Brentford and Ireland captain Nathan Collins on World Cup dreams

Kelly: Let’s strive and get to know you a bit bit extra away from the pitch. Firstly, I at all times like asking: what have been you want as a teen?

Nathan: If you requested my mother or dad, they’d say I used to be a headcase! I used to be only a bit itchy, I at all times needed to transfer. I may by no means sit nonetheless and calm down. I at all times needed to do one thing. So they needed to burn me out. I at all times needed to be within the grass or taking part in soccer, simply operating round to empty my power. I believe I used to be onerous work for my mother and father, I’d say it like that!

Kelly: It feels like perhaps it was fairly a chaotic family. How many siblings have you ever received?

Nathan: I’ve received an older brother, a youthful sister and a youthful brother. I believe it was only a fixed battle of me making an attempt to beat my older brother. It was simply so onerous as a result of the age distinction. We all had coaching at totally different instances and they’d be operating out of the home and you’d overlook your boots or they’d be taking two vehicles in numerous instructions. It was a little bit of a carnage, however you would not have it another approach.

Kelly: Are you continue to shut now?

Nathan: Ah yeah, in fact. I speak to them roughly day by day on the cellphone. Every probability I get to go residence I’ll. My mother goes to each recreation – residence and away. She watches all of them.

Kelly: So she flies over? Are they nonetheless in Ireland?

Nathan: Yeah, they dwell in Ireland, so she flies over and she goes in all places to be honest.

Kelly: Home and away?

Nathan: Yeah.

Kelly: That is a few dedication!

Nathan: I do know, I inform her, ‘hear, you do not have to’ and she’s like, ‘no, I need to’.

Kelly: Not everybody’s received a son that is a Premier League footballer although… I sort of get the enchantment!

Nathan: Yeah, I do not suppose that she watches the matches. I believe that she simply seems at me the entire recreation and sees what I’m doing. She’ll come after, ‘Why have been you scratching your leg a lot within the match?’ …’I do not know. ‘How are you aware that?’

Kelly: Aw, bless her, that is actually candy. How would your finest pal describe you?

Nathan: I’d wish to suppose that they’d describe me as the identical lad I used to be rising up. The very first thing that might pop of their head… they would not say I’m a footballer. I believe they’d simply say, ‘ah Nathan, he is only a good lad like… he is a little bit of craic and he comes out when he can’ … however I do not suppose that they’d have a look at me like a footballer, which I actually get pleasure from. And it simply means when I’m with them, I can simply be myself and simply get pleasure from being one of many lads.

Kelly: So if the supervisor offers you a break day, what would you do?

Nathan: It relies upon. If it is a weekday and it is good climate, I’ll play golf with just a few of the lads right here and we’ll get out within the solar.

Kelly: Are you any good?

Nathan: I’m all proper. Listen, I can play. I’m not the best, however I’m not the worst.

Kelly: Who do you play with right here?

Nathan: The group proper now’s me, Keane Lewis-Potter, Kris Ajer, Hakon Valdimarsson. It’s an excellent crew as a result of we’ve a variety of gamers and we do some Ryder Cup-style.

Kelly: Oh good!

Nathan: So it is workers v gamers.

Kelly: Wow!

Nathan: Yeah, as a result of there’s a variety of gamers. We did that final 12 months. We did 18 holes within the morning, we went for some lunch, and then we did 18 holes within the afternoon and it was actually good enjoyable. Players gained, so thank God!

Kelly: Oh, that was my subsequent query. Have you bought any secret hobbies?

Nathan: I like cooking, in order that’s one thing. When I prepare dinner, I believe I simply overlook about every part. I’m simply in my very own little zone and my head sort of goes quiet, which is sweet.

Kelly: Are you an excellent prepare dinner?

Nathan: It relies upon who you ask…

Kelly: If I used to be asking your girlfriend…

Nathan: Yeah, she’s really saying: ‘Ah, you are getting higher at cooking!’

Kelly: That’s a bit patronizing!

Nathan: Yeah, and I used to be like… ‘Does that imply I used to be dangerous?’

Kelly: Fair sufficient. What do individuals get incorrect about you probably the most?

Nathan: Maybe I get a little bit of stereotypical: ‘Ah, he is only a footballer.’ Maybe they get that and then suppose, ‘oh, he is really fairly good to speak to… he is all proper… he is sort of relaxed… he is chill.’

I at all times need to be only a good particular person as nicely. That’s vital for me, simply to be a pleasant particular person, an excellent particular person, a caring particular person. As a lot as I need to be the perfect footballer I can ever be, I additionally need to be the perfect particular person I will be and I believe that is one thing that I at all times try in direction of as nicely.

Kelly: What’s the hardest second of your profession been? Has there been a tricky second?

Nathan: I had one recreation for Brentford in opposition to Wolves and I had two errors within the recreation. I gave away two objectives, we misplaced 3-1 or one thing like that and I received battered off the Wolves followers as a result of I’d simply left Wolves and the followers had a lot to go in opposition to me, a lot stick. I used to be like, ‘oh my God, this could not have gotten any worse.’

To be honest, that night time Thomas Frank rang me and he was like, ‘hear Nathan, that is in all probability the worst recreation you may ever have in your profession’, and he is like, ‘so it is solely up from right here’.