'We let people down' - Defender makes admission on time with Blackpool - video Dailymotion

Blackpool Gazette

Wigan Athletic defender Will Aimson reflects on his time with Blackpool.

Transcript

00:00First of all, it was a big decision to leave Hull at the time.

00:05I was doing my best to break through into the first team at Hull.

00:10I was another lad in a similar position.

00:12We both got the opportunities to go out on loan to League One clubs.

00:18The club wasn't in the best of places,

00:22obviously off the back of a relegation from the Championship.

00:25I went just with an open mind,

00:27just to do the best for the club for a month's loan.

00:31I was actually put into centre mid to begin with,

00:34which was new for me, but I enjoyed it.

00:36Then I was at that stage of my career

00:39where I'd come off the back of a long injury as well.

00:41I broke my leg a year and a half before that.

00:45I was just trying to get regular first team football

00:47and men's football senior football.

00:50That happened and then I didn't play as much.

00:52Obviously, I signed permanently in January,

00:55which was a tough decision, really.

00:58At the time, I was playing every week in League One.

01:02For me, I wanted to try and build my way back up

01:04to the Championship and Premiership that way.

01:10Obviously, I didn't get the opportunity to play

01:12as much as I would have liked towards the end of the season.

01:14We ended up going down, which was a shame.

01:15Obviously, the club was in a bad spot at the time.

01:19Things changed very quickly in football.

01:20That was a disappointment for me, being a Premier League team.

01:26All of a sudden, you find yourself in League Two.

01:29Football can do that to you.

01:32How much did it shape you as a character?

01:34I think that's very much been chucked in at the deep end,

01:36especially when you play in different positions.

01:38I think when you're younger, you're fearless.

01:40I was anyway.

01:41For my position, obviously, I'm a centre-half,

01:47but I've always been quite mobile

01:49and I've always been quite comfortable on the ball.

01:52I think I'd spoke to a few of the senior players at the time

01:55and I didn't try anything.

01:57I knew my limits in there.

01:59I wasn't going to be the next Rodri.

02:01I knew that.

02:02But I just did my job.

02:06I think what was effective was that I had a defensive head on me.

02:11My first train of thought is defend.

02:14So I was probably a nuisance for any number 10s

02:17or any attacking midfielders that were trying to make stuff happen

02:19because my first thought was defend.

02:21Obviously, I did what I could on the ball,

02:23just kept stuff simple.

02:24But as a character, it made me grow.

02:29Obviously, that's my first and only relegation, touch wood.

02:32But they're obviously not nice.

02:36It's difficult.

02:37Obviously, things change at football clubs.

02:39Everyone's wages change.

02:42You're playing in a lesser league.

02:44So there's a lot that comes with it.

02:46So that was very disappointing for me.

02:48Personally, I think all the lads I played would agree.

02:51Probably let a lot of people down, really.

02:53But obviously, something good happened the following year.

02:56So, yeah, I mean, you only grow and learn from those moments, definitely.

03:03What did Gary Boyer do to steady that ship and sort of, as a team,

03:08it was like a kind of you against the world kind of thing

03:10in terms of you didn't have fans in the stadium,

03:12but you still managed to enjoy success in the playoffs?

03:16Yeah, I mean, he came in with fresh ideas, a lot of energy.

03:21He was one of us, really.

03:22You know, he was, how do I describe it?

03:26He wanted to have fun.

03:27He just wanted everybody to enjoy it as much as possible, training.

03:29But don't get me wrong, when it was time to knuckle down

03:32and get serious, he would at the same time.

03:35I can't find, you won't find too many players at that club

03:39at the time that had a bad relationship, really, with him.

03:42He was brilliant with every single person.

03:45I think that's probably a manager's hardest job is keeping everybody on board

03:48when, you know, there is going to be players that aren't playing.

03:52That's just the way football is.

03:53There's going to be players that aren't starting as much as they want

03:55or aren't getting enough minutes or as many minutes as they want to get.

03:59So, I think he did very well to keep everybody on board,

04:03especially with the outside stuff that was going on.

04:07I think he just reiterated, you know, we couldn't affect that.

04:11You know, that's out of our hands.

04:13You know, whatever we did, however we felt it, you know,

04:16there was nothing we could do.

04:18We could only, you know, control what happened on the pitch.

04:20I think a phrase he used to use was control the controllables.

