A lifelong obsession

Football was always my first love.

Growing up, I was fortunate enough to be selected for the England schoolboy team and the England youth team, with other potential ‘stars’. However, my career was interrupted by a couple of major injuries, and I drifted into the lower leagues. But I always held a passionate interest in coaching.

My coaching career went from a baptism at Nuneaton Borough in the Southern League and progressing to Luton Town, where I enjoyed much success. Then it was on to Tottenham, then Leicester City, back to Luton, Sheffield Wednesday and back to Tottenham again. On my return to Tottenham, I worked as a director of football. Since 2010 I have been a consultant, mainly responsible for scouting and general advice. 

Ron Greenwood, the ex-England manager and a doyen of coaching, used to say: “Remember, football is a simple game. Simplicity is genius.” The game is still 11v11. The goals are the same size, although the pitches are much better now. 

There have been many other improvements as time goes on, but sometimes modern coaches have tended to complicate the game with new terminology: “circulate the ball”, “break the lines”, “low block”, “full press” and so on.

Manchester City have certainly impressed with the way they find space and move the ball. The way they play, often, with one of the full-backs going infield — which leaves basically three defenders — is not a lot different from the decision to play with either four or three at the back. Teams with a back four are deciding, at times, to have one fewer player at the back to go forward. At that moment, they play with only three at the back.

"It is a risky policy, but it has proved to be quite successful"

Tottenham Hotspur have been playing their full-backs, Pedro Porro and Destiny Udogie, almost as inside-forwards. They go forward almost at will, and leave the defending to Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven.

It is a risky policy, but it has proved to be quite successful. And, of course, all the individuals within know their responsibilities. That is the most important thing. If a full-back goes forward into midfield and joins in, someone will be covering in case of the transition and the counter-attack.

It is a trend, like the wingers who became so-called inverted wingers. That was no different to years ago, when I had Chris Waddle at Tottenham. He could cross the ball with either foot, from either wing. I believe in years previous that the great Tom Finney — who I saw play once — could cross the ball with either foot, from either wing. Bobby Charlton (below) was similar.

In my playing days, I was a right-footed winger who could use my left foot, but I very much played as a wide-right player. The game I played did not have all the other intricacies that a winger has now. Particularly when those who are left-footed on the right side, or right-footed on the left side, make a triangular pattern. They come inside, leave the space, the full-back comes into the space, the ball’s played on the inside, and then the ball’s played on the outside to the full-back.

Football is a game of movement. Good movement is so important, to move defenders around and make space for the opportunities to get shots in. The great Liverpool teams had the maxim: “Pass to the nearest red shirt.” That adage still holds true.

Modern training schedules — with sports science and its marginal gains — are more professional. A player can be monitored to see how much they run in a session, such as how many sustained runs of speed they can make in that session. They can find out very easily about people’s stamina.

"players get punished now for physical challenges more than they ever did before"

That is why you find some players quite regularly come off after about 65 minutes. The sports scientists will know that, in the last 25 minutes, that player hasn’t perhaps got the sustainability of a fresh player coming off the bench.

Possession used to be nine-tenths of the law. Now, the speed of counter-attacking is a major weapon. Teams can concede space, drop off and break quickly. The current vogue for many teams, however, is to press early and stop the opposition playing out of defence.

In past years, goalkeepers very rarely passed it short to defenders or midfield players coming deep. They would kick it long down the field, and maybe the centre-forward would fight for the ball. His colleagues would then look to back him up.

Now there are times — particularly in academy football — where the mode is to play out from the back and work the ball through shorter passes, through the field. The players are good enough now to keep possession. 

Tackling has not gone out of the game, but players get punished now for physical challenges more than they ever did before. So teams know that, if they pass and keep the ball well, playing out of defence is a requirement.

A team must have a pattern to suit the quality of the individuals within a team. The importance of balance cannot be underestimated. Skill, speed, strength and understanding, allied to organisation and determination, can produce a successful side.

"I love working with, and speaking to, the academy coaches"

When I am scouting younger players, I often look at and refer to them according to the acronym TIPS. It stands for technique, intelligence, personality and speed. These are prerequisites, whatever position a player is playing in.

Sometimes, as a coach, you need to experiment a little with your players. For example, I still see shooting sessions where the ball is just rolled to someone in a passive position and they shoot. It doesn’t happen like that in a game. It could be a rolling ball, a bouncing ball, a ball coming at chest height. There are all sorts of ways of getting a shot in at goal, but I still see people take shooting practices without enough imagination.

I am approaching 80 years old now, so I am obviously not on the grass any more. But I love working with, and speaking to, the academy coaches. I watch a lot of academy football — Saturday morning games and midweek games. Certainly I have watched a lot of Tottenham’s Under-21s this year. They are having a particularly good year, whereas last year was very poor. Strange how things turn around.

Incredibly, as we speak the Under-21s have won 11 out of 11 of their Premier League 2 games this season. The Under-18s are only being challenged by West Ham at the top of the Under-18 league.

Academy football hasn’t got that frenetic type of football that you get, particularly in the lower leagues. There, with 15 minutes to go it can go up and under, people getting balls into the box and fighting for knockdowns.

Academy football is more considered. It’s more strategic, more technical. There are not a lot of balls in the air. Very few teams are playing the longer game, although they do play the longer pass when it is on. A good player recognises when the longer pass is on.

"they do not have to be told what to do by the coach. They have to be their own person"

Probably one of the best longer passers came through the academy system, and he was an England schoolboy international — Trent Alexander-Arnold, who plays a wonderful longer pass.

Good players make the right selections. When I hear academy coaches on the touchline screaming and shouting, it upsets me. Not all coaches, of course, but some academy coaches tend to feel that they need to win the game.

