During an exclusive interview with SportsCasting, former Liverpool, Everton and West Ham midfielder Don Hutchinson believes that Liverpool are out of the title race and urged Arne Slot to start playing his big money signings Florian Wirtz, Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike at the expense of Mohamed Salah.
Liverpool
Is Marc Guehi the right man to reinforce defence this summer? Have they blown their chance in getting him given the reported interest from elsewhere?
They’ve blown their chances of landing him. One million percent. I mean, I’d love to be a fly on the wall at Liverpool when they didn’t get the Guehi deal done. Let’s just say Crystal Palace wanted £45 million. Liverpool should have given them £50m, because they’re going to have Marc Guehi for six years. They should have just paid the money.
When I compare Liverpool to Arsenal, I see two proper men and two proper guys that won’t be bullied in Calafiori and Timber, alongside Saliba and Gabriel. So you’ve got four centre backs across there. If Mark Guehi was at Liverpool now he’d be playing at left-back and you’d be Konate, Van Dijk, Bradley and Guehi, and you’d be thinking crikey, that’s pretty versatile.
Liverpool should have just paid Palace whatever they wanted. I think it was a poor move. They were so focused on signing Isak. I understand that, because you can’t turn it down, but Guehi had to be the other priority.
This January has to be the marker with Guehi if they want to finish in the top four. They need to try and pull out all the stops to land him in January because by the summer time, I think he’ll have plenty of options to choose from, and they could be more attractive to him and his family.
You said there’s a problem with Mo Salah last time we talked, have things improved?
I just think it was that uncomfortable conversation where he might be close to being dropped.
But since then, I think he played really well against Villa. I thought that was the Mo Salah of old. I thought he was outstanding against Real Madrid,that was the Mo Salah. Then there was another little poor performance against Manchester City. But that wasn’t just him. It was everyone apart from Szoboszlai and maybe Conor Bradley who stood up to the task, because he never gave in. I think Salah’s still got a lot to offer. Salah will definitely score goals in a team that’s playing well and has its confidence back.
Maybe the African Cup of Nations will be great for him to just wear that different shirt and go and play for his country, to take a bit of that stress away, in a different environment. But yeah, I think the uncomfortable conversation is how does he get in the Liverpool team going forward? He’s signed up for two years, so you might as well keep him this season.
However, if you get a big money offer in the summer then Liverpool will have to think about it.
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 think I disagree with Arsene Wenger. They’ve tried to improve their midfield, and what they’re trying to do is future-proof Liverpool. So they’re halfway through their rebuild and it’s going to take a little bit of time
It’s very easy just to say, well, it’s Florian Wirtz’s fault. Nagelsmann came out this week, did a fantastic piece in his interview about Florian Wirtz. Elsewhere, I retweeted a compilation on X and it was all the chances that Florian Wirtz would have had if his teammates had made better decisions. He would be sitting there with six or seven goals if his teammates had put them on a plate.
Mo Salah missed one sitter in the Atletico Madrid game. He missed another sitter in the Chelsea game. Salah didn’t pass to him in the Man United game at home when he should have played a five-yard pass, There were more, and Nagalesmann nailed it yesterday when he said his teammates have got to stand up. I think the clickbait line from Arsene Wenger seems very unlike him. And for a guy that’s so tactically astute and a legend of the game, I’m surprised he hasn’t looked a little bit deeper into why it’s not working for Liverpool more than a cheap Florian Wirtz line.
You would have thought he tried to delve a bit deeper. Konate and Van Dijk are not what they were last season. Kerkez is yet to adjust, Bradley is in his first real full season. You’re without Diaz, Jota and Nunez, and we’re all waiting now for the new side to blossom and find its chemistry. It will take time.
Would you try to keep Ibrahima Konate beyond January or the summer?
I’d keep Konate from now to the end of season because he’s a good body to have around just in case Virgil got injured, or if Guehi signed and took a knock. If Guehi went to left-back you would still need Konate. I’d keep him around until the summer, and if he wants to move on a free transfer, then Liverpool will have one or two irons in the fire to try and replace him.
Would defeat to Forest put Slot’s job in question?
I think a defeat against Forest would make things a little bit tricky, to be fair, for Slot. You can’t sugarcoat it. They’ve got a run of games now, Liverpool, where they play a good amount of teams in the bottom half. So this is the period where you can put a run of wins together, and if you do, you get Liverpool back into the top two or three.
If they don’t then he starts to become a man under pressure, because it’s time now to have the plan and to show everyone the plan, about how you get all your big boys into the same team. We’re all trying to guess on what system and what permutation and what individuals you go for.
