Liverpool are on the cusp of making it two Premier League titles and one Champions League in the span of six years. What do you think are the main factors in their success in recent years?
Obviously, with the Premier League nearly wrapped up, they still, as Arne Slot said, have to focus, concentrate and get the job done. I think this is more a celebration of FSG and how they've turned Liverpool into a proper football business.
I think so often in football we see success on a football field because someone's pumped in loads of money. Sustainability isn't necessarily the issue or the outcome, I should say. I know some fans are only interested in success and they're not worried about how they get there, but quite often, fans are more disappointed by the way that money is spent at football clubs and the success might be gained but the long-term legacy and my experience at Portsmouth is probably a perfect example of that.
The long-term legacy is not good for Portsmouth and I think what FSG have done at Liverpool, by recruiting the right people in the boardroom, recruiting the right people with regards to running the club, acquiring players and managers with Klopp and Slot, were due to the right processes being in place in the first place.
How does their recent run compare to other dynasties, as of course there are clubs who have won more trophies in six years but perhaps not quite as substantial in terms of ‘value added’ and improving the team’s standing?
Of course, there are other clubs who have had more successful periods of time. But I think what we're seeing is the organic, purposefully placed people to make Liverpool a team which is traditionally used to being in this position, and a team which you would expect will continue on this pathway of picking up trophies and being successful.
With the Premier League this year, I think it's been absolutely outstanding. I know people are saying that the rest of the teams haven't been on par, but Liverpool are still on for 90 plus points, which in most seasons, absolutely most seasons of the Premier League, would be enough to win the title and if they can achieve 90 plus points this season, it doesn't matter what everyone else does. No one else was ever going to catch them.
And while they ended their long league title duck in 2020, there were still some anti-Liverpool fans who’d insist on claiming the title had an ‘asterisk’ on it due to the COVID season, despite Liverpool dominating before the lockdown kicked in. Do you think it feels good that this likely 2025 success also takes that last petty, farfetched snipe clean off the table?
Funny you should mention that. I did a stadium tour. I've never done a stadium tour before and I did one on Sunday. And when you go into the Liverpool stadium tour reception room, they were showing the Covid win. I'd never really seen it before.
But when you saw the celebration of the players, it was as if the whole city was there, even though they weren’t. The players were in that moment, and I was thinking, you've got to feel for everybody. Everyone talks about the fans not being there, but for the players not being able to celebrate with the fans. But the actual reason they won it was similar to this season. They dominated early. People couldn’t keep up with the pace. They deserve to win it, but they also deserve to celebrate it. And I think this time round, the pressure of staying at the top, and it's easy when people say, oh, you're 12 points clear, you're going to win the league, but you still have to stay clear.
People will criticise and people will say that they were fortunate, of course, because That's the nature of football, but I think their performances this season, when it's needed, they've turned on the performances, won the games in the Premier League and thoroughly deserve to be the champions providing they get the next six points.
Mohamed Salah has finally signed a new deal with Liverpool. What do you think led to this happening, given the worrying early signs and public quotes, and could this end up being their signing of the summer for next season already?
This is all down to FSG, how they plan for the future and how they plan for now. I don't know the details of the contract, of course, but I would imagine that this is right for both parties.
Mo Salah's performances have been outstanding. I think it's been his best season. I think he broke a record, on the weekend for the most goals and assists or goal involvements in one campaign in the Premier League. And he broke pre-Christmas records. If we tallied all these records up… we’re talking Ronaldo-esque here, aren’t we?
Every game there's a new record being broken, it seems. But again, this is how good he's been. I felt this from the third game in. I thought there was a change in what I was seeing in Mo Salah. But the point being is his performances might be record-breaking, but the deal has to work for Liverpool Football Club as well as Mo Salah and I know that again with the FSG planning way that this is not just because Mo's doing well, this is because it has to work for the football club.
Yes, it's the right signing because Liverpool fans are over the moon about it. All these things are lovely, but it's to make sure that Liverpool can be competing for the Premier League, for the Champions League next season and the season's coming and Mo Salah's signing will all be part of the bigger picture rather than just pleasing one player in a good vein of form at the moment.
