IAmA Professional Footballer who has played for England National Team, The Premiership and Championship

Did you see that ludicrous display last night?

haha I really hope this is Maurics Moss from IT Crowd

You just got a lot cooler in my books.

What was Wenger thinking sending Walcott on that early?

Goal line technology? Yea or nay?

100% yay. It is just ridiculous not too. A player can be paid £250,000 a week, but we have to just guess if a ball has crossed the line. It has to be implemented!

Did John Terry sleep with your girlfriend/wife too?

haha I escaped unharmed

How much trash-talking goes on on the field, and what do you say?

Great questions and absolutely loads. I was playing against someone last week that was amazing, brilliant dribbler and was running past everyone. I grabbed him and told him if he tries to dribble past me again i'm going to break his legs. He went quiet after that and I got a rest.

One player at the start of the game looked me in the eye and said I am the best player you will ever play against, you should be scared. He scored a hat-trick and I had a terrible game, lesson learned!

How much pussy do you get? Do you just walk into a pub and they throw themselves at you?

Haha blunt question but fair point. All people are different and deal with things in a different way. However I really noticed a different when I spoke to girls in a bar or club and mentioned that I was a footballer. Alot of the time they seem to change and become a lot more interested. It is certainly true that if footballers wanted to, it is very easy to get as much attention from girls as they wanted. I always had a girlfriend and never really explored that side of things, but I have had friends who really embraced the lifestyle and situations they found themsleves in

Okay okay. This has to be asked, Messi or Ronaldo.

Messi. They are both freaks when it comes to the standards and the consistency that they can maintain, but Messi I would have to say my favourite. However I would like to see Ronaldo get world player of the year again as I do not think Messi should get it every year!

Any tips for a 16 year old to achieve his dream to become like you one day?

Be fitter than anyone you know. No matter how much talent people have, the best case to showcase yourself is to be an athlete. Research all training programmes on the web, or have a look at my blog www.patrickpaulcollins.com and there are some on there. If you stand out physically, you give yourself a better platform for your talent to shine through. Secondly if you really want something, don't accept defeat, and keeping pushing till you get to your goal. If you want something more than anyone else, you will get there!

As a young American coach in America I see coaches from England coming here all the time. Is there any sort of program to go the opposite way? It is something I want to pursue at the professional level.

With finding jobs and contacting people, it is always about persistence and pushing people to make time and space for you. There is no set program but if you want to send me an email through my website www.patrickpaulcollins.com I can put you in touch with some contacts I have

What's your opinion on players flopping/diving? Do you notice some clubs/countries do it more than others?

It may sound controversial but sometimes you have to do what ever it takes. I would do anything to win a match, and if a player on my team dived to get a penalty and scored to win a final, I would celebrate with them. I think it should try and be pushed out of the game but only if referees are stricter on players who are caught diving. If players can get away with something, they will try it

is there doping in uk football? and in other countries?

anyone who is taking drugs will be discrete and so I have not met anyone personally who I knew was taking. However I did know players that have taken recreational drugs and were never caught, absolutely crazy but yes it does go on

What is Ronaldo like in person?

He is a mixture, he was only 17 when I played against him. He was incredibly self assured on the pitch, an obvious leader even at a young age. Off the pitch he was a real joker and was always pranking his team mates. You could tell even at 17 that he had quality that was above and beyond everyone else on the pitch, even with people like Wayne Rooney on the same game.

I wish I could play at a level so high. But I live in America. Not too many scouts here /: I would love to one day play beside messi and other great players. Or at least against them. It's always been a dream.

If you want it enough, make it happen, follow my training plans and make videos of your games. Send me a link to them and if they are good enough I can make an introduction for you

Beer, cheese, or monkeys?

Monkeys always, if well trained they can serve you the beer and cheese

What do you think are the chances of England winning the next world cup?

Not great, I have a feeling that Belgium will be the up and coming nation. I don't think there are enough big personalities in the England team yet ready to win a major competition.

YEEEES! Go Belgium!

some amazing players, and their youth set up has been very good.

Slim to feck all.

Signed,

A Scottish person

haha very true!

