KOA special - Ben Pringle on his Town spell and life in the UAE

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0:38Ross Halls:Well Ben, thank you very much for joining me first of all. How's things? I know you're currently now residing in Dubai. I'm sure it's very interesting out there and the weather must be better in England at the moment. It's actually raining today and it has been for the last week. So it's not been great. But yeah, obviously normally it's a lot hotter than England. And yeah, been here nearly three years now. So it's absolutely crazy how quickly time goes. But yeah, I'm loving it. Been really good since I've been here. So all good. That's good. And I want to quickly ask you really, how did you get into that?

1:17Ross Halls:How did you get over to Dubai? You know, you're playing obviously non-league football for a little period with Otringham. And then, yeah, you moved to Dubai the last few years and had a lot of success so far. Yeah, it just got to a point, like, naturally with players, like, they get towards the end of their career and they're starting to think about what I'm going to do or, you know, are they going to keep playing? And I think for me, Altrincham, you know, it was ideal. It was 20 minutes from my house in Manchester, but the thought of going further down the football pyramid and earning less money to do that just, yeah, took its toll, basically.

1:50I couldn't, I don't think I could sit on another away bus for seven hours to Dover or Bromley or wherever it is. So it just got to that point where I was like, I need to, I need to change it up and get out of here. So, yeah, signed for, I didn't even know there was a football market here, to be honest, until one of the lads on loan from Fleetwood actually told me they had a team out here and that's how it came about. so just made the jump in in 2023 and kind of not look back nice one we'll get into that later on in

2:23Ross Halls:the chat because i want to hear all about it um but i've got a bit of an icebreaker to start off when i asked uh town fans and the listeners you know when i was going to speak to to ben pringle they just the big thing that they wanted to ask you was uh do you like pringles and what's your favorite flavor because of that's obviously the namesake um yeah i do and salt and vinegar is by a far the clear winner. So, yeah, that's the best one for me. Yeah, I think, you know, you just see the last name Pringle. You're like, oh, I just don't know why they just, that's the first thing they were saying.

2:56Ross Halls:Like, oh yeah, does he like Pringles? You know, did the, you know, the marketing, you know, once you've, you've, you pop, you can't stop and all that. I don't know if you had that in your career at all. It's probably, probably not. It's just a ridiculous thing, but you never know. No, it's one of those things where I look back now and I'm like, how have I not made something from that? during my career you know like exactly what you've said some sort of marketing or collaboration or partnership or something like that is I missed a missed a trick then but yeah the way the way I think now is completely different to what I was like 10 years ago 11 years ago yeah definitely and that's that's the reason why we're chatting really because yeah it's 10 years since your loan spell um out town on the mid-McCarthy um but before we get into that you know you had a great career prior to that you know I had a really successful spell at Rotherham but I've always been interested when I do these chats to speak about players early days you know early memories you know you grew up in the northeast you know Newcastle fan growing up I sort of read can you remember your sort of first memories of football and you know family into it yeah like as ever all the players will probably say like just from a young age was playing like non-stop you know it's not like today where there's iPads and Playstations and phones like it was literally you were playing in the street from eight o 'clock in the morning till eight o 'clock at night so and that was all day every day when you weren't at school so yeah exactly the same for me um moved around a bit when I was younger and then went back to Newcastle um when I was 11 were assigned for Walls End Boys club so and then that was kind of the start really from there I played for them and then signed for West Brom when I was 15 and yeah that was kind of the start of the journey really.

4:47Ross Halls:Yeah and were you always a midfielder or did you sort of play everywhere where A1 when you play football you just want to go where maybe not in goal but did you play everywhere? Yeah, I was always on the wing, yeah. I think in those leagues like Sunday League or for that age, I was quite quick. And it was kind of before that time where, you know, teams didn't really want fast wingers. Like, I wasn't slow, but yeah, I mean, when I started playing professionally, that's when I realised, you know, there's a lot more quicker players out there than I am who are playing on the wing. And yeah, as you know, it kind of, probably after the Ipswich time, to be honest, it was always like 4-4-2, wasn't it?

