FROM moaning at Robbie Fowler in training to watching Neymar demolish his team from the technical area.

It’s fair to say that Stuart Gelling has been there and done it all since starting out in Liverpool’s academy as a player looking to make his way in the game over 30 years ago.

Gelling, currently head coach at Cefn Druids, was coming through the ranks at Anfield with the likes of Fowler and Dominic Matteo, trying to graduate to a first-team packed with stars, including John Barnes.

“I wasn’t a bad footballer,” said Gelling. “I gave 100 per cent, ran around and kicked people.

“I was probably short of where I needed to be, but I was included in a squad for a European game.”

Gelling didn’t make the cut at Liverpool, but mixing it with some of the stars of the future under the management of Kenny Dalglish and then Graeme Souness, is something he won’t forget.

“I keep in tough with the lads, Robbie and Dominic, who has obviously just recovered from a brain tumour,” he continued. “Dominic mentioned me in his book apparently as we both turned pro at the same time.

“Robbie had already signed pro because, well, it’s Robbie Fowler. I actually used to moan at Robbie all the time in training, but then the ball would drop to him in the box and he’d score.

“It was surreal when you were a YTS and someone would shout you over to train with John Barnes.

“But the first-team had just signed Jamie Redknapp and already had Don Hutchinson, Steve McMahon and Ronnie Whelan, who was great with the young players, so it was tough to break through.”

Trials at various clubs came and went without any offers before Gelling stepped into the world of semi-professional football with Lancaster, Colwyn Bay and Marine.

Gelling was also set to return to Liverpool as an academy coach after an approach from then chief executive Rick Parry to work under Steve Heighway.

“I was lucky,” said Gelling. “One day I was training with Ian Rush and John Barnes and the next I was working at the food market my dad has worked at for 40 years.”

Within 12 months Gelling was head of a department tasked with finding players for the Reds academy.

“I gave Karl Robinson a job at 17,” said Gelling. “And then we managed to get players into the game like Stephen Warnock, Lee Peltier, Danny Guthrie, Jay Spearing and Conor Coady, who we took to the club at eight.”

A mutual parting of ways after Frank McParland replaced Highway, Gelling heading to Blackburn as part-time academy coach, before receiving an offer he couldn’t refuse.

“I got to know Javier Aguirre well, helping bring his son (Inaki) to Blackburn,” says Gelling. “He got the job as Japan national team boss and asked me to go in as his assistant.

“He’s been to World Cups as a player and a manager, so it was a great opportunity.”

It was a job that lasted just six months as Aguirre became embroiled in an anti-corruption investigation in Spain - the 59-cap Mexican international finally cleared late last year.

“It was great to work with the likes of Maya Yoshida, Shinji Kagawa and Keisuke Honda,” said Gelling. “The players were technically very good and brilliant people.”

With Aguirre and Gelling at the helm, Japan were beaten in the last eight of the Asian Cup, although it was one particular game that sticks in the Liverpool-born coach’s mind.

“We played Brazil in Singapore and lost 4-0. Neymar scored all four,” recalls Gelling. “It was surreal stood on the sidelines watching Neymar’s movement and speed. He was on another level.”

Gelling moved on, a phone call from Brian Marwood seeing him help with scouting and recruitment for Yokohama, now part of the City Football Group.

After that “great experience” ended, Gelling received a call from Parry, consulting for Prince Ali bin Hussein.

“Rick said there was an opportunity to be technical director of Jordan,” said Gelling. “I didn’t really want to be a technical director, but I was invited over to Jordan and they offered me the job.

“Financially it was something I couldn’t really turn down and the Prince was fully supportive of me.

“We needed to get a new manager for the national team while I was there and I spoke with Paul Lambert, Steve Bruce and Sam Allardyce, but Lars Lagerback was the one I wanted.

“Harry Redknapp came over for two games of the 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign. We had some good times. Harry is a great fella who you could talk football with all night.

“The only problem was that the role of technical director means budgets, finance, politics and attending conferences. I enjoyed it, but I missed the football.”

Ramon Planes, now at Barcelona, asked Gelling to do some scouting for Getafe, before he was to take up a similar role for David Moyes’ Sunderland, watching La Liga games and passing on his recommendations.

Gelling was on the move after Moyes left the Stadium of Light, Aguirre soon leaning on his friend to take up a scouting role with Egypt, who the Mexican was now coaching.

“Javier wanted me to watch Egyptian talent in England,” said Gelling. “Funnily enough I didn’t go and watch Mo Salah too many times - it’s almost like he knew how good he was. I spent a lot of time watching games in the Championship and passing on what I thought to Javier.”

A round of 16 exit in the Africa Cup of Nations held in Egypt saw Aguirre and his whole technical and administrative staff dismissed.

That allowed Gelling to press on with building his business empire working with schools to provide football scholarship programmes in the north west.

“I then got a call from the Cefn Druids owners asking if I knew anyone who could come in until the end of the season,” said Gelling, whose business is branching out to Belfast with the help of former r Ireland international and Premier League ace Chris Brunt.

“Eventually Jamie Digwood asked whether I could go in until the end of the season and I said yes.

“I feel really comfortable being a head coach. You are involved in football, but it’s about managing people and getting people to buy into the team.”