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Tommy Johnson · Not Another Football Podcast

0:04
Speaker 1: Welcome to yet another episode of Not Another Football podcast
0:08
Speaker 1: from Rosie McGuire's cabrol royg in Hot Spain. I'm Simmon
0:12
Speaker 1: Donley Jackie, and we're delighted to have another xtmate of
0:16
Speaker 1: earls and a good friend, mister Thomas Johnson Scale.
0:20
Speaker 2: Good afternoon, gentlemen. Is mag gonn interview with yours? I
0:24
Speaker 2: was at the other way if you want no, no,
0:26
Speaker 2: you're the professions now apparently.
0:28
Speaker 1: How you handle on this with your how you handle
0:31
Speaker 1: on this heat?
0:33
Speaker 2: Can you tell it feels like I've little dpet on
0:36
Speaker 2: me faster? Yeah, arrived last night late last night with
0:40
Speaker 2: mister Thompson put you and yes, no, it's a pleasure
0:45
Speaker 2: to be here, lad.
0:45
Speaker 1: That's a responsor. Seriously, we'll go back to your your
0:50
Speaker 1: time at Celtic. Obviously I remember you as that Aston
0:53
Speaker 1: Villa player d will be County, but you're moved to
0:55
Speaker 1: Celtic in ninety seven seven good memories? Can you talk
1:01
Speaker 1: us through it? Tommy Buns find you.
1:03
Speaker 2: It was I was start the start his last last,
1:08
Speaker 2: last last signing TV at the time, the GAFA. It
1:11
Speaker 2: was rumbling on for a few weeks before I came up.
1:14
Speaker 2: I think a couple of clubs that came in for us.
1:17
Speaker 2: Didn't fancy the move, but then once I would say
1:19
Speaker 2: it was in for us, it's a no brain. It'll
1:21
Speaker 2: be fair.
1:21
Speaker 1: Did you know much about the club before?
1:23
Speaker 2: Obviously just obviously you know the history and there's been
1:26
Speaker 2: lying enormous it's amounted. But obviously flying up all excited,
1:33
Speaker 2: met the GAFA TV. Just sat in the dressing room
1:37
Speaker 2: for two three hours just talking football as he obviously
1:41
Speaker 2: he's know what he's like. Absolutely fantastic. It's just someone
1:44
Speaker 2: you obviously let the agent do all the deal and
1:47
Speaker 2: all that. I think they were in the Hilton Kingston
1:49
Speaker 2: Broode he'd been managed.
1:51
Speaker 1: Can I nail it for you? Because we're a few
1:52
Speaker 1: boys on the podcast today and he came. He seems
1:55
Speaker 1: to be the same Tommy Bums.
1:57
Speaker 2: Without the doubt said last time and it was just
2:01
Speaker 2: stood there and he was there any stuff on the
2:04
Speaker 2: tactics board. I've seen you play years ago when you
2:07
Speaker 2: were a Dorby. I think Davy Hats watched us when
2:09
Speaker 2: I was a Derby. Probably well I was only twenty
2:12
Speaker 2: one when I went to Derby, so I probably thought
2:14
Speaker 2: I wasn't. I don't know what experienced or I hadn't
2:17
Speaker 2: done it in the top league or whatever. So when
2:19
Speaker 2: I came up, it was just stood there talking tactics,
2:22
Speaker 2: obviously talking about yourselves and the club, et cetera. And
2:25
Speaker 2: you know, more than anyone else, you just want to
2:27
Speaker 2: play from It was it doesn't matter about it didn't
2:31
Speaker 2: matter what my contract was. Anyway, I was signing, Yeah,
2:34
Speaker 2: do you know what I mean? And obviously it's he
2:38
Speaker 2: sadly missed and Roseman, you know that's tragic. I know
2:42
Speaker 2: obviously Grant he's over as well. Peter Grant was very
2:45
Speaker 2: very close to him. Yeah, and so sad. But to
2:48
Speaker 2: play for him and to say, like you his last signing,
2:51
Speaker 2: whether that's good or bad.
2:54
Speaker 1: Change it's a good start, but I don't know if
2:55
Speaker 1: it is.
2:56
Speaker 2: No, I was gutted. You make the decision if you're.
2:59
Speaker 1: Like yeah, because it all fell on the beat off
3:02
Speaker 1: fo Cup.
3:03
Speaker 2: In the in the semi play, well, yeah, we obviously
3:09
Speaker 2: scored early doors I think, and then they got they
3:13
Speaker 2: got the level and one one and then we went
3:14
Speaker 2: to rape Player and slashing down. It was a Wednesday night.
3:18
Speaker 2: It was an idol. We absolutely battered them and and
3:21
Speaker 2: they got the one attack and scored, and I didn't
3:25
Speaker 2: realize the severity of it at the time. You do
3:28
Speaker 2: it as time rows and you think, oh my god,
3:32
Speaker 2: this is You've got out the hay here by the way,
3:35
Speaker 2: you playing for one of the biggest clubs in the world,
3:37
Speaker 2: and you know what the fans are like. And after
3:39
Speaker 2: that it was all the rumblings, Celligan crisis, et cetera.
