'The Accidental Footballer' Pat Nevin

Andy Lopata's guest on the Connected Leadership podcast this week is Pat Nevin, pro footballer with Clyde, Chelsea, Everton, Tranmere, Kilmarnock Motherwell and Scotland, with a total of almost 850 first team appearances. He was also Chairman of the Professional Footballers Association for 5 years. Pat and Andy discuss a range of topics including racial issues and homophobia in football. They talk about the different attitudes of media, the fans and the owners/managers. Not the usual footballer, they also discuss how Pat's different interests impacted his ability to build close bonds with his teammates and a connection with the fans. He spoke up against the hooligan and racist culture among a number of Chelsea fans, despite playing in front of them every week. Respect is very important and although he felt an outsider most of the time, that meant he could see the bigger picture.