Charlton and Republic of Ireland skipper Matt Holland showed his support for the PlayStation Schools’ Cup when he turned up at the London event. As ever, BeSport.com had a chat with the Premiership midfielder.
So what is your involvement with the PlayStation Schools’ Cup?
Well, being sponsored by Adidas, who are heavily involved with the tournament, I’m really happy to support the PlayStation Schools’ Cup because when I was a kid our school didn’t have the opportunity to play in a nationwide tournament and get free kit. This event is a big help to all those schools who lack funding.
Did you have anything like this when you were at school?
No there wasn’t, but I was lucky because I used to play Sunday football and my Dad used to follow me everywhere. Not all children get that sort of support so it’s nice for schools to be involved in a tournament like this.
How did you get into football?
Well, I’ve been playing football since I could walk and without my Dad’s support I probably wouldn’t be here today. I used to play for local teams at the weekend and he used to take me everywhere and supported me throughout.
As a youth player you were released from Arsenal, what would you say to any youngster that may be facing a similar fate?
Never give up on your dream and always practice. When I was at Arsenal they said I was too small so I left them but within six months I was at West Ham. You need a lot of luck, but also dedication and a good work ethic.
Were you always a midfielder?
Yeah, my Dad was a defender and I know a lot of people tend to follow in their Dad’s footsteps, but I always wanted to be a midfielder because you could do a bit of everything. So it’s always been a position I’ve enjoyed.
Charlton are famous for having a wonderful team spirit, what ingredients do you need to make this work?
It’s a difficult one because you need players that get on with each other, which is something we have at Charlton. You also need the right characters on and off the field and one of Alan Curbishley’s big pluses is that he brings the right personalities into the club.
Do you have any superstitions?
Not really, the only thing I do involves my shin pads. Some players swap which pad goes on which leg, but I always make sure that the pad I use on my right leg always gets worn on my right leg and vice-versa.
You played with Paulo Di Canio at Charlton, what was the funniest incident he was involved in?
He did all sorts of stupid things! Last season when we were flying back from Everton, he started singing ‘Nesan Dorma’ on the plane’s intercom system.
…should Pavarotti be worried?
Yeah he should, he was quite good actually!
Now I hear you are planning to take your coaching badges soon, but you also have a desire to do horse riding. Which one are you planning to master first?
Well coaching hopefully! I can take my badges while I’m playing but I can’t go horse riding until I’ve stopped. I would like to complete my coaching before I finish playing and go into that, but I would definitely like to do some horse riding too.