Oisin
23-08-1999, 01:40 AM
The Scout
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Best shoots often hail from humble roots
Alan Smith
Sunday August 22, 1999
Ian Wright's revelation this week that he is to retire at the end of this season set me thinking about the declining influence of non-League football at both playing and management levels.
I have always felt fortunate to have had a solid background in non-League coaching, first under Allen Batsford when he took Wimbledon into the League during the 1970s, then as manager of Dulwich Hamlet for four years.
Since then I have regularly gone back to the non-League scene looking for players, because I feel they often show greater character and gratitude for the chance to play for a living than those who have never worked outside the game. For players such as Stuart Pearce, Vinnie Jones and Les Ferdinand, life as a well-paid international footballer is a world away from their beginnings in manual labour while playing part-time.
At Fulham we have five players with non-League backgrounds and the one most likely to go to the top is striker Geoff Horsfield, whom we signed from Halifax Town only last season but already looks Premiership-quality.
The players mentioned above all have great character and mental toughness, and the one who stands out is Wright, who intends to go into acting. Some might say he has always been on centre stage, and certainly his career has been dramatic. I first met Ian in 1985 when he was recommended to us at Palace by Billy Smith, who was at Dulwich Hamlet and is now their director of football.
Ian was with Greenwich Borough and had been unsuccessful in a two-week trial with Brighton, but as soon as we saw him we knew he was outstanding. We quickly signed him for £100 a week Ð less than he was getting in his day job then and less than an hour's wages now! Within a month he was in the first team and starting to make an impact.
In return for his tip-off, by the way, Billy Smith received a set of weights for his club, though he had to wait a year to get them. Such is the non-League currency - I remember Tony Cascarino moving to Millwall from Crockenhill in exchange for a set of tracksuits and some corrugated iron to patch up the ground.
Back to Ian Wright. I was with him for all of his 277 appearances and 117 goals for Palace. Coaching him was a pleasure, as long as we were doing something we enjoyed, like shooting practice. But for other work, like defending or patterns of play that did not involve him, there could be trouble.
Steve Coppell, manager at the time, knew that the way to get the best out of Ian was to indulge him and he would ask me to tailor training sessions to suit him. I would ask Steve to remember the other players, but his response was: 'The others won't win matches like Ian will.'
I once took a call from Graham Taylor when he was England manager and Ian had kicked a load of balls into the river near the Bisham Abbey training ground. Graham said it was unacceptable. My comment was that Ian should be left alone and would deliver the goods, but Graham's well-organised and disciplined approach overruled my advice and Ian was subsequently left out of his plans.
The best influence on Ian was Mark Bright, his strike partner who had also come from non-League football via Leek Town. Whereas Ian's character reflected his upbringing in the mean streets of Brixton, Mark was more thoughtful and articulate and did a great deal of good for his partner, on and off the field. Ian was always quick to voice his displeasure if he did not like our hotel or the video on the team coach, and eventually had such an influence that he chose our away kit of yellow and blue as a tribute to Brazil.
But he was so important to the team that when he broke his foot four weeks before our FA Cup final against Manchester United in 1990, we hired a faith healer. Even though she was an eccentric character, beginning her daily bottle of vodka at 11am, Ian visited her religiously and showed great faith and determination. Incredibly he was back as a substitute in the final, scoring twice in a 3-3 draw before we lost the replay.
We finished third in the league the following year, but by then Ian had outgrown Palace and was sold to Arsenal for a record fee. Palace was never the same club after he went. A lot of the spirit went with him. Throughout his career, Ian's determination and the way he hyped himself up for games and training has always been excellent and I am sure this was because of his upbringing. A career outside professional football teaches you humility and helps you appreciate what a great way it is to make a living.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Best shoots often hail from humble roots
Alan Smith
Sunday August 22, 1999
Ian Wright's revelation this week that he is to retire at the end of this season set me thinking about the declining influence of non-League football at both playing and management levels.
I have always felt fortunate to have had a solid background in non-League coaching, first under Allen Batsford when he took Wimbledon into the League during the 1970s, then as manager of Dulwich Hamlet for four years.
Since then I have regularly gone back to the non-League scene looking for players, because I feel they often show greater character and gratitude for the chance to play for a living than those who have never worked outside the game. For players such as Stuart Pearce, Vinnie Jones and Les Ferdinand, life as a well-paid international footballer is a world away from their beginnings in manual labour while playing part-time.
At Fulham we have five players with non-League backgrounds and the one most likely to go to the top is striker Geoff Horsfield, whom we signed from Halifax Town only last season but already looks Premiership-quality.
The players mentioned above all have great character and mental toughness, and the one who stands out is Wright, who intends to go into acting. Some might say he has always been on centre stage, and certainly his career has been dramatic. I first met Ian in 1985 when he was recommended to us at Palace by Billy Smith, who was at Dulwich Hamlet and is now their director of football.
Ian was with Greenwich Borough and had been unsuccessful in a two-week trial with Brighton, but as soon as we saw him we knew he was outstanding. We quickly signed him for £100 a week Ð less than he was getting in his day job then and less than an hour's wages now! Within a month he was in the first team and starting to make an impact.
In return for his tip-off, by the way, Billy Smith received a set of weights for his club, though he had to wait a year to get them. Such is the non-League currency - I remember Tony Cascarino moving to Millwall from Crockenhill in exchange for a set of tracksuits and some corrugated iron to patch up the ground.
Back to Ian Wright. I was with him for all of his 277 appearances and 117 goals for Palace. Coaching him was a pleasure, as long as we were doing something we enjoyed, like shooting practice. But for other work, like defending or patterns of play that did not involve him, there could be trouble.
Steve Coppell, manager at the time, knew that the way to get the best out of Ian was to indulge him and he would ask me to tailor training sessions to suit him. I would ask Steve to remember the other players, but his response was: 'The others won't win matches like Ian will.'
I once took a call from Graham Taylor when he was England manager and Ian had kicked a load of balls into the river near the Bisham Abbey training ground. Graham said it was unacceptable. My comment was that Ian should be left alone and would deliver the goods, but Graham's well-organised and disciplined approach overruled my advice and Ian was subsequently left out of his plans.
The best influence on Ian was Mark Bright, his strike partner who had also come from non-League football via Leek Town. Whereas Ian's character reflected his upbringing in the mean streets of Brixton, Mark was more thoughtful and articulate and did a great deal of good for his partner, on and off the field. Ian was always quick to voice his displeasure if he did not like our hotel or the video on the team coach, and eventually had such an influence that he chose our away kit of yellow and blue as a tribute to Brazil.
But he was so important to the team that when he broke his foot four weeks before our FA Cup final against Manchester United in 1990, we hired a faith healer. Even though she was an eccentric character, beginning her daily bottle of vodka at 11am, Ian visited her religiously and showed great faith and determination. Incredibly he was back as a substitute in the final, scoring twice in a 3-3 draw before we lost the replay.
We finished third in the league the following year, but by then Ian had outgrown Palace and was sold to Arsenal for a record fee. Palace was never the same club after he went. A lot of the spirit went with him. Throughout his career, Ian's determination and the way he hyped himself up for games and training has always been excellent and I am sure this was because of his upbringing. A career outside professional football teaches you humility and helps you appreciate what a great way it is to make a living.