We see in sports a lot of the time, players step it up in ‘contract years’ and cool off a bit once they’ve landed their big deal or extension. Do you think we’ll see that with Salah next season, or is his mentality completely different to the typical ‘I’ve got my bag, I’m set now’ drop-off we see from some?
If it'sjust about money, then the guy could have gone somewhere else.
I don't think this is purely about money. If Mo Salah is driven by being the best Liverpool player of all time, and I think he needs to score in the region of 30, in all competitions, 33 goals a season in the next three years to break the record for Liverpool, that might be something that he desires. Mo, like Liverpool, had to do a deal that was right for him and he was entitled to do that. So, as I say, I think both parties are going to be happy otherwise the contract wouldn't have been signed.
You have a player who is not unique. Ronaldo would be possibly the benchmark prior to him with regards to older players continuing to be fit and available and capable, with regards to goalscoring at least. But you've got a player who, if you're in that Liverpool changing room, If you're Harvey Elliott or even Jarell Quansah, one of the young players, if you're looking at Mo Salah, you're going, well, that is how I need to be, to be the best that I can be, whether I'm going to be as good as Mo is, I mean, different positions, of course, but, you know, as an athlete, as a professional, if you're looking at him as the benchmark, then as a club, you would actually want someone like that in that changing room, because that is the approach that you have to have to be the best. I don't think he's there thinking this is my last deal and I'm going to drop my tools for it. I think he's after records, which is perfect for Liverpool.
What do you make of Liverpool's incoming signing Giorgi Mamardashvili and how much of a threat does he pose to Allison's immediate future?
Obviously, for the time being, they've got a really good roster in terms of goalkeeping. Something will have to give, but there's a part in this where, and I want to say my competitiveness, I wouldn't be happy being in a position as a back-up where you've got Allison, one of the best goalkeepers in the world. Caoimhín Kelleher, has emerged as a Premier League goalkeeper. Mamardashvili, as we've seen in the Euros not too long ago, is an absolutely world-class goalkeeper. So, I wouldn't want to be in that position personally, but as a football club, you would want to have that position, providing you can keep everyone happy. And again, the nature of football has changed that you have multiple players in multiple positions. There's a lot of rotation. Ali, for one reason or another, doesn't play the full season, so there's always an opportunity.
If someone like Mamardashvili was to come in, was given an opportunity early in the season, performed at the levels that we know he's capable of, then he would say to himself, why can't I stay as number one at Liverpool? And then it would be an issue for Ali or Caoimhín, whoever else was involved in that roster, as you say. Again, we're looking at Liverpool wanting to challenge, to compete, to win European and domestic titles over the next number of years and therefore they're going to need goalkeepers who are capable of producing the form to do that.It's difficult to even try and guess. Mamardashvili is young, mid-twenties. He's got a wonderful future ahead of him. Ali has still got a wonderful future. I mean, it'skind of like the perfect storm. It would have been a much easier question to answer had Caoimhín come in for half a dozen games, played very average and then could be almost written off, but he didn't. He played marvellously and therefore Liverpool now have a dilemma, but it's a wonderful dilemma because there are plenty of clubs in England, if not in Europe, that are looking for top draw goalkeepers and Liverpool, fortunately,come the end of the season, will have three goalkeepers who I think a lot of clubs would love.
Something’sprobably got to give, and you’d think that would be Caoimhín Kelleher, but he’ll have a lot offers from top clubs who would love him as their number one.
Where do you rank Alisson among Liverpool’s all-time goalkeepers?
What a great question. I'm going to go off on one of my tangents here. I was with some Liverpool fans before the game on Sunday and they said, what do you think is going to happen? I said, well, Ali's going to make a big save early doors. We were having this conversation about how he produces big, big saves. Liverpool go out and win the game and people kind of forget that Ali made the save and I said unless you're watching the game live it'svery easy not to see it because it might not be in part of the highlight package. On the weekend again Ali produces big saves. I think the way that Liverpool play now is obviously very different historically to when they had Ray Clemence in goal, for instance. The laws of the game have changed with the removal of back passes, and more is demanded of Alisson, particularly with his feet.I know Petr Cech's got the least goals conceded in the top flight, but that was, I think, six games less than Clem. Clem conceded 16, if I'm not mistaken, in 44 games, which is ridiculous. They conceded four in the whole season. They only conceded four goals at Anfield. For Clem, the rules were very different, which would allow Ali, possibly, or other goalkeepers in today's game, The affordability of conceding less goals. But I think the way Liverpool play, Ali's influence on Liverpool's performances since he's been at the football club mean you have to put him up there as the best. I am actually a bit of a fanboy for Ali, but I just love everything he does. You know, his reading of the game, obviously the technical side of saving shots. His all-round game is absolutely superb and I can't think of a better goalkeeper in the last, what, five, six years than Alisson Becker.
