‘My pal Tony’s up for Prem’
GARY PALLISTER and Tony Mowbray have been mates since their days together when their beloved Middlesbrough were threatened with liquidation.
It is an old pals act that has now extended to regular get-togethers in a friend’s cafe in the Teesside market town of Yarm.
If it’s been a good week for Blackburn manager Mowbray (above), who still lives in the area.
Under the Championship’s longest-serving boss, the good times are back and, by May, Rovers could even find themselves back in the Premier League.
Tomorrow night former Manchester United star Pallister (right) will travel to Blackburn for the game against Boro at the invitation of his big mate.
“There’s a group of us going down to Ewood Park as Tony’s guests,” Pallister explained. “He’s promised us it doesn’t matter who we are cheering for. I’m a Boro fan, but I also want the guys I know, who have gone into management, to be successful.”
No one knows what makes Mowbray tick better than Pallister, who struck up a strong relationship playing for Boro in the 80s.
Football and more football is the subject up for discussion in a weekly ritual, which also involves former Boro and Charlton manager Lennie Lawrence.
Pallister added: “We put the world to rights. Tony and I became good friends at Middlesbrough. It’s why we meet up now. It’s a friend of Tony’s who owns the cafe in Yarm where we have the get-together. We generally catch up most weeks.
“He’s had quite an interesting managerial career and now he finds himself in the forefront of a promotion race in a league where it looked a foregone conclusion that it would be Fulham and Bournemouth occupying the two automatic promotion places.
“But, under Tony, Blackburn could gatecrash the party.”
A midweek defeat ended a 10-game unbeaten run for
Mowbray’s Rovers, but they are still well in the promotion scramble.
“I played there for Manchester United during the days of Jack Walker, when they were fighting under Kenny Dalglish to win the Premier League,” said Pallister.
“They bought Alan Shearer, Chris Sutton, Tim Sherwood and David Batty. They finally did it, costing us the title on the last day of the season.
“The passing of Jack had a huge impact on the club. The Venkys going in wasn’t welcomed by the fans. Different managers have come and gone. It’s been a strange place, but Tony has brought some stability.
“I turned around to him the other day saying he must have been at Blackburn for three-and-a-half years now. In fact, it’s more than five and he’s the longest-serving Championship manager, which tells you the state of football.
“He is a top manager, in my view, and probably deserved a shot with one of the bigger clubs.
“He is a straightforward, honest guy. You always appreciate the style of play his teams display.
“That’s not always the case with managers who have been defenders.”
Pallister looks forward to their weekly chats. “The talk is always about football, Tony has such a passion about it,” he said. “I’ve never wanted to be a manager, but these guys like Tony and Lennie are steeped in it.
“I never fancied it especially after seeing the stick that Steve Bruce, Mark Hughes and Bryan Robson have had, guys who were part of that Manchester United dressing room that I knew.
“I’ve seen the ups and downs they have encountered. OK, it does have its rewards, but it can take you into some dark places as well.”
Pallister always knew Mowbray was destined to be a manager.
“He was captain at the age of 21, 22, when Boro came close to liquidation,” added Pallister.
“He was teetotal, which was quite peculiar for a footballer back in those days. He was always very professional in looking after himself.
“He has grown up the hard way, but, talking to players who have played under him, they all have respect for him. There’s never any bull***t with Tony.
“He gets a bit of flak over his interviews because he comes over a bit morose. But I know he’s got a great sense of humour.”
He’s grown up the hard way, but the players who have played under him all respect him. There’s no bull **** with Tony.