Here is part two of Gary's fascinating interview with the Watford Legends website...
Towards the end of your time at Watford you seemed to get moved to different positions quite often. How did you feel about that?
Yeah I played virtually a full season at left back under Glenn Roeder. Glenn had a problem with David Barnes, they had had a fall out of some kind so we were left without a left back so he put me there. We just missed out on the play offs that year, I think we finished seventh. It was funny, he played Darren Bazeley at right back despite being a right winger, and he played me at left back despite me being a central midfielder. I spoke to Glenn about it to ask him why. He answered that he wanted to play it from the back, specifically the full backs. I liked to get on the ball as did Darren. Darren liked to bomb forward as well, where as I would serve it forward. It worked quite well, and we had a decent season.
Did you enjoy playing at left back?
Not really, I preferred playing in central midfield but if the manager picks you to play there then you just get on with it and give your best. To be fair there were times I did enjoy it, but plenty of times I didn't. I remember we played against Man City once and I was up against David White who was about six foot tall and very quick. I am 5'6'' and not very quick! They kept putting it over me so he was getting in behind as well as beating me in the air, and for the first half he gave me the complete run around. Glyn Hodges played in front of me that day in left midfield, but he wasn't dropping back to help me. At half time the manager, I cant remember who it was at the time, told him to drop in and help me a bit more. In the second half he done that, he tucked in a bit and helped me stop the ball coming over the top. We won the game 1-0 but we got battered in the first half.
Your last appearance in the first team came against Peterborough at home when you broke your leg. Did you realise at the time that that was you done?
I remember it well. At the time Ramage was on a stretcher being carried round the pitch after he had done his knee in. I took a corner which got knocked out to Gibbsy. Gibbsy rolled it out to me, but unfortunately rolled it just that touch short. I was fully committed to the ball and trying to whip it back in. There was a lad they had on loan from Chelsea, Zeke Rowe or something like that, and as I whipped it in he caught me across my shin. They didn't think it was broken at first, and I had to hobble off the pitch. Ramage was still on the stretcher and they didn't want to chuck him off it to get me on it, so fat boy Ramage got carried and I had to hobble! I went in the physio's room and the surgeon, Mr.McKenny, had a look and he didn't think it was broken. There was no sign of a break. So they just strapped it up with a light bandage, put me on crutches and I hobbled home.
I sat down that night and watched Match of the Day, and then got on my crutches to hobble upstairs to bed but the pain was just excruciating. I managed to get into bed but barely slept a wink. It was my wife Karin who took me to hospital the next morning. We had to contact the Watford physio and surgeon and then head down to Watford General and get it straightened out and put in plaster. I knew from the pain in the night that it was something serious, but I was lucky in that although it was broken it wasn't a bad break. It was just a crack across the tibia, so it was a case of putting it in plaster for six-eight weeks and then get on with my rehab after that.
I knew that I would be alright afterwards, but because I was getting a bit older I took a bit longer to get fit and unfortunately after that I never got the chance to pull the shirt on again for the first team.
How would you say you got on with the Watford fans over the years?
I think I got on pretty well with them. Like any player, I am sure there are fans that like you and think you are good, and fans that don't think you are any good. But on the whole I like to think I had a good rapport with them. I will always remember when I left to join Walsall, and in my first season at Walsall I got injured early on. I came back from injury and my first game back I was on the bench against Watford. I came out to warm up, and the Watford fans at the game gave me a great reception, it was fantastic. I will always remember it. The Walsall lads couldn't believe it! That will always live with me. I had never had the chance to thank the fans. Come the end of the season my contract had finished, Kenny was in charge with GT as General Manager and they called me in and basically said thanks, but that's it now.
How did you feel about that?
Gutted. That was the only time I was really hurt. I had the broken leg and got over that, but never got chance to get fully fit. I had only had a few reserve games. I felt that with Graham there he would give me another year just to recover, get back playing and show people I could still play. I thought after 15 years service I would get that.
Any axe to grind about that?
No. If you speak to Graham he will say the same thing. I remember sitting in his office and him telling me. I thanked him for the first 5 years of my career, but told him that I couldn't thank him for that particular moment. But you just accept it, you have to. The decision had been made and no matter what I said I wasn't going to change that. You have to get on with it. But at the time it did hurt that they wouldn't give me another year to prove myself, and I felt that after all that time there I did deserve that bit of loyalty back.
And then on to Walsall for a couple of seasons, did you enjoy it?
It was different, I had to go there on trial for two to three initially having had the broken leg the previous season and managed to earn myself a contract. I must mention now a wonderful man, Tom Walley. I trained with him all summer and he got me super fit. Where he lived, he had the cricket pitch at the back of his house. Other people had been to him as well. John Hartson, Tim Sherwood and others had been round to him and trained with him all summer through the years. I done two and sometimes three sessions a day to get me in the best condition possible to then go and get a contract. He was brilliant, I owe him. He was a fantastic man and a great coach as well.
You had a stint at Scarborough as well?
Yep I took them down, got them relegated to the Conference! I remember playing them in the cup in the early Glenn Roeder days I think it was. It was a tough time there. We were all sat in the dressing room after the last game of the season, waiting for the Carlisle score. Carlisle had Plymouth at home and were drawing, which meant we stayed up. There was a little tv in the dressing room at Scarborough. The news then came through that Jimmy Glass the goalkeeper had gone up and scored for Carlisle at the very end. It was unbelievable.
Were you as gutted as the rest of the team, having not long been there and edging towards the end of your career?
I was heartbroken. I was there on loan initially. Ray Graydon, the Walsall manager told me that Scarborough had come in for me. I knew Derick Mountfield who was the caretaker manager at Scarborough, and I went for him really. Derick lasted one game and then they brought Colin Addison in! It was an absolute sickener to get relegated from the football league. Shocking.
