 Hello and welcome to the official AFC Bournemouth podcast coming to you as ever from Vitality Stadium. We're here once again to bring you closer to some of the personalities connected to the club, be it staff, players, former players or management. Now for those who are new to our podcast, my name is Zoe Rundle and I'm part of the media team here at AFC Bournemouth. Today I'm privileged to be in the company of the one and only Neil Peret who's been covering the club for over 30 years. Now Neil, the new season is just around the corner and we're really looking forward to being back in the Premier League. We certainly are Zoe and you said 30 years, it sounds like a long, long time. I probably didn't think I'd ever see the club playing in the Premier League so it's been a real privilege to have had five years of watching them already and now we're looking forward to a sixth season in the top flight. We're talking of exciting, we've got a really exciting guest with us today who more than played his part in our journey back to the Premier League. He's recently surpassed a hundred appearances for the club and there's no doubt that he is absolutely relentless. So without further ado we're delighted to welcome Lewis Cook onto the official AFC Bournemouth podcast. Lewis, thanks for joining us. How are you? How's your summer been and how are you doing? Yeah thanks for having me on guys. Obviously I think the podcast is doing really well and stuff. I think you've had a few people on it now and yeah I like just having these chats with you guys so me personally I do really well. Pre-season's been incredibly tough as it always is. Last year I kind of did my own little pre-season which was a lot easier than the lads so this year I've been thrown straight back into it and it's been it's been good. It's been really tough but beneficial for us all. Well we're gonna start with something quite light-hearted and very topical nonetheless and that's with our brand new Awake It. Now you were seen modelling our new Awake It. What are your thoughts on it? Yeah my first initial thought was it's very different. I've seen what they've tried to do with the palm trees and the nice colours and stuff and putting it on the other day for the photos in the reveal. I think the overall feeling for it was really positive. Having it on felt really comfortable in it. It felt like it had a bit of flair, a bit of difference and looking forward to our new season. Are we gonna be expecting you to take one of those deck chairs home for your back garden? Yeah potentially I think it'll go well in the garden. We're actually trying to do it at the moment so it could be a good addition. I actually went to the coffee shop today and there was one sitting there so just let everyone know that that's my chair and no one can sit on it. Which is funny. Gonna go right back to the start Lewis. You were born in York in February 1997. Did you ever have any affinity to York City, a club which has been through the mill certainly during your lifetime? Not really, obviously being born in York I grew up in like a little village outside kind of in between Leeds and York. I think my dad took me to probably my first football game was York City. So yeah that's probably the only affiliation I've had. When I was at Leeds we played a few pre-season games there. That's probably another thing but apart from that no not really just played there a few times and like I say it was my first first game I went to. Now you went to Tadcaster Grammar School. Former pupils include ex-pros and current players David Brown, Mark Ford, Ross Greenwood, Matthew Kilgallon, Rory Watson and Charlie Taylor. Have you crossed paths with any of them? I know that you played with Charlie Taylor didn't you? Yeah obviously a few of the other players haven't really come across them I don't think. Whereas Charlie Taylor was a couple of years above me, about two or three years above me. Rory Watson was the year above me so yeah I know him really well. Went to a few, had a few kick-offs at school and saw him quite a lot. He's a really good guy. He actually came through at kind of the same age at Leeds as well so yeah I know him but yeah Tad Grammar School was great for me. It wasn't actually a Grammar School which I always tell people they just kind of held on to the name when it used to be a Grammar School because I definitely wasn't clever enough to get into one of them. But no they were great to me, helped me make sure I balanced football and school as well which is massively important. Now John Smith the founder of John Smith Brewery is another old Taddite who went to the school based in Tadcaster. Have you ever had a tour of the Brewery? I actually never had a tour no I think a few of my family members used to work there because I've got a lot of family in Tadcaster but no I've never had a tour. I've had a few of the beers probably a couple at the local pub where all my family and friends go to that's kind of the only beer there so I've tried one of them before and yeah it's smooth. Going back to your school days what were your best and worst subjects? So yeah school was hard because obviously you used to miss a few days day school which was tough to try and get the grades in but like I say Leeds are very good with me they made sure if I wasn't doing my grades I wasn't allowed to go and train like with the first team and stuff and the day's off but probably my favorite subjects I think everyone would say PE wouldn't there as an athletic person. PE was definitely up there I used to love geography just because of the teacher who I had was great with me as called Mr. Bittles and keeping in touch with him now and stuff and he was top and Mr. Walker was also the PE teacher who was great so they were definitely my favorite geography and PE just from there. The worst one I don't know I really enjoyed school I really enjoyed seeing all my friends and actually going to lessons and stuff so I really missed so I couldn't really tell you which was my worst subject to be honest. Obviously it must have been a bit difficult playing football going to school especially in the later years did you leave with many many qualifications? So I could have got the maximum I could have got was 8 GCSEs and I got I got 8 GCSEs, 4 GCSEs, 3 Bs in an A I think which I remember going to my head of year and was like Lewis I think I think you could have done a little bit better you haven't failed anything but I think you could have done a little bit better so then you had the sheet folded over with my results I was just like give me that here now that's all I need to know so yeah I was I was delighted with what I got to be fair and yeah. Now York is synonymous with horse racing Have you ever been to the Navesmire? Yeah so the Navesmire actually when