Colchester United pair to host new YouTube football show

THEY have combined to great effect on the field for Colchester United, this season.

And now U’s attacking duo Theo Robinson and Frank Nouble have joined forces to host their own unique YouTube show, which will see those in the game speak honestly and share candid stories on their football life.

The Colchester pair will next month launch The Ball Don’t Lie, where they will interview players past and present, along with managers and staff, to give a revealing insight on what goes on behind the scenes at football clubs.

Robinson and Nouble plan to chat to players from Premier League to non-league level and have already spoken to their U’s team-mates Harry Pell and Cohen Bramall for the show.

They have also lined up Premier League stars such as Tyrone Mings and James Maddison, along with the likes of Bradley Dack, Anton Ferdinand and Carlton Cole.

Nouble said: “We’ve been friends for a while now – since our Southend days.

“We’re a good combo and we get on really well.

“I carry the show, so a lot’s on my shoulders!

“It’s literally us talking to someone about their experiences – there’s definitely stories that we can share.

“Social media is pretty big now and if we’re going to capitalise on it at any time, it should be now.

“The fact that we’ve been at about 20 clubs between us is probably our unique selling point, if you can call it that.

“We went on a podcast together and really enjoyed it and we felt like we wanted to give a different insight into the players and staff at clubs that many people don’t get to see.

“We just wanted to get another look at things; I don’t think players and supporters are as connected as I think they should be because I’m a fan, of Man United.

“I vent my anger every week if they don’t win and stuff like that.

“But if you can see and hear players’ stories, what they’ve gone through and things that they might be dealing with at the time, you might have a bit more empathy and understanding that we’re all human beings.

“Players often get a lot of stick but people won’t know what they’re really like.

“We’re entertaining but we’re also making a living and it’s just trying to get that balance.

“We’ve been in the game for so long and there are so many things that others outside of it won’t know.

“Me and Theo going to speak to someone like Tyrone Mings who’s a friend of mine might help me learn something that week from another player, rather than the same people that I see every day.

“You’re always learning in the game and that’s what we enjoy."

The duo are also hoping to speak to managers and coaches on their show and talk about their experiences in football.

Nouble said: “Speaking to coaches will be interesting, because they get a difficult time.

“You see them on the sideline shouting and looking at tactics and sometimes, supporters don’t get to hear from them or find out what they’re really like.

“We can be their channel for telling the story of that person and I think it’s important particularly now, where the media is very powerful.

“It’ll be good to get different perspectives and different views from people in the limelight."

Nouble and Robinson have played for 27 clubs and clocked up more than 800 appearances between them, during their professional careers.

The U's pair are hoping to produce two episodes of The Ball Don’t Lie a month, with the likes of Lee Peltier, Nathaniel Mendez-Laing and Taylor Moore also lined up for the show.

“It’s players, ex-players, players that we’ve played with, players that we haven’t played with, staff members, physios, agents,” added Robinson.

“That’s what we’re planning to do going forward and it’s about building a connection and providing an insight into football.

“We’ve all got good connections with players past and present and going forward, that’s what we’re looking to do.

“We want to offer a different kind of insight into their life.

“Players are human beings and they might be going through things in their personal life that we don’t know about.

“There’s a feeling in football that everyone has to be a macho man but for us personally, it’s deeper than that and about life experiences outside of football, as well as in it.”

Follow The Ball Don’t Lie on Twitter at @TheballdontlieT and subscribe on YouTube, with the first episode set to be released next month.