Then on to Boston for a year.
Six games to be precise! They might have held on to my registration but I only done 6 games there. It was ok, not particularly enjoyable. I called it a day after that. I cant even remember my last game, somewhere in the midlands though.
What was it that made you take the final decision to hang your boots up?
Put simply, I wasn't enjoying it. I was 33, I had had a decent career and was starting to do a bit on the agency side of things. I had an agent for the last few years of my career, Mel Stein, who was also Gazza's agent. He offered me a job with him, and initially I started part time with him and part time with the football. I wasn't enjoying the football, so it made sense to go into agency full time with Mel.
Was there a particular moment within a game that you decided to knock it on the head?
It was actually at half time in a game. I had a manager at the time at Boston called Steve Evans who was very good for Boston and got them promoted. He took me off at half time, I was not enjoying it and I was only earning a part time wage. I have got my memories from my time at Watford and some from Walsall, and I am quite happy with that. I have lived my dream so I will move on to something else now. The money being earned in my playing days right up until the end was never great, but I played because I loved it the same as I did when I was a kid.
Can you give us a run down of your time from leaving the game to now?
I have stayed within the game albeit on the other side of the fence and I am still working as a football agent now. I spent a year working with Mel Stein, and then left him to go and help build another guys agency company up from scratch. The company was then bought by a bigger company and I have been with them ever since. So I am still involved in the game which is fantastic.
What is the typical day of a football agent?
It varies. Usually, during the day it consists of phone calls to existing clients, possible new clients, chief scouts, and various other people involved in the game as well as arranging meetings.
Evenings are usually spent watching existing or possible new clients. I also have to travel abroad, to watch players who are looking to come and play in this country in the Premier League.
Just how complex can a player or managers contract be?
It really depends on the individual. Whether you're working for a player a manager or a club, you are striving to get the best possible deal.
And are the figures we read about in the papers actually in the right bracket for players salaries, for example when you hear about a player earning £100,000 a week?
The players at the top end can earn that and more.
Although sometimes some figures you read about are slightly exaggerated.
As an ex player myself, I believe the players have every right to earn as much as their agents can negotiate for them; and that their clubs are willing to pay them.
Do you think it has had a major effect on the game with respect to ex players falling out of love with the game because of the money side of things?
I haven't seen it. I think the Premier League is a great spectacle. Everybody wants to be there, Championship clubs and even clubs below that are all striving to get there, players want to be there. I am sure you lads as Watford fans want to be there.
That's been a contentious issue amongst fans. Some fans would love us to be there, some are happy watching the cut and thrust of the Championship. A lot of people prefer the Championship for various reasons, kick off times, ticket prices, glory hunters getting tickets before the loyal supporters etc
Football has evolved, and everybody connected with the game has to go with it. I am a football fan, and I love the Premier League. I am in a privileged position though in that I watch a lot of games normally from a very good seat that I don't have to pay for because it is business because I am watching a client or whatever. I very rarely get to watch Sunderland, which is the team I supported as a kid, as a fan. Or for that matter I rarely get to come and watch Watford as a fan.
Its all business for me, and like I said I think the football in the Premiership is fantastic. You see players like Lennon, Ronaldo, Drogba, Huddlestoneand all the others, and as a player you want to play against these players. This is the great thing about football though, its all about different opinions. I can see why you would prefer to go to Barnsley on a wet November afternoon, but I personally love the Premier League. Its all about opinions. We are sitting here now discussing it with different opinions, and we could talk about it all night long and it is talked about all night long in pubs up and down the country.
I simply love football. I have 2 little girls, 11 and 5. I have been privileged enough to take my eldest to England v Portugal in a world cup quarter final and sat with the players families. Aaron Lennon is one of our clients, so we were able to get to sit with them. I took her on the train from London to Brussels, Brussels down to Cologne and we stayed overnight and did all that. That was a little bit business, but mainly as a fan and it was fantastic. She has been to see Man Utd v Newcastle and sat in the directors box, because Glenn Roeder who is a good friend of mine got me 2 tickets in the directors box. Stuff like that is what makes football such a great game, there is always different ways of doing it but everyone loves how they go about watching there football.
What was the last game you saw, be it Sunday league or whatever, where you just went to watch out of enjoyment and fancying a game to watch?
I went to watch my eleven year old daughter Caitlin play for the school in a mini tournament and I really enjoyed it. I normally watch 3 or 4 live games a week.
The other week, my working week consisted of: Tottenham v Villa Monday night, Everton reserves v Man City reserves Tuesday night, Norwich v QPR Wednesday night, Everton v Standard Liege Thursday night as well as phone calls and meetings and what have you.
How aware were you of the rivalry with Luton in your Watford days?
Very aware. It was the local derby, they were the enemy and you had to win. Simple as that.
Kelvin Davis...penalty?!
Yep that was me unfortunately. The only good thing for me about that game was that I put the ball through for somebody to score the equaliser, I think it was Kevin Phillips. It wasn't a very good penalty. In fact it was a disaster penalty! in the early days, when Graham was manager and David Pleat was managing them lot the games were fierce, and that never goes away.
As fans the rivalry is strong as you know, but as a player do you get even more pumped up and wound up before those games?
You know what it means to the fans. Nobody needs to tell you. You don't need a manager saying this is Luton, they are the rivals you have to beat them for the fans. You are a pro and want to win every game. But as players, you know that as fans they will have to go to work on the Monday, some of them to work with Luton fans and you want to win to give them the bragging rights. You know how much it means to the fans. Its a great feeling when you beat them.
Gary Porter Part 2