By Dave Bowler

It’s a quite extraordinary feat in a competition that becomes faster, ever more demanding and ever less forgiving by the season. Some would tell us that the Premier League is no country for old men, anything north of 30 being classed as old in their book, but as Gareth Barry proves week after week, age is nothing but a number if you can still cover the ground with the same desire to win as footballers a dozen years younger.

After all, if you’ve been paying attention the way he has, you know a lot more and, as many sages have said about this game, the first five yards are all in the head. That’s true in all kinds of ways, for not only does that kind of experience bring with it an ever greater ability to read the game and so be in the right place at the right time more comfortably, it also adds to your mental strength having seen the ups and the downs of a life in football. For all his undoubted talent, Gareth sees his robust mentality as one of the cornerstones of his success.

Mental Strength

“I think one of my real strengths over the years has been the ability to stay on an even keel mentally through it all. You get a lot of changes in the game, a lot of ups and downs, things go on that are beyond your control. You have to take things as they come, take them on board and think them through, but you can’t afford to be negative about situations.

“Some things are harder than others to deal with of course, but you have to accept it as it is and don’t let it have any detrimental impact on you or the job that you need to do. Having a strong mentality and a “one game at a time�?attitude has been a big help to me I think�?

Brighton Start

For all that Gareth’s mentality has only strengthened with the years, it’s apparent that it’s an attribute he was born with, going right back to his earliest days. There’s a steely gaze that you see in his eyes on the pitch, one which, I suspect, was even there back in the earliest days when he was telling people, including schoolteachers, that he was going to make it as a footballer. Let’s start off with those days.

“I started off playing the game with my older brothers, I’ve got three of them, and they were always kicking a ball around, so I’d be out in the garden with them and that was what got me going. From there, at school you’d be playing whenever you could. I got picked for the school team and from there, I was scouted by Brighton when I was eight or nine.

“Once I joined, I would train with them once a week, which was exciting at that age. People have asked me when did I start to think I might make something out of football and I suppose it was as I was coming towards the end of my time at school. Your last year there, it’s an important time, you’ve got your GCSEs coming up. If I’m honest, I had half an eye on those, but the real pull then was football and I was determined that I was going to make that my career.

Aston Villa Calling

“You have to go and have conversations with teachers at that time about what you’re going to do when you leave school, and they all tell you the chances of being a professional footballer are pretty slim, so why not think about something else? Of course I was determined to prove them wrong, I wanted this to be my job and I put everything I could into it. I felt the chance was there and I decided to go down that road and give it a real go.

“So I stayed with Brighton through until I was 16, and that was when I had a difficult decision to make, because a number of other clubs started to show interest in me. There were a few London clubs that wanted to sign me but I felt that Aston Villa would be the place where I would get the most opportunity.

Trial

“I had a trial there and I had a good feeling about it, it seemed the club I should sign for, even if it was a long way from home.

“It turned out that I was a bit of a trial case, myself and Michael Standing, because at that time, there really weren’t very many cases of clubs coming in and trying to get players from other team’s youth set ups. Generally back then, if you had been at a club through school, you stayed with them through the youth system and either got released or eventually played for the first team and moved from there.

Step Up

“People forget now that Brighton are in the Premier League, but back then, they were really struggling. They were in what is now League Two, they were close to going out of the league altogether at one point, there were a lot of financial problems, they were having to sell the old Goldstone Ground, it was a real battle for them and the future was uncertain.

“For both of us, when a Premier League club came in, it just seemed as if it was going to help our education and offered us better prospects. It was tough to be in the middle of all that controversy at 16, because there was a lot of fuss made about it, what it would do to the game and smaller clubs if youth players started getting transferred.

“But ultimately Villa had to pay a lot of money for somebody who hadn’t even played in the youth team for Brighton. It was only right that Brighton were rewarded for nurturing us through their youth programme and that was eventually great for Brighton because they got a decent amount of money that helped them turn the club back in the right direction. You look back at it now, that was the start of how football has developed in terms of very young players moving clubs, because it’s all pretty commonplace now.

Youth Team

“From my point of view, it was funny how things accelerated, because I wasn’t in the England teams at 15 and 16, I wasn’t standing out from the rest in that sense at that age. The change for me came with going full-time, training every day and working with some very good coaches at Aston Villa. My game seemed to improve and go on to another level really quickly from there.

“I was very keen to make things work having moved to the midlands and my mindset was very much, if you get a chance in the youth team, if you get a chance in the reserves, just make sure you take it. From there, I got an opportunity to train with the first team, and when that happens, you are really aware that you have to step it up again to impress the manager, you have to concentrate on every second. I’m glad I was able to adapt quickly and the players and the manager helped me settle in.

