In this first episode of this series of the Football Firsts Podcast we are joined by Jensen Weir, who is currently on loan with Blackpool from Brighton & Hove Albion.
He discusses a range of topics, including memories of his dad playing at the top level, his early experiences as a footballer, and his future ambitions.
(Photo credit: CameraSport)
He discusses a range of topics, including memories of his dad playing at the top level, his early experiences as a footballer, and his future ambitions.
(Photo credit: CameraSport)
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SportsTranscript
00:00 Hello and welcome to the Football First podcast, a show all about memories of a beautiful game.
00:04 For the first episode of this series, I'm joined by Jenson Weir, who's currently on loan at Blackpool from Brighton.
00:09 So first of all, how are you, mate?
00:11 Yeah, I'm good, thank you. Thanks for having me on. I'm really good, yeah. All good.
00:16 So how has life been at Bloomfield Road so far?
00:20 It's been good so far, yeah. All the boys have welcomed me in and stuff, so it's been good.
00:24 Just getting to know people and stuff and settling in and playing football again, which is nice.
00:31 So yeah, it's been good and positive.
00:34 Has it been easy to settle in? Is it quite a close group?
00:37 Yeah, it's a close group. You can tell that they're a close group.
00:40 But all the boys are really good with me and stuff. They've all been really good.
00:44 Yeah, I'm just taking it slow and just getting to know people, yeah.
00:50 Who's that close friendship? Is there any instant clicks?
00:54 Kyle's probably the one that I've known him from when I was at Wigan.
00:57 So Kyle's someone I'm probably close to.
00:59 And then just, I wouldn't say I've got close, but I just kind of like to speak to everyone here and there.
01:04 I'm not really a loud character and I'm quite quiet and shy, so I keep myself to myself.
01:09 But yeah, it's been nice to speak to a few of the boys and meet new faces and stuff.
01:15 Just over a month into the season, what have you made of Blackpool's star?
01:19 I think it's been positive, to be honest.
01:20 I think, bar the linking game, which wasn't ideal result-wise,
01:28 but I thought performance-wise it was actually quite OK.
01:31 But yeah, it's early days in the league, so it's a long season.
01:35 Everyone knows that. So yeah, there's definitely room to improve,
01:40 but I definitely don't think it's negative.
01:44 Yeah, are you happy with both building blocks and foundations you laid in those early weeks?
01:49 Yeah, no, I think the manager's clear on how he wants to play.
01:53 So just everyone getting used to that and everything takes time.
01:56 So it'll come and yeah, I'm looking forward to it.
02:01 What do you want to offer to the team? I know we've seen you in a few roles already.
02:05 I want to get goals. Goals is big for me. I want to create chances.
02:09 I think that's something I can do. I like to play football,
02:14 so I'll try and help the team play where I can.
02:18 And yeah, I'm quite flexible really.
02:20 Obviously, I want to try and bring things to the table,
02:23 but I want to do things that I wanted of me as well.
02:25 So yeah, quite a good few things I'm trying to do, trying to bring to the team.
02:31 Yeah, and have you been encouraged to get forward and play that expressive football?
02:36 Yeah, definitely. I think there's a freedom to go and express yourself in the final third.
02:41 I think that's ultimately down to you as a player, really.
02:44 I think that's down to me to take chances when I get them and stuff.
02:48 So, but yeah, that's something I'm going to try and do, yeah.
02:53 We'll get into your football first now.
02:55 So best place to start is, what's your first memory of the sport as a whole?
02:59 Is there anything in particular that stands out?
03:03 I think just when I was younger, I used to go and watch my dad quite a bit.
03:05 I used to go to all the games and stuff. Within playing,
03:08 I was always surrounded by football. So my brother,
03:12 I've got two brothers and a sister and then my older brother plays, younger sister plays,
03:16 my younger brother plays. So just all playing football in the garden and stuff, really.
03:20 And mum taking us all over England, really, to play football, that kind of stuff.
03:26 Obviously, you mentioned yourself and all your siblings.
03:28 How big an influence was your dad in sort of encouraging you to play?
03:31 I wouldn't say he pushed me to play.
03:32 Like, he was never that tight to kind of push me to play,
03:35 but he always gave me the freedom to do what I wanted.
03:38 And I took a liking to football and he would always help me if I needed anything.
03:43 We'd always play in the garden and stuff and he'd always be there when it was to play.
03:48 So he was definitely massive for me, you know, him being a player
03:51 and me just wanting to play football when I was young.