3:43
Speaker 2: And you're like and then and then the Gaffa leaves
3:48
Speaker 2: and I've made the biggest decision in my life. They
3:50
Speaker 2: come up for the move, you know what I mean,
3:52
Speaker 2: And it was always you got your kneed on your knee. Yeah.
3:56
Speaker 2: That was a couple of years later when them Yeah,
3:59
Speaker 2: which was when was that? And night when when stopped
4:03
Speaker 2: ten in the role? I think it was a February time,
4:05
Speaker 2: just before the Cup final. Uh, and there were suspensions
4:10
Speaker 2: people who were going to get suspended who couldn't play
4:12
Speaker 2: in the final probably And did you do it in
4:15
Speaker 2: the game? I came on in the game. It was
4:18
Speaker 2: I think it was done firmly at home or it
4:20
Speaker 2: came on a sub because as I said, there was
4:22
Speaker 2: Western players and it says, will you be so by
4:25
Speaker 2: It's just ironic. The day before training I wore new pair.
4:31
Speaker 2: Obviously we were all sponsored at the time. I was sponsored
4:33
Speaker 2: off Night and more blades. First time I'd ever wore
4:37
Speaker 2: them in training the day before and then I wore
4:40
Speaker 2: them in the game, and I think, yeah, it was
4:46
Speaker 2: whether it happened or not psychologically, but you think that's
4:49
Speaker 2: when I've done it, and then that was it for.
4:54
Speaker 1: Yeah, whatever, But obviously TV signed your right and then
4:59
Speaker 1: obviously talking about the the Vim Jansen season, well, incredible
5:03
Speaker 1: season for the club. But you've went through a few
5:06
Speaker 1: managers there. I left the club in ninety nine just
5:09
Speaker 1: as the Douglashan bands were taken over, and I said,
5:12
Speaker 1: meanful would sign the pre contract with Chef when I
5:14
Speaker 1: remember Douglacier was my hero. He's coming to the Cub
5:17
Speaker 1: and I was like, what I can have done here?
5:19
Speaker 1: That time wasn't great. But you went through a few
5:22
Speaker 1: managers there.
5:22
Speaker 2: Oh yeah, well we'll had tybe at the start. Then
5:26
Speaker 2: them Joe's well, Joe and John Bonds.
5:34
Speaker 3: I was saying that to somebody I didn't work under
5:36
Speaker 3: them about me. I remember phoning him and saying, like
5:39
Speaker 3: John Barnes is going to be class.
5:41
Speaker 2: You know what. I mean because he's what a player.
5:43
Speaker 3: Yeah, this is gonna be total football and just I
5:47
Speaker 3: just maybe I thought it was going to be good.
5:50
Speaker 2: But I thought the first bit we.
5:52
Speaker 3: Were in pre season and in the Norway and me,
5:57
Speaker 3: Jeordie and Stubbs, Craig Billy was we went for a
6:01
Speaker 3: coffee and a juice one for the hotel and John
6:05
Speaker 3: can passionately.
6:06
Speaker 2: It was five minutes walk and all the stuff with
6:09
Speaker 2: all the staff, and we'd only gone for it. I
6:12
Speaker 2: was just to get out of the hotel. That was.
6:15
Speaker 3: John Barnes came in and stood over to Tommy's drink
6:18
Speaker 3: and took a drink of his his coke to.
6:21
Speaker 2: See if it was alcohol. Away like, just lost you
6:25
Speaker 2: your reputation before I was like, I was looking for you.
6:29
Speaker 2: Actually said what you've done is you never really right?
6:32
Speaker 2: You were a wom man. I was eyeing hoo smelling
6:36
Speaker 2: off ice and so that you're growing up now did
6:39
Speaker 2: that leave? Jackie mentioned it there so I still remember
6:44
Speaker 2: this day and you mentioned that. Jackie came over going
6:47
Speaker 2: about what I do now and on and Jackie came
6:49
Speaker 2: over and presented on the course and he mentioned it
6:52
Speaker 2: and it brings back memories and you're like, you're and
6:55
Speaker 2: you manager, You've got experienced players. I just wanted to
6:58
Speaker 2: We actually asked him if we could just go for
7:00
Speaker 2: a water, and we found a coffee. It was a
7:03
Speaker 2: small little town in Norway, comes Ringer. We just sat
7:08
Speaker 2: there in a coffee water oak, no drink, and you know,
7:11
Speaker 2: it's like a pre season. You get there and you
7:14
Speaker 2: work all the way as you do and this last
7:17
Speaker 2: night you can go out. So we were fine, We're like,
7:20
Speaker 2: obviously we always done our work and I just sat.
7:23
Speaker 2: Then he come over and he was talking and yeah,
7:26
Speaker 2: and then just took a sip and then lost us
7:30
Speaker 2: straight away, and he like he just didn't obviously didn't
7:33
Speaker 2: trust us. That even the players.
