United have announced an agreement with Rio Ferdinand over a new contract, though it's not yet been signed by the player. Hasn't that been the situation with Ronaldo's for the past two months? And anyone remember Mark Hughes 'signing' a new gig in 1995? We shall see...
Meanwhile, here is RI's interview with Rio from March this year. The next edition of Red Issue is out for the Villa game on 20th August. Ensure your copy by taking out a subscription via the links on the homepage. All subscriptions taken out this week will receive a superb poster of the '99 European Cup final (see: http://img284.imageshack.us/img284/3029/ecfpic13rn.jpg )
IT’S NOT WHAT YOU DO, IT’S THE WAY THAT YOU DO IT
Rio Ferdinand: whilst he’s currently oft heralded as one of the world’s best defenders, any glance at Red Issue’s online forum will show that amongst United’s support, there is a huge divide as to his true value to the team. Whilst some hail him as the best they’ve seen others, claiming to judge with their own eyes rather than believe what the press spoon feed them, would have him right down a list populated by the likes of Pallister, Bruce, Stam, Johnsen, Neville, McGrath, Buchan from the last 20 years alone. Undoubtedly, some of the criticism he has attracted (none more so than at times here in RI) is linked to his off-field persona and the perception of a laid back wideboy image.
Last November after the Charlton game one Red bumped into Rio (still in his United gear) in Town and asked if he’d be willing to answer a few fans’ questions. He agreed, so long as United gave permission for it. Red Issue finally caught up with him earlier this month, a few days before the trip to Milan. (Pictorial evidence of this is unavailable at the player’s request due to what can only be described as a bad hair day. Which in Rio’s case is really saying something - “it’s just another talking point”. Thankfully ‘The Simpsons’ Matt Groening was on hand to give readers an artist’s impression.) Whilst the interviewees were informed by the club that talk of the takeover was off limits, Rio himself was asked simply to be straight with us in return, “we’d rather you told us to bugger off than give us the stock answers we’d get on a Sky interview.” This is the result…
RI: Who at United is currently your favoured central defensive partner?
Ferdinand: I don’t really mind. I’m quite lucky that I feel quite compatible with anyone. I’ve played more with Mikael (Silvestre) so I probably know his game a bit better. I don’t mind though, as we’ve got the quality who can come in and do well. Wes Brown’s a quality player. He played for England the other day and he was one of the best players in the team that day. Sheasie can play centre half, I’ve played with him before. It’s unfortunate for him that he’s not getting the opportunities to play all the time
RI: How important is it to get a regular partnership with someone.
Ferdinand: Oh it’s imperative. If you haven’t got a continual pairing in the centre back positions, you can’t improve as a team I don’t think. You know what they’re about and you know where you’ll take up your positions normally when you get to know each other. It took me and Mikael a little while but I think we’ve got a great understanding of each other’s games.
RI: If you could play with any central defender who would that be?
Ferdinand: To be honest with you, I think I’d have liked to have played with Jaap Stam. I don’t know about now, but from what he was playing like when he was in the Premier League, I’d say Jaap Stam. Maldini was good the other night but for me Jaap Stam would be at centre half.
RI: You’re naming the team for Saturday. Who’s in United’s defence?
Ferdinand: For United? That’s hard one to call.
RI: So Fergie keeps saying. You don’t have to include yourself...
Ferdinand: Left back - Gabby (Heinze); right back - Gary Neville; centre halves - Wes Brown and Mikael Silvestre. You can’t ask me to pick a team, as a player.
RI: Do you ever give the manager stick for leaving you out?
Ferdinand: If he did leave me out, yeah.
RI: Who bosses the back four?
Ferdinand: I think vocally, you’d find me and Gary Neville are the two talkers out of the four or five who play. Me and Gary speak more than the rest of the back line. I think we’ve all got something to say when it needs to be said – then it will be said in the changing room - but we’re definitely the two talkers.
RI: Were you surprised when United came in for you?
