The Legends

by Robert E. Connolly

  Brian needed little assistance with basic ball handling skills because he had obviously taken it upon himself to perfect all of the juggling skills he had seen on the television as well as inventing others that Nigel might not have thought possible. The first time the boy rolled the ball down his back and kicked it back over his head with his heel, Nigel’s jaw literally dropped in surprise. These juggling skills also meant that Brian developed the ability to control the ball at his feet to such an extent that Nigel was seldom, if ever, able to take the ball from him. As time passed Brian also developed all the tricks from crossover dribbles to heel-flips and Nigel could only imagine what would happen were he to appear on a field of his peers.

  In short, Brian quickly became as technically proficient as any player with whom the former professional footballer had ever been associated. Nigel did realize that there was no way of knowing how the young man might develop and change as he grew and matured, or for that matter, whether he would even continue to be interested in the sport.

  Blessington was personally familiar with several players who had demonstrated amazing ability at a young age but then had been injured, lost interest or simply “burned out” and never approached the potential their early abilities suggested. Perhaps Brian would be like that but Nigel believed that if the game remained for him just that, a game, the young man would never lose his passion for playing. To that end, Nigel did everything he could to make the Saturday sessions great fun. Between the games he invented to challenge his prize pupil and the banter for every success or failure, the two got on famously and the Saturday mornings were full of laughter.

  When the Saturday was rainy or miserable, a condition that was not infrequent, the session remained indoors. Nigel remembered that no matter how much he loved the game, practice sessions in the rain and muck were occasionally necessary but never enjoyed so on those days, the two talked soccer. Over the years Blessington acquired a number of match videos and after he began his sessions with Brian, Nigel located instructional videos, which could also explain the game. On those cold wet days, the two sat in the Blessington’s sitting room watching the videos and talking about what they had seen while drinking Millicent’s special hot chocolate. Much to his delight, Nigel’s normally reserved wife apparently took a shine to Brian’s quiet nature and good manners. What was even more shocking was the Millicent didn’t seem to mind the presence of the massive Molly who sat quietly by the fire as the two talked soccer. During these sessions, Nigel kept the remote handy to stop or replay important segments and Brian soon acquired an appreciation for the finer points of the game.

  Unfortunately for all the coaching, both on and off the pitch, Nigel knew that until Brian could actually play the game, there were limits to the boy’s development. He also knew that there was nothing Brian would rather do than compete. Nigel remembered his discussion with the boy’s father and he recognized that if Brian was to play with boys his own age, or even those substantially older, neither Brian nor his team mates would enjoy the experience. Although it was frustrating for the young man, Nigel believed that Brian understood his unique situation just as he realized that his competition on a hurling field would also have to wait.

  “You see Brian,” he explained one wet Saturday, “as you know I have seen and played with many, many soccer players in the years since I was your age so I know about these things. The thing is, just like in hurling, God has given you far more skills in soccer than He has given most boys your age or even much older.”

  “I guess I knew that Mr. Blessington,” Brian said humbly, “but why would He do that?”

  “That’s a tough one,” Nigel responded with a smile. “God works in strange ways that none of us will ever understand. I suppose He gave you these gifts because He knew that you would use them well. I’m sure you know people who were blessed with other gifts, like being very smart for example. Maybe He gave them that gift so they could help other people. Maybe He gave you your gift so that you could be part of a team and you would help your teammates be better players and better people as well. Whatever the reason, you were blessed and it is up to you to use your gifts properly.”

  “And how will I know I am doing that?” Brian asked.

  “Another tough one – you do ask hard questions,” Nigel said. “I suppose the biggest thing is to always remember that you are part of a team. Maybe you have the skill to score a goal every time but that may not be the best thing to do.”

  Brian looked at his mentor with a quizzical expression, “But I thought the idea was for the team to win the match and surely scoring goals would help to win the match and help the team.”

  Nigel held up his hand, “Ah, but you see winning is nice, but it is not the only thing, not even the most important thing. Playing as a team is far more important than winning or losing. Competing well and playing fairly is also far more important than winning or losing. Draws aside, for every winning team there will also be a losing team and if winning were the only thing, all those other teams would be wasting their time. If you were to score every time you got hold of the ball, your team might win but it wouldn’t be much of a team now would it?”

  “No, I suppose not,” Brian agreed. “But I can’t very well not try my best because that wouldn’t be fair to the team either.”

  “Of course not,” Nigel said, “you must always try your best. But let’s say you had a great opportunity to score but then you saw another teammate was open as well. Even though your teammate is not as skilful as you are and he or she may not score, the thing to do is to make the pass because that is best for the team. When you are on a team, you should use your skills to make sure that everyone is involved because that is what makes a team. They may not do things as well as you but if you give them a chance they will become more confident and they will improve and the team will also get better. Do you understand?”

