The Bury boy bends it just like Becks
PERHAPS they will have to make a sequel, Bend It Like Trippier. Tottenham’s defender-cum-wing-back has played a part in four of England’s World Cup goals so far in the manner of David Beckham, and ranked second in the group stages for successful crosses and corners, ahead of luminaries such as Neymar, Isco and Kevin De Bruyne.
Not bad for a 27-year-old lad from Bury who was older than Dele Alli or Raheem Sterling are now before he made his first Premier League appearance.
Kieran Trippier’s special delivery from wide areas — ‘One of the best crossers in the Premier League,’ according to Gareth Southgate — was honed at the Manchester City academy under the watchful eye of Jim Cassell and Steve Eyre.
Trippier joined City aged nine and stayed a dozen years without making a first-team appearance. But it was at the club’s development centre at Platt Lane that his pinpoint accuracy first became clear.
‘We could be training at the gym and people were getting hit on the back of the head from 40 or 50 yards away,’ recalls Eyre. ‘When they looked round, Kieran would be facing the other way; butter wouldn’t melt.
‘I had to deal with the consequences. I got a visit once from the groundsman, complaining he was being hit on the back of the neck.
‘I promised in good faith I’d find out the culprit, but I already knew who it was and that kid was a future star.’
So far in Russia, Trippier has delivered corners for John Stones and Harry Kane to score, sent over another for Kane to win a penalty, and also played the pass which won Jesse Lingard a spot-kick against Panama.
Eyre thinks it is Trippier’s ability to whip in the ball early which helps strikers like Kane. ‘We could see he had this ability from the age of 12. He was able to deliver crosses and assists with perfect weight, from right midfield or right-back.
‘Modern full-backs tend to race to the end of the pitch at top speed. It’s fantastic to watch but by the time they arrive, the 18-yard box is full of bodies. Kieran puts his crosses in earlier when it’s less busy for the centreforward. And he puts it in the right spot nearly every time.’
The influx of Abu Dhabi money at City ultimately cost Trippier a chance. As it became clear Argentina’s Pablo Zabaleta was going to be their long-term rightback, he decided to move on.
Trippier’s take is: ‘I was destined not to make it at City. I’d been on a pre-season tour to America and done well but I still didn’t get my chance so I decided to leave.
‘I’d been on loan to Burnley and when their manager at the time, Eddie Howe, asked me to sign permanently in 2012, I didn’t think twice.’
He quickly became a Burnley legend, leading the team to promotion under Sean Dyche and making his Premier League debut a month short of his 24th birthday. Although Burnley were relegated in 2014-15, Trippier had done enough to convince Spurs to sign him.
‘That ability to deliver from set-pieces and hit crosses on the run, it’s always been there,’ says ex-Clarets central defender Michael Duff.
‘He loved to bomb forward and a few times I had to rein him in because I didn’t want to be left on my own. He was top drawer, he listened.
‘He always used to tell me if I became a manager he’d come and play for me. I said, “Don’t be daft, you are going to play at a much higher level than I’m at!”
‘I’ve texted him at the World Cup to say this time I’m going to say how brilliant he is! Typical Kieran, he replied straightaway. First and foremost, he’s an unbelievable lad. No edge, still a kid from Bury.’
It was at Bury where it all started, playing junior football for Woodbank alongside the son of current Crystal Palace goalkeeping coach Dean Kiely, who recalls: ‘You could see at 10 he was a good kid and a hard worker. You could also tell he came from a decent family.’
Indeed, Trippier’s parents Chris and Eleanor are out in Russia with family and friends and their own special England flag emblazoned with the family name.
Trippier has been a slow burner. Even at Spurs, he had to be patient as Kyle Walker’s understudy before Walker moved to Manchester City.
Ironically, the pair are now team-mates in Southgate’s side to face Colombia on Tuesday, but it’s Walker who has moved as a centre-half to accommodate Trippier.
‘That’s the biggest compliment Kieran could get, the England manager has found a way of getting him in the team,’ says Duff.
‘Kyle Walker is a very good player, but Gareth wanted them both in the team and has moved someone of Kyle’s standing into a new position.
‘When Kieran went to London, he got his head down and reaped the rewards. He is the best crosser of the ball I ever played with.’
On Tuesday night, Trippier will go through the same pre-match superstition that served him well at Burnley — ‘I put my left boot on before my right one before every game and training session,’ he reveals.
He’ll be enjoying the comparisons in Russia. Once, when asked who would make up his ideal dinner party, he replied: ‘Nelson Mandela, Michael Jackson, Pamela Anderson, Rihanna — and David Beckham.’