Ferdinand: Not surprised, cos there were rumours for ages. In fact, since I was 17 or 18 there were rumours that I would sign for United. Because there was so much speculation it wasn’t a surprise. I was happy to go there and get the opportunity. I kind of wish it came earlier to be honest with you. You have to progress as a player and United being what they were maybe I wasn’t ready to come earlier. When I knew United were in for me there was nowhere else I wanted to go. I know that’s a cliché but there wasn’t. There were other offers on the table but I didn’t even bother speaking to anybody else. I went and spoke to the chairman of Leeds and said I want to leave. Leeds couldn’t keep me because of the situation they were in financially.
RI: Did you know how bad it was at the time?
Ferdinand: I didn’t know quite how bad but I knew they needed to get money in quickly.
RI: Did that affect you all as players?
Ferdinand: Nah, you’ve got to go and get on with your job. I’ve got to go out there and get results. That’s what you’re told to do and that’s what they pay you for. All the other stuff is down to other people.
RI: With regard to what you said about coming to United and you wished it had happened sooner. You were linked with us before going to Leeds.
Ferdinand: There was nothing concrete. If there had been something concrete I’d have come to United I think…
RI: Fergie has been quoted from 2000, when you’d established yourself at West Ham, that your agent Zahavi offered you for sale and he replied “No thanks, I’ve got Wes Brown and he’s going to be the best in the world”. What do you think now Wes is your team mate?
Ferdinand: I think Wes has been one of the unluckiest lads in football in my generation. I remember seeing him as a kid when I was in the England youth team at Lilleshall and watching him warming up for a game once. I remember thinking, “he’s a good player this lad”. When someone plays in your position you keep an eye out for them because you want to see how they do, but you’re selfish in that you don’t want them to do too well. I always remember thinking, “he’s got into United’s first team really young and doing well, he’s going to be some player. I’ll be battling with him to get in the England team when we get our opportunity”. He’s been unlucky in getting set back by injuries so it shows you what a great heart he’s got. I’m just delighted that he got his contract situation sorted out because he’s had a lot of bad times and also a lot of good times with winning stuff as well. It’d be nice to see him get a clean break of health now and get more appearances for United.
RI: The Wes Brown factor was cited as a reason for United not going in for you then, but your last three games against United, before you went to Leeds….
Ferdinand: Oh, we got battered….
RI: West Ham lost 4-1, 4-2 and 7-1. Do you think that perhaps had something to do with it?
Ferdinand: I didn’t have any good times coming to Old Trafford when I was at West Ham. At all. I remember going 1-0 up and we were thinking we were going to go on and win the game and we lost 7-1. The lads always give me stick about that cos it’s always on MUTV. It was always a case of damage limitation with West Ham and that’s the difference about being at a club like United. Every game you play in, you expect to get a goal and win the game. So that’s why I’m lucky to be on this side, rather than playing against them. I remember coming here with Leeds, when it was 1-1. United scored in the last couple of minutes as they normally do so it’s nicer to be on this side of the fence.
RI: I remember Leeds scoring against United at Elland Road in front of our end, and you were there jumping up on their back going bananas. Obviously United fans didn’t like you at the time, but it really seemed to mean a lot to you.
Ferdinand: Sure. People say oh I support so and so but I’m the type of person who thinks whoever you play for you just give 100%. You give it your all. I’m not ashamed or shy of saying that when I was at West Ham, that was my be all and end all. I went to Leeds and it was my be all and end all. And when I come to United it was like forget anything else, it’s United I want to do well for. That’s just the way it is.
RI: Is Pini Zahavi still your agent?
Ferdinand: Yeah.
RI: He’s been involved in the Chelsea/Ashley Cole affair
Ferdinand: I’ve not spoken to him about that. I spoke to Ashley, and he said to me that it never happened, and I’ll take that at face value. Pini’s a great guy. I’ve known him since I was 17/18 and he’s been fantastic with me. He’s stuck by me and been a great influence on my life and he’s always honest. People say things like, “oh but he must be talking to you about Chelsea and telling you to go to Chelsea” but he’s not that type of person. He doesn’t need the money. He sees my best interests at heart and that’s it. At the end of the day I have the final say over what happens to me. There’s been other clubs interested in me and he’s said “oh, so and so want you, it’s a massive club, what do you think?” And I’d say “Pini, I don’t really want to do that, I don’t fancy going there” and he’ll say, “yeah, no probs”. Whereas you’ve got other agents, who’ll go “yeah, but they’ve got this, they can offer this, they’ve got that” and keep grinding down your ears, but he’s not that type. He’s a millionaire himself, he doesn’t need to make no money.
