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"We Are Norwich" ACN Pod 88
60 Plays3 years ago
The boys are joined by Alex Tettey in an episode you're not going to want to miss. We talk Wembley, both Neils, Hughton, Relegations, Promotions, Farke and his journey at the greatest football club in the world.
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Transcript
Introduction and Guest Announcement
00:00:21
Speaker
Welcome to the Long Come Norwich podcast, a traditionally trivial testament to the trials and tribulations of testimonial worthy legends, and today we talk Teddy. That's right, we're joined by the man himself all the way from Norway where he's tearing it up again for Rosenberg, currently fourth in the elite Syrian.
Upcoming Game and Manager Rumors
00:00:37
Speaker
Firstly, let's talk the here and the now. So, Mr. Teddy, you've got a big game coming up on Sunday. Are you looking forward to it?
00:00:44
Speaker
Yeah, we're looking forward to it. Obviously, we're not where we want to be on the table, but it's a game against the leaders, so you want to be at your best, so I think we are looking forward to the game.
00:01:01
Speaker
And you're going to be facing a manager who, if speculation is to be believed, nearly ended up at Norwich. Did you think when the opportunity came up that he might have made the move to the Premier League? It was very difficult to believe how many troops was in there, in the rumours. But I can't understand why Norwich
00:01:28
Speaker
or why the rumors was there because it's been very good building Boude Glint and it's good with the young players and then building a team. So I totally understand why it would fit the Norwich model. So yeah.
00:01:50
Speaker
Can you see him, maybe it might not be an origin and hopefully obviously that it's going to be a little while until we've got another chance for a new manager, but can you see him cutting it in the Premier League when maybe it's not in the middle of the run-in in the Norwegian league?
Comparing Leagues and Managerial Experience
00:02:08
Speaker
It's tough because he's done well at Buda, but before Buda, he was in another team, lower division, doing well there. But to compare the elite stadium with Premier League is
00:02:26
Speaker
There's a big gap there. And the same as a player and as a manager, I think you always want to have experience somewhere else before you end up in the Premier League, where everything is a bit harsh and chaotic and the demands are very high.
00:02:50
Speaker
But of course I think I would definitely would have seen him being Norwich manager in terms of what Norwich wants and what Norwich is about.
Managerial Interest and Technical Differences
00:03:03
Speaker
Also, my current club is also interested in him, so it would be also nice to have him in the club for next season because, as you all know, Rosenberg used to be there, but maybe we haven't won for a couple of years now, so we really want to get back to winning ways.
00:03:25
Speaker
and being the best club that we know that we can be in Norway. Or I'm still hoping that maybe they can get him because he's proving himself in Norway now that hopefully Rosenberg can attract him for next season.
00:03:48
Speaker
How have you found it back at Rosenberg, Alex? Has it been a change of pace for you? And how does the pace of the football between the championship and the Premier League compare to Norway? Oh, it's different. You can't compare it. In terms of
00:04:06
Speaker
the technical and then the speed, you have some games where in Norway, especially where teams can't control the games. So you end up going forth and back, forth and back the whole time.
00:04:23
Speaker
which is fun to watch, but it's not much controlling of games. It's just few teams who can do that. Boude Glint is one of them. At least they've showed that in Europe for a bit. But it's completely different in terms of the pace in Premier League or the technical and the tactical aspect of the game.
Ideal Manager Traits and Retirement Decision
00:04:50
Speaker
So you mentioned that you were after, you know, convention, you'd like to work with him from your point of view. Obviously you've had, um, what's a polite way of saying it. You've had a few years in your career. So you've had the opportunity to work with a number of different managers now. What, what's an ideal manager for Alex Teddy? Now, what, what is it that you.
00:05:10
Speaker
particularly would excite you about getting to work with him and feel that would, other than just the fact that he's had success, what kind of characteristics in a manager would you look for, for Rosenberg or just for you as a player?
00:05:23
Speaker
No, for me, as a player, obviously, as you mentioned, I've had a knowledge, even just a knowledge of being true for managers. And before that, I was in France and Rosenberg again. My idea, manager, is someone who was a...
00:05:41
Speaker
clear philosophy, style of play. Obviously, yeah, the style of play needs to be attractive, but also need to have that solidness about the team. This might upon manager needs to be able to build
00:06:01
Speaker
with the individual player needs to be able to get players through, you know. And you are working with people, so my type of manager needs to be able to deal with people. They need to be good with people, you know.
00:06:22
Speaker
and getting them going, understanding how the players work, what makes them tick, and seeing how they can improve them.
00:06:37
Speaker
And obviously you've announced at the end of this season, Alex, that you're now going to be hanging up your boots. We've read that you'd like to go into coaching. Do you, talking about the type of managers that might motivate you, do you see yourself as a manager or do you think you're really just going to be into more of the coaching?
00:06:55
Speaker
I think I've said it many years now, I don't see myself as a manager because it's too stressful. But sometimes, this is most players that are former players, they've been saying this, that sometimes, even though you said you were not, in certain situations, you kind of feel like, yeah, I can do it, you know? You are like, yeah, yeah, I can do it.
00:07:23
Speaker
And then swiftly, you switch back to it. No, it's too stressful. It's too short-lived. When you're on that level, it's more like it's just result-based. You can win, win, win. If you get a dip or form and you lose a couple, you're out. So it's kind of stressful. But I think for me, it's more about
00:07:52
Speaker
working with academy players and trying to get them through to the senior team. I think I will have more joy doing that, you know, than being a manager where it's similar to playing. Playing is just, you are not playing, you're just preparing a team to play on a Saturday or Sunday.
