The Sour Kind
"I only know one thing, that is I know nothing"Commentaries| Podcasts| Timothy JozuaHeart to Heart with Job Bobbie - Part 1"Hello, 你好, Hola, Bonjour, こんにちは, 여보세요, Hallo and Здравствуйте, I am Timothy and welcome to another series of The Sour Kind. And in today's podcast, we will be having a heart to heart talk or HTHT with a special guest. He is none other than Job Bobbie, the current captain of the Mapletish squad who are about to embark on their World Cup 87 Qualifying. The qualification rounds, I will say, is significant for this group of young players. Not only is this is the youngest squad, the Football Association has sent in the team's 13 World Cup qualifying history, this is also the first time, the team is consisted mainly of players who aren't from any football clubs. We have covered the ongoing dispute between the RFAM and MBSO in the previous series, do check them out."
"Now Bobbie, do you know who I am?"
"Well absolutely, Timothy. I have followed you for quite some time right now."
"First of all, congratulations on doing well in the recent Di Bradini Cup, a third place finish is already quite respectable. Now, introduce yourself, Bobbie, to those out there who don't know you."
"Hi everyone, I am Bobbie and I'm 20 this year. I am the current captain of Team Mapletish Football for the upcoming World Cup 87 Qualifying. Nice to meet all of you and of course, you, Timothy, and yes, thank you for your wish wishes."
"That is a very brief introduction right there, Bobbie. So do you like to HTHT?"
"Actually I have a lot of HTHT conversations with alot of my friends and with all the guys in the team and especially as captain, it is essential to find out more about your guys right, so, yes, in general I do like to HTHT. Hopefully I don't suck hahaha."
"Well now that we know that you are a HTHT kind of person, we shall kick off with our first section. And the question goes, "Bobbie has played many sports in school and also having excelled in other sports like rugby and swimming, what made you make the switch to play football and what got you here? Do you think that this has impacted you in any way."
"Wow, that is a tough first question to begin with. Well yes, I was played many sports in school, and to be honest, football wasn't my first pick. You know In Mapletish, we are all a bunch of kids who just like sports and play a variety growing up. Seeing the guys now in the team, we also see many non-native footballers who made the switch to playing football so this is not something unique to me. I like swimming back in school. Preferably also because I like the feeling of gliding through the water and being able to not run."
"That is pretty ironic, considering that swimming has land physical training sessions isn't it, Bobbie?"
"Uhh yes, I dreaded those PT sessions but all is good hahaha. They made me who I am. After swimming, I made the transition towards rugby primarily because I watched quite a lot of rugby growing up. It runs in my family as well, my dad was a former rugger and so is my elder brother. I slowly followed in their footsteps. And I grew to love it."
"Was it something you do concurrently while you were swimming?"
"Ohh yes, I juggled swimming and rugby quite comfortably, although both sports have rather competing demands. But they complement well together I guess? You have the need to be stronger, more aggressive and tougher on the pitch while you want to get a little bit more technical, more streamlined and faster in the water. Those also include additional physique requirements if you ask me but I stuck with my own body."
"So no comparable advantages that allows you to be better than the rest?"
"I guess when you are not specialising in a sport and just dipping your toes in a number of them, I probably am a little average in my body composition and in terms of my physique and build, I guess I can render myself rather suitable to be doing both of those."
"What then became the trigger for you to switch towards football?"
"I wanted to do something different back in pre-university. So I decided to pick a different sport, rather than the ones that I am familiar with. So at 16, I transited to playing football and have never turned back since. I have considered other sports as well, but I guess football sort of spoke to me. I joined my school's football team on the first session and I was put through my paces immediately. The coach did some drills and tested our physicals, gathered some numbers and put us through a kick-about. I might have impressed the coach with some footballing IQ I guess, from my recreational football experience."
"So you do have football experience?"
