Although Ben is no longer a Swan (a fact I learned when I saw him in a Spurs jersey on the cross trainer in the gym in Mexico!), I thought it would be good to discuss how he has gone from relative obscurity as a youngster to a player at a top 6 club, and what the current crop of younger players can learn from him.

Dedication:

Ben was one of 2 or 3 regulars who would turn up on Mondays at Bishopston leisure centre for extra strength and conditioning sessions. Although they were not necessarily "football specific" these extra hours no doubt helped shape him for the demands of full time training. It was also interesting to see that despite living a fair distance away he still made every effort to get to those sessions. It is that development focused mind set which sets the professionals apart from the players who don't make the grade.

Flying under the radar:

Ben was never spoken of as a superstar, and this probably helped him. For those who have seen the class of 92 or read Gary Neville's book he spoke about the importance of outworking everyone else to make sure that he got as far as he could. You could lose count of the number of players who were told that they were the best thing since sliced bread as a kid, and as a result failed to develop to their potential. The biggest missed opportunity for this was Jandir Zola. You had a lad with a near perfect physique, but was not coached effectively. For those of you who look deep into skills learning literature, once habits are stored they are almost impossible to remove. He got by on physique and by the time he realised himself the error of his ways it was too late for him. This is where an evidence based core philosophy of player development would have probably given the boy a chance.

Humble:

Ben was always polite and as the above tweet showed, he has not forgotten his roots. I remember talking to Tony Pennock about Ben and he said that he drove his Fiesta for far longer than he needed to and when he decided to buy a car it was an understated Audi! It's funny to think that you have loads of "young pros" at different clubs who want to look like the footballer with the stupid haircuts and flash cars on hire purchase, yet they are nowhere near a first team! How clubs deal with this issue will be interesting, particularly given that a certain agency enjoy plying the boys with free kit and blow smoke up their back side. That's a job that Dave Adams has that I don't envy!

No pushy parents:

Ben was lucky in the sense that his parents had minimum impact around the club. There is nothing worse for the learning environment than a loud mouth parent (who generally has never played the game, never coached and is a general clown) undermining the work of coaches. Fortunately for Ben he did not suffer this, and this has no doubt helped his progression.

Took nothing for granted:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/22984518

Sitting A level Maths outside of his apprenticeship! Most scholars struggle with a BTEC Diploma and an NVQ yet he took the time to have a back up plan. This speaks volumes for the lad and again shows the perfect mentality for any would be footballer!

Moving forward - the Dave Adams era:

Despite the personal sadness to see Ben leave it is vital that the club use him as an example. Mentality and attitude set the players apart from the also rans, lets hope that I get to write another blog soon, as we should be producing far more players than we have in the past!

Dull1Thomas added 19:21 - Aug 3 Great parents, great schools, great club halos produce a great player. A Jack though and through, we have lost a true diamond.
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