Winning is important only in respect of the performance of the team and the development of players. Academy football is for the development of players. Occasionally you see one coach shouting and another coach shouting, and a player can be confused. The player needs to play their own game.

A good player will come through the system because they make more good selections than bad. If they continually do the right things well, they will automatically proceed further through the club to a higher level. If they make bad selections, they do not have to be told what to do by the coach. They have to be their own person.

The pathway for young players gets more difficult, day by day, because the clubs — partly because of foreign owners and managers — are looking at players from around the world. They know the market and where they can potentially get players at a better price.

Brighton — who have a very good recruitment policy — have often ignored Italy, Spain and Germany, where the big prices are, and gone into, say, South America, Scandinavia and Japan to recruit. Brentford are very interesting, too. They work similar to Brighton in many ways, towards the Moneyball approach, where they study data on players and come to conclusions. They have done very well with Scandinavian players. But everyone has a different recruitment policy.

"There are several managers in the lower leagues who have impressed me in recent years"

I call the bigger clubs — the Liverpools and the Manchester Citys — vultures. Maybe they would resent that term, but they buy continually from the lower-league academies. They can go into a Southend, a Wrexham or a Notts County, and it wouldn’t be difficult for them to seduce the best player and pay the money that is required to the academy. The smaller academy clubs, in categories two and three, are prey to the category one clubs, who take some of the best players.

I also tend to watch at least two games a week in the lower leagues, sometimes the Championship and also in the National League, where the standard has improved. I saw Gateshead play exceptionally well recently. This season, Chesterfield look a good team; Notts County won promotion last season, and are holding their own in League Two.

Recent winners of the National League, Stockport and Wrexham, are at the top of League Two this season. That proves that the National League standard has accelerated, or maybe that the standard in League Two has deteriorated.

There are several managers in the lower leagues who have impressed me in recent years, but sometimes they don’t last long enough in the job to build a legacy. For example, I was quite impressed with Michael Flynn at Newport County. He went on to Walsall and then Swindon, where he got the sack this season. Managers seem to do the rounds at lower-league levels. 

Managers such as Steve Cotterill are always looking for an opportunity to take a lower-league club. They are bright people, but it is difficult for them until they’ve had at least three or four years.

Some have a bit of success and unfortunately, as soon as they have it, fear that when they get a bad run they might get sacked. So if they get an opportunity after they’ve had a good run, maybe very early in their career, they move. That isn’t always the right move.

"Everyone has a different way of trying to find success as a manager"

It is important for young managers to appreciate when they have a good chairman, to know when they are well suited to the club and the club likes them. Then it is important to keep faith with that club, and to build your name as you go along. Eventually, you will get to a better job.

My advice to a coach is to work hard, take notes, get an idea and then develop it. Do something that you like and do it well. Sometimes to be a little bit different can be rewarding.

But everyone has a different pathway. Everyone has a different way of trying to find success as a manager.

It is a joyful feeling to have a side that can combine winning with outstanding play, but it takes time. In the 1980s, I was fortunate to last long enough at Luton Town — almost nine seasons — that I was able to sign and integrate several players from lower-grade football. They appreciated the platform that I had given them, and got better and better as time went on.

At Luton, we won the Football League Second Division, as it was then, which is now known as the Championship. After four seasons in the top division — finishing ninth in the last of those campaigns — I went to Tottenham Hotspur for the 1986/87 season. 

I had outstanding players there. Richard Gough was a very powerful centre-half, who was strong-willed, quick and a good tackler. We had Ossie Ardiles, a splendid link man who could take the ball off the back players and work it. There was Paul Allen, a ferret of a player in midfield, and Chris Waddle staying wide on the right with his mesmeric dribbling. 

"I have never been tempted to go abroad, though I had several opportunities to do so"

Glenn Hoddle played as a loose forward, behind a record-breaking goalscorer in Clive Allen. Indeed, he scored 49 goals that season, and it was coaching that assisted his success. I asked him not to make runs wide down the channels, but to stay within the width of the 18-yard box as much as possible. We had enough good players to supply the ammunition for him.

That team got to the FA Cup final, unluckily losing in extra-time to Coventry. In the same season, we got to the League Cup semi finals, played over three heartbreaking games with Arsenal. It was finally lost in the very last minute of the third game.

We also finished third in the league that season. I only conceded the title would be Everton’s with about three games remaining, ahead of our upcoming appearance in the FA Cup final.

I have never been tempted to go abroad, though I had several opportunities to do so — including one to Olympiacos in Greece, which I was able to turn down with confidence.

Football has since become a big business. In many ways, it has lost its charm. Too many high salaries at the top level. The big six in the Premier League have massive trading figures and commercial support all over the world. Consider how Manchester United and Liverpool have exploited their brand.

Lesser clubs have had to sell their best players. But it is always the way. 

"To be associated with the game of football has been a lifelong obsession for me"

In my time at Luton, I signed and then had to sell a very good forward from Charlton Athletic, called Paul Walsh. He went on to play at Liverpool and Tottenham. I was forced to sell Gary McAllister — who was an outstanding player for me at Leicester City — to Leeds United. He then had a very, very fine career at both Liverpool and Coventry.

Even youngsters were sold. In my second spell at Luton, John Hartson went to Arsenal for a then record fee for an 18-year-old of £2.5m.

That is football. It can upset you, it can break your heart, but the love for the game will never die. To be associated with the game of football has been a lifelong obsession for me. Football is an addiction. It gets in your blood, and I wouldn’t want it any different. I have loved the game.

Luckily, I’ve served and got to know many people in other walks of football life, connected with the game. I have served on technical panels, and also on disciplinary and permit meetings and panels, as well as working for the Premier League with academies.

It has been a great life, one that I have enjoyed every minute of. I wouldn’t change it for all the money in the world.