7:36
Speaker 3: They brought a few players in like Erkivich and.
7:40
Speaker 2: Big All over to Daily and a few other boys.
7:43
Speaker 3: He would go and speak to him. He wouldn't he
7:45
Speaker 3: speak even the remember the winter breaking Portugal. So we
7:52
Speaker 3: went over to port School in January and I just
7:56
Speaker 3: signed and new and you four year deal before we
7:59
Speaker 3: go there two days before it and we're done the
8:03
Speaker 3: bleep test.
8:04
Speaker 2: It was Sonny and everything else.
8:08
Speaker 3: I was either second, probably the last or second last
8:11
Speaker 3: right to the end. That always did, and he stood
8:14
Speaker 3: over me and kind of should bloke the sonnet and
8:18
Speaker 3: I thought you were have chucked it long before. Now
8:20
Speaker 3: I think, well, he said, I thought you were chucked
8:22
Speaker 3: at ages ago. This is why he said you just
8:25
Speaker 3: signed a new deal two days ago. But that tells
8:28
Speaker 3: me that's what he would have done, do you know
8:30
Speaker 3: what I mean?
8:31
Speaker 2: The best one with the Craig Burley Burls. So we
8:35
Speaker 2: lived next door to other. In the first game away
8:38
Speaker 2: was yeah, and it was the four too too too
8:41
Speaker 2: six two or something wetter and Birls had been injured
8:46
Speaker 2: pre season and John Bonds had said, right, I'm going
8:50
Speaker 2: to put your soabing, but I'll put you on. So
8:52
Speaker 2: obviously we traveled in together may Stubbsy Burie and good
8:58
Speaker 2: More and we all lived in Newton Men. So we
9:00
Speaker 2: all so going back down on the bus and he
9:04
Speaker 2: hasn't put them on. So you know what, girls like,
9:07
Speaker 2: He's like, I'm going to say, I'm going to say,
9:11
Speaker 2: and when I get back to the ground, all right,
9:12
Speaker 2: because that was when you got the bus back to
9:14
Speaker 2: the ground and then the cause over there. So I says, right, girls,
9:18
Speaker 2: it's the first game of the season. Just leave it.
9:21
Speaker 2: You know what I mean, see what happens next week,
9:23
Speaker 2: same on Monday, Tuesday. Just leave it all right scale.
9:30
Speaker 2: So he's remember the office used to be at the
9:32
Speaker 2: front of reception to the left. We're sat in the car,
9:35
Speaker 2: the windows down, just waiting for all you didn't blended.
9:44
Speaker 2: He comes out. I says, took me advice and birls,
9:48
Speaker 2: but it just man management was and then you had
9:56
Speaker 2: the Invernesque game on it where we lost. And the
9:58
Speaker 2: next morning, obviously I wasn't in the squad. I'd gone
10:02
Speaker 2: to Evant and come back We're all sat in the
10:05
Speaker 2: green London who was a manager, not brilliant, loved it,
10:11
Speaker 2: came back and then in Vanessa Bargle. He was sat
10:15
Speaker 2: in the green room the next morning. So we come
10:19
Speaker 2: in and said, like we all knew he was leaving.
10:23
Speaker 2: All the best, Jackie, thank you, all the best, Dubsy,
10:25
Speaker 2: thank you. Henry blah blah blah blah blah blah came
10:28
Speaker 2: to me and he said, I thought you would have
10:29
Speaker 2: been gone before me, and I just went off. There's
10:36
Speaker 2: a door, say you le. I played half a pre
10:38
Speaker 2: season game from and I just went all by the way.
10:41
Speaker 2: I'm just going upstairs and out to sign a new
10:43
Speaker 2: contracts Les.
10:45
Speaker 1: It's funny that so you went through a few managers there.
10:48
Speaker 1: Obviously TV signed you right and then.
10:52
Speaker 2: Vin.
10:52
Speaker 1: You didn't play as much as you wanted to play,
10:54
Speaker 1: obviously Dr Joe, then that experience with John Barnes. But
10:58
Speaker 1: throughout that, the end of scoring the goal when you
11:01
Speaker 1: shouted the league under Martin a period there with Martin
11:05
Speaker 1: and news team now went back and go. All the
11:07
Speaker 1: stories had love to oh, I might not have played
11:11
Speaker 1: in that quarter a team, but you end up scoring
11:14
Speaker 1: to go.
11:15
Speaker 2: Surreal, isn't it? Because I could have left, you know
11:19
Speaker 2: what I mean? But I think I started it not
11:24
Speaker 2: so which no disrespect of the clubs I'm going to mention,
11:26
Speaker 2: but it was Notts County Dorby and then Celtic and
11:30
Speaker 2: you're going and I think it was just a mentality
11:34
Speaker 2: thing saying I'm not I don't want to fail. Yeah,
11:36
Speaker 2: you'll probably understand. We've like, listen, we've all been through
11:39
Speaker 2: obviously the problems that we've had and all that different
11:43
Speaker 2: problems in jury, health, et cetera. And you go, I'm
11:46
Speaker 2: not leaving here without a fight doing summing and obviously
11:50
Speaker 2: you know what I'm like I'm vicious. I'm happy, go lucky,
11:53
Speaker 2: but down like I'm all resilient. Yeah we are, and
11:56
Speaker 2: there's a mental thing with football as we all want
11:59
Speaker 2: to do well with compete. You've got Peter Grant, he
12:02
Speaker 2: kicked his man well and it was so the gaffer
12:07
Speaker 2: came in Martin and it was like I think the
12:11
Speaker 2: first game Aberdeen, I was.
