The following is an excerpt from Valley Review, Charlton’s matchday programme. The full interview - which touches on Scott Minto’s career with the Addicks, his move to Chelsea and then Portugal, and his thoughts on CharltonTV - is available in the programme for the upcoming fixture against Rotherham United.
Scott Minto said he was delighted to learn of the formation of Charlton’s Ex-Players' Association, led by fellow CharltonTV stalwarts Steve Brown and Kevin Lisbie.
“I think it’s absolutely crucial that a club can recognise the players who served them so well,” he said.
“Browny is arguably the ultimate example - he gave his all for the club for pretty much all of his career. He’s just had one knee replacement, he’s got another one coming up in November. If you tell him to take his teeth out, he can - trust me it’s scary, you don’t want that to happen before 10 o’clock at night!”
The former defender believes the association will provide a support network for players dealing with the potential difficulties which can arise after their careers finish.
“It’s a mental health thing in that these players gave their absolute all for all their career,” he explained. “They didn’t earn the money that worse players than them are earning nowadays. And yet they’ve lost that sense of community, so I think it’s really, really important and I’m really glad the club has done it.”
Minto admires the work another one of his former clubs has done for their ex-players.
“Chelsea do the same thing - I’m able to go and watch a game, help out, bring someone along if I want,” he said. “We got an email at the start of the season that said if anyone needs any sort of help from a mental health point of view, then we’re here for you. That’s a really classy thing to do.”
Click here to find out more about Charlton's Ex-Players' Association.