What is Alisson’s best quality as a goalkeeper?
The technical side of things, he can do everything. Ederson has the assists. His kicking is slightly better than Ali's with regards to range, but I would say that Ali's all-round game is top. The technical side, he's better than anyone else. But the most important thing about Ali is his demeanour. You watch him play,he'll produce the big saves. Every now and again he might say something, but generally, you'll never know whether he's flustered or not. He's got that recovery in him where things might not go right, but then he's back on it. I think his first game, if I'm not mistaken, was Leicester. When he came to Liverpool there was a mistake and everyone was questioning whether he was the goalkeeper they should have signed, but within three games he's the best goalkeeper in the Premier League. I just think he's got this air of confidence to him.
There's a side to his game again which I think he's improved. I know he's had some injury problems, but he looks fitter. He looks like he's changed the way that he prepares for games. The level is the same, but you're looking at someone who, aesthetically, when they're changing, it means that their mindset is somewhere else in a positive way. I want to say we're going to see more of an improvement in Ali and again with Mamardashvili coming in, maybe that's the spur for Ali to think ‘my position might be under threat here’ and therefore he's responded the right way. I think this is more about the person than just the actual performances but that person is creating the best performances in the goalkeeping world.
Is Alisson the best goalkeeper in the world right now?
The caveat to that is I haven't seen all the other goalkeepers. People mention goalkeepers to me. I'll do some research on them. More often than not, They're good, but not the best. What I see with Ali is the best. As I say, when you see the performances, everything about it is top, top drawer. There's a lot of people talking about goalkeepers and none of them can lay a glove on Ali. Excuse the pun.
Can Aston Villa overcome all odds and keep this Champions League run going, despite losing the first leg to Paris Saint-Germain?
I want Villa to beat PSG. I really do. For many, many different reasons. However, Ali's performance in Paris was the best goalkeeping performance that you're going to see. It's the best one I've seen in many, many years. What PSG are doing to teams this season is basically battering them. They battered Liverpool but Ali was the unbeatable wall in Paris. They battered Aston Villa in the first leg and I can't see them not doing similar in the second leg.
It went to penalties because Liverpool arearguably the best team in England at the moment and therefore PSG were up against the best team in England at home and still managed to find a way. I think PSG are the best team in Europe at the moment. They've got the best chance of actually winning the Champions League. Unfortunately for Villa, even if they get the win, I can't see it being more than one goal and therefore PSG will go through to the semi-final.
Will we see Unai Emery head elsewhere in the summer if Villa go out of the UCL and fail to finish in the Premier League’s top five, especially with the likes of Real Madrid and Roma potentially looking for a new boss?
I think missing the top five would be, well, not okay, but given how tight it is to qualify for the top five, I think there's an acceptable rationale that Aston Villa competing in the quarter-finals of the Champions League is not something they envisaged.
This is a massive, massive season, a positive season for Aston Villa, even if PSG are to go through. If they don't finish in the top five but stay in Europe, then I think that's acceptable. If by any chance, though, to drop out of that Europa League place, then that might be the question of, well, you know, what do we do now? The fact that Marcus Rashford has come in the January transfer window, enhanced the side, and that means that Unai's got the opportunity to bring in players. Whether Marcus stays there next season or not is another question. But there is the availability for Unai to be able to change the side. If you look at the side he's got, Ollie Watkins isn't even starting every week. Last season Ollie Watkins was flavour of the month. Sothere's a lot of positivity around the club. if I were Unai, I'd be looking at it and saying, you know, we have got a great future here. If I can build on that, then we're looking at the Champions League as a regular feature for Aston Villa.
There will be no reason to want to go somewhere else. He doesn't strike me, given what's happened in his recent managerial career as the guy who's just looking for the big job. He's quite happy or he seems very comfortable and capable of making teams better rather than trying to sustain the higher ranks of the bigger clubs. I think he'll be fine.