“Villa were very good at bringing players through at that stage, they had a good youth set up and the coaches were excellent, people like Tony McAndrew, Kevin MacDonald and then Gordon Cowans came in later on. I credit them with teaching me how to become a professional footballer, on and off the pitch. They played a big part in my development�?

Villa Debut

At 17 years and 69 days, on May 2nd 1998, Gareth made his debut for Villa as 49th minute substitute in a 3-1 win at Hillsborough, the first step on the road to today. Right from the off, playing in the biggest footballing cathedrals in the land seemed to come naturally to him from day one.

“To be honest, when I started playing, I didn’t think about the crowds, the pressure, any of those things too much. It was all that I knew as a player at that point, so why should it be strange, thus was what I had worked for. I made my debut at Hillsborough, then played regularly at Villa Park, that was just what my life was at that point. I was too busy concentrating on the game, doing my job, playing well, not letting my team-mates down, to worry about those other things. The size of the crowd and the stadium never really occurred to me�?

In those early years at the Villa, Gareth settled into a defensive role, something that would have come as a shock to him when he first joined the club.

Left Back

“I’d always played in midfield at school and at Brighton, and when the youth team coach said he wanted to try me at the back, my initial thought was, “What!?�?I didn’t fancy that having always been a midfielder, been comfortable on the ball. But he said he just wanted to have a look at me there and so I just went out and enjoyed it, didn’t worry too much, took it a game at a time and as it turned out, that gave me my first chance in the first team.

“I played on the left side of the back three early on, I had Gareth Southgate next to me and, for a youngster coming in, you couldn’t ask for anyone better to play alongside. It was a great education. We’d got Ugo Ehiogu in the back three as well, Alan Wright was left wing-back, again, so much experience around me.

Looking back, it was the perfect environment for any youngster coming in and looking to learn the ropes. I was fortunate as well that things were going well most of the time, we were challenging for the top six, we had a good side, and again, that makes it easier as a young player�?

England Call Up

If Gareth missed out on playing for the very young England sides, once he’d turned pro, he soon put that right by going straight into the senior team while still a teenager.

“I got the chance to play for England very early on and that was a great honour because playing for your country has to be the pinnacle for any footballer, that’s your dream as a boy. I made my debut at 19 and suddenly, I was in the squad for Euro 2000, working with players that I’d been looking up to when I was still a schoolboy, guys like Alan Shearer, Tony Adams, David Seaman, really big England names and that was a real eye-opener! That was one of the times in my career that was a little bit daunting, but you come through it.

“It was a great learning curve, a proper education to go into training with the best players in England. That was a great taste of it, then I had a spell out of the side and then a few years later, in my mid-twenties, I had a really good run in the side under Steve McClaren and then Fabio Capello. I had the chance to go to South Africa for the World Cup in 2010 which was a huge experience, realising another dream, although it ultimately ended with us losing to Germany in the game with Frank Lampard’s goal that wasn’t given.

Manchester Move

“Tournament football has been a struggle for England over recent times and it is hard to say why given that we often qualify pretty strongly for them. I was really a youngster in 2000 and so I only had that one World Cup where I was really a full part of it, so I wouldn’t like to say why it is that things don’t work out – that’s a problem for others to solve.�?/p>

Gareth had a lengthy stay at Villa Park, but after a dozen years, it was time to try something else. “Over my last couple of years at Villa, there was a lot of speculation about my future. I’d been close to a move to Liverpool which didn’t happen and then in the summer of 2009, I had a choice between them again and Manchester City.

Gamble

“It was a big gamble to go to City because they weren’t in Europe at the time, but it was just as the money was beginning to come into the club, they were telling me about the players they were going to sign, and to be a part of that sounded exciting. It was a risk because it hadn’t happened at that stage, but again, I had a good feeling about it.

“The lure of being part of a team that could go and win trophies after such a long wait without was a real motivation for me.  With hindsight, thankfully it was a good decision but at the time, nobody was quite sure if it would happen for them.”

FA Cup Winner

“I had four great years there, but especially to be part of a side that won that first trophy, the FA Cup win in 2011, that was very special because it meant they had to take that banner down at Old Trafford! That was the most pleasing thing for the fans I think, to finally end that run of 35 years without a trophy. That cup win meant a lot to me too, it was my first trophy as a player. I’d been around a while by then and played a lot of games, so it was a big relief to get that first winner’s medal.

“The first thing you win makes a big difference mentally because if you’ve done it once, you know you can do it again, you know how to win now. The following season, we won the Premier League in the most dramatic way possible which is very much the Manchester City way!

That was a real up and down season and coming into that final day, knowing we had to win to have a chance of the title, that was an amazing occasion. To win the Premier League with virtually the last kick of the season, you can’t really describe what it was like to be a part of that day.