Slot is a very good manager and he’s got to solve it. So to answer your question he would be under pressure, but I’m still pretty confident in him.
Do you think Klopp could be tempted back to Anfield so soon after leaving?
No. I don’t see it, I think Jurgen’s got more about him. I even think if that was the conversation, I think Jurgen would say to Liverpool to be patient on Slot, to give the guy time.
Jurgen’s that type of guy where it’s not all about him. Jurgen’s very honest. He wants to do what’s best for himself and Liverpool for sure. So he would probably say to the board, stay patient, stay with Arne Slot. There’s no one out there at the minute from the list of managers that would be available who would make it worth firing Slot.
Who does Wirtz remind you of?
I mean I look at players like Bernardo Silva and I look at players like David Silva, and there’s no reason why Florian Wirtz can’t be that player or better. He’s got more attributes. He’s a better runner and he can go past players but I think once he finds his feet he’ll be fine.
Bernardo Silva at the weekend, he’s got this lovely ability and he’s always had it, to stand still. He’ll get on the ball and he’s not afraid of popping a five-yard pass off because he’s not bothered by expectation and pressure. He’s doing what’s right for the team. It’s like the pressure’s on Wirtz to produce magic with every touch, a nutmeg or a trick.
Once he settles down wearing that Liverpool number seven and finds it comfortable just to lend the ball to someone else, everything will start coming along. He can be a David Silva or Bernardo Silva easily.
Everton
Everton face Man United in their first game after the international break, who should the Toffees be looking to, to step up, in that one?
I look at Everton now and I’ve commented on them quite a few times, and what they’re crying out for is a number nine. They’ve signed Barry, who’s a young kid, and he cost a lot of money. I know they’ve got Beto. But when I look at the profile of players, they’re both exactly the same in terms of their movement, their touch. Barry’s a little bit better coming short and linking the play, I suppose. But Everton are in this sort of a funk where they’re spending £20-30 million pounds on centre forwards who only hit between 12 and 15 goals a season.
They’ve got to somehow find a way of finding the man that’s going to get them 20, which I know is very difficult, but there’s players out there like Dusan Vlahovic from Juve, who’s on a free transfer in the summer, so that’s probably the bracket that they’re looking in, even though he will demand big wages.
I look at the spine of the side, I think: England’s number one, Jordan Pickford. I look at the centre backs, very strong. The fullbacks, really good. The midfield is excellent. Idrissa Gueye is still producing at his age. James Garner is versatile. You look at the number tens that they’ve got. I mean Alcaraz can’t get a game. Dibling can’t get a game. So Dewsbury-Hall’s playing really well. Grealish and Ndiaye are impressing.
It just feels like to me that they need to splash out big or get Vlahovic on a free transfer. I think the number nine with 20 goals a season is the last piece.
What do you make of the new stadium and the atmosphere so far this season?
The new stadium is amazing. I was lucky enough to be contacted by the club a couple of years ago because they’d done a former players’ brick outside the stadium, and they said, ‘Would you like one? What’s your message that you want to put on your brick?’
You only get about six or seven words and I just put my name, the Everton crest and just put, ‘Proud to wear the Everton shirt. Proud to be captain.’
I’ve got a brick outside the stadium, one of the walkways in a beautiful stadium. I mean absolutely stunning. The atmosphere is so good.
Everton have struggled for goals this season so far – Iliman Ndiaye is top scorer with four – where is the issue coming from and how do they solve it?
What you can do is invest a bit of time in Barry or Beto and find out which one you think is the one going forward. It’s probably Barry. So you’ve got to sort of be patient with him, school him, coach him. David Moyes has got good coaches behind the scenes, the likes of Billy McKinley. He’s got really good guys behind the scenes that can coach him into potentially being a bit of a better number nine, and a more of an all-rounder.
Or, you can go down the route where you could play Ndiaye as a false nine, which gets Alcaraz into the team or Tyler Dibling more game time. I think there’s enough quality there for sure.
It’s just trying to figure out and problem-solve in which way you want to go. I think that most David Moyes’ sides and any good Everton side has always had a recognised number nine, so the false nine would go against the grain but maybe that’s something they need: something a little bit different.
West Ham
Niclas Fullkrug has been linked with a move to AC Milan – does that make sense for everyone?
