Footballers get a bad rep at times, with the actions of a minority often tarnishing the reputation of the majority.

Many of those acting inappropriately fully deserve the condemnation which comes their way, as they should be made to pay for their antics.

After all, we are talking about human beings here. Footballers might appear to live in a different world to the rest of us, and some like to think they do, but they are no different to me or you when you break everything down.

Baker: Making the most of his opportunity

They should not be treated any differently and should think before they act, ensuring they treat others with the same respect which is shown them.

Of course most footballers are genuinely nice people, only too happy to help when asked to face the media or make appearances at local institutions.

These are the real stars of the game, those who accept that they have been offered a unique opportunity to make decent money from doing something they love and make sure they do not take such an existence for granted.

There will always be those who let fame and fortune go to their head, but step outside of the Premier League bubble and those slipping into that bracket start to dwindle considerably.

Outside of the top flight life is real, with egos not over-inflated to bursting point or exuberant wages making prima donnas out of young men who once knew nothing of wealth and power.

Over the course of the 2009/10 campaign I have been fortunate enough to speak to a number of individuals who ply their trade away from the top flight glare and have found each and every one to be a pleasure to talk to.

The latest to fall under our Football League microscope is Coventry City midfielder Carl Baker, a man who had more reason than most to put up a screen and make life difficult when it came to discussing goings-on in his personal sphere.

However, it is testament to him that, despite everything that has gone on in his life over the past 12 months, he could not have been more helpful.

This is a man who is still growing accustomed to life in new surroundings, having only joined the Sky Blues in January, and has just endured a forgettable end to the season on the field.

A torrid run of results was swiftly followed by the dismissal of boss Chris Coleman, with the summer looking decidedly less bright around the Ricoh Arena than it does for the rest of the country.

Baker has also just come to the end of a campaign which saw him forced to handle the devastating loss of his older brother Michael to leukaemia, while continuing to deal with the fact that his younger brother is also suffering with the disease.

Troubles

All in all, the 27-year-old could have been forgiven for running a mile when the request came through for a quick chat about the season and how he is keeping things together.

It says a lot about the bubbly Scouser that he didn't, with the creative midfielder more than willing to spare a few minutes of his time to chew the fat and give a greater insight into the life of a man who has experienced a real rollercoaster of emotions in the last few years.

With the final few embers of Coventry's 2009/10 campaign still burning when I caught up with Baker, it seemed only right to start with the alarming slump the Sky Blues endured as they wrapped up their fixtures.

A 10-match winless run appeared to suggest that those involved would be only too keen to see the back of the season - but not Baker.

He said: "Not really. You really want to end the season on a high and then head into the summer in a positive mood. We could have done with a couple more games to be honest and tried to get a couple of wins.

"The last few months we haven't been good enough and it's been disappointing. The push we had when we were trying to get to the play-offs, we were close as we went eight or nine games unbeaten, I think it took a lot out of the lads.

"I think we blew up a bit too early and then fell away, which is frustrating because it's not a nice way to head into the summer - especially on the back of a 4-0 defeat at home (to Watford on the final day)."

As mentioned by Baker, Coventry had been pushing for a play-off place at one stage, with a run which brought only one defeat in 10 outings putting them right in the mix.

"We were eighth and then we had Cardiff at home, who were in the play-off places, and it was a massive game," he added.

"We got a really dodgy penalty given against us and they scored in the last minute, which made it 2-1. That knocked the stuffing out of us and we just fell away.

"We had put so much hope on that game and getting a result, but we ended up falling away. It's frustrating because we were right up there and to finish 19th is a big drop from where we were a couple of months ago.

"We all believed that we could do it and carry on the run we were on. Everyone was buzzing in training and it was all going well, then it just fell apart."

Consistency proved to be an issue for the Sky Blues all season, with an inability to string results together over a prolonged period of time proving to be their undoing.

"I think even before I signed that was happening," said Baker.

Spirit

"They started the season really well and then they fell away, then they went on another run for a while and picked up again. I don't know why it happens but being consistent is something you have to be if you want to be pushing for the play-offs. It's not good enough to finish the way we have finished.

"If you look at the teams that have finished in the play-offs, they have been consistent all year and haven't been losing many games. Games that they looked like losing they have been able to get draws and carry on their run. That's what we have struggled with."

Despite their troubles this season, and current lack of manager, Baker is confident Coventry can dust themselves down and be among the promotion chasers in 2010/11.

He said: "We have to be realistic and it's going to be really difficult. There will be a lot of teams pushing for the play-offs but you have to set your sights high, so hopefully we will be in there.

"There will be a new manager coming in, which is a fresh start for everyone. Hopefully we will get a few new players in as well and that can help to add a bit more competition.

"It's going to be difficult, I think we would take a top half finish, but I don't see why we can't push for the play-offs and have a really good go at it. There are no teams that are that much better than us, we have done okay against the top teams this season, so all we need is a bit more consistency."

Baker is hoping a summer of hard work will see him remain an integral part of the fold next season, with the former England C international admitting he is sad to see Coleman, the man who signed him, leave the club.

He said: "It happens in football but it's never nice when someone loses their job. I'm gutted personally because I had a good relationship with him and he brought me in. It's nice to play for a manager who wants you there so I have to admit I was a bit gutted.

"It was half expected in a way, though, because of the run we had been on. Hopefully nothing will change for me. I am just going to get my head down and come back as fit and strong as possible for next season.

"I am itching to start already. I know some of the lads are looking forward to a break but after a couple of weeks off I get bored, so I'm looking forward to the new season already.

"I have got a taste of the Championship now after a couple of months of being there and I have worked a lot since I got here. You have to be quicker on the ball and I still have stuff I have to work on. I am just going to go away for the summer and whoever comes in will hopefully see that I have been working hard and I will be in the team."

Baker admits his metamorphosis into a Championship performer has come as something of a surprise even to him, as he was turning out for Southport as recently as 2007.

"Since I left Morecambe (in 2008) I didn't expect it to all go so well," said the former Stockport man.

"You have to realise that you are playing with better players, with better facilities and I think that has helped to bring the best out of me. Hopefully I will do really well again next season. The facilities here are brilliant, so I have got everything I need to do well for Coventry.

"Everything has gone better than I expected but since I have been in the Championship I think I have done okay. I think I have had 14 starts, and I didn't expect that, but I just need to keep working."

Pressure

Rediscovering his touch in front of goal is an issue Baker is keen to address, with his reputation founded on his ability to provide an attacking threat from midfield.

"That's been the most disappointing thing since I came to Coventry, the fact that I haven't scored," he said.

"I think I have been trying a bit too hard to get that first goal. It gets heavier and heavier on your shoulders and you end up trying too hard.

"Hopefully the first goal will come in pre-season, or early on in the season, and then I will have less pressure on me and I will be able to kick on. I think I scored 13 for Stockport quite early on, so hopefully I can do that for Coventry."

Baker is prepared to leave no stone unturned in his efforts to make an impact in the second tier, revealing that he will not be allowing himself much time to rest this summer before the hard work begins again in August.

"I am going to have two weeks off to get my feet up and then I am going to go start back in the gym mid-May doing some upper body work and try to get physically stronger," he said.

"Then on 1st June I will start doing some light training, some cardiovascular work, and then I am going on holiday with my girlfriend and two sons on the 6th June. I will do a bit of running and a few weights over there before I come back.

"I think we are back in training 5th July but I always like to go back in a week early to get a bit of a head start."

Baker is determined to make the most of the opportunities that have come his way as he knows only too well that you can be cut down in your prime.

He was playing again just a couple of days after learning of his brother's untimely death in September 2009, adamant that such experiences help to make you stronger and make you all the more aware of the fragile existence we lead.

"Definitely. 100 per cent," he said.

"Every time I put the shirt on now I am doing it for my brother. It has been the hardest year, playing football after what happened.

"It's still difficult now to get over it, especially being away from home and not always being able to go over to the grave as much as I would like. That's another reason why it's important for me to get my first goal because I want to dedicate it to him.

"I have been trying too hard but I am going to keep giving it everything I have got because life is too short not to."

Hear, hear.

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