they would be though screaming at you at

half time they'd be screaming you at the

end of the game

told of that

David the Messiah boy is one of the best

known football managers across the globe

building teams with a clear identity

I was desperate to be successful as a

manager and I had 11 years where you'll

find it really difficult to break into

the top four the phone line who said

Alex and he said I'm retiring and you're

the next manager of Manchester United a

new interview not saying would you like

to be I met Edward on the next day back

to his house again we met the Glazer it

was three days and that was as simple as

that to get that offer from the greatest

manager maybe it ever was was a great

compliment but maybe if I'd really

looked into more detail and more depth

there was a huge change going to have to

take place I trusted Manchester United

do you feel like that trust was let down

definitely but my biggest regret was

we start with the story that has

dominated the front pages the sacking of

David Moyes how did you find out that

you're losing your job media oh really

if you've got any class or any style you

have to give bad news wheel

what are those steps forward to get West

Ham competing at the very top of the

table I want to build a new West Ham a

lot of supporters might not like the

sort of that when you look at where West

Ham is now do you worry about losing

your job I've got to see it

before this episode starts I have a

small favor to ask from you two months

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[Music]

take me back to the context that I need

to understand in order to understand you

take me back to Glasgow

1960s yes

I was in a really good family

who were really important and you're

probably going to be talking a lot about

it now but uh we were a

family who we stayed in the West End of

Glasgow in a tournament building

and uh we used to have to you know go up

this up the tournament and if people who

don't know what a tournament is a

tournament is a you know what we would

probably think I bought block of flats

and you got the tournament

and they were never in Glasgow that at

that time very very uh good to look at

people look down on them a little bit

but it was a great upbringing for me

that allowed me to play my football out

in the street which at that time was was

some which everybody considered you know

Street footballers everybody played

football on the street and everybody in

Glasgow did play football in the street

played in the park

so I started in Glasgow in the West End

and that was probably where me and my

family grew up your father's also called

David he certainly is yeah

what did he do for a living

and how did that influence well well

this is probably is a really good

question to me if for me is because but

that actually was a teacher but he

worked in the shipyards in in Glasgow

which was really important so he walked

in the as a shipbuilder and then he went

on to become a teacher in a college

but meanwhile what he'd done in in his

part of his other job was that he was a

an amateur Football Manager and there

was a very famous boys club team in

Glasgow called from Chapel amateurs

which was very famous and really is uh

all my memories come with my Dad running

one of the teams at Drum Shop armatures

now for the people who don't know you

know there's people like uh Sir Alex

Ferguson played with him Chapel amateurs

there was people like uh ASA Hartford

played for Trump and she was John Watt

was a Scottish International so it was a

very very famous boys club

uh my dad also ran uh the college where

he teached my dad was a teacher at

Annie's Land College which was a college

in Glasgow

and he uh he took the team every

Saturday morning and then he took the

amateur football team every Saturday

afternoon you've got to remember this

result well there was no no money

involved in this

so really part of my life was seen my

dad grow up as

a football manager for amateurs uh

but meanwhile his real job was that he

was a teacher at Town Eastland College

did that make you want to pursue that as

a career at that time or what what kind

of influence has that had on you in

hindsight

well I think when I look back now I'd

say to say to I think your parents are

viewed a huge influence and everything

you do

for different reasons

mine definitely did but I don't think

when you're growing up as a boy you're

thinking that you know I'm going to be

influenced too much by my dad or my mom

you don't think that's you get a bit

older yourself and when you look back

you go wow I can't believe that I'm

quite similar to my dad or I can't

believe it I followed my mum

and going back to that you know my mom

was part of it as well my mum had to

wash the strips and hang them up outside

and you know and then she'd have to wash

them and I she'd wash them and iron them

and I'd be folding them and put them

away so probably from a really young boy

I was watching my dad and my mum

uh help help young young boys at that

time no fulfill go for a game of

football hopefully they were all home to

going to become professional footballers

but if not try and be successful playing

for for the boys team in Glasgow at that

time one of the things we do tend to

pick up from our parents from what I've

seen and I certainly did myself was

I guess like principles and values of

like how to approach life and how to

deal with life

um what were those principles and values

that your parents imparted on you

directly or indirectly from observation

about life and how to deal with it and

how to confront it

well I think your parents will always

influence you in some way

um I was sent to church when I was when

I was younger so I went to church a lot

of people were

and I think that probably had an

influence as well in its own way in the

in the early days but I think more to do

with schooling uh more to do with uh

education and and what they they try to

do and to be fair

none of them I was never pushed on

innocent I was never pushed to know to

be that well educated I was never pushed

out to be a great football player they

were just encouraging really and always

daily support so I had parents who

really let me grow up the way the way I

chose to do so but everything was Guided

by them you know respect uh no trust you

know

trying to be truthful all the time all

those things I think come into a good

relationship did you ever have a you

kind of suggested there that they

weren't necessarily like pushy parents

necessarily but did you ever have any

idea of what career or aspiration would

make them proud

if I'd asked you you know what does your

mum or dad want you to be when you're

older when you're younger what would you

said uh I think my dad would have

definitely said I hope you're a

footballer you know I think that I think

my dad would have always probably

thought that he's a great love of

football as well

but I think they were they were always

really supportive in in anything I

wanted to do but I think you know as I

get as I got on and I got to an age

where I was starting to get coarse I

know 12 or 13 I think football was

probably my my biggest sort of love and

what I wanted to do and I was more

interested in either watching football

playing football

and there and that was probably they