I mean, it’s an absolute no brainer. Fullkrug’s not been fit. I’d love to have his agent. How has he gone from not getting a game at West Ham to getting a move to AC Milan? I mean, he will be the luckiest man on the planet if he leaves West Ham reserves or the treatment table to go and sign for AC Milan. I mean, it’s incredible. So to answer your question, a zillion percent. Do the deal.
Kobbie Mainoo has reportedly been offered guaranteed first-team minutes if he joins West Ham on loan – should he drop down the table?
It’ll be a great move for Mainoo. With all due respect to West Ham and being a former player, I think he’s better than that. It’s a weird comparison because Newcastle are not having a great season, but I could see him playing in Newcastle’s midfield. I could see him playing in Napoli’s midfield.
I could see him playing in Serie A for Milan, Napoli or Roma. If you’re Kobbie Mainoo, you can do what Jesse Lingard did when he went to West Ham and was outstanding. That’ll be a good move for him because he’s going to play under Nuno in the West Ham midfield. Taking Freddie Potts aside, he’d slot into that midfield very easily. If I was him, I’d think about Napoli, Milan, Roma. Go and test yourself abroad.
Real Madrid and Brazil wonderkid Endrick has been linked with a loan move to the PL. It sounds good, but would it be a good move for the Hammers?
Yeah, I think it would be a good move for West Ham to get Endrick if it’s possible. He’s a strong boy. You look at the physicality. He’s stocky and he’s strong. He needs to be given time, which is hard in the Premier League.
He might be better off going to Sociedad like Isak Odegaard did. Sometimes it pays to stay in La Liga, but you go and play every single week, building your strength, lungs and legs up. You get your confidence, goals and your mentality and bring it up that way.
Because what you wouldn’t want to do is bring him to West Ham or a team in the Premier League that are in a relegation fight, where you haven’t got time to play them every single game, because you might be losing games along the way. You haven’t got time to bed these young kids in. So if I was Endrick, I’d be looking at a short-term move in La Liga to try and play every single week to then have the potential to either move to England or back to Real Madrid.
That being said, it’s a move that I would endorse for the Hammers.
Nuno Espirito Santo has started getting both performances and results out of his West Ham team – how confident are you of them continuing this run and pulling clear of danger?
I’m more confident now after back-to-back wins and I’m more confident after seeing his recent team lineups. because some of his teams were absolutely baffling. I mean, West Ham fans couldn’t get their heads around things like a left-back at right wing and vice versa, and midfielders playing all over the place.
Freddie Potts has come in and done really well. I played with his dad, Steve. He’s doing really well, and West Ham fans want to see that. He actually had a really good preseason, so I’m stunned that they didn’t get him in the side a lot earlier, but it’s looking a little bit more balanced. They’ve got some hard games coming up, but I’d like to think they will just about get by. The current squad that he’s got, West Ham will still be in trouble. He needs massive help in the January window.
Tomas Soucek has become something of a supersub over the past couple of games – despite coming under some criticism from parts of the fanbase, surely he’s the type of player West Ham must keep in and around the squad for the foreseeable future?
I do think West Ham should do everything they can to keep Soucek. He’s got this affinity with West Ham. I don’t know if you’ve seen the helicopter celebration that he’s sort of adopted.
In his words, he said ‘I got really down and really depressed and I made up this helicopter celebration to sort of twizzle and get myself out of it and get myself out of this sort of state of mind.’
He’s a completely different player to John Moncur, who I played with, but he reminds me a bit of John because of his attitude. You can bring him off the bench, you can start them in a game and you can play 45 minutes, or you can play him for an hour, or you could rest him, drop him and give him the last half an hour or 40. He’s just happy to wear the shirt. Sometimes those guys are priceless and they’re worth keeping around.
Jarrod Bowen has had some good spells this season but is now without a goal in his last five games – is he doing enough to ensure he’s on the plane next summer with England?
Yeah, I think Bowen is doing enough to put himself in the England World Cup squad. It must be hard for Thomas Tuchel because his form has not been great, but I just think sometimes you have to look at the bigger picture and think, what more can he do? He’s playing in the side that are in the bottom three.
He’s playing in a side that doesn’t create a lot of chances. It’s almost like if Jarrod Bowen scores for West Ham, he’s got to do it all himself, which is very unfair because the modern game doesn’t lend itself to people driving from the halfway line and taking 10 players on and scoring anymore.
You very rarely see a really solo goal anymore. It’s more sort of team oriented. So, I just think he’s just got to keep doing his thing and keep playing well.
Freddie Potts has broken into the West Ham starting XI and is already being compared to a young Declan Rice – do you think he’s good enough to live up to those expectations? How impressed have you been with him over the last couple of weeks?
