Seb Carole interview, September 2007
In these days of squad rotation and players and managers complaining about playing too many matches and needing a rest - even this early in the season - it's refreshing to meet a player as enthusiastic as Seb Carole. He may look like a perfectly groomed, laid back R&B star - wearing what look suspiciously like Gucci earrings - but this softly spoken Frenchman is as excited about playing for Leeds at the moment as any of our new homegrown stars.
It helps of course that at the time of meeting Leeds have made it six wins out of six, with the only 100 per cent record in the football league. Can he put his finger on what has changed from last season?
"I can't say really," he says in his heavy accent, shrugging his shoulders in a very Gallic way. "I think it's football you know - when things are going well you don't really see mistakes and you don't mind if somebody does something wrong.
"Compared to last season when we were fighting and trying to not go down, it was a difficult situation so everybody was shouting at everybody, maybe that's why - everything is new this season, we've got new players and new things and mentally we prepared well during the pre-season for what we've got to do now."
And the new players have fitted in remarkably well.
"Yes, the new players who have come in have great experience and they are all very funny which is good, it's a good atmosphere in the dressing room - it's a pleasure to come in every day and train with the lads."
He adds: "I look forward to coming to work - every night when I go home I am just looking forward to the next day training, so, it's a pleasure to come in."
And the biggest characters in the dressing room might just be a little surprising...
"Ah - Hughesy - Andy Hughesy - he shouts about everything and it's good, he makes some jokes and he has a big voice, you can hear him from miles and miles away ( he extends his arms to get the point across) and it's funny because when he's doing his warm-up - wow! He's busy, but that's funny, it's good spirits, it's good," he laughs.
"The biggest joker would be the young lad Bocker (Robert Bayly) - definitely, he always has a joke ready for everybody, if you do something wrong he's always there watching and says something funny."
Is he surprised by just how well the season has started?
"Yes and no," he shrugs, "because I know the quality of the group so I knew we would do well but then six wins in a row, that's the best start since I don't know when so in that way it is a bit surprising"
And now the 15 point deduction has been wiped out, how different is the motivation going into each game?
"Not different, not at all," he says earnestly. "When we had the 15 points deducted that was one more motivation to get them back but now we are looking forward to getting in the top six now so we have to win every game
"But we take it game after game, not think about what will happen in five games if we win. No - we have a game on Saturday - win that one and then think about the other one - game after game - just do something good."
He smiles: "We are so excited, on Monday we can't wait for the game on Saturday because we are all so excited to wait and see if we can win again. There is so much confidence now in this group, we are so strong in our heads so we just prepare for every game to win and fight for everything."
One of the most positive things about the new season has been the size of the crowds at Elland Road, which have outstripped many Premiership attendances (and even Champions League fixtures - oh dear, Chelsea...). This must be a huge boost for the team.
Seb nods: "Crowds in general help a lot but our crowd I think is the best ever, because we went down last season, we are in League One, and there is still 27, 000, 28,000 people coming, so that has helped us a lot and it's a 12th man on the pitch.
"Even when we are away, there are still three or five thousand people there, who scream even louder than when we are at home, so it is all good! I hope they keep coming every week and we will do the work for them."
And this season the bigger crowds have seen the introduction of the now customary group hug at the end of each game - whose idea was this?
"Well, I think the gaffer - he came up and said 'Well done boys' and there was a big shout and everyone jumped on top of everybody else! I think we're going to do this after every game because it makes you feel better at the end and just to stick together."
And will it continue if - dare we say it - if we lose a game?
"That's a bit scary, we don't think about losing!" he laughs.
Seb hasn't played at this level before, along with most of the squad, his previous experience coming in Le Championnat for Monaco, then spending time on loan at Chateauroux and West Ham before signing for Brighton where he caught the eye of a number of clubs. As one of our more creative players, how is he finding it this year in League One?
"Compared to the Championship, you've got less time to do things and it's a bit more intensive," he says. "Also I think League One is technically a bit less than the Championship so every team tries to work together and fight for every ball, everything on the pitch, and that's a bit different because in the Premiership and the Championship I think you have more time to do things properly so that's a bit easier.
"I like to be creative and I like big spaces and you haven't got big spaces in League One, also because of the six wins every team is now waiting for us and maybe they're scared a bit of us so they're all defending together so it's hard to create something but we try to do our best to do that."
