Alex Baptiste reflects on his time with Blackpool and why the group he was involved in remains so special to him.
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00How special has it been back here today?
00:02Yeah, amazing. Obviously, you know, it comes close to my heart.
00:06Like, obviously the lads, you know, I haven't seen some of them, you know, for like 15 years
00:11and don't know obviously when we're going to see each other again,
00:14but, you know, hopefully we can do this regular thing, but yeah, it's great.
00:17And obviously, you know, playing with the lads, you know, that you've played with
00:20and had such special times, you know, and like now, you know, obviously, you know, the kids are out
00:25and seeing everyone's families and stuff like that, it's really special.
00:28Not to make you feel old, but I think it's 15 years next week
00:31since the 2018 playoff final, so time flies, doesn't it?
00:34Yeah, and it's just a shame that we have to get old, innit?
00:37Yeah, you know, it's obviously a special time for me, the club, best years of my life.
00:42And like I said, obviously playing with the lads again, you know, you've got the same movements
00:47and, you know, you have the same habits and even interchangeable, you know, just obviously,
00:52like I said, you don't see each other, obviously everyone has their lives and stuff like that
00:56and doing different things and then, you know, you just fall back into the same routine at all, you know.
01:02So it's really special.
01:03Yeah, how close is that bond with all the lads from that group?
01:06Yeah, it's a lifetime, you know, it'll be a lifetime, you know, like I said, obviously, the way we play, the movements, you know, it's just a special group
01:16and it was a special time and, you know, it's just, like I said, it's just unfortunate we have to get old.
01:21How good are all those memories looking back to Wembley and just, yeah, beating Cardiff and then that year in the Premier League?
01:27Yeah, great. You know, obviously, it's a tinge of disappointment in terms of we should have stayed up and then we should have gone up.
01:35So, you know, there's a bit left, you know, there's a bit left on the table, which obviously, you know, still stings.
01:42Obviously, it was a special time for the club and, you know, looking back on my own career, I can say that I played against the best
01:49and I held my own against the best, so that's, you know, that's what it is, you know, so it's all good.
01:56Have you moved on to being an agent now since you've unbutt your boots?
02:00Yeah, so I'm looking after young lads. I've got a few good young lads coming through with great, great chance, you know.
02:07Good head on the shoulders, you know, and hopefully I can input some of my wisdom on them.
02:12But, no, I enjoy my role. You know, like I said, I've got some really good young lads and, you know, just like I said,
02:18obviously doing the best I can for the next generation, really.
02:21What made that be the path you went down? What made that stand out to you?
02:24I just, I never wanted to get into coaching and, obviously, I wanted to stay into football and just, obviously, like I said,
02:29I got stalled when I was a 17-year-old by an agent and I just, you know, thought I could do a better job,
02:36which, you know, I hopefully, my lads I look after will say I do, so that's why, really.
02:42Cheers, mate. Thank you.