And I think they loved me because I loved being part of their team, you know, and I quite often say to kids, that I was the worst player in the world's best football team - and that was good enough for me.
Craig Johnston

I've always had an inquisitive mind about everything from flowers to television sets to motor cars. Always pulled them apart - couldn't put 'em back, but always extremely interested in how things work.
Craig Johnston

Now Jack Charlton wasn't wrong, I was a bad footballer.
Craig Johnston

OK, the wonderful thing about soccer is, a football is a perfectly round object, and it doesn't make mistakes. The player using it makes mistakes. And the more you use it, the less mistakes you make.
Craig Johnston

Our football program is bigger than any one person.
Craig Johnston

So for a year I spent all my time hiding from Jack Charlton in the car park practising my skills.
Craig Johnston

So I did in fact spend two and a half years in the Middlesbrough car park practising skills. But if you spend four or five or six hours a day practising, you get better.
Craig Johnston

The main thing I do now is I coach kids, and all of these stories along the way are based in reality.
Craig Johnston

We were having a trial game against Leeds, and Jack Charlton was the boss of Middlesbrough at the time.
Craig Johnston

You know, I was crap. But I had the commitment, and I had the understanding, that the basis of football is skill on the ball, and if you spend the time with it, you're gonna reap the rewards.
Craig Johnston