Barrett takes time-out from Drogheda
Credit: Extratime Team (ETPhotos)
Shane Barrett first came to prominence when signing for Wolves from Home Farm in 1997. He later went on to win two FAI Cup medals with Longford Town (under Alan Mathews) in 2003 & 2004 before signing for Drogheda United in February 2006. Barrett proved to be a crucial signing for the club and played a huge part in the club’s success in performing so well in Europe and winning the Setanta Sports Cup that year.
However, a horrific cruciate knee ligament injury, sustained against Linfield, ruled the striker out for the whole of the historic 2007 League winning season. After returning to the Drogs earlier this season, Barrett has decided, for a variety of reasons, to take time out for the remainder of this season.
Paul Holland spoke to the 27-year-old on his decision recently:
You have a lot going on at the moment?
Yes I have. My job with 3 Mobile takes up a lot of my time. I want to make things easier on myself by concentrating on my job and my family for the moment. It's totally different nowadays compared to when I first came to Drogheda three and a half years ago, when I was single and a full-time footballer. Nowadays it's very different as I have a partner and a four-month-old son to consider! Over the last three years I've put in such intense effort in trying to get back playing. For now I feel I need to take a break for a while. I haven't ruled out the possibility of going back playing at some stage just yet.
You've had your fair share of ups and downs since you joined Drogheda in February 2006. What was the most difficult time for you?
I was ok at first about the cruciate knee injury and the operation etc. The worst part was in my third year at the club when I still couldn't play after such a long wait. I was really confused and disillusioned as I didn't feel good about being paid and not playing for such a very long time. I got a bit embarrassed about being constantly injured. I was meticulous in everything I was doing to recover from the injury and still couldn't get it right. Vincent Hoey was brilliant and always mentioned that they'd get the best possible treatment for me. The biggest disappointment was not so much the injury but the fact that I couldn't get back to play. Then there's the frustration that your footballing future is so uncertain when the time comes to renew a contract.
How would you look back on your time at the club overall?
I was always very well looked after in my time in Drogheda. Although times nowadays have certainly changed, I'll always remember Drogheda as an absolutely super club. It was Andy Myler who strongly recommended Drogheda to me and, even though I missed out a lot through injury, I have many happy memories from my time at United Park. If I ever did decide to go back playing football, Drogheda would be the first club I would approach. Overall my memories would be mainly positive. It was very hard being out injured so long, though I'd have to say the club looked after me very well during that time. At the start everything was so exciting with a lot of top players at the club. It was also a brilliant dressing room back then. If things had been different I would have gladly seen out the rest of my career with Drogheda.
You were always very popular with the fans.......
They were always brilliant to me. I got to know a lot of them very well. I also got to know the people at the club, the board etc. It's just a pity the way the whole economy has gone, the way the club's finances have changed etc. It's such a massive disappointment, but so many people are having a hard time in Ireland at the moment, it's great that the club is still there. It has the potential to get back to where it was. But to be successful in football you have to have money. Simple as!
How has your fitness levels been since coming back from the cruciate knee injury?
They say it takes up to three years to recover from this type of injury. I'd really want a full off-season and a proper pre-season to stand a chance of reaching the high levels of fitness I used to have. It's a very serious injury and takes a long time to heal. When I look at Michael Owen (who had a similar injury) he's nothing like the player he used to be. I think the higher the level you play at, the harder it is to come back.
You certainly didn't look comfortable on the all-weather surface at Oriel Park in Dundalk this year?
No, I never liked playing on that surface. My hamstrings would always be very tight playing on it. It's a very unnatural surface for my legs anyway. I'd imagine anyone who's had a previous serious injury or anything tight at all, would struggle there. The firmness of the surface is nothing like that of grass.
In both games there this season Drogheda struggled to find anything near their best form.
Yes, both times we were poor in Oriel Park, but we wouldn't be worried about those kinds of results if we had finished off the likes of Bohs and Rovers when we really deserved to win instead of conceding last minute goals.
How would you look on Drogheda’s season this year?
I still think that the team is way too good to be relegated to the First Division, but the reality of it is that second from bottom is the position that Drogheda are in at the moment. We really needed to see teams off in the last five minutes. If we had only taken the points in the games when we were leading by 1-0 we would be 10 or 12 points further up the table and safe from the threat of relegation. Many people might blame the ref but we needed to take responsibility for allowing those teams to score so late in the game.