“I really enjoyed my time at City but there were a lot of changes all the time, managers coming and going, and eventually I was told that I probably wouldn’t be playing so much in the coming season. They were happy for me to stay and be a part of the squad, but I’ve always wanted to play every week and so in the summer of 2013, I moved on to Everton, initially on loan and then permanently.

Toffees Time

“Roberto Martinez spoke to me, he told me what he wanted from me and how I could help the team and that was exciting. I slotted into a very good cub straightaway and I like to think over the course of four years that I played my part in them consolidating that place in the top seven teams in the country at the moment. As a player, if you can leave a club stronger than when you joined them, I think that’s cause for some satisfaction about the job you’ve done.

“The first season there, we broke 70 points, played some great football, we had a bit of an indifferent time then but under Ronald Koeman last season, we really kicked on again and so it was nice to leave things on a high with qualifying for Europe.

“I could have stayed at Everton and played games, especially with then being in Europe this season, but very much the same as at City, I wanted to play regularly, I feel I still have a lot to offer. I was in and out of the team towards the end of last season and I didn’t enjoy that so much, so I was ready for another challenge.

Albion

“I’ve had that feeling in the past and it served me well with the moves I’d made and I was very much of that mind again. Once I heard Albion were interested, the chance to work with Tony Pulis appealed a lot and it really did catch my attention. It was a big decision to leave Everton but I was offered the challenge and I couldn’t turn it down. I had that same feeling I had when I went to City, a gut feeling it was the right thing to do and I’m really pleased I came here�?

If ever there was an example of a player’s player, the sort who every player wants in his team and who every player knows is utterly invaluable, it’s Gareth Barry.

“I’m sure supporters always get more excited by young players coming through the door than older players who they’ve known about for years, that’s human nature. I think in my case, it probably is true that I am a player’s player and that’s something that I’m very happy with. To have that level of respect means I’m doing something right.

“There’s no better accolade than for your team-mates to speak highly of you. They see you every day in training, they know what they need from you on the pitch. It is a great dressing room here, very close knit, I’ve settled in really quickly. When you see the quality we have in there, when you train with the boys, I’m really looking forward to being a part of it this season.

Impressive Stats

“The work the club did in the transfer window was very exciting, I think the fans are very excited by the new faces. Looking at what we have in training, it’s good to see, because we have two players for every position pretty much, which is what you need in this league. That’s what any manager wants and I’m sure there will be some selection headaches to come.

“It takes time for all the players to bed in and for us all to gel together, it doesn’t happen overnight, but we are all working as hard as we can on the training pitch to put it together as a team�?

And so we come to those records, much as Gareth is loath to talk about it in advance. But a few stats here will put you in the picture not just on the scale of his achievement, but his consistency. The nuts and bolts thus far are 601 Premier League starts, 32 substitute appearances. Impressive yes, but there’s more.

Consider that he was still just a 17 year old kid when he made his debut. Since that day at Hillsborough, his various clubs have played 730 games. He has featured in 633 of them, that’s 87%. He has started 82% of them. For an outfield player, those numbers verge on the unreal. They are certainly, in the proper sense if the word, awesome.

600 Club

“The idea of being the first player to start 600 Premier League games and to beat Ryan Giggs�?Premier League appearances record is hard to take in. You don’t really think about these milestones when you’re playing, you just look to keep playing well every week, do a job for your club and stay in the team.

“Naturally, I’m very proud to achieve those things today if I’m selected, but hopefully I can keep clocking the games up for a while yet! Looking at the stats, to have started 601 out of 633 so far, that is a bit surprising because that’s a pretty good percentage.

Fitness

“As I say, I’m delighted to achieve those kinds of figures but while I’m still playing, it’s not something that I spend much time thinking about it, though it’s nice for my family and something to make them proud. It’s one of those for a few years down the line yet, once I’ve finished playing and I can look back on it all. While I’m resting some tired legs!

“It’s game by game, season by season, but I think there’s some gas in the tank yet! While I can still perform at that level and enjoy it all, I’ll keep on doing it. I feel good, I’m told all my stats are still up there with those of the younger players, so that’s all promising.