RI: Has he come to you with an offer like that while you’ve been at United?
Ferdinand: No. I’ve had no offers for me at United. There was talk in the paper about Madrid and Chelsea…
RI: Would you have to think about it if such an approach came, or would you dismiss it out of hand?
Ferdinand: Not at this present moment in time. I would just say no, I’d dismiss it straight away.
RI: He’s said in the past of his players, not just you, “they’re babies, they need everything doing for them”. Does he do everything for you?
Ferdinand: Nah, he only does my football stuff. I have another company who look after press and stuff like that. I’m not really the type to ring people up to get them to send me flowers for my mum, or can you do this for me or do that for me. I’d rather know who’s picking me up or who’s doing what for me rather than someone else do it.
RI: A lot of people reckon that you’d be better as a sweeper because you can go forward and distribute the ball. Where do you think your best role is?
Ferdinand: I think in today’s game, the team decide where you play. We play in a back four and that’s the way it is. West Ham used to play a sweeper and I played there a few times for England when Glen Hoddle was manager. I don’t think too deeply about things like that, I think you just play as you play and the system, whatever it is, will sort itself out.
RI: Who’s the best forward you’ve played against?
Ferdinand: Best forward? Probably Raul. I think he’s an intelligent player, he’s hard to pick up. He doesn’t play up against you, so you can’t really get hold of him and get into him. He’s one of them characters who kind of plays off you and drops off into midfield and makes it difficult.
RI: Best team you’ve come up against?
Ferdinand: Real Madrid. Them or Valencia. When I got to the semi finals of the Champions League with Leeds, I played against Valencia and got a 0-0 at Elland Road and thought “we’ll batter them when we go there.’ It was like a different team which came out and they beat us 3-0. The Mestalla’s a really nice stadium, I like it, it’s very tight.
RI: Do you ever see yourself playing in Spain?
Ferdinand: As a kid I always said I’d like to go abroad. Not just for the football, but for the lifestyle and to see what it’s like. I can’t see myself wanting to go anywhere while we’re winning with United and doing well. I’m enjoying my football, I’m enjoying my life where I’m living and I don’t think I’ve ever felt waking up somewhere that’s felt so comfortable since I left London to be honest with you. I don’t see myself having a burning desire to go abroad just yet. In the future you never know, your feelings could change.
RI: What is the highlight of your playing career?
Ferdinand: Winning the league. As a kid you always dream about it. You buy the Shoot annuals and magazines and stuff and see the team with the winners’ medals, the photos with the Premier League trophy in front of the team. It’s just a great feeling. You just need more of that man. It’s sickening watching anyone else win anything. You can’t watch the telly or read the papers for weeks when another team wins something.
RI: You’ve been made captain this season a few times. Were you surprised at that?
Ferdinand: I was surprised, considering the amount of time I hadn’t played for. I’d only played about two or three games before the manager made me captain against Fenerbache. Just walking out once with the armband on in front of 67,000 and obviously thinking about the players that have done it.
RI: Do you think Fergie was sending a message to you with that?
Ferdinand: Yeah, maybe, I mean the manager works in different ways with a lot of people. A lot of the stuff he does he’s thought about it before, it’s not just off the cuff, so there could have been an element of that. But I don’t think about the captaincy. A lot of people mention it and talk about it. It’s not for me to really think about, it’s for the manager to deal with. As long as we’ve got Keany in the team then the better the team will be so I’d rather not be captain for a good couple of years yet.
RI: Did Gary Neville not give you any stick saying ‘that should have been me’?
Ferdinand: Nah, I think the lads were quite happy for me, and it was nice that the manager made that stand in giving me that. When you’re given the captaincy, you can’t start thinking about other people. It’s such a poignant moment that you just think to yourself. Samewise the match, pride’s just busting out and you think, “hell, captain of United for a day”. It’s a great feeling.
RI: We saw with Mutu this season and the ban he got was less than yours…
Ferdinand: I just laughed…
RI: Did you look at that and think “that’s cos I play for United”?