I was at school I used to start I was doing running races so I used to do 1500 meters and yeah we actually ran that was one of the races once around the Navesmire I think it was there's like two there's a massive one and there's a smaller one so it was it was like three four laps of the smaller one and I remember I was remember it I was it was the first time I've ever done an actual running race and I led the whole way around the whole way around I was there was this person right behind me and I led the whole way around and literally the last I'd say 20 meters I was slipped and I was I was knackered but I slipped and he ran past me and I came second and I remember his parents come after saying oh how long you've been running for and and I was like oh it was my first race because he'd been running like that was what he did every day you know what I mean every every weekend he'd go running and stuff but no that's probably the Navesmire that's my last last time I went on there I'd say I know how that feels Louis in the FPL league last season I was in the lead every single week except for the last week when I got overtaken oh it's horrible wouldn't it anyway how did you first get into football so it's hard I actually know I think I think one day my mum and my dad just got me a pair of boots and said oh why don't you go try this down at tagcaster basally it was a little I get that wrong sometimes I think it was basally or tad magnets I'm not too sure I think I was about five or six and yeah they got me a little pair of Sondico boots and I went there and I decided to go in net for some reason as a keeper and parents like during the game was like what are you doing what are you doing and I think my boot fell off and I started crying on the pitch like I obviously wasn't enjoying it so then the guy was like put your boot back on go play outfield and as soon as I went outfield I was just doing my things scoring goals and everything so that was probably how I got into football and ever since then I've always I've always wanted to to play any relatives sporty family or anything like that no not really not I know of no I think I'm the only one who just it just happened really natural to be fair football even all the way through it was never pressure on me to to perform at young ages and getting to academy it was just just make sure you have fun and I got scouted when I was about six and obviously you have to wait till you nine to sign your first little contract and yeah from then it's just always been the same lead it's always been like progressive just playing football and luckily I got to where I am so as you said you were signed by leads and you made eye catching progress through their academy often playing ahead of your ahead of your age groups tell us about some of the players you came through the ranks with maybe who you still you speak to nowadays and have done well themselves or maybe not yeah so obviously I played when I signed at nine with a few of my friends from school and stuff and we had a great group and but I can say it's really hard to get get professional and not many of them made it really towards the end as I got to about 13 14 you got the likes of Alex Moa, Calvin Phillips, Sam Byer and Charlie Taylor so yeah a great group of of of people that I played at the moment so got a lot of players that are playing at a high level Premier League obviously Calvin's done incredibly well with England and stuff and obviously Manchester City now so yeah just all I can say is it was a it was a great time to be at Leeds as a young player coming through even throughout the academy had a lot of coaches and managers that were just great so it was a really family family club to them as a Bournemouth and yeah it was a it was a great great upbringing. Now jumping ahead a bit in May 2014 you're part of the England squad which won the European under 17 championships obviously Dom Slanky scored some important goals what are your memories of him in that tournament his game now and and how do you think he's going to fair in the Premier League again. Yeah it was such a long time ago I think I think Dom's always had top top quality as we've we've all seen I think I think I think he was playing in the 10 then we're playing like a two midfield and a one one in the 10 which was dormant I think it's what stands out from then was his hold up play I think you could just wrap it into him you could bubble it into him he'd always wiggle his way out and and link up the play and obviously scored a lot of goals as well so now Dom's always been top I've always known that and I'm just glad he's especially last year he was he was on fire so yeah it was a great time for us all as young players and that kind of propelled me into going on my first preseason tour so it was massive for me that tournament. Following that tournament you started both games as leads to the double over Bournemouth that season obviously Bournemouth went up to the Premier League for the first time what are your recollections of those two games I think it was 3-1 here at Vitality Stadium and 1-0 at Elland Road. Yeah I can't really remember I don't really want to really vividly remember games I don't know why I just kind of move on to the next one but I remember especially the one here just I think it was the centre back Belushi scored a free kick never scored a free kick in his career I don't think but he's quite a strong character and decided he wanted to take it and he put one straight in top corner to be honest and kind of just remember sliding in front of the in front of the fans the leads fans at the time and it was it was good and also I think I remember the first half maybe not playing too well and getting a little bit of a a G up is that I were a little bit of a telling off at half time and propelled me to play better than the second so no it was a it was a great game and at that time I was happy we won. You might not remember as you say but on the back of those two games do you think Bournemouth will go on to win the championship that year? I don't really know I think obviously because we leads at the time we were I think we're in and around not the bottom but like the bottom half and Bournemouth I didn't really look at the table to be honest so I didn't really pay much attention to what what you guys are doing but looking back and seeing like you know when you've got the got all the clips of what's it called the end of season dvd yeah I think yeah they're a top top team and squad had great players great identity and stuff and just run away the league to be honest so I can see how how they got up then. A couple of leads games we'd like to get your thoughts on the first one being your debut against Millwall in August 2014 you were 17 came off the bench and I think you gave