Freddie Potts can 100 percent live up to the Declan Rice comparison. I was impressed with him in the pre-season – I thought he was really good. I get the comparisons, because if you look at the style and the profile, he’s as tall as Declan. He can run like Declan. And I think where the comparisons are really fair is if you go back to Declan Rice when he first got into the side, Declan Rice’s first 10 games and Freddie Potts’ first 10 games, they’re actually quite similar.
Declan Rice wasn’t a standout player when he first got in the team. I think it was David Moyes that put him in. I think he might have put him in, if my memory is correct, as a centre-back and he actually made one or two mistakes and then people realised he was a midfield player.
So the comparisons are not where Declan Rice is now at Arsenal and Freddie Potts is now. It’s both of them back at the same age with the same number of appearances. That’s where you’d like to think they look a little bit similar.
Sunderland
Can Sunderland push for Europe this season – can we say with confidence that they will be playing Premier League football next season?
It’s amazing. I can remember playing at Sunderland under Peter Reed in 2000, and we were second top at the end of January. And it reminded me a lot of when I played for Sunderland and we played Man United and we lost 1-0.
We had two men sent off. Andy Cole got sent off for Man United. We had Mickey Gray and Alex Rae sent off. Great game. It was first versus second and Man United beat us one-nil. We just sort of slipped and we drifted and we finished seventh that season. But that season reminds me where this Sunderland team are – both teams have got fantastic players. Regis Le Bris, his team has got energy, he’s a manager who’s tactically very good. Sunderland have got so many options in the squad as well.
When I played, we had our two front men, Danny Dichio coming off the bench or Niall Quinn starting every single game. Sunderland have got so many options. Loads of them. They’ve got a really good chance of doing what Forest did last season and finishing with European football.
How much of an influence have the Sunderland fans had on their positive return to the Premier League?
I was lucky enough to play for them. The best thing about playing for Newcastle or Sunderland is that they’re one-city teams. It’s not like in London where you might have your Fulham, Chelsea, West Ham, Tottenham, Arsenal. There’s loads of them dotted around London. You’re in Sunderland. You’re a Sunderland fan.
You get the atmosphere and it’s hostile. It’s loud it’s aggressive, it’s raucous. They’re so behind their team, same as Newcastle fans. That’s why I’ve got no doubt that Newcastle will be fine at home and Sunderland will be fine at home, and they travel quite well.
I was on comms for the Chelsea game when Sunderland beat them 2-1 a couple of weeks ago, and the travelling fans were amazing. But the team was amazing. It is a great place to play your football. And that’s going to be very interesting because the derby’s coming up pretty soon. So that’s going to a must-watch game of football.
What do you think of the Tyne-Wear derby?
If you’re looking at current form for Sunderland, and Newcastle’s away form, even though it’s only a couple of miles over the bridge, you’d probably make Sunderland favourites at home, just because of Newcastle’s away form.
But it’ll be a brilliant game. I’m anticipating yellow cards, red cards, and an old-school match. Sit back and get the popcorn out. Just sit there and watch it. Full-blooded, everyone leaving everything out there on the pitch. It should be an amazing game to watch.
Newcastle
Newcastle take on Manchester City in two weeks – do they have any chance of winning?
It’s at home. I’m so confident when Newcastle play anyone at home, because they are a completely different animal when they’re at home. The fans drive them on. It’s a mental thing where they have to be on the front foot, they have to be aggressive. They get results. I’m never afraid of Newcastle when they play at home. All right, they might lose a game like the Arsenal game but they did really well in that. They’ll give Man City a game. I was up there when they beat them in the cup. They’ll give City a game. As to whether they can get a win, that’s another story.
But the away form is horrendous and it’s a mentality thing. They try to play a different style of football and they’ve got to find it. But at home, why not? They can beat anyone.
Is it fair to say Newcastle got the better deal by selling Alexander Isak and replacing him with Nick Woltemade? Or do you think they would’ve had a better start if Isak stayed?
The long term will tell us. I mean Isak’s been injured so it’s hard to really measure him. But I think when you look at it, I think Newcastle’s window overall has actually been an exceptional window. If Wissa had been fit. It was Woltemade, Ramsey, Elanga. It was Ramsdale in goal. Thiaw has been unbelievably good. So the six or seven signings that have come through the door have been exceptional.
Newcastle are some way off the top 5 despite having a successful Champions League campaign. Is European football affecting their domestic form and can you see them getting back into the mix at the top of the Premier League?
