Ex Gills development player on Talksport Radio.. | Vital Football

Ex Gills development player on Talksport Radio..

daveycrocket

daveycrocket

Vital Squad Member
At lunchtime, wasn't impressed by the way he was let go by Gills on 2013, saying he got no help from the club and his life spiralled downward into depression. George Humber was his name. He mentioned Martin Allen, Scally and I think he said Hess.
I only heard the last bit of the programme, but did anyone else listen in and get the full story?
 
A common complaint against all clubs from listening to other callers. Once a club deems a player isn't up to it they don't renew the contract and let them go. Once they are released then the club has no responsibility anymore.

He said when he went into the office on that fateful day he was expecting to be told he'd be on the bench for the next first team match and was shocked when told they were letting him go. He was one of many that day.

He said he felt let down insofar the club didn't help him find a new club and found it depressing to see his other peers go on and have football careers.

The main issue is that despite less than 1% of youths making it, most youth players don't think they will be part of the 99% failure rate and get caught out when they get released out of the blue.

According to the talksport website, the club issued a statement to say if they are aware of players (past or present) having mental health issues then they will get involved to assist.
 
Wasn't impressed by how he was let go, or wasn't impressed that he was let go?

Here's the link: https://talksport.com/football/5286...otballer-warns-mental-health-epidemic-failed/

I know talk sport is the radio equivalent of the daily mail so perhaps he's been misquoted, but the below- really?

"He also has no idea what career path to pursue because all he ever wanted was to play football." - Lack of foresight, poor decision.

“I want to be a somebody,” Humber goes on, “and at this time I feel like I have no opportunity.” You can still be "somebody" regardless of your profession, and to be quite frank, you make your own opportunities in life.
 
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SE1_Gills said:
Wasn't impressed by how he was let go, or wasn't impressed that he was let go?

Here's the link: https://talksport.com/football/5286...otballer-warns-mental-health-epidemic-failed/

I know talk sport is the radio equivalent of the daily mail so perhaps he's been misquoted, but the below- really?

"He also has no idea what career path to pursue because all he ever wanted was to play football." - Lack of foresight, poor decision.

“I want to be a somebody,” Humber goes on, “and at this time I feel like I have no opportunity.” You can still be "somebody" regardless of your profession, and to be quite frank, you make your own opportunities in life.
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I agree. It must be horrible to find out you're being released but unfortunately that's the case for thousands of youngsters up and down the country every year. As for being 25 years old and not on the property ladder yet well welcome to the real world. I've got mates who are 35 and can only dream of buying a place. This geezer needs a reality check.
 
His name rings a bell / was he the player who got injured badly, (cruciate or broken leg) so actually got given another year so he could be assessed when he returned from injury?

Most of our youth team or development squad won’t be good enough for League 1, that’s the reality of it. Once they get to a certain age they need to move down to non league level to get regular matches, unless they have unusual talent like Dack/List/a few others.
 
It must be terribly disappointing to have all those possibilities in front of you at young age and then have them pulled away. And I'm not sure all the preparation in the world can take care of that. Going public is not the way forward though for the individual, even if the general issue needs more than saying that's just the way it is.
 
Bromley_GFC said:
George Humber is not a name I had ever heard of before, perhaps not expected to make it like Dack etc. So I'm not 100% sure if he's suggesting he should have been given a deal or just the aftercare from the club wasn't good enough?

I got released from Gills at the age of 13, well I was recommended for a six week trial and didn't make the cut. I'll hold my hands up and say it was absolutely gutting and knocked my confidence for sure. So I can properly relate to what Humber has mentioned in terms of that horrible moment you get released from a football club. It's hard enough getting released from a club you passionately support after being there for six weeks let alone years, like many of the lads he mentioned.

However, parents also have to play an important role in keeping expectations realistic. You see parents big their kid up on shows like the X Factor as though they're gonna be the next Frank Sinatra when in reality they turn up sounding like a drowning cat. Humber's parents could well have kept him grounded so hopefully that wasn't the case here of getting his hopes up too much as very very few actually make a living from Football.

Going back to my first point of George complaining about the aftercare that Gillingham lacked. Unfortunately, that's the case of every football club going and a harsh reality of the game. It certainly doesn't seem to be a Gillingham isolated problem, fair enough if he thinks the game has a problem with treatment of released youth players in general but he's pointing the blame squarely at the club it seems?

The line 'I want to be a somebody' suggests him wanting to be famous/a celebrity so hard to sympathise with that one tbh. Even if Humber had said 'I wanted to be a Footballer' which I'd have much more respect for...wanting and becoming something are two different things that I think every poster on here can vouch for. In order to 'be somebody' in a field like a Sportsman you need exceptional talent and very hard work.

There are good, hard working and intelligent people that get overlooked in life all the time but don't expect a former employer to set them up with a new job. In fact they would think you were taking the piss.
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Excellent post Bromley.
 
From what I heard (did not catch the whole interview) Humber was indicating that it was Hess who let him go. That tool Jim White seemed rather sniffy about our club.
 
Lark said:
Here’s a link to the interview Martin Allen gave when he released Humber, alongside some bigger names:
https://www.gillinghamfootballclub.com/news/2013/january/martin-hardest-day-as-a-manager/
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Very impressed with that interview of MA. It looks like he went to great lengths explaining things. Not just a blanket “I let 7 go”, but talking about the options, reasons, etc and according to him he told each of them about their pathways and options for the future.

I do feel sorry for these young footballers, but as mentioned above, it is so hard and only a tiny percent make it even in lower leagues. Surely you’d have to realise that if you choose to give it a try.

I was one of those employed in the Dockyard back in the day. That was always said to be a “job for life” back then. Try being laid off alongside 5000 others at the same time with no “future career pathways” and guidance given to you. Unfortunately that’s the real world.
 
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