Speaking exclusively to SheKicks this week, Three Lions Legend Chris Waddle has demanded the implementation of VAR technology within the WSL after Arsenal were controversially disallowed two goals and potentially denied three points against title rivals Chelsea on Saturday.
During a wide-ranging interview, Waddle also ran the rule over Thomas Tuchel’s England men’s squad and urged his former club Tottenham to make a January move for Ivan Toney.
Women’s Football
Arsenal manager Renee Slegers called for the introduction of VAR after the Gunners were controversially denied a fine goal against Chelsea. Does the women’s game need VAR – surely it’s only a matter of time before the tech is added.
Of course it is. It’s a top league, and in the top leagues in England, Scotland, the rest of the world, you can rely on having VAR.
If we say we are taking the women’s game seriously – and we are – then it’s time to bring VAR in.
I see no reason why they cannot have it, because they play at the big stadiums regularly, and perhaps there might be financial implications if the system has to be introduced at other, smaller grounds.
I think the women are entitled for the WSL to be treated seriously, and that means they should have access to VAR. Why not?
England
Is it right that Danny Welbeck has been left out?
I have been looking at the squad, and I’ve been thinking about what happens if Harry Kane gets injured. I hope he doesn’t, but he’s left Ollie Watkins out, and he doesn’t really have a straight replacement. He can play Jarrod Bowen at centre-forward, but there’s nobody else who fits that role in the same way that Harry Kane does. Ivan Toney would be the next option.
Welbeck is a fit lad, he plays well at the moment and he scores goals. He’s still got pace, and I was thinking that he is probably the best option of the others, except Kane right now. I’m surprised he wasn’t included in the squad.
If Kane gets injured or a twinge, who plays instead? Is it Morgan Rogers? It’s not convincing.
Foden and Bellingham are back in. The biggest issue recent managers have had is trying to get all of England’s talented players onto the grass – would it be a step backwards if Tuchel tries to do that at, for example, the sake of Elliot Anderson?
I hope not. I hope he’s not going down that road. Tuchel has started well, and I’ve been quite impressed by how he’s managed things so far.
He left out Jude Bellingham, and there was a big thing around it at the time, but you have to realise that he hadn’t really been playing for Real Madrid. He’d been injured.
Phil Foden, too, said he needed a rest and he was burnt out. These players were making it straightforward not to pick them. Bellingham might have wanted to be picked, but he wasn’t really match fit, so it made sense. I understood that.
I don’t see that as a big deal, I didn’t read too much into everybody making a fuss out about it at the time, but Bellingham is playing regularly again for Real so now he’s back in the England set up.
But I’ve said all along, pick a team where the players are in the positions they play for their club. You can’t have five No. 10s and put one on the left wing, one on the right, and then squeeze in another one or more.
You should have Harry Kane as your nine. Stick with that. If it’s Gordon on the left and Saka on the right, don’t mess with it. Let your wingers be wingers. Declan Rice and Adam Wharton in midfield. Then you can have one of Cole Palmer, Jude Bellingham or Phil Foden.
Let the players keep their roles and swap them when they don’t play well enough. He needs to know who fits into his system in the best way and stick to that. He will be getting judged on how we do at the World Cup, that’s what he should focus on.
I think the defence might be a concern, but it picks itself. One thing I’d like is for Tyrick Mitchell to get his chance at left-back, because we shouldn’t play right-footed players on the left. We know how he’s doing for Palace, he’s got two England caps. He can defend, he can get forward. He fits that position.
I don’t want us taking five No. 10s in the squad to the World Cup, you only need three at most. We need to know who can step in for Harry Kane, but let’s not start playing Phil Foden as a false nine, or on the left wing. No, no, no!
Elliot Anderson has taken to the international stage like a duck to water, how special can he be?
He’s a modern day footballer who basically ticks all the boxes. He’s energetic, he’s got good technique, he’s very economical on the ball. He doesn’t really try killer passes. It’s about possession, which most coaches want now. No risk, but you can see he’s a tight footballer and he’s a very good midfield player.
I think there’s probably a bit more of his game to come. There’s no reason why with his ability and energy, like we saw with Declan Rice, he can’t play box-to-box, and benefit by being higher up the pitch at times.
Elliot is probably suited to being a little deeper, but I think he can get forward more. He has the legs and the talent. He’s technically gifted, so there’s no reason he can’t be approaching maybe 10 goals a season. I know he has Morgan Gibbs-White ahead of him, but there’s no reason why he can’t add goals to his game.
I think he can learn to be a deeper player in years to come but for now he can be like Bryan Robson, get involved in the action across the park, get forward and I think he needs to be encouraged to do that.
