Swans fans can rest easy in the New Year with the news that one of their vital cogs has no intention of moving to Barcelona
Swans fans can rest easy in the New Year with the news that one of their vital cogs has no intention of moving to Barcelona
For followers of Twitter, Michael Eames is a prolific user of the social media site to highlight his work as kitman at the club. Aiming for the title of 'most followed kitman in the Premier League', Michael has been at the club since pre-season helping out with the kit duties keeping on a family tradition as he works alongside his mother - Suzanne - a long time stalwart of Swansea City.
Planet Swans caught up with Michael as he continued his preparataions for the visit of Tottenham on New Year's Eve and fired some questions at him
Is it the best job in the world?
Its close to it... being around premiership football 24/7 is a fantastic experiance for me! I am also learning alot from brendan and the coaching staff! as i curently hold my uefa C licence this could help me progress further in the coaching side of the game!
Is there like a kitman union or do you all do funny handshakes or somehting similar at games?
No funny handshakes unfortunatly! All kitmen and the one woman all get on great though, always willing to help eachother if there is a problem!
Describe your typical matchday?
All the kit is set out the day before the match so on a matchday its just making sure that everything runs smoothly! Get into the ground at about 12 and then just make sure all the players have everything they need! during the warm up i get all the balls in and the kit off the pitch! while the match is on we have the blood shirts ready to swap incase any player gets blood on their shirt and also if there are any substitutions make sure they have a coat or jumper for when they come of. After the game its just a clean up! get all the kit in and it gets sent over to the laundry room where it gets cleaned by our laundry lady!
How did you come about being the kitman for the Swans?
I worked for football in the community coaching in schools and then the job vacancy came up as it was too much work for one person! Brendan said that an assistant was needed and my name was mentioned and luckily enough i got the job!
Do Any Of The Squad Have Any Particular Superstitions When It Comes To Their Kit?
To be honest we have a very laid back squad which is always good news! Scott sinclair cuts his socks in half and wears normal socks underneath! dobbie likes white tape and mark gower likes chewing gums! Thats all really...
What Is The Worst Thing That Could Go Wrong On A Match Day?
If a peice of kit or a players boots goes missing, that instant thought of where did i put it or where has it gone starts a panic! Also when we travel away the though of sitting on the bus thinking did i forget anything! luckily since i have been here this hasnt happened yet!!
You are prolific on Twitter - are you now the most followed kitman in the Premier League?
Im slowly getting there! im over 1000 now which is more i ever thought i would get! i know man citys kitman has just under a 1000 but thats all i have come accross!
Can you ever foresee a multi million pound move to Barcelona in the offing?
I would only go if i could take my mother haha we come as a double team! You never know if a new manager ever came in and brought his own kitman with him i may end up going with Brendan if he would take me! As a swansea fan this is a dream job for me so as much as id love to go to barcelona.. swansea is for me!
Any dressing room secrets you would like to share that deserve their own 'terrace song'?
What goes on in the changing room stays in the dressing room sorry! If i ever write a book you will have to buy it to find out!
If you were to pick the perfect kit lady to work alongside who would it be?
There is only one to choose from! But i couldnt ask for someone better to work with! She has taught me all she knows and i respect her because i know how hard she works behind the scenes which people dont realise to make a matchday run smoothly!
The work of the kitman probably does go unnoticed for most of the time but it is a vital cog in the wheel of any football club and that should never go unnoticed.
If you want to follow Michael on Twitter you can follow his tweets by following @kitman_swans
Planet Swans would like to thank Michael for taking the time to answer our questions