5:27Get the ball in the box, like knockdowns. And then after that, 4-4-2 went out the window. Two strikers went out the window. It was more 4-3-3, just rapid players on the wing. Goals, assists, stats, all that carry on. So yeah, I don't know if I'd make it now if I was to start again, to be honest.

5:49Ross Halls:Yeah, I can imagine there's a lot of players out there who've got the same sort of feeling. When they came through, it was a perfect time. And you started at West Brom. How did that sort of come about? And you've moved around a lot. I'm sure you're happy now. You're sort of basing Dubai at the moment, settled. But yeah, in your career, you were up and down around the country. But yeah, West Brom, when you did a scholarship there. Yeah, I'm not too sure how it came about, but we played a friendly against them from our team at the time. We just went down to the training ground, played them in a friendly.

6:24And yeah, it was just about basically getting lads in front of West Brom to see whether they were good enough or whether they stood out. Me and two others, or one of the other, I think we did well and then got invited back for a week. And then after that, they offered a contract. So that was pretty much it. Obviously, I'd been to other teams around that time. But yeah, when you're 14, 15, whoever offers you that first YT, the first youth contract, you're going to accept it.

6:56Ross Halls:Definitely. And unfortunately, you had to drop into non-league. What was that like? And did you have to have a job on the side? Or were you still at that age where you could potentially continue with football, with living at home or such and such? Yeah, so got released from West Brom and then went back home. I did my third year scholar at Gretna Football Club. I don't know if you remember them in Scotland. They then folded. So that's when I dropped into non-league in Newcastle. And that's when, yeah, I was doing a bit of coaching. That was a bit of a strange season because, like you say, it was kind of still playing but doing other things on the side.

7:37And you're thinking, you know, what's going to happen with the football route? actually ended up going to Ibiza and working there for two months in that off-season. And yeah, I was going to stay there until one of my old managers, he took over Ilkeston town. And my dad was like, you know, just give it one last go and see what happens. But Ilkeston was four hours from my house in Newcastle. So, and it was three times a week, four hours there to train or play a game for two hours. and then drive back. Did that for the whole season, which is absolutely crazy looking back on it now.

8:18Ross Halls:Yeah, it's one thing sometimes, you know, say fans when they watch, you don't think about the things that are off the pitch for players because, yeah, that's a lot of travelling, you know, for you. I know you were young, lagged at the time, but that's still a lot of travelling there and back. I'm sure you were leaving your house at a certain time and then getting home, you know, very late at night and then waking up the next morning ready to do that whole journey again. yeah I was I was losing money doing it I was spending I was getting 120 quid a week uh all that was going on petrol I was probably picking up a book in every game which was a 10 an extra tenner so yeah I wasn't uh I wasn't making actually any money but it was one of those where you look back and obviously at the end of the season when um I signed for Derby which even to this day, like, it's crazy that that still happened.

9:07But I always look back and think that was kind of my reward for doing all those hours of driving. And, yeah, it was like someone had kind of looked after me to give me a second chance to get back into football, basically.

9:22Ross Halls:And you mentioned your dad. Was your dad a big part of your footballing career in terms of, like, you know, really pushing you? And was he someone who really liked football and, you know, enjoyed going and watching games and watching you play? Yeah, obviously he would be there every training, every game naturally, like same as probably the rest of the lads. My attitude wasn't great when I was younger, if I'm being honest. So I know for a fact that I would drive him mad. But yeah, it got to a point where I was like 13, 14, where it was, he just basically said like, listen, do you want to actually give this a go or not?

9:58Are you going to keep messing around? and then kind of from there, I just went from strength to strength, basically.