There isn’t anywhere to hide now in that sense, they’ve got stats for everything you do, but that growth in sports science and so on, it helps you look after your body and do the right things. It even helps you prove that after 30, you’ve still got something to offer!�?/body>

By Greg McKay

Hyypia was in town for the International Champions Cup contest between Sporting Lisbon and Liverpool at Yankee Stadium, spending time with stateside Liverpool fans and serving as a club ambassador. Hot weather notwithstanding, it became immediately clear that Hyypia is enjoying what he described as “being in between jobs�?and noted his appreciation that Liverpool maintains connections with former players. Asked whether he sees himself returning to management one day, Hyypia said “Yes. Opportunities do get presented that are interesting but I am looking for the right role.�?/p>

With new managers like Frank Lampard jumping into the deep end with massive clubs like Chelsea, while other players Hyypia shared a field with having spent more time at less high profile destinations such as Steven Gerard at Glasgow Rangers and Patrick Vieira at NYCFC and now OGC Nice, we asked whether Hyypia thought there was an ideal path to becoming a successful manager. Hyypia emphasized there isn’t one right path, noting “The media has their view on what is a ‘big�?or ‘small�?club but for a manager you learn your trade no matter where you are coaching.�?/p>

Mistakes

At the end of the day, Hyypia highlighted that you have a whole staff so young managers are always learning from the more experienced members of their back room staff. Hyypia shared, “I started managing at a big club – Bayer Leverkusen. I made mistakes as a new manager but learned a lot of lessons as well.�?/p>

As discussions shifted to the current state of Liverpool Football Club and comparisons to his Champions League winning team from 2005, Hyypia focused on the path last year’s team took to get to the final. Describing the comeback against Barcelona, Hyypia sounded like any other Liverpool supporter around the world, describing it simply as “incredible�?

Asked what Liverpool need to do to match the success they’ve had in Europe in recent years with a domestic league title, Hyypia demurred, noting, “Last season was fantastic. To finish with only one loss is an amazing season.�?/p>

Pressed for where they fell short, he noted a run of games where they struggled to score goals. One wonders if one more talisman to support Salah, Mane and Firminho could help push Liverpool over the hump this year.

Pre-Season

Focusing on Liverpool’s preseason tour, Hyypia emphasized how important the tour is for young players and experienced stars alike.

“For young players, it is a chance to show that you can perform at a high level outside of training and demonstrate to the manager he can trust you in matches.�?/p>

More experienced players, on the other hand, are able to focus on fitness and getting to peak condition for the upcoming season. As a former player, Hyypia noted that while he does miss the locker room dynamic at times, he is able to get something similar from his weekend team and is enjoying traveling in a club ambassador role.

As interesting and thoughtful as Hyypia was in his answers, what came across most clearly from the interview was the fact that Hyypia still feels very much a part of Liverpool Football Club and proud of where the club have gone since he last played for them in 2009.

Asked for his predictions of who will win the EPL and Champions League next year, he said with a laugh “Liverpool and Liverpool. And the FA Cup, I hope.�?/body>

By  Dave Bowler

It’s been a theme for managers these many years now that the modern game lacks talkers. Players go on the pitch and say nothing, they complain. No instructions, no advice, and certainly no rollockings. Bartley isn’t like that. He makes his presence felt in the right way, looking to get the best out of himself and out of those around him. It’s a good trait to have and one that seems to come naturally.

“I think it’s important that players have good communication on the pitch and talking has always been something that has been within me as a player. I hate losing, I really hate it, so when we are out there, I want us to talk to each other because I think it makes things a lot easier.�?/p>

Character

That Kyle is a big character should come as no surprise because for a long time now, he has brought a single-minded devotion to his game, to the pursuit of improvement and to the hunt for wins and for success.

Some players, past and present, will ruefully admit that with them, the realisation that the need for ruthless determination and a focused professionalism came a little late in the day, costing them time that a professional footballer simply cannot afford if he is going to make the absolute most of his talents. In contrast, as far as Bartley is concerned, the penny dropped when he was still a young teenager.

Bolton

“I started off my career back home up north, when I joined Bolton Wanderers at the age of 11. I stayed in the youth set up there until I was 15, 16 years old. At that stage, I got the opportunity to move down to London to join Arsenal and that was a big decision to make at that age, moving to the other end of the country, to the capital city.

“I remember that my mum was a nervous wreck about it all at the time! Obviously she was worried about me being so far away from home at that age, but I felt that for my career, the chance to go and work with the coaches and the players that they had at Arsenal, it was too big a thing to turn down.

London

“There were other options at the time too, in the same area up north, but that would have meant me staying at home and at that time, I felt moving away from home would be a good thing for me because it was time for me to grow up and be more independent. I felt that leaving home would be good for my football as well as for me as a person.

“Getting away from my family and friends at that age, I felt like it would mean I only had football to focus on, nothing else, and I felt like that would push me on to develop quicker. It’s a short career and I wanted to make things happen as quickly as I could.

“I was in digs initially when I moved down there, for about a year and a half or so. I lived with an Italian family in north London, so the food was great! They owned an Italian restaurant actually, so they were great cooks, no complaints there!