12:12
Speaker 1: The communication right defferent managers. So Martin comes on what
12:17
Speaker 1: was his charity first came in.
12:19
Speaker 2: He was you just got to you just every time
12:22
Speaker 2: he walked in the room, there was just an aura
12:25
Speaker 2: and respect. It was right, you just show up. You
12:28
Speaker 2: wouldn't speak and you just haven't. Because he's obviously working
12:32
Speaker 2: under the best hind club and a new Robbo from
12:36
Speaker 2: not as well and his staff he's right stuff. He's
12:40
Speaker 2: been worked against for that. We mentioned it the other day.
12:43
Speaker 2: When you're a manager, you picked the staff who were
12:45
Speaker 2: good at the job and you're not going to stab
12:47
Speaker 2: you in the back. Basically, so the gaffers coming, I
12:49
Speaker 2: remember so the first game and the world that does happen,
12:53
Speaker 2: That does happen all the day, you back all the day.
12:56
Speaker 2: His first game was done donated at that was sorry
13:02
Speaker 2: and then so I was sob. And then the next
13:05
Speaker 2: the following week, we were to home and I wasn't sob,
13:08
Speaker 2: and he dragged it. He brought us in before the
13:10
Speaker 2: game and he went, Tommy, I'm not putting your sub
13:13
Speaker 2: with and I'm like, oh, Goffer, I went, I've had
13:16
Speaker 2: all this, he said, just let me be part of it.
13:20
Speaker 2: I've had a pretty rough time over the last three years. Later,
13:26
Speaker 2: you know, I mean, I've had managers who didn't want
13:28
Speaker 2: to players, et cetera. And he had an injury. Me nay,
13:32
Speaker 2: I said, I just and he and he basically went,
13:35
Speaker 2: he says, listen, I know what you're going to do.
13:36
Speaker 2: You're going to be part of this. Just bear with us.
13:40
Speaker 2: Leave it with us, he says. But I'm doing things
13:42
Speaker 2: for it you need. He put al on the bench.
13:45
Speaker 2: Is Burt Rich. So his way of thinking is I
13:49
Speaker 2: went to man City a few weeks later. So he
13:52
Speaker 2: and he was like basically saying, leave it with us,
13:55
Speaker 2: and he was right. We had a great season and
13:57
Speaker 2: it was my last season, a treble and one of
13:59
Speaker 2: the trouble. As you said, said, it was great to
14:02
Speaker 2: be part of it again. Even though I was part
14:04
Speaker 2: of ten in a row, but I wasn't because I
14:06
Speaker 2: didn't play as much as I would have liked, but
14:08
Speaker 2: it was still part of it, using the lads, et cetera,
14:11
Speaker 2: and always brilliant. That was my last season.
14:14
Speaker 1: I was like, I think, I think that looking back
14:16
Speaker 1: on it now, behindsight is your reward. You're talking about resilient.
14:19
Speaker 1: You've been through four or five managers, you've been through
14:22
Speaker 1: the injury, and you're talking about and then it comes
14:25
Speaker 1: to this mum game and that's your reward. That little
14:27
Speaker 1: moment well.
14:30
Speaker 2: There, do you know what I mean? There was You've
14:32
Speaker 2: got henrick O flut. Wow, that's the sliding doors and
14:37
Speaker 2: you know I can for the boat. I have to
14:41
Speaker 2: have a blowing smoke about you turned the game like
14:45
Speaker 2: you know what I mean? It was surreal and people like,
14:48
Speaker 2: that's why are we here? You ready for that moment
14:52
Speaker 2: as well? You have to was always it was like
14:55
Speaker 2: we had a great group. Now when when you were there,
14:59
Speaker 2: said and I carried on and I went obviously the
15:02
Speaker 2: turbulent times couple of years and then when the Caffa
15:06
Speaker 2: came in, I.
15:06
Speaker 3: Just went from the head, took it another letter there
15:08
Speaker 3: and just I think that the characters that he brought
15:11
Speaker 3: and they were the just good players, but they were
15:13
Speaker 3: strong characters.
15:14
Speaker 2: I think lot leard he did and with the Violets
15:21
Speaker 2: and that no said you knew what was going on
15:26
Speaker 2: and it was the thought of the.
15:27
Speaker 1: Result yourself as well. You ended up the captain after that,
15:30
Speaker 1: because I think McMartin Kiman, you never played at the
15:33
Speaker 1: start that you think I did.
