Fabrice Muamba: I'm Still Standing by Fabrice Muamba

Author:Fabrice Muamba [Muamba, Fabrice]
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3, mobi
Tags: Arsenal, Bolton Wanderers, Footballer, Fabrice Muamba, Birmingham City, Muamba, Survivor
Publisher: Trinity Mirror Sport Media
Published: 2012-10-27T16:00:00+00:00

#10

Buying Time

AFTER Birmingham had been relegated I went to New York that summer. While I was there, Warwick called me to let me know that Bolton Wanderers were interested in me. Their manager wanted to meet, so when I got back, we drove up to the Reebok Stadium where Gary Megson outlined his plans. He wanted to build a young side and he invited me to be part of it.

I cost five and a bit million and my wage also increased substantially. I’m living the dream here. £5,000 appearance fee, £5,000 win bonus. That kind of money was so far beyond my understanding at the time it might as well have been dollars or euros or whatever. I couldn’t get my head around it, although I did like to spend a fair bit on a nice watch and stuff like that. I also moved in to a tidy apartment above a bookshop. It was great, life was different up north and I used to enjoy going out in Manchester. I kept checking Birmingham’s results. They had made me very welcome, I owed them so much and they were really good to me. I still check their results now.

Gary was a good manager and I respect him for bringing me to Bolton. Some managers like to raise their voice and some don’t. Gary did. He really did. That was just the way he was. There is nothing wrong with that.

People often wonder now whether managers are as feared as they once were because players are on so much more money than ever before. But, trust me, there is always respect. They are the boss and they can do what they want. He was very tough on me, like so many before him had been, but again that was only because he wanted the best for me and he was so desperate for Bolton to succeed. I was not cheap and like any manager he wanted me to reward his faith. I tried my best to do that.

I remember one day he tore into me at half-time when we were playing at home. We were in the dressing room and he fired up, rolling the cuffs up on his shirt, which he always did when he got angry. I didn’t think he was going to punch me, that’s just what he did. He just went mental. Effing and blinding and calling me all sorts of names. He just blew it.

I just kept my mouth shut because he is the manager, so you have to take it but in my head I was saying ‘this man is talking so much rubbish, he best keep quiet’. He is the man in charge. But the clock was ticking and I was thinking ‘if he doesn’t shut up, I’m going to punch him’. It went on and on. ‘God help me,’ I said to myself, ‘this man is pushing the boundaries, I would like to see him try and hit me – let’s see who wins’.

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