by Johnny Moore
As a Pompey hero Alan Knight seemed to have it all.
But the former Blues keeper explained how mounting debts after he finished playing drove him to the brink of despair.
Knight put his life back together and is ambassador of a Pompey Sports & Education scheme to raise awareness of male health issues.
The Aldershot goalkeeping coach – who made an incredible 801 appearances for Pompey – hopes his experiences can now help others.
“The problems began 11 years ago when I packed in playing and became goalkeeping coach at Pompey,” said Knight.
“My wages were cut by 50 per cent, there was the break-up of my marriage and I had other well- documented issues, such as drinking.
“With regard to finances, it was bad management on my part and a bit of bad luck. There was some bad advice mixed in with bad judgment calls by myself.
“Then, when I left the club and went off to America, certain issues happened and my savings were dwindling.
“The ostrich effect set in and I stuck my head in the sand hoping that it was going away – or deluding myself that it wasn’t happening at all.
“My house was repossessed, but there was still a huge deficit once that happened.
“Seven years ago I was advised to go bankrupt and if I had taken that advice and faced up to where I was, I possibly would have salvaged something.
“But pride came into it and I carried on robbing Peter to pay Paul, paying off here and owing there while the income was drying up.
“When I left football and became a groundworker my wages had halved again and the whole thing was making me ill.
“The drinking didn’t help and I was in a vicious circle, which was all part of the recurring mess I had got myself in.
“It was my own fault and I’m not looking for any sympathy. I definitely could have dealt with it better and got some better advice, but I was self-deluded and told myself that it was all going to work out.
“But in the end I came to the point where I had to hold my hands up and go down the bankruptcy route, which was the worst-case scenario. A lot of people find themselves in that position, with the worry, stress and grief it causes.”
Knight’s situation is a classic case-study for budding psychologists and sociologists to pick the bones from: a successful footballer who was well-known and relatively well-paid, finding himself dropping in income and status.
“I was a footballer who was looked after and pampered by the club to the point of having my nose wiped,” explained the 46-year-old.
“All of a sudden, after 30 years, I was out in the big wide world, not knowing where I was going.
“I was wallowing in self-pity and deluding myself and it all spiralled downwards from there.
“The trouble was that at the time when my debts were piling up the banks were throwing money at people, which you don’t see now.”
In his ambassadorial role Knight expects to hear similar hard-luck stories – ones he will be well-qualified to understand.
He said: “I hope people can see, through me, that it can happen to anyone at any time. As I said, I’m not looking for sympathy but want to alert people so they don’t get caught out like I did.
“If so then some good can come out of the situation that I dug myself into with no apparent way out.
“People should avoid getting dodgy loans from sharks and money lenders. They should steer well clear of the companies who advertise on television but don’t reveal the small print.
“And if you’ve dug yourself into a hole, don’t be afraid to go and get advice from the Citizens Advice Bureau or an independent financial advisor.
“I promise that taking those small steps will take a hell of a weight off your shoulders and stop the sleepless nights.
“It will cut through the vicious circle, lift you from the apparently bottomless pit and show the first beam of light at the end of the tunnel.
“If you can just enter that tunnel then it’s not half as scary or degrading as you might think."
If you are male, aged 18 or over and would like to take part in a free health and fitness session, contact Paul Allen on 023 9272 8899 or email paulallen@psef.org.uk