JERMAIN AND I ARE WAITING FOR HARRY’S CALL… WE’LL TRY TO GET NIKO TOO!
WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CAR AND HOW MUCH DID IT COST? JAMES COLLINS VIA EMAIL
Well, James, the pea green Volkswagen Polo I bought immediately after passing my test was my pride and joy. I was 17, playing for Tottenham’s youth team and I paid £6,000 for it.
I went for pea green as a ‘normal’ colour would have cost me an extra £1,500!
As I was the first one to start driving, I had to pick up three other big lads at varying points on the North Circular out to the training ground in essex from west london. I can imagine we were quite a sight.
When I moved to QPR and was paid a little more, I ‘upgraded’… to a Renault Megane.
I was going to get a Megane convertible but I can still hear my dad’s words: ‘ Son, just get the hard top!’ I followed his advice but when I won Player of the Year later that season, I went back and got the soft top. What on earth was I thinking…
YOU WERE SENT FLYING INTO A BRICK WALL AT LAYER ROAD. DO YOU REMEMBER HOW DANGEROUS IT WAS? TIM DAVIES VIA EMAIL
I DON’T recall the specific incident, Tim, but I remember Colchester’s layer Road really well. You might have thought it was dangerous but I loved playing there. I enjoyed the small venues, like layer Road, Griffin Park and Craven Cottage, where you are so close to the stands. Proper football.
WHAT’S YOUR BEST MEMORY OF MY SHY OLD MATE HERMANN HREIDARSSON? STEVEN IVES VIA EMAIL
I lOVe Hermann, Steve. I absolutely love him. You will know what I mean when I say he is ‘a character’ and I wonder if he ever greeted you in the same way he used to greet us — with a handshake that almost ripped your arm off or by fighting with you.
Honestly, Hermann (below) had a handshake that cut off your blood supply. Another one of his party tricks was putting you into a headlock but it was all a sign of affection.
One incident that sticks in my mind was with Glen little after he’d just signed for Portsmouth in 2008.
Glen was sitting in a chair, unaware that Hermann was crawling up behind him to ‘greet’ him. Suddenly, Glen found himself wrapped in a chokehold and unable to move.
Hermann, however, lost his balance and the pair tumbled over, leaving Glen with a broken toe.
When I call Hermann a nutcase, I mean it in the nicest possible way!
BEING ONE OF HARRY REDKNAPP’S ‘GOLDEN BOYS’, WERE YOU DISAPPOINTED NOT TO BE CALLED UP FOR ‘HARRY’S HEROES’? TIM CROOKS VIA TWITTER
HAVING looked at some of the frames of the players who were involved, Tim — and their dates of birth — I think I need a few more pints, a few more years and a few more stones to put on before I can make that team!
What I will say is that Jermain Defoe and I are in our own WhatsApp group and we are just waiting for the message from Harry to join him. We will see what we can do with Niko Kranjcar and make him an honorary englishman!
It was a really enjoyable programme but there was a serious element. Neil Ruddock’s health issues were addressed in the first programme and others spoke candidly about the battles they have faced.
lee Hendrie’s situation really struck a chord with me. lee is a mate, someone I had great times with at Aston Villa but he’s been affected severely by depression. He will know that people who care about him are there for him.
life away from football is not as straightforward as you would think.
WHO ARE YOUR FAVOURITE COMMENTATORS AND PUNDITS? PAUL BARTLETT VIA EMAIL
JOHN Motson was the voice from my childhood, Paul. He’s a legend in his field and he or Barry Davies provided the words to all those games I watched when I was dreaming of becoming a footballer, so I always think fondly of them.
I’d have to say, though, that Martin Tyler has been a big influence. I have got to know him over the years and he lives close to me.
Before that, however, he always used to speak well of me in his commentaries and I always appreciated what he said. It’s funny how things change. I’ve moved over into the world of punditry now and while I know a lot of players from coming up against them, some of the younger ones simply associate me with the media and they can be a little more aloof when you speak to them.
Martin was always fair with me when assessing my game and I’d like to think that is something I am in my verdicts.
YOU SCORED ALL KINDS OF GOALS, BUT WHAT ONES MAKE YOU LOOK BACK AND SAY ‘THAT WAS SPECIAL’? NIGEL COADY VIA TWITTER
PeOPle associate me with heading the ball, Nigel, but I loved nothing better than scoring a volley. You couldn’t beat the feeling of connecting flush with a cross and seeing it fly into the net. There was no better goal to score.
In the warm-up before every game, I would always flick a ball into the air and finish it with a volley, just to have the picture in my mind of the ball hitting the net. I practised and practised the skill when I was a kid and, happily, it came off a few times in my career.
The most spoken about one was against Manchester City, for Stoke, in March 2012 but others were just as satisfying, such as two for liverpool ( against Galatasaray and Bolton) or one for Portsmouth (v Stoke).
If you catch a volley properly, you know it’s going in as soon as it leaves your foot.
YOU USED TO FINISH YOUR COLUMNS WITH: ‘WHAT I’M LISTENING TO…’ SO WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO NOW? MIKE BYRNE VIA EMAIL
A BIG tune for me right now,
Mike is Wonderland by a band called lona. If you haven’t heard any of their stuff yet, I really recommend them. I’m also big into The 1975 and we have had that on whenever the kids let us listen to something other than
Baby Shark.
You might remember that I flagged up Gerry Cinnamon a couple of years ago before he made it big and his new stuff is quality.
I see he released potential dates for going on tour in 2021 and I hope to see him live when we get out of this situation.
IF YOU WERE PLAYING NOW, WOULD YOU BE CONCERNED ABOUT RESUMING TRAINING? GARY McNAUGHTON VIA TWITTER
I’ll Be honest, Gary, and say yes. I see Troy Deeney has been spoken about a lot this week for not returning to training, but I put myself in his position and think, what would I do?
It isn’t the fact Troy is worried about himself, it’s the impact it could have on his baby son, who has breathing issues.
Would Troy forgive himself if he caught anything and passed it on? No.
We all want football to come back, we all want to watch it for the joy it brings and the debate it creates, but we only want it back when it’s safe.
On that note, keep looking after yourselves. See you again next week.