Career Reflections and Family Considerations
00:08:16
Speaker
And obviously preparing youngsters for the first team, that's a massive part of what Norwich City are trying to do at the moment. Could we then maybe see you back at the club one day and kind of bringing through the next breed of youngsters at Carrow Road? That's a big, big question. That would mean I need to leave my wife and kids, which I don't think after her being with me abroad for 12 years, she would want to go back again.
00:08:45
Speaker
I'm taking my coaching budgets now. I've done the first part of it. So hopefully when I get to the second part and the third part, hopefully I can come back to Norwich and learn a couple of things I should have done in my almost nine years there. And yeah, and learn how they do things and stuff.
00:09:12
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, I'm sure you could fit in a few placements at least while you're finishing things off. I'm sure she'd be okay with that kind of in between. So just like an extended away game.
00:09:28
Speaker
Okay, well maybe we'll have a whip round and see if we can put together a hamper and some presents and things for us, see if we can talk around.
Transfer to Norwich and Memorable Goals
00:09:36
Speaker
So speaking of encouraging someone to do something, let's go back in time when you joined the club. I think it was black and white television back in those days. What were your first impressions? Why Norwich? How was it that you ended up
00:09:52
Speaker
How did you end up picking Cresutin and Norwich City?
00:09:58
Speaker
Picking, that's, it's a bit flattering for me to be, for you to say I was picking no. At that time, that was my, I think I started my third season with Ren. And obviously Ren is like a machine club of producing youth and talent. And yeah, I was told I wasn't,
00:10:27
Speaker
like there was a lot of youth players coming up and they said yeah maybe your time would be very limited so it can be hard I said okay so I was just hanging in there doing my best as always head down and then one of those days on my way home I got a text from my agent back then that if I wanted to go to
00:10:55
Speaker
And I said, hell yes. There was no doubt that I was going to say no or whatever. I was very, very, very interested in going to England and Premier League. I've watched the games. I've watched Premier League when I'm not playing.
00:11:23
Speaker
I think I didn't saw Norwich once when I was in France. They played against Liverpool or something. Even though I didn't know much about them, I was like, yeah, I'm coming, I'm going. Regardless what I knew or not knew about the team, I'm going. So that's how it happened.
00:11:45
Speaker
Also, it happened to be that Chris Utin was the manager. After I met him, he explained to me that his scout was working
00:12:00
Speaker
Oranges and he was counting me before that. I was going to ask that how that worked out. So it was from a scouting previously that they already had you on their radar. Exactly. So when that scout, I don't know his name, when he moved to Norwich and Chris was the manager.
00:12:25
Speaker
And then they had me in their mind. And then, yeah, when they asked the question, there was no hesitating from my side. So it happened. And yeah, I signed for Norwich without demanding, having high demands for contract or whatever. I was just happy to be there.
00:12:54
Speaker
to be part of the Premier League. That's awesome. You were obviously so keen to come and be in Norwich as the football club after following the Premier League. You said you had only seen them once. Who was the team that you supported then? Whose games would you make sure you always watched in the Premier League? I was always watching Mind United.
00:13:17
Speaker
So that was your team, was it? That was my team, yes. So that must have made a certain goal even more special then? Yes, yes, yes, it was. I didn't know what to do with myself. Nor did we. Nor did we. We weren't prepared for that kind of event. No, no, not on that day. I didn't know. Nor did I run to Cameron Jerome who had the assist or the Norwich fans.
00:13:45
Speaker
on the side they wear out. I was like, what's going on? I just caught a truffled, I got to play there. I was like, the whole day was just surreal to them. I mean, that's one of your most famous moments in a Nori City shirt, really, you know, kind of iconic, the teddy toe poke. You can be really honest with us now, did you actually mean it, you know, kind of, or was that a shot that had kind of gone wrong and nestled in the corner?
00:14:13
Speaker
No, it was just, I was, so when I made the rub, after I don't know, working so hard to be in that position, I got the touch in front of me, I saw them closing me down very quickly. So I just, I didn't have any time to, to, to, to think, to hit it, like, with my,
00:14:35
Speaker
with my inside or whatever. So the only thing that came to my mind is have a quick shot. And then I just talk of it. The direction though was not where I was thinking was going to go. I thought it was going straight to the right corner.
00:15:00
Speaker
Then it bended a bit and went into the hair's right corner. Do you know what I mean? Yeah. We went so long on the left. I've seen it a few times, Ted. Yeah. So we went on my left and I was like, okay, I'll take that. So nice for me. And yeah, so I meant to talk about it. It happened to go not the direction that I wanted it to go, but yes.
00:15:28
Speaker
Well, we're very glad that it did nestle in the corner. Just taking you back a little bit to when you first joined the club. How was life settling into Carrow Road? How much did you know about Norfolk or Norwich before you got here and did or do the club make any special efforts with players from abroad? Because I guess there's a massive cultural change. How do they help you kind of adapt to things?
Adapting to Life in Norwich and Managerial Styles
00:15:51
Speaker
No, I didn't know much about the city or much about the club. I remember coming in and then we were at the Holiday Inn at the stadium after a while. We got to see the city and the stadium and the training ground at that time. And yeah, it was kind of a bit similar to rent where I was.
00:16:20
Speaker
So for me, I was, I was, I was, I was ready to go. Uh, whether the city was dog shit, I was like, for me, it was more the football aspect of, of the move that was so interested for me that anything else, anything else was like, I don't, I don't care. It doesn't matter. I'm here to test for the football.