Who is your pick for Aston Villa’s player of the season?
I think I'd have to go for Morgan Rogers. I think he's been, for a young player and arguably for someone who's been sort of chucked in, or thrown in the spotlight, more so this season obviously with England call-ups and everything like that, fantastic. Weirdly as well, when we were talking about goalkeepers before, Emi Martinez, who, again, last season was flavour of the month. I think he's only had a handful of clean sheets this season. So Villa haven't, defensively, been the best. But with the performances of Rogers in particular, I think he's helped carry the Villa team into, I wouldn't say new territories because they're European champions historically, but in a position in the modern era where they haven't been and look comfortable. It’s Morgan Rogers for me.
Could we see Morgan Rogers in a Jack Grealish-like situation off the back of this season, with interest from Europe’s biggest clubs? And if so, would it be wise for Rogers to jump now?
There's an idea as an observer that you think, why go there? I don't know any of these guys what their personal situations are at home, but if you're happy at home, happy at work, then why would you want to change that? As I say, if you look at Villa's season, if they were to get silverware, then that would be amazing. Absolutely amazing. But if they won, I mean, was it 1994 when they won the League Cup? You're looking at one of the best seasons for the likes of Rogers in his lifetime at Aston Villa.
We're talking a long time when Villa haven't had this kind of success, so why not be part of it?
If Manchester City move on from Ederson at the end of this season, which goalkeeper do you think Pep Guardiola should be looking to have succeed him?
Yeah, I think for Ederson, if you go back to last season, maybe the season before even, Ali and Eddie for me were the top two goalkeepers around, without question. I think he's had a difficult season. I think that's fair to say. A lot of off-field issues perhaps from the beginning of the season, which has been a bit of a legacy throughout the season. He seems happy, maybe that's because he's getting his assist now. But if Eddie were to move I think Stefan Ortega has proven to be a reliable number two.
However, then there’s the likes of Diogo Costa, who I really do like, I think he's a fantastic goalkeeper. He does everything that you would expect Pep's goalkeepers to do. He's got that dynamism about him, agility about him. He seems calm. But even the likes of Caoimhín Kelleher could be a suitable replacement if Pep Guardiola was looking to replace Eddie because Caoimhín, in his role for Liverpool, is essentially doing everything that Eddie does for Manchester City. Caoimhín’s got that calmness about him.He's unflappable. He's won trophies, which is a major thing. He knows how to get into those positions to win trophies. He's been involved in penalty shootouts, all the stuff that you want from a top goalkeeper. Again, sort of answers two questions in one, doesn't it, about Caoimhín.
If Liverpool needed to move one goalkeeper on, and Man City might need one. You know, you probably wouldn't even have to relocate because it's only 45 minutes down the road. You don’t often see moves like that between two title rivals, but I think this one could benefit all parties.
How should Man City approach the Club World Cup? With making 2025/26 much better than their 2024/25 season surely the priority, would it benefit them most to try and win the CWC for a big confidence boost, or would it benefit them to rest as many players as they can get away with to focus on the new season kicking off in August?
No, I would declare my first team injured and send the youth team. I think it's a joke. You've got the best players and the best teams in the world complaining about too many games, then you introduce a tournament which is the biggest World Cup competition ever. And you're trying to work out who benefits, especially when you look at some of the teams involved in it, who, as far as I can consider, haven't even compared world ranking to the stature of being involved with the best in the world. I don't like it.I felt the old format was fine. This format just looks like an opportunity for someone to make money out of players. They're being flogged for it. And it's not that players shouldn't be able to play these games, but had the teams not been complaining about too many games, I just think this a competition too far.
I know there's some obligation for being in it that you have to put your best team forward, but if they're injured, they're injured. I can't see who it benefits in a sporting contest. Again, I think it was FIFA that wanted to change the format of games. You're asking fans to travel around the world to follow their sides and I don't like it.
Are Man City the favourites in your eyes, or would a Real Madrid or Bayern Munich have your money?
Yeah, I mean, I think there's a part to this where, because it's a new format, There'll be a lot of opinions similar to mine. It'skind of like this is not going to work. However, and slightly answering your question and sort of looking forward, fast-forwarding, if you like, if it sustains itself and this becomes a regular fixture, then I think in the future you'll be looking at teams planning on going out there to win it, knowing that it's going to be a highly competitive competition.
