PATRICK VIEIRA’S MIDFIELD expertise and approachable manner helped Killian Phillips settle in and learn at Crystal Palace, the young player has said.
The Kilbarrack native sat down with The 42 football journalist David Sneyd for an interview for The Football Family, a podcast for subscribers to The 42.
Phillips spent most of last season on loan at Shrewsbury Town, where he won the club’s young player of the year award.
He said he was sad to see Vieira leave Palace in March, after he had got to know the three-time Premier League winner.
“Obviously I’m going over and I don’t know what anyone’s going to be like,” said Phillips.
“All these Premier League footballers, I’m playing with them on Fifa and all but Vieira is one of the most down-to-earth people. He’d come out and play two-touch with you in the morning before training. He’s just a normal bloke.
“If you had a question he’d always stay out and talk to you for 20 minutes. It wouldn’t even be ‘Yeah do this’ and then walk away. He’d actually have a proper conversation with you.”
Phillip still finds it surreal that he was given his debut in English football as a midfielder by one of the all-time Premier League greats in his position.
“I used to ask a lot of questions to Vieira, about little certain things and he’s given me a lot of things different to what I would have learned growing up – which I think is mental because because it’s always drilled into us growing up and he’s like, ‘No, you do it this way’.
“Little things on why to take a touch this way, why to pass with that foot, how to speed up when the ball comes into you in midfield, and how to take a touch with your right and then pass with your left instead of probably opening up with your right and passing with your right.
“It’s just little things like that he was teaching me. And in fairness he was very good to me. I was very grateful for what Vieira did for me and I was a bit sad to see him go.”
The former Drogheda United player is back at Selhurst Park next season, looking to add to his one appearance for the senior team. Yet his status as a footballer with a Premier League club has not changed his outlook
“Yesterday I was out with kids on my road for about an hour just passing a football. I just love playing football. I think I’d be the exact same if I was up in Kilbarrack astro playing for Kilbarrack. Now I get to do it in front of thousands every week.
“No matter what, I’m just going to be myself. Just because I’m alright at football and I can run doesn’t mean I’m better than anyone else.”
The in-depth interview explores how Phillips won over the Shrewsbury dressing room, how he has learned from the Palace coaches including Paddy McCarthy. Also, it gets into Phillips’ nowadays atypical route to the Premier League, through being released, playing in the Leinster Senior League and attending a FÁS course – which brings to mind an Irish midfielder of yesteryear.
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