You've known Alan Mathews a long time playing under him at Drogheda and before that at Longford.
Yeah, Alan is a top-class manager and has proved himself wherever he's been. He has excellent man-management skills. He's great at managing and motivating players. I think if Drogheda are to survive in the Premier Division he's the right man to do the job.
There's seems to be a great spirit within the squad.
Alan definitely gets the best out of individual players. The players play out of their skin for him. They're good players and like the initial team he had at Longford, have a lot to prove. I think it comes down to want. We very rarely conceded a late goal at Longford!
You played very well under Paul Doolin also.
Yes, I always found Paul to be an excellent manager to play under. He was always very professional. I always liked that side of his management.
You would have fond memories of your hat-trick scored against Derry towards the end of the 2006 season.
Yes, of course I really enjoyed that night. It had taken me a long while to reach full-fitness after being out with an ankle injury. I was in great form that night and was disappointed when the season came to an end shortly afterwards.
What other highlights would you have from that time when you were fully fit?
I suppose I'd have to say the European games we played in 2006, especially the 'home' games in Dalymount when we knocked out HJK Helsinki(Finland) and only lost out on penalties to IK Start(Norway). There was a fantastic atmosphere in Dalymount on those two nights. You could sense how much the win really meant to the players and the fans. Scoring the hat-trick was obviously very special, but playing in Europe will always stand out in my memory. At that time I was super fit and really enjoyed playing.
Would you have any contact with some of the players from the Drogheda team back then?
It's amazing how easy it is to lose contact with players the way things are nowadays, but I still keep in touch with Shane Robinson and Dan Connor.
Having been full-time with Wolves and Drogheda, how do you view the life of a professional footballer now?
A career in football can be very short lived. I learned a lot about that side of the game when I was injured in England. If a player is lucky enough to enjoy a long career, when he does retire, he knows nothing else only football and is really starting from scratch. There aren't that many opportunities for ex-players to go into coaching compared to before. Less than 10% of players make that move. I've seen the reality of football which a lot of people don't see but it was still a great experience for me overall.
However, a horrific cruciate knee ligament injury, sustained against Linfield, ruled the striker out for the whole of the historic 2007 League winning season. After returning to the Drogs earlier this season, Barrett has decided, for a variety of reasons, to take time out for the remainder of this season.
Paul Holland spoke to the 27-year-old on his decision recently:
You have a lot going on at the moment?
Yes I have. My job with 3 Mobile takes up a lot of my time. I want to make things easier on myself by concentrating on my job and my family for the moment. It's totally different nowadays compared to when I first came to Drogheda three and a half years ago, when I was single and a full-time footballer. Nowadays it's very different as I have a partner and a four-month-old son to consider! Over the last three years I've put in such intense effort in trying to get back playing. For now I feel I need to take a break for a while. I haven't ruled out the possibility of going back playing at some stage just yet.
You've had your fair share of ups and downs since you joined Drogheda in February 2006. What was the most difficult time for you?
I was ok at first about the cruciate knee injury and the operation etc. The worst part was in my third year at the club when I still couldn't play after such a long wait. I was really confused and disillusioned as I didn't feel good about being paid and not playing for such a very long time. I got a bit embarrassed about being constantly injured. I was meticulous in everything I was doing to recover from the injury and still couldn't get it right. Vincent Hoey was brilliant and always mentioned that they'd get the best possible treatment for me. The biggest disappointment was not so much the injury but the fact that I couldn't get back to play. Then there's the frustration that your footballing future is so uncertain when the time comes to renew a contract.
How would you look back on your time at the club overall?
I was always very well looked after in my time in Drogheda. Although times nowadays have certainly changed, I'll always remember Drogheda as an absolutely super club. It was Andy Myler who strongly recommended Drogheda to me and, even though I missed out a lot through injury, I have many happy memories from my time at United Park. If I ever did decide to go back playing football, Drogheda would be the first club I would approach. Overall my memories would be mainly positive. It was very hard being out injured so long, though I'd have to say the club looked after me very well during that time. At the start everything was so exciting with a lot of top players at the club. It was also a brilliant dressing room back then. If things had been different I would have gladly seen out the rest of my career with Drogheda.
You were always very popular with the fans.......
They were always brilliant to me. I got to know a lot of them very well. I also got to know the people at the club, the board etc. It's just a pity the way the whole economy has gone, the way the club's finances have changed etc. It's such a massive disappointment, but so many people are having a hard time in Ireland at the moment, it's great that the club is still there. It has the potential to get back to where it was. But to be successful in football you have to have money. Simple as!
How has your fitness levels been since coming back from the cruciate knee injury?
They say it takes up to three years to recover from this type of injury. I'd really want a full off-season and a proper pre-season to stand a chance of reaching the high levels of fitness I used to have. It's a very serious injury and takes a long time to heal. When I look at Michael Owen (who had a similar injury) he's nothing like the player he used to be. I think the higher the level you play at, the harder it is to come back.
You certainly didn't look comfortable on the all-weather surface at Oriel Park in Dundalk this year?
No, I never liked playing on that surface. My hamstrings would always be very tight playing on it. It's a very unnatural surface for my legs anyway. I'd imagine anyone who's had a previous serious injury or anything tight at all, would struggle there. The firmness of the surface is nothing like that of grass.
In both games there this season Drogheda struggled to find anything near their best form.
Yes, both times we were poor in Oriel Park, but we wouldn't be worried about those kinds of results if we had finished off the likes of Bohs and Rovers when we really deserved to win instead of conceding last minute goals.
How would you look on Drogheda’s season this year?
I still think that the team is way too good to be relegated to the First Division, but the reality of it is that second from bottom is the position that Drogheda are in at the moment. We really needed to see teams off in the last five minutes. If we had only taken the points in the games when we were leading by 1-0 we would be 10 or 12 points further up the table and safe from the threat of relegation. Many people might blame the ref but we needed to take responsibility for allowing those teams to score so late in the game.
You've known Alan Mathews a long time playing under him at Drogheda and before that at Longford.
Yeah, Alan is a top-class manager and has proved himself wherever he's been. He has excellent man-management skills. He's great at managing and motivating players. I think if Drogheda are to survive in the Premier Division he's the right man to do the job.
There's seems to be a great spirit within the squad.
Alan definitely gets the best out of individual players. The players play out of their skin for him. They're good players and like the initial team he had at Longford, have a lot to prove. I think it comes down to want. We very rarely conceded a late goal at Longford!
You played very well under Paul Doolin also.
Yes, I always found Paul to be an excellent manager to play under. He was always very professional. I always liked that side of his management.
You would have fond memories of your hat-trick scored against Derry towards the end of the 2006 season.
Yes, of course I really enjoyed that night. It had taken me a long while to reach full-fitness after being out with an ankle injury. I was in great form that night and was disappointed when the season came to an end shortly afterwards.
What other highlights would you have from that time when you were fully fit?
I suppose I'd have to say the European games we played in 2006, especially the 'home' games in Dalymount when we knocked out HJK Helsinki(Finland) and only lost out on penalties to IK Start(Norway). There was a fantastic atmosphere in Dalymount on those two nights. You could sense how much the win really meant to the players and the fans. Scoring the hat-trick was obviously very special, but playing in Europe will always stand out in my memory. At that time I was super fit and really enjoyed playing.
Would you have any contact with some of the players from the Drogheda team back then?
It's amazing how easy it is to lose contact with players the way things are nowadays, but I still keep in touch with Shane Robinson and Dan Connor.
Having been full-time with Wolves and Drogheda, how do you view the life of a professional footballer now?
A career in football can be very short lived. I learned a lot about that side of the game when I was injured in England. If a player is lucky enough to enjoy a long career, when he does retire, he knows nothing else only football and is really starting from scratch. There aren't that many opportunities for ex-players to go into coaching compared to before. Less than 10% of players make that move. I've seen the reality of football which a lot of people don't see but it was still a great experience for me overall.
About Paul Holland
Paul Holland has been the Half-Time Co-ordinator at Drogheda United for the past five years and has produced two DVDs for the club in 2006 and 2007. Paul is also the Meath & Leinster Co-ordinator … View Full Profile