probably saw that around about that age

as well and is it sort of 12 12 years

old you were in Celtics Youth System

yeah it was what it was is it that time

Celtic Celtic had a boys club and you

have to remember my dad also as I said

ran a very very famous boys team or one

of the teams in in Glasgow and drum

Chapel Armature so but I went to Celtic

boys club uh

and applied with Celtic boys club from

Mob is about 12 to 16 till went on but

they were they were brilliant years I

had there

you know the my time at cell taken which

uh you know came after as a player in a

and as a you know a senior professional

not a senior professional but a

professional I should say but the Young

The Young period when I was at Celtic

boys club was I can only remember being

winning things and being really

successful and you know representing no

Glasgow schools as a school board as

representing Scotland school schools as

a Schoolboy International so I had

really really uh good days in the early

days probably from 1459 onwards did you

if I'd asked you even at that age so say

when you were 16 if I'd asked you

about your Ambitions in football

what would you have responded with uh

I I hope that I might have been good

enough to to become a player I'm not

sure I would be uh

and I would love to be involved in

football and I always used to think that

you know

I'm hoping that maybe I could run an

amateur team or I could be involved I

could maybe might be good enough to take

a junior team you know might get paid a

little bit of money

you know maybe maybe I'd become a youth

team coach for someday if if you know if

I wasn't going to be a football player

always thought even at that time when we

were growing up was like lots of use

clubs no so we would go to a school

youth club you know because it was where

you'd be getting my table tennis you'd

play pool you know the gym might be then

you play five aside football no whoever

was there it's always thought well maybe

I might be able to use club or something

if I didn't get her if I didn't get any

more better than that so those early

days there was no guarantee that you

were going to become a footballer if

everybody really wanted to become a

footballer what did you learn from your

dad as a manager is there anything even

today where you think I think I've got

that from my dad or that trait or that

yeah

planning yeah organization

commitment

and if I just talk about planning you

know at that time

there was no mobile phones then so it

was it was a phone so he'd be phoning

all the playoffs they say look we're

playing on Saturday I want you to meet

at 12 30 we're meeting wherever it was

and at that time they all had to come at

times with the same with a shot and tie

on they had to bring her back you know

they all had to come with the same bag

shot in time you've got to remember this

is Glasgow in a time when you know

people well people had to turn up we're

calling tie on if you didn't turn up

with your car and tie on you might not

get selected for a game so small things

like this

if you're talking about maybe

disciplines or or ways you were brought

up I think possibly I picked up a lot of

the traits probably early on why does

that matter where do the small things

matter shirt and tie

uh do you think they matter I guess is

another yeah I do I think they really do

matter

I think sometimes I mean and I have to

say in if you if you jumped onto this my

senior time I think

I think they've always looked better I

think players people have always looked

better if they dress well and they

they're correct they look prepared for

the games

I jumped to Manchester United just

currently in Signal Manchester United

had a rule which Sir Alex had that they

would always turn up for away games and

shutting ties now most teams would

rather turn up the tracksuit players can

come more casual but Manchester United

always turned up uh with a shot and tie

on which I thought was a great thing

because they wanted to show what they

were wanted to come out there and say

look the way we look the way we approach

it you look at this Manchester United

and I I've got to say I really admired

admired that part of it

it's interesting it's an interesting

small psychological advantage isn't it

to some degree if

I guess it's a statement of

professionalism and

attention to detail before the before

the ball's even kicked

yes and uh you know so that takes me

back so you're saying is no maybe Sir

Alex who played with from Chapel

amateurs maybe maybe it picked up from

his timing from Chapel Armature so you

know the way they they they had to turn

up shut the ties on and they had a

Blazer on

and again let's reaches the number to

football team in Glasgow you you um you

played with many many clubs over your

almost 600 career

um games

a few across a variety of different

divisions

um

that time working as a player across

multiple clubs and multiple divisions

what did that teach you and it's always

useful to get a variety of different

experiences so that you can kind of

create your own perspective on on the

world but what did that teach you those

600 games as a player

what are the fundamentals the

fundamentals where I learned so much but

my but my early days when it when I

started at Celtic was probably engraved

in me more than anything because Celtic

is an incredible tradition of winning

you know winning now obviously Celtic

had to win with style as well celt it

were you know the biggest cobweight

Rangers in Glasgow in in Scotland I

should say and and because of that

Celtic had to to win was always so

important so oh no I could see that

there was the first team there was the

reserves there was the the youth team

and all the managers were under pressure

to win then if you did win then it was

and what was the score you won one

nothing that's not good enough you need

to win you need to win three or four

nothing you need to win buy more codes

and how did you play well we didn't play

that well we scored the known it was a

Scorpio not good enough you have to win

with style so I think my early days I

would I was brought up with brilliant

footballers

people who

showed me

I don't know if you want to call it a

philosophy because philosophy might be

much deeper and might offer much more

but it gave me some way how do you say

well I have to win I have to find a way

of winning you know if I can win with

style that's even better but more

importantly I have to find a way of

winning and I picked that up probably my

early days at Celtic and I wasn't near

that long

no that wasn't here that long but I

wasn't here that long probably as a

senior player I moved on and ended up

bobbing around the championship in a

couple of lower leagues in England for a

long time

but I come across some some really great

managers

uh I can't come across so much we aren't

so good

but you know I always try to be

respectful to any of them because that

came from from my background in my my

upbringing

but I also was trying to pick up

everything I could in

when I was

20

I had already qualified as a as a

full-time fill a license coach at the

time you know to be a coach you had to

have an a license it was called

uh now you have to have a pro license

but you have to was it was an e-license

I'd qualified as a coach when I was 20

21.

