Listen to the full interview via the podcast
It's now 17 years since Barry Venison retired and for quite some time since then the former Liverpool and Newcastle defender has been thriving and residing in California.
Tonight he joined us on the show and illustrating the determination that would later help him as an entrepreneur, he confirmed one story about him that is 100 per cent true.
After helping Sunderland to the League Cup final in 1985, Venison wrote to all the clubs in the top flight to see if they would be willing to offer him a deal.
"It was a bold move," Venison told Ger tonight. "I actually left school at 15 to join Sunderland as an apprentice. It was coming to a stage in my career where I was looking to move on and the Sunderland manager at the time had plans for me that didn't gel with where I saw myself going. So I took the option to write to every top flight club at the time to let them know I was available."
It turned out that then-Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish would be the first off the mark, signing Venison in July 1986 with the defender's time at the club yielding two league titles and an FA Cup before he returned to the North-East with Newcastle in 1992.
"Determination has been a big part of my career because I wasn't blessed with the most skill. My drive, determination and focus has probably took me a lot further than potentially more gifted players," said Venison, who also reminisced about playing for the Kevin Keegan's entertainers at Newcastle.
He also discussed his entry into TV punditry after retiring and how that helped his transition away from his playing career.
"I take great pleasure in saying that I have never worked a day in my life. Playing football is not working, it's an absolute pleasure and when I retired I went and pursued things that were really crucial to my family and the community. Now that I'm getting on a bit and approaching that half century pretty quickly, I'm looking at how I can help different areas and different communities," said Venison, who has just returned from a tour to Asia where he and a number of Man United players including Paul Scholes raised funds and awareness for Irish Autism Action.
