When dreams are shattered.

Lando Griffin · 28-03-2011 09:01AM #1

Back in the day, I dreamed of playing professional football, but my confidence was shattered when I was 16 by my local GAA team.
I used to put everything into my football, attended every training session, stayed after to do some kicking and skills practice, but the management never saw fit to play me and all I ended up doing during the matches was water carrier.
One day in the dressing room when togging out for a game, the manager was announcing the team, and he called “Lando, you are going to be left back today,” I was delighted, before he continued “left back in the dressing room”. Everyone roared laughing including himself. I was totally demoralised but kept plugging away in the hope one day I would get my chance to shine and prove some worth to an excellent team.
One day, during a challenge match against some lowly competition two weeks before the county final, I was given my chance, five minutes from time I was introduced to right corner forward. I sprinted on. Our star midfielder (who had a few trials with soccer teams in England) went on a mazy run, so I decided to make space for him and I don’t know what came over me but I ran straight into him crashing against his knee. He went down and I nearly fainted when I saw his knee, it was like an ever inflating balloon was growing from it.
It transpired he had serious damage done and would possibly never play again, and for that matter could not get a job where it involved kneeling eg plumbing, tiling carpentry or most trades for that matter.
I still see him to this day, a depressed figure of a man who has took badly to the bottle and has 4 children by three different women. He has not talked to me since he threatened to kill me at the agricultural show once.
We lost the county final, and the manager told me that I would not even make the bench for training after what I had done.
Have you ever had a dream shattered?

Spunge · 28-03-2011 09:04AM

below room temperature anecdote, male sibling

Mr_Roger_Bongos · 28-03-2011 09:06AM

Lando Griffin wrote: »

so I decided to make space for him and I don’t know what came over me but I ran straight into him

You decided to make space for him by running straight towards him?

jaykay74 · 28-03-2011 09:06AM

Lando Griffin wrote: »

We lost the county final, and the manager told me that I would not even make the bench for training after what I had done.
Have you ever had a dream shattered?

chin up OP, at least you fulfilled your potential.

Ye had a bench for training, wtf is that about, maybe your coach is the villian of this piece

fakearms123 · 28-03-2011 09:11AM

Lando Griffin wrote: »

Back in the day, I dreamed of playing professional football

Ye see this is where you made your mistake, GAA isn't a professional sport, your dream was impossible anyway

JDfan · 28-03-2011 09:13AM

Back in the day, I dreamed of playing professional football, but my confidence was shattered when I was 16 by my local GAA team.

Maybe you should have joined the local soccer team instead - better chance of making it as a professional

Turtyturd · 28-03-2011 09:29AM

Back in the day I dreamed of being a big GAA star and having a big cushy trade like a plumber or a carpenter but 2 weeks before the big game that dream was shattered by the team retard running into me and f*cking up my knee.

bitemybanger · 28-03-2011 09:31AM

I had my dreams shattered at 7.30am as my alarm clock went off.

The Queen of England · 28-03-2011 09:31AM

I dreamt that my son would marry a nice girl, of royal descent.

Instead he married a pleb.

_feedback_ · 28-03-2011 09:39AM

Lando Griffin wrote: »

One day in the dressing room when togging out for a game, the manager was announcing the team, and he called “Lando, you are going to be left back today,” I was delighted, before he continued “left back in the dressing room”.

You must admit though, that was pretty funny!

syklops · 28-03-2011 09:51AM

elviscostello wrote: »

You must admit though, that was pretty funny!

There are other ways of making your team laugh apart from singling one individual out and laughing at them.

Cupcake_Crisis · 28-03-2011 10:04AM

When I was younger I reallly wanted to be a vet, so when I was about 13 I got myself a summer job in a vets.

I was dead excited!

I went in on my first day, as happy as Larry, helped feed all the animals found out why some of them were there, was having a great time!

They thought I was doing really well so they said they'd bring me in to watch a very simple operation being done on a kitty. It was getting the chop.

The last thing i remember is the vet saying 'Now, if you're feelinf faint at all just let someone kno.......'

BAM!!!! On the floor!! Total black out! Scalples EVERYWHERE!!!

So that was the day I knew I'd never be a vet

Lando Griffin · 28-03-2011 10:16AM

Cupcake_Crisis wrote: »

When I was younger I reallly wanted to be a vet, so when I was about 13 I got myself a summer job in a vets.

