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Football Daily Podcast Episode Summary
Episode Title
Nathan Collins - The Football Interview
Podcast Description Football Daily provides the latest news, insights, analysis, and guest interviews from the Premier League, Football League, and broader football contexts.
Episode Overview In this episode, host Kelly Somers interviews Nathan Collins, the captain of Brentford and the Republic of Ireland national team. Their conversation spans Collins's early life, his footballing journey, and insights into his current career at Brentford under manager Keith Andrews.
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Key Discussion Points
Early Life and Footballing Background
- First Memories of Football: Collins reminisces about scoring his first goal at a young age, despite no witnesses to confirm the event.
- Gaelic Football Influence: He discusses his upbringing in a footballing family and his involvement in both football and Gaelic football, noting his early training and matches.
- Debut in England: At 15, Collins moved to England to join Stoke City's academy, marking a significant step in his career.
Professional Career
- First Big Break: Collins describes making his debut for Stoke City against Swansea, a challenging game marked by his team being reduced to nine men.
- Ireland Representation: He proudly mentions being the first in his family to play for the Republic of Ireland and reflects on the emotional significance of his debut.
Current Experience at Brentford
- Season Performance: Collins shares insights on Brentford's progress this season, addressing skepticism surrounding their new manager, Keith Andrews.
- Relationship with Keith Andrews: Having known Andrews since his teenage years, Collins highlights the personal and professional rapport they share, emphasizing Andrews's effective management style.
Personal Insights
- Life Away from Football: Collins shares how he spends his free time, including playing golf and cooking. He emphasizes the importance of maintaining relationships with family and friends.
- Public Perception: He discusses the misconceptions people may have about him, aiming to be seen as a personable and down-to-earth individual rather than just a football player.
Reflections and Aspirations
- Career Challenges: Collins recounts a particularly difficult game against Wolves, where he faced criticism but received supportive guidance from his then-manager.
- Future Aspirations:
- He expresses a desire to win the World Cup, recognizing it as the pinnacle achievement in football.
- Collins contemplates his life post-football, considering taking a break and potentially exploring business opportunities in the future.
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Key Takeaways
- Family Legacy: Nathan Collins's journey is rooted in a strong family tradition of football, underscoring the impact of family support on his career.
- Resilience in Adversity: Collins's experiences illustrate the resilience required to navigate the challenges of professional football.
- Personal Connection: His commitment to staying grounded and connected to his roots highlights the balance athletes strive to maintain between their public and private lives.
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Conclusion This episode of Football Daily with Nathan Collins provides an engaging glimpse into the life of a professional footballer, touching on themes of family, resilience, and ambition. Collins's story reflects not only his journey on the pitch but also the personal values he upholds off it.
Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.
Chapters
Tap a time to open that second in VOEarly Football Memories
1:46 to 4:00
Nathan Collins shares his first football memories and experiences growing up.
“talk about your first memory of playing football.”
Career Beginnings and Debut
4:00 to 5:48
Collins discusses his first football team and his debut for Stoke City.
“Away to Swansea, we were down to nine men.”
Life in England and Ireland Debut
5:48 to 8:00
Nathan reflects on moving to England and his debut for Ireland.
“And then last kick of the game, he gets a toe onto it and you're like, you can't believe it.”
Brentford's Successful Season
8:00 to 10:24
Collins shares insights on Brentford's performance and his relationship with the new manager.
“It sounds like maybe it was quite a chaotic household.”
Personal Life and Interests
10:24 to 12:40
A look into Nathan's life outside football, including family and hobbies.
“Yeah, she's actually saying, no, you're getting better at cooking.”
Career Aspirations and Proud Moments
12:40 to 13:52
Collins discusses his proudest moments in football and future aspirations.
“let me know I'll see when that comes around the corner and I'll take it a bit more serious.”
The Mission of Mark Roberts: A Streaker's Tale
14:02 to 14:24
Explore the story of Mark Roberts and his daring streaking mission at the Super Bowl.
“The story of one man's mission to conquer the holy grail of streaking the Super Bowl.”
Transcript
Automatic transcript. May contain errors.0:00Nathan Collins:This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the UK.
