Jump to content
IGNORED

Adam El-Abd on his time at City


chucky

Recommended Posts

https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/sport/football/adam-el-abd-opens-up-4502106

 

Adam El-Abd admits his time as a Bristol City player made him fall out of love with football and revealed a bust-up with Steve Cotterill and personal circumstances were the genesis of his forgettable spell.

El-Abd arrived at Ashton Gate in January 2014, just over a month after Cotterill took charge with the Robins manager labelling him a "tough cookie" and declaring, "every good back four needs someone like Adam."

However, the defender's impact was minimal as he was sent off in his 12th appearance, after clashing with Peterborough striker Britt Assombalonga, virtually signalling the end of his time in a red shirt.

The 29-year-old played just eight more times for City, was sent out on loan to Bury, Swindon and Gillingham, before his torment was ended as an agreement was made to terminate his contract a year early in June 2016.

It was a difficult time for player, management and fans alike with El-Abd a standard response when supporters are asked to name the club's worst signings in recent memory.

Now player/manager at Isthmian League side Whitehawk, based in his hometown of Brighton, in an extensive interview with The Non-League Daily, El-Abd has opened up on his miserable time in the West Country and the reasons behind it.

"It was my first time moving away and I fell out with the manager after six weeks of being there," El-Abd said. "I got told I’d never play for the club again while he’s in charge, and I didn’t.

"I couldn’t move the family down to Bristol because I knew that I’d been told I’m never gonna play. So I had to do the commute, I was leaving at 5:30, getting into training at 8:30, having breakfast, and I was doing that three times a week.

 

"I was going into training and I was basically just a mannequin. Steve Cotterill used to do shape pretty much every day, and the lads that didn’t play are basically standing in the wall, watching the lads that are playing bend free-kicks over their head.

"It was a tough two years, where the love of football just drained out of me.

"That’s not what football’s about, football’s about enjoying, running around, having lots of touches of the ball, competing. Not doing a ten-minute warm-up and then standing in the wall watching Joe Bryan and Marlon Pack bend free-kicks over my head for an hour-and-a-half!

"It wasn’t that enjoyable, I can assure you."

After 11 unblemished years as a bona fide Brighton legend, the experience at City proved a marked difference and has also helped inform his thoughts on the game as he moves into coaching.

When asked what he's learned most from his time in the professional game, the 35-year-old said: "Keep your mouth closed and your ears open, I think, at all times. I’d tell that to any young pro. Don’t fall out with managers, because you come off worse."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

He was awful and Cotts probably made him aware of his below par performances. Probably effected his ego coming down to us from the Championship at the time. 
It was a time when tough measures had to be done, we were a sinking ship and needed to turn the tide, Cotterill was the man for the job and if you didn't perform or fit in, you were out.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Cotts did an amazing job for us but I do wonder how he would have got on managing a squad in the Championship where rotation was needed, especially in a compressed season like the one coming up. Obviously El-Abd has got his own perspective and we're only hearing his side but I never really got the sense he gave a lot of time to players that weren't getting in the team and, in a season like this one especially, we'll be screwed if everyone's not being kept interested and engaged, irrespective of whether they are starting.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What I couldn’t fathom out about him was that he was repeatedly spotted by refs for shirt pulling, fouling and just trying to turn every challenge into a wrestling match with his opponent.

By this stage in his career he had played about 300 games for Brighton, so how come he hadn’t learned to do this stuff subtly?

Contrast with Wilbs, who was always prepared to get involved in a few of the dark arts of the game but rarely got caught & never sent off..

Link to comment
Share on other sites

43 minutes ago, petehinton said:

He was shite. Woe is me being on an absolute wedge to pay football, no one forced him to do that commute everyday either 

We’ve only heard his side of the story here but regardless what you earn and your profession it doesn’t sound a particularly nice situation. At least it sounds like he wanted to play - he could easily have downed tools.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, chucky said:

Now player/manager at Isthmian League side Whitehawk, based in his hometown of Brighton, in an extensive interview with The Non-League Daily, El-Abd has opened up on his miserable time in the West Country and the reasons behind it.

Ironic that Whitehawk rhymes with Shitehawk. Which is what he was. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

25 minutes ago, GrahamC said:

What I couldn’t fathom out about him was that he was repeatedly spotted by refs for shirt pulling, fouling and just trying to turn every challenge into a wrestling match with his opponent.

By this stage in his career he had played about 300 games for Brighton, so how come he hadn’t learned to do this stuff subtly?

Contrast with Wilbs, who was always prepared to get involved in a few of the dark arts of the game but rarely got caught & never sent off..

wilbs was an all round pro,knew the game inside out and looked after weaker team mates by dishing it out to opposition bullies in a subtle way which usually stopped them in their tracks

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This is one side of the story, when he joined us the Brighton fans were singing his praises. But he was absolute bobbins; and not being funny, but he was on enough money to come and stay in a hotel the night before, surely? He would then have been rested prior to the game or training, and maybe would have performed better. I think it's telling that post-City, he achieved nothing more - maybe Brighton sold him at just the right time. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 minutes ago, Silvio Dante said:

Marinovic

Mitchell

Caesar

El-Abd

McGivern

Dinning

Stanley

G.Smith

McAree

A.Smith

Savage

Off the top of my head.

Good to see Gary Stanley in there, what a player. No Nicky Hunt, tho' - but the guy was going through some issues off the pitch IIRC, so we'll let him off, he's been a good pro since

Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 minutes ago, redsquirrel said:

wilbs was an all round pro,knew the game inside out and looked after weaker team mates by dishing it out to opposition bullies in a subtle way which usually stopped them in their tracks

One of the most surprising and astute signings we've ever made in my near 40 years of watching City. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, chucky said:

after clashing with Peterborough striker Britt Assombalonga, virtually signalling the end of his time in a red shirt.

 

Odd thing about that incident; none of the P'boro' players or fans appealed for anything. For some reason the Assistant waved his flag and the Ref went across to speak with him and produced the red card.

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...