Well, we in the north accept the shiteness of our national team and cheer them anyway. It's kind of hilarious to watch the endless building up of expectations at every major tournament done by the English media (not so much the fans to be fair) followed by the wailing and gnashing of teeth when nothing happens...

it is absolutely staggering how much hype there is for the national team. We have to realise that the best team wins not individuals. We will never win anything until the mentality changes

When you first started getting paid for professional football, did you start counting your steps like... £1, £2, £3, £4 haha

Hi I went from receiving pocket money, to £60 a week to £1000 a week in the space of 6 months as a 16 year old. First thing I did was bought my parents a present, they have always been supportive. but i was dancing like a mad man when I signed my first contract

Did you watch the England game on wednesday?

yes I watched it, Ibrahimovic was incredible. I have been reading his Autobiography , really interesting character and without doubt his 4th goal was the best I have ever seen!

What's it like being a professional footballer? It genuinely seems like the ultimate lifestyle, or is it compeletely different to that?

It is an amazing lifestyle but also has its difficulties. You have to be a professional footballer all the time, not just on match days. Every minute of every day you are looking after your body, preparing, playing / recovering / learning. Of course you have to switch of at times but it takes a huge amount of dedication to make it work. However it is an incredible lifestyle and any player should feel incredibly lucky to be so fortunate

What do you feel about the lack of openly gay or bisexual footballers in the professional leagues?

In the world we live in now, there is no room for people to be racist or homophobic and this should be embraced throughout society including the sporting world. I think any gay person who is high profile and comes out would get huge publicity and massive earnings, I don't know why anyone has already

According to your Wiki page it says you were born in Muscat, Oman. My first question is are you eligible to play for the Omani national team and secondly, would you consider a call up to play alongside the likes of Ali Al-Habsi?

Hi as I am getting back in to proffessional football from December, I will play till around March and then will be applying for an Omani passport. I am not eligible yet but if I can prove that I am good enough to get on the team then I will push for it.

What modern team or philosophy would you like to play under? Are there any teams that you respect, outside of how many titles they've won (ala Everton)?

I really like Everton's style of play and although they will probably not win anything for a long time due to their budget, they deserve to be respected. I really like how Swansea played under Brendan Rodgers and that sort of play would really suit me as a centre back

what do you think about the recent racism spats in the news?

specifically the ref ?

I think with the ref it was a load of rubbish. The refs are true professional to respond to someone in a racist manner. Racism is the lowest you can get and a ref just wouldn't risk being like that. For players however, I think more needs to be done as there is still racism in the game. With regards to John Terry I think he deserved to be fined but I think he should have been banned for longer and was right to lose his captaincy.

• i just checked out your 12 week training page. is this for leading up to a season? do you have like a maintenance regime during a season?
• what's your diet like?
• do you think the USA can ever be a top tier soccer nation, and if so will we have to start calling it 'football?'
• i see you signed at 16. at that point, did traditional schooling stop for you?
• what do you see yourself doing after retirement?
• two part question: if you could be any dinosaur a) now, and b) in the time of the dinosaurs, which one(s) would you choose and why?

Hey in order of questions: (1) Yes this is for leading up to a season to build up endurance but also to make you sharp (2) There is another post on diet which you can read at http://patrickpaulcollins.wordpress.com/2012/11/07/eating-to-success/ Basically I eat perfectly 6 out of 7 days, high protein, then 1 day a week eat anything I like (3) I would like the US to be a top tier nation but I don't think they will. When basketball / baseball and Hockey are so huge, it will always be difficult to push football also. I really think they can continue to grow and build on the national team (4) I achieved 5 a's and 5'bs at gcse ant 16 then a 'b' and a 'c' for a level by 18. Traditional schooling didn't stop me but I had to have a private tutor and constantly work to achieve grades whilst playing (5)After retirement I will want to go in to the business world. I also want to set up a charity soccer school for 3rd world countries (6) Any dinosaurs I would be a Shantungosaurus, they were just enormous!

monster hind legs. good for kicking. nice pick.

haha thanks

At your peak, how much were you earning?

I made £90,000 in a year when I was an 19 year old and then on average was around £70,000 . On top of that you get bonuses per game for wins and appearances

Hi, thanks for doing this AMA. What sort of car do you drive? What's your favorite type of weather to play in?

