Wrexham star Paul Mullin reveals the one time he decided to quit football as he slammed former Tranmere manager Micky Mellon.
Article continues below
Article continues below
Article continues below
Mullin wanted to quit footballHated playing under ex-Tranmere boss MellonLoved his time at Morecambe under BentleyWHAT HAPPENED?
Mullin, who was Wrexham's top goalscorer last season, and played a crucial role in the Red Dragons securing promotion to League Two, revealed that at one point of his career, he actually contemplated retirement.
He blamed his former manager at Tranmere Rovers Mellon for being harsh on him which resulted in doubting his own abilities. On the other hand, Mullin praised former Morecambe boss Jim Bentley who according to the player, was much more positive in his approach.
AdvertisementWHAT PAUL MULLIN SAID
In his new autobiography ‘My Wrexham Story’, Mullin wrote, "Playing under Micky had brought me to the unbelievable position where I actually hated football. Hated it. I didn’t want to be at training, nothing. I just couldn’t see the point anymore. No matter what I did, how I played, it made no difference. Micky didn’t like me and that was that. One morning I actually said to Mollie, ‘I don’t want to go. I’m not going to play anyway. I can’t be arsed anymore. I just want to stay at home.’
"Micky never did properly justify why I wasn’t playing. There was one time I went into his office and asked him straight what the issue was. ‘You need to run more,’ he said. I got the stats – I ran the third most in the team. That then changed to ‘You need to sprint more.’ I was done. What can you say to someone who’s always going to throw some nonsense back in your face? It might seem that I’m bitter about my time at Tranmere, but really I’m not. To be honest, I’m grateful for it because it led to everything that’s happened since. I learned so much from Micky, about myself and about how I work best in a team. Inadvertently he made me mentally stronger than I’d ever been. Tranmere didn’t defeat me or get me down, the situation did. I fell out of love with football because I wasn’t playing."
The striker added, "Micky was just the wrong manager for me. Jim Bentley, on the other hand, was exactly right. Jim pointed out the positives, Micky the negatives. Jim cared for people. If Micky cared for people, he rarely showed it. If you weren’t playing on Saturday, he wouldn’t speak to you. He picked his team and that was that. If that’s his way, fair enough, but I always remember something Alex Ferguson said years ago. Fergie reckoned that the most important players for a manager are the ones who aren’t playing because they’re the ones a boss will need at some point. With Micky, I didn’t feel respected at all. No matter what I did, nothing was ever good enough."
Getty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE
The 29-year-old played under Bentley for three years at Morecambe after which he moved to Swindon Town for a year before joining Tranmere in 2018. At Tranmere, he spent one and a half seasons before being loaned out to Cambridge in January 2020. He made his move permanent ahead of the 2020/21 season.
A year later, he joined Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mcelhenney-owned Wrexham where his career truly blossomed and he came into the limelight.
GettyWHAT NEXT FOR PAUL MULLIN?
Having scored six goals in 13 appearances in the ongoing season, the Welsh forward will be next seen in action for his club on Saturday when Phil Parkinson's side take on Morecambe in a League Two clash.
Buy your copy of Paul Mullin's brilliant new autobiography My Wrexham Story on Amazon.