You get the sense that when Newcastle play at home, they have the 12th man because the crowd is so up for it. You can run out there, you can be really free, you can really close people down and you can really run hard. If you’re Anthony Gordon, you set the tone and you run forward and you close someone down. Joelinton goes behind and Bruno goes behind and Tonali goes behind and Harvey Barnes goes behind.
When you do that at home the crowd drives you on. So you almost have to. But when you’re away from home you go, let’s not close that one down. Let’s just stay in our team shape, and let’s try and keep the ball a little bit better. That doesn’t suit Newcastle. Newcastle are an aggressive side and they’ve got to get that nature back away from home. That’s the difference. The different approaches at home and away – they have to change that away approach and quickly, because they’re offering some pretty meek performances at the moment.
Nottingham Forest
Sean Dyche got his first Premier League win for Forest. What kind of an impact do you think he’ll have at the club and is it good to see him back in the PL?
Hopefully to try and get them up the table. That will be what Sean is aiming to do. I think he’ll get them mid-table, away from the relegation zone. I think he’ll do what’s necessary in terms of style of play to get points on the board.
The best thing that he’s done in the early part of his tenure, in the first three or four games, is actually put Morgan Gibbs-White back into a number 10 position.
I think Ange tried him as a sort of a double nine, off the right. Sean put Gibbs-White into number 10. He’s freed up Gibbs-White. It’s no secret that now he’s starting to score goals and enjoy his football again. So I think Forest will be absolutely fine. They’ll be sort of 10, 11, 12th in the league.
Premier League Headlines
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?
Well, I think Liverpool are out of the race. Liverpool haven’t got enough in terms of their points tally, or the way they’re playing. They can’t be flawless and win every game. So, it’s a two-horse race for me. The interesting part now for Arsenal is they’ve got three London derbies coming up on the spin. So that’s going to be a test.
City have chased them down a couple of times over the years. So, if Man City can retain the way they’re playing and keep getting results, putting the pressure on and staying within touching distance of Arsenal, I think you look at it now and it’s a 50-50 between Arsenal and City.
What has Ruben Amorim done to improve things at Manchester United and can they finish in the top four?
I think the win at Anfield has helped them massively. Because you can’t underestimate when you’re losing games and you’re getting done by Grimsby, and you’re getting beat by Brentford, it’s not great.
It’s a bit doom and gloom and it’s like win two, lose one. The league table, because it’s early, helps. Last weekend against Tottenham, if they won, they went second, which is psychologically huge. You’re in a decent little space because you’re playing quite well. The job’s not done yet, but the league position would say, if we win we’re marching towards Champions League football, into second.
Then you go to Anfield and beat Liverpool. That puts him in a good frame of mind. I’m still not sold on his system in terms of personnel. I don’t think Dalot’s a left wing-back. I don’t think Amad’s a right wing-back.
There’s a lot of questions that I ask from a tactical point of view. I’m a little bit baffled but what you’ve got to say is with the likes of Mason Mount’s form, Cunha, Mbeumo, Bruno Fernandes, Casemiro’s upturn, I still think there’s a group of players now where if you go back towards last season, I couldn’t name you one Man United player apart from Bruno that’s improved under Amorim.
Now I’m starting to see three or four or five. So that’s a positive.
Would Danny Welbeck be a decent signing in January for United or another big club?
I mean, it’d be a brilliant fit. He’d be a fantastic signing because Danny Welbeck’s one of those players, where if he went back to Man United, it would be like when Jonny Evans returned.
When Johnny Evans went back there a couple of years ago, he was happy to be a sort of mentor inside the dressing room. He was happy to be a mentor to the players that were playing. He was happy to play his part when needed and was happy to be on the bench. I think Danny Welbeck going to Man United would be a really good fit in terms of he can still play, he can still score goals, he’s still really fit. But he would still have the attitude where it would be a fantastic move forward, being back to Man United with the knowledge that he’d be mentoring the likes of Sesko. I think it would be a perfect move.
Was Arteta hypocritical for his comments at Sunderland?
Of course Arteta was hypocritical. That’s what makes me laugh about managers like Mikel Arteta. Trying to call Sunderland a long ball team. Arsenal under Mikel Arteta are a set-piece team from wide free kicks or corners. So yeah, I think it’s very hypocritical to have a go at Sunderland, because they actually deserved it in general play anyway, to take at least a point from the game. I thought Sunderland were outstanding. If you ask Mikel Arteta over a cup of tea when the dust is settled, would he have taken a 2-2 draw after all that, he’d have said yes.
