Always Managing: My Autobiography (5 page)

And I am not saying that was why I did not get the England job. For all I know, on the day Capello left, Roy may have been their first choice, but it would have taken one telephone call to find out my contractual situation, after which the FA would know they would have to go to war with Daniel Levy. Did they fancy that? I know I wouldn’t. Daniel loves a fight about money: he’s a very hard-nosed businessman. Get him on a bad day and I would have ended up far more expensive than Capello – and the FA were already getting a lot of criticism over Capello’s £6-million-a-year salary. Of all the reasons doing the rounds for me not becoming England manager, the compensation issue makes most sense. And, in the end, it was probably for the best. The England job suits Roy.
He’s a good man, he’s their man; they got the guy that fitted and I can only wish him well.

Yet these thoughts come with hindsight. On the day Capello walked away from England, everybody was saying there was only one man for the job and, at that moment, all obstacles seemed surmountable.

The England job had become vacant previously, of course, not least in 2007 when Steve McClaren failed to get the team to the European Championship finals in Austria and Switzerland. I never paid much attention at the time. We all know the qualification level to be our national manager, and no current English-born coach had reached that mark. I wouldn’t have put myself in the frame then, and I wouldn’t have put many others in, either. English managers were just not getting the big club jobs and therefore weren’t experiencing high-level international competition. We weren’t the ones competing in the Champions League every other week. Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsène Wenger had been at Manchester United and Arsenal for ever, and the other clubs put their faith in foreign bosses: Rafael Benítez followed Gérard Houllier into Liverpool; Chelsea had appointed José Mourinho and then Avram Grant. No one was giving an Englishman a chance to have a tilt at the Champions League, or even establish a decent winning record in the Premier League. Look at how long David Moyes had to wait at Everton before getting a chance to manage Manchester United.

Yet for me, four years on from McClaren’s departure, it felt different. I had won a major trophy, the FA Cup with Portsmouth, I had taken Tottenham to the quarter-finals of the Champions League and established them as a club capable of finishing in the top four. We had beaten Inter Milan, knocked out AC Milan; I had
handled good international players and improved others, such as Gareth Bale. There was a groundswell of support for me and I felt it wherever I went. Every time I got in a taxi, every time I went to a football match, the people were for me. The press seemed supportive, too, writing as if my appointment was a foregone conclusion, and I began to think it was almost nailed on, if I wanted it. And I did want it. It would have been a tough call but, had they offered me the job, I probably would have taken it. At the time, I forgot the compensation clause and the other obstacles, and thought only about the positives the job could bring.

I know some of my positive comments about becoming England manager upset Tottenham, but I was only speaking honestly. Daniel wasn’t happy that I came out and said that I would like the England job, but I did not intend that statement as a snub to Tottenham. People do not realise how intense the questioning can get when the England position is vacant. For those that are considered candidates, every press conference becomes a bit of an ordeal. You are asked incessantly, ‘Are you interested? Would you take it? Are you happy at Spurs?’ Every answer is picked over for clues. If I said I was happy with Spurs that was interpreted as a suggestion I might turn down England; if I said I would be honoured to be England manager, I was poised to reject a new contract with Spurs. And I’m not really the sort of bloke to say, ‘No comment.’ Well, not at the thousandth time of asking, anyway. So I gave the reply I thought was most diplomatic: I am very happy at Tottenham, but it would be difficult for any Englishman to turn down the national job. I still think that’s a fair assessment and respectful to all parties. And, let’s face it, I was not revealing any state secrets there. It is the pinnacle of your career
to manage your country, and if an English manager is offered the job, it would be difficult to turn down.

I think Daniel felt I was being disloyal for saying this, particularly as Tottenham had offered such fantastic support throughout my court case. But that was one of the reasons I didn’t see any harm in making an open statement. Everyone at Tottenham knew how I felt about their backing for me in a crisis. I didn’t think that bond could be damaged by the honest admission that an English manager is always flattered to be linked with managing England. I still don’t see why that came as a slap in the face to them.

Some people think I became distracted once the speculation around England arose, but I don’t agree. We still finished fourth, which the club would have been delighted with when the season began, and nobody could have anticipated the set of circumstances by which Chelsea denied us a place in the Champions League. We had injuries and lost momentum, that was why we couldn’t hold on to third place. It wasn’t as if I was sitting there mapping out starting line-ups for England when I should have been making plans with Tottenham. Professionally, it was always Tottenham first – it was just hard not to feel excited by the potential in that England squad.