15:34
Speaker 2: The start I played the sixth two games I was
15:36
Speaker 2: in playing wing back. I lost my place.
15:39
Speaker 3: I got injured the day with Scotland and San Marino
15:42
Speaker 3: and he played d day right wing back that game again,
15:45
Speaker 3: sitting one at home and that was me. That was
15:47
Speaker 3: me the team again and I had to when I
15:51
Speaker 3: whenever he put me on later on, I was in midfield.
15:55
Speaker 2: I was.
15:55
Speaker 3: I was never wing back again, you know. And I've
16:00
Speaker 3: been in to see him so many times as well.
16:02
Speaker 3: I was like, I don't want to just be here.
16:04
Speaker 2: He's like if it was up to Robo and a
16:07
Speaker 2: week at the team, and he used to go in
16:10
Speaker 2: knock on his door and used to apologize for going
16:12
Speaker 2: to see him because he turned around. He had a
16:14
Speaker 2: great way. But that was his man management.
16:16
Speaker 1: Skilles wasn't we And he is a document, feeling great,
16:20
Speaker 1: a bit yourself by you're gonna Then then.
16:23
Speaker 2: He's going like I was mad last Jamie contract. He's
16:26
Speaker 2: going to join a new contract and I'm going KNOCKLF.
16:29
Speaker 2: I just want to be to play. And he was
16:30
Speaker 2: like that was it because I was getting on the
16:33
Speaker 2: thirty and all that. But it was hell of a season.
16:36
Speaker 2: You know, no one expect us to do anything. We
16:39
Speaker 2: got the league Cup, then when the league on the Saturday,
16:43
Speaker 2: and then obviously the cup final. It was but that's
16:47
Speaker 2: for all the what was it ship? Basically I'll let
16:52
Speaker 2: you sweat all but everyone just remembers that. We go
16:59
Speaker 2: out like you know what it's like, didn't fight you
17:01
Speaker 2: every where over your first It's been a part of history.
17:04
Speaker 2: There is such that's what they don't meant. They don't
17:07
Speaker 2: mention injuries, don't mention managers and all that or the
17:10
Speaker 2: club going a bad time. To just remember that because
17:13
Speaker 2: it's listening what they've done at the minute, like Unbelieva
17:17
Speaker 2: like bringing him back.
17:19
Speaker 1: Was do you get I mean in the game is
17:21
Speaker 1: now obviously tells every about what you're doing now you're
17:24
Speaker 1: still involving the game.
17:25
Speaker 2: Yeah, I'm still I live in Belfast work with the
17:26
Speaker 2: Irish chef here, so like a coach educator, so coach
17:30
Speaker 2: coaches basically by license. He a license pro license. So
17:35
Speaker 2: I've been there four years now full time enjoying dummy badgers.
17:39
Speaker 2: I don't Jackie. And then Jackie was over on Monday
17:44
Speaker 2: presenting doing a bit on like his football journey and
17:47
Speaker 2: all that, so I it's well clears twenty four to
17:52
Speaker 2: seven Coatune you know yourselves managing. And then it was
17:55
Speaker 2: like head of recruitment scouting, so it was things like
18:01
Speaker 2: you could get me girls to school and because scout,
18:05
Speaker 2: well yeah that's what I mean.
18:06
Speaker 1: I was like.
18:08
Speaker 2: Blackpool Cardiff Malgie McKay. I was his European scout Blackburn
18:12
Speaker 2: headed recruitment with Gary Boyer Craig sure So at about
18:15
Speaker 2: six or seven years and then the chance came to
18:18
Speaker 2: do this full time because I don't be badgers over there,
18:21
Speaker 2: and then used to help out during the summer tutoring
18:24
Speaker 2: on the courses and it's but something I'm at the
18:28
Speaker 2: time in my life where I don't want to be
18:30
Speaker 2: at a football club twenty four to seven. I think
18:32
Speaker 2: with all degree, you know what I mean, did you
18:35
Speaker 2: ever can set up management, not really. We took over
18:39
Speaker 2: Notts County when I was a caretaker for a few
18:42
Speaker 2: games with Dave Kevin and then at Blackpool me and
18:45
Speaker 2: David Dunn for four games. But I'm like, I'm probably
18:52
Speaker 2: like a Robbo said, you know what I mean, I
18:55
Speaker 2: can put the sessions. You'll enjoy it and enjoyed being
18:59
Speaker 2: with a lot that you know, obviously not going to
19:01
Speaker 2: tell every think the city we've got a side probably
19:03
Speaker 2: now Yeah, if you've got anything to tell us, like
19:05
Speaker 2: on the coaching course, tell us. I don't need to
19:07
Speaker 2: go to the head. Yeah, I don't need to go
19:09
Speaker 2: to the manager like with they and baraklof the senior
19:13
Speaker 2: team and know on Ireland and I used to just
19:14
Speaker 2: say the lads, if you've got anything, come to me
19:18
Speaker 2: in the pack and help help it or sort it out,
19:21
Speaker 2: let me deal with He doesn't need to know. It's
19:24
Speaker 2: probably like yourself and Jacko when you working. You know
19:27
Speaker 2: what I mean. Managers don't need to know everything. And
19:29
Speaker 2: that's what Robo and Wally were brilliant, brilliant. I think
19:33
Speaker 2: that chemistry back that day.
