Happy Soucek reckons he’s back on track
By Hughie Southon
Tomas Soucek doesn’t need anybody to tell him he hasn’t been at his best this season – particularly over the first five games of the season.
The Czech Republic captain has had plenty on his case having set the bar so high in his first season when becoming Hammer of the Year.
The summer brought many stories that having been refused a pay rise and or new deal he was ready to leave after a fall out with the manager.
It didn’t happen but his form was such that many questioned whether he was as committed as he had been on his arrival in that epic first campaign.
Many were calling for him to be dropped but he has settled down in determined fashion to the situation and is once again looking a very good player despite a few missed chances.
One thing is for sure from his latest interview with www.whufc.com however and that is he remains a very happy Hammer.
He declared: “So, everyone has set up the team spirit to go in the good way again and I hope that now we are finally settled because we have to say that the first five or six games weren’t the best in the way we wanted, and the start wasn’t good enough.
But now I am happy with the team, how we meet at the training ground and how we play in our sessions, and we have showed that on the pitch.
We struggled, so that’s why I’m so happy that we’ve found a way so quickly because if we’d struggled in a few more games we could have been fighting relegation all season. Now, we still have a big chance to get back to a higher position, so I am happy.
At the start, I didn’t play my best, especially in the first five games.
I tried to do even more because I was frustrated that I didn’t do best on the pitch, so I did even more at the training ground.
It’s very difficult to be at the top level in the whole of your career. I always give my maximum on the pitch, but sometimes I do not play to my best. When this happens, I try different things to get back to my best.
I like to play every game and I’m very disappointed even at the training ground when the gaffer tells me I need to rest and I say ‘No, I want to play with the guys!’.
For me, honestly, it’s much harder mentally than physically because to concentrate on every game and give my maximum and get my adrenaline levels right is very hard, especially when you have difficult opponents against you.
I am not a person who just goes to play for myself on the pitch, I care about others and care if someone feels bad so I want to help my teammates to get back on track.”