Page 19 of How To Tackle A Crush
“No,” she says, then clearly realises that sounded bold. “I mean obviously football. There is football. You are very… football. But that doesn’t sound like the whole answer.”
Now I’m definitely smiling.
“And what does it sound like?” I ask.
She hesitates. “It sounds like you chose this because you wanted something else as well. I don’t know… it just feels like that this isn’t just about your career.”
That shuts the room up.
Not tactical. Not sensational. Just… accurate.
For a second I don’t answer.
Not because I don’t have one. Because I’m deciding how much truth to allow into the room.
Most of them are waiting for something usable. A phrase they can twist. A hint of ego. A mistake.
She isn’t.
She’s watching me like she asked a real question and expects a real answer.
That’s different.
“You are right,” I say finally.
No elaboration. Just confirmation.
She nods slightly, like that matches whatever theory she was building in her head.
Then she adds, almost as an afterthought, “That must be quite rare.”
I raise an eyebrow. “Choosing your own career moves?”
“No,” she says, and I can see her deciding whether to retreat or continue. She continues. “Admitting it’s not all about football. In sports it always sounds like it’s all or nothing.”
There’s a small murmur in the room at that.
Not loud. Just the sound of people recognising something true and not being sure they like it.
I find myself smiling properly now.
“That’s a fair point,” I say.
She looks like she wasn’t expecting agreement.
“So,” she says, clearly trying to steer herself back to something that sounds more like journalism, “if you did choose this deliberately… what were you choosing?”
I could give the standard answer. Project. Challenge. Timing. The usual safe words.
Instead I say, “The right environment.”
She tilts her head slightly, considering that.
“For you or for the players?” she asks.
There’s no trap in it. Just curiosity.
“For everyone,” I say. “If you get the environment right, people tend to do better work.”