which was unusual the reason I'd done

that was because

the coaching courses were

obviously full of really experienced

managers feel a really lots of players

trying to get into management the only

reason I went and done it was home that

would become a better player I thought

that if I went on these coaching courses

it'll help me become even better as a

player and I had a I had a really good

career but not quite at the only level

which uh I really wanted to be whose

idea was that to go and do a coaching

course at 20 years old to improve

yourself as a player uh my own because I

thought that maybe I'd find out more

about it but I have to say

there was a thing when we were we were

young players we were when we were 16

bit Celtic we were sent

to the courses to help the coaches so we

were called the runners so we were down

here to do all the running you know you

had to do all the running you had to be

a feel bad you had to remember Midfield

player and you and all the practices

were put on for the coaches

and uh

no Scotland had great great coaches at

the time you know people people at Sir

Alex Jim McLean you know Walter Smith

you know what I could go on and on

Scotland did brilliant coaches without

naming the likes of jockstein and

no bill shankly and and what you could

go on and on George Green for example

so I I was sent down by Celtic and I was

one of the runners for a couple years

and once I was down I said oh I want

more of this I want to be around

football people I loved listening to

them

I hoped I would impress some of them who

were who were managers of really big

clubs at the time

and that's what I thought well no I'm

gonna go and do my badges myself and

went on to went on to do them in

Scotland well your time at Celtic um in

the first team when you got signed there

was three years right you were in Celtic

yeah yeah

you then got to experience other

cultures and clubs but you you cite

Celtic as having that sort of winning

mentality that some clubs just have

where they're almost you know yeah

they're just they get used they like

develop the habit of winning

throughout your career you've been in

clubs that have the habit of winning

um but also clubs that maybe have

struggled in the opposite direction and

don't have that culture of we always win

every game when you think about the

clubs you've worked in that have that

habit of winning like Celtic did what is

that how is where does that come from

and what what does it look like and feel

like

it it looks like you walk in every

morning with your chest

out in your head high

and you saw confident in what you're

doing there's a a motivation to keep it

going not to let it drop

there's a

something about having to continue to

improve to stay at the top that you

can't just do what you're doing which is

going to keep you there forever you have

to keep trying to find a way of doing so

I I did see that and I feel that and

I've seen it at other clubs since

but I have to say I think on the journey

to probably

where I am today is probably more that

seeing a lot of the other side as well

is actually the bit which you know I've

been a cop so I've been getting

relegated I've been at cops but I can't

win I've been at clubs where you know

it's not going well but it comes with us

you know it's it's not been as powerful

as as say a couple at Celtic

so I think I think you have to see a

all round for you to give yourself the

best the best chance and I keep saying

as you know

to do to get to become a football

manager

I don't think there's any one plan you

could be the best player on the planet

and not become a football manager

you could be someone who's never played

the game and become incredibly

successful as a football manager so

I don't think that's necessarily one way

you do it I'm really intrigued by this

this idea of like cultures at clubs and

within teams and how you can just feel

it almost when when a club has that

momentum and they were winning team and

when they don't

um on the on the country then when we're

thinking about teams that are struggling

that aren't performing well

um

what are the signs of that now Rio said

something really interesting was it real

wasn't Gary Gary Neville said something

interesting to me he said that when he

was a

um Manchester United Sir Alex Ferguson

only came into the dressing training

ground dressing room twice

and he said he never needed to come in

there because the culture was in there

yeah so if like when Berbatov came over

and wasn't fitting the culture the

players would correct him he then says

when he went to QPR

when the manager left the changing room

everyone was talking about their wages

and where they're going next you could

you can feel that like yeah there is a

difference I actually think the culture

I mean

that that team you're talking about

Manchester United where we had

incredible players and you know I

wouldn't say self-made because they had

they had a great manager but if you want

now if I moved to just now I'd be seen

as

just much more communication in life now

I came from background it was really

tough the Scottish managers you know

they

probably the working background we came

from uh they they would be out screaming

at you at half time they'd be screaming

you at the end of the game you know they

would be

there would be they'd be after you if

you didn't do well I don't think that

culture's there and I don't think I

think it's changed completely in

Scottish managers and if you look a bit

Scottish money just probably over

history Scotland had lots of managers in

English Premier League for example

very few now and it might be that we're

having to change your culture so going

back to a little bit where you're

talking about Rio said get in there I

think there was a period where the

players looked after themselves or they

could take the hard hitting hair dryer

treatment if you want to call it that

no I think it's a completely different

culture now whether we've changed or

whether I feel as if management is not

necessarily in that form I don't think I

don't know maybe you Steve you tell me

even better your head of businesses

would you go in and be screaming or

Bloom Lobster at your staff now do you

know what the thing one of my actually I

think is an advantage is I didn't grow

up in that culture yes so I've never

known it I've never known the prospect

of like coming into work and like as you

hear about it in some old businesses

where like the CEO would come in and

throw things and throw the table over

and stuff yeah I just never grew up in

that environment I grew up in a sort of

a societal expectation that a manager is

like

you know might be tough and sometimes

but it's fairly nice yeah there's no

like big glass office that I sit in away

from my team members it's a different

world these days well as you relate you

were talking about there you said that

it's kind of a different world in

management you've been in you know the

job since you were I guess 20 in your

early 20s you're 59 now I'm 59 and I've

probably been in management since I was

early 30s or when I started and then so

25 30 years

um you talk about the change that you've

seen in the approach that is effective

now

what is effective now if if Once Upon a

Time Scottish managers could come in and

hair dryer it and scream whatever

whatever how is the approach changed in

your view well let me tell you I

remember I remember one of the managers

coming in

to the dressing room

and I always said is don't look up just

look at the floor look at your boots

look down because if you catch his eyes

he's going to come for you so so it used

to be don't woke up so that it couldn't

have any eye contact with you and you

had to you know and you'd probably put

your head in a towel so that he couldn't

see in an air because that was the way

it was we were it was that and I think

that I probably had a lot of that in me

when I first started

but the difference now is as I think

we're in a different and maybe maybe

yourself or maybe you'll understand it's

a different era so as a coach and as a

manager and as a manner I think you need

to find a way how you're moving on with

that or you'd be left behind and I've

got to say I think in my position I've

got to admit I have to keep trying to uh

keep up renew invest in more work and

find out how it's going on there's so

many new things and it that don't get me

wrong that doesn't mean that I've still

not got the bit of

I can get in me when I think the players

need it and I actually think that

I like not like it

I think sometimes like I think I think

people want to be told the truth

and I think one of the the worst things

you can do to people is is I think if

you keep praising people all the time

I think it makes you soft as well so I

think there's a level of Praise You can

give people but I think you've also got

to be really tough with your Trace as

well and I actually think that as I've

got older I've become better and giving

praise I think there's some of my

players I'm sure Everton would say that

I very rarely gave them praise because I

I was always looking for better from

them

you know over the last when I've been in

business what 10 years or something

um not not as long as you in terms of

management but um even I've started to

notice some like warning signs in people

so like if I see this in the interview

process I go uh well I've been I saw

this before and then it ended in this

way like pattern recognition yeah you've

talked a lot about I've read a lot about

your scouting process how you find great

talent great players

what are the things you look for in the

things that you consider to be warning

signs

I always wanted someone who I thought

was putting in effort okay I always

thought that and they might say well how

can that come in front of many other

things well

I can think of many probably you and

you'll think of plenty of school boys

friends who were truly talented player

but baby didn't weren't dedicated and

put in the effort to didn't do the work

I think if you don't put the effort in

the dedication to it then and the other

thing what I use a lot of is you know if

you don't love the game completely

then you'll probably find it really do I

