Phil Jones Interview

Phil Jones Interview

SoccerBible recently sat down and chatted to Blackburn Rover's Phil Jones. The talented teenager has missed the last three months of the Premier League season but upon his return to action, we asked the Rover's man about his boots, his game and who he plays with on FIFA!

The England Under-21 International suffered a torn cartilage in his right knee back in December. The highly rated Jones made his Premier League dÉbut in March 2010 and is widely regarded as one of the Premier Leagues up-and-coming prospects.

To coincide with his recent sponsorship deal with Puma, SoccerBible fired some boot-related questions at the English defender... SB: What was your first impression of the Puma King Finale football boots? PJ: Yeah they're a really good boot.

Obviously it's the first sponsorship deal I've had with Puma.I've been really impressed with the King Finale's so far, the most important thing is that the boots comfortable and these are!

SB: Are you more of a fan of the classic colour-ways, and not tempted by some of the brighter boots your team-mates might wear?

PJ: (Laughs) No, no, no, brightly coloured boots aren't for me, I'd get hammered if I started to wear them! I'm not sure if it's right for defenders to wear brightly coloured boots.

SB: So colour aside, is it a leather upper you prefer over synthetic?

PJ: Yeah I do it's a personal preference thing to be honest. I find that leather boots feel more comfortable and gives you confidence. You don't want to feel like there's any problems with your feet when you're playing games.

SB: Are your boots customised in anyway for fit? PJ: No I've not needed anything like that yet with these boots. SB: There are a number of lightweight boots on market at the moment, would you consider wearing a pair despite being a more defensively minded player? PJ: Yes I don't see why not, as long as I feel comfortable in them it doesn't really matter what they look or feel like. SB: So you'd have no issues going in for a challenge then?

PJ:To be honest, when you're talking about injuries and protection, I don't think it matters what boots you wear.

SB: Do you model your game on anyone playing at the moment?

PJ: Not really, obviously I look at people who play in my position when I'm watching on TV, I watch the more experienced players like John Terry, Rio Ferdinand and Michael Dawson. You try and model your game on what they do in a match.

SB: When you were younger who were your sporting heroes, who did you look up to? PJ: I actually used to be a midfield player when I was younger so I would love watching Scholes, Frank Lampard and people like that.

Other than that probably just the expierienced defenders I've just mentioned, such as Rio Ferdinand and John Terry. They're born leaders and have been at the top of their game at the highest level for so long.

SB: Who would you consider to be the best player in the league at the moment?

PJ: Wow that's a tough question! Obviously Bale was on fire before he got injured, he's done really well this season. The fact that people are comparing him to players like Lionel Messi shows just how far he's come this season.

SB: Any advice you've been given in your career that has stuck with you?

PJ: Football is all about how you can be flying high at one minute, then as low as anything the next, so probably just how you react.

The piece of information that's always stuck in my mind is how you react from when things aren't going your way, that's always stuck with me right through from when I was in the academy through to the first team. SB: As it happens things are going well for you at the moment, with people mentioning your name as a future England captain, how does that make you feel? PJ: For any player to receive an accolade like that is a really nice thing. But I don't really set long term goals, I set short term goals.

My short term goal at the moment is get back fit and playing again for Blackburn. But you know it's nice to hear such great comments and and hopefully one day I can do that.

SB: You mention setting short term goals, but in your mind is playing for England where you want to be at?

PJ: Of course, I want to play for England it's an honour to represent your country at any level. But I've got to get back playing for Blackburn first, playing regularly and playing well in the team to be considered.

Hopefully I can have a good end to the season and carry that onto next year. Then maybe I can start to think about my chances at international level. SB: You're part of a new young generation with a lot of hopes being pinned on players such as Jack Wilshere, so how do you cope with the pressure?

PJ: I don't feel pressure to be honest. I only felt pressure when I was just starting out and playing the first few games as a player in the Premiership. But I don't put any pressure on myself because if you go into a game with pressure, your performance isn't going to be as good as it would normally be. I just go out and takes each game as it comes, obviously there's bigger games than others but it's just another game for me.

SB: So has the recovery gone well?

PJ: Yeah the recovery has gone really well. I'm ahead of schedule so hopefully I can return to full fitness soon and hope the team have a strong finish to the season.

SB: Away from the game how do you and your team-mates like to relax?

PJ: I think every footballer likes bit of Call Of Duty or FIFA online! Other than that, going to the cinema or going out for dinner.

SB: We've got to ask, but do you play as Blackburn when you're playing FIFA online?

PJ: No I'd never win anything...just joking! But it's got to be Real Madrid or Lyon, Lyon are my team.

On that note, we challenged him to a game of FIFA on the in house PS3! We didn t let the SoccerBible team down and left with a 2-1 victory. We thanked Phil and wished him the best for the remainder of the season.



Phil Jones wears the Puma King Finale football boots. You can check out our exclusive images and SoccerBible review and have your say right here.