Seb left Brighton for Leeds when the Withdean club were relegated in 2006 due to having an escape clause in his contract. Did it cross his mind to leave Leeds following our own relegation in the summer?
He shakes his head: "No, I just forgot about football (in the summer) and went on my holidays, I wanted to see what was happening when I got back in pre-season. When I got back I told my wife, 'I don't want to leave, we're going to stay'. We're happy in Leeds, my family feels happy, so why move when you're happy somewhere?
"Even though we went down I know it is a difficult situation but I want to take this challenge and get the club back to the Championship and even to the Premiership if we can, that is the level Leeds has to play."
Having a settled family helps - the eldest of his two children is starting nursery this year ("He's so happy to be learning English!") but so do his friendships within the club. Who is he closest to in the squad?
"TK (Tresor Kandol) and Jermaine (Beckford)" he says. "Jermaine because he was here when I signed and we still kept in touch when he went on loan and TK because he can speak French so it makes things a bit more easy for me - we talk in English together and when I don't know a word he helps me."
Last time LLL was at Thorp Arch we spoke to Tresor for a little longer than planned and unfortunately kept Seb, his designated driver, waiting...
"Yes, I remember, I was waiting for half an hour!" he laughs. "But that was okay - no problem. He gets a taxi every day now, I keep telling him to buy a car but he's so lazy he gets taxis everywhere!"
Tresor may be lazy off the pitch, but Seb is full of praise for the strike partners on the field.
"They've done very well," he says. "Five goals each, I bet they score 15 goals each at least this season, they have so many qualities. We can do s**t passes (maybe Tresor taught him this word?) and they look good when they get the ball. If you find one of them, you know they can do something good with it, that's good to know that we have quality strikers who can finish because you need to score goals to win games and that's their job and they've done so well."
And there is an element of friendly competition between the two: "In football there is always competition. Even if you're friends, you want to do better than your friend and that will make us score a lot of goals because if TK scores, next week Jermaine wants to score. That's why maybe they have five goals each now and if they carry on they will get at least 15 goals each."
As for his ambitions for the rest of the season, Seb isn't scared of aiming high.
"I don't want to be arrogant but I want to get promoted this season," he says, his eyes lighting up. "I want to see the club finish in the top two - it is possible - hard but possible - so I hope we do that this season.
"Even if it's the play-off final at Wembley, a new stadium, it would be so nice, but if we can finish in the top two it would be better for us!"
(First published in 'Leeds, Leeds, Leeds', September 2007)
It helps of course that at the time of meeting Leeds have made it six wins out of six, with the only 100 per cent record in the football league. Can he put his finger on what has changed from last season?
"I can't say really," he says in his heavy accent, shrugging his shoulders in a very Gallic way. "I think it's football you know - when things are going well you don't really see mistakes and you don't mind if somebody does something wrong.
"Compared to last season when we were fighting and trying to not go down, it was a difficult situation so everybody was shouting at everybody, maybe that's why - everything is new this season, we've got new players and new things and mentally we prepared well during the pre-season for what we've got to do now."
And the new players have fitted in remarkably well.
"Yes, the new players who have come in have great experience and they are all very funny which is good, it's a good atmosphere in the dressing room - it's a pleasure to come in every day and train with the lads."
He adds: "I look forward to coming to work - every night when I go home I am just looking forward to the next day training, so, it's a pleasure to come in."
And the biggest characters in the dressing room might just be a little surprising...
"Ah - Hughesy - Andy Hughesy - he shouts about everything and it's good, he makes some jokes and he has a big voice, you can hear him from miles and miles away ( he extends his arms to get the point across) and it's funny because when he's doing his warm-up - wow! He's busy, but that's funny, it's good spirits, it's good," he laughs.
"The biggest joker would be the young lad Bocker (Robert Bayly) - definitely, he always has a joke ready for everybody, if you do something wrong he's always there watching and says something funny."
Is he surprised by just how well the season has started?
"Yes and no," he shrugs, "because I know the quality of the group so I knew we would do well but then six wins in a row, that's the best start since I don't know when so in that way it is a bit surprising"
And now the 15 point deduction has been wiped out, how different is the motivation going into each game?
"Not different, not at all," he says earnestly. "When we had the 15 points deducted that was one more motivation to get them back but now we are looking forward to getting in the top six now so we have to win every game
"But we take it game after game, not think about what will happen in five games if we win. No - we have a game on Saturday - win that one and then think about the other one - game after game - just do something good."
