Together with his lawyer brother, Marc Roberts (MR), former Perth Glory, Sarawak & Geylang United player, PJ Roberts (PJ) co-authored “Mister Lee’s Fantastic Football Dream” and the Young Adult Fiction book was officially launched last weekend in Singapore! So what is the book all about, and what is PJ busy with after his retirement and how he feels about S-League football and Australian futsal these days? PJ Roberts shares with Junpiter Futbol and you.
JPF: What are you busy with these days?
PJ: I am working at a private bank, ANZ, as a financial advisor. And also with ESPN Start Sports and Singtel Mio doing coverage of Singapore football. I am also the President of Australian & New Zealand Association in Singapore. All these keep me pretty busy.
JPF: Ever regret or feel sorry for yourself that you had to end football prematurely because of your back injury? How bad was that period?
PJ: First of all, it’s not something you could do anything about. You have to get over it and deal with it. My earliest memory of the game was back when I was a child kicking football with my dad and my grand dad. All I wanted then was to be a professional footballer. And then, I was just 29 years old playing for Geylang United and to retire in that manner, it was a slap in my face. I had defined myself as a professional footballer, and almost instantly, I became an ex-footballer. The back injury had already been around for the past 5-6 years prior to my retirement and it was affecting my playing. Emotionally it was challenging but I still took it positively.
JPF: Working for ESPN and doing football coverage for Singtel Mio, do you see any difference in the current football scene as compared to the days when you were still playing?
PJ: I think the thing that really evolved in the last few years is a little more of a greater emphasis on a passing game. It (passing game) was always there but with the success of Barcelona’s tiki-taka style and Spain’s domination in almost all levels of football, the passing game is brought to the forefront. While the physicality and athleticism all of that is crucial, the overall individual technique and skill has really shown through. Look at Barcelona – they are not the biggest guys! And Spain could play in the European Championship without a recognized striker and still win the game! So I think that passing game is one of the key things that is coming to our attention although it’s always there.
JPF: Australia Futsal team did not do very well in this FIFA Futsal World Cup. As a former captain of the Australia Futsal National team participated in 1996 World Cup, what do you think could have been the reason?
PJ: In Australia, they are all amateur players. Coming up against the big European players who are really professionals is a huge feat. Nowadays, the futsal team is managed by Football Federation Australia (FFA), and probably the governing body focuses too much on the other areas which could see futsal receiving lesser attention. For Brazil and Spain, they see futsal as an integral part of their football development with the likes of Ronaldo and Ronaldinho. These are probably some of the reasons.
JPF: As a former futsal player, how did you managed to switch to an eleven aside game and excel in it?
PJ: I have actually played outdoor football all my life since young but when I grew older, I also played futsal. I actually played in the FIFA Futsal World Cup in Spain 1996 with a broken bone, the fifth metatarsal injury which David Beckham made famous in 2002. I already had that years ago, hahaha… So right after the World Cup, I went in for surgeries and was out of all kinds of football for one and a half years. So to be out for so long, I had to learn to run again. Basically, I had to put in a lot of effort to learn to run and to pick up a new sports, be it futsal or outdoor football, all over again.
JPF: Although you have retired from the game, do you still keep yourself abreast of Geylang United’s progress and development?
PJ: While I’m doing my TV role where we do a lot of work with the commentating on the S-League, obviously I am able to keep in touch with how they are doing as well as how the Singapore football is going. Now, I am also doing commentating on the AFF Suzuki Cup with ESPN, so I still have a fairly big part which is keeping me updated with the S-League.
JPF: What do you think of the standard of the S-League now?
PJ: I do really think that the standard is reasonable. S-League does not have much money in the game so the quality of the foreign players coming in can obviously be questioned. But I think it all comes down to money. The amount of money offered to a player will lure him, whether it is here in Singapore or for example, Malaysia. This is the motivating factor as I feel that football is considered a short career. Also, I do think people here can be over-critical in many ways because the consumer, i.e. the football fan is spoilt. You can sit at home and watch every single league around the world without leaving your seat or even your country! Of course, if you compare La Liga to the S-League, well, people here will be quick to criticize the S-League. Then again, you have to look at the whole thing put it in perspective and judge fairly.
JPF: If you are given a chance to change something in the S-League for the better, what would that change be?
PJ: You have to in many ways applaud S-League for trying different things to enhance the league; engaging diverse foreign teams, changing the fitness test and etc. The biggest objective I think is to get a greater focus from all the media and the fans. And I think the only way you can do that is to have a greater connection between the local community and the teams. Raising the profiles of the teams within their local community is absolutely critical.
