Full Transcript for John Hartson

00:01:48.090 --> 00:01:51.569 the grace of god i come through it um i 38 00:01:51.590 --> 00:01:54.549 thought to myself well there was a gentleman that saved 39 00:01:54.569 --> 00:01:59.040 my life a brain surgeon and um I thought to myself, 40 00:01:59.599 --> 00:02:02.959 how would you thank somebody who's just saved your life? 41 00:02:03.319 --> 00:02:07.620 And I thought, well, I thought with the profile that 42 00:02:07.659 --> 00:02:11.990 I have, I'll start up a foundation. And I never 43 00:02:12.030 --> 00:02:15.449 thought for a minute I'd get to that level of 44 00:02:16.169 --> 00:02:21.810 funds that we do. But there are so many generous 45 00:02:21.849 --> 00:02:24.289 people out there. There's a lot of schmucks as well. 46 00:02:24.979 --> 00:02:28.680 But in general, it's overwhelming. You know, it's overwhelming. 47 00:02:30.020 --> 00:02:31.060 How long has it been going, John? 48 00:02:31.099 --> 00:02:32.979 How long have you been doing this? It's been going, 49 00:02:33.020 --> 00:02:36.219 we started in 2010, so it's almost like 16, 17 50 00:02:36.219 --> 00:02:40.120 years now, same year. But it's overwhelming. Everything we do, 51 00:02:40.939 --> 00:02:43.199 like the golf day, we could sell it out two 52 00:02:43.240 --> 00:02:45.740 or three times. Can't get on the golf day now 53 00:02:45.800 --> 00:02:48.740 because literally, as soon as we come off, you know, 54 00:02:48.860 --> 00:02:51.659 Mark Weedy, who runs it, who's a great gentleman, he 55 00:02:51.699 --> 00:02:53.620 presses a button and it's done again. 56 00:02:53.639 --> 00:02:53.960 It's done again. 57 00:02:54.340 --> 00:02:58.979 Yeah, and then the Sportsman's London is brilliant. Again, 600 58 00:02:58.979 --> 00:03:01.960 people in there. And the charity ball, you know, got 59 00:03:01.979 --> 00:03:06.430 to involve the women somewhere. They get to buy their dresses, 60 00:03:06.500 --> 00:03:08.590 and my wife certainly does, gets a different dress for 61 00:03:08.650 --> 00:03:12.530 it every year. But, yeah, the three big events. We 62 00:03:12.590 --> 00:03:15.370 used to do Ben Nevis, but for some reason we 63 00:03:15.409 --> 00:03:17.430 couldn't get the numbers in the end, but that was 64 00:03:17.490 --> 00:03:22.349 a tough one, Ben Nevis. But, yeah, it's really overwhelming 65 00:03:22.370 --> 00:03:25.400 when I, we raise a lot of money and I'm 66 00:03:25.460 --> 00:03:28.599 able to give a cheque for like £ 50, 000 to Glasgow 67 00:03:28.680 --> 00:03:33.349 Children's Hospital and that for me, you know, doing something, 68 00:03:33.650 --> 00:03:37.270 helping others, giving something back means the world to me 69 00:03:37.430 --> 00:03:41.610 because I take more satisfaction out of that, you know, 70 00:03:41.629 --> 00:03:46.259 handing that £ 50, 000 cheque over which will help the hospitals 71 00:03:46.360 --> 00:03:50.680 with their, you know, whatever they want to use it on. 72 00:03:51.319 --> 00:03:54.330 That for me is It's better than scoring any goal 73 00:03:54.629 --> 00:03:59.259 in any stadium. It means a lot more to me 74 00:03:59.280 --> 00:04:03.400 because it's something that's very close to my heart. You 75 00:04:03.439 --> 00:04:03.939 talk about. 76 00:04:03.800 --> 00:04:07.039 Scoring goals, which you've done in your career brilliantly. Let's 77 00:04:07.080 --> 00:04:11.379 take you back to the start of your career. I'm 78 00:04:11.979 --> 00:04:13.719 not going to say I vividly remember it because it's 79 00:04:13.740 --> 00:04:15.969 a few years ago now, but you started at Luton. 80 00:04:16.379 --> 00:04:18.209 How did it all come about for you? Who signed you? 81 00:04:19.060 --> 00:04:22.839 Well, I was 10 years of age when I went 82 00:04:22.899 --> 00:04:26.399 to Luton. My mum and dad were just crazy to think, 83 00:04:26.660 --> 00:04:29.939 you know, I was so young. A Luton town scout 84 00:04:30.079 --> 00:04:32.829 called Sir Rod Beach, he used to play for Swansea 85 00:04:32.889 --> 00:04:36.610 when Swansea was Swansea Town then, not Swansea City, the 86 00:04:36.889 --> 00:04:40.670 Welsh International. We have a legend at Swansea with Ivor 87 00:04:40.730 --> 00:04:44.769 Oldchurch and John Charles, Mel Charles, all these great players, 88 00:04:44.829 --> 00:04:48.430 Welsh players. Terry Medwin and all these guys that played 89 00:04:48.470 --> 00:04:52.189 in the 1958 World Cup for Wales. Cyril Beach was 90 00:04:52.250 --> 00:04:55.459 a scout for Luton and he saw me play as 91 00:04:55.519 --> 00:04:58.899 a youngster, you know, just locally and approached my dad 92 00:04:58.939 --> 00:05:01.319 on the side of the pitch and said, I'd like 93 00:05:01.360 --> 00:05:04.610 to send John up to Luton in the school holidays. 94 00:05:05.259 --> 00:05:07.730 We get lads from all over the country and they 95 00:05:07.769 --> 00:05:10.350 all come along and they have trials and then we 96 00:05:10.370 --> 00:05:13.970 take the best ones. And that just continued. I went 97 00:05:14.029 --> 00:05:17.180 up to Luton. and my dad dropped me off at 98 00:05:17.600 --> 00:05:20.839 Swansea Central Station, gave me a few coins from his 99 00:05:20.899 --> 00:05:23.920 pocket in a bit of loose change, and I'd head 100 00:05:23.959 --> 00:05:27.720 up on the train and I'd meet Kerry Hughes, Mark Pembridge, 101 00:05:27.740 --> 00:05:29.720 a few of the older boys who were at Luton 102 00:05:29.759 --> 00:05:31.560 at the time, they were two or three years older 103 00:05:31.600 --> 00:05:34.810 than me, and then we'd continue all the way up 104 00:05:34.990 --> 00:05:38.529 to think I was ten years of age, and yeah, 105 00:05:38.730 --> 00:05:42.649 that's how it started really, just getting involved in the 106 00:05:42.709 --> 00:05:45.750 games and And then that continued all the way through. 107 00:05:45.990 --> 00:05:48.110 And when I was 14, my mum and dad got 108 00:05:48.389 --> 00:05:53.100 a letter off Luton Town offering me a

scholarship, not 109 00:05:53.120 --> 00:05:56.579 a scholarship, an apprenticeship, like a YTS, youth training scheme. 110 00:05:57.319 --> 00:05:59.579 So when I was 16, you know, they asked me, 111 00:05:59.639 --> 00:06:02.120 David Pleat had signed it. David Pleat was the manager. 112 00:06:02.139 --> 00:06:02.860 Was he the manager? 113 00:06:03.339 --> 00:06:06.910 And it was signed by the manager. Just basically it 114 00:06:06.959 --> 00:06:11.430 was an offer. We'd like to offer John a two-year apprenticeship, 115 00:06:11.750 --> 00:06:15.769 you know, gig. And then I knew what I was then. 116 00:06:15.810 --> 00:06:19.110 You know, at 14 years of age, you're thinking, well, 117 00:06:19.149 --> 00:06:22.040 I wasn't thinking, but parents think about their children. What 118 00:06:22.149 --> 00:06:23.759 are they going to do when they leave school? And 119 00:06:23.819 --> 00:06:26.439 it's a bit of a worry. But with me, I 120 00:06:26.480 --> 00:06:30.240 wasn't the most academic in school, but I knew where 121 00:06:30.279 --> 00:06:32.600 I was going. At 16, I knew I was going 122 00:06:32.639 --> 00:06:36.100 to Luton to start off this dream, this little start 123 00:06:36.120 --> 00:06:39.930 to my football opportunity. So that was a big weight 124 00:06:40.029 --> 00:06:43.470 off mine and my parents' shoulders. I knew I had 125 00:06:43.980 --> 00:06:46.500 I had the opportunity. It was only a pipe dream. Yeah. 126 00:06:46.600 --> 00:06:48.779 But I knew I had that opportunity to go and 127 00:06:49.060 --> 00:06:52.019 make something of my career. I mean, because I had, naturally, 128 00:06:52.050 --> 00:06:54.850 I had a better talent and things like that. You're 129 00:06:54.889 --> 00:06:58.610 always a striker. Always a striker, yeah. I always was 130 00:06:58.689 --> 00:07:02.730 able to score goals at younger levels. We used to win, like, 32-0. 131 00:07:02.910 --> 00:07:07.509 And I'd score 15 or something daft like that. So, yeah, 132 00:07:07.529 --> 00:07:08.689 I was always a goal scorer. 133 00:07:09.620 --> 00:07:09.810 And. 134 00:07:10.649 --> 00:07:12.689 can't see me playing centre half, I'd be sent off 135 00:07:12.689 --> 00:07:13.649 20 times. 136 00:07:14.000 --> 00:07:16.379 So at YTS, I mean, I don't know if it 137 00:07:17.000 --> 00:07:19.000 was the same for you, but were you doing all 138 00:07:19.019 --> 00:07:20.459 the jobs and all that at the time as well, 139 00:07:20.500 --> 00:07:22.860 all the boots and sweep my terracins. 140 00:07:22.959 --> 00:07:25.480 All that? Everything, we'd come in on a Monday morning, 141 00:07:25.560 --> 00:07:28.699 we'd have to get the players' kit from the laundry, 142 00:07:29.319 --> 00:07:32.139 laundry was tiny, no bigger than this room, but you'd 143 00:07:32.160 --> 00:07:35.370 have to search through the jackets and the jumpers and 144 00:07:35.379 --> 00:07:38.310 the trousers and get them all off the pegs and 145 00:07:38.350 --> 00:07:43.040 then we'd

have to put it by our, you know, 146 00:07:43.310 --> 00:07:46.100 you'd always get a player that you looked after. So 147 00:07:46.120 --> 00:07:48.800 I'd have to put the clothes on his peg, make 148 00:07:48.819 --> 00:07:51.000 sure his boots were clean, the boots were down on 149 00:07:51.019 --> 00:07:53.540 the floor. So he could come straight in the pro 150 00:07:53.560 --> 00:07:57.079 and all his kit was there. And we'd have to 151 00:07:57.100 --> 00:08:00.370 go around with black bags around Kenilworth Road, the stage 152 00:08:00.410 --> 00:08:03.509 and pick up all the empty stuff. Bottles of tango 153 00:08:03.550 --> 00:08:06.470 and all the sausages, all packets. We were always looking 154 00:08:06.490 --> 00:08:09.600 for wallets. See if people dropped their wallet, any money 155 00:08:09.699 --> 00:08:13.439 or coins or whatever. But that was a brilliant grounding 156 00:08:13.500 --> 00:08:15.019 for me. I absolutely enjoyed it. 157 00:08:15.060 --> 00:08:17.259 I think the same for us as well. There's a 158 00:08:17.319 --> 00:08:18.509 bit of discipline behind it. 159 00:08:19.079 --> 00:08:23.129 You're always striving to get into being a professional footballer, 160 00:08:23.170 --> 00:08:25.970 but you're recognising I have to do these jobs and 161 00:08:26.329 --> 00:08:26.730 work my. 162 00:08:26.629 --> 00:08:27.290 Way up kind of thing. 163 00:08:27.629 --> 00:08:29.189 Yeah, but they don't do it now. 164 00:08:29.389 --> 00:08:29.639 No. 165 00:08:29.759 --> 00:08:33.159 The kids now, you see young lads now, 18, 19 166 00:08:33.159 --> 00:08:36.080 years of age, driving in to the training ground with 167 00:08:36.120 --> 00:08:38.879 their Bentleys. They've got four-year contracts. They haven't played for 168 00:08:38.919 --> 00:08:41.539 the first team yet. I think the bigger clubs, they 169 00:08:41.590 --> 00:08:45.129 see an amazing talent and they give them these deals 170 00:08:45.269 --> 00:08:47.389 and they just don't want to lose them. So I 171 00:08:47.409 --> 00:08:50.789 think that's why they look after them. Maybe they look 172 00:08:50.830 --> 00:08:54.620 after their parents with the agents and everything else. But 173 00:08:54.669 --> 00:08:57.679 for me personally, it really gave me a really good 174 00:08:57.720 --> 00:09:01.200 grounding you know in terms of having to keep working 175 00:09:01.279 --> 00:09:03.639 I remember the youth team manager Terry used to come 176 00:09:03.710 --> 00:09:06.590 in on a Friday before the game on a Saturday 177 00:09:07.289 --> 00:09:09.610 and he'd go up to the pegs and all that 178 00:09:09.690 --> 00:09:12.340 and he'd just go up and he'd test the top 179 00:09:12.389 --> 00:09:13.820 of the wood to see if there was any dust 180 00:09:13.919 --> 00:09:17.470 up there and A lot of discipline as well, you know, 181 00:09:17.529 --> 00:09:19.789 which I needed that type of. 182 00:09:19.870 --> 00:09:21.149 Were you staying in digs then? 183 00:09:21.590 --> 00:09:24.350 I was staying in digs. I still keep in touch 184 00:09:24.389 --> 00:09:27.879 with Eddie and Debbie and Chris and Edward, the boys, yeah. 185 00:09:28.480 --> 00:09:31.700 You know, they were about five and four at the time. 186 00:09:31.720 --> 00:09:34.100 They're in their 30s now. And I still go down 187 00:09:34.120 --> 00:09:37.500 to Luton. They're in the same house, actually. And, yeah, 188 00:09:37.539 --> 00:09:41.639 they were great to me. Eddie was a little boxer, ex-boxer. Yeah, Eddie, 189 00:09:41.679 --> 00:09:45.750 the boy I stayed with. So, nah, great people and 190 00:09:45.789 --> 00:09:48.720 they got to know my mum and dad and the 191 00:09:48.799 --> 00:09:51.360 trust was there. Because if you're away from home, 16, 192 00:09:51.360 --> 00:09:54.559 you want to make sure you live with the right people. 193 00:09:55.279 --> 00:09:57.549 So I still keep in touch with Eddie and Debbie 194 00:09:57.570 --> 00:10:00.879 today because they became like second parents. to me you 195 00:10:00.919 --> 00:10:03.679 know they were looking after me but I had to 196 00:10:03.720 --> 00:10:06.120 do the dishes on a Sunday I had to make 197 00:10:06.159 --> 00:10:09.279 my own bed and everything else so it wasn't a 198 00:10:09.340 --> 00:10:12.700 jolly walk in the park it was something that you 199 00:10:12.740 --> 00:10:16.230 know they not disciplined but they made sure that they 200 00:10:16.250 --> 00:10:17.730 brought me up the same way as they were bringing 201 00:10:17.750 --> 00:10:20.860 their own kids up yeah they did grounded as well. 202 00:10:20.980 --> 00:10:23.440 So when did you hit the first team. 203 00:10:23.500 --> 00:10:26.700 I got in the first team at 17 and then 204 00:10:26.740 --> 00:10:29.679 I made my debut against Brian Clough's Nottingham Forest right 205 00:10:29.899 --> 00:10:34.340 what division were you in we were in the second division. 206 00:10:34.000 --> 00:10:36.279 I think which would be the championship now yeah the 207 00:10:36.320 --> 00:10:38.600 third division or the third division the third division I 208 00:10:38.620 --> 00:10:41.710 think yeah because after the Astro No, I was on 209 00:10:41.750 --> 00:10:42.389 the Astro. 210 00:10:42.409 --> 00:10:43.889 I used to train on the Astro. I think that's 211 00:10:44.009 --> 00:10:47.129 probably why I ended up having knee problems, you know, 212 00:10:47.529 --> 00:10:47.809 later on. 213 00:10:47.820 --> 00:10:49.200 Because that was one of the first ones? 214 00:10:49.360 --> 00:10:52.399 Yeah, we trained on it and it wasn't like the 215 00:10:52.740 --> 00:10:53.220 4G now. 216 00:10:53.259 --> 00:10:53.460 No. 217 00:10:53.980 --> 00:11:00.190 It was like carpet at times, you know, really thin. Yeah. But, yeah, 218 00:11:00.250 --> 00:11:02.549 it was that and I made my debut. I remember 219 00:11:03.289 --> 00:11:05.730 seeing Brian Clough walking down the side of the pitch 220 00:11:05.750 --> 00:11:10.220 with his green