think you'll find it really difficult to

become a manager if you don't love the

game with or have real longevity I think

you could be a player and maybe get

through your your career 10 15 years as

a player with maybe without loving

football but I think if you want to go

longer I think you've badly got it love

love the business

when I became manager of everything but

I did it before I used to always meet

the players and I still do if I can

you nearly wanted to see their eyes to

see

I need you to work hard I need you to

know to do this job for the team I'd

like to see a you're going to take that

I'm going to be critical of you and I

want you to get better are you happy

with it you nearly wanted to put the

questions over to them to see if they

were going to take it did you I did too

many for us and I've I've got to say

we've had quite a few of the time which

I've got to say who I've had in my house

who have had in uh

offices and we've probably not taken

them sometimes because a bit like you

said sometimes something just makes you

go that's just not what I quite wanted

to hear

and that might only be a gut and it

might not it might have no reason to buy

some of the boys I'm talking about I've

gone on to be Superstars and play for

another time but something at the moment

can only give you that little bit of gut

feeling if you think it it sounds like

it's going to fit for you

I'm not saying you get it right but I

think at that time you have to have your

own

things were you say no I'm not going to

change this is what I want to do and I

want to keep it this way and I some of

I've missed out on some

how does that process work if you're

looking let's say you're looking for a

striker what's the process you know

because we've heard some I I don't mean

we're only understanding of like signing

players is playing like football manager

on the on the PlayStation or whatever

but I have in my head you have all these

Scouts they produce reports yeah and

then do you know what position you want

to fill do you go to the Scout or what

happens uh I think you in the main the

scouts will probably bring them to you I

mean look if it's somebody playing for

one of the teams locally or that and is

available and you think there's a chance

then you'll probably try and do your

homework you're trying you know

obviously statistically you'll try and

get it right you'll try and look at the

strengths and weaknesses you'll you'll

take any consideration maybe the price

is going to cost where you think it's

you know where it fits in for you what

you can do but the ones you don't know

are what you you're looking for your

Scouts to bring to you and and quite a

lot in modern footballs the agents are

bringing them you know because the

agents are putting such a huge part no

whether you see it as a positive or A

negative they're playing such a huge

part behind the scenes in football at

the moment

and these people will bring it obviously

if you're trying to sell something

you're always going to talk it up but in

the end you know we would or I would

always try and get my Scouts to go

through it they would probably say yes

this is what's coming and looking at

come in we should we'll go and set more

we'll sit for a few hours watching

if we wanted to take it even further

then we would go into much further

detail would eventually probably start

trying to find out

people who know the boy or just played

with a boy and try and get a bit of his

character background

would try and find out more about

you know is he that is he the right type

you know is he is he a good boy is he is

he a good trainer is he going to be

disruptive in the training I think all

those things are really really part of

it I don't think any I don't think any

football manager

wants people who are not going to fit in

in what was it and I guess again uh

reverse back to business probably you're

the same and you don't want people here

not going to fit in with what you've got

you want somebody who's going to come in

and blend in and be part of it what was

your best ever signing

ah but I always say

Nigel Martin is saying Nigel Martin the

goalkeeper who was at Leeds United and

he was on a free from Leeds United and

we took him to Everton at the time

and it's only because he was a three but

not only that he was a great goalkeeper

obviously he had been an England

goalkeeper he was probably near at the

end of the time but he gave me about

four or five years of stability

but see when people talk about signing

your best signing over the over the time

I've now been I've made that many

signings I've got you know it would be

it's really pretty shame for me even in

M1 because I've got so many that I could

I could see you don't have to I would

not ask you to name your worst signing

but where have you frequently got it

wrong when signing players

you know what I think you do is I think

it's the ones I've missed the ones who

you've said no I don't think is quite

good enough I think I'm gonna don't

think I wanna and I've had hundreds of

them who's the one you missed the most

that well just recently because it's

because because we've been talking about

it you know we've been

Alvarez who's just played for Argentina

in the World Cup you know was I I

brought in a new Scout who says look you

should go for Alvarez at River play

and I watched and I watched these are

very good really good technician I

thought he he done so many good things

as a center for a bit I thought maybe

not quite the one we want maybe didn't

quite we had Mickey Antonio uh who had

been doing very well I don't know if

he's you know

and you see sometimes the players change

in six months but I have to say there's

other other players like that who you

don't take and don't go on to be a real

success but that one at the moment is

just one because it was probably only a

year ago where I decided nah I don't

think it's probably the one we're gonna

take it's the same in business no matter

how many people you hire yeah it's

always still guessing yeah and I was

speaking to my friend Gary vaynerchuk

about this who's hired about 5 000

people and he said to me he says you

know I've been in this game for 30 years

and I'm still just guessing because

we can come up with all the principles

and systems we want but how someone

people change but also how they present

in an interview yeah can be drastically

different to how they present in six

months time yeah when they're

comfortable you know what which really

interesting I'm asking you I I hear now

and I hear because there's so many jobs

change in our our industry

he says how do you pick a good football

coach now how would you pick a football

manager whatever you want but how would

you pick a good football manager no what

would give him the no the owners or the

people who are doing it how are they

picking it because again what I said it

says

yes of course we can think of some real

special people who would be would be in

that group but if you're you're a lesser

Club trying to pick a new Talent when

you know why would you get it is he got

the driver has he got the energy has he

got the love for the game to to to stay

with it has he got an idea that he wants

to go further and he's going to put the

work in

it's really hard and sometimes you can't

find them and I get the feeling it's the

same in Industry now as well yeah

um yeah I I think the more I've hired

The more I've realized that it's just

guessing which I think would people be

surprised at because people think that

you'll get progressively better or your

your confidence will will grow my

confidence has actually Fallen with

experience yes so so what that means for

me is that when I hire someone and I

know it's not right just very quickly

have to make a decision because the

worst thing is indecision right waking

wasting too long that's it we have the

same situation we've talked about as we

are buying players and we're and we're

spending a lot of money like you are and

then you're saying is and you're saying

no but you can't do this but we don't

think you can do that and and at times

maybe the older you get you would think

this it becomes easier it actually

becomes harder the more you're in it

because you've probably seen the good

ones the bad ones yeah this is before

this past they try and get a good one

but not so good anymore we're going to

follow another parcel I've got to say no

hiring people and bringing them in is

not an easy thing to do it's slightly

different I guess in business because as

the CEO

I in business usually get to make the

decision about who you're hiring I mean

sometimes of course managers at low

levels make make that decision but in

football there's often a conversation

that the board or the owner has stepped

in and has told you who to sign and who

to buy

well I think that's one of the things

really in football where you would say

laughs

if if an owner was going to do that you

say no come on it's not not right it is

it's part and parcel of football now

it's Rife and football where a lot of

owners are making the signings instead

of the manager has the owner ever asked

you to sign a player uh yes yeah they

have yeah what did you say to them I've

tried to say I've said no to you know

and I've said no it's not the way I do

what no if the players are good I'd be

I'd be saying great bring me them in but

then what we would do is if we get a

name of a player then we would try and

do our homework and try and do other

stuff and by the way we might be wrong

we're accepting that but if we follow

the correct process or what we believe

is the correct process

and it still comes out no we have to go

with what we're saying now if the

process stays here by the way where he

and he's a good player he's going lots

of goals he's you know he's young you

know resellable if it doesn't work if

all those other points come up then

we're saying oh wait a minute maybe we

have to think about it but I think

really trusting your process and hoping

that

the longevity I've had will probably

hope that you've made more right

decisions than wrong decisions by the

time

by the time you get around to making the

final decision I guess one of the things

you can control which doesn't have to be

