Obviously educating youngsters is something that Arsenal take very seriously. What was it like in your day?
Actually Arsenal along with Kate Hoey (MP for Vauxhall, former Minister for Sport and Educational Advisor in the 1980s to several London football clubs) pioneered the education programme for young players. We used to head over to Kings Cross College where we’d do one day a week. It was a very general course, nothing specific, aptitude tests a few French lessons here and there. I remember one trip to France we went on, but we didn’t exactly speak the lingo; I’m pretty sure when it came to ordering food we just did it in English!
Overall, the whole thing was just an early step in football clubs recognising their responsibility to create an educational environment. Obviously not everybody who sets out to become a professional actually makes it – our group was exceptional though, I think most of us made it. Niall Quinn in particular took the course seriously; I think his parents drove home the benefits of education and you can see how he has benefitted since. Some of us though, felt we had to give it up otherwise we wouldn’t make it at Arsenal.
How have the educational opportunities changed for young members of Arsenal’s Academy?
Well for a start I know they do two or three days a week studying. It’s almost a job to fit the football in! Mornings are spent studying and afternoons on the pitch. There are whole days where it’s just classroom stuff. They don’t train Mondays and I’m not even sure if they do Tuesdays. However, it’s important for young men to have rest days. Developing bodies need time off to prevent injuries – it’s all programmed in by the on site full time teachers. If kids want to do A-Levels or take another GCSE they can do that.
Talking about the youngsters at Arsenal, having just won the FA Youth Cup they appear in good shape. Which of the squad do you think will make it into the first team?
Wilshire is the one that stands out. Even in that Youth Cup Final every time he got the ball he played a killer pass. He’s got an incredible radar for passing and even when he shifted into a more central position there was only one winner. He’s the obvious player but I think the whole Academy is benefitting from the simulation of tactics from the first team downwards.
Great credit must be paid to the staff Steve Bould and reserve team coach Neil Banfield. There was a time when Don Howe was there that the first team’s work was very different to that of the youth sides. Don obviously had established ideas having been in the game for a long time, but that changed under Wenger. To a certain extent there is a philosophy now that what the first team does in training is replicated by the reserves and then the youth sides. It means that whenever a player takes a step up, he’s in harmony with the passing drills. The first team evidently works at a higher level and they will do stuff that the youngsters won’t have seen – but everybody is in tune.
How much of that coaching philosophy did you pick up when you went back to work with Arsène Wenger on the training field and how did you put it to use when you coached the Oxford University side?
When I went to work with Oxford University I was very keen to see how players with so-called lesser ability could cope with those same passing and training methods. They actually coped very well and actually many of the things we worked on were more applicable to players of their lesser ability. Basic passing skills, keeping the ball on the floor, I attempted to use all the philosophies that Arsène brought to Arsenal. From the feedback the Oxford guys thoroughly enjoyed it.
At that age, twenty-one, twenty-two, is it too late to make it at the top level? Ian Wright was a late bloomer…
It’s never too late. It depends on the circumstances of the individual. For example, a youngster could have been injured for a long time, others grow at other stages. Occasionally you meet guys who gave up on football for various reasons but returned to the game and found they do have the talent to succeed. It is more difficult certainly; many of the building blocks needed are missing but not impossible. It’s preferable to be working in a football environment as young as possible, it’s like education – if you get in with the best group early you drive each other on. Stuart Pearce was late coming in, Ian Wright was late coming through. Nowadays you’d hope that the net extends so far that any talents can’t be lost to the game.
Going on to talk about Arsenal and their plans for the summer, Philippe Senderos is returning from AC Milan and looks likely to challenge Thomas Vermaelen for a starting berth. Ashley Cole claimed in his autobiography that Senderos had shown you a level of disrespect when you were helping with the defensive coaching. Can you shed any light on that?
Well I don’t remember that too much. I think Ashley was probably referring to the general arrogance of Philippe that may have been apparent at that time. Since then I’ve seen the complete opposite; he was very sure of himself but he appears to have gone the other way and become too critical of himself.
I was asked to work in a mentoring fashion and perhaps Ashley saw something which he deemed not overly respectful. However, it wasn’t something that Philippe demonstrated to me. There were a lot of positives from my time with the side and I think many of the guys were disappointed when I left. There was never a problem working with Philippe, I played alongside him after all…I think it was perhaps Ashley not warming to him like he did to the rest of us.