10:05Ross Halls:Yeah, you must have been proud. I know Derby didn't really work out, but you moved to Rotherham under Steve Evans and, of course, a very successful spell there, back-to-back promotions. That must have been good for you in terms of you feel like you're settled now. I know there's some ups and downs even at Rotherham, but that must have been nice to finally find a home. Yeah, exactly. I think it doesn't really matter what part of the journey you're on. there's always moments where you're like, what's going to happen here? Whether you're a young lad trying to chase a pro, whether you're a 33-year-old out of contract, you've got bills, it's one of those where you're thinking, what's going to happen here?

10:39But yeah, the first year at Rotherham was an absolute disaster, especially because I'd left such a good club at Derby with a year left. So yeah, I was pretty worried that first year, to be honest, because I hadn't played a lot of games. and as you know, you get forgotten about quickly. But yeah, as soon as the second year started, when Steve Evans came in, that was kind of the beginning for me. And yeah, I had four unbelievable years there. Definitely the place where I enjoyed my football the most and that's kind of where my stock rose to go to upper level in terms of teams.

11:17Ross Halls:Definitely. And once again, there's loads of stories about Steve Evans. Good to see he's looking very healthy. these days, which is good. I'm sure there's so many different stories you can mention, but what was that light plan on Steve Irons? Because it sounds like, you know, you played, that's where you played your best football. Yeah, I mean, it was an experience. Some players didn't like it. Some players could handle it. Some players couldn't. It was old school, but, you know, I left that club and went to Fulham and obviously other clubs after that. And it was nothing really happened in terms of, it was just go to train and train and then leave.

11:53like no controversy, no arguments, no one was shouting at anyone. So it was, yeah, looking back now, it was entertaining and there was always something happening at the club, basically. So, yeah, it was one of those where at the time it was like, get me out of here. But looking back, it was, yeah, definitely probably the best time of my career.

12:15Ross Halls:Yeah, you must have enjoyed as well, like any player, to win at Wembley. You scored, obviously, in the penalty shootout against Leiton Ory and that must have been a great moment in your career, just at Wembley. those famous archers and just, yeah, for me, I would love that, but it wasn't good enough to get to that stage. But yourself, that must have been amazing, you know, at Wembley to win and to get promoted to the Championship. Yeah, exactly. It was obviously a crazy game and, yeah, it was a very, very strange feeling taking the penalty. But, yeah, it was by far the best day I've had on a football pitch experience, especially to be like 2-0 down and then, like you say, score and win on penalties, it doesn't get much better, to be honest.

12:59Ross Halls:Yeah, and then how did you end up at Fulham then? That's obviously now moving somewhere else, now going to London. Fulham, of course, I think just been relegated from the Premier League a year prior. But yeah, how did that come about? So yeah, Rotherham, we didn't agree on a new contract and I knew that in January. So I knew from January that I'd be leaving in that summer and that was when all the data and stats started to come into it. So that's how the move to Fulham came about because I think that year in the championship the year before was like second or third in chances created. So obviously they were looking at the stats and that's how it came about.

13:49Ross Halls:and I think this was just whispers and rumours because I think you're obviously a really good player for Rotherham you were linked to town prior to joining Fulham but I don't think there was much really in it it was just one of those where oh he's a good little player let's put him on the list yeah I think there was I don't think I ever spoke to Mick or anyone from Ipswich I think that at the time it was Fulham, Bolton, Wigan and Nottingham Forest I think it was but yeah I think Ipswich which obviously came later. But I didn't actually speak to anyone direct around that time. I think you knew Paul Warner, who was a fitness coach at town, he was a player and also a fitness coach at Rotherham at the time.

14:33Yeah, I think looking back on it now, what we touched on, the 4-4-2 and the way Mick liked to play was it suited me you know I think Fulham was you know again a crazy six months but it was that transition period in football where you were going from your 4-4-2 and like I say two big strikers up top or get the ball in the box that's the period it was starting to change so and and that's what Mick you know loved and that's the way his teams played so for me it suited me down to the ground.