Tottenham
What do you make of Thomas Frank coming under pressure?
I think it’s time to get behind the team. I know the fans are frustrated. They want to be a top four side, and Arsenal are there at the top of the table. You look at teams like that and Manchester City, and the gap with Spurs is massive.
Tottenham like to class themselves alongside those types of sides, but they’re on the fringes at best right now. They’re inconsistent, and it frustrates the fans, who’ve been brought up on entertainment and attacking football.
Thomas Frank, though, is an organiser. When he was at Brentford it was a well-run side. He kept them in the Premier League and there was less pressure to play in any certain style. But Tottenham’s a different club with different expectations.
You’ve got to be on the front foot. I think last year they pressed so high and hard and it led to a horrendous time in the league. That needs to be fixed, and with time, I think Thomas can do that when he has everybody fit. I think you’ve got to wait for him to get his creative players back and on the park before you can judge him.
They struggle to score goals and their No. 9 whether it’s Richarlison or Kolo Muani, they aren’t at their best. They don’t look the part.
The jury is out on Solanke, he’s had a lot of injury problems and has struggled to have the same impact he had at Bournemouth for the club, they might need a replacement for Maddison. Simons has come in, but he hasn’t really cut the mustard yet. He looks a little bit like Wirtz at Liverpool, he looks lost.
It wouldn’t surprise me if they moved for a number 9 in January. There has been a lot of talk about Ivan Toney, and you can understand those links given his history with Thomas Frank. Toney will be looking to get on the plane for the World Cup, and if he’s serious about that, then a move from Saudi back to the Premier League would really help his chances. It could be the perfect fit.
Given his recent form, is it time Mickey Van de Ven was spoken about as one of the best defenders in the Premier League, perhaps Europe?
The most important thing for now is that he stays fit. He’s very quick, he’s a danger at set pieces, and he defends well. He’s improving and he’s staying injury-free right now, touch wood.
This is the key for him. He comes in, looks the part, then is out injured. Sometimes that’s the problem for very quick players, they are vulnerable to hamstring problems, and I hope he’s past that.
He’s an important player for the Netherlands too, so they need him fit. You can see why other teams might be interested in bringing him in at the end of the season. But either way, he has to keep getting minutes on the pitch and right now he is a massive player with Tottenham.
Last season he had a couple of hamstring problems, and with a new manager, the training is different. It might be less high pressure now, which could have been tough on him. Perhaps he’s being looked after better this season.
Spurs have developed a habit of conceding first at home in the league (8 of last 12 games). How difficult are they making their own lives?
Concentration and focus is the main thing. People want you to come out of the blocks quickly, and I think in Tottenham’s case, they first sometimes weigh up the opposition, and work out how they are set up.
It might benefit them for now not to take risks early on, not pile forward and avoid getting picked off. A lot of teams will press and hurry early and perhaps Spurs don’t match that right now.
For Tottenham, they’ve got a lot of injuries and they’re missing creativity on the pitch. I can see that they’re set up well and they press early. I know you have to start brightly and impose your authority on the game, especially early and at home. You need to put your opponents under pressure to get the crowd behind you.
Tottenham wait a little too long to get going. I don’t think you can show that much respect to your opponent. But I feel for them too because they’re not able to create much.
Maddison is not there, Kudus is injured, Solanke is out. Those are the players who carry the ball and take risks, and they’re being cancelled out easily.
Newcastle
You were worried Anthony Elanga was not suited to Howe’s tactics – what have you made of him so far?
He’s not got a run in the team yet really, has he? Jacob Murphy won the shirt back, when everyone assumed he was going to be down the pecking order below Elanga.
At Nottingham Forest, they played counter-attacking football. They didn’t go pressing high up, and Forest instead were well drilled, organised and compact. They would hit teams on the break with pace, and they had that with Elanga and Callum Hudson-Odoi.
With Newcastle under Eddie Howe, it’s not about dropping off. It’s about going up high and getting the ball back. Maybe that style of play has caught Anthony out a bit. He needs to go and chase down full-backs, and that’s a constant requirement. When you have the ball, you push forward quickly.
Perhaps Elanga has been used to a slower game at Forest, and then there’s also the fact he’s had to move to the North East. He might have been in a hotel for the first months, he could be taking time to settle. You don’t know how he’s been able to adjust and he might have mentally had to take some time to adjust. Maybe his confidence has been hit a little.
He’s not hit the ground running, Murphy has the shirt back and impressed down the right-hand side when he played, which is what Howe wants. Until Elanga can do that for Eddie, he’s going to have to sit it out.
