Fearless Fran is not afraid of the dirty work
FROM CLEANING IN BOURNEMOUTH TO CHASING A DOUBLE WITH CELTIC, ALONSO IS AIMING HIGH
WHEN Fran Alonso steps out onto the pitch at Tynecastle this weekend, he knows he has the chance to make history. A second piece of silverware is at stake as his Celtic Women’s side look to repeat their League Cup success and claim victory over Glasgow City in the Scottish Cup final.
Although their recent form against City is poor, losing the last two league games in SWPL1, they were deserved winners of the League Cup in December after beating City 1-0 at Firhill. Winning another trophy, Alonso admits, would be a ‘dream come true’.
He said: ‘Celtic haven’t been in a Scottish Cup final since 2008 and we lost that day. I know the history and the value of the cup and it’s a very special trophy. We have the opportunity now to win two titles in one season and we’ve never done that before, so to win would just be incredible.
‘It’s a big responsibility for us, but it’s a beautiful challenge.’
It’s all a far cry from Alonso’s humble beginnings and an incredible story of fortitude, ambition and sacrifice for the game he loves.
Just 15 years ago, the affable Spaniard was working as a landscape gardener in his homeland. While offering job security, it wasn’t a role that Alonso placed highly in his pantheon of ambitions.
‘I got up every day and had to go to work and I hated that feeling,’ he said. ‘It was a good job, but I just knew that I couldn’t do it my whole life. So I thought, what would I love to do? And it was playing football. Sadly, I wasn’t good enough to play professionally and anyway, I was too old. So I thought about being a football coach.’
For Alonso, there was only one place to really learn the trade: the English Premier League. The problem, however, was that he didn’t speak English. Nor had he ever coached the game. Not that that deterred the bold Spaniard. Packing his bags and against the advice of his parents, Alonso arrived in Bournemouth to seek his fortune. It was not the most salubrious of starts.
‘I began by doing a cleaning job, because I couldn’t speak the language. It was actually quite funny because I was working with some foreigners like me and they didn’t speak good English either so it was the only job they could get. There were also some English people working alongside me and I loved it as I was learning English every day. I honestly was so happy!
‘They’d say things like, “Why are you so happy, you’re just a cleaner?” And, “Why did you come here just to clean?”
‘I told them: “I didn’t come here just to be a cleaner. That’s only a step for me. I want to be a manager in the Premier League” and they were like, “Yeah, good luck with that. That’s impossible”.’
For Alonso, however, impossible was not a word he recognised in his newly-formed vocabulary. He began refereeing voluntarily in grassroots football, and admits he got abuse every day.
‘It was tough,’ he remarked, ‘but I was learning the language of football and when my vocabulary got a bit better, I started doing assistant coaching at under-15 and under-16 level and from there, set up my own football academy. I started to make a bit of a name for myself and eventually ended up at the Southampton FC Foundation.’
While there, Alonso was offered the opportunity of a lifetime. He got a call to be a translator for the first team, working with Uruguayan midfielder Gaston Ramirez.
‘It took me five years of working hard to get to that place,’ he said.
‘You know what, though? It was truly unbelievable. One day, you’re coaching under-eight kids at the Foundation on a Wednesday then on Saturday, you’re at St Mary’s in a match against Swansea, in the changing room, working with the guy you’ve just been watching on TV the previous week!
‘Nigel Adkins was manager and thank God he didn’t speak Spanish. My legs were shaking on my very first day! My translation was truly awful. Adkins spoke about the 7 and 11 and I didn’t have a clue what that meant, so for me it was like, wow! Later, I asked some players to clarify so I didn’t do anything wrong. I remember it like it was yesterday.
‘I was so proud as I knew how hard it was when I was out there cleaning. I couldn’t even afford a car so I was cycling everywhere. But I knew the doors could open, so I was first to arrive at training, the last to leave and I really wanted to make the most of the opportunity.
‘I signed on initially for three months as Nigel had said he wanted Gaston to push himself. But then the gaffer got sacked and Mauricio Pochettino came in and made me part of his technical staff, which was amazing. I had so many opportunities every day, it was incredible.’
Working for Pochettino, though, could be a pretty tough gig.
‘I remember one season when we worked three weeks without a single day off.
‘His philosophy was that if you suffered pre-season, you would love the season. If you loved pre-season, you would hate the season. So we worked hard.’
There were laughs, too, as Alonso discovered the intricacies of translating team-talks to Pochettino’s players when the Argentine struggled to fully communicate in English.
‘There was one time I had to say something like, “You need to show more b ****** s”. At the time, I didn’t know how to translate that, so I just did this funny gesture and everyone thought it was hilarious. I had to translate many times in the changing room. In high-pressure moments, it was more difficult. He spoke good English and was learning month by month, but sometimes it wasn’t quite good enough to get it over to the players. So I would just emulate his movements. If he shouted, I shouted. If he swore, I swore. If he pointed, I pointed.
‘To get the best out of players though, you need to know them individually and that’s where Pochettino really excelled.’
It’s a philosophy Alonso has taken into his own management style in his time with Celtic.
‘The most important thing for me,’ he insisted, ‘is the person and not the player. I manage people, not players. That way, you get the best out of them as a player. I like helping people to achieve. That’s the number one thing I learned from Pochettino’s presence.
‘I’ve never seen anything like it. The organisation, the level of detail, the preparation. I’m lucky to have been in the same team as him as he was a football encyclopaedia.’
Alonso would go on to work with Ronald Koeman and Sam Allardyce at Everton, while coaching the Toffees’ women’s team on the side. It cemented his commitment to working in women’s football.
Now standing on his own two feet and in charge of one of the biggest sides in SWPL1, Alonso is keenly aware of the transitional zeitgeist he is now part of. With a move to the SPFL next season, Alonso is hopeful those running the game domestically can help take it to the next stage.
‘We could start by promoting the game and attending matches. Instead of watching on TV, go down and watch the women compete. I would love a big Celtic crowd at the Scottish Cup final, with everyone in green!’
Alonso’s parents will be watching on from the Tynecastle stands.
‘In my 15 years abroad, they have only visited me once a year and now it will be the second time in three months! That’s how much they love what I am doing.
‘They were at the 4-0 win over Hibernian at Celtic Park and they loved the atmosphere and the game. It was one of the most special moments of my entire career, having them beside me. They promised that if I qualified for the final of the cup, they would come again.’
Alonso says he’s hoping for many more of these moments as his life in football continues. His ultimate aim, though remains clear: to manage in the Premier League.
‘I haven’t achieved it yet but that’s the goal,’ he laughs. ‘Two things will happen. It will happen or I will die trying. That’s it.
‘I’ve been working in football for 15 years and we’ve never lost when my mum has been to see a game. Hopefully, we can carry on that tradition on Sunday. Her name is Miraglos. That translates into ‘Miracles’ in English.’
It’s little wonder her son has so much faith in the path laid out for him.