I think at the momentit's a case of there'll be players who are just absolutely knackered. You've got sports science teams looking at recovery periods. If you're part of a team like Man City, then most of your squad's involved in international duty as well and what benefit is it to a club when the players that you depend on for nine months of the season are being compromised for one competition.So I think at the momentyou'llprobably see scratch teams going out there simply because you've got to preserve the integrity of the players for the domestic and European competitions or continental competitions that they're in, not the World Club competition.
Stick your neck out and predict how the top five of the Premier League will finish.
Obviously, Liverpool, Arsenal. I think Man City get in there for third. Newcastle, definitely, they’ll be fourth. Do you know what?
I was looking at this and I'm thinking, regarding Nottingham Forest, they'realmost like the fly in the ointment at the moment, aren't they, with regards to the sort of the prestige of the Premier League. But Aston Villa, because I think PSG will go through, I think similar to Liverpool, and yeah, it was a tricky month for Liverpool with other results, but I think that will allow Villa to focus on the Premier League. I would like them to go through against PSG. If they do that, they've still got semi-final and final play, so it's not like you've won anything by beating PSG. Similar to Liverpool, had they won that, they still would have had more games.With regards to qualifying for the Champions League, it becomes a little easier to focus on. I know with the FA Cup as well, there are still question marks, but Aston Villa ahead of Nottingham Forest.
You didn’t include Chelsea in your top five prediction, either. But do you see them as a club that can thrive in the long run by going against old habits and not panicking over short-term shortcomings? Their young squad seems ready to grow into a future force.
I think there's a lot I like about the Chelsea model. Again, right at the beginning, I'm talking about FSG and their planning for Liverpool and the successes they've had from that. The Chelsea model is fundamentally different to everything that everyone was doing when Boehly came in, but all of a sudden people are trying to copy it now, which means that the model must work some way. So the fact they got such a young squad would suggest that providing Maresca can get them working, and there's flashes of that as we've seen all the way through the season, maybe for Chelsea fans of frustration, is that there hasn't been more consistency in the higher end of that. But yeah, I mean, there's an opportunity there. With that squad to be challenging for the Premier League, if not for European competitions, of course, and not the Europa League necessarily, but the higher competition.
But I just think this year, the inconsistencies, the fact that they haven't been able to put these little runs together to actually forge themselves or cement themselves in that Champions League position. I think we're going back to just before Christmas, wasn't it, where they were a point behind Liverpool? Had a chance to go top of the table and everything went wrong from there. It was kind of like these are the moments where young players have to learn and develop and get better and there is that potential. But with regards to finishing top five, I don't see it this year.Gabby Abonglahor said to us last week, he said, if they win the Conference League, they should celebrate in the canteen. They shouldn't really do much of a celebration. Do you agree?You know, the funny thing is, when the Conference League came out, it was also ‘why they're doing this new tournament’.I'm fortunate enough to have played in Iceland. Where teams that win the Icelandic League never really get an opportunity to compete on the European top tables with the Europa League and the Champions League. And you could say, well, Chelsea don't belong in the Icelandic League, so therefore, why should they play in the Conference League? But it's a third tier, the third best competition you can have outside of domestic leagues. I mean West Ham won it and I was there in Prague when West Ham won it and it was the best moment. You know, football fans, champions of Europe. I know Chelsea are used to winning Champions Leagues, but ultimately, you know, if you're in the European competition and you can beat everyone, then you're saying, OK, we might not be the best at home, but we're better than everyone else in this competition.
Again, you've got that young squad. who need to know how to deal with European competition. Well, this might be the stepping stone that the young squad need to go win the Champions League next time. If they don't qualify this year, it might be the year after they qualify, but they'll understand the pressures and the commitment to European competition. It's perfect, yeah. Celebrating in the canteen? No, you go and celebrate out and let all your Chelsea fans know that you're champions of Europe. You can spin it as a grand slam as well. They’ll be the only team to have won all the European competitions.
You predicted Nottingham Forest would finish short of the top five, despite spending a big chunk of the season looking great in third. Sixth or seventh is something they would have absolutely taken at the start of the season, but will it feel like a huge missed opportunity if they finish sixth or seventh after threatening so much better for a long time?
