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 Glenn Roeder - Part Two
For Part One Click Here
Are there any games that stand out in your mind?
Probably the Bolton game where we won 4-3 having been 3-0 down. Gary Porter got a hat-trick finished with a penalty. Gary is a lovely guy and another that has stayed very humble despite having a very good career in football. Myself and Gary were at the Preston game recently and we were discussing that Bolton game as the Preston manager, Phil Brown, was playing for Bolton that day. Vicarage Road isn't a very lucky ground for him! I also remember Bruce Rioch not shaking hands with me. Nobody is a good loser but win, lose or draw you should remain grounded but the offer of my hand wasn't taken as I think he was so embarrassed and ashamed at what had happened. I didn't hold it against him though and I never would do.
You spent three years as a manager at Watford which in today’s terms is a good innings - do you mind us asking how it ended?
We obviously lost one game too many and the straw that broke the camels back was Crystal Palace. I never like to criticise managers because I have been in the arena and had my nose bloodied. Everyone has an opinion sitting up in the stands but they are not the ones that have to make the decisions. I remember Mourinho once saying that there were plenty of managers better than him in the stands but none better than him in the dugout. I think the point he was making is that everyone in the stands will have an opinion but there is no pressure and it doesn't matter if they are wrong or right but doing it in the dugout is very different as it is your living.
When things aren't going well managers will normally make decisions that they wouldn't make if things were going well. Also sometimes managers are forced to bring players to clubs that they normally wouldn't bring in if they had money to spend so the opinion that it is better to have somebody than nobody even if you wouldn't sign them normally and those signings never work out. I have a few examples of those that I won't name as that is unfair on individuals and I don't want or need to do that.
Are you referring to Kerry Dixon & Mickey Quinn?
I'm not referring to anyone; you'll have to make your own minds up on that. We were bringing players in that were costing us nothing just to get bodies in the door. I will always remember that game against Wolves with their frontline costing £5 million and ours costing £15,000 and we won so you don't always need to spend big money to get results, but you do need the right players.
I remember Graeme Souness had it before me at Newcastle. I have a great deal of time for Graeme and he is a good man. When he talks about football on the television you should listen to him because he is always right. He was in the same situation that I have been in and hundreds of other managers have been in.
To use an analogy, you have a hook in your back. No matter how much you wriggle you simply cannot get off the hook and nothing goes right for you. The more you fight, battle and struggle to turn thing around for your football club it just doesn't happen. When that happens it becomes difficult for the fans to stick with you and stay on your side and then when that happens it becomes very easy for the chairman of the club to let you go. When that happens you just have to take it on the chin. I don't believe in failure but I believe in not getting the right results. In boxing terms you may get knocked to the canvas but that isn't failure; failure is when you know you can get back to your feet but you choose to lay there and take the count out - that is when you have failed. You must always keep getting back up and swinging punches and hope that you land a good one and knock your opponent clean out like Rocky did.
 
So to go back to your question, after a terrific second year we should have then been adding to what we had and aiming for promotion but we stayed with what we had. That was fine to a point but you know you will not get through 46 games without any injuries. I can still clearly remember Andy Hessenthaler getting injured now. We were doing a warm up in training and he was off balance and his calf muscle tore. Andy was inspirational at that level both on the pitch and in the changing rooms. We could also never get Nigel Gibbs fit. He was a marvellous right back, in fact a marvellous player and human being so I am delighted he is doing so well at Reading now.
I need to be careful though as I don't want this to start sounding like I am moaning or making excuses. I haven't spent my life worrying about it! What I am saying is that I accepted what had happened to me and accepted the situation, but it wasn't through a lack of fighting and trying as hard as I could to turn it around in very difficult circumstances.
We mentioned Kerry Dixon before - did you realise at the time the reaction it would cause due to his connections with them lot?
Lads at the beginning of this you said it was a light-hearted look back and nothing political but that is touching on being political. If you answer your question then you will probably have the right answer.
The reason we ask is that a few players have said to us that they didn't realise just how fierce the rivalry was between us and L*t*n and so wondered if that was considered at all.
If he had come in and scored a couple of hat-tricks it would have been fine. If a player goes from say Sunderland to Newcastle and does well then it is not controversial, but if he doesn't do well then it is a bloody disaster. When Mo Johnston had been a Celtic player and then became a Rangers player it caused uproar but it was then ok because he scored loads of goals for Rangers. If Luka Modric signed for Arsenal tomorrow from Spurs what do you think the reaction would be?
There would certainly be controversy the same as there was with the Sol Campbell transfer.
Yes but the Arsenal fans would also very quickly forget his background and just realise what a very good player he is. It is terribly small minded for some people to decide that if a certain player has played for a particular club then he isn't very good. That would be incredibly small minded and blinkered. People need to be bigger than that but we all choose to live our lives how we want to live them. Like I said a minute ago, I did things I wouldn't normally do but you can't start a game with only ten men.
You are currently working for Aston Villa - what is your role?
I work with Gerard Houllier and my two areas are recruitment and assessment of teams. I enjoy it. I've seen all but two of the Premiership teams this season, I went to Holland last week to see them play Austria and I have two Premiership games most weekends. I love football. That answers it for me - I love football. From the time of retiring from management I think I have done every job there is to do in the background. I have always been involved in behind the scenes stuff anyway because as a manager I made sure I would never ask anyone to do something that I had never done myself including cleaning balls ready for training. I know the roles and I know the pecking order, I am still ambitious and want to better myself even now.
If we were to call you in a couple of year’s time what would you like to say you were doing?
I'm not bothered about being the manager but I would like to have a full time role in the Premiership as that is the place to work.
Do you prefer the type of role you've got now or would you rather be involved with the coaching?
I don't mind - I love all of it to be honest. The whole industry is consuming. I feel like a young 55 year old because I love what I do so much. There are only four English managers who have coached two separate Premiership clubs and lead them to seventh or better - can you name them? I did it at West Ham and Newcastle.
Is Redknapp one?
Yes Harry is one. Gerry Francis is another, and I am told Roy Hodgson has done it but I need to check that one. That is quite a good bracket to be in but not many people seem to acknowledge my achievements as a manager.
Without wishing to pry too much as it is a personal issue, would you mind us asking how your health is?
I still have to have a scan every year which is just good housekeeping really. I had my last one a few weeks ago and everything is in order so I won't be back for a year now all being well, but thank you for asking - I appreciate it.
Thanks for your time Glenn, good luck for the future.
Thanks lads, I enjoyed that.
QUICK FIRE ROUND?
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F o o t b a l l |
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Favourite Ground (apart from The Vic) |
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St James Park |
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Toughest Opponent |
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Dalglish and Rush as a pair |
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Best Ever Player |
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Johan Cruyff |
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Team you supported as a boy |
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I didn't have one team as I loved playing the game too much. West Ham were my local team though |
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F a v o u r i t e s |
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Favourite Food |
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Fish |
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Favourite Drink |
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White Wine |
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Favourite Music |
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70's and 80's |
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Favourite Holiday Destination |
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New Zealand |
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Favourite TV Show |
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Match of the Day |
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Favourite Crisp |
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Any that are low fat! |
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First Car |
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Ford Cortina |
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Car Now |
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Mercedes |
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Favourite Film |
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El Cid |
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Desert Island Woman |
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My daughter Holly - she is great company | | 
