The tireless midfielder talks FA Cup heartbreak and finds common ground between himself and Pele (er, sort of)
Interview Brian Beard
GEOFF THOMAS
Is it true that you were forced to choose between football and life as an electrician?
It wasn’t exactly a choice because I wasn’t actually going to sign for Rochdale – it was intended to be a non-contract deal. I was an apprentice electrician at the time, and when I finished work I would turn up at Rochdale wearing overalls. I was often on the bench and think I only played a handful of games over the next two years. And no, I never had to fix any electrical appliances at Spotland! I wouldn’t have been trusted anywhere near anything like that. I never fully qualified and it was in the final year of my apprenticeship that Crewe came knocking.
How did that Crewe move transpire?
It’s quite funny: I scored against Crewe in an FA Cup match and was later told they were aware that I was a non-contract player. They then watched me for the next two or three games and maybe spotted something in me. Signing with Rochdale was never an option. I remember speaking to the manager at the time, Jimmy Greenhoff, and he admitted he was about to get sacked – and Les Chapman, who briefly took over, said I shouldn’t sign for Dale. He said that Crewe was the best place to start my career. He was right, too.
You were part of a Crewe side that boasted David Platt, John Pemberton and a host of other players who went on to bigger and better things…
Obviously Platty was different, having gone through Manchester United’s ranks. Crewe knew David was always destined to play for England, while I was told I needed to focus on what I was good at. At 19, I thought I was too old to be taught new tricks and assumed I would just be tasked with concentrating on what I already had, but I was turned from a tricky left-winger into an up-and-down central midfielder. I have so much to thank Crewe for. They gave me a crash course in what was needed to become a professional footballer and even guided me when it was time to move on to bigger things.
Specifically, to second-tier Crystal Palace?
Yes, though I had a trial at Everton. Liverpool were keeping tabs on me, as well as several other clubs in the top flight, but the coaches at Crewe reckoned that any of those teams would have been too much of a jump at that period. Crewe had a good relationship with Ron Noades at Palace, and their gaffer, Steve Coppell, came to watch m
