THE STUPID FOOTBALLER IS DEAD. INSIGHTS INTO THE MINDSET OF A PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALLER
By Paul McVeigh – 2019
Professional football in the modern era is played every bit as much in the mind as on the pitch. Natural talent is no longer enough to sustain a career. Players need to be smart. Those who are dedicated, with mental resilience and a winner’s psychology, are prospering and will continue to do so as the game evolves. The stupid footballer, however, is dead.
Former player Paul McVeigh provides insights into how his own mindset developed during his football career. The book is spiced with personal anecdotes and a look behind the scenes into the approach of some of the game’s highest performers. He sees these footballers as developing a psychological fortitude to succeed, with traits such as:
• Taking personal responsibility for their own success
• Developing a positive self- image to meet adversity with strength - Mixing intensity with control
• Listening, considering, analysing, learning, improving
This book will appeal to sports fans who want to get inside the head of top professionals. And if there is one book to be read by players at all levels who want to improve their performance on the pitch then this is it.
Paul McVeigh was a professional footballer for 16 years, playing for Tottenham Hotspur, Luton Town, Burnley and Norwich city, and representing Northern Ireland at senior level. Since retiring from football, Paul has worked extensively with youngsters in football academies, delivered seminars and workshops and established himself as a sports presenter.
He currently works as an international Keynote Speaker and has worked with global companies such as: Aviva, Barclays, PWC, Grant Thornton and Cisco. Paul has recently finished his studies which means he is the only Premier League Footballer with an M.Sc. in Sport Psychology.