SCOTT SINCLAIR is a footballer whose brains are in both his boots and head.
Celtic’s hat-trick hero from yesterday’s title party, the Englishman’s first season in Scotland has been ludicrously good, had fallen out of love with football after failing to make his mark at Manchester City and then to make matters worse joined Aston Villa when that club was in utter turmoil.
When such setbacks occur to a professional footballer, it’s not just their ability to make a pass which is affected, confidence and self-belief can disappear when things don’t go well.
This is why Sinclair, one of the game’s brighter participants, paid tribute to a mind coach who he sought out long before moving to Celtic. Whatever the guy was paid, it wasn’t enough.
“I have been working off the scene and had a mental coach that no-one knew about for six months,” said Sinclair. “His name is Jag Shoker. He had his books out and I was working with him and getting my things together, getting my clips and we would go over them every week. Going from that to this is a massive change around.
“You get to a stage in your career where you have signed your contract and you think, ‘what do you actually want out of the game?’ For me, it is playing football, enjoying football and playing week in, week out and under a manager who gives me belief and confidence.
"I am back scoring and doing as well as I can. It is probably five or six years since I was at Swansea that I felt like this.
“I brought Jag in about a year ago, 18 months ago. I was working with him week by week, just something different to help with my mental state and he has helped me get performing again.”
Sinclair is a good looking lad, will have a few million quid in the bank and a girlfriend who is on Coronation Street.
But when all you want to do is play football, even those who have been dealt a lucky hand can end up feeling sorry for themselves.
“It is one of them where you are at Villa or at City and you think if you are not playing every week how do you keep saying you want something when it seems like nothing is happening, nothing is working," Sinclair admitted with admirable honesty.
“You can do so much gym, do an extra two or three hours extra training every day but I think sometimes you are trying to force things so much so you have to relax and keep doing the hard work and I think it is starting to pay off.
“There are loads of players out there who get a nice contract and then sort of fall off it but I have never fallen off. Back at City I signed a contract that was probably life changing, I would say, but it didn’t stop me from wanting to do better and wanting to play and I think I keep showing that every week in how determined I am.”
Sinclair has been a revelation for Celtic. These days £3.5m is considered loose change and yet that’s all he cost the Parkhead club. The money side of things was fine, all he needed was convincing by the manager who got the best from him during their days together at Swansea.
“He's a top class player,” said Brendan Rodgers. “I knew Scotty inside out so I knew what he could bring. I travelled all round the place to try to get him, to make sure he came here.
“We have a happy player who is confident and understands how I work. He understands the demands I put on players and because he is a top class player he enjoys that.”
The feeling of respect is mutual.
“When I look back at Swansea I would say: what do you need in football and that is a manager who believes in you,” said Sinclair. “I think my best time was when I was at Swansea and getting promoted and that was under Brendan. I’ve come here and I’m back flourishing again.”
Although as good as he's been, the team bus left Tynecastle without him.
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