Just accept that Sunderland were brilliant on the day. Accept that for the first time this season they are the team that’s rattled Arsenal, and they’ve done a fantastic job of doing it. They’ll take some big points off some big teams at the Stadium of Light. So I actually thought it was a fair result.
Can you see Oliver Glasner being the next target for a big Premier League side?
I think there’s two managers in the Premier League who will be attracting attention. Andoni Iraola and Oliver Glasner.
I like what Glasner does. He could play a different style. He’s always said, really weirdly, that he’s always preferred 4-4-2. It’s actually quite weird considering he’s had some success with every other formation at Palace… But that tells me he’s able to adapt. Which is my point with Amorim. Glasner wants to play 4-4-2, but he’s not doing it because he realises the players that he’s got aren’t right for the system.
So he’s doing what’s best for the team, which is the most important thing. I see a guy that’s versatile, I see a guy that’s adaptable, I see a guy that’s doing a brilliant job and one that Steve Parish wouldn’t want to lose. But I definitely think when some big clubs in the Premier League come calling – or one or two in Germany might come calling, from Glasner’s point of view, Spain for Iraola – it is these two guys that are excelling in the Premier League. They’ll have plenty of admirers.
Brendan Rodgers is a name that many of the Leeds fans have got behind. Would he be a good fit for the club?
I wouldn’t make that move if I was Leeds. I’d stick with Daniel Farke. I think he’s earned the right to overhaul the squad by bringing them up. He’s made some very good signings.
It’s a different level, but it’s a little bit like Liverpool trying to adapt to their new signings and get the best system. He’s got good players like Okafor, who is a good player from Milan. He’s an exceptional player. And they’ve got so many good players that he’s got to mould them into a team. So the window that he’s had in the summer, bringing all these forwards in, I wouldn’t make the move if I was Leeds. I’d give Daniel Farke through the January window and at least through February, March. I’d stick with him.
Luton
Luton have steadied the ship – is it too much of a risk to spend in January and push for the play-offs?
I’d be tempted if I was Luton to bring a body in or two in January, just because I know what dressing rooms are like. When you’re in good form, you’re playing well and you’re getting wins and then you buy a higher calibre of player. That can affect the mood in the dressing room in a positive way.
You think right, standards are starting to improve and when the standards get that little bit higher, then it can give you a psychological push as well because you’re bringing in a player that can have an effect. Whether it’s a forward that’s going to get goals or a wide player, midfield player or a centre-back. So depending on what Jack Wilshire feels as though he needs, I’d be tempted to buy a player or two.
Coventry
Frank Lampard continues to impress, are they now favourites to go up after Rob Edwards’ departure?
I actually feel really uncomfortable about Rob Edward’s move to Wolves. 40 odd days 50 odd days after saying he’s happy, he moves. I don’t think it’s a good look from Rob Edwards to be honest.
I know he can lean on the fact that he’s an ex-player but I mean, who’s got more chance of being in the Premier League next season, Boro or Wolves?
Wolves are going to go down. It doesn’t matter if Edwards is in charge or not. They’re not staying up so the move I think is really uncomfortable.
I still think Frank will just look at his own team. The average, I think, is three goals a game. Their goal difference is plus 30. It’s incredible, so they are favourites to go up regardless of Rob Edwards.
Could you see Frank Lampard walking out on Coventry if he’s approached by a PL club?
No, absolutely not. I don’t see it, I just don’t see it. I think Frank will appreciate the job that he’s doing. The job, the chance, the players that he’s got, a crop of young players to work with, they’re all learning, they’re all taking on board what Frank wants.
They’re playing good football, scoring goals, they’re sitting top of the league. There is no reason for Frank to leave Coventry. Because if you think of who’s going to come in for him, it’s probably not going to be one of the top 10 teams in the Premier League. Would you leave Coventry to go to any of the bottom four or five? I don’t see it whatsoever. Frank will be happy where he’s at. I think he’ll stay.
Middlesbrough
Would you try to re-appoint Michael Carrick or have things not changed enough for him to be worth another try?
No, I think Michael would be a good fit again. I think his relationship with Steve Gibson, the chairman and owner, is a strong one.
I don’t think Steve Gibson really wanted to sack him, but he sort of had to because of the run of results. The two of them are professional enough to make it work again. A very steady guy, Michael, I know him really well, still mates with him today. Very steady on and off the pitch. Probably, he would have learned a lot from the poor form that he was in that got him the sack, and maybe if he’s going in there again, he might do one or two things a little bit differently. So I think that’d be a very good fit.