00:16:45
Speaker
The club and the people who worked there, they were very welcoming. Every question, everything I needed, they were there to fulfill it. And this is how they've been since even until this day and until before I left. Thus, they've even improved on that bit. They have someone working permanently, finding houses,
00:17:14
Speaker
showing people around. So that bit has also improved a lot. Brilliant. And during that first season, I thought you personally, you had a really good season and the team seemed to flourish and had a really good run. I know they tailed away at the end of the season and kind of you just managed to stay up with a few results towards the end of that season. But it then kind of started to turn and it kind of started to go wrong for Chris Hooten.
00:17:44
Speaker
and you were one of his players that he brought in, what do you think went wrong and how responsible were you guys that Chris brought in, how did you feel during that time? It was always tough because he
00:18:00
Speaker
he likes to set up his team in a certain way. And I know many fans always thought that he was very defensive in his approach, but never in one of his meetings.
00:18:20
Speaker
told us to be defensive he always said you need to be structured do you know what I mean and there's a huge difference in saying structured and being defensive so he wants his team to be in shape but to be able to attack as well and in the modern football you can't be as good as going forward but if you can't defend if you can't defend you end up
00:18:49
Speaker
and you end up shipping lots of goals. So I thought we did that for that first season quite good and you always will have some games where you don't win, you know, and then I think
00:19:07
Speaker
as any other football team does when the voices come out and the negativity comes out and at the end of the day you end up losing the job which he did following that second season where we were never in bottom three but he ended up have to go which is a shame because that
00:19:32
Speaker
that season we just needed to have, to be honest, manage one win out of five and we would be able to stay up.
00:19:43
Speaker
So how odd was that to not be in the bottom three and for there to be so much negativity? And was that odd as players to think, why is our manager copping so much grief when we feel we're doing it? Because I remember talking to, I think it was Nathan Redmond at the time saying he thinks that they would have stayed up.
00:20:09
Speaker
had you stayed? Yeah, that's the feeling we, most of us, or I would say the whole dressing room had, you know, because we saw the fixtures, we had our heads down, we knew what we had to do, but we also knew as well that the pressure was building
00:20:32
Speaker
But we were quite confident that we would manage to at least have one win and a draw with him, with five games to go and not in bottom three. But, you know, it's modern football and football clubs take decisions, you know. Sometimes
00:20:55
Speaker
We as the players, it's not our job to take decisions and when decisions are made, you just have to crack on with what you're doing and not think about that side because that's not our job. So, the decision was made and we had to just move on with it as quick as we could.
00:21:18
Speaker
Sadly, it didn't turn out to be enough what we did for those rest of the five games and we ended up going down.
00:21:34
Speaker
Is that the hardest change of manager then? Because it was quite close to the end of the season. Because as you said, I think it's four different bosses you played under. Was that the most disruptive or the most surprising change of manager? I think it's just surprising because five games to go, I think if you think about it logically, like in a Premier League club,
00:22:02
Speaker
I don't know if it's happened before. I don't know. I'm asking you guys. Do you think it's happened before? Five games to go? Normally. Yeah, I don't know. Did they?
00:22:17
Speaker
They got rid of Pearson, was it? And then they brought someone else in and it didn't go well. I don't think I can't remember. No, I'm thinking often. No, I'm thinking maybe Pearson stayed and then went at the end of the season and then they then they went on the following year to, you know, you know, do quite well. Yeah. Rewrite the
Managerial Changes and Team Dynamics
00:22:34
Speaker
history. But yeah, so I mean, because I find that fascinating, you know, a new you mentioned philosophies and so a new player, a new manager comes in five games and bless him.
00:22:45
Speaker
Neil didn't stand a chance really. Do you feel at that point? Not really because it's a very short time of period to really really stamp your your philosophy or or your your authority on it you know and and these five games let's be honest we had what two of them one three of them were against what Arsenal Man United Chelsea
00:23:13
Speaker
Yeah, Chelsea and Liverpool, I think, as well, wasn't it? Yeah, Liverpool was in there and then the game that we taught, definitely, this is a big chance to get the three-point was Fulham. So, in their performance, we were like, yes, win Fulham, at least draw one of those rest of the games and then that will be enough. And that was our thing. But, on the other hand,
00:23:39
Speaker
Sunderland went on to have crazy games where they won against big teams. Something we never managed to do.
00:23:51
Speaker
With all fairness, I really like Neil when he came in. His philosophy was like, yeah, we are Norris City. We are going to play. We are going to do this. Training sessions were good. But there was not enough time. There was not enough time.
00:24:16
Speaker
And do you think that all the other players perhaps accepted him? Because, I mean, we've only heard rumours, but that when Neil first came in as manager, that perhaps, you know, there was a couple of things said, you know, kind of, and players were a little bit hesitant to accept, you know, what was a guy that was coaching the under 18s?
00:24:35
Speaker
Is that, you know, kind of, was there a feeling in the camp that, especially from, you know, kind of players that were loyal to Chris Houghton that, you know, kind of actually what's going on here, you know, this is, and they weren't maybe going to play for, for that particular manager. No, it's a good question to be honest. So obviously when you change the manager, normally the clubs taught who and what, whom they will bring in, you know,
00:25:02
Speaker
So we were all like, okay, who will be the next manager and stuff. And then for a short change, our decision that they made, and then Neil came in. Everyone was surprised, you know, because we thought they had someone
00:25:22
Speaker
else lined up, you know, that wasn't coming from the academy. So, of course, some players in the team will be, oh, what's this, you know, and not have that attitude, you know, towards that it was nil, and not another, you know, proving big manager.
00:25:47
Speaker
it happens and it would have happened in any other club as well. Talking about managers coming and going, tell us a little bit about your experience of when Daniel Farker first arrived at the club.
Training Methods and Personal Growth
00:26:04
Speaker
How did you adapt to life under a new manager who we've heard
00:26:08
Speaker
from the outside, placed quite a high emphasis on the technical side of the game, but also we'd heard his training sessions, you know, kind of really changed the culture at Colney. How did you find that?
