Their [the apprentices] first proper pre-season was quite a culture shock for most trainees, coming as they did from the comfort of school and home ... Those apprentices who turned up with a swagger and an attitude would be immediately earmarked by the older lads for some special attention, particularly if they possessed any distinguishing features. Big noses, bad acne, bowl-head haircuts and bum-fluff moustaches were seen as fair game for the seniors who took great delight in bringing these upstarts down a peg or two.
Starting a scholarship
The above quote taken from the autobiography of Paul Lake could have been taken from many autobiographies if truth be told. Over the years of researching this topic, I have read many stories of the treatment young players were exposed to. My research allowed me to dig deeper, and I have outlined some of it below. The first thing to deal with is making sure you have the 'right attitude', and I have written about that elsewhere. This group were asked about how to conduct themselves as a scholar and focused on the need to work hard:
