Yohan Folly

[vanderark14]

http://www.eveningexpress.co.uk/Article.aspx/2753815

[V for Vendetta]

http://www.eveningexpress.co.uk/Article.aspx/2753815

 

Not leg aids then?

[Chrisyboy81]

So what's the deal, can he continue playing? I know he's being released but is he physically able to push himself now?

[Foster14]

So what's the deal, can he continue playing? I know he's being released but is he physically able to push himself now?

 

He'll be on warfarin, a blood-thinner, which will clear the clots and reduce the associated risks.

 

On the other side though, if he were to obtain some form of blood injury on a football pitch, it won't stop and he'll lose a lot of blood.

 

I don't think he would play while on it as a result. I am not too clued up on how long he needs to stay on it, and when he comes off it, they can return.

 

Hopefully he can make a full recovery and play again. All the best to him whatever he does anyways.

[Chrisyboy81]

He'll be on warfarin, a blood-thinner, which will clear the clots and reduce the associated risks.

 

On the other side though, if he were to obtain some form of blood injury on a football pitch, it won't stop and he'll lose a lot of blood.

 

I don't think he would play while on it as a result. I am not too clued up on how long he needs to stay on it, and when he comes off it, they can return.

 

Hopefully he can make a full recovery and play again. All the best to him whatever he does anyways.

Shame like it's a real pity he never got another chance with us.

[K-9]

Story taken straight from 8 page feature on Folly in last night's programme.

[robbo]

He'll be on warfarin, a blood-thinner, which will clear the clots and reduce the associated risks.

 

On the other side though, if he were to obtain some form of blood injury on a football pitch, it won't stop and he'll lose a lot of blood.

 

I don't think he would play while on it as a result. I am not too clued up on how long he needs to stay on it, and when he comes off it, they can return.

 

Hopefully he can make a full recovery and play again. All the best to him whatever he does anyways.

 

if he is indeed on blood thinners then theres no way he could play a physically demanding sport because his body wont be able to get oxygen around his body quick enough and hell just faint.

 

im not hugely clued up on this matter, just know my granda was on blood thinners and he couldnt afford to stand up too quickly or else hed blood pool and collapse. so ceteris parabus folly surely cant do anything either.

[Redmist1903]

Bought an EE tonight just to read the article on Folly, poor bastard, I feel a bit sorry for him to be honest.

 

Back in training (non contact) and is looking to come off the medication in a few weeks and resume his career. Says he's really sad that it won't be at Aberdeen as he loves the club and the area and has a lot of friends here now. He was very complimentary about the club and the physios / doctors and there appeared to be no bitterness about being released.

 

He's used his time off well and has two degrees in French law and is away to start work placements in London, he hopes to pick up a club down there but says that football isn't a career for him, just a hobby.

 

Seems like a really nice, genuine guy. Good luck to him.

[boboisared]

Bought an EE tonight just to read the article on Folly, poor bastard, I feel a bit sorry for him to be honest.

 

Back in training (non contact) and is looking to come off the medication in a few weeks and resume his career. Says he's really sad that it won't be at Aberdeen as he loves the club and the area and has a lot of friends here now. He was very complimentary about the club and the physios / doctors and there appeared to be no bitterness about being released.

 

He's used his time off well and has two degrees in French law and is away to start work placements in London, he hopes to pick up a club down there but says that football isn't a career for him, just a hobby.

 

Seems like a really nice, genuine guy. Good luck to him.

It's a shame we don't have more players who are as grounded as him.

[Redmist1903]

Seems that AFC are a tad miffed with Aberdeen Journals!

 

Aberdeen Football Club is disappointed to read the front page headline in local newspaper, the Evening Express, regarding player Yoann Folly.

 

Yoann gave an exclusive interview with the club programme, redmatchday, and while we understand this interview enters the public domain when it goes on sale to supporters we find it wholly inappropriate for this to be deemed front page news.

 

The Evening Express article also just highlighted Yoann's illness, which was only a small part of his interview.

 

The full interview is below.

 

Some things in life just aren't meant to be. That doesn't mean they're folly...

 

Yoann Folly

 

The Aberdeen career of Yoann Folly doesn't seem to add up to a lot when you check out the bare statistics. Twenty games last season, a solitary goal against Hibernian at Easter Road on Boxing Day 2010 and the best part of 18 months stuck frustrated on the sidelines with injury and illness before time was called last week.

 

But the energetic French midfielder has left his mark on Pittodrie and he'll be remembered in the future as one of the most interesting footballer players you will could ever have a chat with. He has also been one of the unluckiest players to have represented the club in recent years. After breaking his ankle in a match against Dundee United in January 2010, one of Craig Brown's first games in charge, Yoann battled his way back to fitness, only to be knocked down again by a career threatening illness.

 

"I was diagnosed with pulmonary embolism, which is blood clots in the lungs. I think the problem started in my legs and the blood clots made their way up my body, all the way to the lungs. That is why it took some time for me to find out what was wrong.When I found out it was quite a shock but at the same time it was a relief to know what the problem was and that it was treatable. For a while, I hadn't known what was happening. As a sportsman, I know my body, I know how I play football and I knew there was something wrong. I could not breathe on the pitch.

