Local Weather

Partly Cloudy

Partly Cloudy

max temp: 17°C

min temp: 7°C

Five-day forecast

Brentford goalkeeper Richard Lee’s book ‘Graduation’ is a unique book, combining football and how to train your mind to improving you as a person.

To send a link to this page to a friend, you must be logged in.

Lee opens his soul about his relationship with football over the past 12 months, conceding there were times when he hated the game and the focus on the psychological aspect of the game could provide an appealing aspect to readers for Brentford and non-Bees fans alike.

Lee suffered from acute mental anxiety and would "succumb to chronic nerves before games" and serious injuries led to him "consider what I do many times over the years before carrying on."

Lee invites you into his mind and how he worked through these situations and refers strongly to needing a 'Why'.

From being dropped after the first pre-season friendly where he conceded five goals against Fulham and looking destined for the Brentford scrapheap, to becoming the hero against Everton in the Carling Cup victory, making important stops in normal and extra-time as well as saving Jermaine Beckford's penalty, ensuring his place back in the first-team before sustaining a career threatening injury which ruled him out of a Wembley final.

Hypnotherapy played a role in his turnaround at Griffin Park and he describes hypnotist Dave Sabat as a "mentor" and Lee writes that "Dave had made a suggestion for saving a hypothetical Jermaine Beckford penalty," which turned out to be more of a premonition.

There are some romantic descriptions; a goal-post is referred to as a "cylindrical object" and Lee describes himself as "dripping with arrogance" after saving two penalties in a row in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy Area Semi-Final shoot-out against Charlton (he also saved the next penalty).

This was a book which was hard to put down and made complicated theories about the mind easy by using the football analogies.

0 comments

   Local advertisers

More football news

Image
Click here to read the Digital Edition of the Ilford Recorder on screen
Use our Wedding site to help you plan your big day!
At WeddingSite we know how much you have to organise for your wedding day, that's why we have designed a set of FREE, simple-to-use tools to make the planning process easy & hassle-free. FIND OUT MORE
Find a date using our online dating and friend finder
You can meet new friends, find romance or simply meet up online with people sharing similar interests and hobbies. FIND OUT MORE
Find a local business using our online directory search
Need a plumber? Or a florist? Or anything else? Search our business directory to find Ilford businesses in just a few seconds. FIND OUT MORE
Family notices from the Ilford Recorder, with readers' tributes
In memoriam, birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, best wishes & special days. FIND OUT MORE

Celebrity / Showbiz See all

Helen Mirren is shown around the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2013. Picture: Keith Larby/iwitness

Picture gallery: Chelsea Flower Show 2013

The RHS Chelsea Flower Show opens to the public today, but celebrities and VIPs, including the Queen, have already had a look at the floral displays.

Read full story »