jacket on and My big eight, Mark Crosley, 221 00:11:10.250 --> 00:11:14.039 was in goals. I particularly scored in the game. We 222 00:11:14.080 --> 00:11:20.299 lost 2-1. I can remember their back four being Chettle, Walker, Pearce. 223 00:11:20.980 --> 00:11:24.659 And they're a really, really good side. And you scored, 224 00:11:24.700 --> 00:11:26.340 did you say? I scored in the game, but we 225 00:11:26.399 --> 00:11:29.919 ended up losing 2-1. And then I think David Pleat 226 00:11:30.080 --> 00:11:32.059 almost left me out of the team then for a while. 227 00:11:32.080 --> 00:11:34.259 He gave me a bit of a taste of it. 228 00:11:35.370 --> 00:11:38.029 But we had, Kerry Dixon was at the club. 229 00:11:38.049 --> 00:11:39.929 I was going to say, what other kind of players 230 00:11:39.950 --> 00:11:41.330 would we know from that time then? 231 00:11:41.610 --> 00:11:47.990 Well, we had players like Julian James, Marvin Johnson, Scott Oakes. 232 00:11:49.090 --> 00:11:53.190 His dad was in Shawaddy Waddy, Scott Oakes. Des Linton, 233 00:11:53.610 --> 00:11:56.149 Trevor Peake, who was obviously the big centre-half, would come 234 00:11:56.190 --> 00:11:59.789 from Coventry. Coventry, aye. Yeah, so David Plate, I think, 235 00:11:59.820 --> 00:12:01.600 he was a wise manager. You know, he sort of 236 00:12:01.639 --> 00:12:05.259 filled the team up with you know, youngsters and players 237 00:12:05.299 --> 00:12:07.230 who not had all of the experience. And you had 238 00:12:07.250 --> 00:12:11.750 some really good old heads. David Preece, little midfield player, 239 00:12:11.769 --> 00:12:12.750 he's not with us anymore. 240 00:12:12.950 --> 00:12:14.970 I remember all these guys from the sticker album. The 241 00:12:15.009 --> 00:12:16.190 names you mentioned. 242 00:12:16.250 --> 00:12:21.009 Absolutely. No, you're right. But the good thing was I 243 00:12:21.600 --> 00:12:25.080 trained and suffered them 14, 15, 16. I was watching 244 00:12:25.100 --> 00:12:27.360 the first team from the stands. And then all of 245 00:12:27.399 --> 00:12:29.840 a sudden, I'm in the team, I'm playing with them. 246 00:12:30.740 --> 00:12:35.070 You know, so... Yeah, great days, Luton. I really enjoyed it. 247 00:12:35.090 --> 00:12:37.049 I don't know what it's like down there now, but 248 00:12:37.070 --> 00:12:40.269 in terms of the town and going into bars and things, 249 00:12:40.309 --> 00:12:42.669 you know, you're 16, 17, you're having a bit of 250 00:12:42.710 --> 00:12:45.830 a taste of it, you know, at that time. Yeah, great, 251 00:12:45.870 --> 00:12:46.830 great memories of Luton. 252 00:12:47.049 --> 00:12:48.730 And did you have some success there? 253 00:12:48.750 --> 00:12:49.409 Did you move through? 254 00:12:49.450 --> 00:12:53.009 Because my first memories of you was on the telly. 255 00:12:53.269 --> 00:12:54.580 You were playing for Luton, I'm sure. 256 00:12:54.700 --> 00:12:54.789 Yeah. 257 00:12:54.820 --> 00:12:57.460 It might

have been an FA Cup game then, if 258 00:12:57.480 --> 00:12:59.460 you were in Division 3 at that time. 259 00:12:59.480 --> 00:13:00.779 That's right. It's maybe. 260 00:13:01.210 --> 00:13:01.809 Do you remember? 261 00:13:02.110 --> 00:13:05.409 It was. I remember we played Newcastle with a great 262 00:13:05.580 --> 00:13:10.539 FA Cup run. We beat West Ham 3-2 at Kellerworth Road. 263 00:13:11.059 --> 00:13:13.679 We went to Cardiff, which was a difficult one for me. 264 00:13:13.720 --> 00:13:15.820 I got a bit of stick because obviously I'm fronzy. 265 00:13:17.210 --> 00:13:22.090 And then we played Newcastle in the quarterfinal. And it 266 00:13:22.149 --> 00:13:25.769 was Kevin Keegan's top of the first division. 267 00:13:25.809 --> 00:13:26.690 That may be the game I can remember. 268 00:13:26.809 --> 00:13:28.269 It was Bracewell. It was. 269 00:13:29.779 --> 00:13:34.740 Barry Venison at the back. It was Cole, Yoke, Lee Clark, 270 00:13:35.679 --> 00:13:38.870 Hooper in goal. Was it Mike Hooper? I think it was. 271 00:13:39.399 --> 00:13:44.389 And it was on television, the FA Cup. And Trevor 272 00:13:44.429 --> 00:13:46.549 Peake just played a ball down the side and I 273 00:13:46.610 --> 00:13:49.230 got onto it and I just clipped it past the 274 00:13:49.269 --> 00:13:53.129 goalkeeper and rolled it into an empty net. And I 275 00:13:53.169 --> 00:13:55.490 ran away. I'm 17 years of age. I can still 276 00:13:55.509 --> 00:13:58.309 see the pictures now. I put us one nil up 277 00:13:58.450 --> 00:14:02.029 and then And then Scott Oakes was a really good player. 278 00:14:02.049 --> 00:14:04.029 There was a few clubs watching Scott Oakes at the time. 279 00:14:04.629 --> 00:14:06.879 He went through and made it 2-0, but it was 280 00:14:06.919 --> 00:14:08.700 a huge upset. 281 00:14:09.279 --> 00:14:11.659 I think that's the game I remember. 282 00:14:11.700 --> 00:14:15.259 Proper banana skin. We just knocked out the top of 283 00:14:15.279 --> 00:14:18.179 the First Division team at the time, Newcastle. So we 284 00:14:18.200 --> 00:14:22.500 had a great FA Cup run. Then we played Chelsea 285 00:14:23.059 --> 00:14:26.990 in the semi-final of the FA Cup at Wembley. and 286 00:14:27.009 --> 00:14:29.289 they beat us 2-0, and I still believe maybe if 287 00:14:29.330 --> 00:14:32.950 we'd gone to a Villa Park or a Hillsborough, I 288 00:14:32.970 --> 00:14:35.169 think a lot of the boys, we might have froze 289 00:14:35.250 --> 00:14:39.769 a bit, you know, the size of the crowd of Wembley, 290 00:14:39.789 --> 00:14:43.740 and David actually played Kerry Dixon in front of me, 291 00:14:43.789 --> 00:14:45.919 I played quite a lot of games, but because of 292 00:14:45.980 --> 00:14:48.000 the love that he had with Chelsea, I think he's 293 00:14:48.059 --> 00:14:51.240 over 200 goals, he's a legend at Chelsea, he played 294 00:14:51.299 --> 00:14:53.980 Kerry and Scott Oaks ahead of me, but I came 295 00:14:54.080 --> 00:14:58.250 on in the game, but... Yeah, it was brilliant that 296 00:14:58.389 --> 00:15:02.769 FA Cup run at the time. You know, the crowd, 297 00:15:02.830 --> 00:15:06.210 the fans who were following us everywhere. It's like getting 298 00:15:06.230 --> 00:15:08.950 to the UEFA Cup. I think every round you get 299 00:15:09.009 --> 00:15:11.929 through the excitement of the fans, you know, and then 300 00:15:11.950 --> 00:15:14.149 to get to Wembley. I know it was uni semi-final, 301 00:15:14.200 --> 00:15:16.519 but I think that was uni time I actually played 302 00:15:16.559 --> 00:15:17.820 at Wembley. Is that right? 303 00:15:18.059 --> 00:15:18.299 Yeah. 304 00:15:19.000 --> 00:15:20.879 So you get your move to Arsenal on the back 305 00:15:20.899 --> 00:15:24.360 of that. How far after you come called? 306 00:15:24.379 --> 00:15:27.240 Yeah, not long. Not long, David Pleat called me in 307 00:15:27.279 --> 00:15:30.799 his office one day after training and I'd scored the 308 00:15:30.840 --> 00:15:34.200 week before against Barnsley. So I'm thinking, I think he's 309 00:15:34.220 --> 00:15:36.480 going to drop me. Pulled me after training on the 310 00:15:36.519 --> 00:15:38.879 training ground at Luton. I think I'm ready for this. 311 00:15:39.000 --> 00:15:41.169 I'm going to tell him, you know. Scored last week 312 00:15:41.230 --> 00:15:43.789 and I went in his office and he said, look, John, 313 00:15:43.830 --> 00:15:46.509 we've had a bit of interest from several clubs, but 314 00:15:46.629 --> 00:15:49.549 Arsenal have just bid 2.5 billion for you. This was 315 00:15:49.830 --> 00:15:52.470 in 1994. You know, quite a lot of money at 316 00:15:52.490 --> 00:15:52.990 the time. 317 00:15:53.190 --> 00:15:53.289 And. 318 00:15:54.080 --> 00:15:56.919 He said, go home, have a shave, put a suit on. 319 00:15:57.500 --> 00:16:00.039 He said, we're just going to go and meet George 320 00:16:00.090 --> 00:16:03.350 Graham up at Highbury there. So I was in the 321 00:16:03.389 --> 00:16:06.250 car with David Fleet. I remember his phone going every 322 00:16:06.250 --> 00:16:08.610 30 seconds. He was putting it down, lifting it. It 323 00:16:08.629 --> 00:16:11.169 was obviously the press that got hold of it. And 324 00:16:11.210 --> 00:16:15.879 then we go into the marble halls. Herbert Chapman, the headstone, 325 00:16:16.240 --> 00:16:20.710 is in straight away when they go into Highbury. And 326 00:16:20.730 --> 00:16:23.669 then we went upstairs. I met Ken Fryer, who's no 327 00:16:23.710 --> 00:16:26.830 longer with us. I think he was the chairman. And 328 00:16:26.850 --> 00:16:30.100 then I met David Dean. And I remember George Graham 329 00:16:30.120 --> 00:16:32.179 saying to me, he says, John, we've had a couple 330 00:16:32.200 --> 00:16:35.440 of injuries this morning. He said, Kevin Campbell is out. 331 00:16:35.679 --> 00:16:38.620 Alan Smith is out. He says, and if you sign 332 00:16:38.639 --> 00:16:41.490 for me today,

