FORMER Southend United striker Drewe Broughton is revelling in his role helping footballers to avoid suffering the self-doubt which hindered his own career.

Broughton, by his own admission, failed to fulfil his potential during a long career which included a two-year spell with the Shrimpers.

But the 40-year-old is now using his own painful experiences to help modern-day footballers succeed.

“At times at Southend I was hating my life, hating the game and I just wasn’t enjoying it,” said Broughton.

“My career was completely unfulfilled in terms of potential and what I could have achieved.

“I had such a desire to succeed but that destroyed me in the end because I didn’t know how to manage it.

“I was just putting too much pressure on myself.

“In the end, every day was difficult for me to stay afloat.

“I was sleeping in my car, I was homeless, sofa surfing and I didn’t have anything.

“But I ended up going to Sporting Chance and it changed my life.

“It’s painful and emotionally draining to go back through it like I do every day but I’m doing it to help those who are playing now.”

Broughton mentors players on a daily basis and recently spoke to the squad at Scottish Premiership side Hearts.

But the former forward still believes more needs to be changed to help get the best out of footballers.

“Football is tough and physically you have to be in pain every day,” said Broughton.

“You’re judged constantly and it’s an environment in which everyone is scared of losing.

“The highs are huge and lows are too but the managers are terrified.

“There’s a lot of dishonesty and the communication is awful.

“I just wish I had a manager who had asked me how I was, I mean enough of them signed me!

“But they just don’t talk to you, they chuck you in the reserves or out on loan.

“I think the coaches need educating. I would add a year on to the courses they do and make them go through therapy themselves.

“I would then make them be signed off by a psychiatrist to say they were fit to go and lead others.

“I think that would stop coaches getting sacked and would also help to stop depression.

“If you don’t know yourself then you can’t lead anyone and it’s important.

“But whenever I turned my head off I would have a purple patch.”

One of those spells came with the Shrimpers when Broughton’s goals took Blues to the final of the LDV Vans Trophy back in 2004.

However, even that spell of his career holds mixed memories for Broughton.

“I have my own regrets about that day but for the club it was incredible,” said Broughton.

“I changed my mentality and suddenly thought I had to find something different.

“I had heard from my agent that Championship clubs were ringing him and I went into the game changing things. I bought those stupid white boots and thought I had convinced people to buy me. I just wish someone had said to me, keep doing what you do.

“But those memories help me do what I do today.”

>Drewe Broughton’s book, And Then What? is available now.