He has credit in the bank for the past couple of years but how long before Eddie Howe is under pressure in his position at Newcastle? Or do you think his job is completely safe?
I like the way Eddie Howe has Newcastle playing, and the fans want that style too. They want pressing, high excitement, dribbling with the ball and playing on the front foot. Newcastle fans love this. Eddie’s given them that for years. Every two or three years, they really shine and get into the Champions League and then they burn out with the demands.
I don’t think the problem is Eddie, it’s that the squad is too thin. There must be times when he wants to give a couple of players a rest, but knows he doesn’t have the replacements he needs to make sure the drop-off isn’t too big.
Defensively they’re slow, with Dan Burn at left-back. I feel for him because he’s getting exposed, and he got sent off (against Brentford) because he was exposed. He’ll step in and do a job as best he can, but surely they have to have a specialist left-back who can step in. I know they’ve had injuries, but it’s telling that there isn’t a reserve who they think can handle it better than Dan Burn. No disrespect, but he’s a centre-half and he isn’t quick enough at his age.
He can read the game well but the nature of football means he’ll get caught out. I think that what lets Newcastle down is the size and the quality of the squad. Get the first team out and they’ll give anyone a game, but if they have injuries or need to rotate, they struggle.
I think there’s a question mark around Nick Pope and we might start to see Aaron Ramsdale getting a chance there.
I think this weekend they started well, but when they inevitably faded it was hard to change it off the bench, and Brentford ran them ragged in the second 45.
For Eddie, he might need to learn to park the bus and play on the counter, but it’s against his instincts. Until they get a bigger squad, they will struggle with two or three games a week when they’re in Europe. We know it takes its toll. There’s no way around it.
Where does Eddie Howe need to strengthen in January in order to improve this Newcastle squad?
I think Woltemade has started really well since coming in, but he wasn’t effective in the game against Brentford, he couldn’t get it going.
He was a last-minute signing to replace Alexander Isak, and they need something else for when it isn’t happening for him. Harvey Barnes isn’t able to make a huge impact just yet. Without Sandro Tonali and Joelinton, if you take them out you have Jacob Ramsay, but it’s a drop-off.
They need players who are as good quality as the first team options, because when Lewis Hall is out, all of a sudden you’re playing Dan Burn at left-back. Perhaps a back three makes sense then, but you’re still wondering who works as a wing-back. Two or three injuries can really upset this Newcastle side.
There’s the Champions League, League Cup, FA Cup and Premier League to fight for and they’re suffering. Unless he changes his style of play, they need to strengthen in January.
I don’t know why, but Newcastle seem to struggle with their spending more than most. Some teams seem to bring in players all over the place, whereas Newcastle seem to bring one in and then they’re struggling for another year to add more. We know they have PSR issues, which is probably why they haven’t been able to strengthen as much as they would have liked, but I do think they could be a bit better in the transfer window. Maybe a bit more creative.
Why have Newcastle been so much better in the Champions League?
Well, obviously they’re up for it. The draw has been quite kind for them. The Champions League’s completely different from the Premier League.
It’s shown in their Premier League form that it’s very difficult for this team to perform in three games a week. The Champions League does take it out of you with the travelling and the expectations.
The atmosphere gets you going, but two, three days later, Newcastle feel the consequences. I think the draw’s been pretty kind to them. I know they’ve got a few hard games coming up, but I think the teams they have played, you’d expect them to have got points out of most of them.
We all know who the main actors, the favourites, are in the Champions League this year, but the new format does throw up some chances for you to put points on the board.
At times, they’ve looked very energetic, and they’ve played at a great tempo. We all know teams don’t like getting pressed high. A lot of players don’t feel comfortable with it. But it does take its toll on the body. And as we saw against Brentford, you get a couple of injuries, and the squad is quite thin, I think for the four competitions they’re in.
Against Brentford they looked a very tired side, especially in the second half.
Man Utd
Kobbie Mainoo has reportedly been guaranteed playing time if he moves on loan to West Ham – should he take that offer? Does he need to leave Manchester United to kickstart his career?
For Kobbie, he knows that you just have to play. If you’re not playing, it’s easy for an international manager to pick someone else. Nobody is going to argue with Tuchel’s decision to go for someone playing more regularly.
Mainoo’s had a change of fortune this season. He’s out of the team, but in his absence, United have turned things around. They’re playing quite well, they’re looking better.
If Kobbie isn’t playing then he’s not going to go to the World Cup, so when January comes around, he needs to look at any of the interested clubs who make contact.
