Flapper "the Diva" Phiilips

[Barrs Court Red]

What a whining nobber he is

GAS TRAINING FACILITIES 'A DISGRACE' SAYS PHILLIPS

Be the first reader to comment on this story

10:40 - 22 November 2007

Bristol Rovers keeper Steve Phillips has blasted the club's training facilities as "dangerous" and "a disgrace."

The Pirates have been using an Army base at Colerne in Wiltshire as their training HQ for the past few years.

But Phillips has criticised the state of the pitches Rovers use for training and says the site does nothing to help team morale.

In an outspoken attack, Phillips said: "Whilst we are well looked after by the staff of the gym at our training base at Colerne, in my opinion the actual training ground is not up to the required standard - and I believe that opinion is shared by the management team.

"It's dangerous, and I don't think it will be too long before someone picks up an injury because of the number of ruts and the bobbles out there.

"I've had a ball hit me in the face, which wasn't very nice and was quite painful. If it had hit my nose, then I wouldn't be playing.

"The pitches haven't been cut or rolled for about three months and, to be honest, it doesn't do a lot for team morale.

"When you aren't doing very well at home, and you are going through a bit of a sticky patch and in need of a bit of a boost, I'm afraid our training ground makes things worse.

"I live in the centre of Bristol and it takes me an hour to get there. Most of the lads find the travelling time to be quite onerous. When you turn up it always seems to be cold and windy, and the pitches are a disgrace.

"I really do find it bizarre that the club has been unable to find, or provide, better training facilities."

Rovers' vice-chairman Nick Higgs said he was "gobsmacked" by Phillips' comments and said: "We have a meeting with Paul Trollope and Lennie Lawrence after training every Friday to discuss various topics, and I'm sure the training facilities at Colerne would have been mentioned if there was a problem.

"I have spoken to Lennie about what Steve has said and he does not know where it has come from. The management team are 100 per cent happy with the facilities because they also have use of an indoor gym and swimming pool. They say the new groundsman at Colerne has bent over backwards this year to try and help them."

Rovers announced in August that new training facilities at Filton College were ready and that the club anticipated moving there in the following weeks, but that was delayed by problems bedding in new pitches.

Higgs said: "There were a few problems originally with movement in the new pitches and a few cracks appearing, although that has been solved now. The pitches are now ready to go, but Paul and Lennie say they are happy to stay at Colerne until the winter really sets in."

Saturday's trip to Swindon is all-ticket for Rovers supporters. Tickets for next Tuesday's rearranged FA Cup replay against Leyton Orient can still be bought at a discount if they are purchased before 5pm on Monday. Adult season-ticket holders producing Voucher E get £5 off normal matchday prices, while concessionary holders and non-season ticket-holders get £2 off.

[RedM]

I heard him talking on GWR a couple of days ago, Bush and Troy phoned him up about something else and they got onto the subject of a footballers day. I actually wondered if he knew he was on air as he was so damning of the training ground. He said where he lived and the distance away from the ground was too much. He said the GK coach was also the chief pooper scooper as all the fox poo has to be cleaned up before they can train!!!

All together now, awwwwwwwww!

[22A]

"I've had a ball hit me in the face, which wasn't very nice and was quite painful. If it had hit my nose, then I wouldn't be playing".

Dear Mr Carey, please show a (so called) fellow professional how to cope.

"When you turn up it always seems to be cold and windy".

Surely ideal training for an outdoors sport played in the Winter months.

[WhistleHappy]

Flapper complaining about bobbles & ruts on the training pitch:

"I've had a ball hit me in the face, which wasn't very nice and was quite painful. If it had hit my nose, then I wouldn't be playing".

.......well, in that case - Come On You R U T S !!

(its a long drive & its usually cold & windy when we get there... - oh dear, well never mind, it'll soon be winter! must be awful being a footballer eh?.)

BTW... SP seems to 'diva' better than he 'dives' nowadays.

[jimtastic]

I've have paid good money to see Phillips take a ball in the face. The sags are missing a trick.

[Robbored]

Phillips in the WDP today going public about the poor standard of the Rovers training pitches and how it takes him an hour to drive to training from his house.I laughed as the Rovers management have not complained to the gasboard and they are 'surprised' at Phillips going public.

Well - get in the real world Flapper. It takes my daughter over an hour to drive less than 10 miles into Bristol each work day. Mind you she starts at 9am - unlike Phillips and other footballers who aren't even up by then.

What is it with Phillips? he's ahedonistic if you ask me.Thank god he's not still at AG.

Whoops! Didn't see this already posted on another forum.

[bristolcityup]

Wasnt that Steve Phillips I saw in goal in a Euro Qaulifier last night, made a completed hash of a shot, reddeemed himself with one great save in the second half but stil managed to conceed 3 goals and end up on the loosing team, sounds familiar eeerrr

[Red_Mat]

Phillips in the WDP today going public about the poor standard of the Rovers training pitches and how it takes him an hour to drive to training from his house.I laughed as the Rovers management have not complained to the gasboard and they are 'surprised' at Phillips going public.

Well - get in the real world Flapper. It takes my daughter over an hour to drive less than 10 miles into Bristol each work day. Mind you she starts at 9am - unlike Phillips and other footballers who aren't even up by then.

What is it with Phillips? he's ahedonistic if you ask me.Thank god he's not still at AG.

Whoops! Didn't see this already posted on another forum.

It used to take me two and a half hours and two buses to get to work from Kingswood to Thornbury. Flippin' nightmare. If he lives too far away, why doesn't he move house? Or get a second one? I'm sure he can afford it, the money he's on.

It's such a shame, I used to like Flapper, but then he just seemed to suddenly change during his last six months at the Gate and showed what he was really like. He became a petulant little child.

If he's not careful, he'll be out of the Mem and onto his next local stop down the league ladder. Hmm, where next? Cheltenham? Forest Green? Weston Super Mare...?!

[RedM]

From what he said on the radio, about where he lived, I guess he can possibly still see our beloved Ashton Gate. How satisfying is that to know!

Never mind driving to work in his warm comfortable car with all the gadgets. Many many a time I had to stand on a bus stop in the cold, wet dark weather for over an hour. Catch 2 buses , then work an 8/10/12 hour day and then have to make the same journey home. The have to start the shopping/cooking/cleaning etc etc.

God help me if I ever chance on meeting Phillips. Get real Flapper you don't deserve or appreciate what you have got.