  “I think I do,” Brian replied obviously thinking hard about what Nigel said.

  “How about this,” Nigel said. “Let’s say that a big match is coming up but something happens and you are not able to be there. Let’s say ah…your Mom’s car breaks down. The team had to play on without you and you are obviously not there to score those goals that are so easy for you. Your teammates don’t have the confidence to play without you so they don’t play well and they get hammered and that is the end of the big match. Now if, when you were playing, you had involved them in other games, they may have had the confidence to win. But, even if they lost, at least they could play well, compete and enjoy the game and that’s what makes any sport special. That’s what makes a team.”

  Brian nodded his head and Nigel could see that he understood. “All right now,” he continued, “who’s your favorite player on the Irish team?”

  “You know that, Mr. Blessington,” Brian said with a smile. “Roy Keane, definitely.”

  “And does Roy Keane score lots of goals?” Nigel asked.

  “No, but he makes great passes and Niall Quinn or someone else scores the goals.”

  “You see that’s the thing about a team.” Nigel concluded. “Everyone makes a contribution and no one is more important than anyone else. That is the way a team works. A goal-keeper is not likely to score goals, but where would a team be without one.”

  Thinking about the conversation later made Nigel appreciate the young man even more. Of course he was talented and perhaps even Brian realized how talented he was. But that did not stop him from listening, understanding and learning. No coach could ask for more in a player than a combination of God-given ability, love of the game and a willingness to learn. The only thing that was missing was competition.

  One Saturday afternoon several months after the two had begun their practice sessions, an opportunity arose for at least some level of competition. The regularity of their practice sessions was apparently not lost on several other children who began to hang around the school field. While most of the other young people played soccer at some organized level they seemed t
o be particularly attracted by the fun that Nigel and Brian were having and soon there were several young fellows and a couple of girls as well who joined in the games.

  Nigel recognized that his ability to assist in the improvement of Brian’s physical skills and techniques was nearly at an end so the interaction with other children gave Nigel an opportunity to see just how much his prize pupil had learned about the game itself. It soon became clear that not only had Brian listened to what Nigel had to say, but the young man was quite prepared to apply those lessons as well. Nigel could see that Brian was initially frustrated with his new playmates’ lack of skills, but he soon adjusted and there was no doubt that Brian genuinely enjoyed playing.

  With the arrival of the first few children, Nigel was able to work with multiple passes, including a figure eight with three players. The middle player would make a short pass to one of the wing players and then follow around the back of that player. The receiving player would pass the ball to the remaining player and then follow around the recipient. The process would be repeated as the three moved in tandem down the field. Brian flawlessly took each pass, at least those that were remotely accurate and delivered his own pass perfectly, however the remaining passes were usually an adventure. It was Brian himself who suggested to his partners that they start by going very slowly, barely walking and that worked quite well. Gradually the three moved a little more quickly and soon the figure eight advanced with reasonable speed.

  After watching this interaction Nigel knew, without question, that Brian would be more than merely a great player. In making his suggestion the young man did not appear bossy or superior, rather he made the suggestions as if either of the other two children might also have come up with the idea. Brian did not make the suggestion out of disdain for his teammates’ abilities but because he thought it would make it easier for the three to work together. And, the other youngsters accepted the idea without question and were thrilled with their resulting progress.

  As more children joined the group, Nigel organized games of man-in-the-middle. Even though, technically, it could not be said that Brian was responsible for ever losing the ball, he accepted the howls of protest from other children and took his place in the middle with good grace. Although it must have been clear to the other children that Brian was not playing at full tilt, his good humor and the fun that everyone was having kept the group coming back. In time there were enough children for relay races and short field matches with four-a-side, then five, and then six.

  Because most of the children had some formal coaching, they were a bit beyond the stage where the entire group chased after the ball, but there did seem to be an occasional relapse. Nigel was delighted to see that, without saying a word, Brian went a long way toward sorting that out. When the ball came to him, he simply held possession until he saw someone move into an open position and then he made the appropriate pass. Soon nearly everyone was moving into an open spot knowing that they would get a pass, and it didn’t even have to be Brian who had the ball.

  Eventually, what began as a man and a boy practicing by themselves became a large group of laughing children practicing with games and competitions, which concluded with a full scrimmage usually with far more than eleven on a side. Molly, the wolfhound was always present, nearly a mascot to the goings on because all the children got to know her and greet her when they arrived. Somehow Molly seemed to know that the pitch was for the children so she either roamed the sidelines with Nigel barking occasional encouragement, or sat quietly keeping a close eye on the competition.

