Graham's Blog

CHRIS Sutton is miles away. We have been recording this Big Interview in one of the executive boxes at an empty Carrow Road but Chris has allowed his mind to wander to Anfield, the memory of one day in May 1995 playing out on the pitch below him. His contribution on the afternoon Blackburn Rovers won the Premier League title has been preserved in a number of flickering YouTube videos but this replay is a private screening.

Blackburn lost on the final day of that historic season – Jamie Redknapp whipped a free-kick past Tim Flowers in injury time to seal a 2-1 win for Liverpool – and yet walked off the pitch as championship winners, with title rivals Manchester United frustrated by West Ham.

The matches had been played simultaneously and news of the stalemate at Upton Park would reach the Blackburn fans before their side’s match on Merseyside was over. Their gleeful cries broadcast the club’s success on to the pitch, with the Blackburn players turning to embrace one another even before the final whistle sounded. It was the final act of one of the most incredible campaigns in the history of England’s top flight.

In this podcast, Chris takes us behind the scenes of that season to more fully explain just how the league was won in 1994/95. He covers his £5 million move to Ewood Park and how it came about, and recalls significant matches against Everton and United. He also discusses his infamous decision to dive into a car while on a night out, as well as the subsequent reactions of his father, Mike, and manager Kenny Dalglish.

But as Chris breaks down that campaign, he reveals three key elements which won Blackburn their first title of the Premier League era. He acknowledges the character of that special team and how it was exemplified by captain Tim Sherwood; he discusses the steady leadership of Dalglish; and, of course, Chris talks about his formidable – and often misunderstood – partnership with Alan Shearer.

Chris arrived from Norwich City for a record English transfer fee and, after an unremarkable pre-season, came to form a strike pairing with Shearer which would become known simply as SAS. They contributed 49 goals between them as Blackburn chased down the title – Shearer finished as the league’s top scorer, finding the net 34 times – but they were not such a dynamic duo off the pitch.

“There was always a perception, throughout the time that I played with Alan, that we didn’t get on. Well, we did,” Chris says Part Two of this Big Interview. “We just didn’t go to the pub for meals and I think people made far too much of that as an issue. People go to work in an office every day and are more friendly with some colleagues than others, aren’t they? That was the case at Blackburn, but everybody got on.

“Alan wasn’t afraid of missing – and he didn’t miss very often – a lot like Henrik Larsson. Their mentalities were both very similar. I was ruthless but, when I played alongside Alan at Blackburn and then Henrik at Celtic, I knew that they wanted to be number one. They wanted to finish as the top goalscorer – and I don’t think that bothered me to the same extent that it bothered them. Maybe that was a weakness in my character.”

It did not diminish his contribution to a successful season 22 years ago, when he provided to be the ideal foil for Shearer. The video below shows just how effective their partnership was:

Watch closely and you will also notice Sherwood getting in on the act, hair swept back and driving his team forward from midfield. He was one of a number of strong personalities in that Blackburn dressing room but, as captain, perhaps best personified the side which would become league champions.

“What I liked about Tim was that he would tell you the truth,” Chris says in this podcast. “All the players respected him; he wasn’t a loud mouth but when Tim Sherwood spoke, you listened. He demanded more and that was a big, big part of why we won the league. Like a lot of the players in that dressing room, Tim epitomised what Blackburn were about at that time.”

And yet the club might still have come up short had it not been for Dalglish. Indeed, Blackburn had gone clear at the top of the league, only to falter later in the season – a dip in form which allowed United to press the Ewood Park side all the way to the final minutes of the campaign.

As their lead eroded, Dalglish stood firm. He backed his players in the press and Chris remembers a figure who was always calm and confident in front of his team, a signal that his faith in them was absolute. Their spirits were also lifted by the Scot’s repartee with his compatriot and Old Trafford counterpart, Sir Alex Ferguson.

“Throughout that title-winning season he had that war of words with Ferguson. Some of their spats… it was tit for tat and they were both so brilliant in how they handled it,” Chris recalls.

“And Kenny was absolutely a leader. We nearly blew up when we went ahead in the league and we couldn’t have wished for a better figurehead at that time. When I looked at him, he was immovable, solid. We were crumbling and his team talks didn’t change; his confidence in us was always there.”

IF things had turned out a little differently for Chris Sutton, he would have ended up pushing pens and paperclips at Norfolk County Council instead of terrorising defenders in Scotland and England for over a decade.

