Craig Johnston
Craig Johnston
Craig Peter Johnstonis a South African-born Australian former footballer and he is forever remembered by his fellow countrymen as one of the first Australians to make a big stamp in English and European football. He is remembered for his time spent with Liverpool throughout the 1980s. After retiring, he designed and created the prototype for Adidas' Predator football boot, worn by many footballers and rugby players. He was eligible for the Australian and South African national teams, but only ever...
NationalitySouth African
ProfessionRugby Player
Date of Birth25 June 1960
OK, the wonderful thing about soccer is, a football is a perfectly round object, and it doesn't make mistakes. The player using it makes mistakes. And the more you use it, the less mistakes you make.
Our football program is bigger than any one person.
The main thing I do now is I coach kids, and all of these stories along the way are based in reality.
I've been ignored for 20 years but now it's heartening to get some recognition.
Now Jack Charlton wasn't wrong, I was a bad footballer.
It used to be standard practice that the pre-match meal consisted of egg, steak and chicken. But I talked them into changing to complex carbohydrates. So now they will sup on porridge, pasta or rice.
We were having a trial game against Leeds, and Jack Charlton was the boss of Middlesbrough at the time.
And I think they loved me because I loved being part of their team, you know, and I quite often say to kids, that I was the worst player in the world's best football team - and that was good enough for me.
I've always had an inquisitive mind about everything from flowers to television sets to motor cars. Always pulled them apart - couldn't put 'em back, but always extremely interested in how things work.
There is a reason I sit up in the booth and observe. I have a lot of faith in my staff.
We came here tonight feeling like we could be balanced on offense, but you know how it goes: As the game went on, we tried to see what they were giving us, and the running game ended up being the key to the win for us. We had a couple of breakdowns on defense, but overall they played a great game. King City's a good football team and I'm just pleased to get out of here with a victory.
You know, I was crap. But I had the commitment, and I had the understanding, that the basis of football is skill on the ball, and if you spend the time with it, you're gonna reap the rewards.
So I did in fact spend two and a half years in the Middlesbrough car park practising skills. But if you spend four or five or six hours a day practising, you get better.