THE SEED WAS planted on a holiday to Disneyland.
A snapshot of a different kind of a life.
It wasn’t just the Magic Kingdom which left Kevin Foley and his young family enchanted.
The Florida sun and a complete change of scenery had left its mark.
“It was last year and we just loved it,” Foley tells The42. “Everything about the holiday was fantastic and something stuck with us.”
Then nothing.
For the next 10 months the former Wolverhampton Wanderers player continued his regular coaching work at the club’s academy. “I was dipping my toes in with the kids but not really sure where I was going with it,” he adds.
And then the call. Everything changed.
Foley joins us from the @WolvesAcademy. He and @neillycollins3 were teammates that helped @Wolves win promotion in 2009. pic.twitter.com/VOzXsPKQkt
— Tampa Bay Rowdies (@TampaBayRowdies) January 2, 2020
Former Wolves teammate Neill Collins was on the other end of the line. “We had stayed in touch after playing so I knew he was in Florida. It was exciting,” Foley recalls.
The Scot, manager of USL Championship side Tampa Bay Rowdies, was straight out with the offer of becoming an assistant coach.
In the space of a week Foley flew out with his wife for discussions with Collins and the club’s chief executive. By the end of the visit they had picked out a new family home and schools for their three children.
Once the visa process was completed at the end of last year, they waved goodbye to life in England.
We just said ‘let’s go for it’ because it was the sort of opportunity that gives you a different kind of life. You can never be sure of anything in football, you never know if you are ready for any job but I knew that I couldn’t be selfish anymore.
“It was time to put my family first and do what was best for them. It is a good opportunity for my career but more important now is my family and their way of life,” Foley continues, detailing how he is putting in the hours at the club since arriving in January.
“In football, you never think you will be ready. I was enjoying it at Wolves, but then you get a chance for a first team environment. I spoke to my wife about it and our attitude was to grab it and embrace it.
“As long as you are open to new things and new ideas and are willing to work hard to do it right, I think you will be successful. The selfish thing for me to do would have been to just stay at Wolves and look at it like I could work my way up at a Premier League club.
“But anyone I spoke to at Wolves was like ‘wow, you gotta go for it’. Really, I’m looking at the bigger picture here. I’m not one of those thinking I’ve got to get from the bottom right to top as fast as I can.”
Foley lives in a welcoming community in a suburb of Tampa. His son has already joined a local soccer club, his 10-year-old daughter is building up relationships after saying goodbye to friends in the UK, while the 6.30am starts and 5pm finishes are a necessity as he aims to get up to speed in order to get settled as quickly as possible ahead of the start of the 2020 season away to New York Red Bulls II next month.
“I’ve had two days off since coming and it’s full on but I know that once things settle down we will have more time as a family to explore. If you’re going to do it, do it right, you can’t think you will just come out and have a little holiday.
“Wherever I am I will work hard and see where that gets me. I couldn’t have thought of a better place to come to in terms of coaching. It’s a professional environment, it’s serious work and we’re in America; a great place where my family is happy.
It doesn’t appear to be as cutthroat as say League One or League Two where you lose four or five games on the bounce and it’s like ‘yep, you’re done’. I’ll be working hard and hopefully we get that chance to develop.”
Foley, the former Republic of Ireland international, is not the only person with links to these shores at the club. Dublin Jordan Doherty has signed permanently after the midfielder spent time on loan from Sheffield United.
And while Foley’s focus is now on the future, his passion for Wolves means he cannot simply turn his back on the club completely. He and Collins helped them secure promotion to the Premier League under Mick McCarthy and then fought to keep them in the division.
It was a battle they ultimately lost when relegation was confirmed after three seasons in the top flight. The current crop – who celebrated promotion in 2018 – have no such worries of the drop and, backed by their Chinese owners and a tight relationship with agent Jorge Mendes, they are aiming for the Champions League spots.
“It’s one thing to have millions behind you but it’s another thing to actually spend them wisely,” points out Foley, who will catch up on how his old club’s game with Norwich City this weekend after the Rowdies’ own behind-closed-doors pre-season friendly with South Georgia Tormenta.
“They are next level now. When we came up we knew we would be scrapping for it. Nothing changed by that third year. When you first go up and are playing in the Premier League you think ‘this is great, this is amazing’. But the tone quickly changes.
“Then it becomes about getting a win, getting a draw, doing whatever was needed to get the result. It is a grind but you still want to be a part of it, you still want to stay up because at the end you just want another year in the Premier League.
We had to change to keep doing that, we had no choice. We cam up from the Championship where we were dominating games and rolling teams over. Suddenly you are playing much better teams and you have to change, you can’t play the game the way you wanted.
“But that’s the job, you’re a footballer and you have to adjust and be professional. It’s just a shame we couldn’t kick on like the club are now.
“You would be hard pressed to look at any of the players they have brought in and say ‘that’s a waste of money’. They have been very shrewd.”
At the heart of this revolution is manager Nuno Espirito-Santos, someone Foley didn’t work with personally but has seen up close how others follow his every words.
“Anyone I speak to in the team and staff say how he is such a good motivator. The confidence in himself and his players, the staff around him. To think that they are where they are in the Premier League while juggling the extra Europa League games, he is so important to what they want to do.
“They now seem like they are building towards the Champions League, that’s the ultimate goal and they are working their way to get there.”
Foley and his family have decided to take a different path – a journey that so often is more fulfilling and enjoyable then the destination.
There will be no easy games for Liverpool until we have a new goalkeeper and 2 solid central defenders. Until that is addressed we will struggle to win any game
We?
