[Just in case it all didn't work out, he took a course in nutrition and physical education, and planned to become an instructor. But he couldn't afford to paint.] I did sketches with pencils because they didn't cost much, ... I didn't have the money to buy paint. Materials aren't cheap, and I was on extremely low money. |
[Then a terrible thing happened. In August 2002 his four-month-old son, Jake, died, a victim of cot death.] I found myself painting every single day, ... It most definitely helped me deal with the situation. It was how I coped. It was good for me. |
I couldn't pass a ball. I was very competitive and passionate and that's what got me through the early days, along with a lot of hard work and graft. |
I did sketches with pencils because they didn't cost much. I didn't have the money to buy paint. Materials aren't cheap, and I was on extremely low money. |
I have also been doing pictures which are far from it, but I am in football and I do enjoy it, and some of the images are so good and so striking that I like to put that in a painting. |
It's something that has always been there, within me. My great-grandfather used to decorate his letters home from the First World War with ornate drawings, so maybe I inherited something from him. I stayed on at school and got art A-Level. It was just something I enjoyed doing, though it wasn't high on my list of potential careers. I was sports-orientated and I saw myself possibly being a PE teacher. |
We'll never forget Jake. We remember the good times. But Joseph makes sure we don't have much time to dwell on the grief that we felt. |
We're in a very strong position [in the Championship]. And there's no reason why we can't progress. It's a good division, very competitive, and anyone from the top six can win it. This is a big club and deserves success. |
What I like is that I don't have to get pigeonholed into one thing. I don't have to do football pictures, I do landscapes as well, and other stuff. |