Sheffield United
Do you think Wilder has taken on too much to try to keep the Blades up?
I’m hoping he can keep them up because I can’t imagine a world where Sheffield Wednesday and Sheffield United end up getting relegated again into League One. I mean, I just can’t imagine that world.
Obviously Wednesday are almost certainly doomed because of the points dedication, and it’s close to impossible to battle back from there. I’m confident in Chris Wilder as a manager though. If anyone can steer Sheffield United away from the bottom three, it’s him.
What are your memories of life at Bramall Lane under Kendall – it was a brief time but an interesting one!
Millions. I mean, it was just hilarious. Every day into work, I used to pick Gareth Taylor up, who used to live right next to me.
Honestly, we’re like two kids in a sweet shop. When I used to pick him up, it was like we couldn’t wait to go into work because we knew something funny and something memorable would happen.
Howard was famous for his Chinese Tuesdays. So one of the stories was, every Tuesday we’d go to a Chinese restaurant and we’d eat loads of food, have loads of drinks, because Wednesday was normally off. And the only rule is everyone’s name got put into a tombola hat and he and the coaching staff would pick out your name.
Then you had to walk to the top table where the gaffer and all the coaching staff were, and you had two options. You could either tell a joke or sing a song, and that was your only thing for the day. When you’ve had a few drinks, it’s quite funny. But the trouble is, we started really well that season under Howard, and we just kept on going, Chinese Tuesdays.
Then went away somewhere down south, somewhere like Plymouth, and we got mullered. We got hammered. So the gaffer’s come in after the game and he’s gone ballistic. He’s just hammered all the players, and then he’s gone, ‘Right, that’s it. Chinese Tuesdays are finished. They’re all over. You’ve had your blast.’
And everyone’s more devastated that Chinese Tuesdays have gone than the defeat. And then, typical Howard, he recognised the sort of room was all doom and gloom, which is definitely not what he’s about.
Then with a killer line, he’s just gone, ‘Don’t worry, lads, it’s now on a Wednesday!’ It was brilliant. The team spirit was just off the charts. But it was every day.
How different he thinks life may have been if United had won the 1997 play-off final and reached the Premier League, and what’s your general affection for the Blades been in the years since?
Oh, we’d have been fine. I can remember chatting to Howard Kendall on the bus after a game and I was just picking his brains about being a manager, and being a coach and I said, ‘When you are buying your players, what are you looking for?’
He said, ‘If I buy Championship players, we’ll stay in the Championship. If I buy Premier League players, we’ll go to the Premier League. And in the space of 18 months, he signed Michel Vonk and David White from Man City. He signed Gordon Cowens from Villa. I came from West Ham. Gareth Taylor came, Jan Fjortoft came. Andy Walker came, Scottish number nine. The goalkeeper, Alan Kelly.
He filled our team full of Premier League players basically, to try and get out of the Championship. His theory was if you buy Championship players, you’ll just stay in the Championship. You’ve got to buy Premier League players. We would have been absolutely fine.
Millwall
Can Millwall go up this season?
I think they can. I think it’ll be via the playoffs. The job that they’re doing at the minute, they’re in the playoff spots at the moment. To try and catch Coventry, that’s not going to happen unless they go on a really good run of form. If you stick three or four wins on the spin together, it’s doable. I just know that league, I know how brutal it can be. I know once you get to that Christmas period, you can either fly into that top two or be a little bit inconsistent, because it’s hard work, it’s a grind, it’s hard graft. I’m thinking if they are going to go up, it’s going to be via the playoffs.
What would Premier League sides make of visits to The Den next season?
Oh, it’d be amazing. It would be absolutely amazing. Because Millwall do it their way. They’re not shy in coming forward and saying, you know, everyone hates us, we don’t care. As long as you don’t cross the line, it’s fine. And it’s a weird one because I like what Millwall stands for in terms of the old school nature. There’s a lot of work still to be done, but I think it’ll be amazing. I think it’d be great.
Scotland
What do you think Scotland need from the upcoming matches?
Well, the only way they can finish top is by winning both games. They need to beat Greece and then Denmark. You can’t get by on a draw. It wouldn’t happen. So they’re going to have to win both. And there’s no reason why they can’t because they got a draw against Denmark. So it can be done. It’s just necessary to get this first one out the way. But I think they can do it.
What you’d want if you’re going to two games where you want six points and two must wins, you want them both at home. But if they can’t beat Greece they don’t deserve to be going up in the number one position, and they can’t anyway. So it’s actually black and white. It’s right in front of Steve Clarke. You have to win these two games. So go and do it.
