Source: Daily_Mail
Matthew Etherington: 'Addiction will always be a part of my life'
Matthew Etherington was ready to be confronted by Tony Pulis over his gambling addiction, but certainly not in the way the Stoke manager broached what could have been a very uncomfortable conversation.[LNB]'He just turned to me and said: "Our chairman is the owner of Bet365 but you won't be having any bets with him!"' recalled Etherington with a smile.[LNB] Change of scenery: Etherington hopesmoving to Stoke will help him focus on his game[LNB] STOKE CITY v Manchester City: Pulis turns to Fuller for Blues clash[LNB]THE INSIDER: Derbyshire off to Greece, Jenas and Bent likely to stay at Spurs, Kovac almost a Hammer and Gomez on City's radar[LNB]'The thing I liked was that he hardly mentioned it. There was no lecture involved, he didn't grill me on it, but it was blunt and broke the ice. It sums him up. He knows how to work people and put it to bed straightaway.'[LNB]Of course Pulis had done his homework before signing the 27-year-old winger from West Ham for £3m earlier this month. [LNB]He had asked questions and found out what he needed to know - Etherington's latest spell at the Sporting Chance Clinic had gone well and he was learning to deal with a problem which had landed him £800,000 in debt and threatened to derail his career; he was unlikely to be found trying his luck on Stoke chairman Peter Coates' internet casino website.[LNB]Besides, Etherington always preferred to have a punt on the horses or dogs - a habit that began when he was stuck in a hotel after signing for Tottenham from Peterborough a decade ago.[LNB]'I just thought I'd go to the local dog track,' he said. 'I'd never been involved in gambling before. Never. It's crazy. It was something to pass the time away. Then it snowballed.'[LNB]Etherington's problems came to a head at Upton Park, although he was not the only West Ham player to suffer. Goalkeeper Roy Carroll also checked into rehab for a gambling addiction amid reports of players losing up to £30,000 on card schools.[LNB]'My family and friends didn't realise what was going on,' said Etherington. 'You have time after training and you think to yourself "what will I do with it?" I got into that circle and couldn't get myself out of it. It was more a case of going too far financially.[LNB]'It was a bit of fun that spiralled at West Ham. I don't want to blame them because it's down to yourself. But there were people at West Ham who gambled as well.[LNB]'If you go to most clubs there are three or four who bet. That's life. It's always gone on in football. Some are controlled and they gamble to their means, some can't. I got great support from West Ham. They helped me in every way.'[LNB]The club are believed to have handed him an advance of £300,000 on his salary last year to help pay off the people he owed but Etherington denies reports he received death threats.[LNB] Grateful: Matthew Etherington says he received great support from West Ham[LNB]'I can honestly say I've never had a death threat in my life,' he insisted.[LNB]'Maybe it could have got to that stage because I owed people money. Now they've been paid and that's behind me.'[LNB]He is determined to make a fresh start away from London in the Potteries. Having not featured for the Hammers in the Barclays Premier League since mid-November, Etherington has played in successive games against Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham since joining Stoke on a three-and-a-half year deal and is set to line up against Manchester City today.[LNB]If he seems surprisingly candid about his addiction, it is because his treatment at Sporting Chance taught him that acknowledging the problem is one of the first steps to recovery.[LNB]He had counselling after the problem spiralled out of control in 2006 but suffered a relapse last year and now knows the urge to gamble will have to be managed on a permanent basis.[LNB]He added: 'I've been here before and said it's all behind me but I'm not going to lie to people now and say that. It's always going to be part of my life and it's down to me to sort it out. You learn that.[LNB]'When I went down to the Sporting Chance clinic that was the first step. I realised that was my vice and I've got to curb it and get rid of it. It got to the point at times at West Ham where football came second. People outside of football think, "how can it become secondary, it's the best job in the world?"[LNB]'But you get so complacent and take it for granted. It's a stupid thing to do, but I did it and I'm not going to do it anymore. I needed a change of scenery and one of the reasons why I've come up to Stoke is to get a fresh start.[LNB]'It's just keeping yourself occupied. I've got my girlfriend up here now and we'll go shopping in the afternoon or go to the cinema.'[LNB]The Cornwall-born player and his partner Stephanie are looking to buy a house in the Stoke area, but while Etherington claims he has dropped the associates most closely connected to his gambling habit he still intends to visit his family and close friends in London.[LNB]After all, it was they who made him realise his career will not last forever.[LNB]'They told me that I'm 27 now and it creeps up on you. I've maybe got six or seven years left at the top of my game if I'm lucky.[LNB]'Do I want to look back when I'm 35 and think I didn't get the best out of my ability?[LNB]'Something like this gives you a kick up the backside. You realise how lucky you really are and that you have to look after yourself in future.'[LNB] STOKE CITY v Manchester City: Pulis turns to Fuller for Blues clash[LNB]THE INSIDER: Derbyshire off to Greece, Jenas and Bent likely to stay at Spurs, Kovac almost a Hammer and Gomez on City's radar[LNB] [LNB] [LNB]