away a penalty yeah so I think it all started driving up to the stadium on the bus and obviously it was my first first game and yeah it was crazy like the smacking on the bus and all that and shouting all sorts of words and that was great and yeah I came on for like 20 minutes ball's gone to the edge of the box and he's he's kind of like dinked it and I haven't touched him at all he's completely dived and then he's given a penalty yeah so I think it was a great great learning curve I'd say maybe or just a good experience to be honest as a young player and yeah luckily I started the next game and did well so after that it was all history but yeah he dived so it's not ideal have you ever dived to win a penalty Lewis no I'm not very good at it I can't I don't have a knack for it I'm not really much in the box anyway so but yeah I don't know I'm not really a diver however you are a snorkeler just tell us a little bit about that yeah I don't know I've said that before on a podcast but yeah when I got on holiday it's my favorite thing to do pretty much always in the water so I try and go to nice tropical places and see different kind of fish and sharks and octopuses and stuff so no I actually love it I think if I wasn't a footballer I think I'd definitely be like a marine biologist or something seriously I really really enjoy it what got you into that tell us don't know I just went to the Maldives one day it was the first time I ever gone snorkeling so I kind of killed it for myself really because can't go down to the bottom of pear and see manta rays and sharks and all that you could probably see some sharks but yeah I just I just loved it I just like I love being under the water I like trying to go hold my breath as long as I can and just pretend to be a fish would you now choose to go on holiday somewhere where you can go snorkeling yeah definitely I've been to a lot of places now so there's obviously a lot of other places I can go but I've pretty much seen a lot of the stuff I can see so it's just more like coral and stuff now so I went to Bora Bora in the summer and that was the best place I've ever been for that so maybe I'd maybe one day when I finished football I'd like to do a bit of scuba diving maybe in England do some shipwrecks and stuff I think that's probably the closest thing I can do here I'd like to do that one day Don Caster Rovers away in the Carrival Cup marked two firsts for you your first career goal and one instantly forgettable moment your first and only red card so far tell us about that game yeah so I think I just tapped one in back post done this weird celebration because I don't really know what to do when I score so I'll kind of put both arms up while I'm running I'm pulling his weird face see that was a great moment and then I think it was like 20 minutes later maybe a bit less I'm just running with a ball and I've tugged it around this person he's kind of knocked me off balance so I'm running off balance but and you know when it's like quite a big touch and you're like wincing if you to go for the tackle whereas I've just both legs have come round and I've kind of scissors him but again I haven't really touched him I've just gone through through the middle of him and the referees probably rightly sent me off and I just made sure I was all right and just walked off and then when the manager came in I really got a telling off had to pay for a team meal so only 17 so there's quite a lot of money for me what he made you cough at how much was that then do you remember I'm on what was it I think it was like 800 pound yeah and that was a lot of like a lot of money it is a lot of money but yeah I think it was just more frustrated that it was three games ban so but it's not like I did it on purpose and it just looked really bad on the on the video now you want a couple of prestigious awards in your first season as a pro championship apprentice of the year and leads a young player of the year did you think that's first season had gone better than you'd expected yeah definitely I think I just put it down to like when you come through as a as a as a young kid and you're playing with other like your mates and stuff you don't really think too much into it you just play football whereas as your career goes on you have highs and lows you start to really think about everything and try and do everything right and stuff whereas then I was just literally playing football and I think yeah probably went a lot more a lot better than expected and yeah thankfully I just I won a few trophies that year and it was a great time for me so you had another stellar season 2015-16 you won the EFL's young player of the year award you won leaders young player of the year award and you won the club's goal of the season talk us through that goal can you remember it yeah I can remember that I think that was a it was I still can't believe that I went in to be honest thinking about it obviously it's full of at home and yeah my watch running down the line probably like just gonna pass the halfway line and he's just passed one into me it's kind of like the worst pass ever it's bobbling up and up and down and I've just took a touch and it's still bobbling and I've just looked up I don't know it must be not 35 yards out and I've just hit it and it's it must have gone about five meters above the crossbar and I'm thinking it's gone over and it just dipped last minute and just went over the sort of keeper go over with his arm and yeah I can't really believe it went in to be honest it was it was a crazy goal and something I hope I can do again one day 35 yards out what made you hit it I don't know I think I don't score many goals but every every goal I've scored it's always been you've never I've not thought about it much so it just I just did it so I don't really know why I did it and I think I've got a chance like 10 minutes later to do the same thing and I tried it again and it just didn't work and all the fans were laughing and stuff so I think we drew one one in the end though so Wikipedia describes you as a goal-scoring central midfielder with four goals in 214 games that's uh that's quite generous of them isn't it yeah I think they must have the the cameras from training to be honest so when I do the shooting drills I'm a top top scorer so yeah maybe they've they've got a little little inside guy is there ever an an element of frustration with your goal-scoring record um it's hard really because the way we've played in in past teams it's it's it's quite hard to get forward and score goals you know but no I don't think so I think I'm just happy playing football playing games I'd like to have scored more goals I feel like I definitely can um we actually need to probably shoot a little bit more and just be a bit more selfish and yeah