I was dead excited!

I went in on my first day, as happy as Larry, helped feed all the animals found out why some of them were there, was having a great time!

They thought I was doing really well so they said they'd bring me in to watch a very simple operation being done on a kitty. It was getting the chop.

The last thing i remember is the vet saying 'Now, if you're feelinf faint at all just let someone kno.......'

BAM!!!! On the floor!! Total black out! Scalples EVERYWHERE!!!

So that was the day I knew I'd never be a vet

Ha ha. Wouldn't have made much of a vet.

jaykay74 · 28-03-2011 10:19AM

Lando Griffin wrote: »

Ha ha. Wouldn't have made much of a vet.

At least they didn't crash headlong into the qualified vet rendering their vetting abilities useless and their lives spriling into a haze of different kids wifes, kids, booze etc :pac:

Cupcake_Crisis · 28-03-2011 10:27AM

Lando Griffin wrote: »

Ha ha. Wouldn't have made much of a vet.

I really wouldn't have! At least i found out young!

davetherave · 28-03-2011 10:31AM

Just think of it, you could have been a professional maor uisice if you didn't have delusions of grandeur and fu€ked up that guys knee. Now the association want nothing to do with you

For shame Lando, for shame...

Orando Broom · 28-03-2011 10:49AM

Lando Griffin wrote: »

Back in the day, I dreamed of playing professional football, but my confidence was shattered when I was 16 by my local GAA team.
I used to put everything into my football, attended every training session, stayed after to do some kicking and skills practice, but the management never saw fit to play me and all I ended up doing during the matches was water carrier.
One day in the dressing room when togging out for a game, the manager was announcing the team, and he called “Lando, you are going to be left back today,” I was delighted, before he continued “left back in the dressing room”. Everyone roared laughing including himself. I was totally demoralised but kept plugging away in the hope one day I would get my chance to shine and prove some worth to an excellent team.
One day, during a challenge match against some lowly competition two weeks before the county final, I was given my chance, five minutes from time I was introduced to right corner forward. I sprinted on. Our star midfielder (who had a few trials with soccer teams in England) went on a mazy run, so I decided to make space for him and I don’t know what came over me but I ran straight into him crashing against his knee. He went down and I nearly fainted when I saw his knee, it was like an ever inflating balloon was growing from it.
It transpired he had serious damage done and would possibly never play again, and for that matter could not get a job where it involved kneeling eg plumbing, tiling carpentry or most trades for that matter.
I still see him to this day, a depressed figure of a man who has took badly to the bottle and has 4 children by three different women. He has not talked to me since he threatened to kill me at the agricultural show once.
We lost the county final, and the manager told me that I would not even make the bench for training after what I had done.
Have you ever had a dream shattered?

This!!

No wonder you were left on the bench!

Guill · 28-03-2011 10:56AM

Lando Griffin wrote: »

Back in the day, I dreamed of playing professional football, but my confidence was shattered when I was 16 by my local GAA team.
I used to put everything into my football, attended every training session, stayed after to do some kicking and skills practice, but the management never saw fit to play me and all I ended up doing during the matches was water carrier.
One day in the dressing room when togging out for a game, the manager was announcing the team, and he called “Lando, you are going to be left back today,” I was delighted, before he continued “left back in the dressing room”. Everyone roared laughing including himself. I was totally demoralised but kept plugging away in the hope one day I would get my chance to shine and prove some worth to an excellent team.
One day, during a challenge match against some lowly competition two weeks before the county final, I was given my chance, five minutes from time I was introduced to right corner forward. I sprinted on. Our star midfielder (who had a few trials with soccer teams in England) went on a mazy run, so I decided to make space for him and I don’t know what came over me but I ran straight into him crashing against his knee. He went down and I nearly fainted when I saw his knee, it was like an ever inflating balloon was growing from it.
It transpired he had serious damage done and would possibly never play again, and for that matter could not get a job where it involved kneeling eg plumbing, tiling carpentry or most trades for that matter.
I still see him to this day, a depressed figure of a man who has took badly to the bottle and has 4 children by three different women. He has not talked to me since he threatened to kill me at the agricultural show once.
We lost the county final, and the manager told me that I would not even make the bench for training after what I had done.
Have you ever had a dream shattered?

Proof that more than hard work is needed to 'make it'. A bit of talent helps..