Hi i drive a Mercedes but hate driving to be honest. Favourtie weather is when it is wet but still quite hot. Balls rolls really well and great for sliding tackles.

Who do you consider to be the best coach out there?

My youth team England Coach Richard Bates is the best I have had. He is responsible for training all top coaches to get their top qualifications and is the best I have witnessed.

Would you prefer to go into management or coaching?

definitely coaching. I am fascinated with the science of sporting improvement and I think I could have a key role improving players mentality and physical performances at a top team

What has been the hardest thing about taking time out from football?

It is a mixture. I had to take time out through injury and im starting again professionally in December this year. You miss the adrenalin rush of performing in front of so many people, and the success that it brings. Also it is a fantastic way to effect peoples lives and give them real happiness and when that is taking away you miss it.

Do you play FIFA 13? Or any FIFA game? Do you think that they've done a good job with the game?

Yes I play FIFA but was a big fan of PRO Evolution when it was most popular. I think the games are great but the better they are the less people are actually playing real football which is a shame. Would be great to combine ideas somehow. Play physical to create points online or something like that

Hi Paddy, Sheff Weds fan here! What was the general feeling of morale at the club during what we now refer to as "the dark ages" we as fans got the impression that it was very low. Also, who was the best player there at the time (in your opinion) thanks for the AMA!

Hey SWFC! THe morale of the team was always high, even in the worst of times. With professional football, players constantly change teams, and managers keep changing and so although there is a team spirit, as a professional you have to always make sure you are always contributing in the right way and others will follow. The best players was Lee Bullen. He was a real leader amongst men and the best captain I have played under

What is your all-time favourite football related memory, be it off the pitch or on the pitch?

On the pitch it was either winning my first cap for England youth team. SInging the national anthem, playing against Portugal, drawing 1-1, I scored and Ronaldo scored. Of the pitch it was seeing people who had followed my career, who had supported my and being able to spend time with them and help with coaching or financially

Highbury or The Emirates?

Highbury

Do you think Hodgson took Raheem Sterling just to spite Jamaica? :(

There is always a sense of that to give them an early cap to stop them playing for someone else. However it was not a competitive friendly and so he could still play for someone else if he wanted to

How did you begin as an pro player?

I was playing for my school team when I was 15. My teacher though I had potential so arrange trials with the County. From them trials Sunderland signed me and 6 months later I was in the England National team for U17's

Who do you think is going to be the next person to win the Ballon D'or that's not Messi or Ronaldo?

It has to be Messi again, just for the fact that he consistently scores so many goals. However I would love to see a defender win it sometime but I don't think that will ever happen and Maldini was probably as close as any defender will get

What are the rivalries like with club teams? Are the fans as dramatic as the middle east? As violent? I have heard a lot of crazy stories about fans, but more importantly, what is it like to play with on such incredible teams and what do you like/ dislike in the professional football realm? My imagination may be running wild but I suspect you are incredibly happy all the time and there are never any misfortunes in your life.

Rivalries with clubs are actually bigger with fans than they are with players. Two rival city fans will want to kill each other, whereas the players have to be professional and play their normal game. The atmospheres are more intense. I have never played in the middle east but I hope to move to Oman and would love to experience those leagues. Life as a football can be incredibly but you have to be disciplined and accept that things like, alcohol, drugs, holidays, are just not a possibility

What's your opinion on using replays to call fouls that a referee could have missed/not seen properly? And goal line technology for tracking when the ball goes in the goal digitally?

It seems you could have a team of officials with instant replays of fouls, and they could be mic'd to the referee to tell him the best choice of action, but do you think this would slow the pace of the game too much?

I think there needs to be goal line technology but not replies. Referees are good enough to spot decisions and if they miss a foul this is all part of the game. However if a referee misses a goal this completely changes the game and so has to be changed in the future.

How much time do you spend training per day and how do you fill the rest of your time?

during season I train 10;30 to 1;00 and then play on Saturday. Off season when I do my own training I do around 3 hours a day but part of this is Yoga and Pilates

If you could be at the same level of ability and status in any other sport, which one would you pick?

An olympic athlete. Watching people like MO Farrah win the Olympics in Uk, it was breath taking and I would have loved to do that

Are you the guardian's secret footballer?

unfortunately not but I know who it is