Ferry on old mentor
and Celtic winger Paul Slane (inset) to the Keeping The
Ball On The Ground team has proved an inspired selection decision. His madcap mate has become the undisputed star of the show.
“I was at Celtic briefly with Paul when I came back from Swindon on loan,” said Ferry. “He had just signed from Motherwell and we spent a week in pre-season together. I have never laughed so much in my life. “He pulled me before training one day and said: ‘See today, Si, do not pass me the ball, I don’t deserve to be here, I should be back at Motherwell, I am absolutely not good enough’. He used to sit in the toilet for about an hour before training. He wouldn’t come out.
“When we started the vodcast I went to the guy
I do it with and said: ‘I’ve got somebody who would be perfect for this’. Paul makes people laugh. I don’t think he appreciates how much people enjoy watching him.”
The success of Open Goal and Keeping The Ball On The Ground has raised the public profile of a player of whom great things were expected when he helped Scotland to reach the final of the European Under-19 Championship in 2006 and before he suffered a serious ankle injury that sidelined him for over two years.
“I stay five minutes from
The Fort shopping centre in Glasgow,” he said. “Any time I go there I always get five or six people coming up to me to have a chat. I love it.
“I get approached even more when I am out with
Paul Slane. It’s like walking about with David Beckham.
Obviously not in the looks department. But he has a real celebrity status. It is nice when people come up and tell him they love him. I really enjoy it. It is one of the perks of the job.”
The 32-year-old is still heavily involved in football despite all his media work. He has been made player/firstteam coach at club Peterhead in League One and would like to move into management at some point in the future.
“I was hoping to do for my kids what Tommy
Burns did for me,” he said. “Obviously, other things came up. But I feel passionate about developing kids. The upbringing I got from Tommy Burns was what I was trying to pass on to the kids. Hopefully one day . . .”
If Simon Ferry can give his protégés the same grounding in life that he received from Tommy Burns it will stand them in good stead.