Yea Philip, he is they new Liverpool striker. After all the transfer speculation with Lewandovski, Pato, Shane Long thay have decided to go with Tom instead.
Is he better any good?
transfer speculation with Lewandovski, ha that has to be a joke right?
It’s called being a supporter
Liverpools defence is an absolute shambles
Naismith is such a horrible chap.
Speak of his style of play rather than him as a person Ron.
He’s a tough bit of stuff though, has made it the hard way from the Scottish highlands and he’s supposed to be very charitable
Boring enough game I’d say. Can see Liverpool sneaking it 1-0. Now that i have said that expect a 4-4 cracker.
Its on. Lol
You could be right here
I really hope you put 1000 on that
Well Gravy?
Lotto number please!!!
Feck Liverpool. The messed it up.
You were way off!!!
Oh god, hope you did not now….
See on Twitter a Liverpool fan had A Tenner at 100/1 for a 4-4. Didn’t cash out. Ouch. I would be sick.
Jeez what just happened there. Delighted with the win but seriously. Conceding 4 goals. Madness
A goal and an assist for Hoolahan so far. Good stuff.
Liverpool are shit.
Fair play you’ve taken the blinkers off
Crawl back under your rock waster
let sterling go he’s useless they said sure ibe is far better they said.
Ah good day to you mr dunne
I here Moreno getting a five year contract extension too
how ya jack
Well one positive of Liverpool is we get to hear from Paul and Nucky
Better now it’s 4-3 Paul
very exciting stuff between 2 dreadful teams who can’t defend.
christ jack the Liverpool players and management will have a wank on the pitch if they start winning on a regular basis ridiculous carryon at the end.
Paul, you’re a tw@.
ah come on bull the carryon at the end was ridiculous you would think they beat Barcelona not a Norwich team who are heading into a scrap to survive with a winner last kick of the game.
Paul if Liverpool donated all their profits to starving kids in Africa you’d still criticise them for it. Carry on but don’t expect anyone to take you seriously.
that would be a fantastic act if that happened ron and I would be the first to applaud the club now getting back to reality the carryon at the end was ridiculous and embarrassing.
Wow!!!!!! Unbelievable jeff
But Firminho finally looking the part…
Maybe a hat trick for him? Take over from Suarez as the Norwich boogeyman.
Firmino starting to show his worth a bit here. The defending by both sides though, Jesus Christ what can ye say
This is one of the most bizzare games I’ve seen this season
Liverpool will definitely lose this game. Norwich are not easily beat ah home and there’s no way Liverpool can do it with the way they’ve been playing. Its just not gonna happen Liverpool fans.
How’d that work out for you? :)
As a Liverpool fan it worked out quite well… I’ve used the same tactic when united play to jinx them so I thought I would use it for good.
Jesus Brady is having a shocking game
Those in-swinging corners are a thing of beauty though…
His positional sense is horrible. Would rather have a left back that can actually defend
Hoolahan is playing well though.
Even better now.
I thought klopp was the messiah ?
I’m delighted come on Norwich. Naismith was money well spent
Well they’re after coming back into the game so credit were credit is due but I’d still be concerned about the amount of goals Liverpool are conceding plus people are saying their goalkeeper is terrible but klopp gave him a new contract ?
Scorpion, you can expect this stuff for the rest of the season from Pool….. Klopp will make his changes in the summer, let these players play for there Liverpool career…. Will be a tough few years maybe….
Firminho is a huge talent and can be a massive player for years to come. Unfortunately same problems that existed under Rodgers are still there. Goalkeeper and defence are all over the place and klopp’s number one priority has to be it. I suppose the good thing about today is the win.
Beating Norwich is fine, concede 3 goals again though……
It’s not that difficult journal. You update the scorers at the top but the score still says 2-1. Lazy. So annoying
Cracker of a game to be fair. I suppose that’s what you get when you have two really poor defences.
Butland ,Ash Williams , Subotic and Defoe would do for this transfer window and make top 4 a bit realistic
So would messi Ronaldo and George best…
Defoe? R u having a giggle m8!? The lad is about 34
Ahhhh the days of saying are “R u having a giggle m8″ to my friends. Good times, being 11 was great
Top 4 is not realistic at all in my opinion.
Subotic?another one stuck in the treatment room,5th choice centre back for Dortmund at the moment
He maybe injured but at least would put pressure on those there knowing as soon as he is fit that he would def fall in beside Williams. Both a good asset to any team Butland is a no brainer and Defoe will score no matter where he goes . Even if only until the summer . Just need reinforcements immediately
Sakho was are best player last week ? He’s gettin better under Klopp. We need a goal scorer first off
Coz Sakho looks like a giraffe on ice people assume he’s poor but his passing is class and he’s very quick to cover ground
Would love to say easy victory 0-3 but sitting on the fence 0-0 or 1-1… Benny needs to get his act together …
Well that sums up Liverpools defence, or lack off…..
Norwich defence is very fragile. Should still win this. Playing a very poor side.
A poor side that has already scored three
Against an awful side.
Liverpool will struggle to make top 10, Klopp will experiment for the rest of the season…. You can see that here.
Looks like Norwich pulled a Stevie G…
Robbie brady a disaster ,as are Norwich heading a ball back across his goal useless!
Is Klopp still annoyed about the time added on?
How many times has McManaman said “free as a bird”?
Good start from Liverpool
Doesn’t matter how you start. It’s how you finish that counts.
Well they have started to finish well
And a good finish
Liverpool finished well then