“They were fantastic with me, lovely people to be with and I was really lucky in that respect. And they were such a nice family with two children of a similar age to me, so it was easy to settle in initially having made the move.

Arsenal

“Understandably, fans do tend to just think of what you do on the pitch, but growing up as a person is a very big part of growing up as a footballer. You have to handle responsibility on the field and you’re better equipped to do that if you’re doing the same in your life away from the game.

“Looking back, it was a difficult thing to do, but it was probably the best decision that I could have made. I had to grow up a lot quicker than what I would have done at home with my mum looking after me, doing everything for me! I learnt a lot of football lessons at Arsenal but also a lot of life lessons too.

“They are very good in that respect, because Arsenal don’t just teach you how to play the game, they are very clear about what a responsibility it is to represent that football club, being a good person, having good values. The staff there would talk to you about “the Arsenal way�?

Liam Brady Influence

“People on the outside would probably think of that as just being the way that Arsene Wenger wanted his team to play their football but there was a lot more to it than that, it was about being a person, the way you conducted yourself, the dynamics of dealing with people at the training ground and within the club.

“Liam Brady was very influential, he looked after the academy, and Steve Bould was coaching there. They were two brilliant people to work with, not just in terms of football, but as people too, steeped in Arsenal tradition.

“On the field, the way Arsenal always played under Arsene Wenger, it was a different kind of schooling for defenders, because Arsenal play from the back, they want you to pass the ball and build up the play, where some other clubs defenders are just there to win the ball and get it as far away from goal as possible.

Steve Bould

“Working under Steve Bould, it was a really good mix because as a player, he was quite an old school defender, no nonsense, but when he came to play at Arsenal, he’d learnt the football side of it as well and added that to his game.

“I think he appreciated both sides of the game so he wasn’t somebody who wanted to play out at all costs and take unnecessary risks. He was somebody who was happy to do that when it was on, but always stressed that your first job was to prevent goals going in, make sure that you defended first. He taught me a lot about decision making, when to play and when not to.

“It is hard for young players at Arsenal to get first team chances because they have the money to go out and buy experienced, big name players when they want to. I guess that’s true at all clubs of that size like Chelsea, Manchester United and the rest. I think that’s something the age in this country needs to look at�?

By L.C. Canivan

Doonan has a superb soccer book out called Soccer Style: The Magic and Madness. Soccer Stye is not just a book about the history of soccer and style, but the history of soccer itself. It is neither a beautiful, but mute coffee table book nor a droning history tome.

Chockfull of information, Soccer Style  is like a sparkling stylish soccer encyclopedia with over 230 photographs and a well-curated reading list. Filled with witty word volleys, Doonan is always charming and cheeky, but never mean-spirited.

Soccer Style delivers what Doonan might call, ‘meat-pie authenticity,’ served up tasty and tart. Simon Doonan is like the knowledgeable beer-bellied bloke you sit next to every weekend at the pub – only more fabulous and a whole lot funnier.

How did you first become interested in football?

If you grow up in England you cannot avoid it! I first went to games in the late 1950’s – I am very old! – when the pitch was a muddy quagmire and the players rode to games with the supporters on the town bus.

My mum had a Saturday job at the local evening paper. She had to sit by a phone – smoking Woodbines cigarettes – and scrawl down the scores as they were phoned in from pay-phones from all over the country, so that they could make the Saturday edition. The footie heroes back then were Danny Blanchflower and Jimmy Greaves. #butch #gritty #Brylcream

Your hometown team is Reading FC. Do you still follow them? When you’re in England do you ever go to any of their games?

A couple of seasons back I schlepped all the way to see Reading play Norwich. They got thrashed. It was horrible. I reconnected with my footie childhood traumas.

As someone who loves both football and fashion, I was absolutely delighted to hear that you had written this book. What sparked you to write Soccer Style: The Magic and Madness?

The idea for doing a book came from Michael Davies and Roger Bennett aka Men In Blazers. I was a guest on one of their early shows. They brought me on to talk about the players obsession with carrying designer washbags. (Dopkits). We were yammering away and they suggested the idea of a book marrying footie and fashion. I ran home and wrote up a proposal and miraculously a book deal. Voila!!!

Who would you say are some of your all-time favorite football fashion plates and why?

I love George Best. He had real swagger. His vanity and love of style was a profound thing. Eamon Dunphy who played with him in the 60’s recalls how he used to pull his look together every day after training, as if he was about to go out dancing. There’s a lesson for us all. Getting dressed up is life-enhancing. Your appearance should communicate positivity and optimism, especially in footie!’

You have some truly amazing photos in your book of those in the soccer scene both past and present, what are some of your favorite photos in the book?

I love the image of Pele lounging on the front of his Merc in a satin shirt. He is serving up major poetic machismo.

