YOU’D GO INTO SPORT, BE A COP . . . OR A VILLAIN!
FIRST FOOTBALL MEMORY
going to West ham every week with my dad. one game sticks out against huddersfield in the Fifties. i have a feeling Denis law was playing.
CHILDHOOD FOOTBALLING HERO
noel Cantwell was my first sporting hero. i started out as a left back because i wanted to copy him.
BEST PLAYER I’VE PLAYED WITH
Peter osgood was one but one of the most underrated footballers i ever played with was Stanley Bowles at QPr. he was the Messi of our day. other than Messi, i’ve never seen anyone with such close control.
TOUGHEST OPPONENT
george Best was the most multi-talented player i played against. You could just see he was so inventive. it’s what fans like — players who lift you out of your seat.
FAVOURITE FOOTBALLING MOMENT
Scoring the winning goal in the Fa Cup final gave me the most recognition but i was just 24 when that happened. one of the best games i enjoyed was the following year against real Madrid in the Cup-Winners’ Cup final. The first game in athens before a replay was one of my best all-round games.
TOUGHEST AWAY GROUND
it was always awkward to play at West ham or Southampton. They were tight grounds and Chelsea was so vast with the dog track. it was a massive arena.
BEST PLAYER I MANAGED
it is hard to pick one out. i have been very fortunate to give lots of players their starts in their careers. i started with nigel Spackman at Bournemouth in the early Eighties and he rose the highest of the players i had.
BEST SIGNING
ian Benjamin at Southend. i took him from Exeter. he was an older pro and people said, ‘he can’t run, he can’t do this’, but he was tremendous. he was probably the most outstanding professional i ever met. i got promoted twice with him.
KARAOKE SONG
i haven’t got a karaoke song but i have my own song, called Alouette. it was on the Blue Is The Colour lP. it was a party piece with the Chelsea players, especially when we were on tour. i might do a rendition at family functions or when i’m with my mates and have had a few drinks!
DREAM DINNER-PARTY GUESTS
i’d like to have sat down with Maggie Thatcher and found out what she thought. Stephen Fry would be one. he is such an intelligent man. i’d also go for Peter Cook. he and Dudley Moore were so far ahead of the game.
IF I WASN’T A FOOTBALLER
Where i came from in the East End, you could either be in sport, a copper or a villain. i wasn’t going to be a copper! i left school at 15 and worked as a clerk for £3 a week. When i got the chance to go to the orient for £10 a week a year later i thought i was a millionaire. of people i grew up with, there were a lot of boxers and footballers. Those were the biggest job opportunities.