03:52 So he was an inspiration for me. And yeah, he definitely helped me a lot.
03:58 How early on did you realise you wanted to follow in his footsteps
04:01 and hopefully do it professionally? I don't think I've kind of really like,
04:06 I just enjoyed playing, really. I think that was never any pressure to push for anything.
04:10 I just always enjoyed playing football.
04:12 And fortunately, I was given a good environment to go and enjoy my football
04:18 and play, like, Sunday League and then to go to Wigan and stuff.
04:22 So I was, yeah, I just, I always kind of had that freedom to go and play
04:26 and I just enjoyed going, enjoyed going up to Wigan and playing and stuff.
04:30 So, but I'd say about like 12s, 13s, 14s,
04:34 I think that's when you start to push to professionally play.
04:37 But no, I'm quite relaxed about it. I just enjoyed playing football.
04:42 I suppose it helps when you've got siblings as well, you can play with all the time.
04:45 I'm guessing you had a nightmare in your mum's house?
04:47 I passed her my mum. Sister just getting chucked in goal and stuff, pelting balls at her.
04:51 But no, that was all it was, just playing in the garden, really.
04:56 Just siblings, everyone's out, dad's out and stuff.
04:58 So yeah, it was good, good memories.
05:01 Do you remember that first time you went out on the pitch and played as part of a team?
05:05 I can't remember exactly the first time,
05:08 but I remember going to play for my local team when I was younger and stuff.
05:11 And just, I don't really remember it too well,
05:15 I just remember like playing with friends and stuff and scoring a few goals and stuff like that.
05:20 So it's good memories though. Big thing for any young player is your pair of boots.
05:24 So what was it, what did you wear back in the day? What was your first pair?
05:28 I think it was always Nike. I always used to wear Nike.
05:31 Probably a pair of Mercurials, but to be fair, like, because my dad was in football,
05:37 we'd always, like me and my brother love football boots.
05:39 So we've always talked about boots and stuff, like our whole lives and stuff.
05:42 And I would say my go-to was like a Nike Mercurial probably.
05:46 That was probably my favourite boot. But I can't remember my exact first boot,
05:50 but it would have been a Nike Mercurial probably.
05:53 What were you going for? Were you a colourful person or?
05:56 Yeah, colourful, yeah. Just the newest ones, I think.
06:00 I just like having new boots and fortunately I was able to sometimes get new pairs.
06:05 So, yeah, just the new colours really. Pink, green, whatever.
06:10 Just what I'd wear them as long as they were new and bright.
06:13 Do you remember the first match you were watching as a fan?
06:16 Would it have been one of your dads?
06:18 Yeah, it would have been, yeah.
06:19 But when he was at Everton, he used to go, and my mum used to take us to the games and stuff,
06:23 so it would have been one of them. But I couldn't tell you off the top of my head, the first game.
06:26 I remember going to watch my dad take me to Old Trafford when I was younger.
06:32 I can't remember the game, but that's a memory.
06:34 Going to Old Trafford with my dad, but I can't actually remember the game.
06:37 What was it like experiencing that kind of atmosphere and just being in a packed stadium like that?
06:42 Yeah, it's crazy really.
06:43 It's what football's all about really, to go and enjoy the moment and stuff,
06:48 and to watch it from a fans perspective.
06:50 I think sometimes when you play, that's taken away from you a bit,
06:54 but even now, to go and watch games is cool and stuff.
06:57 So I definitely enjoy that side of going to watch games as well as playing in them.
07:01 But I like going and watching football live. It's cool.
07:04 Yeah, when you're not playing, you are watching.
07:06 Can you sort of observe it more and just appreciate these things that you did when you were younger as well?
07:11 Yeah, I think just the experience of going on live football, going for the days,
07:18 I think it's just a good day and I think it's enjoyable.
07:23 Regardless if you play or not, I think it's just a good day to go and watch football.
07:26 It's just an enjoyable experience.
07:30 You were born in Warrington. There's a number of teams in the North West.
07:33 Of course, your dad played for one of them. Did you lean towards one as a fan?
07:38 Well, I'd probably say Everton is probably the club that's closest to my heart,
07:42 but I'll be honest and say I'm a City fan, so I'm just City is the team I support.
07:47 I'm not too much of a fan, I'd say, but City is the team I enjoy watching.
07:55 What attracted you to City? What made them the one that was interesting as a kid?
08:00 Just the best, I thought. Well, they obviously weren't when they were younger,
08:03 but then they obviously started to pick up and stuff.