"Yes, but it was rather limited. I am more used to using the IQ on the field for rugby, so sometimes I instinctively, stop running forward to allow the play to progress until I get shouted at to continue moving, because we can now pass the ball forward, so this is one of the more silly moments on pitch."
"From what I have seen in your playing style, I can describe you as a wing playmaker rather than the winger we are more used to on the flanks. Am I right?"
"Yes, I agree. I don't have the technical fluidity to catch up with my teammates most of the time, considering I joined the sport late. The rest can easily juggle the ball 30, 40, 50 times in a row while drinking water or popping in a sandwich, while I can see myself juggling the ball with my hands instead. So I shift my focus towards having more game sense and awareness. I guess coach saw that as well during my tryout and he recommended to put me in the midfield more me to roam and to let my vision take over. Subsequently, I would shift out wider to the flanks, so to the left flank to allow my stronger right leg to take charge of the crosses. Because of this, I took on the role to dictate plays on pitch and subsequently, I took charge of the team as a whole by taking on the captaincy."
"And how has that shaped you?"
"Erm, the captaincy shaped me in terms of, having to now, shoulder the team and to be a direct bridge between the coach, the school management and to the rest of the guys. Of course in football wise, I tend to want to do simpler things rather than making it too complicated. Football made too complicated, really just messes everything up, you get a whole lot of room for error making, which is somewhat undesirable. But the guys are cooperative, sometimes, putting down their egos and desire to want to do something themselves to conforming to the team's plans. That was one of the highlights of my captaincy back in school."
"Do you think that you are a natural leader then? Considering, you are not the most experienced or the best player on the pitch?"
"Well, I guess, a leader is someone who is made, rather than born. Indeed it is not easy to be one, you have got people to answer to, you have got expectations on yourself, you set goals for the team and you are trying your utmost to meet that. I guess being in similar roles in the swim team and rugby team, helped me quite a bit as I took on the captaincy in the football team. It matured my thinking relatively early. I am almost ahead of my peers in terms of planning and thinking and analysing training from a coach's perspective, really helped to improve the team and my thought process in briefing and debriefing the team. The idea of being the best or the most experienced and thereafter equating that to being the leader is somewhat flawed.
Being good in your craft is one part of the whole puzzle, while being able to manage the team on the ground is another skill that needs to be honed. You can be the most gifted, score the most goals but you might not be the number one guy to have in the dressing room to break up conflicts or disagreements. Yes, you might be the central figure, but that isn't enough. Mere recognition of being the best is not enough for respect that a team will give towards their captain. So this brings us to being able to manage dynamics and interpersonal relationships in the team, which is another area that a captain must think of and be very sensitive about. At the end of the day, the team is nothing without its people."
"Thank you for that explanation Bobbie on your leadership principles or ideas. Now, we expand on how being in other sports have impacted or shaped your on the field presence."
"Erm, being in other sports brings themselves a different kind of emotional baggage. I tend to compare the current team that I am in with the previous teams that I have played or was in. This is somewhat unhealthy, I must say since the circumstances are different, team dynamics is different. In terms of relevant experience, it is close to none. In terms of soft skills and carryover, well definitely, it has a great impact on my thinking. Possibly through navigating the different scenarios or situations that arise, the experience I had, gave me some kind of blueprint to work with in response to these situations that I faced."
"So I would say that you have garnered a lot of tangible experience from your stints outside of football. Do you say that because of all these, you garner the respect of your teammates?"
"Yes and no. Yes, because despite my late entrance into the game, I was able to gasp the dynamics of the team easily. Seeing things from another point of view is something which is very valuable especially since I don't come from the football background. I might have something different to offer to the team. Yet, seeing things differently is a disadvantage sometimes. The team might not understand where I was coming from, or my point of view, because they were not in my position when I made certain decisions or do certain plays. It is not a disadvantage and even if it is, I believe in re-wiring and working on it to change that into an advantage."
"Moving on from here, what made you join the national football academy then?"
"I was looking to get more footballing experience and to experience a variety of coaching methods, there I land myself at the National Football Academy."