he says, we've got to get the 333 00:16:41.549 --> 00:16:44.830 transfer through to the FA. He said, and if we 334 00:16:44.850 --> 00:16:47.549 can get it back within a certain time. He said, 335 00:16:47.620 --> 00:16:50.620 you will play out there with the England Centre forward currently. 336 00:16:50.639 --> 00:16:53.519 And that was, of course, Ian Wright. Because where it was, 337 00:16:53.899 --> 00:16:57.340 George Graham's office, it was like a big window. And 338 00:16:57.360 --> 00:16:59.940 you could look through the window. That was Highbury. You know, 339 00:16:59.960 --> 00:17:04.640 it was incredible. And that was a big, big move 340 00:17:04.680 --> 00:17:05.259 for me, you know. 341 00:17:05.740 --> 00:17:07.400 And did that happen? Did you play? 342 00:17:07.539 --> 00:17:09.980 Yeah, I got the contract through. I got the licence, 343 00:17:10.059 --> 00:17:12.700 you know, what I needed to do. And I ended 344 00:17:12.759 --> 00:17:17.349 up playing with Wright Dean. Yeah, we drew 1-1 with Everton. 345 00:17:18.029 --> 00:17:21.599 I remember big Duncan Ferguson got sent off. Big Nev 346 00:17:21.640 --> 00:17:26.279 was in goal for Everton, my Welsh team-mate. And righty 347 00:17:26.319 --> 00:17:28.799 got the equaliser, I think, and we drew one all, yeah. 348 00:17:28.819 --> 00:17:31.779 All right, guys, we are here at the Drygate Brewery 349 00:17:31.880 --> 00:17:34.400 in Glasgow filming a couple of podcasts. 350 00:17:34.519 --> 00:17:37.289 We'd just like to tell you about the 29th of November. 351 00:17:37.740 --> 00:17:40.750 Drygate is throwing a massive St Andrew's Day party and 352 00:17:40.809 --> 00:17:42.849 trust us, you don't want to miss this one. We're 353 00:17:42.890 --> 00:17:46.309 talking proper Scottish celebrations, brilliant entertainment. 354 00:17:46.450 --> 00:17:49.430 Tenant Stout. Have you tried that? Not yet. 355 00:17:50.049 --> 00:17:52.869 Sponsoring the day, charity involvement in an atmosphere. 356 00:17:52.450 --> 00:17:53.269 That will be hard to beat. 357 00:17:53.930 --> 00:17:55.529 I think they'll be giving St Paddy's Day one for 358 00:17:55.549 --> 00:17:56.109 their money, sir. 359 00:17:56.490 --> 00:17:57.009 They will be. 360 00:17:57.349 --> 00:17:59.769 So get your pals together, get your Scottish pride out 361 00:17:59.829 --> 00:18:01.750 and get yourselves down to the Drygate. 362 00:18:01.990 --> 00:18:07.549 Email hello at drygate.co.uk on at Drygate on Instagram as well. 363 00:18:07.569 --> 00:18:09.849 So get yourselves down. That must have been some experience 364 00:18:09.890 --> 00:18:11.309 for you, though, jumping from Luton to. 365 00:18:11.369 --> 00:18:12.210 Brilliant. 366 00:18:12.230 --> 00:18:14.309 You're talking about the players there, the calibre of players. 367 00:18:14.630 --> 00:18:18.059 Oh, unbelievable. I walked in the Arsenal dress. I'm 19 368 00:18:18.059 --> 00:18:19.519 and I'm still a baby. 369 00:18:19.579 --> 00:18:19.710 Yeah. 370 00:18:20.160 --> 00:18:22.069 Yeah, I think you think you know it all at 19. 371 00:18:22.049 --> 00:18:22.789 Were you nervous? 372 00:18:22.849 --> 00:18:24.450 Did you take it in your stride? 373 00:18:24.490 --> 00:18:27.190 I wasn't that nervous. I was anxious to get going. 374 00:18:27.769 --> 00:18:30.430 Can you back yourself? I think when you're younger, I 375 00:18:30.470 --> 00:18:33.809 don't think you've got the nerves or, you know, you've 376 00:18:33.849 --> 00:18:34.410 got the legs. 377 00:18:34.430 --> 00:18:35.599 Yeah, you're taking it in your stride. 378 00:18:35.740 --> 00:18:38.460 I was always a little bit aggressive and boisterous and 379 00:18:38.500 --> 00:18:41.900 things like that. So I couldn't wait to get going, really. Obviously, 380 00:18:42.000 --> 00:18:44.799 a little bit nervy, of course, because I'm going in 381 00:18:44.839 --> 00:18:46.680 the dressing room. You've got Tony Adams, who was the 382 00:18:46.720 --> 00:18:51.960 England captain, the England back four, really, who had Dixon. Adams, Keogh, Nides, 383 00:18:52.000 --> 00:18:54.619 you had Seaman in goal, and then you had players 384 00:18:54.660 --> 00:19:00.569 like Limpa, John Jensen, Ray Parler, and then you had Smith, right? 385 00:19:00.670 --> 00:19:03.970 And then eventually when Dennis Bergkamp came along as well, 386 00:19:03.990 --> 00:19:04.990 the season after. 387 00:19:05.009 --> 00:19:06.950 When was Bergkamp? Was he the following season? 388 00:19:07.190 --> 00:19:09.359 He was the following season, but I think we signed 389 00:19:09.380 --> 00:19:12.460 him for £ 8 million from Inter Milan. And there was 390 00:19:12.480 --> 00:19:14.559 a lot of times where me and Wrighty played and 391 00:19:14.920 --> 00:19:17.839 Dennis played in that number 10 role. But I could 392 00:19:17.880 --> 00:19:24.619 almost sense... Arsene Wenger arrived the season after, um, George 393 00:19:24.660 --> 00:19:26.940 was relieved of his duties and then we, we got 394 00:19:26.960 --> 00:19:29.660 to the, we got to the, uh, Cup Winners' Cup 395 00:19:29.700 --> 00:19:32.150 final in Paris where I got a goal in that 396 00:19:32.190 --> 00:19:34.950 game as well. I'm 19, I've scored in the, in 397 00:19:34.970 --> 00:19:38.789 the European final, so, um, we got beat, didn't we, 398 00:19:38.809 --> 00:19:41.650 by that long goal from Naeem? Naeem, remember that goal? 399 00:19:41.670 --> 00:19:41.970 X-Buzz. 400 00:19:42.579 --> 00:19:46.180 X-Buzz, clear out. So the Arsenal fans, um, they didn't 401 00:19:46.200 --> 00:19:49.750 like that one, but, uh, Yeah, and then I played 402 00:19:49.809 --> 00:19:51.970 in that cup final and as soon as I arrived 403 00:19:52.049 --> 00:19:55.710 at the club, Paul Merson was just coming out of 404 00:19:55.779 --> 00:19:58.779 a priory because Merson had a few issues and Merson, 405 00:19:59.539 --> 00:20:04.240 like a counsellor that was sitting on a bus, Merson 406 00:20:04.299 --> 00:20:06.519 needed him to

be alongside him all the time to 407 00:20:06.579 --> 00:20:09.259 make sure that, you know, he'd have a relapse and 408 00:20:09.299 --> 00:20:12.380 things like this. I remember that vividly and then when 409 00:20:12.440 --> 00:20:16.599 I arrived at the club Arsenal had won the Cup 410 00:20:16.640 --> 00:20:21.069 Winners Cup the previous year and then AC Milan had 411 00:20:21.109 --> 00:20:24.470 won the European Cup so there's a thing called the 412 00:20:24.549 --> 00:20:28.470 Super Cup Final and we played AC Milan over two 413 00:20:28.490 --> 00:20:31.470 legs I remember the first leg at Highbury we drew 414 00:20:31.490 --> 00:20:35.339 0-0 and I'm launched into the team so again I'm 415 00:20:35.380 --> 00:20:40.880 very young 19 you've got Costa Curta Beresi Maldini All 416 00:20:40.900 --> 00:20:44.829 these brilliant players, all different class, you know, and I'm like, 417 00:20:45.640 --> 00:20:47.269 and then we do the first game. Then we went 418 00:20:47.289 --> 00:20:51.410 to Inter Milan, the San Siro, sorry, AC Milan, the 419 00:20:51.430 --> 00:20:54.410 San Siro, and we got beat 2-0. So within six 420 00:20:54.470 --> 00:20:58.490 months of arriving at Arsenal, I played in two European finals. Okay, 421 00:20:58.529 --> 00:21:02.569 lost them both, but in terms of, you know, welcome 422 00:21:02.589 --> 00:21:04.819 to Arsenal, you know, but this is what I was 423 00:21:04.859 --> 00:21:07.339 going into. I was going into a massive, massive club. 424 00:21:07.809 --> 00:21:11.230 We're used to winning things. We have great international players, 425 00:21:11.259 --> 00:21:11.490 you know. 426 00:21:12.170 --> 00:21:13.940 Are the players good with you? You come in as 427 00:21:13.980 --> 00:21:14.619 a young player. 428 00:21:14.740 --> 00:21:20.500 Brilliant. I can remember Wright, he was really infectious. You 429 00:21:20.519 --> 00:21:22.559 could hear him before you saw him type of thing. 430 00:21:23.380 --> 00:21:25.920 He had looked after me, you know, really, really well. 431 00:21:26.019 --> 00:21:28.680 Paul Moose had lived quite near me. And it was 432 00:21:28.720 --> 00:21:34.230 the era of Lennox Lewis and Mike Dixon, Frank Bruno. 433 00:21:34.269 --> 00:21:34.490 Right. 434 00:21:35.049 --> 00:21:38.250 McCall and all these great world heavyweights, you know, that 435 00:21:38.289 --> 00:21:41.809 was going on. The heavyweight champion of the world. That 436 00:21:41.849 --> 00:21:44.480 was what it was back then. So we'd always go 437 00:21:44.500 --> 00:21:47.839 to somebody's house and watch the boxing and get a 438 00:21:47.839 --> 00:21:50.279 Chinese and all that. Yeah, I can remember that. 439 00:21:51.140 --> 00:21:51.779 That's it. 440 00:21:51.799 --> 00:21:55.619 I actually remember the story with the one with Merson. Yeah. 441 00:21:56.140 --> 00:21:59.980 Have you heard that one? It's brilliant. 442 00:22:00.269 --> 00:22:01.859 Well, I can remember joining Arsenal and. 443 00:22:04.029 -->

00:22:07.069 The first couple of days, I was, um, I was 444 00:22:07.109 --> 00:22:10.369 walking down the corridor of the training ground and I 445 00:22:10.410 --> 00:22:14.450 bump into Paul, Paul Moores. Yeah. And he said, morning John, 446 00:22:14.490 --> 00:22:16.440 hi Moores, how's it going? He said, how's your weekend? 447 00:22:16.519 --> 00:22:18.720 I said, oh great, yeah. He said to me, and 448 00:22:19.059 --> 00:22:23.579 our itinerary that week was, we train on the Monday, we, um, 449 00:22:24.359 --> 00:22:26.799 we travel, I think it was somewhere in Germany, I 450 00:22:26.819 --> 00:22:30.400 think it might have been, um, Borussia Mönchengladbach in a, 451 00:22:30.549 --> 00:22:35.849 in a Champions League qualifier. And, um, That was the itinerary. 452 00:22:35.880 --> 00:22:38.609 So we'd train on a Monday, travel on the Tuesday, 453 00:22:38.650 --> 00:22:42.690 game Wednesday. So Moose obviously knew this and he said 454 00:22:42.730 --> 00:22:45.930 to me, he said, look, John, he said, can you 455 00:22:45.970 --> 00:22:48.910 do me a favour this morning in training? So I said, 456 00:22:49.150 --> 00:22:50.769 what is it? What do you want me to do? 457 00:22:51.529 --> 00:22:53.789 And he said, well, look, I've just bought a horse. 458 00:22:54.990 --> 00:22:58.890 I've just bought a horse. He said, I've played, I've 459 00:22:58.930 --> 00:23:01.059 paid so much money for her. I said, apparently she's 460 00:23:01.079 --> 00:23:03.920 going to win as well. So I said, all right, okay. 461 00:23:04.019 --> 00:23:06.200 He said, look, mate, he said, if you can do 462 00:23:06.240 --> 00:23:08.230 me a favor this morning. I said, well, what is it? 463 00:23:08.900 --> 00:23:10.640 He said, if you can give me a little whack 464 00:23:11.039 --> 00:23:14.819 this morning in training. He says, I can miss the 465 00:23:14.859 --> 00:23:18.480 trip tomorrow off to Germany. And on Wednesday, my horse 466 00:23:18.539 --> 00:23:21.369 makes her first run. She's coming over from Cork tomorrow. 467 00:23:22.309 --> 00:23:24.789 So I thought about it for about 30 seconds. And 468 00:23:24.849 --> 00:23:27.349 I said, no problem at all, Merce, you know, because 469 00:23:27.390 --> 00:23:30.549 I quite like the physical side of the game. So 470 00:23:30.990 --> 00:23:33.779 we go out to train. And within about 30 seconds, 471 00:23:33.980 --> 00:23:37.460 Paul's run past me and I've gone wallop. You know, 472 00:23:37.480 --> 00:23:40.440 I've raked studs down his calf and he's over on 473 00:23:40.480 --> 00:23:43.359 the floor. He asked me to do it. Not my fault. 474 00:23:44.059 --> 00:23:47.000 But then he's gone over and then the physios come 475 00:23:47.099 --> 00:23:50.589 over and George Graham saying, John, he's our best player. 476 00:23:50.609 --> 00:23:52.750 Would you calm down, son? Do you know what I mean? 477 00:23:53.329 --> 00:23:55.349 And then the players are like, oh my God, what 478 00:23:55.369 --> 00:23:56.990 are you doing? Did the players know? 479 00:23:57.470 --> 00:23:58.490 Players had no idea. 480 00:23:58.710 --> 00:24:02.279 Players had no idea. So then anyway, Moose gets up, 481 00:24:02.940 --> 00:24:05.180 you know, he's a bit, gets up quite gingerly and 482 00:24:05.200 --> 00:24:07.680 I'm thinking, right, okay, it's not really gone to plan. 483 00:24:08.380 --> 00:24:12.150 We'll have to help him again. But listen to this, 484 00:24:12.190 --> 00:24:15.230 you're quite close there. So we get on with it, 485 00:24:15.269 --> 00:24:18.029 Moose is back in the game and we both run 486 00:24:18.089 --> 00:24:21.329 off and carry on training. And then after about 20 minutes, 487 00:24:21.390 --> 00:24:24.349 he comes round me, he comes round to size and 488 00:24:24.369 --> 00:24:27.349 he whispers in my ear, he says, any chance of 489 00:24:27.390 --> 00:24:32.029 making it look realistic I've already booked him up in 490 00:24:32.049 --> 00:24:36.049 the air once so anyway we're coming to the end 491 00:24:36.089 --> 00:24:38.809 of the session you can always tell because you know 492 00:24:38.869 --> 00:24:43.160 the YTS boys they're going round collecting all the bags 493 00:24:43.180 --> 00:24:45.339 and putting them sorry all the balls putting them in 494 00:24:45.359 --> 00:24:48.700 the bags and collecting the mannequins and the little cones 495 00:24:48.799 --> 00:24:52.119 up and things like that so George is like well 496 00:24:52.160 --> 00:24:55.160 done lads great session let's get over there tomorrow night 497 00:24:55.180 --> 00:24:57.549 we know what we've got to do We'll get the result, 498 00:24:57.589 --> 00:24:59.750 we'll come back and think we're in the quarterfinal or 499 00:24:59.789 --> 00:25:03.569 something like that. So Merce says to me, any chance 500 00:25:03.630 --> 00:25:06.769 of making it look realistic? So anyway, there must be 501 00:25:06.769 --> 00:25:10.470 30 seconds left, right? And George is on the halfway 502 00:25:10.519 --> 00:25:13.779 line and I see Merce and I've gone, right, you 503 00:25:13.859 --> 00:25:17.420 asked for it. So I've took off and I've caught 504 00:25:17.460 --> 00:25:20.259 him there, right? He's on the floor and he's like, 505 00:25:20.599 --> 00:25:25.089 oh my God. So George has walked off. He's raging 506 00:25:25.109 --> 00:25:28.299 with you. I'm hitting him again, right? Because he asked 507 00:25:28.339 --> 00:25:29.880 for it. He wanted me to do it. I'm only 508 00:25:29.920 --> 00:25:31.500 doing my mate the turn. That's all I'm doing. 509 00:25:31.519 --> 00:25:32.099 What the fuck? 510 00:25:32.339 --> 00:25:33.200 So the players are. 511 00:25:34.910 --> 00:25:39.180 Paul Merson didn't play for four months. And I got 512 00:25:39.220 --> 00:25:42.539 fined three weeks' wages. And apparently the horse fell and 513 00:25:42.559 --> 00:25:47.049 had to get put down. 514 00:25:47.089 --> 00:25:49.289 To be fair, if I was asking somebody to do me, 515