04:25And that's, you know, what we did.

04:26We had a pretty average start.

04:28And then I think second half of the season, we gelled, everything clicked.

04:32And we really, we didn't look back, really.

04:33We kicked on and took the momentum straight into the playoffs.

04:38I know what he told stories about going down to the arcades

04:40or going down to the pier.

04:43So, did he shield you from, like, the problems

04:46as make work as fun as it could be?

04:48Was that key?

04:50Yeah, like I said, it was just about controlling, again,

04:53what we could control.

04:54It was, listen, we're not daft.

04:57Like, we knew what was going on

04:58and the troubles that were happening

05:01and everything with the fans.

05:03And, of course, it's not nice.

05:04But, again, we, you know, we have our careers on the line

05:07and we're all trying to do the best for ourselves

05:10and the best for the team

05:11and ultimately to help the club get back to, you know,

05:15it was too big of a club to be playing in that league.

05:17Even League One at some stage.

05:21So, yeah, it was, that's what I said.

05:25We were just concentrated about what we were doing on the pitch

05:27and in training every day.

05:29And, like I said, after Christmas, it seemed to really click.

05:32How strange was it to play at Wembley?

05:35We obviously saw a few fans there.

05:37I think in 2012, it was like 35,000 Blackpool fans

05:41and then it was down to 5,000.

05:43So, how strange, sort of, yeah, a big occasion,

05:46but obviously not.

05:47Yeah, it was, I mean, that was, I think,

05:53I'd maybe only been to Wembley,

05:55maybe one or two times before that,

05:56only to watch, never to play.

05:59And then, don't get me wrong,

06:01it was still a bit strange walking out,

06:04still a good atmosphere.

06:06You know, everything around it,

06:08all the fire and the fire,

06:09it's a confetti, of course.

06:11You know, it's special to even, you know,

06:13put a foot on the grass at that place.

06:16So, listen, once the game started

06:18and the whistle went,

06:19oh, you're in the warm-up,

06:20you go into your zone and your mode

06:22and you don't really,

06:24you don't, that's how I kind of,

06:26you know, deal with games anyway.

06:27As soon as that whistle goes,

06:28you know, you're in your zone

06:29and you don't really take notice of anything around you.

06:31You're concentrating on your job on the pitch.

06:33So, yeah, we, listen,

06:36we still, we appreciate the fans that came.

06:38We understand why fans didn't come as well.

06:42Again, that was out of our hands.

06:44But, you know, I had all my family

06:46and friends from back home down south

06:48come to the game

06:50and I think all the other boys did.

06:52So, it was still a very special day,

06:54one that I'll remember, you know,

06:55for a long time.

06:57Obviously, your entire time in the club

06:59was right at the heart of sort of the problems.

07:02Do you go back as a visiting player now

07:04or have you been back and seen sort of

07:05the atmosphere with the fans there and think?

07:08What could have been, you know,

07:09just how special it can be?

07:12It was quite quickly, wasn't it,

07:14after I'd left that, you know,

07:16they got everything turned around.

07:17I was, of course, I was, you know,

07:18buzzing for the club and the fans really.

07:22And I went to go and watch a game.

07:23And it was just great to see, really.

07:26There was no bitter feelings whatsoever.

07:29It was just great to see the stadium packed

07:31and, you know, what the club and the fans

07:34have got an offer to show.

07:36So, yeah, like I said,

07:37there was no bitter feelings.

07:39I enjoyed my time there.

07:41I'd made some great friends, memories, of course.

07:44So, it was just great to see, you know,

07:46the club back thriving again, really.

07:50And since leaving,

07:51you've not been afraid to move about.

07:54You've been up and down the country,

07:55probably to both ends quite literally.

07:57So, oh, yeah.

07:58Obviously, your career is,

08:00how pleased you are sort of the way

08:01you've sort of learnt from your experiences

08:02and, you know,

08:04become this experienced player that you are now?

08:06Yeah, obviously, I left Blackpool.

08:08It was my kind of choice to leave.

08:12I think we had the League One season

08:14after promotion

08:14and I still played a good amount of games.

08:16But, you know,

08:18I'd always come out of the team every now and then.

08:19And I think it was time for me to go and,

08:21you know, be,

08:24well, try to be number one,

08:26centre-half,

08:27first name on the team sheet,

08:28if you'd like,

08:29or try and,

08:30obviously, don't get given that.