15:08Ross Halls:Definitely. When did you hear that first interest for Town? Because at the time, Fulham were struggling in terms of you weren't playing, of course, unfortunately. But they were struggling. Town were mid-table, doing OK, trying to fight for that play-off after getting to the playoffs the season prior. So how do you... Can you remember that? Once again, it was 10 years ago, so I don't blame you if you can't remember. But the first interest... Because it was when you could sign players on loan any time. I think you signed in February time. you know initial one month alone which could get extended because that's out the window now which is a shame um but yeah can you remember that um yeah thinking back now i think i think when i was playing for rotherham we beat we beat ipswich 2-0 at home um and i think that's when after that game i'd spoke to mick just said hello and he said well played and then from from that really like i say it didn't happen in the summer but as as soon as it came about you know in january or february whenever it was, I knew that was the only place I was going to go, really.

16:08Ross Halls:Can you remember that first meeting with Mick? Because obviously he's a proper old-school manager. Once again, he's got a bit of a love-hate relationship with the Town fans. I think a lot of Town fans loved him for a good period and it sort of soured at the end. But I think a lot of people can say he did a very good job and, of course, had a very good career in football. Yeah, I mean, for me, I always say he was one of the best managers I've had purely because you just knew where he stood as a player. He didn't sugarcoat anything. He told you how it was. And he was kind of old school. His training was enjoyable.

16:40It's what you wanted to do as a player. I think now, again, with data and all that stuff now, the way teams play, I don't know whether he would get away with it now, but back then I loved it. And it was dead simple for me. It was just to put the ball in the box as much as I could. which is what I just kind of grew up doing anyway. So, yeah, it was dead easy for me.

17:08Ross Halls:Yeah, I've got a picture of you signing, by the way. Here you are in your glory. You look younger now than then. I don't know. Can you remember that day? What was that like as a player when you got to do the sort of, yeah, classic hold the shirt? You know, obviously now there's loads of like videos and stuff, announcements, you know, things they do. But, yeah, this is obviously the training ground holding the shirt up. I mean I'm glad it's not now where they're doing the announcements because especially with that haircut is I'd be it would be shocking. But yeah, I still remember it going in like and you just want to you just want to get into training like meeting everyone is not nice, but it's part of football in itself.

17:51Ross Halls:Yeah, it must be a daunting thing as well, especially if you don't know many of the players. Did you know many and who sort of helped you settle? Luke Chambers obviously he was really good Skousi was really good Searzy it was a good group really good group at Ipswich and yeah they'd obviously been together for quite a few years as well which obviously helped they had a good group but yeah going in to anywhere new especially when you've got hair like that and you're ginger trying to cover it up is not easy and then the initiation all that carry on as well. That's the part I don't miss at all. But yeah, it's part of football.

18:36Ross Halls:What was your go-to? What did you have to sing? What was your choice? I think it was Justin Bieber. I can't remember which one. I just remember it was Justin Bieber. It was shocking though. Forrest away. So bad. Yeah, no, it's got to be done, unfortunately. And what was it like as well as a lone player? get some insight on living in a hotel or an apartment. You were at Fulham at a time. I don't know if you were settled in London at a stage because you were signed for Rotherham. What was the situation like? That's another thing you've got to think of, off-pitch things, settling in the town. Yeah, exactly.

19:13I'd literally just bought an apartment in London and then went on loan to Ipswich. So the timing wasn't exactly great. But again, it's part and parcel of football. as a lone player, you don't really know how long you're going to be there. You've got to make an impact quickly. You've got to impress the lads. You've got to come across as a good character from day one. You're getting judged, you know, from 20 or 30 different players who all know each other. So, yeah, I mean, if I was to do it now, it wouldn't bother me one bit. But back then, it's a lot different when you're younger and you're not used to doing it.