00:25:49.349 --> 00:25:51.349 I think you'd probably be one of the last. 516 00:25:52.769 --> 00:25:53.190 Oh, what? 517 00:25:53.250 --> 00:25:58.819 But we had Merson at my charity, my lunch last year. Brilliant, 518 00:25:59.059 --> 00:26:01.220 brilliant guy. We kept in touch as well. And it's 519 00:26:01.259 --> 00:26:03.720 good now that he's you know, he's got over his 520 00:26:03.819 --> 00:26:06.200 problems and his issues and stuff, and now he's in 521 00:26:06.240 --> 00:26:08.750 a good place, but, it. 522 00:26:08.549 --> 00:26:11.069 Looked like a team of big characters there, so you're 523 00:26:11.089 --> 00:26:12.750 talking about when you first came in in the boxing 524 00:26:12.769 --> 00:26:14.869 and all that, but did you get caught up in 525 00:26:14.890 --> 00:26:17.349 the kind of, that was a team that went out 526 00:26:17.809 --> 00:26:20.450 before Wenger came in, it was well documented, they went 527 00:26:20.529 --> 00:26:25.210 out socialising together, Tony Adams obviously, did you go out 528 00:26:25.230 --> 00:26:25.789 with them, did. 529 00:26:25.730 --> 00:26:28.250 You experience that side of it? Yeah, I definitely had 530 00:26:28.309 --> 00:26:30.589 a couple of nights out to sing, things like that, yeah, 531 00:26:30.609 --> 00:26:35.049 Liquid Lunch and all that, but, Tony was so good 532 00:26:35.130 --> 00:26:38.740 and he was such a great professional that in the 533 00:26:38.839 --> 00:26:43.220 end because of the amount of sessions and things they 534 00:26:43.259 --> 00:26:47.019 used to get on Tony Adams came out publicly and 535 00:26:47.200 --> 00:26:50.789 said he was an alcoholic and Paul Merson the same 536 00:26:50.869 --> 00:26:54.059 and one or two other issues as well so at 537 00:26:54.079 --> 00:26:57.059 that particular time Arsenal did have a drinking culture yeah 538 00:26:57.180 --> 00:27:01.420 you know most teams probably yeah and George not saying 539 00:27:01.440 --> 00:27:03.809 he wasn't doing the right thing but George played for 540 00:27:03.829 --> 00:27:07.150 Chelsea he played for Arsenal and during the flank McClintock 541 00:27:07.210 --> 00:27:10.089 and all these Charlie George and you know Liam Brady 542 00:27:10.190 --> 00:27:13.190 all these great teams Pat Rice and you know Bob 543 00:27:13.210 --> 00:27:16.559 Wilson I think at that particular in the 70s I 544 00:27:16.599 --> 00:27:19.140 think it was it was the normal thing to do 545 00:27:19.180 --> 00:27:21.240 you win a game and the lads go and go 546 00:27:21.279 --> 00:27:23.849 to London and think so George I wouldn't say old school. 547 00:27:23.869 --> 00:27:27.109 He's very, very disciplined as well. Certainly when we were training, 548 00:27:27.130 --> 00:27:29.730 he did the right thing and expected you to put 549 00:27:29.789 --> 00:27:32.150 it in and things like that. But the players got 550 00:27:32.210 --> 00:27:34.630 away with it anyway. And I can remember being at 551 00:27:35.390 --> 00:27:40.910 London Colony Arsenal's training ground. And I remember Tony Adams 552 00:27:40.950 --> 00:27:44.490 came in one morning and he said, Arsene Wenger was 553 00:27:44.579 --> 00:27:47.799 actually manager at the time. And he said, lads, he says, 554 00:27:47.859 --> 00:27:50.559 can I line you all up, please? Can I get 555 00:27:50.599 --> 00:27:54.099 you all lined up against the wall? So we're all thinking, 556 00:27:54.119 --> 00:27:59.000 fucking hell, what land post has Tony gone into? But 557 00:27:59.200 --> 00:28:01.019 he stood there and all the players were there, all 558 00:28:01.059 --> 00:28:05.619 the staff, they must have been about 35 players, youth 559 00:28:05.640 --> 00:28:10.619 team players, all the staff, the physio, the goalkeeping coach, everybody. 560 00:28:11.299 --> 00:28:14.440 So we're all there. And Tony said, lads, he said, 561 00:28:14.579 --> 00:28:18.009 I'm an alcoholic and I'm going to need your help. 562 00:28:18.329 --> 00:28:21.170 Let's go train in. And that to me is a 563 00:28:21.230 --> 00:28:23.950 real mark of a man, you know, a real man, 564 00:28:24.390 --> 00:28:26.740 a man amongst men. He got your respect. Well, he 565 00:28:26.799 --> 00:28:28.539 come out, I think the first thing you have to 566 00:28:28.579 --> 00:28:31.940 do with any addiction is admit you want help and 567 00:28:31.960 --> 00:28:35.380 you need a problem. We know the power of talking 568 00:28:35.480 --> 00:28:39.059 and sharing and things like this. And I believe, I 569 00:28:39.059 --> 00:28:41.859 think it was 28 years ago, I left Arsenal and 570 00:28:41.920 --> 00:28:45.279 I believe Tony hasn't had a drink since. You know, 571 00:28:45.400 --> 00:28:48.480 he's stuck to his guns and he's really committed now. 572 00:28:48.519 --> 00:28:51.950 He set up... the Sporting Chance, which is down in 573 00:28:52.009 --> 00:28:55.710 Forestmere in Southampton. And the amount of thousands of players, 574 00:28:55.769 --> 00:29:01.009 not just footballers with personal issues, mental health, one or 575 00:29:01.049 --> 00:29:04.980 two other things, particularly gambling, which is really prevalent in football, 576 00:29:05.000 --> 00:29:08.740 as we know. It's not just the footballers, Jackie, it's 577 00:29:08.759 --> 00:29:12.240 the general public as well. So he gets a lot 578 00:29:12.259 --> 00:29:16.299 of my respect for doing that, more than the brilliant, 579 00:29:16.420 --> 00:29:19.299 brilliant centre-back. I think when I joined Arsenal, he was 580 00:29:19.339 --> 00:29:24.130 England captain he was just a phenomenal player I think 581 00:29:24.450 --> 00:29:27.279 if you ask the likes of Alan Shearer these great 582 00:29:27.319 --> 00:29:34.509 centre forwards Tony Adams just a real man amongst men 583 00:29:34.789 --> 00:29:36.259 you know if there was a problem you'd go to 584 00:29:36.299 --> 00:29:40.039 Tony he was a leader he was a leader real 585 00:29:40.079 --> 00:29:43.539 big leader when he

spoke you listened type of thing 586 00:29:43.579 --> 00:29:47.279 but I think captains and leaders you've captained Celtic I 587 00:29:47.319 --> 00:29:52.319 think captains old school captains they were different you're looking 588 00:29:52.339 --> 00:29:56.089 at you're looking at players now and nobody nobody talks 589 00:29:56.150 --> 00:29:58.569 now nobody tells you nobody's pointing the finger and that's 590 00:29:58.589 --> 00:30:02.309 what Lenny did really well as Martin's captain and our captain, 591 00:30:02.329 --> 00:30:04.609 he'd come in at half time, and even if he 592 00:30:04.650 --> 00:30:08.410 wasn't playing well himself, he'd point the finger. He said 593 00:30:08.450 --> 00:30:10.269 to me, any fucking chance of you getting hold of 594 00:30:10.289 --> 00:30:12.789 the ball? I'd have to get hold of it. Even 595 00:30:12.829 --> 00:30:16.569 though he wasn't playing well himself, maybe at times, I'd 596 00:30:16.609 --> 00:30:17.930 have to get hold of the ball, and if I 597 00:30:17.950 --> 00:30:21.450 give it away, he was barking, don't we? Barking at 598 00:30:21.490 --> 00:30:23.670 me all the time, John, get hold of it. And 599 00:30:23.690 --> 00:30:26.130 half time, I dread going in, sometimes, because I knew 600 00:30:26.210 --> 00:30:29.089 I'd get it. Not off the manager. But Neil would 601 00:30:29.130 --> 00:30:31.789 keep an eye on things and he made sure that, 602 00:30:32.269 --> 00:30:35.190 so that for me is a good captain, you know, 603 00:30:35.299 --> 00:30:38.599 not only that, I thought, I thought he won 10 604 00:30:38.599 --> 00:30:41.160 titles at Celtic and he did really well, you know, 605 00:30:41.200 --> 00:30:44.599 six as a player, four as a manager. But what happened, 606 00:30:44.619 --> 00:30:47.980 you know, happened, but I've got the utmost respect for 607 00:30:48.019 --> 00:30:49.880 Neil in terms of the players. 608 00:30:49.960 --> 00:30:52.319 I'm just thinking about, you played with some big characters 609 00:30:52.359 --> 00:30:56.519 right throughout here. Curious, just to finish on the Arsenal bit, 610 00:30:56.799 --> 00:31:02.130 Wenger comes in Remind us, were you there for the crossover? 611 00:31:02.150 --> 00:31:02.950 How long were you there? 612 00:31:03.009 --> 00:31:05.349 What was the differences between him and George? 613 00:31:05.470 --> 00:31:09.349 Yeah, it was totally different because I think Arsene Wenger 614 00:31:09.369 --> 00:31:10.690 came in and I think he was one of the 615 00:31:10.730 --> 00:31:14.319 first managers to have come in and changed everything. And 616 00:31:14.339 --> 00:31:16.960 I think other clubs and I think Chelsea brought Viali 617 00:31:17.039 --> 00:31:19.740 in and one or two other foreign coaches. But Wenger 618 00:31:19.759 --> 00:31:24.319 was on the very first. After training every day, we'd 619 00:31:24.359 --> 00:31:28.000 go into a room and Arsene Wenger would stand in 620 00:31:28.119 --> 00:31:31.950 the middle And he'd go through everything in terms of stretching, 621 00:31:32.349 --> 00:31:35.250 you know, warming down. And it would start, you know, 622 00:31:35.269 --> 00:31:37.930 with the arms, and then it was the shoulders, and 623 00:31:37.950 --> 00:31:40.640 then it was like the hamstrings, the hips, the toes, everything, 624 00:31:40.900 --> 00:31:43.339 touching the toes. And they would be in there for 625 00:31:43.400 --> 00:31:48.259 about 40 minutes, warming down, stretching. Just like the importance 626 00:31:48.339 --> 00:31:51.849 of stretching. You know, the lads were so used to, like, rushing, 627 00:31:52.150 --> 00:31:52.890 you couldn't leave. 628 00:31:52.910 --> 00:31:53.829 Get finished and get away. 629 00:31:53.849 --> 00:31:58.500 Yeah, you couldn't leave the dining room. without Arsene Wenger 630 00:31:58.539 --> 00:32:02.000 giving you permission to go. Everybody had to eat, all 631 00:32:02.079 --> 00:32:05.019 finished roughly the same time. And then he'd say, right guys, 632 00:32:05.099 --> 00:32:07.599 off you go. And then that, it was just the, 633 00:32:07.839 --> 00:32:12.900 not the discipline, but it was just Arsene Wenger, the professionalism, 634 00:32:13.029 --> 00:32:17.450 you know, he'd eat slow to win and all that stuff, 635 00:32:17.470 --> 00:32:21.170 these little verbs that he'd say. You know, the drinks 636 00:32:21.809 --> 00:32:25.950 that we ate, the energy drinks and training was, everything 637 00:32:25.990 --> 00:32:29.440 was done with a whistle. So it was all timing. 638 00:32:29.500 --> 00:32:33.279 You do, you know, you do, you know, you do 639 00:32:33.380 --> 00:32:36.839 about 15 minutes of running all the way around the 640 00:32:37.059 --> 00:32:40.440 training ground, light running, just to get all the lactic 641 00:32:40.539 --> 00:32:43.619 acid out of your body. And then once you got 642 00:32:43.660 --> 00:32:46.740 back in after 15 minutes, you're ready to go. You know, 643 00:32:46.779 --> 00:32:50.559 we do a passing drill for 20, 25 minutes. Then 644 00:32:50.599 --> 00:32:53.059 we'd go into like, you know, eight decides, but it 645 00:32:53.099 --> 00:32:55.789 was all organized. It was all almost in your position. 646 00:32:55.809 --> 00:32:56.069 Yeah. 647 00:32:56.369 --> 00:32:58.869 It wasn't like people could go wide and I could 648 00:32:58.890 --> 00:33:01.390 go wide. I had to play the role that I 649 00:33:01.430 --> 00:33:05.039 was playing on the Saturday. And then you'd finish them 650 00:33:05.059 --> 00:33:08.240 with David Seaman and David Seaman, Bob Wilson, the great 651 00:33:08.279 --> 00:33:11.119 Bob Wilson. They would take you for some shooting practice 652 00:33:11.339 --> 00:33:15.039 if you wanted. Stuart Houston was there. George Graham, Jody 653 00:33:15.140 --> 00:33:17.880 Armstrong was there as well. George used to do the reserves. 654 00:33:18.509 --> 00:33:21.589 You know, George was a fantastic player. I think George 655 00:33:22.490 --> 00:33:28.000