00:26:19
Speaker
No, that was quite interesting when his team came in because he changed the whole training culture and how we were used to training with the other managers. We trained well, short and sharp, and we were fit. There was never any doubt of that. It's just
00:26:43
Speaker
with the boss that we still call him. We trained hard and long, long, long hours. And that was new to most of us. But it was good. It was good. There were the actual training sessions were quite lively, where you had
00:27:12
Speaker
assistant manager doing passing drills and you have Chris who was doing the warm-up and then at the end it was the manager's turn to do something with us. So it was quite good in the beginning. It was shock to our bodies but it was quite good. So you mentioned you still call him the boss. Was discipline
00:27:42
Speaker
kind of more extreme with him. And we've had quite a few players, one very recently, fall out of favour with him. Was he maybe more strict than Khrushchev? I think every manager sometimes in certain situations need to let a player know they are the manager, they decide. I think all of them that I played with had the same
00:28:09
Speaker
you know attitude to discipline some more more than others but the boss was yeah he he he made him he made the decisions that yeah you know you you as a player would be like you know you you can't cross him on certain things he he made sure that he we all knew who who who he was the boss
00:28:39
Speaker
Did he lose his temper at halftime? Because we've heard from the new manager, Dean Smith, or rather we've heard a report that, you know, maybe there was a few choice words in a bit of aggro at halftime, making it clear that on Saturday, obviously we got the right result, but the first half was dreadful, basically. And maybe that was a change to what they'd been used to. So was he one of those where he was very angry, but calm at halftime, or did he ever get the old hair dryer out and give it to you both barrels?
00:29:07
Speaker
No, he was through four and a half years since he was there. Obviously, sometimes you will lose your cool. But it's something I think we all know as the players that's been along with him, he tried really not to give up hair dries and not lose his temper. But of course, he had been in some occasions
00:29:36
Speaker
during the game inside the dressing room. But it didn't happen that often. It didn't happen that often. He mainly always tried to stay cool, you know. Yes. And technically, I think you Alex, you might have been one of the biggest beneficiaries of his coaching because you just seemed to
00:30:02
Speaker
improve immensely as a player under Daniel. And I kind of, I mean, this isn't just my personal observation. I don't know how you feel, but your close control seemed a lot better. Your range of passing seemed to improve. How did he do that? And I guess another question is that we were told that
00:30:18
Speaker
your knees were made of glass and you couldn't possibly play twice a week and then suddenly you were able to do that you know kind of what changed under Daniel? To be honest he threw that out of the equation to be honest when he first came because with him if you didn't train he praised training so highly that you wouldn't play on a Saturday or Sunday under him so
00:30:46
Speaker
When he came in, before that, I had Alex now also, who we got on really well with. So he was willing to manage me, you know.
00:30:57
Speaker
playing all their way games and being ready to go on a Saturday, which worked really well. Then the boss came in and he wasn't having it. So what do you do as a player? You just need to tackle with it. That's what I did. But in terms of improving under him, I think it just happened naturally because of his training sessions.
00:31:26
Speaker
because these training sessions were built of us doing exactly on the Saturday in terms of the technical part of it and the drills were shaped that you had to be good when in possession when you had the ball you
00:31:46
Speaker
you have to be able to control and pass, you have to be in good positions that he wants you to be and having sometimes a view of where the ball has to go before you get it and this was relentless during this four and five years in training.
00:32:10
Speaker
For the players who were all the time there with him, we actually knew it was in us. We knew what to do come pre-season, you know, come pre-season games, come to normal games or a league game. We imprinted that in us. So for me, it was just really by just being
00:32:37
Speaker
in training with them and their training sessions, I think it improved a lot of players to be honest. Well, it got to the point where you were indispensable because it seemed that, you know, managers would maybe try and see if they could get a formation working and they didn't have Teddy in it. And then they realized that we had absolutely no stability at all. And we had to get Teddy in there to shore everything up. And I mean, you know, I don't think I'm the only person who was, you know, as it
00:33:07
Speaker
Pump basically put it in a really polite way. I'll put it in a slightly more stupid fan way. I was a huge fan of yours in the kind of the last few years. Whereas in the first two or three years, you've clearly played with, as you say, head down, worked hard. That was kind of the, you were a key part of the squad and you did your job and your job was maybe limited in terms of what you were being asked to do.
00:33:34
Speaker
And then in the last kind of four years, it was a case of you developed into this midfielder that was absent, that we couldn't kind of live without. And we didn't think we'd ever be able to move on from and you were going to have to keep going forever. So were you aware of the fact that the fans kind of opinion of you was kind of developing as your own contribution to the team was developing? No, I wasn't aware of it.
00:34:04
Speaker
I was a bit aware or not aware, but in my own thoughts, it was like, yes, for example, let's take the boss when he came. And this is not easy. I've always said it's not easy to be in his team. And this I really, really still mean because he has high demands. So first when he came, he said, yeah,
00:34:34
Speaker
You are not my typical number six. You will get to play games, but I don't know when. And obviously, what can you say as a player? You can't say, OK, then see you later then. So I said, OK, I understand. So just keep working, you know, and then and then what happens when things go wrong? You you obviously needs to try something different and
00:35:04
Speaker
Or when you get your chance, you need to prove to the manager that you can't be in his team, you can't play the way he wants to play. And I was lucky enough that normally he doesn't make a lot of changes, at least in his first season. We had a big game, a cup game against Charlton.
00:35:28
Speaker
where I played the whole game and played really well. So it was from my own, from my own belief in myself that I can play under him to prove him wrong. And thank God I did. And from after that game, he could see me being in his team, which
00:35:54
Speaker
which I think for him it was not easy for him to admit that I should be in his team because the way he wants to play and the way he was going, he really needed someone to be there.