08:05 And one of my good mates is a City fan, so it just came from that, really.
08:10 Was you a late arrival to supporting City or were you before the success?
08:15 No, I was a late arrival. I can't deny that. I was a late arrival.
08:18 But we're really United fans, so it's a bit carnage in our house.
08:23 Enjoyable for me, really, the last few years.
08:26 We've started to pick up a bit, but I don't know, they're not quite at that level yet.
08:31 What would have been the first name on the back of a shirt you had?
08:34 Would it have been a City one or would it have been an Everton one?
08:37 No, an Everton shirt. It was always my dad's shirt.
08:40 I like kids, but I would never go and get like… I always like different kids.
08:46 I remember my brother used to have Inter Milan kids and stuff, proper cool kids.
08:51 He's more on it than me. I just like the boots and stuff, really.
08:56 So, when you were younger, did you move around a bit when your dad moved club
09:00 or did you sort of settle in one spot?
09:04 No, we stayed… I was born in Warrington and lived around the Lime area.
09:08 So, when he was at Everton, we stayed that way.
09:11 Then he went, obviously, back to Rangers at the latter stage of his career.
09:16 We kind of based in Lime and then he would just travel up to Glasgow,
09:19 stay there a few days a week and then come back.
09:21 So, we based around Warrington, really.
09:24 Have you ever travelled to Glasgow with him and experienced, obviously, what it's like up there?
09:28 Yeah, we went. In school holidays and stuff, we used to go up.
09:35 To be fair, we used to go into the training ground, me and my older brother,
09:37 just go in for the days, sit with the kit man and stuff.
09:40 That was enjoyable memories and stuff.
09:41 Then go to some games, but I wasn't allowed to go to the old firm, sadly.
09:45 Dad wouldn't let me.
09:47 But, yeah, we went up quite a bit.
09:50 But we're all football fans, so we all enjoyed it and stuff.
09:53 How does it compare, though, to down here?
09:55 Can you feel just how tribal it is?
09:57 Maybe, obviously, you didn't get to go to the big game.
09:59 Can you feel that sort of tribal side of it?
10:02 Yeah, you can just tell, like, just even being in the car with him when he was playing
10:06 and coming out and the amount of fans that were just asking for photos and stuff.
10:09 It's crazy, really.
10:11 It's just the atmosphere is next level, I think.
10:15 I think for any football fan, it's definitely a bucket list game to go and watch.
10:19 Like, any Rangers, Celtic games, I think they're up there.
10:22 The fans are next level, really.
10:25 As a kid, does it sink in that your dad's played for such a big club?
10:27 That means such a big thing to people.
10:30 Yeah, it sinks in, but it doesn't really affect me as a person.
10:35 I think it's cool.
10:38 For me, playing in the Premier League, I think that's the coolest part for me,
10:43 because that's a goal of mine, to try and play in the Premier League.
10:46 And, yeah, obviously, Rangers are a massive club as well.
10:48 So, it is cool.
10:52 It is cool to think.
10:54 I don't think about it too much, but it is pretty cool.
10:57 Would you have any position at school when maybe any Everton fans
11:00 said, "Oh, he had a bad game at weekend. What's going on?"
11:03 No, never, to be fair.
11:04 I did have Everton fans around, but they never really said.
11:09 I don't know if that's because he was playing well,
11:12 or they just didn't really want to say it to me.
11:14 I don't know.
11:15 So, I never really had that experience.
11:17 We'll take it as he was playing well every weekend there was footy sass going on.
11:20 It's got to be, surely.
11:22 So, on to your career as a youngster.
11:25 Obviously, you started off at Wigan.
11:27 So, what was the academy system like, though?
11:28 Yeah, really good. Wigan was a great club for me.
11:31 It started as a centre of excellence when I was younger,
11:34 and then it just gradually progressed up.
11:36 I was there for a lot of years, so it was a really good club.
11:40 To be honest, I have really good memories there.
11:41 I've got good friends there as well.
11:42 So, it's a big part of my football career.
11:45 And yeah, they produced a lot of good players as well,
11:48 and it's deservedly so because it's a really good club with really good people.
11:53 You got handed your first senior appearance at the club at the age of 15.
11:56 So, what was that like?
11:57 That was a bit crazy, to be fair.
12:00 I didn't really expect it to happen, and then it happened.
12:03 And then just going into school the next day was a bit mad, but it was pretty cool.
12:07 Yeah, it's a good memory.
12:08 And my mum went, but Dad didn't go.
