From Hucks Meets - Darren Eadie. This answer is a really interesting read and a bit of an

eye opener. didn't relaise Eadie went through this...

Q. Darren (Eadie), what have you been upto since leaving the game?

Darren - I didn't do much for about what is it 8 years I've been out of the game now,i sort of invested in a couple of businesses so I didn't have to get involved too much as they were just ticking along as they do,I kind of lost my way a little bit I've only now started to set up a business I'm an ambassador for the Princes Trust now so there's plenty for me to do and I've kind of realised now that i do need to do something because you say to anybody i've finished with the big money you don't have to do anything for the rest of your life, people think brilliant but at 28 you do that for 5 years your brain turn's to mush I remember before not knowing if it was a weekday or a weekend because every day was the same,I'd get up at 9.30 not really do much go play golf come home and everything was the same it was a bit weird you kind of realise then that you do need to get yourself into something mentally rather than financially as well.

Hucks - It's difficult,I've been quite busy but you can see how that happens because basically you've been told what to do for most of your life,where to be what to do and then you get a bit of freedom.

Darren - Like you said everything is done for you your meals are cooked your told what time you have to be at a place,what time to finish,what time to eat,what time to go to bed all that you know then you finish and i didn't have a clue what to do,I'd never booked a holiday before my wife had always done it,I'd never known how to get a passport before because the clubs had always done it so I didn't know how to do anything,I didn't know how to get a mortgage buy a car,so it was all just having to learn all that stuff again that we should have learnt when we were younger but because everybody did it for us we didn't have to!

Hucks - Basically from 16 onwards your told what to do,where to go and how to do things.

Darren - I can see how a lot of players slip into depression after football because you miss that every day laugh you have with the lads you can never replace that and anything you do.

Hucks - Yes that's the best thing,basically this sounds silly but,I know it's all about the result on Saturday,basically your getting paid to be with and have a laugh with your mates,it's the best life ever obviously you've got to be able to produce on the pitch but a lot of the time it is just enjoying working hard and just training with your mates.

Darren - And when that finishes you kind of think well what do you do, i sort of sat round I'll admit I probably did have depression for 2 or 3 years without knowing I did I just sat round not really doing anything then you kind of realise you've got to snap out of it and do something because we've all got kids and they look up to their dad's and if you give them that impression it's not good for them either so yeah it wasn't pleasant, but you try and get on with your life at the end of the day. The thing with footballers is and why they suffer that depression is your kind of expected to deal with it because people think oh you've got a bit of money you were a footballer what have you got to worry about but when you finish there's lot's of stuff,it's all relevant to the person it's happening to it doesn't matter what financial implications there are it's relevant to the person who is dealing with it.

Posted By: Wayne Biggins, Jan 29, 16:14:28