00:36:10
Speaker
cover spaces and break up play and play simple and you know and like get people in place and being that team you know having that shape because you need to have that when you want to be that possession based side you need to have that guy who no one's really talk about you know and do that part of the job and then that's what
00:36:39
Speaker
What I did so gladly, but also under him, it wasn't much about that job, it was more also about playing football, you know, which I enjoyed doing.
00:36:55
Speaker
Well, but yeah, so that brings me on to something. When we realized we were going to get the opportunity to talk to you, talk to you, one of the first questions I wrote down I wanted to talk to you about was, was that kind of change when, when FARC came in with regards to some players being out of favor and the, cause it felt, that felt like one of the biggest changing of the guards, if you like, because, you know, I don't really count your,
00:37:21
Speaker
I feel like your development wasn't purely down to Farka in terms of what I was talking about previously, about you were kind of a squad player who then became indispensable to me in the Alex Neal kind of that playoff front. When I start thinking of, you know, when did Teddy become kind of
00:37:42
Speaker
club legend status, as opposed to, you know, a bit of a fan favorite who was part of the part of the squad, but not necessarily, you know, indispensable. And I'm trying to be kind of as honest as possible in that, in that, in that playoff run, in that Alex Neil kind of run up to the playoffs.
00:37:58
Speaker
That was the point where, you know, players like you, players like Bradley Johnson, they kind of came to the fore in a way that you just thought, these guys are just so much better than I or many fans ever thought they could be. And that's why when it then came to Farka's kind of new broom, what was it like as a seasoned pro who's, you know, given, and we'll come onto it in a bit, you know, a lot of Norwich fans, the best day of their lives at Wembley,
Promotion and Achievements Comparisons
00:38:27
Speaker
And you and some other players who started that day basically falling out of favour, being told to train with the under-23s, how hard was it to try and stay loyal to your mates who you've been to battle with and got promotions with, who are being frozen out whilst also trying to stay on the good side of the new manager? That must have been a tricky balance. Well, it was. It was.
00:38:50
Speaker
You know, everyone was like, oh, and we all knew there were going to be changes, you know, because from what we've heard, we had in, you know, three seasons before we went up, before FACA came, we tried and tried and tried and we never managed to get promotion or be around.
00:39:16
Speaker
the top six so the current players that were there that done before done it before Wembley everything you know was trying trying to do it again we all we all knew we were in kind of you know danger to to be to be left out or to be shift off and and all sorts so it was quite difficult seeing like all the changes and
00:39:40
Speaker
and some of the mates moving on as quick as possible some even before Faka arrived and some during that first season where you know the boss the boss did took some very very difficult decisions and got rid of you know the the former players who were there obviously with me I never got that okay you need to go or you need to do this or this or this
00:40:10
Speaker
Luckily, I was still there. I don't know why, but most of the other teammates were already gone. It feels like I was the only one left.
00:40:26
Speaker
Well, yeah, I think you'll be, I think you're being too humble and there's a good reason why. And it was because, and he was, you know, he was proven right that you, you were, you know, still required to, to be that cement, find that space, cover spaces, as you said, in, in his team. So he was right. We didn't, we didn't, I understand that because yeah, we didn't have that, that, that guy there. I think when he came, so they obviously, when you're building a squad, you can't,
00:40:55
Speaker
You can't take that chance to get rid of a position that is, for him, incredibly important and start with zero.
00:41:07
Speaker
uh we had we had already uh dozer there but he he he got he got an offer from rangers and and and the manager let him go uh incredible footballer uh my opinion i hope he would have stayed but the manager let him go and then you also had
00:41:28
Speaker
Johnny who got offer from from borrow that he took upon So he was also gone the manager wanted really wanted to keep him and then obviously it was just me left on that position and then they had to get in get some loans in so I think they and you need backups for that position as well, so he ended up being me and
00:41:57
Speaker
really really yeah yeah really i'm in that position so yeah i'm always humble but that that's i think that's how i saw it and you were then kind of on the cusp of something really special i thought in terms of well it's my favorite season as a fan and i've been supporting this football club for kind of more than 30 years but that season where you guys got promoted under
00:42:26
Speaker
under Daniel in 2018-19 because it was so unexpected. I guess I'd be really interested to hear, one, did you get a feeling that summer that something special was about to happen? And actually, when did you guys also start to believe during that season that actually we could get promoted here or we could go up as champions? Because no one saw that coming, which I think made it more special. No one saw it from finishing 14th.
00:42:55
Speaker
Yes, some games in that season, when we finished 14th, you could see he was the philosophy and how he wanted to play. It was kind of there in bits and bobs. You could see in one game, you could see in the other. It was really difficult to see it 100%, but you could see it was this kind of building.
00:43:23
Speaker
Then in that second season, really, the first games was like, this can be tricky. But as soon as I think we hit the momentum and we won, we had this round of games not losing. I think from the first five, we won on just winning, winning, winning.
00:43:48
Speaker
with inside the group, inside the colony, within us, we always had belief. And this is something that we were very good at, that what we were saying in the dressing room was always
00:44:08
Speaker
there's always the truth or there was always the belief that we could keep going and if we work hard enough, we reach our target. While everything that was going on on the outside, we were very focused on not letting it in. We were just focused on ourselves and the belief that we had game after game after game. And yeah.
00:44:38
Speaker
Surprisingly, we managed to do it. It strikes me as a fan, I can go back to that day at Wembley and it was definitely in the top five days or best days of my life. As a player, what felt better and what felt more satisfying? Was it that one-off at Wembley, an iconic stadium that is revered around the world?
