West Ham United ace Scott Parker credits much of his great form this season to the club's sports shrink.
Mike Griffiths is the sports psychologist who works with the players at Upton Park.
"It was probably two years ago that Mike came into my life and into my career," Parker told the Daily Mail. "To find your weaknesses on the field can be quite easy. If you're weak on your left foot you go and hit some more balls.
"But for a footballer to admit there might be a mental weakness there, that maybe at times their thoughts decapitate them, that they can't perform at the level they want to, is not easy. It's not something players like to admit to, because it does sound like a weakness. Nobody wants to admit that they've panicked because there's 60,000 people out there and they can't perform.
"But I realised I was the sort of person who would think a lot and probably analyse things too much. And at times I felt it was holding me back, and I knew if I could improve that part of my game it would help me.
"Mike has helped me no end. Speaking to him, him understanding me, using different techniques. We speak religiously the day before a game. It's helped massively.
"He puts things into perspective for me, because it is just a football match. We are all human. We all feel the same things. I get paid to play football but I'm also a normal bloke and if I give the ball away three times on the bounce I'm going to start thinking, 'Bloody hell, it's going to be one of those days'. And it's those kind of thoughts that can paralyse a player."
