My Time in a Land Down Under
A Letter from Mr David Coles, West Ham Utd FC Senior GK Coach and great mate of PFT
THE SEAGULL THAT FLEW OVER MELBOURNE THE SECOND TIME WITH BOOTS ON!
?Firstly, I know its been a long time in writing but as most of you know when I left Melbourne talks were already on going with West Ham United so time is been quiet hard to come by. Since leaving I have been living in a hotel, and most of my time is spent at the training ground mainly working with my goalkeepers but also checking out what we have at all levels by observing the Academy keepers too of an evening. It?s always difficult when you first walk into a big club with unbelievable traditions and people that have been there for years look at you as though you are a bit of an alien?
Anyway things are great here although a few more wins would not go a miss to take off the pressure but this is the premier league and whether you believe it or not no games are easy! I have recently brought a flat in London as a bolt hole throughout the week to stay as travelling and hotels are not a good way to live for me? The goalkeepers at West Ham have found it quiet different to there normal routines of work, we had a pre-season tour to Germany in which they were working three times a day and not always goalkeeping if you know what I mean. However I think they are getting use to me as it does take time to build relationships, but more importantly ones that are built on solid foundations rather than sand, this leads me back to pre-season when Peter Kurucz my number three keeper doing press ups after swimming four lengths waiting Robert Green to finish his four off shouted ?come on Greenie I need you my arms are dropping off.? We all become very close since then and the work ethic as jumped to another level!
Like my time in your fantastic country where the seagulls don?t seem to mind who they crap on? Yet there is a great spirit and a fantastic will to succeed at what ever you do. I have been to the PFT two years running now and I can honestly say I have enjoyed myself every time and loved every minute of working with all of the goalkeepers that Roy sent my way. The first year I came was great but this year was out of this world because of us and I mean all building real good relationships, even now I still get E-mails from you guys telling me what you?re up to and thanking me for helping in some area of your game. Its great and much appreciated but YOU ALL PUT THE WORK IN WITH ME and I?m only as good the people I work with so a big thanks from me to you. The standard of goalkeeping was extremely high and the level with which you all work at is a credit to coaches at PFT, Roy, Fonzie, Peter and Rainer certainly are up there with the good coaches and there knowledge will only benefit you all long term if you are to succeed.
As much as I enjoy life in England I look at Melbourne being my second home and hope that Kylie will invite me back in the near future!!! Ooops I mean Roy. The highlights of my time spent in Melbourne are very precious, Roy hospitality in his own house and of course being around his fantastic family. Then there was the Fonz showing me the sights of his night life and of course his fantastic lady in Becky, as well as the seagull scenario there were plenty of others in an action packed two weeks in the life of the Fonz? Not forgetting my experience of driving the great ocean road with Rainer only to find out that we took a rather long route? But we had a great time together drinking some of your fantastic red wine that you produce over there that all Australians drink apart from Roy of course!! Watching Peter Zois in a Victoria league game was also interesting as he never stops talking when you?re with him in a normal relaxed setting, yet in the game he?s worse and was still talking on leaving the field to himself? These memories I can still visualise like it was yesterday and will always be special to me so big thanks from all of you and please keep me informed of your success by e-mail and hopefully I am sure we will meet up again. My last message goes to Roy who as a great sense of humour but is concern that everything is going well he lost all of his hair while I was there? Just joking Roy listen it was Roy that invited me out to Melbourne and we have formed a great friendship and working relationship, I pleased to be associated with the PFT and hope this will continue for many years to come. By the way Roy I hear BOOT SALES have dropped since I left and you have had the worst winter in history for rain!!
Good luck and best wishes to all with whom I had the pleasure to know and work with.
Remember Keep Catching: COLESY?