hopefully some more goals can come someone you've played alongside former FC Bournemouth skipper Jason Pierce he was at Leeds as well he remains extremely popular here at the club what are your memories of playing with him and him as a character oh yeah Piercey's I can't see how he's still so popular he's a top man top top player top pro um big family man and like when I was younger he was he was great with me and stuff and I just always remember him in boxes he's got his big his black boots on and you're doing little rondos and if he gets that inch that he can take the man in the ball he'll do it and he's just always always upbeat a real driver in the team training standards never himself drop below below anything so yeah he was a a top top guy and I think he's he retired now I think so so yeah he's had a great career as well now in two seasons in the first team at Leeds you played under no fewer than six different managers what was that like for a young player because you were only young and just tell us what was it like playing under Steve Evans yeah I think it was it was it was weird because obviously as a young player in your first two seasons that many managers you think oh is this normal you just and luckily I was still I was still playing so I just was trying to concentrate on my football I think I used to say in interviews when I was younger at the time I just keep focusing on football and whatever happens in in the back just kind of put it into the back of my mind and I guess in in one hand it's I've had a lot of different managers and got a lot of different views on football different styles of play on another one it could have been a bit more smoother for me but like you say I was I was playing and enjoying my football no matter what we've heard great things about Steve Evans from Steve Fletcher here who let him leave Crawley to come back to Bournemouth we only really see him on the touch line and you know about a cage tiger well what is he actually like sort of in the changing if you like on the training pitch yeah he's a he's a he's a he's definitely a character he's a funny guy he was always cracking jokes and I actually think he did quite well at Leeds when he was there um got a few good results and things and yeah he was just he was just always always making jokes but say at halftime if you'd if you'd been losing and stuff he'd come into the into the changing room take his jacket off do a couple of strides and you could tell someone was about to get it you know he would go right in your face and and tell you if you've not been performing so which is fair enough all managers are different and some players need that but um yeah he was a he was a character and enjoyed working with him six years ago you made the decision to come and join the cherries just tell us what was behind the move how it came about be fair it was it was all a bit of a blur I think I was only young and I was playing a lot of football and this this came available and I wouldn't say it was kind of out of my hands but it was kind of done it wasn't really my choice if they wanted to sell me they was gonna they was gonna sell me so yeah I was just real nervous never had anything like that happened before and I remember just being on pre-season at Leeds and I was so nervous and they were telling I think they had to end up my parents had to tell me that I wasn't happening and stuff so I could just not be so nervous but then yeah next thing I know I'm just leaving telling bye to everyone and yeah getting a plane from Dublin at a time to here and then got here and everyone was fantastic and Premier League was a massive draw for me and just love love being here and like I say it was a massive family club and I've had a lot of success must have been a bit of a wrench so because you're leaving behind everybody virtually yeah it was it was I'm not gonna say it was easy it was the heart probably the hardest thing I've ever had to do not just my family but also the fans there see them now they're a great fan base and obviously coming through since I was six it was it was all a bit of a blur happened really quick but probably didn't really get to say bye like the way I'd like to but hopefully this year we can obviously play them and see how that goes what was it like for a northern lad moving down south yeah again I think it's so far away and it didn't really click until I had to make that drive back up to see to see my family I think it's four hours but now I've been here for six years it's honestly one of the best places definitely in England and I'm so settled and me and my wife love it as well so are there any similarities between York and Bournemouth? no I don't think so I can't think of any to be honest I think the only thing I could say is so say if I go for a walk down on the you know Sandbank speech where the chain fair is and you look over where the there there he goes and you see all the fields and it's just green that's basically where I'm from so it's like if I look over there it's like being at home I guess that's probably the only similarity I could say a small reminder yeah of home now you made your Premier League debut in a 3-1 defeat against Manchester United now despite the result it must have been an extremely proud moment for you I think you were 19 at the time yeah definitely I think obviously it's everyone's every kid's dream to play in the Premier League watch yourself a much of the day even if we did lose at the time lining up in there in a tunnel and just look to your right and wearing runes there and stuff and you watched him when you were younger in England and yeah again it all happened so quick when I think back it's just a bit of a blur again so games come so thick and fast and you tend to forget those moments and looking back I probably should have should have remembered it a little bit more and took it in a little bit more but yeah it was a for me and my family it was massive and yeah very excited now how would you assess that first season because I think you had an ankle injury Jack Walsher came in playing time perhaps wasn't how you might have liked it to be how looking back would you you know assess it yeah I think obviously that first game I think I came out of the team the second game and didn't really as a young player I probably should have asked a few more questions because thinking the game I don't know I didn't do anything special but I played all right and and then a few weeks after that I got my ankle injury and I was out for about three months and then yeah it just took a while to get back into the team I think it took me till the last six or seven games to get back in the team and we won about five or six of them actually and then yeah I think it's just part of football I was young and I think that