Armstrong was one of the One of the few players, 656 00:33:28.240 --> 00:33:30.799 brilliant players, not to have had an England cap. It's 657 00:33:30.819 --> 00:33:33.539 very similar to Steve Bruce. Bruce, he was a brilliant centre-up, 658 00:33:33.559 --> 00:33:36.319 never had an England cap. It's like that pub question, 659 00:33:36.359 --> 00:33:36.759 if you like. 660 00:33:36.779 --> 00:33:38.440 So many good defenders at that time. 661 00:33:38.480 --> 00:33:41.480 Yeah, it was. So then, and then Arsene Wenger, we'd 662 00:33:41.500 --> 00:33:44.240 have shooting practice afterwards with David Seaman. That's when I 663 00:33:44.279 --> 00:33:48.509 realised what an incredible goalkeeper. He was just, he could 664 00:33:48.700 --> 00:33:52.309 stop everything. He's picking them out of the air. So 665 00:33:52.349 --> 00:33:54.890 then that's when, you know, the boot camps and then 666 00:33:54.930 --> 00:33:58.869 I played with Ryan Giggs and real superstars that went 667 00:33:58.970 --> 00:34:00.150 on to play. 668 00:34:00.829 --> 00:34:03.809 Did you get capped when you were at Arsenal? 669 00:34:03.829 --> 00:34:06.569 Yeah, I would have been capped. I got my first 670 00:34:06.609 --> 00:34:11.780 cap against Bulgaria in 1995 for Wales out in Sofia. 671 00:34:11.800 --> 00:34:15.659 I remember playing in that one. But even with Wales, 672 00:34:15.739 --> 00:34:18.099 I ended up getting 51 caps. I probably should have 673 00:34:18.139 --> 00:34:21.840 had more, but I had Rush, Hughes and Saunders. They 674 00:34:21.860 --> 00:34:24.619 were the three Welsh strikers at the time, you know. 675 00:34:25.130 --> 00:34:30.150 Dino's at Liverpool, Rush is at Liverpool and Juventus. Sparky 676 00:34:30.250 --> 00:34:32.989 was at United and Bayern Munich. So I've got all 677 00:34:33.050 --> 00:34:37.969 these superstars and I'm there 19, 20 coming through and 678 00:34:38.510 --> 00:34:41.050 I got 51 caps and almost, they were all 10 679 00:34:41.050 --> 00:34:44.050 years older than me. So I'd almost wait for one 680 00:34:44.090 --> 00:34:46.530 of them to go, well, I'll step aside type of thing, 681 00:34:46.550 --> 00:34:46.820 you know. 682 00:34:47.380 --> 00:34:49.719 When you actually think about it there, just the players 683 00:34:49.739 --> 00:34:52.880 here are rhyming off. So you're a striker where back 684 00:34:52.900 --> 00:34:55.369 in the day there was two in the team. Now, Nowadays, 685 00:34:55.409 --> 00:34:56.110 only one in the team. 686 00:34:56.130 --> 00:35:01.130 But you've had to compete with Wright, Bergkamp, on an 687 00:35:01.190 --> 00:35:09.239 international front, Rush, Mark Hughes, and then even Celtic. You've 688 00:35:09.599 --> 00:35:12.260 had some real good partners to play with. But not 689 00:35:12.300 --> 00:35:14.820 only that, having to compete to get the jersey as well. 690 00:35:15.099 --> 00:35:19.000 Right through your career. When I came up to join Celtic, 691 00:35:20.250 --> 00:35:22.070 First thing I'm thinking of, you have a look at 692 00:35:22.110 --> 00:35:25.130 how the boys did the season before. You look at 693 00:35:25.170 --> 00:35:27.570 some of the players, thinking in a couple of weeks 694 00:35:27.610 --> 00:35:29.010 time I'm going to be on the training ground with 695 00:35:29.030 --> 00:35:30.800 these lads. So you start thinking about it. 696 00:35:31.630 --> 00:35:33.230 What year did you sign, John? 697 00:35:33.550 --> 00:35:37.050 I signed in 2001. I had five years at the club. 698 00:35:37.289 --> 00:35:41.369 And then Gordon Strachan came in, Gordon's last year. sorry, 699 00:35:41.409 --> 00:35:44.030 Gordon's first year, my last year, we won the league, 700 00:35:44.050 --> 00:35:47.110 me and Madzyk Zorawski scored 20 goals apiece, and we 701 00:35:47.130 --> 00:35:49.269 won the league, and Gordon's first year, so that would 702 00:35:49.289 --> 00:35:51.789 have been a great start for him, and it ended 703 00:35:51.829 --> 00:35:54.250 up with a great finish for me, if you like, 704 00:35:54.289 --> 00:35:57.070 I was a bit surprised, you know, how quick I 705 00:35:57.110 --> 00:36:02.429 left the club, but anyway, that's another thing, I think 706 00:36:02.489 --> 00:36:09.780 Gordon had brought in, Kenny, Kenny, Kenny Miller, Kenny Miller, 707 00:36:09.920 --> 00:36:13.239 and he brought in, but no that was after me 708 00:36:13.940 --> 00:36:16.300 he brought in the lad from Motherwell who did really 709 00:36:16.340 --> 00:36:19.420 well Scott McDonnell Scott did really well for Celtic by 710 00:36:19.440 --> 00:36:21.659 the way I wasn't too happy with him scoring two 711 00:36:21.760 --> 00:36:25.349 goals against us on the last day of the season 712 00:36:25.630 --> 00:36:28.349 but yeah they were sitting in the dressing room at 713 00:36:28.369 --> 00:36:31.329 the time when I came back in for pre-season so 714 00:36:31.710 --> 00:36:34.849 I think Gordon almost thought well somebody has to go 715 00:36:35.050 --> 00:36:37.800 you know and he'd had I think he'd had a 716 00:36:37.840 --> 00:36:39.300 bit from me he said to me he was sitting 717 00:36:39.340 --> 00:36:42.469 on a plane coming back from a long whole flight 718 00:36:42.730 --> 00:36:45.110 Gordon when you sit next to Brian Robson the West 719 00:36:45.190 --> 00:36:48.449 Brom United great because they were good friends they played 720 00:36:48.550 --> 00:36:53.110 together with my United and the Sir Alex and he 721 00:36:53.150 --> 00:36:55.050 said to me look he said Brian Robson would like 722 00:36:55.070 --> 00:36:57.360 to take you to West Brom John he said he's 723 00:36:57.400 --> 00:37:00.079 a big fan and I said sign this Kevin Phillips 724 00:37:00.179 --> 00:37:03.079 as well he was a great player and then I 725 00:37:03.159 --> 00:37:05.980 ended up leaving signed on the same day as Kevin 726 00:37:06.019 --> 00:37:09.630 Phillips and I left for 500 grand and literally I 727 00:37:09.670 -->

00:37:12.139 was out the door I was out the door pretty quick. 728 00:37:12.880 --> 00:37:18.420 You see these Joe Hart five farewell games. I didn't 729 00:37:18.440 --> 00:37:22.409 get one. I would have liked to have that farewell 730 00:37:22.449 --> 00:37:26.949 game where you know Henrik had it. Brilliant. 731 00:37:26.989 --> 00:37:30.070 What about when you arrived then? You spoke about the 732 00:37:30.090 --> 00:37:31.829 strikers there. You're coming in there. 733 00:37:31.869 --> 00:37:32.409 Sutty's there. 734 00:37:33.469 --> 00:37:35.309 Kings is there. What's your thoughts? 735 00:37:35.409 --> 00:37:39.670 Am I going to play with them? Initially I'm thinking 736 00:37:39.690 --> 00:37:42.110 how am I going to get a game here? I 737 00:37:42.150 --> 00:37:45.210 think the previous year Chris and Henrik had scored 66 738 00:37:45.210 --> 00:37:48.460 goals between them. They were the darlings of the crowd. 739 00:37:48.739 --> 00:37:51.579 The crowd loved them. I thought Chris was a brilliant 740 00:37:51.719 --> 00:37:56.840 foil for Henrik. Chris was very, very unselfish. He really, 741 00:37:56.860 --> 00:38:00.219 really was. He'd put his body in. He'd try and 742 00:38:00.260 --> 00:38:03.210 get across and if he knew he was gonna get hurt, 743 00:38:03.269 --> 00:38:05.090 if the keeper was coming out with the fish and 744 00:38:05.130 --> 00:38:07.369 he had to just get a slight header, know when 745 00:38:07.409 --> 00:38:10.530 he was gonna get whacked. And if he made a goal, 746 00:38:11.030 --> 00:38:12.510 he was that type of player. And he was a 747 00:38:12.550 --> 00:38:16.420 fantastic Golden Boot winner and everything else, and Premier League winner. 748 00:38:16.440 --> 00:38:18.199 So they had a really good player in Chris Sutton. 749 00:38:18.809 --> 00:38:21.809 Hi guys, as you probably well know by now, we 750 00:38:21.849 --> 00:38:27.010 have signed up for the London Marathon next April and 751 00:38:27.030 --> 00:38:30.329 we have some fantastic people supporting us, groups supporting us. 752 00:38:30.369 --> 00:38:32.610 We're doing it for a fantastic cause, or two causes, 753 00:38:32.650 --> 00:38:33.269 who are we doing it for? 754 00:38:33.369 --> 00:38:37.650 We're doing it for Headway UK and the Concilium Sports Foundation. 755 00:38:37.909 --> 00:38:41.869 Yep, so we're going to have some updated videos of 756 00:38:42.110 --> 00:38:45.190 our progress and our training and everything else it takes 757 00:38:45.309 --> 00:38:46.530 to get us over the line. 758 00:38:47.079 --> 00:38:49.010 He's emphasised that time doesn't matter. 759 00:38:49.030 --> 00:38:50.360 It doesn't matter. 760 00:38:50.989 --> 00:38:52.090 As long as we complete it. 761 00:38:52.260 --> 00:38:57.869 There'll be a link in the bio for any charity donations. 762 00:38:58.170 --> 00:38:59.590 We're going to be raising as much money as we 763 00:38:59.630 --> 00:39:02.789 can over the next period of time. Our training starts 764

00:39:02.869 --> 00:39:06.829 very soon. And yeah, look forward to some updates on here. 765 00:39:07.070 --> 00:39:12.449 Hopefully no injuries. But it was his willingness, really, to 766 00:39:12.469 --> 00:39:15.110 go into midfield and to go into centre back. Chris 767 00:39:15.150 --> 00:39:19.340 was very, very versatile, although I always felt that his 768 00:39:19.360 --> 00:39:21.800 best position was the centre forward, no doubt about that, 769 00:39:22.360 --> 00:39:25.909 for me. But he was willing, and I often say 770 00:39:25.969 --> 00:39:27.650 this to him, I often say this when we go 771 00:39:27.690 --> 00:39:29.909 out and we do lunches and stuff, we start supporting. 772 00:39:30.760 --> 00:39:33.059 that if he wasn't for Chris you know because he 773 00:39:33.079 --> 00:39:34.480 could have got the ump he could have said to 774 00:39:34.500 --> 00:39:38.539 Martin I want to play up front scored all that 775 00:39:38.559 --> 00:39:41.119 partnership we won the treble last year you know for 776 00:39:41.139 --> 00:39:43.139 the first time when I wasn't part of that treble 777 00:39:43.199 --> 00:39:46.510 I came the year later but it was because of 778 00:39:46.570 --> 00:39:49.929 his maybe it was respect for me because we'd played 779 00:39:49.989 --> 00:39:55.380 against each other numerous times, West Ham, Blackburn, Arsenal, other 780 00:39:55.420 --> 00:39:59.079 teams that Chris had played for. And we'd have had 781 00:39:59.099 --> 00:40:02.000 mutual respect for each other because of the jobs that 782 00:40:02.199 --> 00:40:05.860 we know each other's roles so well, what people expect 783 00:40:05.949 --> 00:40:10.190 from a centre forward. He'd know what the team needs 784 00:40:10.230 --> 00:40:12.489 from me, vice versa, what the team needs from him. 785 00:40:12.530 --> 00:40:16.949 It's like the goalkeepers' union. So we'd have had mutual 786 00:40:16.989 --> 00:40:20.809 respect for each other as players. And maybe it was that, 787 00:40:21.070 --> 00:40:23.590 maybe because he knew that I could score goals, you know, 788 00:40:23.610 --> 00:40:27.130 but there's no doubt that if it wasn't maybe for Chris, 789 00:40:27.170 --> 00:40:29.590 he could have kicked up a fuss. But he didn't, 790 00:40:29.650 --> 00:40:32.710 he was fantastic and he went and played just off 791 00:40:32.730 --> 00:40:35.349 the front and he was, you know, he could play 792 00:40:35.429 --> 00:40:39.190 just as well centre half. I can remember, you know, 793 00:40:39.230 --> 00:40:41.219 you were in the team, Jackie, and would have played 794 00:40:41.280 --> 00:40:44.440 alongside him. He used to breeze the game from the 795 00:40:44.480 --> 00:40:46.280 back because he was such a good footballer, he could 796 00:40:46.340 --> 00:40:49.500 come out. He could knock diagonals and he just made 797 00:40:49.519 --> 00:40:52.400 the game look very easy. Yeah, so that was one 798 00:40:52.429 --> 00:40:54.550 of the reasons then I got in. And