19:34
Speaker 1: And then you look at Martin coming back to the
19:37
Speaker 1: Cub Now, I think he's he's probably got that same dynamic. Well,
19:41
Speaker 1: I think showing and the guys probably relate more to
19:44
Speaker 1: the younger players, you know what I mean, because I
19:47
Speaker 1: just kind of came out of.
19:48
Speaker 2: That obviously involved it and it has evolved.
19:53
Speaker 1: But Martin's still the man management, and it's man management.
19:58
Speaker 1: You can make people feel good about themselves and performed
20:02
Speaker 1: better like one of the last seven games in the
20:06
Speaker 1: split as well, you know, incredible.
20:08
Speaker 2: So you've got to be the top teams a lot
20:12
Speaker 2: long the way we do you earn it? Do you
20:15
Speaker 2: get it? But and then as you said, Jackie, you
20:18
Speaker 2: let Sean and do it and do it. But but
20:26
Speaker 2: do you know what he does said, just keeps things
20:28
Speaker 2: so similar. We're not reinventing the wheel. That's what we
20:32
Speaker 2: see on the coaching courses, not reinventing the wheel. It's
20:34
Speaker 2: the same game. When you attack, you want to try
20:37
Speaker 2: and score, and when you're defending, you just try and
20:39
Speaker 2: start how we're using what use up to you guys,
20:47
Speaker 2: But we got it as well. Yeah, we try.
20:53
Speaker 1: Going back to your look you started then Shelting eighty seven.
20:55
Speaker 1: Who's the characters for that?
20:57
Speaker 2: Oh? Well, if you I will tell you that first
21:02
Speaker 2: morning I'm in the west Point at East kilde Ride
21:06
Speaker 2: gaffers rangers on the Sunday. Simon Donnelly, who lived in
21:09
Speaker 2: East kild Ride will pick you up for training in
21:11
Speaker 2: the morning and he's convertible. I don't know what he
21:14
Speaker 2: had then, what did you? I can't remember. Well, I
21:17
Speaker 2: don't know because he never picked us up. So there
21:20
Speaker 2: was a bit of a lack of communication between the
21:22
Speaker 2: kaffer and his staff or packy or Frank Connor and
21:28
Speaker 2: years later, so how did he end that morment of
21:30
Speaker 2: the taxi? So I'm late obviously.
21:33
Speaker 1: I'm literally around.
21:36
Speaker 2: So I'm like obviously still like excited but nervous because
21:40
Speaker 2: you're going into a new club then twenty seven. I
21:44
Speaker 2: don't think it matter. I said, how old you are? No,
21:46
Speaker 2: when you I was just going to the club twenty seven,
21:49
Speaker 2: big movie you wanted obviously, walking in the new Stone Island,
21:53
Speaker 2: jumping on and on morning jeans thinking he would go
21:57
Speaker 2: like did you know anybody in the chin and played
22:01
Speaker 2: against Stubbs a couple of times when he was a Bolton.
22:05
Speaker 2: Apart from that, nah, No, it was so it was
22:08
Speaker 2: like obviously when I went to Darby and Villa, he
22:11
Speaker 2: knew a lot of the players. I mean I went
22:15
Speaker 2: from Derby to Villa with Gary Charles in the joint deal,
22:18
Speaker 2: so you've got that before you stop. And when I signed.
22:23
Speaker 2: So when when I got in, I got changed next
22:25
Speaker 2: to Peter Grant and he was we know what is
22:28
Speaker 2: we call him the dad, didn't you like? Absolutely brilliant
22:33
Speaker 2: top top draw And then obviously the mixtures of you
22:36
Speaker 2: like yourselves. Malgie was there, obviously, Stubbsy is stewing Ker,
22:41
Speaker 2: little Brian McLoughlin, Kydy, you know what I mean. So
22:47
Speaker 2: you had a good mixture and obviously the club going
22:50
Speaker 2: through not the best time at that time. But as
22:54
Speaker 2: soon as I came in, you just felt you made
22:56
Speaker 2: so was brilliant. Grandy. Yeah, I used to go over obviously.
23:00
Speaker 1: It's funny that because people ask me when you break
23:04
Speaker 1: into the team. It took me about a year and
23:05
Speaker 1: a half to get into the first team. I was
23:07
Speaker 1: there at seventeen nineteen. Hamming mixed it, Hamming Pumics the
23:11
Speaker 1: other two that stuck in my head out there because
23:13
Speaker 1: I've been through it before it.
23:14
Speaker 2: I was there yet and it was last game. My
23:17
Speaker 2: debut was probably as.
23:17
Speaker 1: Last week he talks about representing the cops. He's right,
23:20
Speaker 1: bringing you into the dressing room.
