38-year-old defender has joined Cheltenham Town on a one-year deal following his release by Derby County, but he misses the opening game of the season at Shrewsbury Town on Saturday through suspension
Ultimately, I am just a player and I’m not doing anything differently in terms of taking sessions, or trying actively to be a player coach or anything like that. But I am obviously quite aware of my experience and what I can bring to the group. I’ll do what I naturally do, so if I notice something, I’ll say it and try to help players, whether that’s a striker or a defender, I’ll always try to provide guidance and little snippets of what I think would help them. If it’s a striker I’ll give them snippets of what I don’t like, talking about if they go in that area there I am worried, but if you stay here, I am quite easy, and things like that. It’s something that’s naturally in me to help the group, but first and foremost I want to help them as a player and hopefully the rest will take care of itself.
Did Wade Elliott mention that when you discussed signing for Cheltenham Town, setting an example and being a leader?
I first spoke to him in January because I wasn’t playing for Derby and I was actively looking for a loan. When the summer came, Wade was the first to text me as soon as the retained list was announced by Derby and he said: “don’t forget me when you are thinking of your next club” and at this age it ticked all the boxes. It’s not too far away from home in Birmingham for me and playing for a mate, there is a bit of extra pride and passion in it and I look forward to the project. It was something that suited me, but he did say it was a young group, who whilst they are all together as a group, maybe they haven’t had those leaders over the last few years that really get onto them. That doesn’t mean it’s be shouting or belittling them, or anything like that, but it’s driving standards, trying to make them realise ultimately it’s not just okay to be at Cheltenham. The idea is to try and stay in League One, but what’s the next step for you as an individual? If I can help players improve, it’s only going to help the group and that’s what Wade said, that I’d come in and drive standards, which he knew would come naturally to me. He didn’t want me doing anything differently, just me being me in training and so far, I have been that and hopefully any snippets I’ve given to anyone can help. I did offer to help out a bit when we lost (first team coach) Marcus Bignot early on. Not to take a full session, but if there were any defensive sessions when we split the group, when defenders go one way and attackers go the other, I’d be happy to do that. Fortunately we’ve had a few helpers come in and now Kevin Russell is here as assistant too. I am there as a guiding post for Wade as well to be honest. He’s been part of it for a few years, but this is only his second year as manager and he’s also trying to drive his own standards, without the shadow of Michael Duff. It’s important for him and he asks me about certain things with training and I am just honest with him because he’s my friend and I want him to succeed. If I didn’t think something was right, maybe we need to taper something back a bit or if something’s good, I’ll tell him. It’s all for the collective of making Cheltenham Town a better team.
What was Wade like as a teammate at Birmingham City and did you two hit it off straight away?
We did yes and I think it’s because we have quite similar personalities. We are both quite laid back, I’d like to say quite sensible although maybe I wasn’t quite as sensible back then! He has a dry sense of humour, he’s quite witty and intelligent. I am not saying I am super intelligent or anything like that, but you get a different level of conversation from Wade than some of the stereotypical footballers. He was a good guy and a good player, who I enjoyed playing with. When the opportunity came to play for him, knowing how he was as a player, he’ll be wanting certain things in his team. Realistically, not everyone can play like Wade did and be in the pockets and playing these nice passes, it’s not that easy as a Cheltenham Town team, but where he’s been and what he’s done in his career, he’ll be driving the standards on and hopefully I can back that up from the playing perspective and try to drive those standards as well.
Was Wade the key factor in you joining Cheltenham Town and without him, is it unlikely you’d be at the club now?
Yes, that’s the honest truth. That’s not to say if another manager approached me I wouldn’t have entertained the conversation, but this club was a frontrunner for me because of Wade. When it came to the summer and I was deciding what to do, my first thought was Cheltenham. I didn’t want to pigeonhole myself and say I was only going to go there, I wanted to see what things came about and this one ticked all the boxes. Still in League One and hopefully I’ll play because that was a big thing for me. When (Derby manager) Paul Warne released me at the end of last season, there was no wrong answer for me in that scenario because if he’d kept me on and said he wanted me for another year, it would have been fighting for my place, but more of a back-up role and me there for my character. As much as I enjoy being somewhere for my character, I want to play and when I spoke to Wade he said I’d play in the middle of the back three and help the other ones around me improve. That’s what it’s about, playing and getting on the pitch as much as I can. If this is going to be my last year, I can go out saying I played a few games, rather than sitting there warming the bench, or in the stands, but helping the team on the sidelines. As much as I enjoy doing that side, there is nothing like playing on the grass.
The last game of last season didn’t end how you would have wanted, with a red card against Sheffield Wednesday as Derby missed out on the play-offs. Do you still feel that you need to get that frustration out of your system now in your first competitive game back?