once I 799 00:40:54.590 --> 00:40:58.309 got in, after five or six games, I never came out. 800 00:40:58.929 --> 00:41:01.489 I never came out to the side. I'd come off 801 00:41:01.570 --> 00:41:05.710 a few times after 55 minutes. But I normally score 802 00:41:05.730 --> 00:41:09.630 two goals when I go in. But yeah, and I 803 00:41:09.650 --> 00:41:12.739 then went on to have a great five years. But 804 00:41:12.760 --> 00:41:15.690 a couple of times, You know, ups and downs. You know, 805 00:41:15.710 --> 00:41:18.110 the downs were missing the UEFA Cup final. 806 00:41:18.150 --> 00:41:20.010 Can I touch on that? Yeah, so just talk us 807 00:41:20.030 --> 00:41:24.610 through that because you played such a huge role in 808 00:41:24.630 --> 00:41:27.329 the games leading up to that. Obviously, the goal at Anfield, 809 00:41:27.909 --> 00:41:31.510 I think you scored against Celta Vigo as well. You'll 810 00:41:31.530 --> 00:41:33.949 have a great memory of your goals. But you played 811 00:41:33.989 --> 00:41:36.510 such a big role in that team through. Where did 812 00:41:36.530 --> 00:41:39.900 you pick up the injury and how did you feel 813 00:41:39.940 --> 00:41:42.579 missing it in that potentially the biggest game of your career? 814 00:41:42.599 --> 00:41:46.260 Yeah, well, in terms of... In terms of life in itself, 815 00:41:46.320 --> 00:41:49.550 you know, a lot of them were devastation. You know, 816 00:41:49.570 --> 00:41:52.210 I wasn't devastated because you look at what's happening in 817 00:41:52.230 --> 00:41:55.789 the world at the minute. That's devastating. But I was disappointed, 818 00:41:55.869 --> 00:41:58.869 obviously frustrated to have missed a game because I'd played 819 00:41:58.929 --> 00:42:02.840 in 12 out of the previous games in that cup run. 820 00:42:03.199 --> 00:42:05.619 Scored big goals. Yeah, and I scored a kind of ego, 821 00:42:05.659 --> 00:42:08.039 which we lost the game, but that goal took Celtic 822 00:42:08.059 --> 00:42:11.639 through beyond Christmas. I think it was 22 years, I think, 823 00:42:11.659 --> 00:42:15.239 which I couldn't actually believe that Celtic hadn't achieve that 824 00:42:15.300 --> 00:42:18.400 before this team come along. It was a long time 825 00:42:18.940 --> 00:42:22.500 not to have gone beyond the new year, you know, 826 00:42:22.539 --> 00:42:27.519 still in Europe. So that goal was, you know, absolutely 827 00:42:27.559 --> 00:42:31.099 the most important goal. I got better goals, but that 828 00:42:31.139 --> 00:42:34.059 was the most important goal because of what happened. We 829 00:42:34.099 --> 00:42:36.960 got to the UEFA Cup final from there. You know, 830 00:42:37.019 --> 00:42:39.590 although we lost the game that night 2-1, that away 831 00:42:39.610 --> 00:42:43.269 goal was was crucial for us in terms of where 832 00:42:43.309 --> 00:42:47.550 we ended up that year in the final. But it 833 00:42:47.590 --> 00:42:50.820 was really, really disappointing

and I had a little back 834 00:42:50.889 --> 00:42:53.539 injury and I thought I could get to the end 835 00:42:53.579 --> 00:42:55.619 of the season. I needed an operation at the end 836 00:42:55.639 --> 00:42:58.500 of the season because I wasn't training that much. I 837 00:42:58.539 --> 00:43:01.619 was putting bags of ice on my back. I think 838 00:43:01.639 --> 00:43:04.280 we played up in Aberdeen once and I sat with 839 00:43:04.320 --> 00:43:06.360 a packet of ice all the way back three hours 840 00:43:06.420 --> 00:43:08.920 on the bus. I was I was having deep heat, 841 00:43:09.119 --> 00:43:11.960 which I didn't think was a great thing because deep 842 00:43:12.000 --> 00:43:14.079 heat just numbs it for the sake of the game. 843 00:43:14.739 --> 00:43:18.679 And then when the deep heat wears off, it's like cream. 844 00:43:19.420 --> 00:43:21.900 Makes your back almost on fire, you know, you get 845 00:43:21.940 --> 00:43:25.090 that feeling. But it numbs the pain, so I was 846 00:43:25.130 --> 00:43:27.590 getting through games and then what the deep heat was doing, 847 00:43:28.070 --> 00:43:29.929 when that was easing off, it would just be three 848 00:43:29.969 --> 00:43:33.130 times as bad because I'd been moving it around with 849 00:43:33.150 --> 00:43:35.309 the deep heat on it, I didn't feel it. But 850 00:43:35.329 --> 00:43:37.599 when it wears off, you're like, it's two or three 851 00:43:37.639 --> 00:43:40.639 times worse so I'd been getting through games and then 852 00:43:40.840 --> 00:43:44.570 I think we we beat Bo Vista on the Thursday 853 00:43:44.610 --> 00:43:48.349 night Henrik scored that goal and it was me Henrik 854 00:43:48.389 --> 00:43:51.030 Chris played midfield that night you know did you play 855 00:43:51.070 --> 00:43:51.530 that night John? 856 00:43:51.550 --> 00:43:53.110 I was coming on just as I was so. 857 00:43:52.949 --> 00:43:55.989 Went ah right ok yeah and then we beat Bo 858 00:43:56.010 --> 00:43:59.809 Vista 1-0 biggest goal he could almost say that was 859 00:43:59.849 --> 00:44:02.289 as big a goal as anything there's a. 860 00:44:02.269 --> 00:44:05.420 Great picture that you celebrate now there's a great just 861 00:44:05.500 --> 00:44:09.219 after the goal I don't. 862 00:44:08.400 --> 00:44:12.000 Know and then Hendricks goes and we beat Boavista and 863 00:44:12.019 --> 00:44:14.449 then we come back on the Sunday and we've got 864 00:44:14.469 --> 00:44:16.989 a really big game against Rangers it was almost like 865 00:44:17.150 --> 00:44:19.610 nip and tuck at the time but there's another six 866 00:44:19.690 --> 00:44:23.429 games to go of the season we go to Rangers 867 00:44:23.550 --> 00:44:27.829 and we have a great win we win 2-1 Amoruso 868 00:44:27.849 --> 00:44:30.530 brought me down in the first ten minutes Tomo scores 869 00:44:30.550 --> 00:44:34.079 the penalty I then scored our second goal and I 870 00:44:34.119 --> 00:44:36.389 think God rest him I think Rickson

got the goal 871 00:44:36.409 --> 00:44:40.869 back for Rangers. We win 2-1 and we're in a 872 00:44:41.070 --> 00:44:43.969 real good battle for the league. We know we're in 873 00:44:43.989 --> 00:44:46.599 the final, so we know we've got something great to 874 00:44:46.619 --> 00:44:52.500 play for. So I, about 65th minute, I just leant over, 875 00:44:52.619 --> 00:44:55.300 sort of running, just trying to close the full back down. 876 00:44:55.760 --> 00:44:59.179 And I almost slipped. My left leg went from underneath 877 00:44:59.219 --> 00:45:01.650 me and as I slipped, I come down really hard 878 00:45:02.269 --> 00:45:05.119 and I just hit my back And I struggled to 879 00:45:05.159 --> 00:45:08.059 get back up on my feet. And I burst a 880 00:45:08.079 --> 00:45:13.039 disc in my back. And I remember looking over to 881 00:45:13.059 --> 00:45:16.280 the touchline. And I knew, I knew I wouldn't play 882 00:45:16.300 --> 00:45:20.300 the UEFA Cup final from then. Just psychologically, I think 883 00:45:20.340 --> 00:45:23.909 you know your own body and stuff. So I looked 884 00:45:23.969 --> 00:45:26.710 over at the bench and I just went, I'm done. 885 00:45:27.130 --> 00:45:29.269 I said to Robbo and Martin, I said, I've got 886 00:45:29.289 --> 00:45:31.429 to come off. I'm in desperate pain here. And I 887 00:45:31.510 --> 00:45:33.630 never asked to come off any time in my career. 888 00:45:33.730 --> 00:45:33.869 Yeah. 889 00:45:34.219 --> 00:45:36.340 But I knew if I'd carried on and my back 890 00:45:36.380 --> 00:45:40.380 was just so sore, I'd have no chance. But then 891 00:45:40.440 --> 00:45:43.699 I found out as the days went on, the op 892 00:45:43.739 --> 00:45:47.510 needed to happen sooner rather than later. Because the sooner 893 00:45:47.530 --> 00:45:50.929 you had the op done, the quicker the recovery and 894 00:45:51.150 --> 00:45:56.090 rehab and stuff. But I knew then, which was devastating. 895 00:45:56.190 --> 00:45:59.030 I was on about 26 goals that season. And then 896 00:45:59.210 --> 00:46:02.409 we lost that league. We lost that particularly by a goal. 897 00:46:03.300 --> 00:46:08.300 So there's no doubt that I've added to my tally 898 00:46:08.500 --> 00:46:11.320 in that last six games. So it was a double 899 00:46:11.360 --> 00:46:14.559 whammy for me, really. I couldn't play the remainder of 900 00:46:14.599 --> 00:46:17.780 the games, and I couldn't play in the UEFA Cup final, 901 00:46:17.860 --> 00:46:22.980 which was, as far as disappointments go, they don't come 902 00:46:23.000 --> 00:46:25.880 bigger than that, especially when I felt as if I 903 00:46:25.920 --> 00:46:29.030 was a big part of that team. That system that 904 00:46:29.050 --> 00:46:32.039 we played, we went to Liverpool, brilliant result not many 905 00:46:32.079 --> 00:46:33.360 teams win at Anfield. 906 00:46:33.039 --> 00:46:34.579 It's a case of what ifs as well for the 907 00:46:34.619 --> 00:46:37.719 final itself they're talking about goals missed out on if 908 00:46:37.960 --> 00:46:40.320 the three of them are playing it's a handful. 909 00:46:40.539 --> 00:46:42.880 Especially in that kind of game I know you you'd 910 00:46:42.940 --> 00:46:45.260 spoke before about it being too hot for you and 911 00:46:45.280 --> 00:46:47.579 all the rest of it but I don't I think 912 00:46:47.909 --> 00:46:50.530 the way the three like a lot of the team 913 00:46:50.550 --> 00:46:53.570 especially in Europe I don't think they would have came 914 00:46:53.630 --> 00:46:57.610 up against players like John like used to bully them 915 00:46:57.829 --> 00:47:00.710 yeah You know, Luke Anderlecht, other games that you've played 916 00:47:00.769 --> 00:47:04.590 over the years, Luke Kompany, you know, these centre-halves. 917 00:47:04.869 --> 00:47:09.210 Yeah. But it's something like, you know, people say, yeah, 918 00:47:09.250 --> 00:47:11.500 we missed you in the eight-figure finals, we'd have won 919 00:47:11.519 --> 00:47:14.219 that game, we'd have won that game. But you'll never know, 920 00:47:14.480 --> 00:47:16.579 you'll never know. And as I said, it was boiling 921 00:47:16.619 --> 00:47:18.659 that I went over to support the boys. 922 00:47:18.699 --> 00:47:21.159 Tell us about that, because he tells a story where 923 00:47:21.179 --> 00:47:22.320 you were women together. 924 00:47:21.989 --> 00:47:22.820 That night before the. 925 00:47:25.079 --> 00:47:27.219 You've got to tell them to me. What was Martin thinking? 926 00:47:27.260 --> 00:47:29.570 Because he's not playing. I'm putting him in with you. 927 00:47:29.710 --> 00:47:32.610 No, but when John first came in the Kirby room, 928 00:47:32.630 --> 00:47:35.849 it was the first game with Kilmarnock. 929 00:47:36.849 --> 00:47:40.010 But I've only been signed once in my career. 930 00:47:40.489 --> 00:47:41.599 It wasn't your fault. 931 00:47:42.380 --> 00:47:43.300 It wasn't the two of us were late. 932 00:47:43.320 --> 00:47:46.139 Two of the savages, Kilmarnock. So what was it? 933 00:47:46.679 --> 00:47:48.980 No, they wouldn't have come for pre-match, you big man. 934 00:47:49.000 --> 00:47:52.179 They wouldn't have come for pre-match. Ever? Well, I did 935 00:47:52.280 --> 00:47:55.570 once in a while, but. I just ate my own sandwich. 936 00:47:55.829 --> 00:47:56.949 So what did you get fined for? 937 00:47:57.869 --> 00:48:00.090 It was in UV, away. 938 00:48:00.789 --> 00:48:04.619 So we'd fly early in the morning and we would 939 00:48:04.639 --> 00:48:08.099 train the night before the game at the stadium. And 940 00:48:08.280 --> 00:48:10.460 we fell asleep, didn't we? And we used to get 941 00:48:10.480 --> 00:48:13.579 a wake-up call from Big Jim Henry. And he never 942 00:48:13.599 --> 00:48:16.090 gave us one. But then we got a call from 943 00:48:16.320 --> 00:48:18.769 the room that came through. We kind of woke up 944 00:48:18.829 --> 00:48:23.619 and it was George Douglas. Security says, oh,

