Jump to content
IGNORED

Aden Flint Article


healeyred

Recommended Posts

  • Admin
12 minutes ago, healeyred said:

EXCLUSIVE Aden Flint interview: I will always hold Bristol City close to my heart

by bill77| Posted on 

When Steve Cotterill was pressed in a recent interview about the most important player of his fantastic double-winning squad, he was at first reticent, mentioning the team spirit and efforts and not wanting to single a player out. After all, there was the midfield energy of Korey Smith, the impact and goals of the experienced father figure, Aaron Wilbraham and the creativity and delivery of Luke Freeman, who was the one highlighted in most of the end of season awards alongside MK Dons’ Dele Alli (whatever happened to him?).

But ultimately, when it came to singling one player out, Cotterill responded with “well, a centre-back scoring 15 goals is pretty special”.

Aden Flint had been signed for £300,000 the previous summer by then manager Sean O’Driscoll, and – like many others – he struggled to settle into a team that for whatever reason wasn’t getting the results the clear talent in the side should have been achieving.

However, the following season Flint blossomed, and how. The central figure of the three-man defence, the ex-Swindon man whose famous interview made him a cult hero, the rabona scoring, hat-trick scoring 6’6” centre-half. If Freeman was the creative talent, then for many Flint was the lead character. He cleared everything away that came his way in the air at the back, and he was the irresistible force creating havoc in opposition penalty areas. They all knew what was coming, but few could do anything to stop it.

I caught up with Flint as he trains from his Portishead home in these strange times and found out more about his career, his thoughts on that season and how it feels to now be playing for one of our big rivals.

Going back a year from that title-winning season, Flint was signed from our semi-rivals Swindon Town for £300,000 – a pretty sizeable fee for a centre-back in League One. For all the criticism he receives from many angles, Sean O’Driscoll was the manager who laid the foundation for our success, bringing in not only Flint, but Frankie Fielding, Marlon Pack, Jay Emmanuel-Thomas and Derrick Williams, as well as bringing through Joe Bryan into a more prominent role. Flint recalled how his move came about.

“Swindon had just finished the 2012/13 season by losing in the play-offs to Brentford. There was a lot going on with club being sold and Paulo di Canio being sacked. I’d been there two-and-a-half years and although I had enjoyed it – and will be forever grateful to Danny Wilson and the club for taking a chance on me – I felt I needed a fresh challenge. A couple of weeks into the off-season my agent called me and told me that there was strong interest from Bristol City – I told him to get it done ASAP.

When I first came down to the city to do my medical and get the deal done, I could see it was a big club, with the set up and the plans to build a new stadium. Which, by the way, is a fantastic stadium, one of the best in the Championship. The fact the club had been relegated the previous season didn’t bother me at all, because I knew the club’s ambitions and knew we wouldn’t be in League One for very long.

We were all set and then the deal was nearly called off because of the then owner of Swindon wanted more money than the already agreed fee. This was at 5pm after I’d been at the stadium since 9am that morning. Thankfully it was all eventually agreed and I signed.”

The season, however, started poorly and City were struggling near the bottom of the league. Flint’s feelings towards coach O’Driscoll are a touch conflicted:

“Firstly, Sean O’Driscoll is a fantastic coach, it just didn’t work out for him during my short time with him. He was given a big task of getting Bristol City back up at the first attempt, unfortunately a bad start cost him his job. I always got on with him, and I don’t have a bad word to say about him. However, a radio interview he did just after I signed really knocked my confidence as he stated that he wouldn’t have paid £300,000 for me and that he thought it was expensive. I think it showed in my performances in my first season with City. My first season was very difficult to say the least. I’d been brought in to a new team, which was under pressure to get promoted back at first attempt. With a new squad it was always going to be difficult.“

Following the sacking of O’Driscoll, Steve Cotterill was brought in and tasked with saving the season. Performances and results improved but Flint’s season was to come to a premature end. However, he reveals that was, if anything, a catalyst for what was to follow.

“Shortly after Steve Cotterill came in I’d just started to find a little bit of form. I’d scored a few goals and I was starting to feel good again. But then I dislocated my knee at Shrewsbury. Thankfully it wasn’t worse than it could have been, but my season was over. The injury made me a better person in honesty, I had a lot of time alone, to think, assess and make me mentally stronger. I was determined to come back and prove a lot of people wrong after a lot of criticism I’d received.”

Despite the struggles that year, there was one match that season that Flint remembers.