Whether it’s a loan move or permanent, so be it. I’m sure he’s asked Ruben Amorim what he has to do right now, but he is playing the team he thinks that’s going to work best. If you’re looking to impress your national team manager, then you just have to be playing. In January he needs to get out if he’s not playing still, on loan or a permanent deal.
Arsenal
Was it a bit rich for Arteta to complain about Sunderland’s tactical approach given Arsenal’s physicality and use of set plays this season after the Black Cats got a draw on Saturday night?
It’s always strange to criticise your opponent’s tactics, at the end of the day. You know, the whole point of football is to get a result. It’s a game, you have to work out how to get results and win and at least avoid defeat.
You work out how to get the best out of your team and cause problems to the opposition. You come up with a plan, and if it works, then you’ve done your job well, so I wouldn’t criticise Sunderland.
People could talk about Arsenal, about how they park the bus and rely on set-pieces. Everyone wants to have a dig at everyone else’s tactics, but it’s your job to find the weaknesses and exploit them, or spot a good tactic and use it yourself.
This time, Sunderland worked out how to get a point, so the manager got it right. It might make it harder to break down sides if they park the bus, but it’s your job to figure out how to break it down. It’s up to you, and you don’t moan about it. You figure it out and you overcome it, and then you get a little smile on your face that a team sat back and they still couldn’t stop you.
Obviously, Arteta wasn’t happy, but Sunderland had their game plan and it worked.
Liverpool
Arsene Wenger claims Liverpool “destroyed their midfield” to accommodate Florian Wirtz. Do you think fitting in the German is causing tactical problems for Arne Slot?
I said at the start of the season that I didn’t fancy Liverpool for the league because they can’t defend properly. They do concede and it doesn’t matter how good you are as a team – I think Liverpool do concede goals quite easily as well, at times. So they didn’t address that problem.
They needed a centre half, they needed a right-back too, really, they didn’t address that. They spent their money on Florian Wirtz and two centre-forwards, who all cost a fortune.
I think I can see why Arsene Wenger is saying that. The midfield was very strong last year. Energetic, capable of putting the foot in, box-to-box. They could make goals and score them.
Obviously Wirtz has come on the market and he was sensational in Germany, and so they took a look at him. He was cruising in the Bundesliga, he ran most of the games and he was electric. But the Premier League is a different set of demands. It’s more physical, it drains the legs. It’s more demanding.
Liverpool are a big club, and now they are champions, there are even more reasons why clubs will want to beat them, and then they haven’t come out of the blocks quickly at all. Alexander Isak is still sitting on the bench. You have to say that the signings have unsettled the side more than they’ve improved them so far.
Of course, Wirtz has proved already that he’s quality, and we know he has ability and now the job for Arne Slot is to get the system right to fit him in. But even if and when he does that, the main concern for the team is their defensive weaknesses.
Manchester City ran right through them at times, and I think this season has drained Liverpool already. They have Europe and the Premier League, and all their players have international duty. The players are a year older, and it’s not easy to stay fit, mentally and physically.
Looking at Liverpool compared to City, City looked sharp, fresh and fit. Doku was on fire, the movement was superb.
Liverpool had a few moments, don’t get me wrong. But really City were on top and dominated, and it’s looking like it’s going to be a long season for Liverpool. I think the Premier League is beyond them this year with the way they play.
But I would say, with the players they have, they might have a better shot at winning the Champions League, but it’s taking longer than we thought for Slot to get the best out of this collection of players.
On Sunday, Wirtz was on the left, and I think they need to be braver. Wirtz has to play off a striker as he did at Leverkusen. That’s where he was so good. Either you build the side around him or you conclude he’s not the right player to fit Liverpool’s approach, and it was a mistake to buy him. You need to ask if the Premier League is too quick or physical for him. I think their task for now is to work out how to get the best from him. But looking at his body language, he does not look confident at all.
Manchester City
Manchester City have a sizeable gap to bridge to Arsenal. Guardiola has managed to chase down the Gunners in past seasons, but is his current team capable of doing it?
Yes they can. They’re a very good side. When you’ve got a goalscorer like Haaland, if Doku is on his game, and Savinho is on the right-side, with Foden behind them at his best form, then you’re dangerous.
Rodri’s having a few problems still, but across the park they look good. The thing with City is if you can catch them on the break, they don’t always have the pace to keep up with you. You can catch them out. Every team has a weakness, no matter how good they are, and this is City’s.
You need to defend well against City and then try to hit them on the break, which teams have done in the past and can still do today. They have a very confident setup, and going forward they have the tools to do damage.
You can see City going on a run, and they’ve got a very good squad. You know, when two or three of those players turn it on, they’ve got the quality to go to the end.
