Cherno
Samba was once keeping Wayne Rooney out of England’s youth team, tipped to fire
the Three Lions to 2006 World Cup glory and in such demand Liverpool enlisted
Michael Owen to try and tempt him to Anfield.
In
the end things didn’t turn out as expected – his career was such a
roller-coaster ex-England boss Steve McClaren was stunned to discover he was
still playing a decade ago.
Yet,
to Samba’s credit, there is no bitterness or regret from about how his career
unfolded and only a philosophical reflection thanks to his faith.
And
Samba is hoping to use his experiences of the “dog-eat-dog” football world to
help guide the next generation of young hopefuls.
The
double irony of how he is now working towards doing that is not lost on Samba,
now 32.
The
boy wonder made even more famous by a management computer game is now well on
the road to becoming a coach himself and currently on an A Licence course
alongside the likes of Frank Lampard and Graeme Le Saux.
And
managing the country of his birth, Gambia, who he played senior football for
and where he remains highly thought of, could be a possibility in the future.
Meanwhile,
Samba is currently gaining experience shadowing the likes of former Anfield
reserves boss John McMahon who now works at Liverpool’s foundation as he works
towards his badges.
Samba
came close to joining Liverpool aged 14 and it is impossible not to wonder what
might have been had that move gone through.
He
said: “I’ve always wanted to give my experience to the next generation. That is
my motivation now and there is not a better person to do it than myself after
what I’ve experienced.
“As
soon as I got to Liverpool I thought ‘life is crazy.’ As a player I was going
to be signing for this club and now I am doing my coaching hours here. It
brings back memories.”
Samba’s
name will bring back memories of cult computer game Championship Manager for a
certain generation of football fans.
Cherno
Samba was once keeping Wayne Rooney out of England’s youth team, tipped to fire
the Three Lions to 2006 World Cup glory and in such demand Liverpool enlisted
Michael Owen to try and tempt him to Anfield.
In
the end things didn’t turn out as expected – his career was such a
roller-coaster ex-England boss Steve McClaren was stunned to discover he was
still playing a decade ago.
Yet,
to Samba’s credit, there is no bitterness or regret from about how his career
unfolded and only a philosophical reflection thanks to his faith.
And
Samba is hoping to use his experiences of the “dog-eat-dog” football world to
help guide the next generation of young hopefuls.
The
double irony of how he is now working towards doing that is not lost on Samba,
now 32.
The
boy wonder made even more famous by a management computer game is now well on
the road to becoming a coach himself and currently on an A Licence course
alongside the likes of Frank Lampard and Graeme Le Saux.
And
managing the country of his birth, Gambia, who he played senior football for
and where he remains highly thought of, could be a possibility in the future.
Meanwhile,
Samba is currently gaining experience shadowing the likes of former Anfield
reserves boss John McMahon who now works at Liverpool’s foundation as he works
towards his badges.
Samba
came close to joining Liverpool aged 14 and it is impossible not to wonder what
might have been had that move gone through.
He
said: “I’ve always wanted to give my experience to the next generation. That is
my motivation now and there is not a better person to do it than myself after
what I’ve experienced.
“As
soon as I got to Liverpool I thought ‘life is crazy.’ As a player I was going
to be signing for this club and now I am doing my coaching hours here. It
brings back memories.”
Samba’s
name will bring back memories of cult computer game Championship Manager for a
certain generation of football fans.
Samba
was one of the young stars of the early 2000s versions of the world renowned
game when he was a teenage starlet charging through defences and the ranks at
Millwall.
The
devastating striker he became on the game only added to his aura, reputation,
and the pressure, when he stepped on the pitch in real life.
Trophies,
goals and international success came guaranteed in the virtual world for Samba
and any budding manager who snapped him up.
But,
clever as Championship Manager’s makers were, what they could never predict
predictions was the impact of the pitfalls encountered by wonder-kids such as
Samba which he now is hoping to warn future prospects about.
After
scoring 132 goals in just 32 games for his school aged just 13 and getting
picked up by Millwall, Samba was soon quickly marked out as one of England’s
hottest prospects.
England
recognition followed – Samba played from under-15s through to 21s and was in
the same age group as Rooney and Wayne Routledge but impressed so much he was
pushed up a year to play alongside the likes of Glen Johnson, Darren Bent and
David Bentley.
At
the same time Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester United and Leeds were jostling for
his signature. But there were downsides to being a golden boy too.
Like
being surrounded by people and coaches who tip-toed around him and massaged his
ego because they were too afraid to upset him rather than delivering home
truths or pushing Samba in the right direction when he strayed off track.
That’s
what he now admits he could have done with after his proposed £2m move to
Liverpool collapsed before his eyes in then Anfield-boss Gerard Houllier’s
office, shattering his dreams and resulting in a frustrated Samba taking a
six-month break from football when his love and appetite for the game
disappeared.