“The cup game against Rovers was a great occasion to be involved in. We won the game, got the bragging rights for City and scored two unbelievable goals from JET and Joe Bryan. It was a great night.”

The following summer saw big changes as Steve Cotterill built half a new side around some of the players already there. We signed a lot of the best players from the division we’d been playing in, such as Korey Smith and Luke Freeman. Flint recalls how the pre-season trip to Botswana moulded everything that came afterwards.

“That summer changed everything. We had already had a fresh start under Steve Cotterill and we brought new players in who were the best in the division. The trip to Botswana was a long two weeks but that really brought us together as a group and built the squad.  To this day, the team spirit that Steve Cotterill built then was the best I’ve been involved in. It will take some beating. We set out our goal in Botswana, which was promotion. Then when we got through the first couple of rounds in the JPT, we knew we were good enough to win that as well. That season was something really special.

Setting our goals before we had even kicked a ball meant we knew what we wanted and probably made us so determined. We felt invincible that year. We had the best squad in the league by a mile, and it showed. We got 99 points, which is an amazing achievement but it demonstrates how good we were that we were a bit disappointed that we didn’t get to 100! I was really enjoying my football. We were winning games, keeping clean sheets and I was scoring goals left, right and centre! It’s still my best return for goals in a season.”

Two games against Flint’s former club, Swindon, seemed to define City’s season. Firstly, there was the defeat in November which ended City’s unbeaten start. Flint recalls the atmosphere in the dressing-room after that game and clearly he still harbours strong memories about it.

“The game at the County Ground was really frustrating. To lose your captain in the first few minutes to blatant cheating really does still annoy me. But we dug in really deep, for 90 mins with 10 men and although we eventually lost 1-0, we knew we deserved a point at least. Their celebrations at the end were really over the top, very premature and it came back to bite them on the bum at the end of the season! We were gutted that our unbeaten start had ended, but we knew that we could start another one.”

Fast forward five months, and the return fixture live on Sky at Ashton Gate in April set up City’s return to the Championship. Flint’s post-match interview has gone down in City folklore and he has no regrets…

“We were still hurting from the game in November. It gave us the determination to get payback, we got it and virtually sealed our promotion.  The interview….well! Did I think it would leave quite such an impression? No. Did I think it would get people’s backs up? Yes!

 It was a spur of the moment thing. Me and Freezy (Luke Freeman) were doing the Sky interviews as he had picked up a well deserved Man of the Match award. I had been getting dogs abuse from the Swindon fans all game and even physical abuse from one of the players marking me. I should have had at least 3 penalties that game. Looking back, it maybe looks a bit stupid now, but I don’t regret it at all. It created the song that was sung at every game I played in until I left the club.

I still get abuse from Swindon fans on social media to this day, believe it or not! But after that interview it got really bad. Someone who I knew who worked at Swindon gave my mobile number out on social media, and I was getting calls, texts and pictures sent to me. I had to change my mobile number which was annoying. Some of it is part and parcel of the game, but some people take it too far. I can handle banter and football rivalry, but there’s a line that you shouldn’t cross, and let’s just say some of them have been crossed.”

A glorious season was of course sealed by a ridiculously massive 8-2 home win against Walsall. Has there ever been a more apt reason for the saying ‘the icing on the cake’? Flint, of course, starred, scoring a hat-trick to take him to 15 goals for the season, including a remarkable rabona goal. He’s understandably proud of what he managed that day to crown an incredible season.

“That last game was an absolute madness. To win 8-2 was ridiculous, but a centre back scoring a hat trick is almost unheard of. I’d tried the rabona in training at some point in that season, so it was always ready to go. It just sat up right, I didn’t really have time to think about it, it just happened and topped off an amazing day.  The whole season was just magnificent all round for us and me as an individual. Scoring 15 goals, including a hat trick. Scoring a goal at Wembley which is every footballer’s dream. Winning player of the month for April. Winning the league, winning the JPT. Amazing!”

Much has been made of the team spirit of that squad, both at the time and since. They regularly meet up for holidays, weddings and the like, and it’s clearly a fairly unique bond they share. Flint is quick to praise the management team as well as the group of players, whilst the Botswana trip clearly played a key part (which makes you wonder why that sort of trip hasn’t been done since). Flint reveals that the personalities were key.