that year after my uncle injury was a massive year for me Eddie Howe at the time we worked worked a lot lot with me individually and made me look at football a lot differently so I was happy with how that year went in the end because it kind of set us up for the next years after that we were going to mention the very strong finish you had to that season some very very good results there I remember Sunderland away sending them down and but you missed the last game of the season away at Leicester because I think that might have been the England duty yeah so yeah I played the last I think the Gaffer at the time said he wants me to just miss last game so I can go go away because obviously we were safe at the time so I think it was I think it was to go away before I went away so I can have a little bit of time because obviously we had the the World Cup yeah we had the World Cup coming up so yeah I just took that time to have a little bit of a break and yeah that summer went really well now the big one not only were you selected for England under 20s for the under for the 2017 under 20 World Cup but you were made captain as well by Paul Simps and just tell us that must have been another proud moment for you yeah it was definitely I think that was the first I think it was the first time of being captain I'd always tried to when I went away with England in the youth team I would always not keep myself to myself but I'd always try and be professional and do do the set the right standards so I think that was probably why I became the captain not necessarily a big voice in the changing room or a big voice on the pitch because when you're away on international duty especially for like three weeks you kind of have to it's hard to to maintain you know a few of the lads might get a little bit bored and want to try and do some different stuff and have a bit of a laugh and stuff and it's it's hard to to maintain it so I think that was the main reason I became captain but yeah it was amazing amazing for me especially captain in my country at that time and and winning some trophy so you played six of the seven games including the final against Venezuela and you became the first England captain since Bobby Moore in 1966 to lift a world trophy what was going through your head when you lifted that trophy aloft I think it was just it's just pure excitement obviously I wanted to make sure I got the right you know you get the trophy you try and hold it down for about 10 seconds and then bring it up and get the right cheer and stuff so that was kind of playing didn't want to drop it or anything like that but no it was just delight for the staff and the players and the families as well because a lot of families are out there as well and yeah it was it was a great moment following your exploits that summer with the under 20s you really enjoyed a breakthrough season here in the Premier League 29 appearances as the team finished 12 wins against Arsenal and Chelsea in the January standout I know they do for supporters after the previous season when you hadn't featured as much as you might have wanted that must have been a really satisfying season for you yeah definitely I look back on that now and and really and think I really needed that season especially for myself in the Premier League and yeah it was a it was a great time I was loving my football and just loving playing on the biggest stages and yeah playing a lot more I felt like I'd worked hard to try and get there and yeah like I say I go back to saying it was everybody's dream and being able to see myself much today a lot more was was massive so great season for me and yeah I just wanted to continue talking of every boy's dream you formed that year and your call up to the England Senior Squad and you made your debut against Italy in March 2018 I think you were also put on standby for the World Cup squad that year but what was going through your head when you replaced Jesse Lingard and do you still have that shirt that must be somewhere special in your house yeah that's that shirt's framed I've got a few shirts framed and that was definitely one I needed to but yeah I think when I was just on the on the sideline talking to Gareth Southgate and he was I can't remember what he said it was again I'd go back to saying it was just a massive massive blur it was 20 minutes can't really remember anything from the game I remember putting one left foot crossing which was actually all right and yeah I think I just remember running onto the pitch and just thinking a little bit of a relief and just thinking I've actually done this and then it was kind of just back to playing football and focusing on on things and stuff but after was I was really happy and yeah it was a again for me and my family it was a a massive massive moment the international recognition it kept on coming you skipped England to glory yet again in the 2018 too long tournament you also named in the team of the tournament what are the main differences for you between club football and international football I think the first thing is is it's sort of different especially in the youth ages is there's not as many fans and stuff you can be playing on a random pitch somewhere I think that tournament the grass was about three meters long and you just get this little I think it was in Mexico and final I think it was Mexico in the final you get this little kid who was just unbelievable like dribbling with the ball and just loads of different styles of football so that was probably the main thing I'd say from the youth ages was yeah it was it was fun especially going away with the lads and stuff and the contrasting styles in football was crazy I remember playing Chile once when I was I think I was about under 14s or 15s and they would just not stop running it was crazy and they were just unbelievably fit at that age and it was just good to get a different different perspective season 2018 started really well for you you were all these international recognition you'd had you'd had the previous season was absolutely fantastic I mean you must have been at the you where you were at the top of your game we could all see that you must have been thinking nothing can go wrong here and then Bosch it all went wrong in December 2018 against Huddersfield with that ACL yeah obviously massive blow but I think I go back to saying the highest level the elite level everyone takes risk you know everyone's putting their bodies on the line and things like that happen so looking back on it it was it was a really hard really hard thing to deal with obviously I wish I wish it never happened but it's definitely made me stronger as a person and at the time I was devastated and stuff looking back I didn't really probably figured out now that it was it impacted me a lot