---

---

Kickoff (Cape Town)

Ghana: Quincy Admits He Blew It At Arsenal

9 August 2008

---

Quincy Owusu-Abeyie says he will put all his previous problems behind him and thrill for Birmingham City as they seek promotion into the English Premiership.

The Ghanaian has signed up with Birmingham on loan until January, but a lot of the coverage has focused on how he blew his first opportunity at Arsenal as a teenager and how this could be his final opportunity to prove he has got the attitude to maximise his talent.

Birmingham boss Alex McLeish has already challenged him to make the step up to the next level and Quincy has taken the first step in admitting he got it all wrong at the beginning.

"Have I failed to fulfill my promise? That's how I feel. I was young and I didn't really show enough to prove what I was capable of. Work-wise, attitude-wise. It's not easy to live and learn at that young age," he said of his time at Arsenal.

"You can think that you are a great player. You can work hard in training, play good games but when you come off the pitch, you can get influenced. You can let it get to your head. You have to stay strong and be focussed. That's where I went wrong, I was not focussed enough. I should have taken the opportunities I had."

But he makes no apologies for his decision to go away to Russia and Spain and says that has made him a better person.

"I am happy that I made the step to go away and experience the Russian league and the Spanish league and come back with so many valuable lessons. You start to realise what you have to do to become a professional player," he said.

"I have matured now. I am 22 and there's a big difference to being in England when you're 17. I've got a lot to prove."

Be the first to Write a Comment!

---