00:45:05
Speaker
Was it that season, which was, you know, full of emotion and we won the league, which felt better for you? Oh, I think, I think that until this day, I'm still, I'm still, I'm still, when I think about it, it's very difficult to choose.
00:45:27
Speaker
uh what was better what a nice problem to have yeah which which celebration were you most hung over from let's put it that way because i saw you after the 1819 celebration and you were very hung over i don't drink so i don't know what you were tired let's put it that way probably tired i was tired from from the the Wembley game as well because it was was just such a huge day it's like it felt like going to a casino and and and uh
00:45:57
Speaker
You know, it's either winning or losing. You really want to get out of that casino with some money in your pocket. Because if you lose, you are going just straight home empty-handed. It's like, I don't know, going to a party and then all of a sudden you work up and you don't remember anything from that. I like the concept of Wembley, but
00:46:27
Speaker
that scary part of not winning the game is, oh my God, it's just dreadful. But to be on the winning side that day was just, was just unbelievable. To have that many Norwich fans there, the way the game went, a team that we struggled to beat that season.
00:46:52
Speaker
I'm going a bit more towards, towards the Wembley game, but not that much though, I would say. I think that's, that's, that's the reason for me that it's, um, you can't compare one season to one, one day, but when you start to bear in mind those things, um, like for example, the fact that we beat Ipswich over two legs to get there, the fact that so many of those players, I feel
00:47:18
Speaker
played well for Norwich for a period of time. And whilst it's one day, you had the likes of Russ there, you had Ruddy, you had you, you had Bradley Johnson, who I, you know, huge, huge fan of. And, you know, Wes, you know, so many of the players and Cameron Jerome, so many players who, who, they, they weren't one day wonders. I mean, they weren't, it wasn't just one kind of run that you guys, so many of that squad.
00:47:42
Speaker
were brilliant over a long period of time for Norwich. And the fact that you all shared that, that together, the fact that we beat a team that had, you know, let's have it right. Shit housed us earlier in the season, you know, and had no intention of trying to play football against us that night with Patrick Bamford is falling over everywhere. You know, that, that was, um, it was, it was incredible. And that, that, that's why, you know, it's not even top five. Um, you know, it's my best day of my life. Full stop. It was just, it was just incredible. Everything about it, the drive down there, the drive back and.
00:48:11
Speaker
It was amazing, but... Yeah, the same for us as well, the players. I remember being in the hotel room and the feeling when we arrived the day before, and then in the morning as well, going to that meeting, I had such a belief. I was going to the meeting with music on, everyone saw me, like, the belief that this day was going to happen on a high,
00:48:41
Speaker
I think it was there. And as you mentioned, just beyond the pitch and in the dressing room with all these characters and to come out as winners on that day was just incredible. The whole atmosphere after the game between us, between the coaching staff, the players that was good travel was not even on the bench.
00:49:08
Speaker
and also that we were so happy that we made we made Norwich supporters proud you know because this is what I was talking about for us to not win that game and for you to go empty handed that that that mayday that without that for me I couldn't I couldn't bear it I couldn't you know I couldn't give
00:49:37
Speaker
that feeling to the Norwich fans, so I was so happy. That's why you could see me celebrating so wild after that game.
00:49:45
Speaker
It was an incredible shared experience for so many of us.
Challenges in the Premier League and Philosophy Implementation
00:49:51
Speaker
And I still think that that was one of the reasons why the following season was so disappointing, obviously, to not be able to capitalise on that. I mean, how presumably you will have got into that season feeling really confident after having all that momentum. And believe me, we were. We were.
00:50:15
Speaker
I think there's something, I think we started the season fantastically, just because mainly based on exactly what you said, the confidence were there, the football that we were playing and the players being that confident. I think that was for me something else, but in the Premier League season, there was always something around the corner.
00:50:43
Speaker
It can be a small change of something. It can be a small five, ten minutes of a single game that will change your season to bad or good. And I feel until a certain point in that following season, there was one game, I think it was against
00:51:08
Speaker
I think it was against Newcastle away or something. Yeah. I thought you were going to say that. That, that, that messed up a bit, that, that, you know, that belief and that, that, that, uh, confidence, you know, that we had, that we, we, we, we are going to do this because I thought until that we, we had some games where I thought we were brilliant, you know,
00:51:36
Speaker
Did you feel that it was the confidence in the group of players or the confidence of the manager? Because it seemed like Alex Neal at that point, his tactics got a bit more defensive. He wanted to be a bit more pragmatic. Whereas actually before that, as you said, we were riding the crest of a wave, we were attacking teams, we were scoring goals. Did it just feel like everyone kind of retreated into the shell a little bit? I think it starts like
00:52:05
Speaker
bit by bit you lose 6-2 in a game where you were fully in from 3-2 to 6-2 and as a manager and as a group of players you will ask a lot of questions after the game you will try to evaluate every aspect of what went wrong and then from there
00:52:31
Speaker
you either get it spot on with your evaluation or you sometimes get it wrong and you maybe change too much or you twist it too much and sometimes when you do that it can go the other way or the opposite way.
00:52:48
Speaker
and that will happen to managers, it will happen to a squad and unfortunately we try to change it up, we try to push and try to do better but it never happened and at the end of the day we were again short of points to stay up, to hit that 40-point mark
00:53:19
Speaker
And it felt similar. I'm sorry to keep talking about relegations, Alex, but it's your fault. You kept getting relegated. But it kind of felt like it was similar under Daniel in the Premier League that again, we started well and, you know, kind of everything, you know, we were playing free-flowing football, beat Manchester City, which again, you know, kind of is one of those days that's right up there for so many fans.
