew before!
This book is about a boy born in Glasgow who suffered life-changing injuries as a teenager but through the love, care and support of his family rebuilt his life to enjoy a long and successful career in elite sport. It is a book that has come from the heart and even though it hasn t been professionally written, I hope it gives you an interesting insight into my life.
If you pick up this book, I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I have enjoyed reliving the memories of my life. John xxxx
1
My Early Years
WHAT I want to do in this book is to tell the story of my life to share with my family and friends. It has been an astonishing journey with many highs and lows, and I have been lucky enough to meet some wonderful people along the way and have made some fantastic lifelong friends. From humble beginnings working as a trainer for Taverners to travelling the world and going to some of the greatest football stadiums as a physiotherapist with Luton Town and Tottenham Hotspur, it has been a pleasure and privilege every step of the way.
Let me start from the beginning. I was born during the Second World War in Glasgow in February 1943. At the time, my father Thomas was serving in the Highland Light Infantry as a chef and was posted to Africa. While he was away our home was Maryhill Barracks in Glasgow. Dad was a brave man who like many of his peers very rarely spoke about the war. In fact, I can only remember one occasion when he spoke to me about his experiences of that time. We had gone for a drink together at the Shepherd and Flock pub in Luton, when he started to get emotional as he told me some of his memories including the landing in Africa and losing some of his friends.
After the war had finished, Dad returned home. He had to look for a job and it was decided we would move south to England as there were many more job opportunities. So just after I turned three, my dad, mum Edna and my two older brothers Tony and Tommy moved to Luton in Bedfordshire. Our first house in the town was 38 Abbey Drive, a newly built semi-detached three-bedroom council house. Luton was a good place to live at the time - a thriving market town with a vast workforce and numerous job opportunities at large companies such as Vauxhall Motors, Electrolux and SKF. There was a big open market and numerous shops, which was the heart of the town up until the early 1970s when they were unfortunately demolished for the new Arndale Shopping Centre.
Not long after we arrived, Dad found employment at Vauxhall as a press tool operator. We settled quickly, so much so that our family increased during this time as my