Rhys Weston debut football column

RHYS WESTON: People think all footballers are millionaires, but that is not the case for 90 per cent... I will have to work for the rest of my days just to live


Rhys Weston started his career at Arsenal, playing three times for the first team in 1999 and 2000. He went on to appear more than 200 times for Cardiff City, and also played for Viking Stavanger, Port Vale, Walsall, Dundee, and KR Reykjavik. He most recently played for Sabah in Malaysia. In his debut Footballers' Football Column, the 32-year-old talks about the Arsenal greats, the mental side of football, and why the Scottish league is better than you think. Before you read his column, watch his video below…


Thierry Henry almost made me cry. I was at Arsenal, there was an international break, and only a few guys were training – me, Thierry, Nigel Winterburn, a few others. We split into pairs, with Pat Rice rolling the ball into the 18-yard box. The first to it would attack, and the other would defend. I was with Thierry, and I didn’t touch the ball once. Not once in the session! It was so frustrating.
Arsenal was the best football education you could wish for. Patrick Vieira was a great guy, Dennis Bergkamp was really friendly, Tony Adams and Martin Keown had an aura. I made my debut away to Middlesbrough in the League Cup in 1999, coming on at half-time for Oleg Luzhny. I was up against Brian Deane and Hamilton Ricard, who weren’t exactly the smallest, but I did okay.


My biggest problem was the mental side. I never had that self-belief to say “I’m good enough”. I did well in stages, played for the first team, got in the squad, but I never believed. It was only in the weeks before I left Arsenal, in November 2000, that I began to feel comfortable with the first team. I began to think “this is a normal day”. Before, I’d been overawed.
Ryan Giggs could see I wasn’t confident. When we played for Wales we weren’t close, but he was always polite. One training session, he took me to one side and said “Look, I enjoy playing against you because you test me.” For him to say that was incredible. I’ve never forgotten it. He’s the best I’ve played with, because when you talk about the best, you talk about the man as well as the player.
When Arsenal accepted Cardiff’s offer, I thought 'they don’t want me, there’s no point staying'. Naïve or not, that was how I saw things as a 19-year-old. I met Sam Hammam in London – he had a vision of young, Welsh players going up the leagues, like he’d done with Wimbledon. He offered me a good contract for the level (the then Third Division) and my age.
Cardiff was a wake-up call. I’d gone from a luxury training ground at Arsenal, to washing my own kit and training on pretty much a rugby pitch! But it was a wonderful, wonderful time of my life. Seven or eight young lads, playing for Cardiff, playing for Wales Under-21s, in a city that was blossoming into one of the best in Europe. I’ll always have an affinity for the club.
For whatever reason, Dave Jones and I didn’t get on. In his first season, I played 30-odd games in the Championship, but he decided to let me go. I heard rumours that he didn’t give me a glowing reference. I was told to go on trial at Millwall, but they already had someone, so I moved to Norway.
When I was first asked to join Viking Stavanger, I dismissed it. But as time went on, the alarm bells started ringing. I’d played the best part of 100 games in the Championship, I was 25, but there was no interest in England. Egil Ostenstad was director of football at Viking. I went over, and found a great club with a great set-up. I negotiated my release from Cardiff, and signed a short-term contract.
Within a week of arriving, the manager who signed me was sacked. The interim coach didn’t speak much English. He said he didn’t know anything about me, and that he wanted Norwegian players, because they understood him. I finally got my chance in the last game of the season, and I dislocated my shoulder after seven minutes. So that was my Norwegian adventure done.


In opposition: Weston playing for Cardiff taking the ball off Jose Antonio Reyes
Looking back, leaving Cardiff was a turning point. That three-month spell in Norway took me out of the loop. I came back outside the window – people don’t know where you’ve been, you’re off the radar, and you’re waiting for the phone to ring. I had a short spell at Port Vale, because I was out of work. After that, I had two choices – Hereford or Walsall, and I signed for Walsall.
For whatever reason – poor career choices, poor references, playing abroad – people were almost asking “Is he still playing?” It was upsetting. I’ve never been a troublemaker, never been overly-opinionated, so it knocked my confidence. My wages fell hugely from Cardiff to Port Vale to Walsall. It took me a long time to adapt. You end up playing to pay the bills.
I’ll be working for the rest of my days – I haven’t got the money to retire. People think footballers are all millionaires, but 90 percent of players have to keep working. I never saved for a rainy day – I could have been more astute, more sensible, but I’ve got no regrets.

Welsh wizard: Ryan Giggs gave Weston confidence when he was struggling
The Scottish league is tough. I went to Dundee after three years at Walsall. I remember a conversation with a Scottish lad, Ryan McCann. People think everyone wants to move to England, but he said some people don’t want to leave home. So you get a league that’s very competitive.
By December of my first season at Dundee, we were on minus eight points. We went into administration three months after I arrived – we were docked 25 points, and a number of people were laid off. But we went 23 games unbeaten and stayed up with two games to go. The next season we were promoted. Amazing, really. It was a great club with really nice people.
I went straight from Dundee to KR Reykjavik. I was due to stay for two years, but left after three or four months, for financial reasons. Again, you come back, and you’re waiting for the phone to ring. There’s a question mark above your name. I had a trial with Barnet in the summer, but they were looking for someone more physical. My options were limited. Then I was asked to go to Malaysia.


Dropping down: Weston dropped down to play for Walsall
There were a few British players in Iceland, and we stayed in touch through Facebook and Twitter. When I said on Twitter I was leaving, a Welsh player called Liam Killa messaged me. He put me in touch with his agent, Nick McCreery. He said his dad – the former Manchester United and Newcastle United player David – was looking for players for his club in Malaysia. Football’s a small world.
I live in Kota Kinabula in North Borneo. It’s an amazing place. There’s beaches, rainforests, mountain ranges. And it’s hot and humid – the weather hasn’t dropped below 29, 30 degrees since I’ve been here. But I came on my own, and it has been difficult at times. Unfortunately, things haven’t quite worked out with Sabah, and I’m returning to the UK this month (May).
I could have stayed in England, sat at home, and twiddled my thumbs. But I decided to do something. It was definitely the right decision. After coming back from Iceland, I realised my marketability – or lack of it – at home. I could have joined the queue, waited for the call, but I was proactive. I want to play for as long as possible. As it stands, there’s a better chance of that happening outside the UK. There are opportunities in Asia if you network.
My advice for young players? Don’t take anything for granted. The harder you work, the bigger reward – that’s a fact. And enjoy it. It’s the most amazing career you could hope for.

That's a good read

Yea great read. Hes had some bad luck fairplay.
Seems a nice guy.

Always thought Weston was undervalued at Cardiff. Did a great job for us right up to Championship level.

Sad that DJ didn't fancy him and that his career went downwards after being released.

not really good enough for us in the championship, but really could have made a career in league 1/2 under different circumstances.

Decent player but never had any bottle

He scored one of my fave ever City goals. It was v Tranmere in old div 3 to make it 4-0. Reminiscent move like Carlos Alberto's 4th for Brazil in World Cup final in 1970.
Not the best of defenders; but tried hard.

i always was in awe of weston as a kid, thought he was a great fast full back, i think, if he stayed at city, and played a few years under jones he could of gotten much better, i just think he needed time to come into his own,