00:53:43
Speaker
What do you think went wrong under Daniel in the Premier League? Because he was clearly, he was wrestling, especially after project restart with his tactics a little bit. Yeah, no, it's what went wrong. To start with, we had a squad of not much Premier League footballers. Most of the young guys didn't know what we were going into.
00:54:07
Speaker
to start with, that's even difficult by itself. And then secondly, to play that brand of football that we were trying to do, it's only the top teams really that can do that. And even them have certain, what do you call it? They do it to their best ability, but sometimes even they get punished because of the brand of football they were playing.
00:54:38
Speaker
And then for credit to us, we tried to be ourselves and play as we previously had done. But as a club size of knowledge, to play like that in Premier League, it's
00:55:02
Speaker
It's very, very, very, very difficult to play like that and stay in the Premier League with that squad that we had. Not that the squad wasn't good enough. We didn't have enough players that have tasted Premier League before. So did you think it was naive then to try and play that way?
00:55:31
Speaker
And with the squad you had at the time, you know, what was maybe one of the words, a lot of journalists were saying about that and pundits.
00:55:42
Speaker
You could say, yes, they were correct. But as a manager as well, you need to stick to your beliefs. You either know one thing and you need to stick with it, whether it's going well or bad. Or you just mix it up. And by mixing it up, I mean, you need to know what you're doing. So it's better to stick with
00:56:13
Speaker
your beliefs and something you know that you do well than to go on the other side where you don't know what you're doing. And I think with the type of manager he is, he's just stuck by his beliefs and we just kept going. In Project Restart, there was the, again, talking about the noise from outside and Daniel was always
00:56:36
Speaker
a proponent of ignoring the noise and that served you really well at various times throughout when he was the boss.
00:56:47
Speaker
Do you feel that there was an element of giving up and, and, and planning for next season, you know, basically saying, look, we, we've got these last few games. We were, had our fingers crossed or the club had their fingers crossed that maybe it might be null and void. And actually we're going to go down anyway. So let's, let's just reassure Daniel. He's not going anywhere. The coaching staff are going to stay and let's start prepping for next season. Did any of that, do you think actually got through to the players?
00:57:11
Speaker
No, it was never like that. We, the squad, we were always, at least me and the experienced guys, team crew, and then Grant Hanley, team Closer. We always had the belief that from everything that's happened until then, we were still seven points away from safety.
00:57:36
Speaker
which is crazy at that time, we were all saying to ourselves to be lucky to have that many games to go and be just seven points from safety, we can still do it. So we were all looking forward to playing the rest of the games and have a charge towards safety. But it seemed like, I think,
00:58:05
Speaker
mentally it was it was quite tough for certain players because when you not been in it before and you keep losing losing losing losing losing it's always tough to get yourself going to be mentally there for for for the next game and for the other game and for the other game
00:58:27
Speaker
Right, no more relegation talk with all positives.
Teammate Praise and Departure Reflections
00:58:30
Speaker
Yeah, you've played in some great teams. I think it's time that we ask you some of the things that I know that our listeners are going to be streaming us to ask you. So let's start with super positive. Who would you say from the squads that you've played in, who would you say is the best on the pitch? So of the different years, the nine squads you had,
00:58:55
Speaker
which team, if they all were to play each other in a round, Robin, which do you think had the most talent on the pitch? Oh, that is a big, big, big one. I think for me, it's between, I think, I think for you always, once again, you always go for the guys who always was able to do some magic and it will be always between, between Wes
00:59:25
Speaker
will always be between mothers. But I think for me, I think that the things I saw Wes Hulair on doing in training and in games, I think it was incredible. So I will give it to Wes. I know there are other players there as well.
00:59:53
Speaker
Mario would be probably mad at me, not mentioning his name, but... What about Mr. Buendia? Technically, how does he compare with Wes? So this is Wes, you have Wes, mothers and Emmy. Emmy in training sessions when he was on, did unbelievable things as well. He scored goals, he's shooting top corners,
01:00:18
Speaker
some training session is just the goals you just just just we all just ended up clapping and stuff you know it's like wow wow wow so yeah there's been some fantastic talents recently but but in terms of in terms of sometimes like superior vision in in some of the games that Wes played
01:00:47
Speaker
I will give it to Wes. He's still doing it now. That's the crazy thing. He's doing the same thing as he was doing in Norwich at the age of 38-9. I think he's 39. I saw a little compilation of a few of his
01:01:06
Speaker
kind of cross field passes and back heels and you know it's yeah okay he's dropped down a couple of leagues but you know at the end of the day it's still rough and tumble and it's still a relatively high pace and if anything you're going to get crunched so to be able to be able to still be doing it at that age and still running the games and it's just lovely to see yet another yet another kind of set of fans get to enjoy him because he's just a magician and exactly he is that and I think even
01:01:35
Speaker
after that that is its last season for us i think he could have definitely stayed on and played because he he is one of those guys he's he's getting fitter with the age that's what he was he was getting fitter by like you could see him in the gym and this guy was ricked uh he was he was i think he got more serious and serious like
01:02:02
Speaker
from quite late age as well. So he was getting better and better. Talking about that, so that you're kind of getting fitter with age and perhaps one more year, were you ever tempted to take on that 10th season at Norwich? Was that something that you ever talked to Daniel or Stuart Webber about? No, no, it wasn't. For me, it was always about my needs and help.
01:02:31
Speaker
I'm fit. If I had a right knee replacement, then I could have kept carrying on. But I knew that my knees couldn't handle it. I knew if I was there, I would be there just doing what I did last, my last season, you know, just being around the place. Sometimes you get a game and this and this.