  In all those games, Nigel never saw his protégé score a goal and yet, established in the middle of the field, he completely controlled the play of his team. Nigel could see that Brian had excellent field vision making good through passes so that his teammates could run onto the ball, although what happened at the end of the pass was always a surprise. Even though he was undoubtedly capable of passing over the heads of the children, most of the games were played on the ground and Brian appeared to be quite the expert at picking out the appropriate passing lanes.

  Although the Saturday sessions were not particularly competitive, which might have pushed Brian to perform to his capabilities, for Nigel they were the next best thing. Brian had an opportunity to actually play the game, develop his field vision and interact with other players irrespective of their skill levels. Most of all, Brian seemed to enjoy the experience and he was accepted by the other children even though they all realized that he was a far superior player.

  As frequently happens, all good things must come to an end and so it was with the Saturday sessions. The sheer size of the gathering brought other curious onlookers including a few parents who came along to see what their children were so excited about. Nigel spoke with a couple of parents and was gratified to be told that the session was the highlight of the week for several of the children. One father explained that his daughter had been entirely put off soccer because she was not having any fun in the league where she was playing. Apparently there was too much structure, too much yelling and very little joy. The man was delighted to see how much she enjoyed her playing on Saturday.

  Another parent wondered exactly how it all came about, and Nigel explained that he was just working out with a local child, having a bit of fun, and soon the news spread. He insisted that he wasn’t doing any coaching at all, only supervising a bit of mayhem. That mother explained that she didn’t know that much about the game but that her son’s coach, in an organized league, remarked on how much the boy had improved. All in all, the sessions seemed like a great success, not just for Brian but also for a large group of children. Eventually, however, the penny dropped.

  It started with a casual conversation between Nigel and another parent who happened to be a lawyer. Nigel was asked whether he was part of some organization and his response was same as he had given to other parents. He explained how it all came about and that he was just making it easier for the children to have a bit of fun.

  “You realize, of course,” the lawyer said stroking his chin, “that if any child gets hurt, you are likely to be liable at law unless, of course, all the parents of these children sign some legally binding waiver.”

  Nigel looked on in amazement. “To be honest,” he replied, “I never thought about that but I suppose I should have known. I guess I figured that children play all the time and occasionally someone gets hurt, but that is all part of growing up.”

  The lawyer replied, “Yes, that was how it was when we were growing up. But now you see people are looking to blame someone for everything that happens. I must say my own profession has a lot to answer for as well. So even though these children are only having a bit of fun you become a target if anything happens, no matter how innocent it may be.”

  Nigel thought about that, balancing the risks to himself against the benefit to Brian and, indeed, all of the children. In the end he took a good look at his blanket liability insurance policy and decided to get clarification from his broker. Unfortunately, just after Nigel arranged a meeting to discuss the matter another lawyer acting on behalf of the school system contacted him.

  The message from the school was clear. While they had no difficulty with local people using their pitches and fields, they could not permit regular organized activities. If someone were to be injured the school would become a defendant in a lawsuit because, with knowledge of the activity, they allowed it to continue. If, however, Brian were to arrange for proper indemnification and insurance cover, and apply for permission from the Department of Education, the school might consider allowing the activity to continue.

  In the end, Nigel had little choice but to end the sessions. Explaining the situation to Brian and the other children was another matter entirely. There were many sad faces the next Saturday when he sat everyone down and explained that the practice sessions would have to stop because there were rules, which would not allow the group to continue to play on the school grounds. After the cries of protest, Nigel expl
ained that he didn’t like it any more than anyone else but everyone had to obey the rules, just as they needed to obey their parents.

  Brian seemed to understand, particularly when Nigel explained that the two would continue to work together as they always had, just not on the school fields. Brian was disappointed however because he loved playing with a large group of children for the first time in his life.

  As they walked home after the disappointment that Saturday, passing the ball back and forth as they always did, Nigel said, “You know I just had a great idea. If it is all right with your parents, we will go into the city for the Germany soccer friendly at Lansdowne Road next week and, while we are at it, we can find you a proper pair of football boots. How does that sound?”

  Predictably, Brian was thrilled and the disappointment of the day was forgotten.

  The trip to Lansdowne Road was the first of several trips that soon replaced many of the practice sessions. Mr. Blessington and Brian would frequently attended matches played by the various Irish professional teams, particularly Drogheda United, and once they even flew to Liverpool to see their favorite team in action. Nigel always smiled at the memory of that trip.

  Although it had been many years since his career prematurely ended, Nigel had remained in contact with the club and had been involved in the business end of the operation when he worked for a bank in England. As a result he was well connected with the management and had no difficulty obtaining premium seating in Anfield just behind the team. He also arranged for his for his prize pupil to meet the players in the locker room after the match. Thankfully, Liverpool won easily and the players were in high spirits.