All the senior players seemed to be up for me to get the job. I got quite a few text messages at the time from players saying they would love me to manage England: Steven Gerrard, Wayne Rooney, Rio Ferdinand, John Terry.

So there was no time wasted planning for the England job because, as an English manager, I already had my own opinions about the national team. We all do. I’m sure José Mourinho knows what he would do with Portugal right now, if he were asked, and
Arsène Wenger will feel the same about France. I was no different. Even when Capello was in the job and settled, I knew exactly how I wanted the England team to play.

And I knew the man to get them to do it, too. When Tottenham played Swansea on 1 April 2012, I pulled Brendan Rodgers aside after the game and said that if all this speculation about England was true, would he consider coming to the European Championships in the summer, as my part-time coach? I loved what he had done with Swansea, the way he had taken players who had not been encouraged to play adventurous football previously and turned them into outstanding technical, thinking footballers. I thought he would be perfect to develop those ideas with England. I don’t think a guy like Brendan would be a gamble for England at all. At Swansea he had Garry Monk, a journeyman professional who used to be with Barnsley, Sheffield Wednesday and Torquay United among others, and Ashley Williams, 159 games for Stockport County, and suddenly they were knocking it about like Franz Beckenbauer and passing the ball into midfield. I thought if Brendan could do that with them, what would he be like with Rio and Terry, or Rooney and Gerrard?

And Brendan was up for it. I told him I wanted England to play with as much technical ambition as Swansea and that he would be ideal for the summer tournament; and he seemed really keen. If I got the job, he said, he would speak to the people at Swansea to get their permission. ‘It would be a great experience for you, Brendan,’ I told him. ‘I want England to play like you play. Pass the ball, play and play and play.’ Some people reading this may think it means I was distracted, but I can assure you the conversation took five minutes and the idea was in my head before the job became
available. I had been saying it for months previously, that the FA should get a guy like Brendan Rodgers involved with England. I was convinced his way should be England’s way, too. So there was never a distraction. I was still totally focused on Tottenham. And we beat Swansea 3–1 that day, by the way.

So on 1 April I was contemplating the way forward for England with Brendan Rodgers – and on 29 April the FA offered the job to Roy Hodgson. I’ll admit, I thought it was mine. Everyone seemed so certain, everyone I met from all parts of the game seemed utterly convinced it was my job. I went to a dinner for the London Football Coaches Association, and Gareth Southgate got me up on stage and interviewed me as if I were the next England manager. Sir Trevor Brooking was there that night, too. He was on the FA panel charged with making the appointment. It was not as if he walked out in protest at what Gareth, another FA man, did. I was being made to feel that I was the only show in town.

We had played very well against Blackburn Rovers on the day of Roy’s appointment, winning 2–0. I was staying in London that night and I was just pulling into the car park at the hotel when a newsflash came on the radio to say Roy had been offered the England job. It felt strange. After all the speculation it would have been understandable had I been disappointed, but I had a greater feeling of a weight being taken off. Yes, it was a shock, but it meant that, in the end, I didn’t have a decision to make. I didn’t have to choose between my club and England. The FA had made the call for me. It had been one hell of a year, first with the trial and then this. Now, I thought, it was really back to normal. No more questions, no more dilemmas. I could just get on with managing Tottenham and now, with England gone, I couldn’t see myself leaving the club.
The FA’s decision came as a surprise, but I wasn’t about to lock myself in my room with a bottle of whisky. I think some people were more upset about it than I was. I was at Tottenham for the long haul, definitely now. I wasn’t reeling around, thinking, ‘Oh my God, what has just happened?’ Standing in a dock wondering if you would be going to prison for two years alters your perspective on life. Oh well, that’s how it goes. I had a good job at Tottenham before, I thought, and I’ve got a good job now. No harm done.

