The first few months were horrendous – culture shock in England was just terrible

Posted Friday, March 16, 2012 by The Sun

The first few months were horrendous – culture shock in England was just terrible
THE DRUGS DON'T WORK ... Vincent Pericard was prescribed prozac

VINCENT PERICARD suffers from depression and has quit football — aged just 29.

The former French under-21 striker suffered problems at Portsmouth and Stoke.

He was prescribed Prozac by his doctor and, during his spell under Tony Pulis, was imprisoned for lying in court over a driving conviction.

Signed by Harry Redknapp after a spell at Juventus, Pericard believes one cause of his depression was the fact he was completely unprepared for living in another country.

Now, he has retired from the game to develop a business which aims to help overseas players adjust here.

Many fans will struggle to have too much sympathy for a foreign star who arrives on £30,000-a-week.

Yet Pericard makes the point that if a 21-year-old Englishman moved abroad to work without being able to speak the language or having any awareness of the local culture, he too could end up a mess.

He said: "Football is part of the entertainment industry. If a player who has cost millions is not entertaining fans, no one is happy.

"For a player to perform at his best, he needs to be happy and so do his family. The first few months in England were horrendous.

"The culture shock was terrible and it affected me. My first touch during games was terrible. I remember Harry Redknapp saying 'that lad cannot play football'.

"When I read it in the paper, I thought, 'you're right, I'm terrible!' I then scored a goal and did better.

"But that first period can make or break you. Despite not speaking the language, I did everything on my own. I taught myself English.

"Yet I was left to my own devices and then suffered depression — particularly when I was out injured for 12 months. The doctor gave me Prozac — not something that I would recommend to anyone.

"I tried to stay strong. Other players drink, have lots of women or gamble for an adrenaline rush because they are not playing.

"I still think it makes more sense to buy overseas players as we are cheaper and have better quality than many English players.

"Sunderland signed Stephane Sessegnon but are at risk of losing him because his wife is not happy. I believe she has to be helped to integrate.

"When I was putting together this concept, there was the Suarez-Evra problem and it was being blamed by some on cultural differences.

"I am not condoning what Suarez did but he needed someone to tell him a few things on arrival and that you cannot use certain words.

"Little things make a big difference. Liverpool are now suffering with their image, their sponsors are not happy and it all goes back to that.

"Everyone thinks footballers are always happy as they earn a lot of money. But there is another side. It can be very hard."

Cameroon-born Pericard arrived in France aged four, starting his career with St Etienne.

He moved to Juventus and was then signed by Harry Redknapp on loan at Fratton Park.

The striker then spent three years at Stoke, the low point coming in 2007 when he was jailed for falsely claiming his stepfather was at the wheel when he was driving 103mph.

He said: "Playing at Stoke under Tony was different to being at Portsmouth with Harry. With Harry, you had plenty of five-a-sides but at Stoke, it was all about shape.

"My first training sessions at Stoke were a real shock. After a few games, the fans started booing me and I asked the manager to take me out of the team because I could not handle it.

"What I did in court was a stupid mistake and I was released by Stoke.

"I eventually went to Swindon and after getting released last year, struggled to get a club so I signed for Havant and Waterlooville.

"Playing at that level was a shock so it was time to do something else. I set up Elite Professional Management, hopefully I can ensure people do not make the same mistakes."

The key question is, who will pay for this service. Clubs or agents?

He said: "It will benefit clubs as they spend millions. It will benefit foreign agents who cannot look after their players in another country "This is welfare management. For players coming to England, you appoint a PA who speaks his language and helps him and the family.

"It was difficult to stop playing football at 29 — but this is now my passion and I want to help players settle in England."