South
Londoner Samba eventually returned to Millwall but the damage had been done.
He
said: “Knowing what I know now I should have gone back, put my head down and
worked hard, not stayed away from football.
“So
part of it is my own fault. If I had gone back to Millwall when that move
didn’t happen, trained a bit harder it (his talent) will come through.
“But
I had lost my appetite for the game. Before football was a passion, I loved it
and you could pay me nothing and I would still play.
“After
that (the move collapse) happened I said I need to make sure my mum and dad are
stable financially and I am too. So I was just going to get paid.”
In
the end Plymouth was the only English club Samba played for while he also had
spells in Spain, Wales, Finland, Greece and Norway before retiring in 2015.
He
said: “I am happy with how my career panned out. I have played in great
countries. But I feel like I could have pushed a bit more to get to the top.
“I
believe in God and that helps because I look at things and think everything
that happens was meant to happen.
“Not
going to Liverpool, not winning the World Cup for England in 2006 and whatever
else, was meant to happen.
“If
that was meant to happen it would have happened. I won’t beat myself up about
it.
“I
remember Steve McClaren said in an article ‘I can’t believe Cherno is still in
the game because if this happened to any other player in the world they
wouldn’t still be in the game’.
“That
was 10 years ago. It is really tough but that’s the past.”
The
future for Samba is his ambitions to become a “top” coach and he freely admits
being open to managing Gambia when the time is right.
Samba
said: “Once I finish my A licence I want to do a bit of coaching here
academy-wise just to gain that experience and exposure before I can take a big
job like the Gambia job because it is a massive one, you can imagine.
“I
would want to go up the ladder and learn my trade first, just as you do when
you are coming up as a pro.”
And
he won’t be short of wisdom to pass on. “It has been ups and downs for me in
football,” Samba admitted.
“I
just felt like I needed to give something back to the youngsters coming up so
they don’t fall into the same traps or be treated the way I was.
“That
is what pushed me more to go into the coaching side so I can mentor the young
kids, put them on the straight and narrow, help and guide them through what I
have experienced to try and avoid the pitfalls.”
Asked
how Samba the coach would develop Samba the teenager, he suggested a
combination of tough love, the ‘arm around the shoulder’ approach and
one-on-one pep talks would do the trick.
Whatever
style of coach he becomes will be heavily-shaped by his own first-hand
experiences.
“If
I had my way again I wouldn’t be so famous so early. I wish I was one of those
kids you didn’t hear about and who came through the back door,” he said.
“When
you put that sort of pressure on you as a kid is does have an affect. I also
wouldn’t be giving too much too soon. I wish I wasn’t.
“Especially
in this country, we are given so much, so early. By the time you’re 19, 20,
football is out the way and it is all about luxury, looks, nice cars.
“At
17, I bought my brand new Peugeot, 11 grand, cash. The 206 was the new car that
had just come out so I just went to the garage and bought it.
Cherno
Samba was once keeping Wayne Rooney out of England’s youth team, tipped to fire
the Three Lions to 2006 World Cup glory and in such demand Liverpool enlisted
Michael Owen to try and tempt him to Anfield.
In
the end things didn’t turn out as expected – his career was such a
roller-coaster ex-England boss Steve McClaren was stunned to discover he was
still playing a decade ago.
Yet,
to Samba’s credit, there is no bitterness or regret from about how his career
unfolded and only a philosophical reflection thanks to his faith.
And
Samba is hoping to use his experiences of the “dog-eat-dog” football world to
help guide the next generation of young hopefuls.
The
double irony of how he is now working towards doing that is not lost on Samba,
now 32.
The
boy wonder made even more famous by a management computer game is now well on
the road to becoming a coach himself and currently on an A Licence course
alongside the likes of Frank Lampard and Graeme Le Saux.
And
managing the country of his birth, Gambia, who he played senior football for
and where he remains highly thought of, could be a possibility in the future.
Meanwhile,
Samba is currently gaining experience shadowing the likes of former Anfield
reserves boss John McMahon who now works at Liverpool’s foundation as he works
towards his badges.
Samba
came close to joining Liverpool aged 14 and it is impossible not to wonder what
might have been had that move gone through.
He
said: “I’ve always wanted to give my experience to the next generation. That is
my motivation now and there is not a better person to do it than myself after
what I’ve experienced.
ADVERTISEMENT
“As
soon as I got to Liverpool I thought ‘life is crazy.’ As a player I was going
to be signing for this club and now I am doing my coaching hours here. It
brings back memories.”
Samba’s
name will bring back memories of cult computer game Championship Manager for a
certain generation of football fans.
Samba
was one of the young stars of the early 2000s versions of the world renowned
game when he was a teenage starlet charging through defences and the ranks at
Millwall.
The
devastating striker he became on the game only added to his aura, reputation,
and the pressure, when he stepped on the pitch in real life.