0:30Nathan Collins:the highest B2B return on ad spend of major ad networks. Spend$250 on your first campaign on LinkedIn ads and get$250 credit for the next one. Just go to linkedin.com slash broadcast. That's linkedin.com slash broadcast. Terms and conditions apply. It's time your hard-earned money works harder for you. With the Wealthfront Cash account, your uninvested cash can earn up to 3.95 % APY. That's a 0.65 % boost over an already high rate for three months just for being a new client. Plus free instant withdrawals to eligible accounts. Start today at Wealthfront.com. 3.3 % base APY via Program Banks as of January 30th, 2026.
1:07Nathan Collins:It is representative variable, requires no minimum and is earned on funds swept to Program Banks. Boosted up to$150 ,000. Cash account offered by Wealthfront Brokerage LLC member FINRA SIPC, not a bank. The Football Interview on the Football Daily Podcast. I'm Kelly Summers and this season I'll be interviewing some of the biggest names in football, asking them the questions they don't normally get asked as I try to find out more about the person behind the player or manager. The first half will be on football, the second on their life away from the game. This isn't just any interview, this is the football interview and this week's guest is the Brentford captain Nathan Collins.
1:45Nathan Collins:Let's firstly talk about your first memory of playing football.
1:50Kelly Somers:One memory that always pops into my head, it was my first goal at like four or five and I took it around the keeper and I scored. I don't know if it actually happened. I don't think anyone know if it actually happened, but it always just popped into my mind.
2:02Nathan Collins:There was no witnesses to this.
2:03Kelly Somers:Potentially not. I've never actually said it really openly, so I think it happens, but I'd be surprised if it didn't.
2:09Nathan Collins:If I just had no with this so clearly. Take me back to that time in your life. Was football a big thing?
2:14Kelly Somers:I grew up with football, basically. Everything I'd done throughout my whole life was with football. or any kind of ball really. I played a lot of Gaelic football as a kid. I would have trained football twice with my team during the week and then I would have trained twice with my Gaelic team and then I had a football match on the weekend and then a Gaelic match on the weekend. So my parents would drive me to my match, watch that match, finish that match, go home, eat something really quick, straight back out the door for another match and then they'd go to the pub and relax and they were finishing me then.
2:42Kelly Somers:They were happy.
2:43Nathan Collins:Was there ever a chance you could have gone into Gaelic football rather than football? Were you good? I was not badly.
2:49Kelly Somers:When I was that age, I was bigger than everyone. I'd have to run over everyone, so I had that advantage. I'd love it. I'd love to go back and play one day or when I finish football. I really enjoy it.
2:57Nathan Collins:Talk me through your first football team then. You've told me about this goal that the jury's out on whether it got scored or not. What was the first proper team that you played for?
3:05Kelly Somers:First proper team would have been Cherry Orchard. I think my grandad was a coach and at some time he might have played for them. My dad played for them, my uncle played for them, my cousin played for them. My other uncle played, my older brother played, my younger brother played.
3:17Nathan Collins:You were always going to be a footballer, weren't you? Yeah, I probably had no choice really, did I?
3:20Kelly Somers:I started there probably like 6, 7 and I played there till 15. I grew up, basically I've done a lot of my growing up playing football there. There was times I'd train with my brothers to him and they'd be four years older than me and my dad would put me into that training session and I'd get bullied and battered and I think he kind of wanted me to get that feeling. Character building. Yeah, where then I'd go back and I'd make sure I still have to do the best at my own age group and then when I go with my brothers, I have to do a lot more to be there. But it was a bit of character building. I always just wanted to be the best player I could be.
3:53Nathan Collins:What was your big break then, or the moment?
3:55Kelly Somers:I guess my first break could be when I made my debut for Stoke. Away to Swansea, we were down to nine men. I think the game was kind of over with ten minutes to go and the manager put me on and maybe that was my big break of getting a chance or just putting my name into a first team match.
4:10Nathan Collins:Going into a game where your team are down to nine men, that's character building.
4:14Kelly Somers:It was, yeah, I was thinking of it now, it was actually kind of mad.
4:17Nathan Collins:You came over to England when you were quite young, didn't you? How old were you?
4:19Kelly Somers:I was 15, yeah.
4:21Nathan Collins:What was that like?
4:22Kelly Somers:I loved it. Did you?
4:24Nathan Collins:Desperate to escape home, were you?