a guessing exercise is the culture that

they join so the culture that they join

is good then there's a higher chance of

them being successful as a player as a

new signing I agree how do how do you do

that at the clubs you're managing now

West Ham have you done that in the past

to make sure the culture is right and

what is that culture yeah

well I think I think for me the biggest

one was

when I when I was at West Ham the first

time we came and we thought we'd done a

good job and we kept the team up we were

asked to come in we kept the team up and

we didn't get the job and then another

manager came in and we were we were out

of work for a year so then to be fair to

the owner David Sullivan he followed me

about companies says would you come in

and says yeah love to come back no

problem

I felt I had to do

a bit more at West Ham or had to try and

I I keep using and I say it opening a I

want to build a new West Ham so what is

a new West Ham mean well a lot of people

a lot of supporters might not like the

sort of that but West Ham I've moved to

a new stadium

it's not been it's not been appreciated

by everybody

but that's what we're going to be it

looks like for the next hundred years

that's when it looks like the club's

going to be there so we need to make the

best we possibly can of it

you know I want to change the cut I want

you I want that to be a lot it's a young

kid's Company West Ham East End of

London's a huge area former West Ham

supporters

a lot of poverty in the area West Ham

offer great ticket prices great

opportunities they do brilliant work in

the community West Ham in in EastEnders

one thing they really do

and I want to encourage all the young

kids now what do you need you need

exciting players so that these young

kids want want to buy a jersey so that

they're not following the top two or

three teams in the country and you want

them to come so

I I've tried to change

try to change the team

but you know deep down I'd really like

to say I'm trying to make West Ham

better

and it used to always do other people

when I was a manager I haven't managed

man united in other clubs before would

say oh you get a flaky West Ham you know

they're not not that reliable and you

don't know what West Ham team is going

to turn up

well I want to change that culture

there's so much room for improvement at

West Ham you know I think it's got great

potential to improve

and I I hope that you get I get the

opportunity to keep it going with a

couple of really really good years uh

success for West Ham there's been

success and it's how we continue that

success now how we build on it and I

think if you're if you're in business

I think you'll accept it you know you

quite often you have a couple of years

or a good year and then you might not

have it quite so good because we'll have

weird a little bit like that at the

moment so I'm hoping that

culturally I think we have changed

I've changed a load of things at West

Ham

we're not we're not milky we're not

flaky

uh

I think there's a different atmosphere

in eastenda London regarding how people

see West Ham

I

I like the way we've done it but we've

also got some exciting really exciting

young players who those young supporters

I talked about could fall

what are those next steps then if you

reflect back on what you did at Everton

you took them from being that kind of

you know happy to survive Club to a new

last I think your last eight years you

finished in the top you lost seven years

you finished one of the two yeah you

last eight years you finished in the top

eight seven times yes or something along

along those lines

um they became a consistent

competitive team at the top top end of

the table

when you look at where West Ham is now

as we sit here in our 16th in the table

what is what are those but after two

amazing years in the two previous years

where West Ham were absolutely fireworks

to be fair dangerous very very dangerous

team to to play against I'm not

Manchester United fan so I remember like

the last two years have been really

really um incredible for West Ham what

are those steps forward now to get West

Ham to being that team that that is

competing at the very top of the table

and I find it so interesting that in

fact when you when you answer this

question you don't just think oh we need

to buy more players it's kind of more of

a holistic wider broader job that needs

to be done yeah I I actually think that

we we bought our players and I think

that you know I've gone out there and

said that's what I'm doing

but I think I sometimes I think in in

football not that you need to break it

but we had a really good team for the

last two years

but with a few Mark Noble was coming to

them one or two other players were

coming today and we had to change and we

were actually shortly numbers were

really sure the players have done and I

felt as if I nearly had to break up a

little bit because I had seen Signs Now

my experience my longevity was telling

me if I don't do this now then I'm gonna

feel I'm going to be caught out now we

probably didn't do quite as well from

January on last year that was my feeling

we had some brilliant nights we got this

semi-final European football no we had

been challenging all years I mean we in

the last game of the season we we

finished seventh but we were 10 minutes

away from finishing six above Manchester

United you know uh

so the the margins were incredibly small

and all this but I felt that

now we might now with the age I'm the

only saying is

I don't really give a [ __ ] now I've got

to say I'm not going to get many more

goes at this so if I don't make a go to

I don't really do what I think is right

and what I want to do then I'll regret

it so this part of me said yeah we had

to bring in new players and we've gone

out and we've

put my head on the Block and said here

we go brought these new players in

no what I really need is hope that I can

get a little bit time to set on getting

them settled in I think we brought in

good players I think we have got a

better Squad

maybe not a better team at this exact

time than what we had last year but

we've definitely got better players

which are I believe will show that and

in the coming months do you worry about

that

um losing losing your job is that

something that like

sits and you might I I wouldn't in my

business I mean other than when I was at

Social and I had a board of directors

we're a public company so technically

they could fire me

um it's not something that I think about

like if I'm if I perform badly as an

executive the company goes down

well what it says I think as a young

manager I worried much more yeah I think

now in the in the position I'm in now

and when I'm going I'll worry far far

less because

it's in my blood I love the game I want

to be here I'm enjoying what I'm doing

but it wouldn't be the end of the ass if

something went wrong for me now where

I'm at but my pride my determination is

that I want to be successful and I want

a I want to know be do a really good job

for West Ham

so but I think when you're younger if

you look now at Young managers young

managers find it very difficult if you

don't do well in your first job maybe

like business you know in business maybe

you ever go and something fails nothing

quite what you're nearly tentative do

you think I could go again maybe nobody

will help invest this may whatever it

may be so it's so important you do get

it right when you do go and book them

back to if I just have to because I want

to visit

I think you need people who are really

supportive at the start I had a great

owner at Preston North End a couple of

great owners who really supported me uh

when I went to West Ham I had great men

who who helped me at that time as well I

think sometimes you need to be a bit

lucky on your journey that you know if

you turn up a club where an owner's

making the signings or you're not good

he's only going to give you half a dozen

games to to show what you can do you're

probably going to find it it's going to

be very difficult to succeed so

maybe a bit lucky at the start but I

worried much more when I was younger

than I would do now that success that

you want the time to achieve at West Ham

what what is that success what is the

goal for West Ham uh if we sat here in

you know let's say 10 years five years

time that's too long in football these

days five years time what's the what's

the goal

I think we've been successful yeah I

think West Ham have been successful in

the last two years

and what you know

really the one show the the great

winners in the serial winners are the

ones who wants to get a better success

all they want is more of it uh

I'd love to be sitting here where and

bringing my trophies in here in front

here and putting them up and saying here

look at these trophies I've not got that

what have I got I've got periods of

success and all my teams have done well

we've got to Europe you know got to a

cup final here and there we've got to

semi-finals

so not everybody in the industry can

have success you know not everybody can

know be what about with our medals and

at the moment have not but I still

believe there's still a big chance that

I can do that is that your kpi of

success is that what you

it's probably not now it's not now

because I actually think

staying in the job wouldn't be a bit

longevity is a really important thing in

anyone if you can stay in it and you can

it's no it's a big thing it's showing

that you've done a good enough job

but you know Avida I've been fortunate

enough with a few manager of the Year

Awards over over the years you know last

few years have been nominated for it but

I've said many times I'd swap it for one

of Jose mourinho's lemon Meadows if I

got the chance you know or one of these

trophies all day long so

that's still got to be what I'm driving

to do now well not gone forever because

I'm getting older and I don't want to be

as old as Sir Alex or Roy hodgin when

they finish those sort of people but but

I still get the energy I still get the

drive I feel as if I've got a good team

and I feel as if I'm still capable of of

keeping up with those younger ones quick

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I can't tell you over the last I'd say

