Brad Jones: An interview with his brother!

As some of you may be aware, about a month ago Brad Jones’ sister posted a comment on the site. From this, I was then put in contact with Brad’s brother Jason, and so I sent him a few Q & A about Brad, Middlesbrough, and Australian selection.
Many thanks to both Kristy and Jason Jones for giving up their time to take part!

At the start of the email, I mentioned my disappointment in not seeing Brad picked for Australian selection. This is firstly what Jason had to say:

“No real surprise with the goalkeeper selections for the World Cup.”

“Brad didn’t expect to make the squad, but with all the hype and everyone asking him about his chances, I thought he handled the interviews quite well.”

“Graham Arnold was interviewed several months ago about Brad’s chances and he said Brad was sixth or seventh in the pecking order for selection. But with most of them in their 30s, there was always a chance they might decide the third choice would be Brad for the future.
Having kept clean sheets away to Man Utd and Newcastle Utd in front of those size crowds, you would think his ability to handle pressure wasn’t going to be questioned.”

“As for him “switching nationalities” in the future, I doubt it very much. The fact that he answered questions about his eligibility for England and France meant that stories were flying around about him snubbing Australia in the future.”

“The Middlesbrough goalkeeper coaches Paul Barron and Steve Pears (as well as Steve McClaren) have been talking up Brad’s chances with the England squad for years. They are often encouraging him to give it more thought. He even got a call up letter from the English FA when he was 17 to play for England against Luxembourg U17, which he declined.”

Following on from that, I asked him the following questions:

Did Brad always grow up playing football?

“Brad didn’t have much choice but to play football growing up. Having to come along to my games on Sunday mornings (I’m 9 years older) we then headed off for Dad’s games in the arvo. Therefore always kicking a ball around somewhere. He first played a game when he was 5 years old, but was also quite good at Basketball and tee-ball.”

“His school (John Curtin State High School) had a soccer academy where he improved in leaps and bounds, mostly due to coordinator/teacher Peter Rickers. His club coach in U15’s (Steve Parkinson) took him to England to see what it took to make the grade at clubs like Burnley and Portsmouth and this was a big step in him understanding the work required.”

Was he always a goalkeeper?

“From memory he has played in goal since under 8s. Occasionally played outfield as he was one of few who was dominant with the left foot.”

Who did he support growing up?

“Brad supported Liverpool as a boy. His bedroom was covered in posters from Shoot magazine, with Craig Johnston an obvious hero. He has since played at Anfield against Liverpool in a 1 all draw.”

When did he move to Middlesbrough?

“July 98″

How did he end up at Middlesbrough?

“He was invited to play in a trial game in Perth set-up for West Ham scouts to look at potential signing, Steve Laurie. The scouts were also impressed with Brad but weren’t looking for a keeper at the time. Gary Williams was one of the organizers of the trial and he decided to take a
closer look at Brad through a keeper coach in Perth (Willie McNally). Gary took Brad to the UK for a few trials he had organised, starting with Middlesbrough when Bryan Robson was Manager and Peter Shilton was keeper coach. They offered a contract, so that’s where he stayed.”

How do you think he is finding the competition with Schwarzer for the Boro goalkeeping spot?

“Schwarzer has been very good for Brad over recent years. They are mates off the pitch and Brad has learnt a lot from him on it. Each season that goes Brad closes the gap a bit more and now he realizes that he should be pushing for the number 1 spot.”

Are you in contact with him regularly, and does he come back home to
Australia often?

“I contact him fairly often, but every weekend he calls our parents. He only gets to spend three to four weeks in Perth during each off season.”

Can you see him, a number of years down the track, coming back to
Australia to play in the A-League?

“I know he and his wife (and son) would love to get back to Australia, and a successful A-League will probably bring Aussies back from Europe sooner rather than when they’re on the downhill part of their career. His wife is already making retirement plans to live in Perth, but realistically this would probably be in around 10 years.”

Obviously missing out on an Australian spot was a huge disappointment. Do you think this has cemented in his mind the prospect of going to play for England or France as was suggested recently?

“As I said earlier, he wasn’t expecting a call up. There must be 10 to 15 players in the same boat just outside the squad that have an outside chance of a call up that realistically don’t think it will happen. The press have made out that he is bitterly disappointed, but he would just like Football Australia to communicate better and let the players know where they stand. They were very poor with him during the Olympics, with no-one talking before or after selection with him.”

Have you spoken to him since the Uefa Cup Final?

“No. He gets back here Saturday afternoon.”

Many thanks again, to both Kristy and Jason Jones for their help and their time!