A Player and a Gentleman

Florin Pelecaci and I had a brief chat in the early hours of 17 December on Facebook. This was less than forty-eight hours after he had announced his departure from Bath City, and I had just written an article about it for this blog. I went on to Facebook to post a link to the article on the 'Campaign to Keep Florin at City' group page when I noticed he was logged onto the website's chat facility. I was a bit reluctant to bother him at 2am, but I thought it might be my last chance to speak to him. I decided to give it a try. Typically, he was happy to give up some of his time for a fan (even in the middle of the night).

Of course, the one thing I really wanted to know about was why exactly Florin was leaving Bath City. It had been confirmed (sort of) in the Bath Chronicle earlier in the day that he had left, but there was no clear reason given. Left to their own devices supporters were coming up with all sorts of theories. Most involved his supposed frustration from not having enough playing time. Here is an excerpt from our conversation:

Nedved: Hi florin! I'd love to ask you some questions, but I understand if you don't want to talk.

Florin: Hi Ned. Of course I want. Depends on the questions

Nedved: Yes, I understand. Are you leaving because you are moving to London, or is it a problem with Bath City?

Florin: I'm in London because I don't have another choice for the moment.

Nedved: Okay, are you planning to find a London club to play for?

Florin: Is complicated. I would like to continue play for Bath, but is too long story to talk about this now.

Nedved: I understand. There are a lot of people who hope you will be at the Woking match. I guess you won't be. Is that right?

Florin: I want to go to Woking, but only to watch the game

Nedved: If you come then lots of people would like to say goodbye (if it is goodbye). Please let us know where you go next or what you end up doing. You made a big impression on the supporters.

Florin: I appreciate this. I would like to speak with the fans.

I'll admit, this conversation left me more confused about Florin's departure than I had been previously. Why would he leave if still wanted to play for Bath? It seemed unlikely that he was being dropped from the team. I was impressed that he wanted to come to Woking, but I decided not to publicise this widely. If I was him I'm not sure I would have come. It is one thing to come to a match and sit on the bench or in a directors box. It is another to come and stand in a terrace of fans, none of whom you really know. I thought if expectations were built up too much it might make him look bad if he changed his mind.

Florin did come to the match. I think this took a lot of guts. I can remember being slightly apprehensive the first time I went to a City match by myself, and there was no one s

inging songs about me a few feet away. Still, he came, and he was happy to speak to whoever wanted to speak to him, sign autographs and pose for photos. Before the match fans had signed two flags for him (the Romanian flag with his name down the centre that had been displayed at City matches and a Breton flag which City supporters are partial to because of the black and white stripes). He was presented with these soon after his arrival, and he was still clutching them proudly in his hands when he came up to me and Little Nedved Junior about fifteen minutes into the first half.

We said our 'hellos' and I signed his flag (we had only arrived at the ground a few minutes before kick-off). Once my pen was out this led to several people wanting to use it to get Florin to sign their programs. He graciously signed all of them. All the time this was going on a very exciting match was happening ten feet in front of us. I tried to follow the game, but my amateur reporter's instinct asserted itself and I pulled out my Dictaphone. I wanted to ask Florin a few more questions about his departure and his plans for the future.

Conducting an interview in the middle of a live match isn't a perfect environment. The crowd around us was noisy as well, which made it hard to hear him (and even harder to hear my recording). What follows as quotes is mostly right. I asked him about leaving again:

Florin: I didn't leave Bath City for another club, I leave...are you recording?

Nedved: Yes, is that ok? It is just to make sure I get it right.

Florin: [nodding] I leave Bath City.....I don't know, I don't know what to say. But not because I have another team.

I decided not to keep pressing him on his reasons for leaving. Whatever the reason he clearly felt awkward about it.

Nedved: Is it awkward being here with all of the fans around you?

Florin: I like it. I like it more on the pitch, but I like it.

Nedved: Some footballers say they hate watching their team play.

Florin: I don't hate, but I have emotion. I'd feel much better on the pitch.

Nedved: Do you want to find another club? Are you living in London at the moment?

Florin: Yes, I'm living in London. For the moment I don't have another club. I would like to, but I didn't play so how can I get a club in England? I could return to Romania or Hungary.

Nedved: I hope you don't mind just asking, but did you leave bec ause you weren't being played?

Florin: It is one reason, but there is a more important reason I decided to leave early.

Nedved: It was very good that you came today.

Florin: Thank you. It's not much. It is close to London and I wanted to come.

Nedved: It means a lot to a lot of people. A lot of people are sad that you are going.

Florin: I'm very proud of the flags. It is the first time in my life when I have received my flags.

At this point we were interrupted by Little Nedved Junior, who wanted a Mars bar. As you can tell from the disjointed nature of my questions, it was very difficult conducting a proper interview, so I gave up recording from this point. I did chat to Florin on several more occasions during the match, though. Although I still did not yet understand why he had left, it was clear it was complicated. I decided not to mention it again, but it did come up once more when we were discussing what level club he might play for in the future.

I suggested that with his style of play he would probably be more comfortable in a higher league that was less physical and more tactical. He agreed, but did not think the prospect likely. He said if he could not get playing time with a club in the sixth division (Bath City are, in effect, in the sixth level of English football) then how could he get on a team in League 1? I asked if he thought his time at Bath City had possibly hurt his prospects. His answer to this question effectively answered why he had left Bath City.

He said that no, he did not think playing for Bath City was a mistake. He said if his situation changed he would be happy to play for Bath City again, if the manager would want him back. Once he said this everything made sense. There is something in Florin's personal life requiring him to be in London. He may have been frustrated with his lack of playing time at Bath City (and we know he never intended to make a career at City), but he did not leave because of a problem with the club.

We spoke about several more things during our chat. He was very impressed by Woking's number eleven. He asked me if I knew his name. I did not, and Woking's otherwise excellent program failed to list players by number (I now know this was Giuseppe Sole). As it was the twentieth anniversary of the revolution in Romania that had ended Communist rule, I asked him if he h ad any memories of the period. He would have been only nine, so it was a bit of a hopeful question. He didn't have much memory of the revolution itself, but he did tell me something very interesting he had done the previous year. As he explained in his previous interview, he had been a national gymnastics champion at age eight. Soon after this he had been invited to show off his tumbling skills for the benefit of the then dictator Nicolae Ceauşescu. About a year later Ceauşescu and his wife were killed by a firing squad.

At the end of the match I asked him if he had any reaction to Bath City's victory.

'I am not surprised,' he said. 'Bath were much better organised.'

He was right, of course, although up to then I hadn't really thought about it. It was a chaotic match played on an icy surface. Once I thought about it, though, of course he was right. That's how City's midfield had been able to assert control on large stretches of the match.

As the elated City fans streamed out of the ground we sang, 'Doo, doo, doo, Florin Pelecaci!' We sang this despite the fact that he had not played, nor contributed to the momentous victory we had watched. He had, however, contributed to a very special afternoon. I would be surprised if there was a single City fan who did not speak to him, shake his hand, or get an autograph from him. If there was, it was certainly not for lack of opportunity. I've seen sportsmen patiently humour their fans before, but Florin was not humouring anyone. His smiling expression showed openness and humility. He was, in short, a true gentleman.

Baring a return to Romania or Hungary there can be little doubt that he will not be signed soon by one of the many London clubs. When this happens he is going to make some manager look like a real genius. I suspect that once he has settled in someone's starting lineup, on some cold Tuesday evening when Bath City are not playing, he will see some familiar people in the crowd. They will be people wearing black and white stripes, and we will all sing 'Doo, doo, doo, Florin Pelecaci!'