over the last really it's been about two

and a half years it was really um post

pandemic how much my health has become

such a huge priority in my life and I

have this laser laser focused on what

I'm putting into my body it's funny

because as you get older you can start

to feel the things you're putting into

your body more and more and more

um and if I if I put something into my

body especially things like gluten if I

put those things in my body I feel them

tremendously the next day my energy

levels my sleep and everything in

between huel has been probably the most

important partner in my health Journey

because

I've been in the boardrooms I've been to

their offices

tens and tens and tens and tens of times

I've seen how they make their decisions

on nutrition and I trust it most of my

team that are in this room with me

consume it and get the benefits of it

too so if you haven't already tried your

do so

Alex sure Alex there's been a lot said

about Sir Alex I talk about him a lot

because I've interviewed so many of his

former players

um there was a lot of rumors that he

went to your house and asked you to

become the manager of Manchester United

no he took me to his house oh he took

you to his house yeah

and actually a

I'll tell you story Steve is I it wasn't

long after I turned 50 my wife had

bought me a watch and actually we had

gone through to Manchester too

to the Jaws I needed to get a link taken

out

and uh it was actually an altering on by

all places I was in altering them

and uh

the phone rang and it was a

it was Sir Alex and I saw the way I says

oh bloody hell it's Alex on the phone

and I thought oh he's gonna he's gonna

need one one of my players or he's going

to want me to take one of these players

which no he's he's coming on he says

something

and he and he said hey where are you

I I see something I'm in Manchester he

says uh well right come out to the house

when you're ready will you

said and that's a person Alex accent

probably so good

and uh

I see his sister wife

I can't do it I'm in my jeans I couldn't

go Easter Alex with a pair of jeans on

it's no way

so I'm saying oh what am I going to do

don't you Marks and Spencers and buy a

pair of trousers

you know so she said oh can we go just

go and get on me and do it so anyway

drop my wife off at the shopping center

and I drove out to Sir Alex's house

and and he went I went in

and he says then you come

and uh

very nice house and he's got a lovely

sort of room Sports room up the stairs

and he says what a cup of tea says I

took up a cup of tea

and he and he said

I'm retiring

and you're the next manager of

Manchester United

no interview

no no telling me not saying would you

like to be

no I'm retiring and I nearly slipped

down it was a it was a lesson I nearly

slipped down because obviously that was

nobody knew that sir Alex was retiring

nobody knew no nobody even suggested I

thought about it

and I nearly slipped down when I heard

them say that and then he says and

you're the next manager of Manchester

United

and I just sort of went yeah well no

okay I wasn't gonna I wasn't going to

turn around I didn't think I would ever

say nowhere I could I don't even know I

was in a position to say no and uh and

that was as simple as that we got

underway he said

and there was only maybe

and to be fair it was only four weeks to

go to the end of the season maybe five

weeks to go to the end of the season I

was coming out of contract to Everton

and I was really wanting to be

respectful to them and actually my next

game was against Liverpool

uh on this Sunday I think I met Sir Alex

in the midweek on the Wednesday or

something on the Sunday

and I knew that if we had got a draw

with Liverpool we would probably finish

above them in the league and it was at

anfield and we did we get a drop and we

we did finish up off them so it didn't

have any effect on on what I was doing

at Evan

but the big the big thing was to say and

then the next day said uh I want you to

come back to my house tomorrow uh

uh Edward was going to come and see he's

going to be the new chief executive who

he says David gills uh leaving as well

and that was it and I met Edward won the

next day and then the next day back to

his house again we met the glazers

and so it was three days three days

where I dropped back to his house the

the biggest problem I had was

he said

and you can't tell MD about me retiring

he says nobody knows that's no promises

tell your wife but nobody else I

couldn't tell my kids I couldn't tell my

dad

I couldn't tell my dad that I was going

to get the job but I was getting the job

so that that for me was how it happened

and when I wrote back now

to get that offer from probably arguably

uh the greatest the greatest manager

maybe there ever was was a great

compliment

uh

but maybe if I'd really looked in more

detail and more depths in in I was

desperate to be successful as a manager

and I had had 11 years at Everton where

we said weeds

would say we'd hit the glass ceiling but

we would find it really difficult to

break into the top four the competition

and the money was required

but my biggest regret was uh I was so

close to Bill Ken right the owner at

Everton

and I and I couldn't tell and it felt

and it was really bad that I couldn't

tell him because I was so close to Bill

but I couldn't break my word without Sir

Alex said he didn't want me to tell it

so I couldn't tell MD about my wife so

jump back in the car drove back to the

shop mall shopping center

got the wife put her in the car and I

said something new manager Man United

and she was like well you got piss off

your top rubbish you know so uh that was

it and that was how it went

you were coming to the end of your

contract with Everton at the time what

was your plan you hadn't signed a

contract so you must have been I hadn't

been I had I have to say as I had been

I think I would my plan was probably to

stay at Evan we just hadn't got it done

in for different reasons I was wanting

to see how it was going

but I have to say I'd I'd met a couple

other clubs I'd met a couple of really

big clubs who'd approached me and phoned

me and spoke to me you know what was I

doing would I be interested

the truth is I don't think I'd have I'd

have left for any of them

because everyone had been so good to me

but I was also wary about overstaying

your welcome at Evan you know sometimes

just in management supporters won't

change they want to want to try

something different and and I get it I'm

a huge football supporter you know if I

wasn't managing I'd be watching football

and I'd be you know probably talking

about it like everybody else does

but uh I

you know it came up I've got a chance to

manage probably the biggest cup in the

world I'm falling

a club who always give their managers

time they gave Sir Alex time and also

that their values were no they played

young players Man United

I always thought man united never went

out and tried to buy the best on the

market and they never went to the went

they never went to this sort of designer

shop to buy the best thing in the

designer shop they bought correctly they

bought young players they bought you

know you look at the Players they had

which they come through from Becks and

the Neville's and all the other ones who

came through

they always did something a bit a bit of

style about them they never went out to

get the best overseas manager in the

world they picked which fitted their

model

so I actually felt when Ceramics offered

me the job in Manchester United who had

given me the job I felt they thought I

must have been the best choice for the

job at that time and they saw that and

also maybe

not similar but similar in a way that