“That group is the best I’ve been involved in, and the team spirit was unbelievable. It will take a lot to beat it. The spirit and bond was created in Botswana, not just by us as players, but by everyone. The manager, his staff, there were all amazing. We all still keep in touch to this day and we are really close. I think team spirit is a massive factor for a team to do well. We all got on, there were no big time Charlies and we all knew we were on a level par. The young lads knew that they were an equivalent to, say, an Aaron Wilbraham or Wade Elliot. I don’t know if we’d have still had the same success without that spirit, but I don’t think so. It played a massive part in is doing the double that year.”

The 15 goal record is a remarkable statistic whatever way you look at it. But in other seasons, notably Flint’s first season at City and his last one at Middlesbrough, he’s failed to be so successful, so I asked him to try and explain why that is the case.

Flint-trophy.jpg?resize=370%2C414
Flint celebrates winning the League One trophy

“I’ve always had a goal-scoring eye, I scored a ridiculous amount in non-league as well (45 in 100 games for Alfreton). I’ve scored 54 goals now in my professional career and I think it comes down to delivery – Freezy gave me about 10 assists that year – but it also comes down to the timing of runs, anticipation and a bit of luck. Quite a lot of my goals have been from anticipating where the ball is going to land. I found it difficult some games and some seasons because teams would obviously do their homework and end up putting two, or even three players to mark me.”

Following promotion, there seemed a feeling around the club that we had a group of players who were well suited and good enough for the higher level – which isn’t always the case when you get promoted. Flint suggests that the players felt the same.

“We believed we were more than good enough to compete with the squad we had, and with a few additions. We knew it would be tough but we had to find our feet and I think we were making the transition to Championship football and adjusting. We were doing OK and picking up points but it clearly wasn’t enough and eventually cost Steve his job. It was a shock to all the lads and it hit me hard because he had been a big factor on my career – I owe him greatly for what he has taught me. He’s the best manager I’ve ever worked for and I still think he should have been given more time as we would have got out the relegation zone and stayed up. But that’s football and some things happen for a reason I suppose.”

After a few games with John Pemberton in caretaker charge, Lee Johnson arrived and continued the revival, ultimately keeping us up. I asked Flint his views on the current City boss, especially given the reported falling out at the start of the 2017/18 season when Birmingham made a move to sign Flint.

“Lee Johnson is a really good coach, with his own ideas on things. My first impressions were that he desperately wanted to succeed and improve us. He was a young, up-and-coming manager. My impression hasn’t changed on him, I think he’s a good guy.

That next season started off in a really rubbish way for me. I missed the first five games I think and I hate missing games! I didn’t fall out with Lee at all, our relationship was still the same as it is today.

The transfer to Birmingham nearly happened. City had informed my agent that they were open to offers for me but as far as I was concerned I was still committed to the club until I wasn’t their player. The transfer didn’t happen in the end as the fee wasn’t agreed, and missing those games really annoyed me and made me even more determined to play again. Lee just felt that he couldn’t involve me in the squads because of the speculation. The day after the transfer window shut, I was in the starting line up at Reading and scored the winner in a 1-0 win. I was so focused and winning player of the month for my performances after that proved a lot.”

That season will always be best remembered for the incredible run in the Carabao Cup. Flint played a key role, with a superb performance at the Etihad Stadium in the semi-final and unsurprisingly, like us fans, he has great memories of that time.

“The games against both Manchester clubs were three of the best games I’ve ever been involved in. To beat the team I support in Manchester United was just class. To then go to the Etihad, get the Man of the Match trophy and to be able to go back to Ashton Gate still in the tie was unbelievable. Although we lost narrowly, for me to score a goal and for the team to give the outstanding Champions-elect a proper game of football was something that will always stand out for me.”

Flint amd Pep Guardioln
Flint and Pep Guardiola after the cup semi-final

 

Those games came either side of Christmas and in between was a crucial game at home to Wolves, the runaway league leaders who City had been closing in on. An eventful game saw City lose in injury-time after goalkeeper Frankie Fielding had been sent off. It was a moment that a number of fans point to that seemed to change the momentum of the whole season.

“We can’t blame Frankie for getting sent off, he was doing what he thought was best for the team. He as just trying to stop their player scoring. That game might appear to be our unravelling but I’m not so sure. Maybe it was fatigue, maybe it was just poor performances. We had set such high standards earlier in the season and it was really frustrating, because we were playing some of the best football we had since promotion back to the Championship. Obviously, we were bitterly disappointed that the season sort of fizzled out because we knew we were good enough. But we also knew that we could hold our heads high because of the achievements of that season. Not many people can say they have beaten the biggest club in the world in Manchester United.”

