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Footballer Jason Roberts quickly found out that his idea of timekeeping was not shared by the other pros
I signed my first professional contract with Wolverhampton Wanderers in 1997. I would have been about 18 or 19; I'd come from Hayes, a non-league club, and it was quite a culture shock for me going from semi-professional football to the full-time game.
One of the key differences at Wolves was timekeeping. I wasn't always late for training, but I was often just on time, or occasionally late. I'd get fined and it became an issue. I didn't understand the professionalism expected of me. Having been a part-time player, football was suddenly my living. And when it is your living, obviously, more is expected of you.
Michael Gilkes, who was one of the most senior professionals at Wolves, took me to one side and asked why I was always late. I just didn't see it; if I had to be there at 9am, I'd time it so I arrived at 8.58am. Michael told me, "You're looking at it wrong. Why don't you try getting in at 8.15am, prepare, and then go into training and you'll never be late for the session?"
It's advice that has always resonated with me. If someone asks you to get there at 9 o'clock and you're aiming to get there at 9, there's invariably going to be a situation when you're late or underprepared. So what I try to do now is get there early, whether it's training or for a game. There's nothing worse than that feeling in your stomach when you know you're going to be late.
Mark McGhee was the Wolves manager at the time. He was fiery but the one thing we had at that time was a really good bunch of senior professionals, Don Goodman, Mixu Paatelainen, Steve Bull, Dean Richards ... guys who had been in the game a long time and knew what it was about. They would pull you aside, not to offend you, but to help you. Now, as an older pro, I really appreciate them doing that.
The kind of naivety I showed back then probably doesn't happen so much now. I think the culture's changed within the game, but one thing that hasn't changed is how a strong senior group in the squad can pass on certain values to the younger guys. A lot of them still don't know what's expected when they play for a certain club.
I think, as a senior professional, you are maybe drawn to certain kids more than others. But it's an important part of all kids' development for senior pros to give them their take on things.
If you've been in the game for 13, 14, 15 years like me, you have things to pass on and I think it's part of your job to help the younger players understand their roles better, on and off the pitch.
Jason Roberts plays for Blackburn Rovers and co-presents BBC Radio 5 Live's 606 football phone-in.
Graham Snowdon
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