Trophies,
goals and international success came guaranteed in the virtual world for Samba
and any budding manager who snapped him up.
But,
clever as Championship Manager’s makers were, what they could never predict
predictions was the impact of the pitfalls encountered by wonder-kids such as
Samba which he now is hoping to warn future prospects about.
After
scoring 132 goals in just 32 games for his school aged just 13 and getting
picked up by Millwall, Samba was soon quickly marked out as one of England’s
hottest prospects.
England
recognition followed – Samba played from under-15s through to 21s and was in
the same age group as Rooney and Wayne Routledge but impressed so much he was
pushed up a year to play alongside the likes of Glen Johnson, Darren Bent and
David Bentley.
At
the same time Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester United and Leeds were jostling for
his signature. But there were downsides to being a golden boy too.
Like
being surrounded by people and coaches who tip-toed around him and massaged his
ego because they were too afraid to upset him rather than delivering home
truths or pushing Samba in the right direction when he strayed off track.
That’s
what he now admits he could have done with after his proposed £2m move to Liverpool
collapsed before his eyes in then Anfield-boss Gerard Houllier’s office,
shattering his dreams and resulting in a frustrated Samba taking a six-month
break from football when his love and appetite for the game disappeared.
South
Londoner Samba eventually returned to Millwall but the damage had been done.
He
said: “Knowing what I know now I should have gone back, put my head down and
worked hard, not stayed away from football.
“So
part of it is my own fault. If I had gone back to Millwall when that move
didn’t happen, trained a bit harder it (his talent) will come through.
“But
I had lost my appetite for the game. Before football was a passion, I loved it
and you could pay me nothing and I would still play.
“After
that (the move collapse) happened I said I need to make sure my mum and dad are
stable financially and I am too. So I was just going to get paid.”
In
the end Plymouth was the only English club Samba played for while he also had
spells in Spain, Wales, Finland, Greece and Norway before retiring in 2015.
He
said: “I am happy with how my career panned out. I have played in great
countries. But I feel like I could have pushed a bit more to get to the top.
“I
believe in God and that helps because I look at things and think everything
that happens was meant to happen.
“Not
going to Liverpool, not winning the World Cup for England in 2006 and whatever
else, was meant to happen.
“If
that was meant to happen it would have happened. I won’t beat myself up about
it.
“I
remember Steve McClaren said in an article ‘I can’t believe Cherno is still in
the game because if this happened to any other player in the world they
wouldn’t still be in the game’.
“That
was 10 years ago. It is really tough but that’s the past.”
The
future for Samba is his ambitions to become a “top” coach and he freely admits
being open to managing Gambia when the time is right.
Samba
said: “Once I finish my A licence I want to do a bit of coaching here
academy-wise just to gain that experience and exposure before I can take a big
job like the Gambia job because it is a massive one, you can imagine.
“I
would want to go up the ladder and learn my trade first, just as you do when
you are coming up as a pro.”
And
he won’t be short of wisdom to pass on. “It has been ups and downs for me in
football,” Samba admitted.
“I
just felt like I needed to give something back to the youngsters coming up so
they don’t fall into the same traps or be treated the way I was.
“That
is what pushed me more to go into the coaching side so I can mentor the young
kids, put them on the straight and narrow, help and guide them through what I
have experienced to try and avoid the pitfalls.”
Asked
how Samba the coach would develop Samba the teenager, he suggested a
combination of tough love, the ‘arm around the shoulder’ approach and
one-on-one pep talks would do the trick.
Whatever
style of coach he becomes will be heavily-shaped by his own first-hand
experiences.
“If
I had my way again I wouldn’t be so famous so early. I wish I was one of those
kids you didn’t hear about and who came through the back door,” he said.
“When
you put that sort of pressure on you as a kid is does have an affect. I also
wouldn’t be giving too much too soon. I wish I wasn’t.
“Especially
in this country, we are given so much, so early. By the time you’re 19, 20,
football is out the way and it is all about luxury, looks, nice cars.
“At
17, I bought my brand new Peugeot, 11 grand, cash. The 206 was the new car that
had just come out so I just went to the garage and bought it.
“Things like that I would do differently. And
we need to teach these kids, the next generation about how to conduct yourself.
“What
also didn’t help me was I was far above everybody else. I was scoring goals
left right and centre. And instead of working harder, I felt I didn’t need to
and I was already there, better than these other players.
“If
we had to do 10 doggies I would do six and I knew I would still get picked to
play the next game as well.
“A
lot of things have got to change and because I have experienced it that is why
I want to help the next generation.
“I
am well prepared now to be a coach more than I could ever be. I watch a lot of
games, talk to top, top people in the game. I can pick up the phone and speak
to any of them and they will listen and give me advice.
“I
am looking forward to the challenges. I have a new energy, new positiveness and
new life. I am enjoying every minute of everything.”