23:22
Speaker 2: Was absolutely class like training. This is a training ground
23:26
Speaker 2: where the funny we're on about it before. So it
23:29
Speaker 2: goes up to Barberfield for the first day of training
23:31
Speaker 2: and I hadn't seen Powerfield. So Grant's I'm changing next
23:36
Speaker 2: to him, took us up and all that blah blah blah.
23:39
Speaker 2: I went, Granty went here, I said, where's a training ground?
23:42
Speaker 2: He went, what do you mean? I went, where? Was that?
23:47
Speaker 2: Just been a villa like which was, you know, probably
23:49
Speaker 2: one of the best at the time in the Premier League.
23:52
Speaker 2: This is and he went, this is it like little
23:55
Speaker 2: pictures a couple of trees while you run around in
23:59
Speaker 2: the friend round. But it didn't matter, you know what
24:03
Speaker 2: I mean. We only trained on one pitch anyway, so
24:05
Speaker 2: it doesn't matter what facilities had. And then it was
24:09
Speaker 2: it was I said, we're talking about before, so talking
24:13
Speaker 2: and it's going house the Wayne I'm going, not a
24:18
Speaker 2: club obviously. What it meant I was the kids. My
24:23
Speaker 2: brother's called Wayne. So even he's going I was winning.
24:27
Speaker 2: I said, do you know my brother before you know me?
24:30
Speaker 2: But he just made you feel so welcome and obviously
24:33
Speaker 2: when the gaff I left TV, I was around his
24:36
Speaker 2: house dinner with Peter in the in Lorraine. But that
24:40
Speaker 2: was obviously we know what he's like and you call
24:42
Speaker 2: him the dad, don't he looks after He's been looking
24:44
Speaker 2: after us, why yeah? But at special place, special special place,
24:51
Speaker 2: and it's we We don't get together as much as
24:55
Speaker 2: we'd probably like to, but all the stories just come
24:58
Speaker 2: from someone will mention something and then all remember that,
25:01
Speaker 2: remember that, and they all come back. It's a bit
25:04
Speaker 2: of the games. God, yeah, many many A good time, Jackie,
25:10
Speaker 2: it was. That was great for one off.
25:12
Speaker 1: Yes, it's probably the tightest mobs and that that one
25:15
Speaker 1: get obviously went on to play Wednesday in different clubs,
25:19
Speaker 1: but that was the tightest. That's we won the league
25:23
Speaker 1: obviously in nineteen. You always can relate to that, and
25:26
Speaker 1: it's it's the friendships that were still there. That was
25:29
Speaker 1: the tightest mobs.
25:30
Speaker 2: And we could not see each other for god knows
25:32
Speaker 2: how long, but wuld pick up the phone to the
25:35
Speaker 2: likes still very close to Mount Mackay, Gordon Marshall, Darren Jackson.
25:39
Speaker 2: We meet up two three times a year. But as
25:42
Speaker 2: you said, you can always haven't seen Stokesy for years
25:45
Speaker 2: and then seeing him with Stillion Petrov's golf. Yeah, it's
25:49
Speaker 2: like you've never been away from each other. I think
25:52
Speaker 2: it's a special it's a special, special club. And and
25:56
Speaker 2: obviously with us coming on and you meet all the
25:59
Speaker 2: fans and all that said, I live in Belfast now,
26:01
Speaker 2: you don't realize how many Celtic fans living like. It's
26:05
Speaker 2: absolutely bongers. And then when I hadn't been, I hadn't
26:08
Speaker 2: been all season. And then I went to the the
26:11
Speaker 2: Hearts game when when Celtic won the league, and it
26:14
Speaker 2: just brings back all the memories and and you're meeting
26:16
Speaker 2: people from Yes, you say that.
26:19
Speaker 1: So did you get over to the games?
26:20
Speaker 2: Not as much as I'd like, I still do. Yeah,
26:23
Speaker 2: I'm one of the like went with joy because we've
26:28
Speaker 2: been the biggest last year and to run or being
26:31
Speaker 2: a new where we've been and it was only on
26:35
Speaker 2: the Friday I decided to go to the gaffers in charge.
26:38
Speaker 2: So I support the gaffers like I come up like
26:43
Speaker 2: because when he comes to Belfast, we'll speak and we'll
26:46
Speaker 2: I'll take him out over there. He was over last
26:48
Speaker 2: week the Belfast Telegraph Awards and yeah, So I just thought,
26:53
Speaker 2: do you know what did you think it was? The
26:55
Speaker 2: last game of the season was stay? I don't know,
27:02
Speaker 2: so hard one on that. I think he wants to.
27:06
Speaker 2: Do you think he wants to? I think he wants to.