12:10 My mum went, and then some family and friends as well.
12:12 So, it was a nice moment.
12:15 How soon do they tell you that's going to happen?
12:17 Do you even know when you're on the bench, that you're going to come on,
12:19 or is it just one of those things that just gets chucked at you?
12:22 No, I think it was like two days before,
12:26 the day before I got told I might be involved.
12:27 And then, you never know.
12:30 In football, you never really know if you're going to come on or not.
12:32 You can't really.
12:34 Well, from my perspective, I didn't really know what was going to happen.
12:37 It was a cool experience to be on the bench, and then to come on was even better.
12:40 And it's a memory for life, and something I'll definitely enjoy and remember forever.
12:49 You mentioned that going back to school thing the day after.
12:52 Was it like going from first team football to then doing maths and English on the following day?
12:57 Yeah, it's a bit mad, but I've always, just from my upbringing,
13:01 I've always been big on school, but it is a bit like the next day.
13:03 It's quite cool, walking in and stuff.
13:06 And obviously, teachers have seen it and stuff.
13:09 It's pretty cool, to be fair.
13:12 But I've always been quite big on school, and my dad have always been big on it.
13:17 So, I never let it get to my head or anything.
13:19 I always just enjoyed going to school and wanted to try and do well in school as well.
13:25 How did that experience earlier in your career help you develop?
13:28 Did it make you step up a bit more and you realise the standard that's required?
13:34 I think it kind of gives you a confidence.
13:36 To be put into a game at that young of an age,
13:40 I think it gives you some confidence that the club believes in you and stuff.
13:45 So, yeah, but I wouldn't say it was the be all and end all, whether I did play or didn't play.
13:51 I'd still probably, I'd believe myself to get to the position I'm in today.
13:55 But yeah, it was definitely something that was positive
14:00 and it helped me develop as a player to play at that level so young.
14:04 So, it's definitely helped me develop as a footballer and I enjoyed it.
14:11 You then maybe moved to Brighton, obviously a Premier League team,
14:13 who's been doing a lot of things well in recent years.
14:15 So, how big a thing was that? How did that feel?
14:17 Yeah, that was surreal as well, really.
14:20 That was something that you kind of dream of, to get a move to a Premier League club.
14:26 And I was fortunate enough to get that.
14:29 And it happened really quick, to be honest, because Wigan went into liquidation
14:33 and then just things happened so quick.
14:36 And I was the first one to go, so it was quite quick.
14:39 And you don't really process it when it happens, really.
14:41 It just kind of happens and you just have to take it in.
14:44 But yeah, it was special, the whole feeling around it and stuff.
14:48 It was really good.
14:49 And with them, you've had it, obviously you've been on the bench for them.
14:52 You've trained, obviously, for quality players that we can see now.
14:56 So, what's that like? How does that help you as well?
14:59 The experience of being around that's crazy, I think, for me.
15:02 And just to go in and see it in pre-season and stuff was ridiculous.
15:07 You know, it's like to see the standards, especially with that manager now,
15:10 to see the standards that he sets every day and the level of quality required to push up that table.
15:16 And you can see why they're doing so well now,
15:19 because every day the level of training is frightening
15:23 and the level of coaching is frightening and stuff.
15:26 And everything required to get there is there.
15:29 So, it's so good for me to be able to see that.
15:32 I just try and take it in when I'm there.
15:35 Yeah, just try and do as well as I can and take it all in.
15:40 Is there real excitement in that group over what they can achieve,
15:43 of course, with the way they pushed last year
15:45 and the way they keep regenerating talent and getting more and more players in and bringing players up?
15:50 No, yeah, there's obviously excitement.
15:52 I don't think they'll get ahead of themselves.
15:53 I think they'll keep themselves level-headed.
15:55 I don't think the manager would let them do that.
15:58 But there is excitement,
16:00 but I think there's just a belief in the squad that they're capable of doing what they've done and to push on.
16:06 I think that's a desire to go and do that.
16:08 And that's created within with certain players, not with certain players.
16:12 It's a team game and I definitely think they'll push on.
16:19 Seeing what they do with players, does that give you confidence that maybe next year it could be you giving them that opportunity,
16:24 the way they are, so they can loan players out and give them a chance?
16:29 Yeah, definitely. I think that's the goal for me, to try and play for Brighton.
16:33 So, I want to try and do that.
16:35 So, there's definitely belief.
16:36 And ultimately, it's down to me to go and, if I get a chance, take it and do well at that level.
16:42 So, yeah, that's what I'm hoping to do.
