Jermaine Pennant

Yeah, I always, you know, wanting to play football and everyone around me, you know, was, you know, I've got to thank as well because rather than them dragging me down, they made sure that I stayed in football and my dad as well.

So, you know, I'm thankful for them.

But obviously, you know, having the scars that I had from a young age, you know, being an infant, three, four growing up, you know, I carried them scars with me.

Hence why I've made the mistakes I made in my adult life.

Yeah, they did.

And I think it was my father who, you know, I didn't know at the time, it was only recently, not recently, but recently that my dad told me that he told my friends and the older lot that, you know, if you're going to,

go and do what you're doing.

Please, for me, don't bring Jermaine along.

And in all fairness, they don't listen to rules and they've got no regulations, but for some reason, they respect my dad and they respect his wishes and they never took me along.

Did you want to go with them?

Yes, because those are my friends.

You know, two years older, three years older, but, you know, it's like a part of a family.

So I wanted to go along because I thought those were my friends and I didn't know different.

So I wanted to, but, you know, they made sure I didn't.

Yeah, I think that the resources that football clubs and sport have for troubled youngsters, you know, because once you're at the training ground or once you're at the stadium, you know, you're in their hands and, you know, as soon as training finishes, you're on your own until the next day.

So I think if they can maybe look out more, guide more, have more, you know, round-the-clock attention to troubled youngsters, you know, speak more as well, you know, that's one thing I never had.

I never really spoke about any issues and it was all,

boiled up and you know, when I wasn't playing, that's when I got frustrated and that's when I started to go off the rails.

I didn't remember at the time, but I was just, like, not fazed by it.

I was like, oh, yeah, OK.