In your Slate article, ‘Burn the Vest’ you urge Gareth Southgate to divest himself of his vest and in the chapter  ‘Bosses: The Dapper and the Damned’ of your book you cover manager style. With former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger out this year, were you sad to see his signature sleeping bag coat go?

If you are a manager it’s a good idea to develop a signature flourish. Bob Paisley had his tracksuits, Jack Tinn had his lucky spats, Fergie had his Saville Row Suits and Wenger had his sleeping bag.

As a sign of mutual respect, players often trade jerseys with each other -if you could swap tops with anyone, who would it be?

David Beckham defo. He is a great bloke. I have met him a few times. He is affable and so smart and puts everyone at ease. Cannot wait for his Miami stadium. His Kent and Curwen mens designer collection is  brilliant.

If you were a professional football player today, what style do think you would adopt?

I would probably go a bit over the top, with ink, Mohawk and the whole bit. My role models would be Dani Alves and Neymar, and Nainggolan. I like it when players are reckless and carefree with their style. Harry Kane is a classic classy guy, but hey, when you are young and you have some dough why not let your freak flag fly.

You have the rest of your life to adopt ‘good taste’.  I’m also loving Paul Pogba’s style. The haircuts are gorge.

In your book you illustrate how football players have picked up fashion trends, how have fashion trends picked up football?

I love how footie shirts have become a major part of hipster street-style. The recent World Cup was a style bonanza. I saw the shirts – Belgium, Nigeria, Colombia –  integrated into everyday hipster oufits all over London and NYC.

Recently, the internet was abuzz over an Irish hurling GAA uniform being featured in French Vogue – ahead of NYFW, do predict we’ll see football’s footprint on the catwalk this year?

I love that footie has become a global signifier of cool. Footie will always have its authentic roots, but it continues to evolve in ways which keep it sizzling and never boring. Style is part of drama which keeps people coming back for more.

Congratulations on all your success with the book and your new show ‘Making It’ what’s next for you?

I would love to do a book called ‘Footballers at Home’. In the course of my research I found fabulous vintage images of players lounging around their pads, eating crisps and stroking their pet spaniels and watching telly. Am not sure it would be a New York Times best-seller but it would make me happy.

Soccer Style: The Magic and Madness is available now in fine books stores and online.

Follow L. C. Canivan on twitter

Talk Of The Town: Exclusive Interview With Luton Town Legend Mick Harford

Feb 2018

By David Witchard 

Although Luton Town have spent this decade scrapping in the outer limits of the fourth and fifth tiers of English football, prior to that it was a very different story for the small Bedfordshire club.

Throughout the 1980s and early 90s under the leadership of managers David Pleat, John Moore and then Ray Harford, Luton were one of the best and most respected teams in the country. They won promotion to the first division (now Premier League) as champions in 1982 and spent ten seasons in the top flight, winning the 1988 League Cup final against Arsenal and finishing runners-up the following year to Nottingham Forest. They also reached three FA Cup semi finals in that era.

Mick Harford was Luton’s top scorer for four of those ten seasons in the top division.  An intimidating, no-nonsense front man with deadly finishing skills, Big Mick struck fear into the hearts of opposing defenders whenever he pulled on the number 9 shirt for the Hatters.

Mick is now the Chief Recruitment Officer at Luton as the club are enjoying a resurgence under young manager Nathan Jones. They have a comfortable lead at the top of League Two going into the business end of the season, along with a phenomenal goal difference.

This week however, Mick is enjoying a break in New York City with friends to celebrate his 59th birthday. First Touch tracked him down at the Red Lion on Bleecker Street where he was happy to share memories of his playing days and talk about the future of the club he loves, over a pint..or two.

FT: So Mick, what was it that made the Luton Town team of the eighties so special, and how important was David Pleat’s role in that?

MH: When I signed for Luton, I went to a team that was very exciting, with fantastic players. The team was littered with internationals – Mal Donaghy, Ashley Grimes, Brian Stein, Ricky Hill, to name but a few. They played a certain style of football which is the Luton way so to speak, but what they didn’t have was a bit of steel and determination and a bit of grit.

Myself, Fozzie (Steve Foster), Peter Nicholas and David Preece came in at the same time and I think we added that bit of know-how in terms of winning games. Luton when they got it right in terms of the football were exciting, but their scores and results were very up and down.

They’d either win 5-0 or they’d get beat 4-3. We then started to keep more clean sheets, and if you do that then you win more games. But to answer your question, in terms of David Pleat’s success, he realized that when Luton got promoted to the top division they would need a bit more than just flair and skill.

They needed a bit of strength and a bit of gumption basically, and I think the players that he signed at the time were excellent. So I would say one of the reasons he was a successful manager and went on to manage Tottenham was because of his eye for a player of a certain type.

