The decision of Klopp to substitute Randall at halftime left him feeling ashamed and embarrassed, ending his Liverpool career after a 2017 FA Cup loss to Wolves.
Decision Of Klopp On Randall
Although Jurgen Klopp’s remarkable man-management abilities and capacity to mould young players have distinguished his time at Liverpool his brutal selections occasionally had a lasting effect on those who were left off the roster.
This was personally experienced by former Liverpool academy prospect Connor Randall who was substituted at halftime in an FA Cup match against Wolves in 2017 that ended up being his last appearance for the team.
The 2-1 loss to Wolves for Liverpool was agonizing but Randall was more impacted by being substituted out early calling it a shameful and embarrassing experience.
The Embarrassed Youngster
Randall described his feelings after Klopps announcement in an interview saying I felt ashamed. I was ashamed of myself. I thought I was disappointing everyone.
He said,
“I felt ashamed. I felt embarrassed. I felt like I was letting everyone down.“
The young right-back acknowledged that it was difficult to interact with his friends and family who had come to see him play instead he decided to hide in his car and head straight home.
The Impact
Beyond football, the incident had a lasting emotional impact on Randall who experienced self-doubt and feelings of inadequacy that permeated his life off the field. Randall struggled to continue his career despite the setback.
In July 2019 he left Liverpool after being loaned to both Hearts and Rochdale. In light of the incident, Randall stressed the mental strain.
He said,
“When you step up and you do get that opportunity it’s brilliant, but it is tough on the mental side of things. It’s just a completely new sort of pressure that you’ve never experienced before.”
After a brief period without a club he signed with Bulgarian team Arda Kardzhali but a year later he relocated to Ross County where he has been playing ever since.
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