Ferdinand: Yes. I think that. I told my mates that. When I first came, they were all, “what’s it like going to United?” but you can’t explain it. You can’t say how big it is. The only way I can explain it is it’s like a religion up here. United is like a religion. You go out sometimes and you get people coming up to you saying “You got a game Tuesday”. I’ve been injured and I say “nah, I’m injured mate” and they go “oh, all right then”. That’s just the way it is up here. It’s different to anywhere else I’ve been, in a good way.
RI: Did you get any grief off people on the street at all, about your ban?
Ferdinand: No, I didn’t, no. Luckily enough I didn’t get one bit of grief off any United fans regarding the issue you’re talking about. Obviously from other fans I got it everywhere I went. I had people shouting other things - that’s what I expect, it’s part and parcel of being in football. It happens, and you’ve got to deal with it.
RI: Has the way United fans reacted to all that made you feel any different about United fans?
Ferdinand: Yeah, definitely. I got to learn how much the fans thought of me while I was out definitely. When I came back to play for United, the buzz and the reception I got when I came out for the fans at Old Trafford was something that will probably live with me till I die. It just hits home how much the fans appreciate all the players regardless of what situations arise.
RI: Did you think the Sun advert before the European championships was a wise thing to do?
Ferdinand: I think that’s been taken out of context. Obviously, I’m signed to the Sun and the concept of it wasn’t to be laughing at the issue because you can’t, but it was just a way of saying that I am thinking about what’s going on, I’m not just sitting at home enjoying my life and going out partying. The advert was a tongue-in-cheek thing, and if looking deeper than that people said ‘oh, he’s laughing at the system” - if it came out like that then I apologise, but it wasn’t meant to be like that. I didn’t play for eight months but there wasn’t a day went by that I didn’t think about playing or that if I could have been playing there, I might have been able to block that shot, or I might have been able to do that. When we won the FA Cup I could have been playing in that. England went to the championships and I was in a bar in America watching a game, singing Rooney songs but at the same time, it hits home that you could actually have been there playing and involved in it. So anyone who thinks I was laughing at the situation couldn’t be further from the point.
RI: Have you ever apologised to United fans for actually missing the test? The team certainly stumbled at the back end of last season.
Ferdinand: I don’t look at it like that because I believe so strongly in the club; that United as a club, that the players that we’ve got regardless of who doesn’t play, we have got the quality players to step in and do the job. I don’t think it was the basis of me being out and I don’t want you to think I’m being modest here, but if you look at the back end of the season I think the facts will tell you that the amount of injuries we had, not just in the defensive area but other areas, and suspensions and stuff at wrong times played a large part in the outcome. I think regardless of whether I was here or not, if there’s players coming in and out of the team, no matter who’s playing, I think it’s bad for the team.
RI: But what about specifically apologising to the fans for missing the test, for the chain of events that led to you being banned for eight months. We’re not going to go into what happened on the day because either way that’s irrelevant now, we lost you for eight months.
Ferdinand: Well you can look at that two ways. At the end of the day did it warrant the eight months of the ban?
RI: No, that was because you’re United, but the point United fans see, and have asked, is “do you apologise for…?”
Ferdinand: Oh, yeah I apologise because obviously, I wasn’t responsible enough on the day [of the test]. And if that means missing eight months of football, then obviously I wasn’t responsible enough. I could go on for ages and ages, but there’s stuff happened, before with other players, the precedents that were set, and they’ve gone beyond them in my case. I take it that there’s some deep lying thing underneath of what happened.
RI: You mentioned England and the European Championship. How important is playing for England, and in comparison how important is United.
Ferdinand: Playing for United is week in, week out. You get a rapport with the fans. That’s massive for me, that’s my bread and butter. The added bonus is playing for England. When you’re growing up as a kid, being in the elite playing for your country, and being recognised as one of the best, that’s an added bonus and you just can’t put it into words. At the same time, playing for United and pulling on that United shirt is a buzz.
RI: I’m sure you’re aware of how a lot of United fans feel about England, the divisions that are there. Why did you start your ban early? Surely your first loyalty should have been to United and to have kept playing for as long as you could….