"Why not try out for club football though?"
"Well, I guess, I was not that into club football at that point, club loyalties was not something I deal well with. It just hindered my fire for football sometimes, like because of club loyalties, I wont be able to learn from another coach because of the club. I was not keen on going for club trials back then and stuck on fine with training with the National Football Academy (NFA). I guess that was fate and I was able to captain the team in the Di Bradini Cup too which was a huge plus to my portfolio."
"Can you tell me more about your stint at the King's College, what are you doing in College and what do you expect out of it?"
"i don't expect much from university football. I just want to play football and to do it with the people I am able to work well with. I am currently pursuing Psychology and Philosophy at the King's College and I am also the captain of the university football team. I had a close University Cup run previously and I am looking to build on to that, before I graduate. A 5th place finish in Group 11, behind Dodgestead University. I had only wish to build on that and the guys were keen to build on this form that they have. The seniors though were disappointed to not have qualified for the knockout rounds, but I am sure they took things in their stride and graduated successfully, I'm also sure they brought with them lessons from there and maybe to continue pursuing the sport on an amateur level at least after they graduate from university."
"What are the plans for the team then?"
"Build on the finish and continue to refine our tactics. Get the game plan and the team together and hopefully stay in our lane, take every opposition that comes our way. But before all of that, to bury our heads in the dirt and continue to hustle. I have brought back some reflections from the Di Bradini Cup and I am excited to share with the guys when I get back together with them again. Hopefully, I will also hand over my captaincy soon and focus more on national football and getting my head into preparing for graduation."
"What are your plans then, after graduation?"
"It was to get a job and live my life simply. But after playing for Mapletish on the international level, I am looking forward to kickstarting my professional footballing career, so clubs out there interested, please."
"I thought you were much more concerned about not being restricted by club loyalties?"
"Yes, that is still on my mind but I am more inclined to be some kind of a wanderer, wandering around and playing football for clubs that needs my service, I guess?"
"So clubs, hit him up, he is on free transfer."
"Oh yes haha, name a good price, I might play for you."
"Beyond that, how about your personal life? Love life?"
"Erm, I am currently quite contented with my life in general. Having had my own place since enrolling in university, I have learnt a lot more about myself. Being independent is tough, you got bills to pay and studies to manage, now you add on a sport to play on a high level, you are basically splitting yourself up and running 24/7. No one cares about paying the utilities bills until they have to pay them yourself, they add up. Electricity, the gas, your phone bills, they just keep coming in at the end of the month. Paying them off and you are left with a small amount for your daily expenses and then the rest, almost closed to none, I save. It is tough but it is also about making the right decisions, to eat out less, to buy less, to spend on things which are more budget friendly, I guess?
My love life has been alright, I think? Currently in a long term relationship. We are both happy. I generally don't share much about my love life and my partner and I chose to keep it low profile. I wanted to shield her from all the limelight that I am slowly getting right now with all the media attention on me, after my captaincy appointment. Generally, I don't want to put too much pressure on her which might just cause a strain in our relationship if we are not careful in managing it, so pardon me as we keep it low profile. Not to worry, we are happy."
"I understand that and thank you for keeping us updated on your love life. Glad that you are happy and satisfied with whatever you have. Maybe we can talk about, how then to manage a relationship like yours then?"
"Ohh, I don't mind. I guess, open communication is the key right here. As cliche as it sounds, it is an open secret. You need to have the conversation to find out from your partner, what are they okay with, and what are they not okay with. It is also good to find out, what exactly is your partner looking for, from this relationship. That is in the beginning. Those will be the guiding principles steering both of you on track. Continue to talk things through and work things out just like any other relationship advice will advise you to do. At least you know you are not acting on assumptions but actually clarifying and steering clear away from landmines. Simple advice but it goes a long way, trust."
"Neat, Bobbie, we will take a short camera break from here. Cheers Bobbie, by the way, how do you like your coffee?"
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