FT: Obviously that team had a great run for a good number of years. What would you put that down to?

MH: For me, the biggest thing about a successful team is the camaraderie, the team spirit and the togetherness, and Steve Foster did that for us.

He was a great captain, in my opinion not the greatest footballer to ever play for Luton, but the greatest player in terms of getting us together, being a leader, having a bit of know-how. You go 1-0 down and how do you get back into the game? He was magnificent for that and he was the catalyst, in my opinion, for a great period for Luton Town.

FT: Earlier in your career you had a brief spell with Newcastle United. Why was it so brief?

MH: I started at Lincoln City and had three and a half years there, and it moulded my career. I went to Newcastle United and I just couldn’t handle it to be honest with you. I was still only young, there was a lot of expectation on my shoulders.

I went for a decent fee and wearing the number nine shirt was a bit of a burden to me. The fans were great, I mean the Newcastle fans are fantastic but it just never happened for me there and I think being from nearby Sunderland didn’t really help. If I ever made a mistake, and I did make mistakes, I was more or less told so by the fans.

But what it did for me, it taught me a hell of a lesson never, ever to doubt myself again, never to question my ability. You get to a certain point in your career where you have to grow up, and after that Newcastle scenario it did make me a better player.

FT: You played for nine other clubs before and after your hey-day at Luton Town including Chelsea, Sunderland and Derby County. One thing that followed you throughout your career was your reputation as a hard man. Can you tell us about that?

MH: I have to say, I don’t think I was hard, I was just brave. I put my head in where other people didn’t. I didn’t get a face like this by playing one-twos on the edge of the box, you know? I loved my football, I worked hard, I trained hard. It was an honor to play for the clubs I played for. I was aggressive, I was tough, there was a lot of give and take.

I took a few whacks myself and I gave a few out. And I was on the end of one or two batterings as well (one from Sam Allardyce that required over 100 stitches and a spell in hospital).

FT: Having said that, just four minutes into the first game of the 1987-88 season playing for Luton at Derby, you were given a straight red card. How do you explain that?

MH: What happened there was Jimmy Ryan (Luton’s assistant manager at the time) said to me before the game, “Just close the full back down.�?I’ll never forget, the player was Mel Sage, so I’ve ran across and I’ve nailed him. It was the fourth minute of the season and George Courtney was the referee.

I knew George because he was from Bishop Morton, from my way, and he’s come over and said, “Mick?”�?I said, “Ah sorry George, a bit late and all that,�?and he’s put the red card up! I said, “You’re taking the piss!�?and he went, “No, off you go.”�?But what didn’t help was Arthur Cox and Roy McFarland (Derby’s coaching staff) were leaping off the bench and all that, throwing their arms in the air.

The ironic thing was I rang my mum in the evening after the game when I got home and she said, “Oh Michael, I saw your photograph on television, on Grandstand, and I thought you’d scored the first goal of the season, but you hadn’t, you’d been sent off!�?/p>

FT: More important than the hard man image was your reputation as an effective target man. In fact, Sir Alex Ferguson said in his autobiography that he tried to sign you for the 1991-92 season and if he had been successful then Man Utd would have won the league that year instead of coming runners-up to Leeds United. Were you aware of that at the time?

MH: I did read what Sir Alex wrote in his book and I was very honoured, but I didn’t know at the time. It was a different game back then, a different world. Nowadays the first person to find out about an interest in you would be your agent because managers ring agents about players.

Years ago it was just manager to manager. I never got wind of the fact that Sir Alex put a bid in for me. When I found out I was really disappointed, obviously, as I think it’s every player’s ambition to play for, in my opinion, the top club in the country and I never got the opportunity. It’s something that just came up a few years ago when Sir Alex did his book. So it would have been nice, but there you go. It never happened.

FT: You finished your career at Wimbledon and you were there for four seasons. What was it about them that made you stick around so long?

MH: Well I played until I was nearly 39. It’s a long career, over 20 years playing football. At Wimbledon we played a certain way that was very successful. Our ambition was to stay in the Premiership which we did comfortably most years. Again, there was a hell of a  lot of team spirit.

I wouldn’t say I was part of the Crazy Gang but there were still some facets of the Crazy Gang at Wimbledon when I was there. We still had Vinnie Jones there who was a top captain and a very underrated footballer. We had good players such as Robbie Earle, Warren Barton, John Scales, Vinnie, myself (chuckles), and one or two other good young lads coming through. I think we added a little bit of fear factor to the opposition.

FT: After your playing days you had a few stints as manager with Rotherham, Nottingham Forest, QPR and Luton. Did you enjoy management?

