Ian Harte: better than Becks?
Ireland’s cultured left- back recalls European nights with Leeds, the Saigon Spat and why he’s better than Becks
You’re best known for being a key member of an iconic Leeds team around the turn of the millennium. Tell us how good that side was at its peak.
Oh, it was unbelievable. Mostly it was a group of lads who had come up from the academy, who were really hungry to go out and do the best they possibly could. And then there were a few additions, such as Olivier Dacourt – he was massive in midfield – and Mark Viduka had joined too. It was amazing to go in every day and there was a fantastic togetherness which showed on the pitch, especially when we played the likes of Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United.
You scored against Arsenal at Highbury three seasons in a row, and helped to hand the league to United in 2002- 03 by curling home a free- kick…
I did, yeah. David Seaman had a few choice words at the end of the third game. He came up to me and said, “Will you ever stop f** king scoring past me?!” I loved it at Highbury to be honest – the pitch was like a carpet and the fans were right on top of you. That third time when we took the league from Arsenal, we’d have done anything to stop United winning it – but we needed the points ourselves or we might have been relegated.
Just a couple of seasons before that, Leeds were playing Champions League football. What are your memories of those days?
The [ 2000- 01 second group phase] draw was at about 11am and we were on the training pitch. David O’leary came out and we were dying to hear who we’d got. We ended up going from one group of death – Barcelona, Milan and Besiktas – to another with Real Madrid, Lazio and Anderlecht. It was brilliant to play Barcelona in the first group stage. As you go down to the pitch, there’s a chapel on the right- hand side. We all went in there to say a prayer, but I’m guessing it didn’t work as we got smashed 4- 0! That was a reality check. We thought if we went out there and overly respected Barça or any other side, the journey would be over quickly. So we dusted ourselves off and went on a really good run.
There were rumours at the time that you could have joined Barça or Milan. Was that ever close or just paper talk?
Normally when there’s paper talk these days, they’re just rumours. But back then, honestly, I remember my agent saying, “There’s some interest from a team in Italy.” I was flattered, but I was happy at Leeds. I came through at the age of 15 so was never looking to leave – I was fine where I was.
When you eventually did leave Leeds in 2004, Levante was a left- field move. How did that come about?
I never wanted to leave Leeds. I had a couple of years left on my contract at the time; I was in Marbella and my agent rang, saying, “How would you like to play in Spain next season?” I wasn’t really interested, but asked who for and he said Levante. I said, “Who are they?!” Obviously people know Valencia, but not as many have heard of Levante, which is in the same city. My agent said we should go and have a look anyway. I saw the stadium, met the president, visited the training ground and it looked nice. Valencia is a beautiful place. Leeds were in a financial mess – something like £ 100 million in debt, and they needed to get players off the wage bill. Kevin Blackwell was the manager and they were bringing in another left- back to replace me. I was much better, but Kevin said I wouldn’t be playing. I was like, “But I know I’m the best here.” He said I wouldn’t get picked as they wanted me out, and I probably wouldn’t play for Ireland either. I understand they have to get people off the wage bill, but I think they could have handled it better.
Roy Keane brought you back to England when he was Sunderland manager. What’s your relationship like with him?
I was at Levante for three seasons and then signed with Sunderland for one year. I didn’t play much but it was just one of those things. I respected Roy as a player, but as a manager he could have done things differently. When we both played for Ireland, we’d sometimes have a drink. After one night out, we got back to the hotel – Leeds were playing Manchester United on the Saturday. Roy turns to me and says, “You’re a top lad, but I’ll f** king smash you at the weekend!” I sobered up and went straight to bed. I love Roy though, I’ve got so much respect for him.
What was it like for the rest of the players after Keane left the Ireland squad at the 2002 World Cup?
Firstly, it was amazing to get there. We flew from Ireland to Tokyo, then went to the small island of Saipan to acclimatise. I understand Mick Mccarthy’s point of view and Roy’s point of view. Mick had been out to see the camp, but in the space of three or four weeks the people hadn’t cut the grass. That’s not Mick’s fault. All the kit had gone missing from the connecting flight – that’s out of Mick’s control too. He’s not on the ground to check all the
cases off the plane. Then Mick was upset that those issues got leaked to the press. He called a meeting, we had a chat and Roy decided he was going home. But I respect both of them – I love Mick because he gave me the chance with Ireland, and I respect Roy very much. It was just a frustrating situation: a lot of senior players usually sided with Mick, but I kept an open mind. I knew it wasn’t Mick’s fault, but I understand Roy. He was the captain and the leader, and he expected certain standards.
Did anyone ever try to take the ball off you when a free- kick was given?
Many tried! I’d mostly say, “No chance” – the ball was mine. Growing up, I watched Roberto Carlos and thought, ‘ What a left- back! How good is he at free- kicks?’ David Beckham was unbelievable too. People never check, but I’d like to see the stats of how many they took compared to me. I reckon my numbers are near the top. I mean, Becks might have had 200 more free- kicks than me and scored 20 – I might have had 70 and scored 15. Likewise, John Terry is the highest- scoring defender in the Premier League, but he’s got about 250 games on me and I’m only 13 goals off him!
Was your set- piece skill part of the reason why Brian Mcdermott took you to Reading?
Yeah. It was transfer deadline day and Gylfi Sigurdsson had left Reading. Brian was the manager and said, “I need someone who can take a good free- kick.” So sure enough, they got me for £ 70,000 and I loved it. Great club, nice part of the world and I was selected in the Championship Team of the Season twice. We even got promoted!
Was there ever a chance of you going back to Leeds, since you didn’t want to leave in the first place?
There was in 2008, after I left Sunderland and became a free agent. Gary Mcallister was the manager of Leeds back then and they would have loved to sign me, but they needed to get more bodies out the door before a deal could happen. In the end, it didn’t work out. I went to Blackpool with Simon Grayson for a season and then on to Carlisle. I enjoyed it at Carlisle – I got 18 goals one year, playing at left- back!
You finished your career at Bournemouth. Where does Eddie Howe rank in terms of the managers you’ve worked with?
Eddie’s attention to detail was unbelievable – he was one of the best managers I’ve worked under. Did I know quite how big he was going to become? To be honest, not really. But he must have been at the training ground from 7am- 6pm every day – he grafted. He signed Callum Wilson from Coventry for a couple of million quid, which looked like a lot of money at the time, but look at what he’s gone on to achieve since. There was a great togetherness that Eddie fostered with his players - Simon Francis, Steve Cook and Charlie Daniels had all come up together and we played exciting football. In my final season, we did well to pip Watford to the Championship title on the last day. I had options to play on, but I wanted to end my career on a high.