you better help, 945 00:48:23.719 --> 00:48:26.980 the bus is leaving for training. So the two of 946 00:48:27.019 --> 00:48:29.099 us put our training gear on down the stairs and 947 00:48:29.639 --> 00:48:32.659 seen the bus driving away. So Martin was obviously meant 948 00:48:32.679 --> 00:48:35.670 to fuck them. So we jumped in the security cars. 949 00:48:35.809 --> 00:48:37.750 We actually beat the bus to the stadium. 950 00:48:37.769 --> 00:48:38.170 That's right. 951 00:48:38.349 --> 00:48:41.849 In Turin, in Martin's lake. Right, the two of us 952 00:48:41.909 --> 00:48:42.349 are fined. 953 00:48:42.510 --> 00:48:43.909 We were shitting ourselves, by the way. 954 00:48:44.329 --> 00:48:45.750 There's nothing worse than being late for. 955 00:48:45.809 --> 00:48:49.260 Back there, Simon, it's like... What's feeling the world? We 956 00:48:49.280 --> 00:48:49.610 were like. 957 00:48:50.610 --> 00:48:51.760 all the boys were. 958 00:48:51.639 --> 00:48:55.820 Loving it all over the place all over the place 959 00:48:55.840 --> 00:48:57.800 he was like what's the guy going to do is 960 00:48:57.820 --> 00:48:59.280 he going to find us is he going to come 961 00:48:59.360 --> 00:49:01.199 over and scream in our face is he going to 962 00:49:01.300 --> 00:49:03.719 ridicule us yeah that's what Marty was like he was 963 00:49:03.760 --> 00:49:05.260 fucking brutal. 964 00:49:04.699 --> 00:49:07.059 He'd done it individually so he'd find us. 965 00:49:06.980 --> 00:49:09.679 Yeah and I think we'd go through training. 966 00:49:09.449 --> 00:49:12.210 So he was like he gave us a couple of 967 00:49:12.230 --> 00:49:15.150 days to get us he was like bring in 400 968 00:49:15.150 --> 00:49:18.829 quid on Friday so I had to go and get 969 00:49:18.869 --> 00:49:20.360 cash out of the machine and bring it in to him. 970 00:49:21.079 --> 00:49:23.639 And years later, I found out John was four grand. 971 00:49:26.019 --> 00:49:30.460 I think that was a few levels of waging. And 972 00:49:30.500 --> 00:49:32.920 I was raging on 400 quid, taking 400 quid out 973 00:49:32.980 --> 00:49:33.420 of the machine. 974 00:49:33.440 --> 00:49:34.059 I was like, fuck. 975 00:49:34.099 --> 00:49:34.900 Here's the thing to me. 976 00:49:34.960 --> 00:49:37.739 I thought it was going to be for the tuna sandwiches, 977 00:49:37.860 --> 00:49:39.340 but he's actually been late for training. 978 00:49:40.769 --> 00:49:46.199 And to be fair, you never get late for Juventus. Genuinely, 979 00:49:46.219 --> 00:49:49.500 we missed the Alamco. You're going to have a little 980 00:49:49.539 --> 00:49:52.579 kip for the evening kick-off. It's Big Jim's fault. 981 00:49:52.860 --> 00:49:54.619 It's Big Jim Henry for not getting the call. We 982 00:49:54.699 --> 00:49:55.559 all hope you dug him out. 983 00:49:56.760 --> 00:49:58.320 I had nothing to tell him when I was reading 984 00:49:58.360 --> 00:49:58.570 his book. 985 00:49:58.619 --> 00:50:02.989 It was four grand. Four grand. 986 00:50:09.730 --> 00:50:11.670 So what about the night before that's the one I 987 00:50:11.670 --> 00:50:16.659 know about the night before Seville the final big game aye. 988 00:50:16.800 --> 00:50:18.679 Me and John Rooney together and you went out with 989 00:50:18.699 --> 00:50:21.260 Boydie didn't you because Boydie was out as well I 990 00:50:21.480 --> 00:50:23.699 think it was a back injury as well. 991 00:50:23.559 --> 00:50:26.219 I don't know but me and Boydie decided to talk 992 00:50:26.239 --> 00:50:28.340 to all the fans and we mixed in with them 993 00:50:28.360 --> 00:50:32.239 and all that we split up I think me and 994 00:50:32.260 --> 00:50:34.119 Boydie split up and I thought well I better get 995 00:50:34.179 --> 00:50:36.050 on must have been two in the morning or something 996 00:50:36.070 --> 00:50:37.550 you carry on you carry better than. 997 00:50:37.530 --> 00:50:41.280 Me No, he was going out and he just, I 998 00:50:41.320 --> 00:50:43.579 think it was the first time you shaved your hair off. 999 00:50:43.940 --> 00:50:44.320 Oh, right. 1000 00:50:44.980 --> 00:50:47.039 And he was sitting there and he had his tattoo 1001 00:50:47.099 --> 00:50:48.699 and I was like, he was sitting edge of the bed, 1002 00:50:48.719 --> 00:50:52.239 he was bollocked, he was always fucking bollocked. No matter 1003 00:50:52.280 --> 00:50:55.280 what happened, he was never, do you wear clothes in 1004 00:50:55.300 --> 00:50:57.539 the house ever? 1005 00:50:57.579 --> 00:51:00.510 I do now, I've got to cover up now, yeah. 1006 00:51:00.610 --> 00:51:02.170 So he was sitting edge of the bed before he 1007 00:51:02.190 --> 00:51:03.889 went out, before he put his clothes on and he 1008 00:51:03.909 --> 00:51:05.909 was like, I says, fuck me, big man. 1009 00:51:05.949 --> 00:51:06.750 You're like a wee Buddha. 1010 00:51:08.989 --> 00:51:12.179 So it goes on and on bear in mind it's 1011 00:51:12.199 --> 00:51:15.039 the biggest game in my life absolutely in a cup 1012 00:51:15.059 --> 00:51:15.760 of finals. 1013 00:51:15.480 --> 00:51:18.239 He should have roamed on his own that's what I'm 1014 00:51:18.280 --> 00:51:19.659 thinking he should have roamed. 1015 00:51:19.539 --> 00:51:21.219 On his own I think that kind of told me 1016 00:51:21.239 --> 00:51:25.300 that I wasn't starting and then he came in 3, 1017 00:51:25.300 --> 00:51:26.849 4 in the morning. 1018 00:51:27.190 --> 00:51:29.289 And he came in in the door opened up the 1019 00:51:29.309 --> 00:51:33.079 minibar opened the minibar back of the pringles I used 1020 00:51:33.119 --> 00:51:35.590 to start him with a bar with Twixies and all 1021 00:51:35.610 --> 00:51:36.030 that stuff. 1022 00:51:35.969 --> 00:51:40.690 In there and he's like toy wee Buddha's him I 1023 00:51:40.750 --> 00:51:44.409 always have a snack by the time of night we 1024 00:51:44.429 --> 00:51:46.699 had a good old go didn't we we did yeah 1025 00:51:47.320 --> 00:51:48.130 good

times. 1026 00:51:48.340 --> 00:51:51.960 Great times great times just as I say that you 1027 00:51:51.980 --> 00:51:55.440 talk about it yourself the what ifs we could have 1028 00:51:55.460 --> 00:51:58.530 had another European trophy in the cabinet if you'd played 1029 00:51:58.570 --> 00:52:01.690 that The three up front were such a handful in 1030 00:52:01.710 --> 00:52:02.150 those days. 1031 00:52:02.170 --> 00:52:07.260 Physicality, quality. I was in great fettle as well. 1032 00:52:08.159 --> 00:52:10.059 I was flying. 1033 00:52:10.119 --> 00:52:12.539 I was flying. I was scoring every week. I think 1034 00:52:12.559 --> 00:52:16.099 I was on 26 goals that season. And obviously I 1035 00:52:16.139 --> 00:52:19.099 played the Boer Vista game and before that I think 1036 00:52:19.159 --> 00:52:21.800 it was Liverpool I think it was and then Stuttgart 1037 00:52:22.550 --> 00:52:26.010 and then Vigo in between that and then we started 1038 00:52:26.090 --> 00:52:30.159 out with Blackburn home and away Stuttgart game where we 1039 00:52:30.199 --> 00:52:32.920 lost over there I think it was 5-2 something like 1040 00:52:32.940 --> 00:52:36.110 that but Stan and Stan Petrov had played brilliantly in 1041 00:52:36.130 --> 00:52:39.409 the home game we beat them 3-0 but that particular 1042 00:52:39.449 --> 00:52:42.590 year some of the teams that we beat was incredible 1043 00:52:42.769 --> 00:52:45.650 you know to think oh we had a really good 1044 00:52:45.690 --> 00:52:48.030 team Simon we had a team of men we had 1045 00:52:48.050 --> 00:52:48.690 a team. 1046 00:52:48.440 --> 00:52:52.219 Of characters quality I think that was the kind of 1047 00:52:52.460 --> 00:52:56.119 biggest change at the club obviously when Martin came in 1048 00:52:57.070 --> 00:53:02.789 he brought in leaders, you know, real men into the 1049 00:53:02.929 --> 00:53:09.190 dressing room, good characters, you know, Sutty, John, Lenny, Tomo, 1050 00:53:10.510 --> 00:53:13.210 even though the ones that are quiet, like Zayos, O'Hara 1051 00:53:13.250 --> 00:53:16.639 and Bobo, but they were, you know, it was quite. 1052 00:53:16.659 --> 00:53:20.280 Aggressive, he's been aggressive, but he's good players as well. 1053 00:53:20.480 --> 00:53:23.699 Oh yeah, we were aggressive, but aggressive in our play. 1054 00:53:23.840 --> 00:53:24.019 Yeah. 1055 00:53:24.510 --> 00:53:26.429 You know, not just aggressive, but you have to handle 1056 00:53:26.449 --> 00:53:30.480 yourself and flying into tackle. That's not funny. Aggressive is 1057 00:53:30.639 --> 00:53:33.300 being a voice. Aggressive where you're passing. 1058 00:53:33.800 --> 00:53:35.980 Pulling somebody out, as you were talking about Lenny there, 1059 00:53:36.019 --> 00:53:37.559 digging somebody out. 1060 00:53:37.599 --> 00:53:42.269 If you're not at it, then get them at it. 1061 00:53:44.190 --> 00:53:46.590 So yeah, we were aggressive, but aggressive in our play. 1062 00:53:46.610 --> 00:53:49.889 But the manager was aggressive. The manager was aggressive. This 1063 00:53:49.949 --> 00:53:51.690 is the way he wanted to play. But I think 1064 00:53:51.730 --> 00:53:54.829 we marked him. He trusted his players. He trusted us 1065 00:53:54.869 --> 00:53:56.789 to go out and get results. Very similar to what 1066 00:53:56.829 --> 00:54:00.380 Brian Cliff would have done with him. He gave the 1067 00:54:00.489 --> 00:54:03.500 onus to the players. And whenever I was in the team, 1068 00:54:03.599 --> 00:54:05.940 I always felt it was a privilege to be in 1069 00:54:05.980 --> 00:54:08.880 Martin O'Neill's team and to be starting the game. And 1070 00:54:08.920 --> 00:54:11.699 I knew I had to score. I see strikers now 1071 00:54:11.780 --> 00:54:14.570 going five, six, seven games without a goal. I see 1072 00:54:14.610 --> 00:54:18.090 strikers going over when they get a little nudge. I 1073 00:54:18.150 --> 00:54:22.219 couldn't go over. I just genuinely couldn't go over. And 1074 00:54:22.260 --> 00:54:25.510 I scored and scored and scored and scored. And if 1075 00:54:25.570 --> 00:54:27.809 I hadn't, it would have probably took me out of 1076 00:54:27.849 --> 00:54:30.090 the team because that was my role because I wasn't 1077 00:54:30.110 --> 00:54:32.449 the most, I wasn't someone who could run down the 1078 00:54:32.510 --> 00:54:35.070 channels and do all these things. But what I could 1079 00:54:35.090 --> 00:54:37.280 do is score a goal. So I had to make 1080 00:54:37.320 --> 00:54:39.360 sure whatever I did, I had to get in that box. 1081 00:54:40.019 --> 00:54:42.019 And if I wasn't scoring, I was knocking things down 1082 00:54:42.079 --> 00:54:45.059 for other players. You know, I look at players now. 1083 00:54:45.719 --> 00:54:47.590 And this is what I think, when I always played 1084 00:54:47.869 --> 00:54:49.650 two games, I know we're going to go on to 1085 00:54:49.690 --> 00:54:52.650 Celtic in a minute and the way they're playing. I 1086 00:54:52.690 --> 00:54:55.289 always play two and I just think the way to 1087 00:54:55.309 --> 00:54:59.469 play two is to play that 3-5-2. You know, and 1088 00:54:59.489 --> 00:55:01.909 I think with Celtic now, I think you look at 1089 00:55:02.010 --> 00:55:05.570 Hull and you look at Duran, Hull can't get into 1090 00:55:05.590 --> 00:55:08.650 games at the minute because he's not playing regular. You know, 1091 00:55:08.670 --> 00:55:11.280 he looks a fish out of water when he's not playing. 1092 00:55:11.360 --> 00:55:13.619 You can't come on. You can't leave players out for 1093 00:55:14.139 --> 00:55:16.780 three or four games and then expect them to come 1094 00:55:16.860 --> 00:55:20.559 on and be up to speed and momentum and strikers 1095 00:55:20.619 --> 00:55:23.059 all about that really and the way to play two 1096 00:55:23.159 --> 00:55:26.519 up is to play five across the midfield if you 1097 00:55:26.559 --> 00:55:28.519 like when you're attacking and you've got to play and