especially like you say I was I was playing and stuff playing well and enjoying my football but it is it happened now and I've got over that and look I'm just happy to be back playing football last year was a was a big plus for me it does happen a lot these days ACLs how important was it for you to have someone like Callan Wilson around you who had suffered a similar fate yeah definitely obviously Minzi was there as well he'd done the same and yeah Cal was great obviously being through a lot as well with him and yeah it gave me a lot of advice and he really really helped especially at the early stages so look when that happens I think you just got to try and focus on becoming the best injured player you can be in you just luckily I say this I think I've said this before with with my knee injuries has always been isolated there's not been any other structures that have been damaged whereas some other people can can do really really serious ones so that's always it's always helped and stuff to get back it wasn't all bad news during your rehab because in April 2019 you announced on Instagram your engagement to Loretta we saw pictures of you getting down on one knee and there was a headline Lou Beauty were you nervous yeah I think that was probably one of the most nervous to have been to be honest I don't really know why I shouldn't have been nervous I was just where we did it in Italy it was we had to get like a boat across from one side of the key thing to the other and it came round the mountain and the side where we started from was raining and as we came around the other side it stopped raining so I was that was the only thing I was really nervous for and it all worked out perfectly and I can't really remember what I said when I got down on one knee I was a little bit nervous for that as well just to try and make it all nice and stuff so those days must have been a far cry from your first date with Loretta which I believe was in a McDonald's just tell us about that well yeah obviously that wasn't just the day I didn't we didn't go straight to McDonald's we went to town first and just got on like a little a coastline a bus I think it was at a time into town went did a bit of shopping and stuff and then Loretta said she wanted a McFlurry so I took her there and my mates were in there took a picture of me and then yeah that's that's how it came about to feel this now I know that you guys met at school and you could probably go on all day talking about how important Loretta has been for you in your career you must have asked her to uproot when you signed here that's a big decision for anyone to make just just tell us about how important a person she's been yeah obviously definitely since I've been I think I was 15 and she was yeah 16 yeah she's obviously been everything for me she's been through highs and lows with me and stuff and always remained remained humble and things and yeah I just kind of take it back to when I was injured to be honest I definitely couldn't have got back if it wasn't for her as well and all the hard work she did when you can't put your socks on and stuff and need help going to the toilet because you can't really move and things like that so now she's been great and obviously very lucky to have her after your first ACL I think it was nine months on the sidelines you returned in September 2019 how did you feel when you returned did you feel like you had to change anything about the way you played to try and avoid re injury were you nervous or was it sort of business as usual straight back out then I think if there was any when you come back from from a knee injury like that there's not just physical guidelines as mental as well so you've got to make sure they've got a be a hundred percent sure you're ready in your mind to play again and yeah I was definitely ready I think so yeah I had a preseason not preseason game a friendly game against QPR before I went for the Everton game and there was like a 50-50 challenge absolutely nailed someone in front of the gaffer and yeah he's put me into the office the next day and said oh I think for the weekend I thought he was going to say you'll be on the bench he said oh I'm going to start you so and I was like oh my god and then I was really excited and yeah a little bit I would say a little bit nervous but I enjoyed it for various reasons 2019-20 was a season to forget not just because of relegation how tough was that to take you know for you as players it was yeah it was tough because obviously it was COVID and everything and it was just a it was a strange way to get relegated it didn't feel when we were back and playing and stuff and you know fans and everything yeah it was just a weird time it's it's it's hard to put a reason why we went down obviously the start of the throughout the season we were getting the results we needed but after COVID and everything it was a bit like a not fake league but it just didn't feel real you know what I mean and obviously it was a massive shame for us all to go down and we'd put the hard work to get back up I'd say was it weird playing behind closed doors for me it was all right because like I say when I played in the youth team in England it was a lot of games were not behind closed doors but not many fans there at all so I'd been in that environment before and yeah it just felt like you were back in under 18s team playing playing football but it was strange you miss the fans and we definitely realised that as if relegation wasn't bad enough March 2021 you do ACL again what was going through your mind and you know for you did you ever think this is me done you know it's happened again how am I going to get back from this or was it I've done this before I know what I need to do to get back and I'm going to get back yeah it wasn't ideal to be fair it wasn't uh yeah when it happened I just definitely knew it had gone again so yeah it was uh I don't really know how I dealt with it I just kind of had a little bit of a a little cry the night it happened and then after that I was pretty much set to go get the surgery and just crack on to be honest I think at one stage I was thinking I didn't need the surgery I was thinking I just it felt so normal I think I'll just leave it and just carry on so but no I'm glad I got it sorted and look when I look back at my two rehabs I look back on it positively I know it sounds weird but obviously the first few weeks are horrible then I kind of enjoyed the process enjoyed getting better and hitting little milestones and I'm definitely stronger from it now there's one moment that you've talked about before that I just want to ask you about again because I just think it's brilliant when obviously you've done your second ACL you sat there in the changing room and you've written on your phone