Burnley’s Andre Gray: ‘I was just relieved I hadn’t been stabbed in the eye’

https://www.theguardian.com/football/20 ... _clipboard" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Just read the Guardian article and feel that Gray comes across
as a young man who has come through a pretty difficult early life but has
managed to come through it via football and his determination and realisation
that you can make something of yourself.

I'm full of admiration for him and wish him all the best and hope he continues to develop
and improve. And he does so at Burnley.

Sounds like he's had some knocks and learned from them which a lot don't do. Shame he was punished for the tweets after he had already learned but he seems to be settled at the moment.

Good read.

Isn't it Bumba who pretty much despises Gray?

They need to have a read of that article.

A nice article, comes across as a decent guy from a tough upbringing who has now learnt how to live. "I am a completely different person now".
Good luck Andre.

Good on him. Football really has saved him. You can imagine that without it he would have spiiraled into more gang crime. Another 3 today please Andre especially as I have just put him back in my fantasy football team.

Proabably still not good enough for jambo and the snowflakes on no nay never.

When you look at his upbringing...no dad around, running with a gang and so on...fair play to him for 'rescuing himself'...not easy to do that.

- pushing yourself up from Hinckley Town to scoring hat tricks in the Premier League for us..well done to him.

I hope it continues and that he scores plenty more goals for us.

Superb article. The more Andre speaks out about his life experience the better it is for him and those who do look up to him.

Rarosdiablo wrote:Burnley’s Andre Gray: ‘I was just relieved I hadn’t been stabbed in the eye’

https://www.theguardian.com/football/20 ... _clipboard" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Thanks for posting, Rarosdiablo.

Times has similar article.

A couple of things in Times that aren't mentioned by Guardian: FA course was held at Wembley; Gray is "hoping to... set up a foundation to help youngsters walking the path he used to tread."

Andre Gray quotes I like:

The course was "really interesting. I felt I could open up about things and get my point across. It was good to hear their point of view on discrimination and stuff. They were very understanding and it helped me to understand where people come from. I've been exposed to more now, about people's beliefs, religion and sexuality and so on. Where I am from certain things were not exposed to me. Thankfully football set me free from these things."

"You realise everyone is the same at the end of the day."

Well done, Andre - and well done Burnley Football Club.

Top lad. I love that our players have some real depth and don't appear to be the inane, trite, brain-dead 'PR on a tape-loop' cardboard cut-outs that so many British footballers are.

TomBenderson wrote:Carefully-crafted PR piece. I have no insight into the "real" Andre Gray. I love the picture in the story though. That's not an accident.

Hi Tom B, agree Burnley's PR team have managed this situation. But, you don't but someone up for press interview(s) until you know they are ready to handle it all and it will achieve the intended result.

I'd also imagine that the FA's and Premier League's PR teams are supporting this process. The FA wants to be able to show that their course can have the desired effect - probably no accident that the course is held at Wembley. The Premier League would like "good news" about all the players in the Prem - rather than the "bad news."

Redemption and "Football set me free" are great PR messages.

Paul Waine wrote:Thanks for posting, Rarosdiablo.

Times has similar article.

A couple of things in Times that aren't mentioned by Guardian: FA course was held at Wembley; Gray is "hoping to... set up a foundation to help youngsters walking the path he used to tread."

Andre Gray quotes I like:

The course was "really interesting. I felt I could open up about things and get my point across. It was good to hear their point of view on discrimination and stuff. They were very understanding and it helped me to understand where people come from. I've been exposed to more now, about people's beliefs, religion and sexuality and so on. Where I am from certain things were not exposed to me. Thankfully football set me free from these things."

"You realise everyone is the same at the end of the day."

Well done, Andre - and well done Burnley Football Club.

Thanks Paul Waine for the additions, I hope that he does act as a role model and if he helps even one young person to escape from a life like that then he can be proud and so can Burnley FC.

Longsider wrote:Another 3 today please Andre especially as I have just put him back in my fantasy football team.

Me too!

If anybody has read Barton's autobiography you will see similarities. Barton too went through a tough early life, however, like Gray, football has been his saviour.

Sutton-Claret wrote:If anybody has read Barton's autobiography you will see similarities. Barton too went through a tough early life, however, like Gray, football has been his saviour.

Maybe Barton has played his part with Gray, both the type of players we want around the club and it's youth set up.