19:51Ross Halls:Were you a single at the time? or did you have any kids? I didn't have kids. My missus was there. She was with me in London. But yeah, I think, like I say, if I was to do it now, even the singing thing, it wouldn't bother me at all. But yeah, like I say, when you've got hair like that, you stand out from minute one. Yeah, I think I've heard your interview now. Obviously, Ed Sheeran, he's a big town fan, and was on the front of shirts for a while. I'm sure now he's sort of like, yeah, you don't mind it now because if he can do it and he's the pop star it is and stuff like that. Yeah, exactly. I think if he was more involved back then, it would have helped my case a lot more, to be honest.

20:38Definitely, mate.

20:38Ross Halls:And one thing I was surprised about when I was going back just looking at your time at town, you weren't playing much at Fulham for a few months, but you came in and you were starting games for town. You think maybe he'll give you a few games to sort of settle, come off the bench, but you were starting pretty much, you know, most games. Yeah, I think, like I say, at Fulham, there was a lot that we had four or five managers within six months. A lot of different players were getting used. It was, you know, changing systems. Yeah, it was just a bit kind of all over the place. Whereas, like I say, at Ipswich, it was 4-4-2, get the ball in the box, dead simple.

21:11Like exactly what I was kind of used to at Rotherham. So for me, it was a lot easier to come into. And, yeah, like I say, it was one of those where I just kind of, I needed to get back playing. And, yeah, it was one of those. We missed out on the playoffs, but it was, yeah, it was an enjoyable time.

21:32Ross Halls:Yeah, first two games we lost, but the next two, you scored in back-to-back games, you know, Huddersfield and Notting Forest at home. We've got you celebrating here with Daryl Murphy, another one here. You just celebrating in general. I'm sure these bring you sort of memories and it's nice to sort of make a mark early days in your time at town because that's two goals in back-to-back games. You know, the fourth game, got a picture of you sort of wheeling away, your heft all over the place. But that must be nice to sort of get those two goals. Yeah, exactly. Like I say, you want to make an impression quickly.

22:05So, yeah, to lose the first two games wasn't great. But, yeah, it buys you time in it and you you know obviously helps when you when you're scoring and you're winning um so yeah it was good i think i remember mick he took me off three games in a row at half time i think it was um and i always always remember that and laugh about it because the the first he he said on the third time he was like you know the first two times i took you off uh it was tactical but this time you've been rubbish so that's why you're coming off at half time and I thought you know what I can't argue with that but yeah I mean to get taken off three games in a row at half time I'm pretty sure that's what it was is pretty unusual so

22:53Ross Halls:yeah just look now it's two games you know was it a draw against Charlton at Pawn Road and a 3-1 defeat against Brentford and then yeah unfortunately you didn't play again that was it yeah you were just on new sub for the next two so that must have been like oh okay that's me done then at town and can't move on. But just take you back to those two goals. I'm sure, you know, once again, it's 10 years ago. But I watched them back. You know, a really good goal at Huddersfield and a goal at Nighting Forest. Both, you know, 1-0 wins. That's a good thing as well. At least it weren't consolations. They were, you know, two important goals.

23:23Yeah, exactly. I think the Huddersfield game wasn't a great game. But I think the first 20, 30 minutes, they were battering us, to be honest. And then, yeah, it was one of those where, you know, you get a goal and then, you know, grind it out. And then the same with the Forest game. I think that was, again, they were kind, they had a lot more chances than we did. And yeah, that second one was a bit of a strange goal. But yeah, as always, you take it.

23:51Ross Halls:Definitely. And yeah, Bart, you know, was fantastic, wasn't he, in goal? Bart's Biotrkowski, you know, he was making some incredible saves that season. And yeah, I remember that Huddersfield game. Yeah, they were battering us, as you say. And, you know, you got your goal and Bart was just the saviour. So, but yeah, what's that like though, when, you know, you're getting subbed off for our time? You know, as I said, one of them was like your tactical, the other pretty much been rubbish. You know, that must be a weird feeling like, okay, now I've just got to sit on the bench for this, you know, for the second half.