in your calendar ACL recovery like my first game back so obviously at that point you hadn't had any scans there was nothing confirming it as an ACL but in your mind you knew what you'd done and in the end you were what a week out yeah I definitely could have played that game as well but no yeah I don't know I really don't know I did it I just got my calendar out on the game ready literally just came off the pitch about five minutes before and yeah I think I went to the toilet and I was walking and it was twinging I just knew again that I'd definitely done it so I just got my calendar out like you say put a date in so this is when I'm going to be back and it was two months before the last one and yeah just is it manifest? I manifested it and yeah probably could have been about a month and a half earlier as well Lou we've all watched Relentless a few times the the club documentary which was brilliantly put together a real insight into your painstaking rehab and you know very private moments as well not going to ask you to sort of go through all that again but just how did you sort of feel about when you were asked by the club would you mind doing this we're going to follow you around there's going to be camera all the time how did you feel about that? yeah I think first of all you just got to say the media team how well they did um I think obviously everyone's a collective but Gribbo did an unbelievable job he worked incredibly hard and all that editing stuff but yeah the first time he mentioned it I didn't want to do it first first time my first rehab it was kind of mentioned and I was like no I don't want to do it second time didn't really want to do it at the start and then I thought when I went through it for the first time if I would have been able to see a few more of them documentaries because there's a few out there it would have helped me a lot so I kind of just thought if it helps a couple of people then I'll do it and because I'm not really comfortable on the camera I think on the documentary it kind of come out to be myself but not probably 100% if you know what I mean but yeah like you say we all came together and worked really hard and it came out really really well I was I was delighted with it were there any documentaries that you may have watched yourself that spurred you on helped you through that process um I think I'm a first one I think Bellerin might you know Hector Bellerin might have done a little one whereas not really watched many others to be honest obviously there's all the sports documentaries of people achieving success but as in injuries wise not really no no I think Andy Murray did one for his hip which kind of obviously I went to go see the same person as him but other than that no not really I've got to ask you about the the ballet piece yeah Nick came to me and said the physio here and just said look I've got a contact there and I said why why why would I not want to go experience that it's like got a backstage pass to all the where they all train and stuff got to see all them training and see them in the gym how hard they have to work and yeah it was it was a great time good experience probably wasn't the best at it at the time it was still a little bit sore I was trying to jump and they didn't really know that but it's still a little bit sore and yeah my grandmother's ballet as well so she was a unfortunately she didn't couldn't come I actually asked to see if I could get her to come but because of Covid and everything she wasn't and yeah it was a different experience did you have to go and watch the ballet after that? yeah I think so I think I'd go it's just matter of course they can create and how strongly all are it's really when you see me trying to do it it's incredible to be honest and especially when they get injuries themselves to get back and do all the spins and the jumps and it's it's tough so when you're sitting there on the settee with a point of John Smith watching it how do you feel when you're watching it and have you had any film offers on the back of it? first of all I don't drink I don't drink John Smith's I don't really drink to be honest just to put it out there I've had a couple in my time not a massive drinker but no yeah no was it film offers I've had no film offers for ballet I had to decline is it Billy Elliot so obviously I've got commitments for football so maybe one day but like I say it was a fun experience and something that I'll probably never forget yeah they were great they were really good there this is a completely random one to throw in is it true that your agent used to clean Willow's boots at Tramir? probably yeah now that's a Neil Parrot one that's been put in there so I feel like Neil might have a story to tell it's I don't know his name but I bumped into him and all the celebration Martin Filson yeah I bumped into him and all the celebrations are going on after the forest game and he said his big Willow up there in the commentary box I said yeah he's up there I said how do you know him and he said I used to clean his boots at Tramir yeah he used to be there to be fair so yeah it's probably a true story yeah learn something new every day don't you anyway moving on you had plenty to celebrate over the summer just gone promotion and a wedding just tell us a little bit about tying the knot it must have been the most amazing day yeah first of all I think this summer's been it's been crazy it's been probably I never experienced anything like it again but yeah the other wedding was perfect I think it's such a big build up again with the weather it was like a three-day thing and the morning of the wedding it was absolutely throwing it down at like 9 a.m I woke up I was having a panic up thinking because we're having like all outside and yeah I was having a massive panic up so I just went straight to the gym by myself and just did a little session came out and it was it was nice and still a little bit cloudy and then once once we got there it was nice and the rain walked out and all the clouds kind of it was really strange all the clouds kind of went away which was perfect and now I had the best time it's only a quite a small wedding with close family and friends and yeah something I'll never forget and I just as soon as it finished I just wanted to do it again so obviously you can't do it again in Italy wasn't it yeah in Italy in late Como so we like it though we've been a few times and somewhere we always thought about getting married and yeah if no one's ever been out I do really recommend it because it's not too far away it's a couple of hours and it's beautiful how does it feel wearing a ring because I know we had our media access day the other day where for those people who don't know BBC Sky, Getty, Amazon, everyone come in they do the