He smiles: "We are so excited, on Monday we can't wait for the game on Saturday because we are all so excited to wait and see if we can win again. There is so much confidence now in this group, we are so strong in our heads so we just prepare for every game to win and fight for everything."
One of the most positive things about the new season has been the size of the crowds at Elland Road, which have outstripped many Premiership attendances (and even Champions League fixtures - oh dear, Chelsea...). This must be a huge boost for the team.
Seb nods: "Crowds in general help a lot but our crowd I think is the best ever, because we went down last season, we are in League One, and there is still 27, 000, 28,000 people coming, so that has helped us a lot and it's a 12th man on the pitch.
"Even when we are away, there are still three or five thousand people there, who scream even louder than when we are at home, so it is all good! I hope they keep coming every week and we will do the work for them."
And this season the bigger crowds have seen the introduction of the now customary group hug at the end of each game - whose idea was this?
"Well, I think the gaffer - he came up and said 'Well done boys' and there was a big shout and everyone jumped on top of everybody else! I think we're going to do this after every game because it makes you feel better at the end and just to stick together."
And will it continue if - dare we say it - if we lose a game?
"That's a bit scary, we don't think about losing!" he laughs.
Seb hasn't played at this level before, along with most of the squad, his previous experience coming in Le Championnat for Monaco, then spending time on loan at Chateauroux and West Ham before signing for Brighton where he caught the eye of a number of clubs. As one of our more creative players, how is he finding it this year in League One?
"Compared to the Championship, you've got less time to do things and it's a bit more intensive," he says. "Also I think League One is technically a bit less than the Championship so every team tries to work together and fight for every ball, everything on the pitch, and that's a bit different because in the Premiership and the Championship I think you have more time to do things properly so that's a bit easier.
"I like to be creative and I like big spaces and you haven't got big spaces in League One, also because of the six wins every team is now waiting for us and maybe they're scared a bit of us so they're all defending together so it's hard to create something but we try to do our best to do that."
Seb left Brighton for Leeds when the Withdean club were relegated in 2006 due to having an escape clause in his contract. Did it cross his mind to leave Leeds following our own relegation in the summer?
He shakes his head: "No, I just forgot about football (in the summer) and went on my holidays, I wanted to see what was happening when I got back in pre-season. When I got back I told my wife, 'I don't want to leave, we're going to stay'. We're happy in Leeds, my family feels happy, so why move when you're happy somewhere?
"Even though we went down I know it is a difficult situation but I want to take this challenge and get the club back to the Championship and even to the Premiership if we can, that is the level Leeds has to play."
Having a settled family helps - the eldest of his two children is starting nursery this year ("He's so happy to be learning English!") but so do his friendships within the club. Who is he closest to in the squad?
"TK (Tresor Kandol) and Jermaine (Beckford)" he says. "Jermaine because he was here when I signed and we still kept in touch when he went on loan and TK because he can speak French so it makes things a bit more easy for me - we talk in English together and when I don't know a word he helps me."
Last time LLL was at Thorp Arch we spoke to Tresor for a little longer than planned and unfortunately kept Seb, his designated driver, waiting...
"Yes, I remember, I was waiting for half an hour!" he laughs. "But that was okay - no problem. He gets a taxi every day now, I keep telling him to buy a car but he's so lazy he gets taxis everywhere!"
Tresor may be lazy off the pitch, but Seb is full of praise for the strike partners on the field.
"They've done very well," he says. "Five goals each, I bet they score 15 goals each at least this season, they have so many qualities. We can do s**t passes (maybe Tresor taught him this word?) and they look good when they get the ball. If you find one of them, you know they can do something good with it, that's good to know that we have quality strikers who can finish because you need to score goals to win games and that's their job and they've done so well."
And there is an element of friendly competition between the two: "In football there is always competition. Even if you're friends, you want to do better than your friend and that will make us score a lot of goals because if TK scores, next week Jermaine wants to score. That's why maybe they have five goals each now and if they carry on they will get at least 15 goals each."
As for his ambitions for the rest of the season, Seb isn't scared of aiming high.
"I don't want to be arrogant but I want to get promoted this season," he says, his eyes lighting up. "I want to see the club finish in the top two - it is possible - hard but possible - so I hope we do that this season.
"Even if it's the play-off final at Wembley, a new stadium, it would be so nice, but if we can finish in the top two it would be better for us!"
(First published in 'Leeds, Leeds, Leeds', September 2007)
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