Tommy Forecast Interview

Tommy Forecast is a young goalkeeper currently at Tottenham Hotspur having come through the ranks at White Hart Lane, and has recently signed terms with European giants HO Soccer to wear their gloves for the coming seasons. Danny Wright was lucky enough to catch up with the highly-tipped youngster in an exclusive interview for the great-save.com website, where ‘Forka’ chatted at ease about his career, his future and the worst dressed player down at the Lane…

Date of Birth: 15/10/1986
Born: Newark
Nationality: English
Club: Tottenham Hotspur
Wears: HO - Flat Palm Protek
Honours: FA Youth Cup Semi-Final

What’s your earliest footballing memory?
Watching England in the Euro 1996 Champions

When did you realise you could make into the pro game? How did it feel when you signed terms with Spurs?
I was Spurs from the age of 12, and trained with them for a year. It was when I was about 15 or 16 that I thought I have might a chance, and when I get offered my YTS I knew I had my chance. I got my contract and it was an amazing feeling, doing what you love doing for a living is great. I felt relieved when I signed but mainly excitement.

What route/how did you get into the game?
My Mum! She pushed me into playing football and said ‘Why don’t you play in goal?’ and it all came from there really.

What advice would you give to youngsters wanting to become a keeper?
Work as hard as possible, every day. When the opportunity comes make sure you take it.

What’s the best advice you’ve received? Who’s been the biggest influence on your career?
Perry Suckling, who’s the academy goalkeeper coach here at Spurs. When I signed YTS when I was 17 I didn’t have the best of seasons but he told me to keep going and that you’re only as good are your next game. I owe a lot to him for getting for me through that.

Who do you play like/compare yourself to? Did you have any idols when you were younger?
I try watch others players who are the similar sort of body size and shape. I’m quite tall and slim, so maybe Edwin Van der Saar. I watch what he does and practice their sort of physique and style because they are more my body type. People like Peter Cech are the best around so I try to watch them.

How often do you train and what is your favourite drill or practice?
We train every day, we sometimes get a weekday off or every other weekend off depending on the first team and reserve games. We work with Hans (Sagers, Spurs goalkeeper coach) a lot on agility, jumps, springs and stuff for the quads, taking high balls. We do a lot of work on handling and in training we try to hold everything. It’s a good mentality to have that if you hold everything it will become easier to parry when you need to.

What are your strengths/weaknesses?
It’s hard to say…none hopefully! Mentality is important and you’ve got to be ready when that call comes for the first team. If you’re not ready, you’ll lose out when the time comes, so being ready is important.

What’s it like working with Paul Robinson and Hans Sagers?
I’ve improved massively, especially working with Robbo. My handling has improved massively with Hans and working with England’s number one is a great experience.

Paul’s come under a lot of criticism recently, how do you view this?
He’s made mistakes but every does and he’s just been punished for it. He’s England’s number and because of that it’s always going to be highlighted. Everyone has bad spells anywhere you go. If it was a lower league keeper or a team lower in the Premiership that nobody would notice, but because it’s Tottenham and England’s number one it’s different.

How do you deal with criticism?
You’ve got to take it into account and take it on chin. There’s no point being naïve about it and you accept it and work on it.

You’ve been on the bench a couple of times for the first XI, what is this like? Do you feel frustrated not to be playing or are you biding your time?
It’s been a great experience and I’ve just been lucky enough to be a part of it. Just on Monday night I was at Newcastle on the bench and it’s a great ground with a great atmosphere. Not a lot of people get such a chance like I did on Monday. I’m not frustrated at the minute but you just look forward to the next one and look for more experience and you just want more of it.

You’ve been cited as a hot prospect for the future, did this add any pressure on you? How did you deal with praise by contrast?
At a top club there’s always going to be pressure naturally. There’s always people watching you train and watching you play so you need to perform all the time and you’ve got to expect that being at a club like Spurs. You take praise as well as criticism. You’ve just got to keep your feet on the ground and take it with a pinch of salt.

What is your ambitions career playing wise? Where do you see yourself in five years time?
Still in football, it’s a funny game is football and you don’t know where you could be in six weeks, two months, six months, you don’t know where you could be – you never know what’s round the corner in football. Hopefully I’ll still be involved in football.

Why did you choose HO? What model of gloves do you wear?
I wear the Flat Palm Protek. I just find them to be really good gloves, personally I’ve had no problems with them like you do on other gloves where there might be something with the grip, or the strap or whatever. I just like all aspects of their gloves and they’re perfect - I’ve had no problems what so ever.

Who would you say is the best keeper in the world at the moment?
Gianluigi Buffon – he’s won the World Cup and was bought for £30m. I watch Italian football quite a bit and he’s just got everything – he comes for crosses, his kicking – he has it all.

What’s been the best moment of your career so far?
Been involved with the first team has been great. Playing in the FA Youth Cup semi-final at the age of 18 was a big thing, especially at that age – you get the big crowds and there is a need to perform.

And the worst?
Whenever I’ve made mistakes its been pretty tough but probably when I was a first year at the Academy I had a poor season but was lucky enough to be playing week-in week-out so I could rectify my mistakes.

Who’s the best player you’ve played with?
Robbie Keane

What’s the best stadium you’ve played in?
Liverpool’s ground Anfield. I played there in the Fifth Round of the FA Youth Cup. I played at the Kop end which was pretty special.

Who’s the biggest joker in the dressing room?
Robbie Keane and Tom Huddleston are big jokers, but all the lads get involved in the banter and there’s no-one who sulks or anything.

Who’s the best and worst dressed at Tottenham?
The worst? (Laughs) Probably Lee Young Pyo. And the best is probably Dimitar Berbatov. He’s always wearing blazers and shoes and looking sharp…he looks like he’s going on a date.

What music do you listen to?
Anything really – R ‘n’ B, hip hop, garage.

What TV programmes do you watch?
Only Fools and Horses. All comedies really - I have a wide range of humour.

What car do you drive?
A Mercedes.

How did you spend your first wage packet?
Just treated myself to some new clothes, nothing special.

What’s your favourite food/drink?
Favourite food is probably chicken carbonara, and my favourite drink is coke.

What is your nickname?
Forka

If you weren’t a keeper what would you being career wise?
No idea really. I’d probably in some sort of trade. I aren’t very good with computers so probably something like an electrician or plumber.

Describe yourself in five words…
Funny, relaxed, chilled out, sociable.