4:25Kelly Somers:I left school and played football for every day. Can you put it like that? Yeah, I loved it. Listen, it wasn't easy. You see all your mates growing up together and, you know, kind of making that jump from, like, a teenager to an adult and kind of enjoying life in a different way, where I was in digs, just dedicated, just sleeping early, eating and just playing football and not really participating in life itself. So that was always tough to see that. But it's all I ever wanted was just to play football. So I wasn't really that bothered. I was so happy just to be able to be in an academy and enjoy my game.
5:00Nathan Collins:We've gone on to have a brilliant career over here in England at a few different clubs now. Has there been any particular game that if you could relive it, you would?
5:10Kelly Somers:My Ireland debut, maybe something like that. Maybe the Hungry game, relive that over and enjoy that whole moment again because stuff like that doesn't happen often.
5:18Nathan Collins:Go on, make the Ireland fans happy. Talk us through your memories of that Hungry game. It's a blur.
5:22Kelly Somers:All I remember is the last few minutes. That's all I really cared about at the end of the game. It was a bit of a nutting game, kind of. There wasn't a lot of chances either end. I don't think we were playing our best. I don't think they were playing great. I think it got to 75th, maybe. And you're just like, I don't know. It's just not happening, really. It's not clicking. We're not curating enough. And then a little bit of magic from Finn, he chipped a little pass through for Troy and I love the finish. And then you're like, oh, there's a chance there. There's a massive chance. And then last kick of the game, he gets a toe onto it and you're like, you can't believe it.
5:54Kelly Somers:There's pictures and you just see like a hundred Irish players and staff just running. Not in any direction, just randomly. And you're just like, how can this game sometimes just have this effect on you and on your body? and I think that's why you play football. I think that's what you want, them moments to enjoy them and just to have them moments in life is something special.
6:15Nathan Collins:Well, incredible times for Ireland and potentially even better. It's not been so bad at Brentford this season, has it?
6:20Kelly Somers:No, it's been an enjoyable season. Yeah, really good.
6:23Nathan Collins:What's the secret? Because everyone wants to know, you'll know that the wider kind of noise was that you've got a new manager in, never managed in the Premier League before, lost Thomas Frank. It's going to be a difficult season for Brentford or you've dispelled any of those theories?
6:38Kelly Somers:When you're in football, you hear a lot of things and you see on TV and whatever, on Sky Sports, whatever, on BBC. We never said that. But, like, nobody knows what's going on in the building. No one knows the quality of squad we have or players we're bringing in or the staff, the hours they do. So when we come back from our off to summer off and we come back in, like, it just felt like another day.
7:04Nathan Collins:What's Keith Andrews like as a manager? Because understandably given what he's done, the whole world is now fascinated by him.
7:10Kelly Somers:I've known Keith a long time. Before he was a manager, I've known him since I was 16. I've known him a long time. I had him under 17s, Ireland, 18s, 19s, 21s.
7:20Nathan Collins:Were you pleased when you knew he was getting the job? At least I was buzzing. You can't really say no at this point, can you?
7:23Kelly Somers:No, I didn't. I was buzzing for him because I know how hard he's worked to get to this stage of his career. He has that balance of when to shout at you and when to be your mate. and that man managing is really important.
7:34Nathan Collins:Let's try and get to know you a little bit more away from the pitch. Firstly, I always like asking, what were you like as a youngster?
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7:43Kelly Somers:If you ask my mum or dad, they'd say it was a head case. I was just a bit itchy. I always had to move. I could never sit still and relax. I always had to do something. So they had to burn me out. I always wanted to be in the grass or playing football or just running around just to drain my energy. I think it was hard work for my parents, I'd say it like that.
8:01Nathan Collins:It sounds like maybe it was quite a chaotic household. With how many siblings have you got?
8:05Kelly Somers:I've got older brother, younger sister, younger brother. So I think it was just a constant battle of me trying to beat my older brother. It was so hard because of the age difference. We all had training at different times and they'd be running out of the house and you'd forget your boots or they'd be taking two cars different directions. It was a bit of a carnage, but you wouldn't have it any other way.
8:24Nathan Collins:Are you still close now?
8:25Kelly Somers:Oh, yeah, of course. I talk to them more or less every day on the phone and every time, every chance I get to go home, I will. My mum goes to every game home and away and she watches them all.
8:34Nathan Collins:So she flies over, are they still in Ireland?
8:36Kelly Somers:Yeah, they live in Ireland so she flies over and she goes everywhere to be fair, she's mad.
8:41Nathan Collins:Home and away?
