Yahoo News I'll give Stoke City youngsters a rocket or a cuddle to help them be better than me
Ben Gibson will embrace his role as a senior player in the Stoke City squad to set standards for his young new teammates.
The 31-year-old centre-back is joining a club where some of the key players next season – such as Wouter Burger, aged 23; Bae Junho, aged 20; and Million Manhoef, aged 22 – are coming into important chapters in their careers. There are more knocking on the door, including 18-year-old strike pair Nathan Lowe and Emre Tezgel and 17-year-old Sol Sidibe.
Gibson wants to make the most of his near-400 game career experience for their own good and that of the club, saying: “I’ll be there to help them. I’ll be there to give them a rocket when they need a rocket and I’ll be there to give them a cuddle when they need a cuddle. Every player will be different, they have ups and downs.
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“As older players, we’ve experienced that, every player has it to varying degrees and I’ll certainly be there to set standards to follow, try to show what a good professional looks like and what it takes. While some of these will be significantly more gifted, I’m sure, than I was at their age, if they can then match my attitude and professionalism they will have a hell of a chance.
“That’s the reason I’ve got to where I am, not because of a natural gift. From what I've seen, some of the players here have that. If they can match that with professionalism, sacrifice and hard work and never taking their eye off the ball, they can go much further beyond what I have done.
“I’ll be there to help them. I can hopefully help them develop. They’ll be hopefully helping me too, pushing me every day – running around after these lads in training can only help me in training. There are loads of different opportunities at Stoke, there’s loads of young real talent and it’s our role as senior players to help them develop.”
Gibson came through the ranks at Middlesbrough, where he went on to make 203 senior appearances. He joins Stoke from Norwich hoping that the right balance in the changing room can serve the squad well.
He said: “It’s not just me helping them. Young players bring energy and freshness. You laugh some days because you think they’ve got a lot to learn but on others their naivety is really encouraging, it’s really enjoyable and comforting. We were once the same. I used to ask so many questions, I was probably too loud. No doubt I’ll see similar traits in some of these and it’ll bring a smile to my face.
“It helps drive you on. I know I need to show them the right way to develop whether that’s on or off the pitch. I need to be setting a good example and, most importantly, we can help each other on the pitch for Stoke City, trying to get three points in every game and trying to improve in every single training session.
“We have to set a winning culture so that any young player who comes across, any player who signs, knows what they’re buying into.”
Gibson is pleased to get his deal sorted early in the summer so his family can settle in the area before he disappears for pre-season.
He said: “We’ve got two little babies and we’ve cancelled our holidays. It’s really important that I’m there and the family is settled. We’re supposed to be away now but I’ve cancelled that, we’ll find a place, get sorted and get settled and hopefully we’re there for a very long time.
“I won’t have the time or energy in pre-season to look for houses! I’ll be committing everything to pre-season. I said on the day that I signed that I’m all or nothing. You’ll get my all. If I’m not successful it’ll never be through lack of trying, commitment or desire and I’ll leave no stone unturned for this football club.”