In terms of on-field development both yourself and Philippe spent time away from the club before returning. (Keown moved in 1986 to Aston Villa and then Everton before returning to Highbury in 1993, while Senderos spent last season on loan with AC Milan). What is it like returning to a club having been away and what do you think Philippe will have learned?
Well for me I was brought back in and it really felt like a second chance to make it happen, one that I didn’t want to let go. I had unfinished business and I was lucky in that I proved that you can go back and be successful.
With regards to Philippe, it’s an interesting question. If he has been able to learn from his loan move and if he is given another chance, he’s only going to be better. The thing with Philippe is he needs to learn the game. He’s a highly intelligent individual but at times he’s made elementary mistakes on the pitch. Football intelligence is a different experience to that off-field. What will be fascinating to see is whether he has improved those elements that he needed to.
The frustrating thing with him is that he has the raw materials to be an outstanding player. Too often though he was involved in bad mistakes. As a defender you don’t want to be around goals being conceded – he was. He may have got that out of his game, but if he’s not given the chance at Arsenal I still think he has a big career ahead of him.
Johan Djourou has made steady progress towards the first team. How do you rate his chances this term given the new arrival?
Johan is at the crossroads now. He has to start becoming a first team player. He’ll want that, he’s a big strong lad and more than capable with the attributes to make it. He just has to put a game together. Arsène has lots of confidence in him, but injuries have taken their toll recently. If he can iron out the niggly injuries, he’ll turn from a teenager into a man. His career is in his hands and he’ll be desperate to get in that side for pre-season.
We’re in the midst of ‘silly season’ how do players react in the dressing-room to all the rumours of new signings?
It goes with the territory when you play for a top team. It’s part of the job really. Almost every day that you wake up your life could be disrupted. If a key player is bought than you and the whole family could be heading north, it certainly does come into your mindset. If you back your own ability and you’re confident in what you bring to the table then you don’t worry or fear anybody. Personal belief is key, if the side is successful you tell yourself why would they want to replace me.
There does come a time though when you accept that somebody will eventually take your starting position, but you can’t let it affect you. The key is then to help that person as much as your can.
To what extent do you feel Arsène Wenger’s policy of utilising youngsters has been hit by the influx of billionaire owners and the subsequent spending power of rival clubs?
Well at the time the decision was made Arsenal were the team that were dominant but I think they realised quite quickly that they couldn’t compete on financial matters. Building the Emirates made them even more hamstrung with their finances. It was an enforced move for Arsenal, they had no option but to use kids. Arsène had to try and unearth the next Patrick Vieira, the next Emmanuel Petit and go that root. It has by no means been a disaster and I think there have been some astounding players coming out of the club.
What has happened though is that having groomed players like Aleksandr Hleb and Mathieu Flamini into top replacements, they’ve suffered the blow of losing them. Tomas Rosicky is another who could have helped last season. Gaps having been filled were suddenly open again; those guys would have brought the experience to the side that was missing last term.
Andrey Arshavin has great quality and great experience but for a couple of years that type of high-quality acquisition they just haven’t been able to buy. The board haven’t been able to compete with the likes of United and Chelsea.
The club is at an interesting cross-roads, there is a board meeting today (Friday) where they will be discussing this Rights Issue. The details of what that means still appears sketchy or what impact that will have on the long-term debt of the club. It’s an interesting angle as it appears that rather than buy shares in the club somebody is still willing to inject money. If that is what it means then great, but it does appear a tough decision to make.
In recent weeks Arsène Wenger was linked with Real Madrid and he was quoted as saying its an 'exciting project.' Arsène must have been excited at the amount of money that they were willing to spend.
If Wenger was given that warchest, through this Rights Issue, it would make Arsenal an equally exciting project. I’d love to see how he’d do it, because up to now the stadium has tied his hands behind his back and restricted his access to cash. The youth system is great for the future of the club and beyond but for him it has been stifling the success of the current group.
It has been suggested that Wenger’s youth policy, as much as a necessity as it was, has become something of a vanity project and that he’s desperate to prove he can win with the kids? Is that an unfair assessment?
Arsène would love to have £100m to spend on big name players, of course he would. However, if you haven’t got that money available you train and encourage and talk up the people you have at your disposal. He has a fantastic belief in the current crop and those guys must feel ten feet tall to have his belief. I would say it’s only a sprinkling of experience that has caught them out in the biggest games this season. If I was a young player in the two semi-finals in the FA Cup and Champions League I’d have liked to have been able to look around that dressing-room and seen a bit more experience, just to keep me calm. There was plenty of raw ability but not quite enough experience.
)