Do you think Lawrence Shankland is likely to start given he has finally been called up again?
I think what Che Adams does, and he’s effective at what he does, but with all due respect, I think he’s a very hard worker, which is a good attribute to have. He’s very quick.
But if you’re looking at finishers, Shankland’s a better finisher. He’s a better number nine. In my opinion, I would be tempted if I was Steve Clark to start Shankland. The other option is you could play Che Adams from the start and ask him to try and run in behind and get momentum in the game, tire defenders out. For Shankland to come on, but I would just go the other way. I would start Shankland, playing from the start, get the goals early and try to kill the game as quickly as possible.
What would World Cup qualification mean for Scotland?
Scottish football at the minute, it needs a lift. It needs a massive lift. I mean, Derek McInnes, the job that he’s doing at Hearts is just phenomenal. Celtic are doing really poorly this year, and I think that the anger comes from the fans to the board, not the fans to the manager.
Obviously Brendan Rogers is gone, but it won’t really be directed to Martin O’ Neill either. Rangers have sacked their manager and now have got Danny Rohl, who will improve them. They need an upturn and lift, and that’s not just something like Celtic, Hearts or Rangers winning the league.
It’s like the league needs to start finding better players. That league needs to improve the standards right across the board. And Steve Clarke getting Scotland to a World cup will definitely give the nation a lift, 100%.
Celtic
Where would a title win for Celtic rank in O’Neill’s list of achievements with the club?
Oh, I think it’d be right up there. When he’s won leagues in the past, they’ve either romped the league or they’ve been close, but with squads that include players like Larsson, Sutton and Lennon to work with. So the quality’s been there.
If they won it from here under Martin O’Neill, I think you’re talking statue stuff. Because it’s not so much just winning the league, it’s putting Celtic back at the top again and back on the map again. From a guy that’s been out of work for so long, to come in and rescue Celtic out of nowhere, to go from this doom and gloom to go and win the league, it’ll be incredible.
My dad was a Rangers fan and I nearly signed for Rangers. I always look out for Rangers, and I want them to win the league. But having worked with Martin, if he won it, I think it would be the most fantastic story for him.
Who is the best long-term appointment the club can make?
I don’t know who’s on their radar. I don’t know if they’re looking at managers in England who have a job, or if they’re looking for someone who is out of work, ready to come in.
Bringing Ange back, the Celtic fans would get on board with it. The Celtic fans would appreciate it if the board signed Ange again. The harmony would be a little bit better between fans and manager, and then the owners and chairman. I think that seems the logical fit for me.
Rangers
Is Danny Rohl the right appointment to get the club’s fans onside to the current owners?
I think so, I think it’s a different approach. I think what he demands from his team is that they’re fit, which ticks a box for Rangers fans who want to see a fit team.
He’s very aggressive on his pressing and closing down. Fans will also enjoy that too. I just think when you look at Rangers and the amount of money that’s been spent on Chermiti from Everton, these guys have got to start producing right across the board.
With Scottish football, especially at Rangers and Celtic – I can’t speak too much for the Hearts players – but the standard needs to improve. I think he’s the perfect man for them, and coming in halfway through the season with other people’s signings, he’s got to navigate that short term, medium term. I think you stay with him and you hope that you see results on the pitch, more momentum, and more wins.
Was Stevie G right to turn down the gig? Did that surprise you?
It’s like Ange Postecoglou with Celtic. It’s like that’s the appointment Rangers fans wanted, and I know Stevie G and I know he loved the football club. He just felt as though the Aston Villa job at the time was one he couldn’t turn down.
If you ask him again, with a clean slate, would you want it? Can you take it? I think he’d be perfect or would have been perfect. I still see a world where, not now, but I think in 18 months time, he’ll be in charge of Rangers once again.
Hearts
Are Hearts favourites for the league title with the Old Firm still in disarray?
They’re seven points clear. They’re playing good football. Derek McInnes is a very good manager. I see them as being firm favourites.
I think the focus for them is to just get your head down. Keep churning out the wins. There’s nothing too much to change. It’s not like they can go to Celtic or Rangers and try to poach any of their best players. That’s probably not going to happen.
So McInnes knows he’s got a good squad of players to work with. Maybe he could look down in England potentially if he wants to sign one or two players. I just think Hearts now need to ignore all the noise, bat off all the questions, be very insular, stay together, get their head down, have your bonding sessions, stay tight and keep grinding out the results.
