They say that if you never dream, you will never have a dream come true. Dreaming is an individual process that every kid goes through at their early years, something AFC Bournemouth defender Steve Cook knows all too well.
When it comes to football though, chasing your dreams could lead to an unpleasant dead-end.
According to the English FA, more than eight million people were actively engaged with football by the end of 2014, with only 4000 of them having the opportunity to participate in professional football.
The Chairman of the Professional Footballers’ Association, Clarke Carlisle said in an interview with the Daisy Cutter that “less than 1% of those in the game at 16 are still in the game at 21”.
Indeed, questions have arisen in the recent years, concerning the development of football prospects between the ages of 18 and 21.
English football clubs have been criticized regarding their inability to protect their youth ‘products’ and invest in grassroots.
Cook was one of the footballers that almost fell into that trap.
His dreams as a boy kicking the ball around the streets of Hastings, a historic town in the south-east of England, almost came to a dead-end one year after joining Brighton’s first team.
Speaking exclusively to JD Football, Cook provides an insight into his initial struggles, life as a Premier League footballer, and Bournemouth’s step up to the Premier League.
“I made my debut at 17 against Manchester City and I’d wait another two and a half years to make a first team appearance.
“You go from being the next-big-thing at 17 to not playing until 19-20.
“I had to reset and set my targets differently. I had to deal with it in a different way.
“It was tough because at one point you are playing for Brighton and the next you are heading up to Mansfield to play in the Conference. This is hard.”
Although being on the verge of despair, he never gave up.
Every night he was turning off the lights in his bedroom, lying in his bed, closing his eyes and tirelessly building on his dream.
His night-long task was rather demanding and clearly ambitious, but he was never alone in this battle.
Cook had his back covered by his loving parents.
It was them who hanged an invisible dreamcatcher above his sleeping area, protecting their son’s dreams with a viewless cloak.
“My father took me to every game. It was quite a journey.
“I was driving to Brighton twice a week, three times a week with the game from the age of nine.
“There was always for me that extra incentive to repay my family with the time of work and the miles they’ve been in.
“Without them I obviously wouldn’t be here. Definitely if you’ve got the right parents, who are willing to take their time out and do things for you is huge.”
During these journeys, Cook had the opportunity to mature and focus on the actual process of materialising his dreams.
It wasn’t a safe trip, and one fraught with obstacles.
“I had a lot of loan moves when I was at Brighton and was signing one-year contracts every summer, which was frustrating.
“I can remember turning out at Maidenhead on a Tuesday night and thinking, ‘I’m not sure my career is going the way I want it to’.
“I went to Mansfield for three months and that was difficult because I was only 19 and I wasn’t sure what was going to happen.
“Even when I came to Bournemouth, I wasn’t sure if it would be for me. Initially, it was only a one-month loan so I thought I would be going back to Brighton and trying to get in the first team.
“I had gone here, there and everywhere up to then but I finally settled in Bournemouth and the rest is history.”
In Bournemouth he found what he was looking for; a football family.
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Cook made his loan spell at the Cherries a permanent one in January 2012, joining the club which was destined to send shock waves across the English football, by wondrously climbing up the domestic league tiers and introducing themselves to the Premier League top-flight with the beginning of this season.
Albeit being an invaluable part of Bournemouth’s incredible journey, Cook’s numbers this season prove that he never stopped developing his work ethic.
According to squawka.com, Cook’s extraordinary numbers place him second in the list of the most successful defensive players in the league.
Bournemouth centre-half Steve Cook scored the winner to give the a vital 3 poin… … – https://t.co/uAc9M3nSr2 pic.twitter.com/tLL4GUqzYA
— FootballGoal (@footballvlogr) March 29, 2016
The Bournemouth centre back counts a total figure of 344 defensive actions, more than any other defender in the Premier League bar Ashley Williams.
Moreover, taking part in 29 of the 31 matches that Bournemouth have competed in the league so far, Cook is averaging an impressive 8.5 clearances and 2.2 interceptions per game.
His introduction to Premier League football, however, was anything but easy.
Bournemouth’s first weeks in the first league were marked by underwhelming performances.
After a 5-1 defeat against Manchester City back in October, Cook admitted that he was facing sleepless nights, thinking about the causes of his team’s struggle to compete.
“Losing is not a nice feeling and not one we have been used to over the last couple of years.
“It’s not the best. The first few disappointments hit me hard and I struggled for a few days.
“It did stop me sleeping and I was having nights where I was thinking too much about the game. But you need it to hurt otherwise it means nothing.”
Once again though, another parental figure was there to re-install that invisible dreamcatcher and relieve him from all the ongoing stress.
This time, it was Bournemouth’s inspirational manager, Eddie Howe, who took him under his wings and laid Cook’s dream foundations.
PL TotW: @bguzan@kylewalker2
Klose@SteveCook28
Clichy
Ritchie
Kanté@mousadembele@Dele_Alli@HKane@GPelle19— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) March 15, 2016
“Every time we talk about him [Howe] we get goose bumps because he means that much to the lads, the club and the fans,” said Cook in a recent interview with the Telegraph.
Howe has played a vital part in Bournemouth’s success over the last few years, by inculcating his major principles into his squad.
Unsurprisingly, his past bears some resemblance to the early careers of the majority of his players, with a word being highlighted throughout his youth, a word especially familiar to Cook’s dreams; family.
“Most people will say that your parents and your childhood experiences are so important.
“I certainly believe that to be the case for me. I was given some very good advice.
“I was brought up in a loving family and it has made me very focused on my work.”
His family’s support assisted Howe on collecting all the pieces of the Bournemouth squad puzzle.
The only task that he had to accomplish, was successfully putting these pieces together.
“When they started putting us [the squad] together it just clicked,” said Cook.
“We wanted the same thing, socialised out of football and we all have similar backgrounds. It would have been easy for the manager to bring players in and not trust us.”
Along with his introduction to the glorious Premier League, Cook’s wife gave him another present back in November, giving birth to their son Frey Anthony.
“As a couple we have adapted to Frey’s arrival quite well. My partner spends the nights with him and I tend to sleep in the spare room.
💙💙💙 pic.twitter.com/4O12JyhTAf
— Steve Cook (@SteveCook28) November 6, 2015
“I don’t think I could stay up with him all night given how physically demanding training and our games are.”
Don’t get him wrong. Football is not his priority.
He has just managed to combine two separate concepts into one.
Once again – this time in the common room though, he is turning off the lights, lying in his bed, closing his eyes and letting his dreams unfold.
There are no nightmares any more, only two huge circles, the one within the other, labeled by the words ‘family’ and ‘football family’.
Meanwhile, everyone else including his parents, his football father Eddie Howe, his Bournemouth teammates and his wife, make sure that the dreamcatcher properly hangs above his sleeping place.
The same dreamcatcher that he inherited from his parents and will subsequently pass to his son in the near future.
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