08:31You've got to earn that.

08:32But I wanted to kind of go

08:33and get that kind of,

08:34position somewhere else

08:36and, obviously,

08:37went to Rhine-Lowe and Bury.

08:40And, obviously,

08:41we ended up in an

08:42even worse situation, really,

08:44that year.

08:45And then,

08:46it's a shame, really,

08:47because we had a

08:48very, very strong team

08:49in that League too.

08:50And I think we

08:50see a lot of teams

08:52bounce and bounce up again recently.

08:53So, I think we'd, you know,

08:54we'd have had a good chance of doing that.

08:56But, obviously, the club went into,

08:57you know, liquidation

08:59and ended up going.

09:00So, obviously,

09:01ended up going to Plymouth.

09:03Manager took me there

09:04and, you know,

09:05I had a good few years there.

09:07And, yeah,

09:07I've done a few laps

09:08of the country.

09:09But, no,

09:10listen,

09:10it's a short career.

09:12But I've enjoyed my time,

09:14played for some really,

09:14really, you know,

09:15big clubs

09:16and made some great memories.

09:18Just on Ryan Lowe,

09:20it's a good job that,

09:20obviously,

09:21you've played under him twice

09:21before,

09:22and then he ends up at Wigan.

09:23So,

09:24did that work out quite well

09:25for yourself to someone

09:26who you knew already

09:27walking through the door?

09:29Yeah, definitely.

09:30Listen,

09:30I had,

09:31I think it was three years

09:33with him

09:33and had two promotions.

09:36So,

09:36you know,

09:36we've had a lot of joy together

09:39when he's been coached

09:40and I've been a player.

09:41So, you know,

09:42I enjoy playing under him,

09:43get on well with him.

09:44I like the way he plays

09:45and,

09:46you know,

09:46it's been really good

09:48having him in,

09:49of course.

09:49As soon as I've seen

09:50he was appointed

09:51or maybe being appointed,

09:52it was brilliant

09:53to have him in.

09:55You know,

09:55we've only had a short time

09:56with him so far.

09:57I had the backhand

09:58of last season

09:59but I'm really looking forward

10:00to pre-season

10:00and,

10:01you know,

10:02getting the group together

10:03and now as one of the senior players,

10:05you know,

10:05trying to get the group bonded

10:07and helping as much as I can

10:08with the team

10:09and hopefully we'll have

10:09a successful season.

10:11Yeah,

10:11I'm guessing

10:12under Iron Law

10:13you're looking towards

10:14the top end of the table.

10:15Obviously,

10:15Blackpool's got Steve Bruce,

10:16they'll have similar ambitions.

10:18So,

10:18how competitive is League 1 next year?

10:20Because you could go through

10:21every team and say,

10:21oh,

10:21they've got him,

10:22they've got him.

10:23There's quite a lot of teams

10:23who can fancy themselves.

10:26Yeah,

10:26I think it's almost turning,

10:28especially,

10:28you know,

10:29the top 8 maybe

10:30or sometimes top 10.

10:31It's almost like

10:32a mini-championship really.

10:34You see a lot of big clubs,

10:36you know,

10:36your Derby's,

10:37Sheffield Wednesdays,

10:38Portsmouth's.

10:39You know,

10:39it could go on,

10:40there's loads

10:40and there are Boltons,

10:41Wiggins

10:41and they kind of get

10:42into League 1

10:43and get stuck

10:44for a little bit.

10:45and there's some,

10:47you know,

10:47there's been some massive clubs

10:48in League 1

10:50for a long time

10:50and there's only,

10:52I'd like to,

10:53well,

10:53there is,

10:53there's only getting more.

10:54So,

10:55yeah,

10:56it's a much more competitive league

10:58than maybe when I first played

10:59in it 10 years ago.

11:02But it's,

11:02it's very enjoyable.

11:04You get some,

11:05you get some good games,

11:06you get some big crowds.

11:09Like you say,

11:09it's a really competitive league.

11:11So,

11:11no,

11:11I definitely enjoy playing in it.

11:13You know,

11:14I'd love to,

11:15to battle for promotion

11:16and have the opportunity

11:17to go and play in the championship.

11:18That's definitely the aim

11:19this year.

11:21So,

11:22hopefully we can,

11:22you know,

11:23have an exciting season.

'We let people down' - Defender makes admission on time with Blackpool

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