--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I've been in football a long time and…" description: "\"I've been in football a long time and people have problems through debt, drugs, drink and family.\" — Gordon Strachan" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c83/gordon-strachan-15112_debt_i-ve-been-in-football-a-long-time-and-pe_2978855.jpg" --- # I've been in football a long time and people have problems… ![“I've been in football a long time and people have problems through debt, drugs, drink and family.” quote by Gordon Strachan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c83/gordon-strachan-15112_debt_i-ve-been-in-football-a-long-time-and-pe_2978855.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c83/gordon-strachan-15112_debt_i-ve-been-in-football-a-long-time-and-pe_2978855.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c83/gordon-strachan-15112_debt_i-ve-been-in-football-a-long-time-and-pe_2978855.jpg) > “I've been in football a long time and people have problems through debt, drugs, drink and family.” [Gordon Strachan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-strachan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People face multiple personal challenges—financial, substance, family—while pursuing careers like football. **In simple terms:** Life includes debt, addiction, and family issues. Key Takeaway Address personal challenges alongside professional goals. Themes adversity sports social issues Mood empathetic realistic Type advice observational When to use this quote - career planning - financial counseling - addiction recovery - family therapy Key Concepts sociology mental health Questions to Reflect On - What support systems help athletes manage personal crises? - How can clubs better assist players with non‑sport problems? A Different Perspective Ignoring underlying issues can undermine career success. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Debt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/debt/) [Debt Drugs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/debt-drugs-4622710/) [Drink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drink/) [Drug](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drug/) [Drugs Drink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drugs-drink-2841654/) [Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/) [Football](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/football/) [Football Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/football-long-514441/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [Long time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-time/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [People Problems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-problems/) [Problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem/) [Problems Debt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problems-debt-4622709/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [I don't smoke, no drugs, and drink red wine occasionally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-navedo/i-don-t-smoke-no-drugs-and-drink-red-wine-occasionally/) [Andrea Navedo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-navedo/) > [The alcohol was awful. I was a terrible alcoholic. I mean, people used to ask how much drugs I did. I said, 'I only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-hopper/the-alcohol-was-awful-i-was-a-terrible-alcoholic-i-mean-people-used/) [Dennis Hopper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-hopper/) > [Remember back in like 5th grade when everyone vowed they would never do drugs or drink.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/remember-back-in-like-5th-grade-when-everyone-vowed-they-would-never/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I don't take drugs nor drink since 2000 and I must say that I don't think about it anymore, although like every person that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-kiedis/i-don-t-take-drugs-nor-drink-since-2000-and-i-must-say-that-i-don-t/) [Anthony Kiedis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-kiedis/) > [Basically, I wanted redemption for the way I lived my life beforehand, and that was the drugs, the drink, the loose sex, whatever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elton-john/basically-i-wanted-redemption-for-the-way-i-lived-my-life-beforehand/) [Elton John](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elton-john/) > [As long as I am feeling good I will play football. As long as I am feeling fit, strong and being affective on and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adebayo-akinfenwa/as-long-as-i-am-feeling-good-i-will-play-football-as-long-as-i-am/) [Adebayo Akinfenwa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adebayo-akinfenwa/) > [It felt like I'd been playing second-string football for a long time, when, suddenly, I was playing in the Super Bowl. Even when 'Basic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-stone/it-felt-like-i-d-been-playing-second-string-football-for-a-long-time/) [Sharon Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-stone/) > [I have known Sepp Blatter, FIFA and football for a long time, and there are some fundamental values which FIFA and the ICRC share.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-maurer/i-have-known-sepp-blatter-fifa-and-football-for-a-long-time-and-there/) [Peter Maurer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-maurer/) > [He played football too long without a helmet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-cavanagh/he-played-football-too-long-without-a-helmet/) [Jerome Cavanagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-cavanagh/) > [I thought I was great at football. For a long time I thought I could have been a professional if I'd wanted to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-baddiel/i-thought-i-was-great-at-football-for-a-long-time-i-thought-i-could/) [David Baddiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-baddiel/) > [I've been playing football for a long time and I love to play this game.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-flacco/i-ve-been-playing-football-for-a-long-time-and-i-love-to-play-this/) [Joe Flacco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-flacco/) > [I have been in football a long time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-hodgson/i-have-been-in-football-a-long-time/) [Roy Hodgson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-hodgson/) > [My dream is to play football as long as I can and that's what I want to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devlin-hodges/my-dream-is-to-play-football-as-long-as-i-can-and-that-s-what-i-want/) [Devlin Hodges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devlin-hodges/) > [Only in football is long-term injury the result not of accidents but of the game played properly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-will/only-in-football-is-long-term-injury-the-result-not-of-accidents-but/) [George Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-will/) > [I've just been playing football for a long time. I've been playing football since I was a little kid, so it's just some natural…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-reed/i-ve-just-been-playing-football-for-a-long-time-i-ve-been-playing/) [Ed Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-reed/) ## More by Gordon Strachan > [It's an incredible rise to stardom. At 17 you're more likely to get a call from Michael Jackson than Sven Goran Eriksson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-strachan/it-s-an-incredible-rise-to-stardom-at-17-you-re-more-likely-to-get-a/) [Gordon Strachan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-strachan/) > [I did think there were one or two referees who had a personal thing against me. It wasn't them versus Celtic - it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-strachan/i-did-think-there-were-one-or-two-referees-who-had-a-personal-thing/) [Gordon Strachan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-strachan/) > [Sometimes to go forward you've got to go to the depths of your own personal despair and claw yourself back. From that point, no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-strachan/sometimes-to-go-forward-you-ve-got-to-go-to-the-depths-of-your-own/) [Gordon Strachan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-strachan/) > [The world looks a totally different place after two wins. I can even enjoy watching Blind Date or laugh at Noel's House Party.