Ferdinand: People make all these assumptions… When I got banned people were saying he’s looking at three months. I was thinking, if I start my ban early, I’ll be back for the Porto games, or around that time - I can’t remember exactly. So my point of view was, if I start the ban early and get that out of the way, I’d be able to come in at the back end of the season, and hopefully we’d be able to kick on and do well.
RI: You got the ban in December and you’d already been given eight months. Ferdinand: Ah, but I was appealing then. I expected it to go down.
RI: So this decision was made without regard to the end of the season being the European championships?
Ferdinand: It had nothing to do with playing for England. Just the back end of the season. I sat down with the gaffer and discussed all this sort of stuff, the scenarios that could have happened. It was all in the interest of doing it for myself and United. It had nothing to do with anyone else. At the time, I didn’t know if I’d play for England ever again.
RI: Did you ever doubt you’d play for Untied again?
Ferdinand: No.
RI: How was Fergie with you about it?
Ferdinand: He was good. He didn’t put his arm round me or anything but he said “treat it like you’re injured. Train as hard as you can and treat it like you’re injured and consider yourself lucky that you’re not injured”. Training kept me sane cos I was going out there with the lads and when you’re injured and you can’t, there’s no worse feeling than that.
RI: So you didn’t play a single game of any description for eight months?
Ferdinand: No. We tried to play a game behind closed doors, but the FA told us we couldn’t do that either.
RI: What, with an outside team or an internal game?
Ferdinand: Nah, an internal team.
RI: United against United? And you couldn’t even do that?
Ferdinand: We had referees. If you have referees of any sort…
RI: Surely Fergie could have reffed it….
Ferdinand: He can’t run no more can he.
RI: That same thing happened to Cantona….
Ferdinand: I definitely think the Cantona case had an effect. I think I was lucky that that happened. The manager already had experience of it and he treated me with hindsight of what he had seen before.
RI: Right, your past coming back to haunt you now. You and Frank Lampard bumped into a few Reds in Magaluf in May ‘99, the night before the FA Cup Final – United were playing in Barcelona the following week.
Ferdinand: Was the Cup Final Newcastle?
RI: Yeah. One of the lads was with you in the gents, and he’s asked you who you thought was going to win, and you first said Newcastle, so he gave you a load of stick. You then said “well actually, I think United are going to win, but I hate United”. Now I suppose you can’t be faulted for that at the time but there’s an old saying that 99% of players want to sign for United and the other 1% are liars…
Ferdinand: I was the 1%. My girlfriend said to me that I’d always said ‘I hate United’ Anyone will tell you I used to say “I can’t stand them, they get on my head”, but it’s jealousy. They were doing so well and you’d like to be part of it - it’s envy as well.
RI: West Ham fans don’t really like United.
Ferdinand: It’s not because of that to be honest with you. Well I don’t know, United were doing really well and winning everything, and I just thought ‘%$£*ing hell’,
RI: So at that stage did you not think you’d be a part of all this then, especially with Wes coming through and that or did you still believe?
Ferdinand: I didn’t really think about that, I just carried on playing my football and doing as well as I could and then the situation came about and it just went from there.
RI: Is it true you’ve got a record label?
Ferdinand: Yeah.
RI: Is there one called ‘Propagangsta’?
Ferdinand: No. It’s called White Chalk Music. You see, it’s like people have a perception of me, wanting to be some kind of gangster or wanting to be a rapper or something,
RI: Finally, some quick questions. Manchester Music. New Order or Joy Division?
Ferdinand: I don’t know either of them… Tell me something they’ve done, I’ve heard of them.
RI: ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart’ is sung for Giggs, New Order did ‘World In Motion’ before Italia ’90…
Ferdinand: Yeah, them. Joy Division.
RI: Stone Roses or Happy Mondays
Ferdinand: Stone Roses.
RI: Smiths or Morrissey?
Ferdinand: Don’t like either of them to be honest. I like Stone Roses, they’re my favourite; Oasis; I like Badly Drawn Boy too.
RI: Is it a barm, a bap or a muffin?
Ferdinand: That’s a bad one…it’s a sandwich.
RI: Yeah, but what do you put it on…
Ferdinand: A roll.
RI: Ah, these southern terms, we just don’t know em.
Ferdinand: Is that it, southerners?
Ferdinand: ‘Manc’ - term of endearment or insult?
Rio: Endearment. I think.