01:02:57
Speaker
You really don't want to do that, not for so many seasons. So the only reason, the only time it could have happened is when I signed my contract. I think I signed one year contract while the boss was trying to get me to sign too. So if I did sign that two years contract,
01:03:25
Speaker
I would have stayed there for the following, and then I would have actually had 10 seasons. But I'm not a guy who's greedy, who was really after 10 seasons. It's important to know your limit when it's time to say stop. You need to just stop. You can't play, just to keep playing.
01:03:51
Speaker
destroy your body or whatever. So I was quite happy with the decision of not being there for a term season because you need to be there for a reason as well. I mean it felt like a really nice time for you to bow out because of the way in which you know we'd played that season and we'd won the league and then you had that brilliant moment
01:04:14
Speaker
at Barnsley where you were able to lift the trophy. But how difficult was it to not say goodbye to the fans? Because I think you more than most people over the last nine seasons seem to have a real bond with the fans. And there's all the kind of you dancing a jig at Wembley or at that Millwall game of the dancing in front of the fans. And your smile endeared you to so many of the Norwich City fans and they loved you.
01:04:41
Speaker
Is there kind of a, you know, how bad did it feel not to say goodbye? And is there any message that you've got for them now? No, it was. I think if there were fans at the Barnsley game, probably I wouldn't have managed to play the game. Because for someone who really had the emotional part of it in Czech, I struggled as soon as we
01:05:10
Speaker
we got to the dressing room and after a couple of minutes, it just, I was gone. I never thought I was going to be that, but I was gone. I was crying, I was crying my eyes out. And even in warm up, I was like, no, no, I can't do this. The boys were really supportive, you know,
01:05:38
Speaker
I heard the manager was crying as well. It was really tough and even during the game, so for me, I think if they were there, it would have been fantastic, but it would have been the very worst thing for me. To be honest, because they would have made it even
01:06:05
Speaker
It was special, but they would have made me very, very, very emotional. Well, hopefully we get that hope. Hopefully we get maybe because it might be a year or so, you know, from, from, from when, from that Barnsley trophy lift, you know, hopefully it's not too long. And surely the club have been in touch about, about you coming back. I mean, we're not trying to blow any secrets here or anything, but your season's nearly over, right? So yes, yes. I, of course, I had a chat with Stewart before.
01:06:33
Speaker
when I before I left I was going to be invited back I can't I can't exactly go secrets which I can't but hopefully recently I thought I would be able to come but I couldn't so we will see when that will happen. Wonderful well I'm pretty sure that
01:06:56
Speaker
Well, there might not be a dry eye in the house depending on how it's kind of done. But I mean, if they put up a montage of all of your best moments, then my word, I mean, when it was the, you know, when Wessie had his kind of game and that was really emotional because that's the thing about you were part of an era of the football club.
01:07:19
Speaker
that and I know it's meant that we've ended up talking about relocations a lot but but that's the point you you were you had an unbelievable roller coaster of of you know your your period at the club almost perfectly kind of slots in with our up down up down yes or yo yo experience so so we have we have as as a fan base we have seen
01:07:43
Speaker
and you know we have lived those emotions with you and obviously it's far more acute for you you were the one on the pitch you were the one kicking the ball but but that's what I mean by I think you took on and again I can only talk to speak personally but you you sort of took on sort of half after sort of three or four years you took on this and this this
01:08:01
Speaker
this larger than life kind of figure. And yeah, you know, your things like your, your message to, to wessie and your, your part in like the office videos and these things that they all helped, but it was, it was, it was how much of a part of that, of how many squads you became. And it just became the fact that it was almost like a joke that, Oh, any, every new manager will come in and see if he can manage without teddy and then find out that you can't, you know, no, it's, it's, it's, to be honest, I, this, this team and, and city and, and, and.
01:08:29
Speaker
the players that I've played with, it's just, it's been an amazing journey. Like I came there, like just expecting to experience Premier League, you know, and, and this is, I've been given more, you know, in terms of experience that I can't put words to it. It's been, it's been an incredible journey seeing the club, like, you know, the first time when I came in, like the dressing room,
01:09:00
Speaker
We had four showers. Sometimes the third one didn't even work. It's like a metal dressing room, you know, from that to the ground being, you know, brand new, you know, the project. It's like being part of it and being part of that history
01:09:27
Speaker
the games and as you say, the up and downs. I would probably a little bit traded to be the Premier League the whole time, but just experience the going down, the courage and the work that takes you to come up again, you know, the disappointments. It's like,
01:09:55
Speaker
It's like, it's football, but it's like in life, you know, this experience that I've had with Norwich, it's like, it's like going through life, you get, you know, it's not good to go straight forward. And this is what has happened with my journey with Norwich. It's like, big knock, you are, you are terribly old, you know, all out, you are down. But then for somehow, you just,
01:10:22
Speaker
you just empty your mind, you get your body ready, then you go again. And for a team and for a squad, the players to do that, it's incredible. It's incredible. So for me, it's been a pleasure to be associated with Northern City and for me to be part of the history.
01:10:52
Speaker
It's with me, it's with my children, it's with my wife. We are all, we are all cheering every game, every, I don't know, every, we are Norwich, we feel like we are from Norwich.
01:11:10
Speaker
Well, I think I speak for every fan in saying the pleasure has been all ours. And thank you so much for spending the time chatting away with us. It's been fantastic to catch up. And from all of the fans, thank you for your time. Now, you can only do that at the moment via a microphone through the internet. But I think it's suffice to say when the secret that we won't tell anyone
01:11:34
Speaker
You do show up at Carroll Road. I think you might get quite a loud thank you from a few other people. So thanks so much for your time. Alex, really appreciate it. John, I acknowledge that you exist. Everyone else, find how you go.