Joleon Lescott talks about football diversity, coaching and the next generation of footballers
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00:00always said this, I'm not sure my generation will benefit from it. I think it's going to take time
00:08because there's so many unconscious biases around certain things that I don't know
00:17what generation is going to be fully beneficial from it, to be honest, but there's steps that
00:26we can all take. Ignorance is that we all have towards different cultures, communities, religions
00:33and I was just speaking just upstairs then and even just thinking of when I started playing to
00:41now and the difference and the kind of consideration the game has to Ramadan has improved so
00:51again could it have been done faster, could more could be done, I'm sure there is, but the fact
00:56that it's being recognised now as an element of the game is a positive. I think there's more detail
01:02now, again whether that's good or bad it's for the fans to decide in terms of where the game's viewed
01:09but the coaching there's definitely a lot more detail given to players, there's a lot more
01:18obviously there's a lot more analysis available, technology has improved a lot of aspects in
01:26coaching, reviewing games and seeing footage that wasn't as easy as it is now, so again that helps
01:35players but again there's players that we use the detail for their game in terms of
01:47progression but also use it as an excuse and kind of rely on well I was told to do this and
01:54so it didn't work out but again speaking to players from my generation we were told
02:00certain things and then you was then expected to figure out what was right and what is known
02:05as a football decision now, so again probably reducing the amount of times players have to
02:11make football decisions because there's so much detail given to them. Yeah that is the wildest
02:18one to me, I was trying to explain or unexplain that because that's one I don't believe in really
02:26because chances created like who determines what chance that is like let's say Messi Barcelona,
02:36if he gives the ball to Messi on the halfway line he's liable to dribble for everyone and score
02:43like that isn't a chance for every other player so is there not a chance that
02:49certain players like say let's go let's use Man City, Kevin de Broglie can put a ball in the
02:52box for Erling Haaland but he couldn't have done that for Sergio Aguero do you know what I mean so
02:58how do we determine that is a chance so that's one that does frustrate me to be honest.
03:04Again the ignorance is and the fact that there's a light shining on it now I think
03:09again previous generations probably had to deal with things that were swept under the carpet that
03:15now won't be accepted, language being used whether it is in jest or not it's just not
03:22tolerated so they're the things that are then of benefit but again
03:31there is things that will prevent players and oh not players sorry diverse coaches
03:37from getting opportunities and as I said there's a lot of things that I've seen about
03:44is there now players or diverse coaches being given opportunities to tick a box
03:50and I'm of the view of well I'm not against that if that makes sense because there's been
03:57so many people that were right for them roles that weren't given the job because they were
04:02diverse so now if someone is given an opportunity because just make sure you're right because
04:08you're the guy for the next one in line so they will give you an opportunity and if
04:15you fail or you're not deemed at the level that will be the reason the next batch won't get it
04:22because they'll be like well we give you you failed and I think that is the frustration
04:28within diverse coaches is that we're not given enough opportunities to fail. I think coaches and
04:35again a previous generation of coaches have been given opportunities and you kind of seen the same
04:40convey about of managers and coaches getting the same jobs and similar jobs and the transition
04:46between them all where that hasn't been the case like if I just talk of people I know and
04:54Paul Ince and Saul Campbell for instance two of the biggest names in English football in history
05:02failing a couple of times and just weren't given the opportunities to go again do you know what I
05:06mean so I just think it won't be fair until we're all given the same opportunities to fail.
05:15I think we're all given the same opportunities to succeed and that's easy if everyone's doing well
05:19then it's easy but when it's not going well then what opportunities are and what support is around
05:26that. Paul Ince and I talk about Paul Ince because he's a good friend and someone I like it's not a
05:32case of well Paul Ince fails and he's worrying about him he's worrying about well everyone else
05:37he's worried about me and he's like well Paul Ince fails and he's an ex-England captain what
05:41does Julian Lescott know do you know what I mean so and I don't think that's the same for every
05:47other community so yeah having spoken to two players ex-players that want to get into coaching
05:55I think that's the the biggest frustration is that we're not allowed to the same failures.
06:01Yeah there's no one way because if there was everyone would be doing it and everyone would
06:05make it so it's just finding enough ways for them to feel comfortable and for them to give them a
06:12platform for them to to feel comfortable and produce the best as I said whether that be
06:19challenging them because again there's a lot around players that the tough mentality players
06:25like to be challenged they also like to know there's a support and where the challenge is
06:29coming from but it can't be just oh um a soft approach to everyone there's a lot of players
06:37that do need that and like that and but there's also a lot of players that like you to to test
06:43them um not put them on the strongest team in training and make them have to come out of their
06:49shell um so yeah there's just finding the right way for the individuals and as I said you in
06:55academies not everyone's going to make it we know that so it's a case of recognizing who's
07:01willing to to go above and beyond because to play for England is there's not many players that have
07:08done that in in the history of the game yeah we've all been there in terms of making them
07:15or telling them them lies um but yeah as I said it's probably more sacrifices for the parents
07:21players just kind of I never I never seen a sacrifice because I didn't want I'd want to
07:28play football more than not so I never deemed it that way but obviously for my parents um
07:34definitely like the amount of times when I was young and I was in the car when my brother had
07:42training because we both had to go and as I said I see it now and there's definitely
07:48a lot more around that um families of clubs can be doing because yeah they consider the
07:56the player they have on their books what what does he look like how many days a week does he have to
08:02be there if he's a single parent and he's missing out and he's doing his homework he's not as well
08:07nourished because his mom can't cook and as I said the the clubs are putting on meals for the
08:13players but they're not considering the families that have to support them so
08:17yeah there's loads more around that that can be done to be honest