Arsenal, though, have got a big squad too. When teams don’t have big injury problems, that’s a huge advantage. They have the quality to let players rest and rotate. They can also compensate for those injuries which will eventually come at some point.
Look at teams like Newcastle, they haven’t got the same quality players who can stand in.
Sunderland
Is it too early to say that Sunderland are definitely going to be playing Premier League football next season?
They have about half the points you usually need to stay up already, and there’s only been 11 games so far. The Premier League can be cruel so we can’t rule anything out, but the players are working really hard and they’ve caught a lot of teams off guard so far.
I think they brought in so many names, some players who weren’t household names, and that has left clubs struggling to work out how they are going to play. They did brilliantly by looking at the data and getting players who could perform.
They lost at Man Utd but they played really well, but what might hurt them is that teams will be able to work them out eventually. The second time they play Sunderland, they won’t be so surprised, they will learn.
I think it’s going to be a harder second half of the season than in the first half, but they’ve got points already. They have probably exceeded their targets in terms of how they’ve adapted to the step up and they still have lots of the bottom teams to play. They should fancy their chances of staying up now. I always say that the main aim for your first season is just staying up, and they’re on course for that.
The Champions League
Who do you think will win the Champions League?
I’ve been following the games, and Bayern Munich are flying. They look the part. But there’s a long way to go. It’s a long, hard season. They’ve got a good squad, Bayern, and I think Inter Milan will run it very close again. They seem to manage games very well, whether that’s in Serie A or the Champions League.
You of course can’t write Paris Saint-Germain off, the holders, but they look a little bit leggy because they’ve been playing football pretty solidly for about a year now. They’ve got a few injuries, a few niggles. They’ve lost a bit of their buzz and sharpness, and the danger is when you win things, you may take your foot off the gas a little bit.
It’s very hard to win titles, it’s even harder to defend them. So at the moment, you’re probably looking at Bayern and Inter, and you can’t write off Real Madrid and Barcelona too.
Liverpool are going well in the Champions League, if not the Premier League so much. That’s about five or six who could be in with a shout, and you always get a surprise package. Realistically, it’s the big hitters as usual.
Premier League previews
Newcastle vs Man City
Do Newcastle need to win this game to give themselves a huge morale boost and for the players to believe that they can qualify for the Champions League again?
If Newcastle are up for it, and they have their best players, they can spring a surprise. It’s the international break now, though, so you’re sending Joelinton and Bruno Guimaraes on long journeys abroad, and Sandro Tonali will be with Italy.
Those Brazilians are playing friendlies, and they don’t need to go. Really, they could have helped Newcastle by asking for a bit of a break to recharge their batteries, especially if they’re playing friendlies. I don’t see the sense in them going away.
Other players are going away left, right and centre, and they might be playing tough games and then it’s impossible to turn down their countries.
So you’ve got players who are fatigued from travel or tough matches, you might not get them back until Thursday. Normally, they’d be on the bench for the weekend, but Newcastle don’t have the squad to accommodate that, so it’ll be demanding on their best players. Not just physically, but mentally as well.
It’s only going to get harder for Newcastle this season, and it’s going to make their game against Manchester City harder still.
Arsenal vs Tottenham
What chance do you give Tottenham of causing an upset in the derby?
When it comes to derbies, sometimes you just never know. Tottenham are unpredictable, they might turn up and be at their best.
There are going to be problems for Spurs and Arsenal, because a lot of their players will have long journeys to make after playing for their international sides.
The difference for Arsenal is that their players are full of confidence at the minute, and they have a much deeper squad. They will be going into the Emirates Stadium full of belief.
For Tottenham, they will need three or four of their injured players back fit, and then Thomas Frank can set out a side that can at least frustrate Arsenal. We know what Mikel Arteta’s side are about. Sunderland gave them a good game over the weekend, and none of us were really expecting that to happen, but it shows that if Arsenal maybe don’t fancy it, you can stop them and make them frustrated.
It’s up to Frank to come up with a plan, but he’s a smart tactician, and he can work something out to frustrate Arsenal and maybe even try to nick it.
If he goes toe-to-toe and the game opens up, Tottenham will be picked off given Arsenal’s ability up front.
Transfer Rumours
Marc Guehi will have his pick of elite cubs in the summer. Should he stay in the Prem or consider a foreign adventure and is he the best English CB in the country?
I think Marc Guehi has handled himself well since the move to Liverpool broke down. I think Crystal Palace are happy for him to stay and run the contract down this year, but it’s a shame too, because they will lose out on a lot of money.
He’ll have his pick of clubs this summer, or maybe this January. He’s a good defender, he has that Chelsea pedigree.