maybe there was a similar background a

similar upbringing a similar route maybe

to to get to the point so I trusted

Manchester United I really did adjusted

them because of what they stood for as a

football club

you know many times um when you're

successful as you were at Everton you're

given big opportunities it's the same in

business people come to me and give me

these huge opportunities and sometimes

like the bright bright lights of the

opportunity have often caused me to make

a wrong decision or not to take you know

take the right amount of due diligence

as you described they're like not really

looking into the details because it's

such a big thing that you almost can't

say no to it you said there that you

wish you'd looked a little bit closer

with the details what do you mean by

that

well I'll tell you who told me was uh

Howard Wilkinson said to me down the

line I wish you'd told me before he says

all the managers over the dynasty so

when you look at it uh I think it was

Brian cough was one of them I think the

other one was Sir Bobby Robson all the

managers who had the real uh

Dynasty and transdently United managers

as well uh don ravey maybe as well I

think it was

MD who followed them never worked

no I never even thought for a minute

because

I I thought to myself no I'll come in

and

and I actually was thinking I'm not

changing I'm going to try not to change

much of it so I said of course I have to

change it it's not Ceramics it's me and

I have to do it my way and I have to try

and do a little bit but ultimately uh I

was going to keep it going but then I'm

gonna when I look back at the things

what I heard I thought my goodness have

I looked a bit closer and maybe even now

I'm a bit older now than I was when I

get the job maybe maybe

even I needed even more experience and

maybe even I had it at that point maybe

we'd be more ready at this period in my

career than I was even saying no don't

know what it was eight or nine years ago

whenever it was

so if they called you now

well you know they've got a really good

manager I think and I think I think the

the thing about Manchester United

Manchester United have of chosen

incredibly good managers yeah rubber

with some of the best managers some of

the best managers you could ever imagine

I've been I've been at Manchester United

so you know sometimes you've got to say

you know if you're if you're quite

bright I'm sure you are with a business

you're working it's not always the

boss's fault it just doesn't this

doesn't go right so like I I took over

at a difficult time you know it was

quite a few senior players probably

coming to near the end of their time but

I also have to say I was really proud I

took over the Champions England when

when that was a time and that was I'm

saying what a chance I've got you know

maybe the opportunity to win trophies

the opportunity to be successful and it

was the thing I was probably missing

from a time at event that I wasn't quite

getting close enough to to winning

trophies would you would you Eric ten

hog aside I think he's great I think we

both agree there but would you ever be

open to coming back to Manchester United

in the future if they they'd asked uh

well I don't think it would ever be it

would ever been a role as a manager

that's for sure so that my time's gone

but

you know if ever I always love to be

involved in football and hopefully

somewhere along the line someone will

want to use my experience when my time's

up with we've been a football manager

but uh Manchester United is a great

experience and a and I found it

difficult to sort of have have something

which could sort out

I don't know how it would I would sort

of put over what it meant and the only

way I could put it out is I think when

you manage man united it's like living

in the penthouse and looking out

you know and until you've had the

penthouse and you're looking out and

you're above everybody and you're

looking over you see the view much

better and uh for me they were the

penthouse one of the big things that did

change at Manchester United and I only

know this because I had a season ticket

the ladies and the the men that serve

you the food in like the hospitality

suite or whatever they always have a

great relationship with them and they

would tell me things about how the club

was maybe before I could add enough

money to buy a season ticket one of the

things they always said was the role

that David Gill had on the club as well

yeah people don't think understand that

enough but David Gill was the CEO of the

club yeah and I mean I've seen in my own

businesses when the CEO me was removed

how much it was a completely different

place and people don't understand that

because as fans we look at the manager

and think ah but if the managers in my

business

are very very very important but the

person above them has the most power and

the most control in the most way is the

CEO now that changed and the the

wonderful people at Manchester United

would tell me that well when David Gill

was here he knew all of our names and

that really struck me that like he knew

all of our names he knew all of our

birthdays we used to see him now we

don't see yeah Ed Woodward anymore we

don't see the chief Executives anymore

they don't know our names that's a real

sign of a cultural change definitely

just think of the values with that is

yeah the values of the CEO sending your

Buster card or I don't know and I mean

like if we I would be incredibly

complimentary if it said Alex said Alex

would fall out managers who had lost a

job or managers who had been successful

he phoned me up when we were doing very

well at West Ham six months ago whenever

it was

it they were always correcting and when

you think of values of what it means to

be at the top and what the things small

things which matter those things really

matter but for me

I was taking over the club I'd lost

David Gill who I knew very well from

different things and working with them

at UEFA and different things as well and

he was a huge huge Miss but that wasn't

to say that the new CEO wasn't he was to

be giving every chance and I wanted to

help him and he wanted to help me

ultimately it didn't work that way you

said you trusted the club to give to

give you long enough do you feel like

that trust was let down yeah I do a bit

because I feel that you know

I think that

if you're putting in a new manager

you're hoping that you're going to give

them and look at least a very stable job

in a very good environment to come and

do it and obviously

no I think when you when we look back

you would say hey there was a huge

change going to have to take place at

Manchester United after Sir Alex and

maybe ideally I think it was we were

going to try and make it seamless where

there wasn't going to be too big a

change but there's a lot of players

changing uh you know getting to an age

where there were no having to move on

there was actually a big Squad of of

players who had been incredibly loyal to

Sir Alex and suddenly they've got new

managers coming in the door

maybe not playing them as much so they

don't have quite the same

sort of coarseness to to him and still

building up relationship so I think

there was I think there was a lot of

that and it made it difficult but you

know the the thing I I look back at

business in in you're a very successful

businessman

always think

you have to give bad news well

because you're the boss

and you run

a really big business like Manchester

United did and I think if you've got any

class or any style

it's good when you get off off the job

and then you give them when you give

them all they and you talk about also

but I think when you're having to get

bad news out I think even bad news has