The following summer Flint left Bristol City. One move of three moves that seemed inevitable without the promotion that seemed so close, alongside Bobby Reid and Joe Bryan. Here he reveals a little more behind the deal and how Brighton were also interested…they of course moved onto a different centre-half the following summer…I asked if the move had been promised as part of the ongoing discussions the previous summer.

“Nothing was promised to me. Brighton had bids rejected in the January as well. Football is a business, everyone has a price and if people meet the valuation then clubs will sell you.

I was turning 29, so I wasn’t getting any younger and the club thought it was time to freshen it up. I had five years at City and had some great times as well as some low times. It was rumbling on throughout the off-season when I was on holiday, and then two days before we were due to come back in for training I was told that a fee had been accepted and to get to Middlesbrough for a medical. I was really gutted to be leaving, to be leaving my friends. But it was a challenge that I wanted. Middlesbrough are a huge club with massive ambitions.

The move to Middlesbrough didn’t work out that well, with Flint’s own form struggling and the club failing to achieve promotion, which was the obvious aim. Flint moved for £7m which for any person is a monumental fee, let alone someone who had still been playing in non-league football at the age of 20.

It was a £7m transfer, which is a lot of money for a lad that was playing non-league football only a few years ago. I always used to think to myself when I first signed for Swindon for £150k, that it was a lot of money and I questioned whether I was worth that? The same happened when I moved to City for £300k. To then to go for millions, it’s like woah!! I try not to think about it as much. I think expectations increase when the money increases. It was a tough year for me in Middlesbrough.. I wasn’t living up to expectations and we narrowly missed out on play offs. It was really disappointing again because I thought we had a great chance at getting promoted.

I was on the golf course when I got told I had been sold to Cardiff. I moved back to Portishead as I have a house there and it’s good to be back with my best mate again, in Marlon (Pack). I had only been at Cardiff for a couple of weeks, and was enjoying being back down south, and the next thing I knew Marlon had signed for us, which was perfect. We share cars now to training and games as we both still live in the Bristol area.”

Flint-Cardiff.jpg?resize=519%2C346

Aden Flint doing the Scotty Murray’ after scoring against Cardiff City

Having moved from Swindon to City, and ultimately onto Cardiff, we touched on the subject of loyalty.

“Obviously, people aren’t going to like me now because I play for a rival club. But I don’t want people to forget the great times we had together. For 90 minutes when we play against each other we are rivals. Fans can treat me as a rival. But after that I’d like to think that a mutual respect still remains? I have to say I’ve always had a great reception off City fans. Football is everything to people and I can fully understand how it makes people so emotional. Football is my hobby, like the vast majority of fans across the world. My hobby has turned into my job and I’m living my dream. You have to do what is right for you personally and your family at some point. Football is a very short career, and it could end at any point and age eventually defeats us all.

My dream was to be a professional footballer, and I have lived that dream. My new dream is to make an appearance in the Premier League. Time maybe running out, but if I make it then I couldn’t have asked for anything else. If not then so be it. I want to carry on playing football until I can’t anymore. I want to play at the highest level possible for as long as I can. My close friend, Aaron Wilbraham, is still playing now and he’s 40 years old. I’d love to be able to do what he is doing.”

I finished by asking what his over-riding memories of the city and the club were. As with so many players, it’s safe to say our city made an impression.

“I loved my five seasons at Bristol City. There were plenty of ups and downs, highs and lows. I made some great memories that will last a lifetime. I also made some great friends and met some incredible people in my time there. I will always hold the club close to my heart, and even though I now play for your rivals I will always respect the club where I achieved so much. I love living here and probably will for years to come. It’s a fantastic city and place to live.”

When history looks back at the 2010s of Bristol City it will naturally focus on the 2015 double-winning season and the 2017/18 cup run. For a centre-back to have been such a key part of both ensures that Aden Flint, his goals, his interview and his general presence will go down in Bristol City history alongside the likes of Shaun Taylor, Louis Carey and even Gary Collier.

No Bristol City player scored more goals than him in the 2010s, a truly remarkable record for a defender, especially one who didn’t take penalties and free-kicks. Add in a title, a goal in a winning appearance at Wembley, a profit of more than £6.5m and a song you can sing at your local rivals for years to come and you’ve got yourself a proper club hero.

 

Just for a bit of fun I finished off with a quickfire round of questions which Aden was happy to answer. They’re below. And if you disagree then you can just say No. No, No.