All the big clubs will have an eye on him, because he’s consistent, performing well every week. He reads the game very well.
Given he will be available on a free transfer in the summer, he will have a massive amount of options, and it won’t just be Premier League sides who want him, it’ll be the top European sides too. They will be queuing up to offer an unbelievable contract, so he just has to sit tight and keep playing well.
The longer he does that and playing for England too, the more he will be worth when the contract offers come in.
Should Harry Kane return to the PL to target Alan Shearer’s record?
I know, it sounds nice, doesn’t it? I’ve heard this before where people talk about Harry Kane coming back. It would be great for Tottenham of course, but I’m not sure Tottenham will want him at the price and his age.
Even if there was another team who wanted him, I’m not sure Bayern Munich will want to sell him. They let Robert Lewandowski go to Barcelona at about the same age, and he hasn’t stopped scoring since he left. I’ve looked, and Real Madrid could use a No. 9 like Harry Kane. Lewandowski could be stepping away from Barcelona and he’d be great to slot in there too.
Harry will be thinking that he’s done his job in England, he might feel the same about his time in Germany. He could now be looking at Italy, Spain or France for a new challenge. Bayern are massive, but Real are even bigger – what a story that would be!
If I was Real Madrid, Barcelona or Milan, I’d be asking why wouldn’t I go for him? He scores goals, technically very good, he can play as a No. 9 but he can play as a No. 10 too. Some of the work he’s done with Nicolas Jackson has shown just how good his passing and link-up play is. He can create. So really, I’d be surprised if Bayern would even let him leave rather than tie him down for another two years.
If I was Harry, I’d rather try life in Spain than head back to England. That record would be special, but his track record in England already speaks for itself.
Should Man Utd target Danny Welbeck?
It would be a stop-gap solution, let’s be honest. Danny is 34 now, but he’s a fit lad and he can cope with regular games still.
I’m surprised he didn’t get named in the England squad by Thomas Tuchel, too. I think he is useful both for United and England as a back-up someone who could give you at least one or two more more years, especially if he’s not starting every game and is used a little sparingly.
For United, he wouldn’t be a first-choice striker, because they’ve got Sesko. If he is injured, then Joshua Zirzkee will be there. They do have options. It would be up to him if he wanted to join a club under those conditions given he is a regular in the Brighton side. Would he want to come on for half an hour? He could easily manage that for the next two or three years.
I can see that he still has quality, he knows the Premier League, and he knows how to find the back of the net. I can see why it would be a good decision for United, but it depends if Brighton would be interested in letting him go, too. He’s an important player for them, and it isn’t certain he would want to go back to Manchester.
He might wonder if, whenever everyone is fit, if he’d get onto the pitch, whereas at Brighton he’ll be playing regularly, and that is the main thing that players want. You don’t want to sit on a bench.
At his age, there’s plenty to take into account, including family life, and where wants to live. It must feel amazing to be linked with United, but he looks very happy in a Brighton shirt. I think he’s better off where he is.
EFL and Non-league
How optimistic are you for the future now that Chansiri has left Sheffield Wednesday
I’m delighted that Chansari is gone, absolutely. I went to the match against Norwich, and it was all Sheffield Wednesday. The stadium was jumping, it was bouncing. It was an absolutely fantastic atmosphere.
Everybody’s back behind the team, everybody’s back behind the club. Now it’s onwards and upwards. I’m hoping in January that there’s action. There are six or seven parties interested in buying Wednesday, and let’s hope the guys running the administration process pick the right people and make the right checks.
The ground needs to be smartened up, and so does the training ground. They need players and if they get the takeover done in time, they can bring a few in.
The Championship is a league where you can be adrift by a big margin and if you win every week, you can get yourself out of trouble pretty quickly. There’s nobody outstanding in that league, so there’s no reason why they can’t get out of the bottom three if they can just keep in touch until January. There’s no reason they can’t save themselves from here.
Hendrik is a great manager, a good lad, well organised. We know they’re lacking quality, but listen, just to get the name of Chansiri out of the ground is a massive plus.
I’m pleased for the fans because they’ve been very loyal, and they love the football club. They go home and away, and now I hope the right people take over. In my eyes, they belong back in the Premier League.
Would you be interested in a role at Sheffield Wednesday under the new owners? Maybe as an ambassador?
I had a wonderful time at the club, and I still live in the area. If there was anything I could do to help Wednesday, I would be there.
I do other things in life of course, but I would make the effort to help Sheffield Wednesday – it would be a great honour. If it happens, great. If not, it would be nice for the club just to regularly get past names from the club down to the ground on match days.