16:46 You've had a few more moves like us though, Cambridge and then Morecambe.
16:50 So, what was that first taste of regular football like?
16:52 They were both different experiences, I would say.
16:54 Cambridge was my first loan and just adjusting to men's football was good.
17:01 It comes with its challenges, but it was probably a slower start.
17:06 But then I feel like I got into my stride and then I started to push on a bit.
17:09 And then, unfortunately, I ended that season injured. And then last year at Morecambe,
17:13 that was one of my enjoyable years, just because I felt like I was producing for a team.
17:19 And I felt like I was part of that.
17:21 So, they both definitely helped me a lot.
17:26 But last year, I felt like it kind of developed me a lot as a player.
17:31 I just got to play every week and I contributed to scoring a lot of goals as well.
17:35 So, I just felt like I took it in my stride and it was really good for me.
17:39 I think going from 23 years football to men's football is definitely a step up.
17:44 I think just the sheer physicality of it is a step up.
17:47 It's different to 23 years football and academies.
17:51 I think you can never replicate that without going into the league and playing yourself.
17:55 So, it was definitely a step up.
17:58 But it's one that I enjoyed and I like a challenge.
18:02 So, yeah, I tried to take it in my stride.
18:06 I think I did last year.
18:08 Of course, for someone young, you've moved around quite a bit already.
18:11 How's that sort of off the field maturity helping you?
18:14 Is that helping you step up as well?
18:16 Yeah, no, it does.
18:17 It definitely… When I was at Cambridge, that was probably tougher.
18:21 I moved to Brighton and lived away, but I settled in quite quick.
18:24 And then when I went to Cambridge, it probably took me a bit longer to settle in.
18:29 I'm quite a quiet lad and quite shy and I'll get going.
18:34 But it's an experience and I think it's good for me as a person to kind of go out and experience this stuff.
18:40 So young. So, yeah, definitely, you know, it's definitely a good step going forward.
18:45 It's helped me like moving from Cambridge to Morecambe and then from Morecambe to here to Blackpool.
18:50 So, it's all positive.
18:52 Obviously, Blackpool now.
18:53 So, what was the first you heard about a potential move and how much do you know about the club before?
18:59 Yeah, I've been to Blackpool before.
19:01 I've known people from Blackpool, so I've always been aware of the club.
19:05 And obviously, it's a massive club.
19:08 So, but in the summer, it kind of came…
19:11 Well, I went on pre-season with Brighton, so I knew I wanted to do that.
19:14 And then I didn't really think about it long until later on in the window.
19:16 And then when I started to know I was kind of going out on loan, I looked them up and said Blackpool's one of them.
19:22 And then spoke with the manager and stuff.
19:24 And yeah, it all sounded really good.
19:27 And it's a project that I want to be part of.
19:30 And I'm looking forward to the season now, yeah.
19:32 What was your first impressions of Neil Critchley when he spoke to you?
19:36 Yeah, really good.
19:37 I think he's a really nice person and a really good coach as well.
19:40 And I think his ideas are really good for me to develop as a player.
19:43 And also, I think I can fit into his system well and try and bring something to the table.
19:49 So, yeah, it's a good mix and I'm looking forward to working with him.
19:54 What have you made of the fans and Bloomfield Road on a match day?
19:58 They've been really good, yeah.
19:59 It's a good stadium.
20:00 It's, you know, it's... I'm trying to think how to describe it.
20:06 Like, last year, Morecambe was like a smaller club and not as many fans.
20:10 But obviously, it's a step up for me and a bigger crowd and stuff.
20:14 So, it's something that I'll have to get used to and I'm looking forward to it.
20:19 Have you got a date in the diary for when you're going to go see the tower, going to go up the tower?
20:23 I've not gone up it, but I've been down the lights and stuff.
20:26 So, I've been around Blackpool, but I've not actually been at the tower.
20:28 I've been to Pleasure Beach as well, so I've done that.
20:31 So, yeah, up the tower is the next one.
20:34 So, I'll have to book it in somewhere.
20:36 You're doing well on your bucket list of Blackpool sites.
20:39 You're getting through them quickly already.
20:41 Yeah, I know. I've done a fair bit of it there. That's good.
20:45 Yeah, just finally to finish the podcast, if you could change any of your football firsts, anything we've spoken about, what would it be?
20:55 No, I'm going to change them. No, I'm quite happy with them.
21:01 Perfect. Well, thank you very much for joining me.
21:03 As always, thank you very much for having me.