Former Sunderland AFC captain Lee Cattermole takes part in Foundation of Light's Changing Room Chat

Former Sunderland AFC captain Lee Cattermole was the latest person to sit down with Foundation of Light football scholars for a Changing Room Chat.

The Teesside-born midfielder joined Sunderland from Wigan Athletic in 2009 and spent 10 years with the Black Cats before retiring with Dutch side VVV-Venlo in 2020.

Since retiring, Cattermole has started his coaching career with experience at Middlesbrough U18s and the first-team at Bristol Rovers.

The ‘Changing Room Chat’ series is offering Foundation scholars the chance to pick the brains of professionals across various roles in the football industry, including players and coaches, who have shared stories from their careers and useful advice for those looking to work in football.

The full conversation is available to watch: Click Here

Asked about a piece of advice he’d give to young players trying to make the next step, Cattermole said: “Self-belief is absolutely huge. Everyone’s journey comes at different stages, and you see loads who at 16 or 17 were the best, but they didn’t really progress.

"To get self-belief I think you need to be really good at what you do daily, how you approach training, strength and conditioning, warm-ups. You have to be really consistent, focused, and have that discipline.”

The Black Cats legend also shared some insight on how he constantly looked to improve and learn from other players, noting how Liam Bridcutt’s arrival under Gus Poyet encouraged him to work on his own game.

“When Gus Poyet brought Liam Bridcutt, he made it very clear Liam was his guy,” Cattermole said.

“I was loving playing under Gus, I was learning a lot, but I was making a lot of mistakes. I didn’t really understand it.

“I learned more from watching Liam than I did anything else, watching him in the game and everything he was doing, trying to add it to my game if I didn’t have it.

“It turned out, I actually ended up establishing myself in the team, but only through respecting Liam and understanding why he does like him. I was really good that season under Gus.”

The midfielder’s respect for Gus Poyet was clear, with him naming the Uruguayan as the best coach he had encountered.

“I had lots of good managers, but coach, Gus Poyet,” he responded when asked about the best manager he’d played under.

“The stuff the other managers did in terms of managing the group was unbelievable. Steve Bruce, Martin O’Neill, Big Sam, Steve McClaren.

“But what Gus taught me in the game was loads more thinking. I was thinking all the way through, and I really enjoyed that.”

To hear the full conversation, watch Lee Cattermole’s Changing Room Chat: