Ryan Stevenson and Sean Higgins bravery shows football must shine a light on 'dark secret' - Barry Ferguson

They say you can’t solve a problem until you’re willing to admit you’ve got one.

So maybe it’s time for the game I love to finally open its eyes where the mental health of football players is concerned. Is there a problem? You better believe there is. You have no idea how many ex-players, rivals and team mates, who are struggling big time with having to adjust to life in the real world. Right now. Today and every day.

So, over the last week, I have to admit the very personal and powerful articles I have read in Record Sport from Sean Higgins and Ryan Stevenson have really hit home hard. I had Sean as a player in my time as Clyde manager, and obviously Ryan has been around the game for years. So to see them opening up with such honesty about the difficulties they have faced since hanging up their boots has really given me some food for thought.

The bravery they have shown to speak up about these deeply personal issues so publicly is something to be admired. But it also has to act as a wake-up call for the game in general because if we don’t actually listen to what these guys are saying, then we’ll be doing them a disservice. And shirking a responsibility to save hundreds of others from going down the same dangerous paths.

Trust me, I know where they’re coming from. As a young football player you are programmed into treating life with a certain kind of mindset. No matter what else might be going on around you, all that really matters is going out there on a Saturday afternoon and playing football.

I was conditioned as a kid into believing that winning was the be-all-and-end-all. And it made me who I am.

Please don’t get me wrong here. I have no regrets about that and I’m certainly not looking for any sympathy. Because of