Obviously, I’ve had some time to reflect on it all since and, looking back, perhaps the FA did me a favour. If I’m truthful, I don’t know how much I would have enjoyed the job as they now see it. I don’t think spending time with the FA people or up at Burton-on-Trent, where the new training centre is based, is my bag. I wouldn’t rule out international management, and I thought very seriously about an offer to coach Ukraine twelve months ago, but I’d rather go in every day and see a bunch of footballers than sit around drinking tea with a bloke in a suit. I want to go out on the training ground with players, pick an XI and look forward to Saturday afternoon. I’m at the stage in my career that when I go to Anfield or Old Trafford, I walk around the place reliving the memories and wondering whether I’ll ever come back this way again. I’m not ready to give that buzz up just yet – I enjoy it too much, even the difficult times, bottom of the league with Queens Park Rangers. It is a fantastic feeling to walk out at those big grounds, and the older you get the more you appreciate it and want to savour that moment. So to manage England would have been great in its way, but when it didn’t happen, I didn’t go into deep depression or lose sleep. I phoned Roy to wish him good luck, and I meant it. There are no hard feelings from me.

The way I see it now, though, the moment has passed. I couldn’t see myself managing England if the chance arose again. The FA made their decision, they went with Roy, and I cannot see me wanting to work for them in the future. If the job came up again, I wouldn’t want to be considered. I’ve given up on it now, and I think I would rule myself out early in the day, once the questions started flying. I’m happy to lead my life without going through that hassle again. Some people are ambitious, but I’ve only ever wanted to enjoy my football. I have turned down some interesting opportunities – Tottenham, Newcastle United, Ukraine – because they did not fit where I was at the time. I’ve managed in the Champions League, I’ve managed Bournemouth, and I was happy both times.

That doesn’t mean to say I do not still have opinions on the way England should play. What Englishman doesn’t? We should be better. Doesn’t everyone think that? Without doubt we have underachieved. There is nothing more frustrating than getting to a tournament and seeing England outplayed, and then you look at the team-sheet of the opposition and it is full of players that couldn’t make it in our Premier League. How often does that happen? You’re thinking, ‘Hang on, he was at Blackburn – he was useless,’ or, ‘That bloke couldn’t get in West Ham’s team.’ You see Dirk Kuyt playing for Holland and he looks different class; meanwhile Steven Gerrard – who was better than him at Liverpool, week in, week out – is struggling. It doesn’t make sense. The big European nations have not got better individual footballers than us, I’m convinced of it. I look at our team, one to eleven, and I am amazed we have been so poor.

I think it comes down to identity.

We don’t have any.

The last England manager I can remember who had a firm idea of how he wanted to play was Glenn Hoddle: three centre-halves, a player coming out from the back to overload midfield; there was a plan to what he wanted to do. Since then we’ve bumbled along, a hundred different systems: are we kicking it, or are we passing it? That’s what I like about Brendan Rodgers: he’s not scared to put a weedy little player in midfield if the kid can pass, and then he’ll let it all flow through him. There is a shape, there is an idea: the full-backs are high, the centre-halves split; you know how his teams are going to play before you kick off. They are going to pass, they are going to take risks; but England do not have that identity. If you look at England against Italy in the last European Championships, and I know it was difficult for Roy because he had just come in, but when your best pass completion statistic is from Joe Hart to Andy Carroll – goalkeeper to big lump of centre-forward, bypassing nine outfield players – you know you’ve got a problem. No other major country would record a stat like that.

Don’t we all want to see England play the game properly? Well, it is going to take a manager with a clear vision. In 1992–93, when I won promotion to the Premier League with West Ham United, Hoddle finished fifth at Swindon Town and came up through the play-offs. He got them playing some outstanding football with guys that came from nowhere. He had a big centre-half, Shaun Taylor, that Swindon had taken from Bristol City for £200,000 the year before. Everyone thought they knew this kid: solid defender, good header of the ball, couldn’t pass. The lower leagues are full of them. Hoddle came in and changed all that. Taylor had spent all his life being told to boot it, lump it, kick it into row Z. We’ve all
heard it said. ‘You can’t play, son, give it to someone who can.’ But Hoddle was telling him he could play – even better, he was showing him how. Next thing, he was dropping off, stepping into midfield – he thought he was at Barcelona. It just shows what can be achieved if someone is prepared to work with players individually, and on a system. There is no reason why England cannot be a much better team than they have been. Before Glenn, Terry Venables was the England manager, and 1996 was a fantastic year for football in this country. The people loved it; they loved how England were playing. Terry had a philosophy; he had a clear idea of how England should play. Next thing, he was gone. Somehow, we always mess it up.