I went down the other day, went into the club shop for an hour, and I was signing autographs. Then we sat in the stands, went on the pitch at half-time, and everybody was delighted to see the old players.
In most clubs, they tend to have a few old players and legends on match day, and I think that’s a good thing.
Has Frank Lampard shown that he has learned from previous mistakes at his previous clubs? Are Coventry destined to go up?
I liked Frank Lampard as a player, and I like him now as a manager. I think he likes to play on the front foot with his teams.
He probably went to Chelsea a little bit too early, but with Coventry he has the players that he largely inherited from Mark Robins. Robins is an excellent Championship manager and he had them playing good, attacking football. They were aggressive and they were excited at Coventry. They were in the semi finals of the FA Cup and they were beating good sides.
Frank has done well to go there and carry it on. He’s added some players, and he’s built on the team he was left by Mark. They can cause havoc, create and score goals. They’re a constant threat, and the best way to get out of the Championship is by banging in goals.
I know Burnley did it a bit differently, but Leeds and Sunderland scored a hell of a lot of goals. If you’ve got good attacking players in the Championship, it can make a difference.
Frank has got Coventry set up well, they have four or five exciting players going forward and you can see why they’re scoring goals at the minute. They might concede one or two, but he’s confident they will get four or five. It was how Newcastle got promoted with Kevin Keegan, outscoring the opposition.
It’s a great way to play, and Frank has got it spot on right now.
Has Rob Edwards been disloyal to Boro after walking out on them at the first opportunity given they helped him get his managerial career back on track after two consecutive relegations with Luton?
In a way, it’s a fair thing to say. He lost his job, and they gave him a new opportunity after Luton. He took them up, but they got relegated too. Middlesbrough gave him the opportunity, and he had done very well so far.
He’s a good manager, and obviously Wolves have tracked him as an ex-player. He has probably looked at the chance and thought he has more chance of keeping Wolves up than getting promoted with Boro.
Maybe he knows that there will be money available in January to steady the ship. He knows what the fans are like, having played there before, and he knows the club. It’s a step up back into the Premier League, and this is too good of a chance to turn down.
I do feel for Middlesbrough, of course. Whenever a manager gets a chance at one club and then drops them as soon as there’s a new job, I can see why there is frustration. Particularly because they’re second in the league, and he’s moving up to the bottom of the Premier League.
Maybe there is a bigger salary, and we know he has a soft spot for the club. I think if he gets two or three players in January then maybe that gives them the chance to turn things around, and if you put a run together you’re in with a chance.
Have Leicester got any chance of a Premier League return next season or will they have to get used to life in the Championship?
They’re mixed. They’re a hit and miss team. Yes, they can put a run together, and we know they have got the players who should be able to cope with the league.
They’re not guaranteed to go up, they’re not far better than the competition. They’re not a yo-yo team, I’m not sure they are one of those who can come straight back up.
Leicester are very beatable, but I still think they will be in the chasing pack. I think they’re capable of putting a run together to get them into a strong playoff place, but nothing screams that they will definitely go back up.
If they fall short, it wouldn’t surprise me. If they can get to January while they are in a decent position, they might then need to kick on. Getting two decent players then might give them what they need to go up automatically, and a lot of chairmen would be tempted to take that deal.
Leicester have got the capabilities to do that, but nothing is guaranteed at the moment.
What impact would it have if both Sheffield clubs went down?
That would be a disaster. Oh, that would be horrendous. I think Chris Wilder came back in and the squad’s not as strong as the squad he left. They need confidence, and he’s getting the balance right.
I think in January you’ll see a lot of activity at Sheffield United. I think he’s trying to get the team to January, and I think he knows what he wants. He’ll be on at the chairman and owners now, telling them what he wants and what the side needs.
A club like that probably have a wage bill that means that they simply cannot afford to drop down to League One. It’s vital they stay up, and I think they have a good enough team to stay up.
I know they’re not getting the results right now. I know they’re still struggling, but in January there will be a few out and a few in. That will make the team a lot stronger, and it’ll kick on from there. I imagine the pre-season target was to be in the play-offs and that’s a long way off now.
But in the Championship, if you put a run together, it’s the sort of league where things get their own momentum. Wilder could turn it around. I’ll be shocked if they’re in relegation trouble come the end of the season.
Are there any moments while playing at The Den that particularly stand out to you?
I only played at the Den – the Old Den – once, with Tottenham. We won 5-0 and we got dogs abuse. When we came out of the ground at the end of the match, the tyres on our bus were let down, and we had to wait ages for replacements. I think they were punctured and we ended up stuck in the players’ lounge until it was fixed.