headshots and for you you didn't want to take your wedding ring off no I didn't know if you were allowed on I don't think about jewelry so unfortunately I had to take it off but no I really like wearing it I feel like I feel a bit more grown up yeah just obviously I'm not someone to when I when I go out I don't really like some people wear rings on fingers and it looks quite good but I've never really had that not confidence but that little bit of you know quite safe so whereas I've got this ring on now it's like I have to wear it so it's kind of a I'm wearing a ring now look I feel quite quite cool we know you're a dog lover did Milo and Barney get an invite to the wedding so we were going to take them we ummed and had about it for ages because you always see these videos of people having their dogs at at weddings and we decided not to in the end because it they'd have been fine but it's like someone would have to look after them and especially for three days it was it'd been a bit too much so no they stayed at home but yeah they would have been good for them to be there now a little bird tells us that you think you're the best call of duty player in the history of English football is that true I used to be I've I think it was uh when I was like a scholar I was definitely up there yeah I used to love it but kind of stopped playing as much as I used to do now obviously other commitments and things but no I think if if I jumped back on it now certain ones I'd still be up there definitely you know you can't lose it once you get to a level now I haven't got a clue what this means but I've been asked to ask you what's your kill-to-death ratio well it depends on the new one I've got no idea I've just been asked to ask you that I saw how many people you killed, how many you obviously died I don't know obviously my prime was modern warfare too so I think I had about 30 days game time back in the day you know I was a sniper running around quite an aggressive sniper um and that was when I was serious so it must have been about two two and a half then which for 30 days game time is high whereas Walsh now I play with a few people and they're not the best so I think it's about probably near or two but yeah I'm definitely not the best anymore especially in this team there's a few few top players thanks very much for that answer all went straight over my head unfortunately so just tell us about anything else that you might do to just chill out relax apart from computer games and and the while the dogs take a lot of time up I would imagine yeah I think obviously I still play a little bit of games and things but not as much as I used to do I just like chilling out to be honest especially in pre-season like now it's just you go home put a series on go to bed go back to training so yeah sometimes I'd like to get into golf a little bit but again it's hard to find the time to play as much as as you'd like to to to improve did a bit of gardening and covid I've kind of lost lost that now so I just go on little walks and stuff go to the coffee shop and watch tv to prepare what everyone else does there's not much more to do got some fans questions coming up but the last question that that Zoe and I would like to ask you is that wikipedia describes you as formerly of the England national team now we know you've already overcome some major hurdles in your career proved a lot of people wrong along the way is playing for England still a burning desire of Lewis Cooks yeah I think definitely I think everyone especially when you're like you're a Premier League player everyone in the Premier League aspires to to do well and and to try and get into the national team so you've got to back yourself and I've been there once before and hopefully I can give it my best shot to try and get back there but I always go back to the facts and saying just happy back playing football and enjoying myself that training so that's the main thing really and but yeah it's probably back in the back back of my mind that obviously you want to get back to that that level because I feel like a lot of players when they're on the game can get there now as Nilsa we've got some fan questions they're quick fire questions so I always threw them quickly before we end now on Twitter our AFCB wants to know why did you switch from number 16 to number four just because I feel like number four was it an England number so I like playing I like playing that position and it was yeah one ice player in England Wayne again on Twitter who's been your most difficult opponent I always say Hazard when he was at Chelsea I think oh you can see the clips of him when he was at his prime so he just kind of drift everywhere on the pitch and one thing he'd be there next year next thing he'd be gone and yeah probably say him AFC born within Germany in three words how would you describe your life as a professional footballer yeah that's a great it's a loaded question it's a great question though um three words enjoyable tough and relentless oh you took the words right out of my mouth I can't believe it DC in Washington do you notice a bigger difference living by the sea yeah the weather's better well the weather's better but that's not necessarily the sea because you can go to Scarborough and it's still freezing um yeah got a beach it's probably the main difference George is asking who is the best midfielder you've played with now you you played with yeah I don't know I think I have to go for someone from Bournemouth won't I so I can't say a local man maybe last question Michael how hard did you find it opening up on camera and showing aside not many get to see yeah incredibly hard that was probably the hardest thing about the uh the documentary went out to a fair I'm going to be honest when I watch it I've really struggled to I've watched it all the way through and it was incredible how hard everyone worked but I quite I find it quite hard to watch myself talk so we all watched it together for the first time and I was not cringed out but like I can't I don't really listen to my interviews and stuff so I probably won't listen to this I'm sorry um so yeah it was hard well Liz we really enjoyed having you here on the official IFC Bournemouth podcast thanks for taking the time to come and chat we've heard some brilliant stories and really enjoyed your company thank you it's fun now if you've enjoyed listening to our podcast we would absolutely love it if you could like and subscribe on whatever platform you're listening on we'd also be really grateful for any shares on social media so that other fans if it's AFC Bournemouth related or the general football fan can enjoy it too I thanks again to Lewis Cook and from Neil Perrett and myself Zoe Rundle thank you for tuning in to the official AFC Bournemouth podcast