Chris uses the word “character” a lot and, in this podcast, we explore how his was forged – from an initial rejection from Norwich City to his dad’s boot camp approach to physical fitness.

We also discuss his experiences as a promising young cricketer and his particularly uncompromising youth team coach at Norwich.

There are stories about Sri Lankan cricketer Ravi Pushpakumara and Andy Theodosiou’s brutal tackles. Chris also explains how to mark Alan Shearer as a centre-half and why he would not want Efan Ekoku in his five-a-side team.

This is a side to Chris Sutton that not many people have heard before.

Enjoy!

THIS compilation show is about how teams bond – a key element of almost every winning side that I’ve reported on and one which, I think, sometimes gets overlooked.

We do not start on the pitch but in the studio, as Charlie Nicholas tells us that Sky Sports’ Soccer Saturday show depends on camaraderie as much as any dressing room he was a part of.

We also go sheep herding with Eddie Howe and play video games with Havoc, better known as Michael Carrick.

Gordon Strachan explains that the team that wins together does not necessarily have to drink together, while Michael O’Neill describes how he created the team spirit in his Northern Ireland squad.

And there is Peter Beardsley, who takes us to the race course as he relives an unconventional warm up routine ahead of an FA Cup match.

Enjoy!

MARK Noble grew up with a football field for a back garden. Or at least he did once his dad had a secret gate installed behind the house, so that Mark could take a ball and sneak on to the grounds of a school.

It was not too long before he was stepping out at Upton Park. Or should that be the Boleyn Ground? Either way, in Part Two of his Big Interview, Mark talks about that famous old stadium and the final game there, against Manchester United under the lights.

Mark has kept a photograph from that night – a picture of the West Ham fans looking on as he shields the ball to help see out the game.

He remains connected to his support, his community, and Mark talks eloquently about the social housing projects being undertaken by the Legacy Foundation, which he founded alongside two other London boys: Bobby Zamora and Rio Ferdinand.

Mark is a good footballer and a good man. And this is a great Big Interview.

Enjoy!

JUNE 20, 2007. That was the day England faced their Dutch counterparts in a European Under-21 Championship semi-final and were only sent home after an all-out penalty battle royal. A record was set, with the 25 spot-kicks required to separate the sides still standing as the longest penalty shoot out in UEFA history.

It was also the day that Mark Noble, who scored twice in that shoot out, was left in tears as his side fell just short of the final. But don’t worry, the midfielder was later consoled by a few sympathetic northerners he met on holiday.

He was happy to be put on the spot for his country in Heerenveen, having practised penalties repeatedly in training sessions before the tournament. “Every day after training, every player took a penalty and [head coach] Stuart Pearce stood there with a pad and pen and took notes,” Mark says in the podcast.

“Mark, scored. James Milner, scored. Tom Huddlestone, scored. He went through the line, bang, bang, bang, bang… I never missed.”

It is a habit he has continued throughout his career, with Mark now established as the penalty taker for West Ham United – and in this Big Interview he gives a wonderfully honest account of how he handles that responsibility. But what about the other players involved in that 13-12 epic shootout?

Below is a list of the other penalty takers on that day 10 years ago, how they fared from 12 yards and where they are now:

Ashley Young Got into the fast lane in 2007, starting the year with a club record transfer to Aston Villa and motoring towards his first appearance in the senior England team 10 months later. His career is currently in need of roadside assistance, with the winger out of favour at Manchester United. Converted two penalties in this epic shootout.

Ryan Babel Scored the first Dutch penalty in Heerenveen. His career took off after the European Under-21 Championships, with Babel boarding a flight to Liverpool after the final. Since leaving Anfield in 2010, his passport has been stamped in Germany, Spain, Abu Dhabi and Turkey, where the forward plays for Besiktas.

James Milner Struck twice from the spot in 2007 as England missed out on a shot at silverware. Has since made up for that trophy disappointment by getting his hands on two Premier League titles, the FA Cup, League Cup and Charity Shield. Also made earned over 61 senior caps for England.

 

Royston Drenthe Has gone from headline act to footnote in the 10 years since the championships. Drenthe was voted player of the tournament in 2007 and joined Real Madrid that summer but he would not orbit those stars for long, stopping briefly in Russia, England, Turkey and the UAE on his way to early retirement. He is just 29.

Tim Janssen A substitute in the semi-final who was brought on just in time to add two successful strikes to a 13-12 Dutch victory. Has since returned to the fringes of world football, touring the Danish top flight and Dutch lower leagues before spending last year at United Soccer League side Oklahoma City Energy.