1098 00:55:28.559 --> 00:55:30.960 I think Celtic are set up for that I think 1099 00:55:31.000 --> 00:55:33.239 Donovan on the right gets up and down I think 1100 00:55:33.300 --> 00:55:37.320 Thierry on the left fight three big centre halves you've 1101 00:55:37.340 --> 00:55:42.190 got Nygren Bauer McGregor central midfield players you know Chamberlain 1102 00:55:42.230 --> 00:55:44.329 one or two others to come in there and that's 1103 00:55:44.349 --> 00:55:47.969 the way everybody's saying about you know we talked Duran 1104 00:55:48.010 --> 00:55:52.380 off yesterday right because he just got to come out 1105 00:55:52.440 --> 00:55:54.579 of the game in the second half, or he had 1106 00:55:54.599 --> 00:55:58.599 supposed in the first half. He's a great player, you know, 1107 00:55:58.659 --> 00:56:02.599 but to get Hull into the team on a regular basis, 1108 00:56:02.659 --> 00:56:04.239 I think you've got to look to Blake to up. 1109 00:56:04.960 --> 00:56:06.639 I think we're more of a threat that way as well. 1110 00:56:07.099 --> 00:56:09.400 I just think, looking back at your career, I know 1111 00:56:09.760 --> 00:56:12.170 people will watch this and say, well, we're kind of 1112 00:56:12.210 --> 00:56:15.670 dated and whatever, but the partnerships, I think always be 1113 00:56:15.690 --> 00:56:18.659 two up front. I know folk will argue but it 1114 00:56:18.679 --> 00:56:21.119 takes something away from maybe the midfield and whatever but 1115 00:56:21.559 --> 00:56:24.320 you played with some players there Henrik's the obvious one 1116 00:56:24.360 --> 00:56:27.670 for me what other players did you learn off I. 1117 00:56:27.610 --> 00:56:30.690 Played with Sutty as well at Celtic I played with 1118 00:56:30.789 --> 00:56:33.949 Ian Wright with us two up front a lot of 1119 00:56:33.989 --> 00:56:37.369 teams have gone to one up some teams have been 1120 00:56:37.409 --> 00:56:42.400 successful by doing that you know four three sort of 1121 00:56:42.460 --> 00:56:47.050 two one if you like erm with a lone striker 1122 00:56:47.130 --> 00:56:51.110 and everything else. But I played with Bellamy, you know, 1123 00:56:51.159 --> 00:56:54.519 with the Welsh team. So I played with Henrik and 1124 00:56:54.579 --> 00:56:58.159 obviously things like that. But I always like to play 1125 00:56:58.239 --> 00:57:00.840 with somebody. And I think the smaller strikers, you know, 1126 00:57:01.460 --> 00:57:04.150 the Bellamys of this world, I've got to set things 1127 00:57:04.230 --> 00:57:04.710 up for them. 1128 00:57:04.730 --> 00:57:06.489 David, I love playing with you. 1129 00:57:06.650 --> 00:57:10.469 Drake played with Shearer. You know, it can be called 1130 00:57:10.530 --> 00:57:13.489 old school. I know we've got the modern sort of 1131 00:57:13.710 --> 00:57:16.639 players and things like that now. A lot of coaches 1132 00:57:16.860 --> 00:57:20.079 want to play 4-3-3, if you like, with the lone striker, 1133 00:57:20.139 --> 00:57:22.900 with three up top, if you like, but they'll come 1134 00:57:22.940 --> 00:57:26.800 back a little bit as well. But for me, the 1135 00:57:26.840 --> 00:57:30.539 good old two up top, I think it makes you 1136 00:57:30.559 --> 00:57:32.780 a bit more solid because you've got one extra in 1137 00:57:32.800 --> 00:57:34.579 the middle of the park as well. You can create 1138 00:57:34.619 --> 00:57:37.360 that overload, if you like, and then one of the 1139 00:57:37.389 --> 00:57:41.869 midfield can drift off from the front and break, like 1140 00:57:41.949 --> 00:57:46.860 Lenny and whether it was Petrov, You know, Lenny always sat. 1141 00:57:46.980 --> 00:57:49.340 He didn't want to go forward. He didn't want to 1142 00:57:49.380 --> 00:57:52.780 score a goal. Lenny was brilliant. He did intercepting and 1143 00:57:52.820 --> 00:57:55.840 things and everything else. But it was either Petrov or 1144 00:57:55.889 --> 00:57:58.110 Lambert that were breaking into the front. Yeah, Petrov was 1145 00:57:58.130 --> 00:57:59.449 throwing it out there. Yeah, breaking into the front and 1146 00:57:59.489 --> 00:58:02.849 getting the second balls, the flick-ons. So I'm not telling 1147 00:58:02.889 --> 00:58:05.630 you Celtic what to do. It's my opinion, my view. 1148 00:58:05.650 --> 00:58:08.900 I just think Celtic at the minute, if you want 1149 00:58:08.920 --> 00:58:11.179 to play two up top, you either got to play 1150 00:58:11.199 --> 00:58:16.519 4-4-2 to get them up there. or play 3-5-2 because 1151 00:58:16.599 --> 00:58:20.760 it's crying out to get home 11 million pounds he's. 1152 00:58:20.599 --> 00:58:25.320 Got to be more involved it's a conundrum isn't it there's. 1153 00:58:25.199 --> 00:58:27.409 A player in there you know so I think to 1154 00:58:27.449 --> 00:58:30.110 get the two of them you know playing together I 1155 00:58:30.449 --> 00:58:32.030 think that's the way you're going to get him going. 1156 00:58:32.670 --> 00:58:34.530 In terms of yourself are you a little fancier are 1157 00:58:34.550 --> 00:58:36.289 you short of the management. 1158 00:58:37.360 --> 00:58:40.260 Well I had a little I had a little coaching 1159 00:58:40.300 --> 00:58:43.539 role at Livingston we got two promotions that year it 1160 00:58:43.559 --> 00:58:47.300 was David Hopkins and we did very well we had 1161 00:58:47.320 --> 00:58:52.250 some nice players we signed Ryan Hardy from Outer Rangers 1162 00:58:52.309 --> 00:58:54.869 and we got Lee Miller who was a terrific professional 1163 00:58:55.750 --> 00:58:58.309 and them two did really well for us again two 1164 00:58:58.369 --> 00:59:01.530 up front and as you probably know the strikers take 1165 00:59:01.570 --> 00:59:04.719 you up the division in terms of their goals and 1166 00:59:04.760 --> 00:59:06.800 things like that so we beat Partick I think on 1167 00:59:06.840 --> 00:59:10.880 the one particular year in the playoff final and I 1168 00:59:10.880 --> 00:59:13.739 would

beat Dundee United over two legs and I thought 1169 00:59:13.820 --> 00:59:16.579 Oppie was brilliant David Ockham was great with me he 1170 00:59:16.619 --> 00:59:18.380 allowed me to take a bag of boards I was 1171 00:59:18.400 --> 00:59:21.880 taking the strikers for you know for the shooting and 1172 00:59:21.920 --> 00:59:24.260 everything else at the end of the sessions and I 1173 00:59:24.320 --> 00:59:27.949 really enjoyed it because Livingston was the closest club to 1174 00:59:27.969 --> 00:59:30.110 where I lived, only half an hour from my house. 1175 00:59:30.610 --> 00:59:33.090 So I'd go in, I'd have a chat with Davey 1176 00:59:33.130 --> 00:59:37.969 Martindale and David Opkin before games, and we'd set up 1177 00:59:38.110 --> 00:59:40.849 the sessions and everything else, and he'd say, you're right, John, 1178 00:59:40.849 --> 00:59:43.030 20 minutes to go, I'm going to send a couple 1179 00:59:43.050 --> 00:59:45.889 of midfielders over to you, a couple of goalkeepers, take 1180 00:59:45.909 --> 00:59:48.449 a bag of balls, and I'd get the midfielders to 1181 00:59:48.469 --> 00:59:52.690 spray it out wide, overlapping, if you like. I'd always 1182 00:59:52.710 --> 00:59:56.070 say to the strikers, don't always be on the move. 1183 00:59:56.980 --> 01:00:01.920 Sometimes if you're already there, you know, it's anticipation and 1184 01:00:01.960 --> 01:00:05.179 everything else. I get them to link us as pairings. 1185 01:00:05.239 --> 01:00:07.159 And when the ball come out, they get the oncoming 1186 01:00:07.739 --> 01:00:10.800 midfield play. We'd switch sides. And I enjoy that. I 1187 01:00:10.800 --> 01:00:13.469 did it with Wales as well. I did that coaching, 1188 01:00:14.030 --> 01:00:17.489 that forward coaching with Wales as well. Because Coleman was 1189 01:00:17.550 --> 01:00:20.329 in charge and you had the likes of Sam Vokes. 1190 01:00:20.610 --> 01:00:24.030 You had the likes of Ramsey, Bale. Some really good 1191 01:00:24.070 --> 01:00:25.829 players at that particular time, you know. 1192 01:00:26.659 --> 01:00:30.579 It's something that, I suppose it's finance as well, down 1193 01:00:30.840 --> 01:00:34.280 the leagues, but a striker coach just makes sense. You've 1194 01:00:34.300 --> 01:00:39.110 now got set-piece guys, but a striker doing striker coaching, 1195 01:00:39.340 --> 01:00:40.329 is that too sensible? 1196 01:00:40.349 --> 01:00:41.269 That's too sensible. 1197 01:00:41.289 --> 01:00:45.750 Well, you've got a set-piece coach, and they've improved on set-pieces. 1198 01:00:46.219 --> 01:00:48.150 That's what I'm saying you tell me you couldn't go 1199 01:00:48.170 --> 01:00:49.969 and take a couple of strikers and show them how 1200 01:00:49.989 --> 01:00:51.769 to use their body where they should be when it's 1201 01:00:51.949 --> 01:00:53.530 building up yeah and the. 1202 01:00:53.449 --> 01:00:55.949 Thing is as well I've got a little bit of 1203 01:00:56.010 --> 01:00:59.269 experience in it

as well but yeah it's just what 1204 01:00:59.309 --> 01:01:01.750 they think as a football club isn't it some chairman 1205 01:01:01.789 --> 01:01:03.289 where you're wasting money getting a. 1206 01:01:03.250 --> 01:01:06.130 Striker coach we'll get a peace coach we'll get a 1207 01:01:06.150 --> 01:01:06.750 peace coach. 1208 01:01:06.650 --> 01:01:09.780 I know he's never played but you've got all these 1209 01:01:09.800 --> 01:01:11.659 you've got 20 people now on the bench haven't you 1210 01:01:12.420 --> 01:01:14.500 you've got your people with the laptops you've got two 1211 01:01:14.519 --> 01:01:17.889 goalkeeper coach you've got three or four sports science you've 1212 01:01:17.909 --> 01:01:21.530 got the goalkeeper coach and managers probably got three assistants 1213 01:01:21.610 --> 01:01:22.409 and that's. 1214 01:01:22.250 --> 01:01:24.329 20 people there I know that's incredible so I think 1215 01:01:24.349 --> 01:01:26.789 you can't appoint the strikers coach a strike and goal 1216 01:01:26.809 --> 01:01:29.010 scoring is the hardest thing to do in a football 1217 01:01:29.030 --> 01:01:30.730 game well I would agree that's what gets everybody on 1218 01:01:30.769 --> 01:01:33.150 their feet everybody goes to a football match not to 1219 01:01:33.170 --> 01:01:36.019 see midfield players they want to see goals that's what 1220 01:01:36.039 --> 01:01:38.920 gets them off their seats agreed. 1221 01:01:39.000 --> 01:01:42.260 Agreed well you've been a great guest mate before we 1222 01:01:42.280 --> 01:01:45.840 let you go we have a recommendation from a previous 1223 01:01:45.900 --> 01:01:47.820 guest which was Dick Campbell. 1224 01:01:48.239 --> 01:01:48.420 Yeah. 1225 01:01:48.940 --> 01:01:50.139 And it's a film, a. 1226 01:01:50.179 --> 01:01:52.519 Song, and an album. So I don't know if you're 1227 01:01:52.539 --> 01:01:54.539 a big film man or music man, but we'll find 1228 01:01:54.599 --> 01:01:59.010 out shortly. Dick's recommendations were film, which I've never heard. 1229 01:01:59.030 --> 01:01:59.969 Have you heard of Chisholm? 1230 01:02:00.170 --> 01:02:00.650 John Wayne? 1231 01:02:00.829 --> 01:02:04.269 I've heard of John Wayne. I've heard of him. I've 1232 01:02:04.289 --> 01:02:05.849 not seen Chisholm, but I'm going to watch it. 1233 01:02:06.269 --> 01:02:07.030 We'll need to watch it. 1234 01:02:07.050 --> 01:02:07.920 John Wayne's an arsehole. 1235 01:02:09.340 --> 01:02:12.809 So it's John Wayne and Chisholm. And his album is. 1236 01:02:12.690 --> 01:02:16.059 From Fleetwood Mac. I've got one in my head, Fleetwood Mac. 1237 01:02:16.079 --> 01:02:16.679 Can you believe that? 1238 01:02:16.800 --> 01:02:17.500 Right, well, there you go. 1239 01:02:17.880 --> 01:02:20.679 And his song was Travelling Light, which he gave us 1240 01:02:20.739 --> 01:02:21.800 a rendition of. 1241 01:02:21.940 --> 01:02:23.260 He sang it at my wedding. 1242 01:02:23.739 --> 01:02:24.699 Cliff Richard. 1243 01:02:24.920 --> 01:02:27.659 So can you give us a recommendation of a film, 1244 01:02:28.090 --> 01:02:28.929 a song, and an album? 1245 01:02:29.489 --> 01:02:32.789 Well, the album's got to be Joshua Tree. That was 1246 01:02:32.869 --> 01:02:36.409 one of the first albums that I bought. You know, 1247 01:02:36.789 --> 01:02:39.909 with the streets having their names, where the streets have 1248 01:02:39.929 --> 01:02:45.550 their names. I like that single from Fleetwood Mac, Stevie Nicks. 1249 01:02:45.610 --> 01:02:48.980 I like the song Dreams. And I also like a 1250 01:02:49.039 --> 01:02:53.800 song from the Waterboys. What were they in? It could be, 1251 01:02:53.840 --> 01:02:55.800 but I can't think. I listen to it every day. 1252 01:02:55.880 --> 01:02:58.460 I can't quite think what it's called now. 1253 01:02:58.500 --> 01:02:59.099 Was it White? 1254 01:03:00.820 --> 01:03:04.969 Look, you don't get me singing, Jack. And I think, naturally, 1255 01:03:05.030 --> 01:03:06.670 the film, a lot of boys might say, I like 1256 01:03:06.690 --> 01:03:07.869 the Godfather series. 1257 01:03:07.889 --> 01:03:08.150 Yeah. 1258 01:03:09.019 --> 01:03:11.219 I'm loving more Bland at the minute. I've never watched 1259 01:03:11.340 --> 01:03:14.880 it yet. I can't wait every Friday. There's a new 1260 01:03:14.960 --> 01:03:17.989 one coming, a new episode. I can't gasp for it. 1261 01:03:18.000 --> 01:03:19.659 The second series of that, I've got so many. 1262 01:03:19.969 --> 01:03:22.750 I think I've watched one episode. Tom Hardy's cast. 1263 01:03:22.949 --> 01:03:24.969 Tom Hardy's brilliant, man. 1264 01:03:24.989 --> 01:03:26.590 How many different roles can he do? 1265 01:03:27.190 --> 01:03:29.789 What Godfather are you picking out of the three? 1266 01:03:30.630 --> 01:03:33.989 I like one, actually. I like one, yeah. I like 1267 01:03:34.030 --> 01:03:34.409 him all. 1268 01:03:34.769 --> 01:03:35.090 Brilliant. 1269 01:03:35.309 --> 01:03:36.389 I've watched him about 30 times. 1270 01:03:37.360 --> 01:03:39.300 Good choices, mate. Thanks for coming along. 1271 01:03:39.619 --> 01:03:40.340 Cheers, John.