No, because it’s a different club, a different task and a different emotion. Taking my frustration for Derby missing out on the play-offs won’t help Cheltenham. If I think I need to win every tackle and every header and end up getting out of position because I’m trying to do so well, making fouls and getting another red card, that’s going to be a bigger problem. The big thing is that if I hadn’t played anywhere and literally signed for Cheltenham just before the season started and played the first game, it might be in my head. But I’ve had a few pre-season games now and a bit of time to step back from it and take stock. It is what it is. I was speaking to Dan Adshead about it on Thursday actually. With me being suspended for this weekend, he asked me about it and watched the incident, saying “how have they sent you off?” and that’s it. The bigger frustration for me is that it was my last action as a Derby player. That’s my Derby memories done and I’ve parked it to one side. I have a great affinity with the club, I love the club and still consider it to be my club in terms of the one I’ll be remembered for. But I am a Cheltenham Town player now and I’ll be pulling everything in the right direction to help the club do well this season.
You can’t play against Shrewsbury Town on Saturday, but will you still be involved on the day?
I am 100 per cent going to be there, yes. It does help that it’s not Exeter away or somewhere like that because with it being Shrewsbury, it’s an hour from me. I haven’t spoken to the gaffer yet, but I’ll potentially go and meet the lads for the pre-match bit, get in with the group and then I can be there through the warm-up, team talk and all that stuff, just there to help. It’s an extra pair of eyes, whether I am up in the stand with Tommy (Carter), doing the videoing and getting a different perspective of the game and I can give the manager any help if he wants it, then I’ll be there. But ultimately I will be there to support the boys. It’s important, when you sign for a new club, to be there and be amongst the group and hopefully we can get three points.
You have built up an extensive amount of media work already; is that what you see yourself doing after retiring from playing?
It’s not a down tools thing for me this season by any means, because I’d have just quit. But throughout this year, I want to transition and plan so come July 1 next year if I am to retire, I know what I am going to do. If it’s going to be coaching, it means I’ve completed my Uefa B and I am now on my Uefa A and I am going to go into this club and do the Under-16s or 18s, so I know my plan and my path. If you are asking me now, the media is my immediate path. I’ve had a lot of coverage from still being a current player. Then I think about if I retire and I am available on Saturdays and every day, I could do quite well in it as a freelancer pundit. There are still a lot of things I need to learn about it because sometimes people only want you when you are still playing because you can talk about the players you played against. Whether it be with Sky, BBC, or any of the different broadcasters, seeing the different things I like and what I don’t, meeting new people and getting on the back of the fact Luton Town are in the Premier League and trying to exploit those opportunities as a former player there. I have a media agent, but I’ll be trying to build my contact base and meet people so people rather than seeing me as a name, get to know me as a person. Hopefully next year if I do choose media is the route for me, maybe alongside a soccer school, or agency work, at least I’ll be in a position to know what I am going to do. Media is the frontrunner at the moment.
You have to give yourself realistic targets. If I came in and said I was going to get Cheltenham Town promoted and be in the Championship next year, I’d be kidding myself. It would be different if some oligarch had taken over and spent millions and we suddenly have an Ipswich type squad where they are signing players from the Championship. But you need to have a different perspective. It’s a really good group and the group now has had two years at League One level, so they’ll know their level and that they are good enough to be here, which sometimes people don’t take into consideration. What I’ve challenged the players with is by saying: “do you want to be at a team that just settles for staying in the league, or do you want to try and push up the league, which means more people will be watching you and you have more chance of moving up, whether that is the Championship or the Premier League?” Everyone has targets and ambitions, so I am trying to encourage people to push themselves as much as possible and the more people push each other, we can push the team forward and from that, if you do lose one like an Alfie May because he’s done so well, joining another League One club, but one that will be seen as competitive this year, so be it. We know what we are about and that our strength comes from the group and all pushing each other one. If, in that group, we get individual performances, we can push on and you have to have targets. If you don’t and you are just going into it like it’s a Sunday League or something like that, you are kidding yourself.
The FA Cup final goal (versus Arsenal in 2014), but the same game was also the lowest point in my career. It was a real yin-yang, polar opposite game of my life. Scoring in a cup final, when I ran off celebrating, that was me in the playgroup as an eight-year-old, playing with my mates and I scored for Man United as Eric Cantona – that was me, but I did it in real life. To score in the cup final at Wembley, that individual moment can never be taken away from me. But the flip side of it is, to be 2-0 up and lose the game, as captain, if we’d won it I’d have been lifting the cup. We did the correct things and I was doing the captain’s role and picking the players off the floor and saying “don’t worry, we gave it a good go” etc, shaking Arsenal players’ hands and doing the gentlemanly thing of watching them lift the trophy. But when I saw Thomas Vermaelen, who didn’t even play, lift it with Mikel Arteta, I went. I was devastated and the emotion came over me thinking “that should have been me”. I was crying my eyes out. From the highest moment to the lowest moment two hours later, which is bizarre, but in one game, that managed to happen.
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