I wanted to leave Ricky Villa out of that replay!
Preparing to quit the game he’s fallen in and out of love with for over 50 years, Steve Perryman admits he nearly altered history
HE began with the FA Cup 50 years ago. And it is possible that next Saturday against West Bromwich Albion he may well bring to an end a lifelong love affair with the competition. Steve Perry man, director of football at Exeter City but most widely remembered for his FA Cupwinning exploits as Tottenham Hotspur captain, is stepping away from football at the age of 66.
He has told the club he will retire at the end of the season after he first walked in there 17 years ago to help keep them in the Football League and then returned in 2003 to a club on the verge of liquidation.
He’s not quite out of energy yet. But the politics of negotiating a supporter-owned club has, he says, ‘nudged him’ into this decision.
So when West Brom step out at their St James Park home next Saturday, it might be Perryman’s last encounter with the famous competition, although, given Exeter’s FA Cup pedigree, having taken Manchester United and Liverpool to replays in the past 12 years, he could get a game or two more.
It fits, he argues, to bring it all to an end in his 50th year in the game.
He will still leave the phone on for short- term assignments, but the day-to-day will be over.
‘In 1967 I was a 15- year-old training with Tottenham, but I hadn’t signed for them,’ he said. There was a queue of scouts at his home in Northolt and Tottenham and Chelsea were about to play in the FA Cup final. West Ham sent Ron Greenwood to woo him, Chelsea sent Tommy Docherty.
‘Chelsea offered to drive me to the FA Cup final in a limousine, let me be in the dressing room and take me to the post-match party at the hotel,’ says Perryman.
The great Bill Nicholson, architect of Tottenham’s 1961 FA Cup and League double, had a different approach. ‘He took me aside and said: “Are you signing for us?” I stammered t hat I wasn’t sure. “Well, if you don’t you’ll not be getting any FA Cup final tickets”.’
Perryman didn’t sign before the final but got his tickets. And Spurs not only won the FA Cup but also got their man, a future captain who would make his debut in 1969 as a 17-year-old and make a club-record 854 appearances, winning two League Cups, two UEFA Cup and two FA Cups. He was Footballer of the Year in 1982.
Twice he climbed the old Wembley’s 39 steps to pick up the FA Cup for Spurs. In 1982 they beat QPR. The year before Spurs were strong favourites against Manchester City with Ossie Ardiles and Ricky Villa in the team as well as Glenn Hoddle, Steve Archibald and Garth Crooks. A deflected Hoddle goal saved them in the first game but Ardiles had been snuffed out and Villa was so poor he was subbed, making a very public show of displeasure by embarking on a long walk around the perimeter of the pitch back to the dressing rooms. ‘Our manager Keith Burkinshaw said to me: “Would you play Ricky in the second game ?” I showed my managerial pedigree by saying: “No.” He’d mugged the team by walking off. I don’t know why I felt so negative about him because he’s an extremely nice guy. ‘It wasn’t that he was complaining that he shouldn’t have been taken off. If that had been the reason for walking off, that’s inexcusable. It was out of disappointment. It was live on TV in Argentina and he felt he let his family down. I saw it as I saw it. But Keith said: “He’s playing”.’
In a thrilling replay, Villa was man of the match, scoring twice, including the long, mazy run past countless defenders to score the winner in a 3-2 victory. It remains the defining FA Cup moment. ‘On the back of that a lot of people became Spurs fans,’ said Perryman.
Perryman is a survivor. He is sanguine in how he ‘dodged a bullet’ when he was rushed to hospital from a game for heart surgery in 2012.
Over a distinguished career in which he managed Watford, took third division Brentford to an FA Cup quarter- final and won t he J-League and Asian Cup-Winners Cup in Japan, he has fallen in and out of love with the game.
‘ I thought it was dominated by power, money bull****.’ But he was wooed back during his Japanese managerial stints.
And to Exeter, who faced financial oblivion in 2003 and where
the previous owners had been jailed for fraud. ‘The club was in disarray,’ he said. ‘The fraud squad were in and the supporters saved the club. I thought: “Yeah, I’ll go and help that.” They had no money so there was no point asking for money. I didn’t really need money.’
You sense he is even prouder of what they built at Exeter than his illustrious playing career. The club begged and borrowed the services and cash of supporters to stay afloat. The FA Cup played its part.
Relegated to the Conference, they battled through to the third round in 2005, drew United and held them to a draw at Old Trafford.
The replay at St James Park saw Uni t e d f i e l d Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo, Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs a nd t he Nevil l e brothers to win 2-0. The £1million revenue the game brought saved the club and built the platform to return to the league.
He loved those days at Exeter. ‘It was great. We st i l l have t he volunteers, who come in and make lunch for the players. What we’ve achieved stands comparison to anyone; no bank overdraft, no loan. I don’t like leaving the volunteers that keep this club going but I’ve got grandchildren to see grow up.’
He missed last season’s final game at White Hart Lane because Exeter had a play-off semi-final at Carlisle that day. He likes the idea of a long cruise stopping off to speak to the global community of Tottenham fans at different ports.
‘Keith Burkinshaw said: “Don’t go to Exeter. It will look like you’re desperate”. But I’ve helped — only helped — make us respectable again. And though we are still little Exeter City, I think people think: “They can hold their own. They can produce players. They’re surviving with no big sugar daddy”.’
Devon boys couldn’t play, he was told. The likes of George Friend, now at Middlesbrough, and Olly Watkins, sold to Brentford for £1.8m last summer, have proved otherwise. The best, Ethan Ampadu, is now at Chelsea. His professional soulmate is Paul Tisdale, longestserving manager in the league after Arsene Wenger. But last season an injury crisis saw Exeter go bottom of League Two.
The Supporters’ Trust served notice on Tisdale’s contract and stated they wanted to re-negotiate. But then Exeter shot through the league to reach the play-offs, losing in the final, were top of the league by October and are now pushing for automatic promotion. As yet no agreement has been reached and the manager will be a free agent in June. ‘They would be raving mad to not have Paul Tisdale over the next few years,’ said Perryman.
As for him: ‘I’m ready for retirement or to do something different. It’s becoming a bit too political. I said I wouldn’t get involved in that again. I’ve started to learn it’s not only money people that are ego driven. There’s more and more at this club and I don’t want to be part of it. That’s nudged me.’
He will remain to help guide them on an FA Cup run or promotion charge. And he hopes he can leave some kind of legacy. ‘My advice, take it or leave it, for Exeter or Tottenham or whoever you support is never undersell homegrown talent. Everyone is produced somewhere. Pele was. Maradona was.
‘The fact that you’re homegrown doesn’t make you a second-class citizen. The most talented player I’ve seen was Glenn Hoddle: homegrown. This Harry Kane goalscoring phenomenon. Homegrown.
‘I was a leader to stand comparison to others: homegrown. And I’m pleased it’s changing and that Tottenham and Mauricio Pochettino are leading the way on it.
‘That would be my message: start trusting homegrown talent.’