MH: Not really, I didn’t really enjoy it. I enjoyed the coaching side of it. When I got into management I had a couple of caretaker stints. I was at Nottingham Forest which was an absolute honour to be in charge of a big club like that. Joe Kinnear was the manager. He left and I was caretaker manager for eight or nine games, and it was brilliant.

To actually sit in the chair that Brian Clough sat in behind his desk was an honour and I had a little bit of success there, but it wasn’t quite enough. I find it quite strange that the least experienced managers get the hardest jobs, because the top managers don’t take the hard jobs. The top managers take the jobs where they’re going to be successful.

So if someone gets sacked, like what happened at Nottingham Forest, then it’s a really tough job. When I was offered the Luton job we were in administration and got deducted 30 points, but it was an opportunity to go to manage Luton that I couldn’t turn down. Management is tough. It’s a different game now, I think it’s a young man’s game now, it’s 24/7 full on, full blast.

FT: Which brings us to today. Nathan Jones is Luton’s bright young manager and you are his chief scout. Can you tell us about that dynamic?

MH: I work with Nathan Jones now and I see how hard he works and the effort he puts into it and the hours he does. He’s on the training ground every day, he’s watching games at night. It’s a full time job. Nathan has a structure about how he wants to play and how he wants to build the club.

We have a profile of what certain players we want, what we believe they should be with regards to age, technique, size, and where we can get them from. We are always looking for value in our signings.

FT: What are the other important qualities you look for in a signing?

MH: First and foremost you have to bring in players who are better quality than the ones you have now. So we look to improve as we go along.

We look for value, we look for people who are going to improve and get better and will hopefully take us to the next level, or they take themselves to the next level before we do through a transfer. That’s the kind of value we look for.

FT: So if Luton were to get promoted this season, do you think you have the resources to compete in League One?

MH: I think we have the resources for League One. We’ve got the nucleus of a very good squad. It will need adding to it but it will only need tweaking here and there. One or two, maybe three players to bring in. Coming to the end of the season we have quite a few players out of contract, so that will give us some leeway to trim down and fine tune the squad. It’s an ongoing job, you’re always thinking ahead and hopefully we will get promoted and be in that position.

FT: As well as ambitions on the field, Luton are looking at a possible new stadium being built. What’s the latest news on that front?

MH: Ever since I was involved with Luton years and years ago they’ve been looking for a new stadium. I believe that 20/20, the consortium who run the club now with Gary Sweet heading it up, are in the best position the club has ever been in terms of getting a new stadium. They’ve bought the land in the town centre, there’s an application gone in for planning permission and we are just waiting for an answer. I think that will come by the end of March. My saying is that if Luton don’t get planning permission now for a new stadium they never, ever will. For me, the application is absolutely top class.

MH: I can’t say enough about the Luton Town fans, how much pride and respect I’ve got for them in terms of how they back the club. You know, and we all know that Luton is not an easy ride. Supporting Luton is a roller-coaster ride. It’s up and down, the turmoil we’ve had over the last few years and getting to where they are now.

It’s not an easy ride being a Luton Town fan but the fans have been absolutely first class for me ever since I put the shirt on and whenever I’ve been connected with the club. I think they’re up there with the best fans in the country without a doubt.

FT: Looking ahead to the World Cup this summer, how do you rate England’s chances?

MH: Well England are not going to win the World Cup, put it that way. To win the World Cup you have to have three or four world class players in your squad and in my opinion England only have one world class player, and that’s Harry Kane. I’ve got a lot of admiration for Harry Kane. I think he’s a top player, top lad, very humble, works his socks off and he absolutely deserves all the credit he gets. I’m an England fan obviously, but I can’t see them getting anywhere near winning the World Cup with the quality of the squad they’ve got.

FT: So Happy Birthday, by the way. You’re over here enjoying a few days in New York. What have you been up to?

MH: I’ve got to be honest with you, I’m getting an escort off my friend Sean and he’s shown me New York at its best. It’s unbelievable. It’s very friendly and I’ve been made very welcome by the family I’m staying with. Incredible hospitality they’ve shown me.

You come into town like we are now and it’s like home from home. They’ve got football on the TV in the bars!  It’s an amazing place and I’d recommend New York to any traveller. If you’re planning to travel the world you should make New York your first stop.

FT: Any particular sights that have impressed you, apart from the football bars?

MH: When I came over here last time, one of the most surreal experiences I had was in the Bronx. You hear about the Bronx and how rough it is, but I played on one of the most beautiful golf courses there. It was Autumn time and the trees were blooming in Van Cortlandt Park and I’m thinking, hold on a minute, I’m in New York and I’m in the Bronx and I’m playing golf on this wonderful course. That was one of my really good experiences in New York.