But I’ve got good memories of playing there – we absolutely hammered them! I used to say the same thing about these kinds of clubs. You go to some grounds, and you get slaughtered by the fans, but really, it’s a bit embarrassing. But it’s their way of putting you off your game, and sometimes it’ll work, and so they keep doing it.
But I never had a problem with Millwall. It was a bit intimidating, but so was West Ham. So were Liverpool, Everton, Newcastle. These are all tough places to go, but I’d tell myself, they’re not on the pitch, there’s nothing they can really do. They can shout from the terrace or whatever, but the action is on the grass between the players. Some players get intimidated, but I just have happy memories of going there.
How do you assess Millwall at the moment? Do the fans still have the capacity to put fear into visiting teams?
They’re doing well at the moment. The manager knows the league well, and he did well with Sunderland.
He’s done well pretty much anywhere he’s gone. He’s got them believing in themselves, and it’s working for them right now.
Of course, it’s a long season, and the Championship is perhaps the toughest it’s ever been. Normally, teams who go down are the favourites to go straight back up, but this time, they’ve been sucked into the morass, because it’s just so competitive. Leicester and Southampton have some Premier League players, or players who played in the Prem last season, but that doesn’t necessarily set them apart, because there are so many good teams.
Coventry are running away with it a bit at the moment. Five points clear, and they are exciting, playing on the front foot. They have players who can unlock teams in the final third. The Championship has always been about scoring goals, and they suit that. Stoke have done well, as have Middlesbrough, but it’s an open league.
People talk about Sheffield Wednesday getting their points deducted, but even then, if they can hang on until winter and get their new owners in, they could add a few players and be a danger again and end up halfway up the league table. That’s how unpredictable the league is, because it’s the most evenly balanced league around. Everyone is close to the same level, anyone can beat anyone. I’d not be too surprised if West Brom beat Coventry when they play in a week or so.
I think the days are gone when relegated teams would automatically be favourites for promotion. I don’t see that this year. A couple of big sides could go down, so equally, Millwall could be one of the teams going up.
Do you think Bradford City are going to go up this season?
I think if you said at the start of the season that Bradford would be in an automatic spot, or close to it, they would have bitten your hand off.
With the size of some of the clubs in that league, that is impressive. They’re a big club too. I was only there six months, and they were averaging 20,000 fans a week, maybe more. That’s a great crowd. They’re definitely a side that are suited to being in the Championship more than League One. There’s no doubt about that.
But it’s going to get harder for them. They’ve come out of the blocks really quickly and carried on the momentum from League Two. That could catch up with them eventually. But then again, come January, could the chairman be persuaded to add two or three players to the squad if they think they’re in with a shout of the Championship?
At the moment, the manager and the chairman are doing a great job, and the players are doing well. A couple of acquisitions would get them in the playoffs, but there’s a long way to go.
We might see them hit by fatigue after that racing start, and other clubs will inevitably work them out. I think right now, they’ve exceeded expectations, and it’s a great season for them so far. It could get even better.
What do you think about Hallam so far this season and how the club is really putting itself on the map again with great crowds under manager Craig Denton.
I know the chairman, Richard Piillinger, very well. They’ve started well. I think their first goal this season was to just stay in the league. It’s a big step-up from where they were playing, and it’s the first time they’ve ever been in this league.
The budget requirements increase, and the football gets tougher. We’ve seen how they’ve done. A few draws, some good wins, and some defeats too. I think if they can match their ambition and survive, they can then build on that. But it’s a long season. There’s a lot of travelling in that league with some trips up to the North East.
When you’re working a job as well, and you play midweek, you might not get home until the early hours and that is difficult to sustain.
Thoughts on the rise of Bournemouth Alex Scott and his selection in England squad in the sense he’s treading a similar path to Chris having started far down in Non-League with Guernsey.
There’s a lot of players in non-league football who still have pedigree. Alex had spells in the youth sides of big clubs, so he’s always had ability. Sometimes, people just don’t fancy you when you’re younger.
It happened to me. I was very small at school. I had a lot of talent but I was a bit slight, too lightweight. So he might have gone down the same path, with clubs not quite being convinced.
There are so many talented players at that age who drop out or down, and then they develop and have wonderful careers. Look at Stuart Pearce and Ian Wright, they went to non-league football for a spell, and there are different paths for different players.
For Alex, it’s a great achievement (to be called up), and he and his family must be especially proud that he worked his way back from playing for Guernsey just a few years back. He probably stood out back then, but I’m sure few were expecting him to turn out for England.
As he’s been named, you’ll expect him to get a cap or two in the games. It’s a great story.
