'Lucky' Junior Stanislas reveals how he dodged a decade in prison unlike pal

Those may not be the first words that come to mind when describing Bournemouth right now after 11 defeats in their last 14 games.


But they sum up nicely Stanislas himself, a player content with life and acutely aware of how fortunate he is thanks to his family, religion and the fate of childhood friends.

Growing up on an estate in Kidbrooke, at the time a rough area of South-East London which has since been regenerated, some of his mates have been jailed or even died.

One close pal is serving a ten-year sentence at a Surrey prison.

Stanislas, who did not want to name him nor explain exactly what he did, still visits his friend, last going in the summer.

It is a key reason why Premier League football does not go to his head as he knows in a parallel universe the roles could well be reversed.

Stanislas, 29, said: "There were definitely situations when I wasn't at football and I could have gone to a party or a certain place, have decided not to go and then something has happened at that event.

"I have a friend in prison at the moment and that was the same thing. We were going out but he was going somewhere first.

"He said, 'Come with me' and I said, 'Nah, I'll meet you after'.

"Something ended up happening at the club where he was and now he's in jail for ten years.

"If I'd gone there, I could have got caught up in that but it seems God is always guiding me."

Stanislas' mates treat him just the same as ever, happy to tell him the truth if he has had a bad game knowing their friendship is solid enough to withstand criticism.

The Cherries winger played football with them all as a kid on an astroturf pitch built on his estate — and is living proof of how investment in local facilities can help teenagers avoid getting sucked into criminal activity.

He explained: "When that astroturf got installed I used to play there from morning until night as a lot of my friends did, coming from different areas and we played tournaments.

"If you have something like that to concentrate on it keeps you from being bored and maybe getting into something you shouldn't be doing.

"The more places like that that are around, like youth clubs, it helps keeps the kids off the streets and more away from crime."

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Today Stanislas faces the club that developed him in West Ham.

He came through with the likes of Jack Collison and James Tomkins and remembers going on his first ever flight aged 14 for a club match in Italy.

Stanislas recalled: "It sticks in my mind because I didn't know how to work the seatbelt as it was my first time on a plane!

"I got a bit of banter from the boys for that."

Stanislas made 47 appearances for the Hammers but quit the club in 2011 wanting more game time.

Eddie Howe signed him firstly at Burnley, before bringing him to Bournemouth three years later.

The pair have a special bond having worked with each other for all these years and Stanislas hails the 41-year-old's approachability as what separates him from others.

Stanislas has eight-year-old twins, Alex and Jacob.

Alex plays in the same Bournemouth youth team as Eddie's son and the duo will also be facing a West Ham side of their own today.

Stanislas took his sons to Disneyworld in the summer … eventually.

In a mix-up which he admits makes him sound like the stereotypical footballer unable to do anything for himself, the versatile wideman explained: "I had a bit of nightmare because we got to the airport and the kids' passports were out of date.

“They didn't have visas either. We did get to go, a week later, though!"

Stanislas is particularly close to Chelsea target Callum Wilson, having signed for the club within days of each other and lived together in a hotel for that initial six weeks.


Stanislas added: "He's exactly the same as when I met him.

"To see what he's done for us has been fantastic.

"Along with the player and person he is, he's still going to want to do well for Bournemouth."

Stanislas was unaware of the meaning of his proper first name, which is the same as his father's.

The happy-go-lucky star added: "I didn't know that.

"I'll take a bit of that right now to get the three points against West Ham!"

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