to be done

in a good way as well and I felt the way

that the I was told at the same time at

Manchester United wasn't done as well as

it should have been done uh but the way

that you were told you weren't going to

be manager yes you know it was there was

there was ways it could have been done

better and it could be made a lot easier

than what it was no

I've heard this from former players I've

heard former players tell me that they

were really disappointed by how the club

um specifically Edward wood gave them

their send-off I think it was I think it

was Rio that said to me that like just

came into the dressing room tapped me on

the shoulder and told me that this was

my last game or that they were selling

me or something and that doesn't pay

respect no two no it doesn't and I

actually think that Looking Back Now hey

you think to yourself hey it's life got

on me you know that's the way it is when

you're you know you're in you're in an

industry or you're in you do that but I

still think that uh I think if you're

the biggest one of the biggest sport

businesses in the world if not the

biggest

you would hope that you would do things

correctly like David Gill would sound

speak and say hello to them or light

they would send a birthday card so the

same should happen if you were telling

somebody that you were you were stopped

number you're sacking them or you're

getting rid of them you would hope they

would do it the best way they could how

did how did you find out

uh media oh really media phone in me

yeah lost a couple I get it lost the

game at Everton actually in the media

was saying I know you're losing your job

and

you know I I try to make contacts and

and say like why don't we meet up you

think you're going a bit

it didn't certain before I knew they

called me and the day after and by this

time the whole world had known about it

before I'd sort of get you know got to

know so

sometimes I think people want to want to

get it done right and I just didn't feel

it was right but anyway from my point of

view

uh

I generally don't have any real I don't

know if I gripe about it because the

industry I'm in uh

means that this can happen quite often

and you don't get things done the way

you want it you have to live with it and

and that's the way it is in the wake of

that how does um what does it look like

at home this is probably one of the most

interesting things that I personally

pondered throughout that period as a

Manchester United fan which is when you

go from the penthouse and then the the

landlord evicts you from the penthouse

after I don't know 10 10 11 months at

the club

the what the weight of Manchester United

you know it's the most talked about Club

it's the club that sells the headlines

it gets all the clicks so every it must

feel like everything is about you in the

world of football and it's like a very

public apparent failure

at home you've got wonderful wife Pamela

you've got two kids what's it like at

home

I think I think personally you're a

little bit

shame because you've not done done well

you know you're not done well for your

family so

I think personally I felt I'd let them

all down because you know I I'd really

what like I said if nobody

probably the hours and the work I'd put

in as a young I didn't believe I was

ever going to be a coach never mind the

coach of Manchester United but the hours

of work had put in it got me to a level

where I'd worked and I'd done an awful

lot of hard work behind the scenes over

the years

on day than to lose it so quickly so you

get a job and I said at that time I had

two or three really really big co-ops

who were were talking about me speaking

to me but when Sir Alex came and made me

the offer it was very hard to say no

and then for that to go very quickly so

it was a bit like getting to top up

Everest and then actually starting to

decline very quickly so from my point of

view it was hardkin home you know it was

difficult

uh but I've got to say

it's a bit like

my mom used to just say hey whatever

happens you just have to get up and go

on with it you know you're on with it

you'd be taking the chin and you got

away and you know sort of sticks and

stones don't worry too much about it but

you're right when your manager of

Manchester United you talked about in

every continent every country you'll

either be in the front of the back page

it's one of the papers so

but that's also the privilege of being a

manager of Manchester United as well

what's the what's the toll of that if

you were to warn me about the time

I think the tool for someone who

cares deeply about their profession and

wants to be successful and wants to do

well the toll for me personally time

felt felt big it really did

and it's probably it probably took me a

wee bit to get back on the road a little

bit without saying about a watch really

after I lost the job I said well I'm

going to have to go and try and

reinvent find out more new things no

keep keep current where can I go to find

out what's going on you know and I

obviously couldn't go back to Old

Trafford to watch a game where I

couldn't really go back to to a

gooderson and watching him so it made it

quite difficult but I found myself doing

quite a bit of work for UEFA I'd done

all the Champions League games which was

really good day and and I spoke in all

the pro license courses for the coaches

which kept me current and having to keep

up to date with things so those those

type of things kept me kept my education

and kept my knowledge and kept me going

a bit better

I still think that when you when you

you've been at one of the big clubs it's

always a Miss because you realize the

the level they're at you said that the

toll is big in a very practical real

sense what does that mean

is it sleepless nights is anxiety is it

yeah yeah I'm someone who sleeps really

well to be honest

but I do think that

it's very difficult when you when you

lose your job in in our business you

know you've talked about a lot so you

have to accept it and I'm

a part of it you will be as well or if

things go wrong or any of your

businesses feel you'll be you'll be

current no people will have criticism

but I think if you're going to go into

football management then you have to

find a way of saying how they deal with

it how am I going with it what's my

mechanism uh

I remember thinking when things weren't

going so well at Manchester United you

know I'd be driving any training

so I couldn't put on Talk sport I

couldn't put on

Radio 2 I couldn't put the words on in

them but yeah so I thought I'll put on

uh whatever music it was

and they come on and he was never

talking about me on that news as well so

oh my goodness is this ever going to end

is it is there a channel it isn't

talking about Manchester United in some

way but that was because it was getting

closer to probably when I wasn't doing

so well and there's a lot of talk about

it but uh

I think you just have to find a way of

shutting yourself off from it the best

you can

but the world we're in now for young

coaches of social media if you if that's

what your your world is or or how you

present yourself

it's much different now and uh

in days gone by

in the early days at Preston I look at

the I look at the newspaper and there'd

be a letter page

and there'd be four or five supporters

saying

why is moy's not playing him you know

and what's he doing and that used to be

where the criticism was mainly coming

from as you well know now now there's a

world of it outside

I am I got to play a um the London

Stadium

I'll create it's not called London

Stadium isn't it yeah it's called the

Lindsay and awesome chat to Karen Brady

once a while I'm seeing her soon

um and uh I met someone while I was at