27:08
Speaker 2: But I think we sat in his office after for
27:11
Speaker 2: a good hour with Geraldine, Lana and Ashley and his
27:15
Speaker 2: daughter talking with so obviously I spoke one before and
27:20
Speaker 2: says I'm coming over. I no problem, come and see
27:23
Speaker 2: me before the game. You know what he's like? How
27:25
Speaker 2: was he brilliant? Like I said? I said, oh, you
27:29
Speaker 2: are right. He went yeah. I said you will win
27:32
Speaker 2: the day he says, this is before the game. This
27:35
Speaker 2: is before the game. He says, well we'll say, you
27:37
Speaker 2: know win. I'm sorry. And I was upstairs with Joe
27:41
Speaker 2: and all the lads and and there, well everyone's nervous.
27:47
Speaker 2: When the win I was. I was so confident it
27:50
Speaker 2: was frightening. And then so I went seeing him after
27:53
Speaker 2: with the doctor from Northern Ireland there, David White, who
27:59
Speaker 2: knows the AFA, so he was in with his son
28:02
Speaker 2: and all that. So that and there was just us
28:04
Speaker 2: and then the girlfriend Geraldine and Alana and Ashlen and
28:08
Speaker 2: were just talking and all that, and I'm saying, oh yeah,
28:11
Speaker 2: and he and he looked tired, and then he admitted
28:14
Speaker 2: himself didn't he said something, he said they wouldn't take it.
28:18
Speaker 1: The next day. I feeling the normality of it, and
28:21
Speaker 1: I've written.
28:22
Speaker 2: And then I've seen him last week and Belfast he
28:24
Speaker 2: was over. So I've seen him so at breakfast with
28:26
Speaker 2: him and Geraldine at the cown clause and so just
28:29
Speaker 2: talking what do you think and he went, I don't know.
28:33
Speaker 2: I'm meeting Durham it. I think it's common knowledge. He
28:35
Speaker 2: was meeting to him it this week and then he's
28:36
Speaker 2: going to make a decision m hm. And on Hart
28:41
Speaker 2: if you wanted to love him to stay seventy four,
28:45
Speaker 2: we've done it.
28:47
Speaker 1: We have done it. John Hoatson's he's going golf day.
28:51
Speaker 2: Yeah.
28:52
Speaker 1: I played there last year, down on the Wednesday night
28:54
Speaker 1: before it, and he came for the new There was
28:55
Speaker 1: a bit twelve years there and he sat down the
28:58
Speaker 1: knee before it and I don't know, I'll only know
29:01
Speaker 1: matter years. I don't know as well as you guys.
29:04
Speaker 1: And I was saying, how you find it?
29:05
Speaker 2: And he was stressful.
29:06
Speaker 1: And that was like about four or five, I think
29:08
Speaker 1: the Rangers game was just coming up. Yea, and as
29:12
Speaker 1: you say, you take his agent the consideration, but he
29:15
Speaker 1: got the job done. It was there was so much
29:17
Speaker 1: on the line for him as well, regard the how
29:19
Speaker 1: successful he was twenty or because you're only as good
29:22
Speaker 1: as your last game type thing, and he's won the double.
29:26
Speaker 2: I don't know what he would just respector Nancy Wilfred,
29:34
Speaker 2: but it was a mass stroke wing and I meant
29:38
Speaker 2: and then getting him back again with somebody seven games
29:44
Speaker 2: you know against the top six, well and you're like,
29:48
Speaker 2: and it was a great glan went because I think
29:51
Speaker 2: he knows what he needs to do in terms of
29:53
Speaker 2: the team. You know what players he needs.
29:56
Speaker 3: S think you can if if he's got the energ
30:02
Speaker 3: for one season, especially trying to get back in the
30:05
Speaker 3: Champions League, to do everything early.
30:08
Speaker 2: But then you'll flip it, Jackie. If say they don't
30:11
Speaker 2: get into the Champions League, happy days. If they don't,
30:15
Speaker 2: then the Europa League and all that. But they've got
30:18
Speaker 2: every chance, which is hypothetical that winner I would probably
30:22
Speaker 2: do really well in that, but I think it's it.
30:25
Speaker 2: He lives in London, Geraldine, He's got his grandkids now
30:29
Speaker 2: as well. And it's all the stuff that you don't
30:32
Speaker 2: mean you look at from the outside, and people who
30:34
Speaker 2: don't realize that you're going to go. You're going to
30:37
Speaker 2: He's going to manage it. And he is, as you said,
30:40
Speaker 2: he's in mid seventies now as he casual make his decision.
30:44
Speaker 2: And I said to Geraldine, his wife, I says, what
30:46
Speaker 2: do you think? And he went, I don't know, And
30:48
Speaker 2: it's if he's going to do it. I'm holed up
30:50
Speaker 2: behind him, which and the girls would be as well.
30:53
Speaker 2: But it is a difficult one because how do you
30:57
Speaker 2: replicate what they've done this season? Be difficult.
31:01
Speaker 1: Well, it's been an absolute pleasure. Hopefully we're sitting here
31:04
Speaker 1: next year, Martin. He was getting table under the belt,
31:07
Speaker 1: I was in charge, wasn't really exactly again, making.
31:12
Speaker 2: Thanks said Jackie has been a pleasure as always and
31:15
Speaker 2: few tears have a total moment. Thank you.