8:42Kelly Somers:Yeah.
8:42Nathan Collins:That is some commitment.
8:44Kelly Somers:I know, I tell her, listen you don't have to, she's like no I want to.
8:47Nathan Collins:Not everyone's got a son that's a Premier League footballer though, I kind of get the appeal.
8:51Kelly Somers:I don't think she watches the matches, I think she just looks at me the whole game and sees what I'm doing. I come after her, why are you scratching your legs so much in the match? I don't know. How do you know that?
9:02Nathan Collins:Oh, bless that. That's really sweet. How would your best friend describe you?
9:07Kelly Somers:I'd like to think that they describe me as just the same lad I was as a grown-up. The first thing we'd pop in the head, they wouldn't say I'm a footballer. I think they'd just say, ah, Nathan, he's just a good lad. He's a bit of cracker and he comes out when he can. But I don't think they'd look at me as a footballer, which I really enjoy. And it just means when I'm with them, I can just be myself and just enjoy being one of the lads like.
9:28Nathan Collins:So if the manager gives you a day off, what would you do?
9:31Kelly Somers:It depends on the weather. If it's like a weekday and it's good weather, I'll play golf with a few of the lads here and we'll get out in the sun.
9:38Nathan Collins:Are you any good?
9:39Kelly Somers:I'm all right. Listen, I can play. I'm not the greatest, but I'm not the worst.
9:42Nathan Collins:Who do you play with here?
9:44Kelly Somers:The group right now is me, Kino, Lewis Potter, Chris, Azure, Hakon, Valdemersen. It's a good crew because we have a lot of players and we do a little Ryder Cup style here. so it's staffy players. Wow. Yeah, because there's a lot of players and we done that last year. So we done 18 holes in the morning. We went for some lunch and then we done 18 holes in the afternoon. And yeah, it was really good fun. Players won, so thank you. Oh, that was my next question.
10:10Nathan Collins:Have you got any secret hobbies?
10:13Kelly Somers:I like cooking. Is that something? When I cook, I just, I don't know, I think I just forget about everything. I'm just in my own little zone and my head kind of goes quiet, which is nice.
10:22Nathan Collins:Yeah, yeah. Are you a good cook?
10:24Kelly Somers:It depends who you ask.
10:25Nathan Collins:If I was asking your girlfriend?
10:26Kelly Somers:Yeah, she's actually saying, no, you're getting better at cooking.
10:29Nathan Collins:Ooh, that's a bit patchy.
10:30Kelly Somers:Yeah, I was like, does that mean I was bad?
10:33Nathan Collins:Fair enough. What do people get wrong about you the most?
10:37Kelly Somers:Maybe I get the bit of stereotypical, oh, he's just a footballer. Maybe they get that, and then, oh, he's actually pretty nice to talk to, he's all right, he's kind of relaxed, he's chill. I think I always say, the main thing I just want to be, I always want to be just a good person as well. I think that's important for me, just to be a nice person, a good person, a caring person. As much as I want to be the best footballer I can ever be, I also want to be the best person I can be. And I think that's something that I always strive towards as well.
11:06Nathan Collins:What's the toughest moment of your career been? Has there been a tough moment?
11:09Kelly Somers:I had one game for Brentford against Wolves and I had two mistakes in the game. I gave away two goals, we lost 3-1 or something like that and I got battered off the Wolves fans. because I just left Wolves and the fans had so much to go against me and so much stick. I was like, oh my God, this couldn't have gotten any worse. But to be fair, that night Thomas Frank rang me and he was like, listen, that's probably the worst game you'll ever have in your career. And he's like, so it's only your premier. And I was like...
11:36Nathan Collins:That's a pretty good way of looking at that, isn't it?
11:38Kelly Somers:You're not really wrong there.
11:40Nathan Collins:If you weren't a footballer, what would you have been?
11:42Kelly Somers:I don't know. I don't know. I don't have a clue. I don't have a clue. I've never thought of it.
11:48Nathan Collins:Probably a good thing you were a footballer then.
11:49Kelly Somers:I know, I never thought of anything else. That's the scary thing. I never thought of doing anything else. I never thought of participating. It was always sports. If it wasn't football, it would be a different sport, most likely.
11:59Nathan Collins:OK, then when you finish, could you see yourself Nathan Collins, the coach?