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-strachan/the-world-looks-a-totally-different-place-after-two-wins-i-can-even/) [Gordon Strachan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-strachan/) > [You need responsibility in life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-strachan/you-need-responsibility-in-life/) [Gordon Strachan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-strachan/) > [I want players who are always striving to improve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-strachan/i-want-players-who-are-always-striving-to-improve/) [Gordon Strachan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-strachan/) > [I've had to take a lot of stick down the years but the one thing that really got to me was when someone questioned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-strachan/i-ve-had-to-take-a-lot-of-stick-down-the-years-but-the-one-thing-that/) [Gordon Strachan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-strachan/) > [I think what I've actually achieved as a manager does sometimes get a bit overlooked, because all people think about is the media side…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-strachan/i-think-what-i-ve-actually-achieved-as-a-manager-does-sometimes-get-a/) [Gordon Strachan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-strachan/) > [He could have done one of three things. He didn't do either.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-strachan/he-could-have-done-one-of-three-things-he-didn-t-do-either/) [Gordon Strachan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-strachan/) > [Everybody at Barcelona loves Messi. They can't speak highly of him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-strachan/everybody-at-barcelona-loves-messi-they-can-t-speak-highly-of-him/) [Gordon Strachan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-strachan/) > [I've seen teams spend £150 million and get nowhere near the Champions League. It has taken Manchester City a billion to get there. There…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-strachan/i-ve-seen-teams-spend-150-million-and-get-nowhere-near-the-champions/) [Gordon Strachan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-strachan/) > [You people sometimes are like those serial killers you see in films who cut out the words 'I am going to get you' or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-strachan/you-people-sometimes-are-like-those-serial-killers-you-see-in-films/) [Gordon Strachan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-strachan/) > [I'm a better coach now than when I joined Celtic. The longer you stay in any job, the better you become. If you lose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-strachan/i-m-a-better-coach-now-than-when-i-joined-celtic-the-longer-you-stay/) [Gordon Strachan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-strachan/) > [I've got more important things to think about. I've got a yogurt to finish by today, the expiry date is today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-strachan/i-ve-got-more-important-things-to-think-about-i-ve-got-a-yogurt-to/) [Gordon Strachan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-strachan/) > [I get the feeling a lot of politicians are there to help themselves financially, first and foremost. I don't really need to do that,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-strachan/i-get-the-feeling-a-lot-of-politicians-are-there-to-help-themselves/) [Gordon Strachan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-strachan/) [Explore all 44 Gordon Strachan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-strachan/) ## More Debt quotes > [I'm a strange mixture of my mother's curiosity; my father, who grew up the son of the manse in a Presbyterian family, who had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-murdoch/i-m-a-strange-mixture-of-my-mother-s-curiosity-my-father-who-grew-up/) [Rupert Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-murdoch/) > [There is nothing that we can properly call our own but our time, and yet everybody fools us out of it who has a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/there-is-nothing-that-we-can-properly-call-our-own-but-our-time-and/) [Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/) > [Praise will come to those whose kindness leaves you without debt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-finn/praise-will-come-to-those-whose-kindness-leaves-you-without-debt/) [Neil Finn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-finn/) > [“Most people, given more money, only get into more debt.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-t-kiyosaki/most-people-given-more-money-only-get-into-more-debt/) [Robert T. Kiyosaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-t-kiyosaki/) > [“An honest man is a debtless man, he doesn't owe anyone anything.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/an-honest-man-is-a-debtless-man-he-doesn-t-owe-anyone-anything/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [It is perhaps my greatest hope, Mr. President, that some day we'll consider tax and spending measures with no one else in mind but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccain/it-is-perhaps-my-greatest-hope-mr-president-that-some-day-we-ll/) [John McCain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccain/) > [The American people reject the idea of giving Washington a blank check to increase the debt limit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-roby/the-american-people-reject-the-idea-of-giving-washington-a-blank/) [Martha Roby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-roby/) > [Without a trace of irony I can say I have been blessed with brilliant enemies. I owe them a great debt, because they redoubled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/without-a-trace-of-irony-i-can-say-i-have-been-blessed-with-brilliant/) [E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/) > [I love Black Sabbath. They made an amazing contribution to music today. Almost every band that made it big in the Nineties owed a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-grohl/i-love-black-sabbath-they-made-an-amazing-contribution-to-music-today/) [Dave Grohl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-grohl/) > [“The human eye is restricted to see the useen, because there’s a price to be paid to the rulers of this image and if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/the-human-eye-is-restricted-to-see-the-useen-because-there-s-a-price/) [Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/) > [It is a well-settled principle of the international code that where one nation owes another a liquidated debt which it refuses or neglects to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-jackson/it-is-a-well-settled-principle-of-the-international-code-that-where/) [Andrew Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-jackson/) > [Student loans have been helpful to many. But they offer neither incentive nor assistance to those students who, by reason of family or other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/student-loans-have-been-helpful-to-many-but-they-offer-neither/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [Our sins are debts that none can pay but Christ. 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