 

"If the illness had not been diagnosed then it could have been serious. Basically it affects the way the blood travels around your body, it affects the oxygen coming into your body and if you do not get enough oxygen, then the heart is forced to work harder, and eventually it has to work too much. You can then go into cardiac arrest. Because I did not understand what was wrong with me, I thought it was my a fitness problem so I kept pushing even harder and harder to get myself back which was completely the wrong thing to do. If I had kept pushing it then I could have had some bad consequences".Yoann Folly

 

It's been a year where footballers, traditionally seen as among the most athletic robust examples of the species have been shown to be just as humanly frail as the rest of us with the death of Piermario Morosini and the health problems that have afflicted Stiliyan Petrov, Fabrice Muamba and our own Jamie Langfield. Fortunately, Yoann, like Langers, found himself in good hands here.

 

"I was lucky to be working with such a good medical team at Aberdeen. John Sharp realised there was something wrong and told me to stop pushing myself and go for a scan to see what is wrong. When I started the treatment I stopped training for a couple of weeks. Since then though I have been training every day because I have some medicine that thins the blood which means I can return to work.

 

"But I have been unable to take part in contact training. A knock to the head for example could be problematic but I am feeling good. I am doing as much as I can do but it does not replace match fitness. I am fit enough to do anything else but I would struggle if I played a game at the moment.

 

"It has been a hard few months. As far as the football is concerned it has been frustrating but my family have helped me through it. I have my son so I was able to spend his first few years with him. That was a good thing.

 

"I also have some good friends at the club. They have stopped me going crazy! Seeing everyone and still being part of the club has been a good thing. I have still been coming into the club everyday, waking up and going training so it was just like normal, I just have not been able to play any games.

 

"And I also did my studying as well. Basically the idea of studying came from my mum. The only way she would let me come to England to play was if I continued with my education, so I did not have any choice! So I kept on studying and I have not stopped and I now have two degrees in French Law. I am ever so grateful to my mum for pushing me to do it.

 

"The first few years, I had a teacher who would come in after training. It was a bit difficult because I just wanted to go home and sleep! It did make it easier having a teacher and I had access to University and stuff. After that it was more open learning but that way took a bit longer. It was not easy but I have had a lot of time on my hands recently! That is probably the only reason I could do it, because it was fairly intense.

 

"The idea is to become a lawyer when I hang up my boots. Once this season finishes I am going to go to London to do some work experience so if my football does not work out, I will have something else".

 

As well as a graduate of French law, Yoann is a graduate of the French football system, something we saw during the games he played here. It's been a case of following in his family's footsteps as he explains.

 

"When I was growing up I did not know how football worked. My brother played, so I played football as well, that's all! When I joined my first club, it was like a Paris XI. We used to play against Paris Saint Germain. I though all the PSG players automatically would go on and play for that club and become professionals! I found out it did not work quite like that! I was naive but I liked playing football. I never thought about it as a job. I did not know it could be a job. I just thought it was something you did on a Sunday!

 

Yoann Folly "I lived in Paris which was very nice. I enjoyed growing up there. The area where I grew up in Paris had French people, people from African descent, and Chinese people - I lived in the Chinese quarter of Paris - so it was quite a mixture of cultures. The whole of Paris is cosmopolitan, but I thought the whole of France was like this! That is what I knew growing up so I thought everywhere in France was like that. I never encountered racism or discrimination, I didn't know it still existed. So I had a happy childhood.

 

"Watching France now, with the elections, the results so far have been a big scary to be honest. The last election result was quite scary even though the person from the extreme right did not go through to the second round. That party's support seems to be growing and growing and I am not sure what will happen in the future. The current result could have economic implications for the whole of Europe".

 

Not all footballer's pay such close attention to the world beyond the beautiful game, but then Yoann doesn't come from a typical family, as he explains.

 

"My brother broke his arm so he had to give up trying to be a footballer. As he could not play football he went into the theatre world and tried to become an actor. I tried to do some acting as well, I tried for six months - because my brother was doing it I thought I would do it as well. I was bad! I was that bad, I gave up and stayed in football. My brother stuck with it though and he became a professional actor. He is on French TV. He stars in the French version of 'The Bill'. He has also got a part in the French version of 'The Shield', so he is doing well for himself. He is quite famous in France!

 

"My dad has been working in politics in Togo for as long as I can remember. He was a politician who was working in the government, and then he worked with the football authorities in Togo. Life in Togo is alright. It's quite chilled. The crime rates are quite low. It is not the richest country, but the people are hard working and just get on with their lives".

 

Yoann's association with Togo very nearly brought him close to tragedy. When the Togo team bus was attacked by terrorists in January 2010 in Angola on the way to the African Nations Cup, he could very easily have been on it.

 

"The country called me to go to the African Nations tournament but because I was at the end of my contract at Plymouth, I said I wanted to stay in England to try and secure a club for the next season.