12:03Kelly Somers:I don't know. I'd like to just relax maybe and stay away from football for a bit. As I put a lot into it and I put a lot of effort into it and try to learn and watch a lot about football. So maybe a bit of a break from there. I'd like to just relax for a few years just play some golf chill out with my family
12:22Nathan Collins:just for a few years and then maybe I'll get into something
12:26Kelly Somers:I'd like business a bit I'm trying to get into that but I can't really I'm struggling what are you trying to get into? I don't know really I'm just trying to get into it a bit
12:33Nathan Collins:saying I'm trying to get into business is quite broad
12:36Kelly Somers:maybe become a crypto billionaire that'd be nice wouldn't it?
12:39Nathan Collins:if you find out how to do that let me know
12:43Kelly Somers:I'll see when that comes around the corner and I'll take it a bit more serious. But now I'm trying to enjoy football.
12:49Nathan Collins:I'm getting the feeling that you're just one of those next game, just look at the next game. We'll see how it goes. I should have known that was going to be the answer. What are you proudest of in your career?
12:57Kelly Somers:Probably playing for my country. Yeah, it was a big moment for me and my family. My family and my uncles, my cousins, we all had all the caps, Ireland underage. We had 15s, 16s, 17s, 18s, 19s, 21s. We never got a senior cap out of like one, two, three, five people that played nearly professionally. We never got a senior cap. So for me to be able to get it, it was kind of just like a good feeling for everyone that has impacted us in that journey and that family name can have that senior cap to it. That was a really proud moment.
13:30Nathan Collins:If you could only achieve one more thing in your career, what would it be?
13:33Kelly Somers:Win the World Cup.
13:35Nathan Collins:Everyone says that.
13:36Kelly Somers:Can I say that? Why can't you say that? You can win the World Cup. Yeah, that would be unfair.
13:39Nathan Collins:That's every place. Yeah, I think so.
13:41Kelly Somers:Yeah, that'd be, yeah, that's the, I'd retire the next day.
13:46Nathan Collins:Thank you for your time.
13:47Kelly Somers:Perfect, thank you so much.
13:51Nathan Collins:I'm Rich Hall, and this is Sports Strangest Crimes presents Confessions of a Super Bowl Streaker. When people ask me what I do, I say to them, well, by day or by night. The story of one man's mission to conquer the holy grail of streaking the Super Bowl.
14:08Kelly Somers:Mark Roberts is too lively for his body.
14:11Nathan Collins:He's just like the entertainer.
14:13Kelly Somers:Mark pushes the boundaries of what is socially acceptable.
14:17Nathan Collins:No chance. Texas. It's really strict. But then the moral thoughts about it. The moral thought, hang on. What are you about? Sports Strangers Crimes presents Confessions of a Super Bowl Streaker. Listen on BBC Sounds. The best B2B marketing gets wasted on the wrong people. So when you want to reach the right professionals, use LinkedIn ads. LinkedIn has grown to a network of over 1 billion professionals, including 130 million decision makers. And that's where it stands apart from other ad buys. You can target your buyers by job title, industry, company, role, seniority, skills, company revenue, so you can stop wasting budget on the wrong audience.
14:57Nathan Collins:It's why LinkedIn Ads generates the highest B2B return on ad spend of major ad networks. Spend$250 on your first campaign on LinkedIn Ads and get$250 credit for the next one. Just go to linkedin.com slash broadcast. That's linkedin.com slash broadcast. Terms and conditions apply.
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From the publisher
In this week’s edition of the Football Interview, Kelly Somers speaks to Brentford and Republic of Ireland captain Nathan Collins. They discuss his journey into football coming from a footballing family and moving to England at the age of 15 to join Stoke City's academy. He talks about being the first in his family to play for Republic of Ireland and their chances of making the World Cup this summer. He also speaks about life at Brentford under Keith Andrews.
0’30 - First memories of playing football and always being around football 1’30 - Could he have ended up in Gaelic football and first football team 2’40 - His first big break and coming over to England at 15 3’53 - What game would he relive? 5’00 - Has he allowed himself to think about making the play off with Ireland? 5’30 - Keith Andrews coming in and his relationship with him 6’45 - What was he like as a youngster and family 8’36 - How he spends his spare time 9’40 - What do people get wrong about him? 10’49 - What would he be if he wasn’t a footballer? 11’00 - Post football 12’00 - Proudest moment and what else he wants to achieve