JPF: Was there a player who left you with the deepest impression in the S-League when you were still playing for Geylang United?
PJ: There is one whom I’m always fond of speaking – Baihakki Khaizan. He made his debut with us at Geylang when he was only 18-19 years old. He displayed how matured he was even at that young age. We saw what kind of quality he had and his willingness to learn and that’s one of his best attributes. He is an enthusiastic player, always ambitious to learn. Senior players like Aleksandar Duric, Lim Tong Hai and even myself shared with him a lot on the pitch and it’s nice to see him playing at the highest level now.
Photo: misterleefootballdreamer.com
JPF: You have two undergraduate degrees and an MBA, how did you manage to juggle study and football at the same time when you were young?
PJ: For me, both study and football actually complements each other enormously. Obviously it’s challenging at times when you are younger as you do not see the importance of education. That’s when Mum, Dad and my brother Marc come in with the family support. I have been fortunate as my upbringing was to focus on both education and football. I represented Australia Futsal in the youth level and when the rest of the kids were hanging out with their friends, my spare time was focused on studying if I wasn’t otherwise training. You just have to strike a balance.
JPF: What inspired you and Marc to write this book? And why specifically in a local context?
MR: I come to Singapore 1-2 times a year to visit PJ and once we were sitting at the balcony talking about how lucky we were as kids growing up where we have plenty of football fields around us. And PJ was talking about how lucky we were compared to a little boy who loves football here and growing up in a HDB flat. The little boy may not have the sort of opportunity we had at all. And we though that could make an interesting story.
PJ: As Marc explained, it’s about the appreciation of the challenges that a young Singaporean boy would go through, particularly the focus on academia. It’s different from how we grew up in Australia. In the same context, the same story would not have much value if it’s based in Australia.
MR: We love football and we love Singapore. PJ became a professional footballer playing in Singapore. I, myself, played a lot of sports, and both of us achieved both, academically and professionally. We thought maybe, just maybe our story might inspire a few Singaporean parents to let their boys play football for a couple of years while still have time to focus on their studies.
Photo: misterleefootballdreamer.com
JPF: Why this name, Lee Jun Yong (book main character’s name)?
MR: The selection of the family name ‘Lee’ was easy because Lee is the most common Singaporean name that I can think of! Haha… History is one of my favorite subjects and I have an enormous amount of respect for the great Mr. Lee Kuan Yew. The name, Jun Yong, came from a discussion with our editor actually. We went through a lot of Chinese names and eventually settled for Jun Yong. So that’s how we derived at this!
JPF: With the launch of this book, what kind of impact would you and Marc want to see, specifically in football?
MR: We just want to show some of the parents that it’s possible for their boys to love football, play football and also to achieve exceptionally well academically and in the professional sporting field.
PJ: Being a professional footballer is a wonderful dream and a great ambition to have. Many young enthusiastic boys would share this aspiration. However, the realization of this dream is absolutely limited. While it’s a fantastic dream to have, and to work incredibly hard to pursue this dream, I believe the journey and learning towards the dream will be valuable for the rest of their lives. It can’t be education without knowing what is a team sports. Setting goals, being performance orientated, understanding different roles in a sport and in a game, understanding the importance of winning, and most importantly, learning how to lose. I have lived this dream and I want to share this to those talented young footballers out there that they can also do the same.
JPF: Any advice for Junpiter Futbol readers who aspires to be a professional footballer like you?
PR: First of all, you really have to be passionate about the sports. You got to absolutely love football. Once you have the fire burning inside you to pursue that dream, the work ethics that follows has to be exceptional. When we say work ethics it means working hard on every single aspect of what that’s required to be a professional footballer which will come from training. Other than training, you have to watch what you eat, drink and ensure adequate sleep and rest. It’s pure dedication and discipline. When everyone gets to the professional level, everyone is expected to be a good player, but what sets you and others apart, is that dedication and work ethics. David Beckham didn’t get to execute unbelievable free-kicks the moment he was born. He practiced and practiced and practiced. I know these are cliche but definitely true.
MR: No matter how unimportant you think the game is you should always pull up your socks, tuck in your shirt and look like a footballer, you never know who is watching!
PJ: This is true.
JPF: Any financial advice for footballers who are earning big money!
PJ: You are only a training session or a game away from the end of your career. For guys who are earning decent money now, it won’t last forever. Once you finish playing, no one will care about you. You will learn that very quickly. So you got to make sure you start saving your money!
Learn more about the authors and follow the adventures of Mister Lee at www.misterleefootballdreamer.com and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MisterLeeFootballDreamer.
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