 

"The team were meant to fly to wherever they were meant to go in Angola but somehow they took the bus and they went through a territory that was controlled by rebels. They went through the passport control area but once they cleared that, the rebels started shooting. There were Police at the checkpoint who were able to return fire and help the bus, but it was all a bit crazy. A journalist died, along with the assistant coach and the bus driver and another driver. He was driving the coach of the first bus which had all the luggage. It passed through first and they started shooting at it. Once they realised it was just the bus with the bags they opened fire on the other bus, the team bus.

 

"The team were banned for two years because they pulled out of the competition. The prime minster of Togo told the team to withdraw from the competition and return home. It should have been the Football Federation who took the decision. Because it was the prime minster who intervened, they got expelled from world football which I think was harsh.

 

"My dad held the talks with FIFA and managed to get them back into football. He must have done a good job and they were so impressed with him they offered my dad a job with the governing body". Yoann Folly

 

Yoann still has links with the Togo national team even in the wake of that tragedy.

 

"I played in a friendly for Togo. Back then, because I have played for the French U21 side you needed permission from France to go with Togo. After playing the friendly, I asked for permission to play in a World Cup qualifier but the French Football Authorities said no. They went to the World Cup that year, in 2006. But that was then and this is now, the rules are different. I can still play for them and I was in contact with the national manager of Togo last week, he was asking how I was. They have some games in June so he was asking if I would be ready for then. We will just have to wait and see!"

 

Getting back on the field would be a triumph for Folly, enabling him to pick up a career that started with the famous St Stienne.

 

"They have always been a club that has good youth teams so it was a good place for me to start my professional career. Good players, good facilities, a good club to be at. They were so many good players in the youth teams but there are not that many who make it through the system. I also played for France from under 15s all the way up to under 21s. I played with some good players like Ronald Zubar who plays for Wolves, Jimmy Briand who plays at Lyon and for the U21s, I played with Sinama Pongolle, Anthony Le Tallec, Franck Ribery, Lassana Diarra and quite a few stars".

 

Yoann was only 18 when he crossed the Channel and came to England to play. How did it come about?

 

"I had a lot of friends in England and I just thought the way of living in the UK was more suitable to me rather that life in France so as soon as I could, I decided I was going to go.

 

"Paul Sturrock was a big influence, I enjoyed working with him. He came to Southampton and gave me my first few games in the Premier League. I then followed him to Sheffield Wednesday and then Plymouth.

 

"I did not know much about his playing career in Scotland but one day I picked up a programme at the Toulon Tournament and when I was looking through it, there was a page with all the best players from the previous tournaments and he was mentioned! He played for the Scotland U21 side in that tournament. I have heard he was a very good player.

 

"Apart from my spell at Plymouth, my time in England was good. Football in the UK is a bit different but overall I have enjoyed being over here. The reason for coming to this country was more the way of life than because I was suited to the style of football. People in the UK have a different way of seeing things. I have also enjoyed my time at Aberdeen, I've enjoyed living in the city. The club has a family feel to it and I have enjoyed being part of that family. It is sad it is over, but that's football!

 

"I will finish the medicine at the end of May and then I have an appointment with the specialist who will do some more tests. I will then aim to start playing again in pre-season, wherever that is.

 

"I am looking at finding a new club. I want to find something and continue playing football. Obviously I have graduated too and I could go into a career in law but I can do that at any time. You can't play football forever. It is maybe hard for people to understand, especially people who have not played the game, why I would not go into law and probably have more money but football is not a job, it is a passion. Whilst I can still do it I want to keep going".

[OneBeboMaguire]

read it in the programme last night, excellent interview. comes across as a highly intelligent man, studying to be a lawyer. dad convinced the fa to allow togo's ban from world football to be lifted and they offered him a job! remarkable, all the best yoann.

[King Street Loon]

Seems the Official AFC website isn't too impressed with the Evening Depress running the story of Folly.

 

My link

[a don in oz]

Pulmonary embolism? Hell, no wonder he just vanished off the scene... lucky it was spotted and dealt with but think he's going to struggle to get back to playing. Amazing though reading a footballer talking about the implications on the economy of slide towards the right politically in the country.

 

Refreshing too. Sure fitba types as long as they entertain (or create a team that does) on the pitch is really all that matters, but nice to hear one that's not a "ye know ye know goalie not a save to make hingmy" mouth breather type.

 

Good luck to him whatever he ends up doing.

 

 

[scoutman70]

When will the club actually ditch the Evening Express, stop telling them anything.

 

Don't invite them to meetings, don't answer their questions.

 

Simple!!!

 

Evening Express are fucking scum.

 

REFUSE TO ANSWER ANYTHING THAT THEY ASK - DON'T GIVE THEM STORIES, SIMPLE!!!!

 

In this case they didn't.

 

It was taken from the program and made into a big "special news" story

[riverplate83]

Only saw Axel play 3 times but he was our best player by a mile,thoughtful and hard working wish him all the best.....