Justin Hoyte Missed his first penalty but took his second chance well, scoring from 12 yards. Lasted just 12 more months at Arsenal before unsuccessful spells at Middlesbrough, Millwall and Dagenham & Redbridge have put the full-back in need of another second chance. Failed to earn a contract following a brief trial at Scottish side Hamilton Academical last year.

Roy Beerens Dependable from the spot in the semi-final, scoring two, and has not put a foot wrong in his career since. Left PSV for Heerenveen after the tournament and found form regularly enough to earn a move to AZ Alkmaar and then Hertha Berlin. Joined Reading last summer to pursue promotion to the Premier League.

Matt Derbyshire Scored his first penalty but missed his second, putting pressure on poor Anton Ferdinand. Has grown into one of precious few British players who have tried football in another country – gaining popularity in Greece (or part of it, at least) by scoring the winner for Olympiacos in a derby with Panathinaikos. Now plays for Omonia in Cyprus.

Hedwiges Maduro Another Dutchman whose resolve from 12 yards in Heerenveen has manifest in a relatively successful football career. Had a year at Ajax after the finals, then moved to Spain to play for Valencia and then Sevilla. A spell with Greek club PAOK has been followed by a return to Eredivisie with Groningen.

Anton Ferdinand Poor, fella. A year before the ill-fated semi-final, Ferdinand missed the decisive spot-kick in a FA Cup final defeat by Liverpool. He took his chance for retribution with a successful penalty kick against the Dutch, before fate turned on him again as the hapless defender scooped his second penalty against to the crossbar. Has been all the way to Turkey and Thailand trying to get over it…

Daniel De Ridder Enjoyed playing against English players so much he decided to go and find more of them, first joining Birmingham City and then Wigan Athletic. His time at the DW Stadium ended acrimoniously and De Ridder has since been seen playing in Israel, Switzerland and during a second spell in his homeland. Now without a club following a trial at Colorado Rapids last summer.

Scott Carson Saved three, scored one – not a bad score for a goalkeeper in a penalty shoot out. Was contracted to Liverpool during the tournament and afterwards joined Aston Villa on loan, before moving to West Brom on a permanent deal. Has been at Bursaspor in Turkey and is currently trying to find his way back to the Premier League with Derby.

Gianni Zuiverloon Converted both spot-kicks, his second deciding the shoot out 13-12. A veteran of the Under-21 scene, the defender’s club career has led him to flit between the Netherlands, England – where he played for West Brom and Ipswich – and Spain. Is now in the third tier of the Spanish game where he plays for Cultural Leonesa.

Liam Rosenior Only took one penalty in the semi-final. Scored it, too. His career has continued just as steadily, with the full-back swapping Fulham for Reading in 2007, before spells at Hull City and Brighton, his current club.

Maceo Rigters Converted his penalty and finished as top scorer in the European Under-21 Championships in 2007. His career since then has been an alarmingly steep fall from grace. There was a short spell at Blackburn Rovers, where Rigters made only a handful of appearances amid reports of poor fitness, before loans at Norwich, Barnsley and Willem II. A proposed move to New Zealand broke down but the striker did not go far, signing for Australian side Gold Coast United. Has now returned to the amateur team where he first started, ZSGO/WMS.

Nigel Reo-Coker Captain in the tournament but unable to lead his side into the final, fluffing his penalty, England’s ninth. Reo-Coker left West Ham for a few weeks after he got home and spent the next six years as a regular in English senior football, also playing for Bolton and Ipswich. Last played in Major League Soccer with Montreal Impact, before departing in January 2016. Hasn’t played competitively since.

Arnold Kruiswijk Could not beat Carson from the spot but that has not prevented him from developing into a dependable full-back. Groningen, Anderlecht and Heerenveen are among his former clubs, while Kruiswijk now plays for Vitesse.

Steven Taylor A regular defender for the Under-21s, Taylor showed a striker’s instinct to score from the spot under pressure. Spent 13 years at hometown club Newcastle United – where Taylor won the Intertoto Cup and Championship title – before taking off for MLS and Portland Timbers. Has recently returned to England after signing for Ipswich.

Boy Waterman Anything you can do… the Dutch goalkeeper got his own back on Carson by scoring from 12 yards. Remains a career highlight, with the title followed only by Johan Cruyff Shield in 2012 and Cypriot league title in 2016. Waterman is first choice goalkeeper at APOEL Nicosia.