1) Favourite ever footballer – David Beckham

2) Favourite ever goal you’ve scored – every single goal I’ve scored is my favourite, nothing beats scoring a goal.

3) Favourite stadium you’ve played in – Wembley

4) Craziest City team-mate – Aaron Wilbraham (in a good way)

5) Most talented City team-mate – Luke Freeman or Lee Tomlin

Link to comment
Share on other sites

"We were doing OK and picking up points but it clearly wasn’t enough and eventually cost Steve his job. It was a shock to all the lads and it hit me hard because he had been a big factor on my career – I owe him greatly for what he has taught me. He’s the best manager I’ve ever worked for and I still think he should have been given more time as we would have got out the relegation zone and stayed up"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

49 minutes ago, Robin101 said:

Agree with the author - why have we never had a repeat of the Botswana preseason?

I wonder whether the tackle on Osborne worried a few, horrible avoidable injury when not going to smaller places where games are more physical compared to playing more developed leagues/teams. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

‪NEW: An exclusive interview with City hero Aden Flint. City’s too scorer of the 2010s and arguably our player of the 2010’s?

His thoughts on Cotterill, LJ, the Swindon fans who abuse him, his favourite moments from his time at Bristol City & how an injury helped redefine his career‬.

PS he still loves Bristol!

https://theexiledrobin.org/2020/04/adenflint-exclusive/

Link to comment
Share on other sites

16 minutes ago, hodge said:

I wonder whether the tackle on Osborne worried a few, horrible avoidable injury when not going to smaller places where games are more physical compared to playing more developed leagues/teams. 

My thoughts on this. Caused a lot of anger, rightly so, at the time

Flint's dislocated knee - in my head that happened against Port Vale, not Shrewsbury? I'm sure the big man remembers better than me though!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

42 minutes ago, RedRock said:

Still struggling to understand why LJ was prepared to let him go to Brum. 

Baffles me. Maybe it was MAs idea.

Bloody good job he didn’t go then both from the footballing and financial viewpoint.

Because every player has a price. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

40 minutes ago, Pezo said:

Because every player has a price. 

Get that.

However, Brum were unlikely to have been able to offer the price that reflected his value to us at the time (let alone value plus profit)  - unless someone at the Club had significantly under- valued him. Assume that would have been either LJ (who, oddly in my view, didn’t play him during the transfer saga) or MA. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 hours ago, eardun said:

I always thought SOD was daft to say that we paid too much for Flint, and this interview with Flint himself proves it.

That quote was taken out of context massively. He didn’t specifically mean we overpaid on Flint. He meant that clubs at league one level shouldn’t be spending money on players as there isn’t enough Money  in the game 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

13 hours ago, Seneca the Younger said:

"We were doing OK and picking up points but it clearly wasn’t enough and eventually cost Steve his job. It was a shock to all the lads and it hit me hard because he had been a big factor on my career – I owe him greatly for what he has taught me. He’s the best manager I’ve ever worked for and I still think he should have been given more time as we would have got out the relegation zone and stayed up"

True.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

23 hours ago, Seneca the Younger said:

"We were doing OK and picking up points but it clearly wasn’t enough and eventually cost Steve his job. It was a shock to all the lads and it hit me hard because he had been a big factor on my career – I owe him greatly for what he has taught me. He’s the best manager I’ve ever worked for and I still think he should have been given more time as we would have got out the relegation zone and stayed up"

Echoes what Wilbraham said on his under the cosh interview.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

He does come across as very grounded and is grateful for what the game has done for him and also knows how hard he has had to work to get where he is - you often get that with players who were `late` arrivals to professional football and had `proper` jobs before they made it. Don`t forget he was playing and training for Alfreton and doing nightshifts working on the roads at the same time.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

19 hours ago, And Its Smith said:

That quote was taken out of context massively. He didn’t specifically mean we overpaid on Flint. He meant that clubs at league one level shouldn’t be spending money on players as there isn’t enough Money  in the game 

I remember the interview and it was specifically re overpaying on Flint. I remember thinking at the time that that isn’t going to help Flint’s confidence - Flint confirms it. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Like other “late developers” who have played non-league and also seen real life before making it as a professional footballer, such as Jamie Vardy, Ian Wright and Rickie Lambert, ,Flinty understands how lucky he is, and that it won’t last forever. He also disproves the thought that big men can’t be skilful footballers, as he was as good an attacker as a defender and could play a long pass better than most midfielders.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...