I'm going to say yes because, weirdly, if all this sort of unfolded Christmas and they managed to maintain a 7th place finish, for half a season then you would say well actually they've achieved loads because we didn't expect them to be there anyway but the closer you get to the end of the season and it does look like theoretically we’re talking last game of the season to decide two or three places in that Champions League finishing position so that would seem like a bit of a blow and the only thing I would say is Nuno Santo has been really good in the way that he's dealt with the media.
He hasn't got above himself. He's been very pragmatic about everything. And I don't think that's a sign of belief that they won't do it. I just think that if he says anything else, then he'll undo a lot of the work that he's done. I just think that the teams around him, Man City, I think the weekend was a prime example of what Man City are capable of doing against a Crystal Palace side who have been in reasonably good form of late. I just think the sides around them are going to be too much, but it'll be difficult to see it as a positive. And I've been in teams where I would have much rather have dropped out of a position, do that late spurt at the end of the season, finish 7th. That's not really a true reflection of your season. You spend most of it in the mid-table, if not bottom half. I think they've done fantastically well so far. If they can stay in the Champions League, it will be the story of the season, second only to Arne Slot winning the Premier League in the first season.
Paul Pogba finds himself at a crossroads since serving his suspension. Which club do you think will end up being where he lands as he attempts to rehab his career?
First things first, he was found guilty and he served his time, even if that's been reduced. He's paid his penance, and therefore he should have a clean slate. However, with the attraction from the whole world with regards to the Premier League, I don't think the Premier League is the place that he's going to end up. I think English football would be difficult for him because he is synonymous with Manchester United in England and to go to a Championship club I think would be very difficult for him.
I see a future for him, possibly in Europe. Which leagues? I'm not sure. French League would be the natural fit. If he was to do well in the French League, I'm not suggesting PSG for one minute, that could be the pathway back to a position with a larger club. Again, because the Premier League is such a big league or the biggest league, there would be a lot of people in the Premier League who would say, let's see how he gets somewhere else. Age is against him in so many ways as well. I mean, I can't speak from any experience with regards to the circumstances he finds himself in or why he finds them. But yeah, the world is changing. The football world is changing. I wouldn't say the playing style is necessarily changing, but the quality of player is changing for sure. We're seeing a cluster of youngsters coming through which are exciting, different levels of skill and therefore the Paul Pogba of old would struggle or be at least comparable with the youngsters coming through. So, as you say, with age against him, there's a part where you've got to be realistic about what your opportunities are.
Where do you think Liam Delap will end up, after the season he’s had?
It's a really good question because, I'm looking at the type of player that he is - there's a level of versatility. Again, we're talking about a young player with tremendous abilities. And what teams have failed with a player like him? If you think... Man City, for example, wouldn't... Erling Haaland is occupying a place which is not going to be taken any time soon. Could he go to Chelsea? They've got players similar to him already at Chelsea. I think it wouldn't work necessarily.
Tottenham, I think, could work. Or even Everton. And again, this is the question that every player would ask themselves when they get in that position of possibly moving on, is what's the best club I can get and how is it going to work for me and how is it going to work for the club? Well, if you look at the Everton situation with Dominic Calvert-Lewin, his continual injury or unavailability, then you would argue someone like Delap would fit straight in. They've got a shiny new stadium coming up. There's a lot of positivity around Everton and that could be the move. It's not the side that's necessarily competing for European places or Champions League, but it is the Premier League and it is going to be a very visible position for him.
Will Gareth Southgate’s legacy as England manager improve over time nowhe’s been replaced by Thomas Tuchel? Will even the most negative England fans soften their stance on his contributions and appreciate what he did do?
The amount of times I've had these conversations with England, players generally love playing for their country. Ultimately, like club football, you can only determine whether it's good or bad if you win something or in the Premier League if you qualify for the Champions League or something like that. I think the thing with Gareth with many people... It seems quite binary. You either like him or you don't, or you think he's done well or you don't. I don't think there's too many middle ground people I've spoken to.
The way that opinion has either changed or reinforced is on how Thomas Tuchel does. If Thomas was to go on and be successful, win the World Cup, then all of a sudden Gareth wasn't good enough because we should have won the World Cup before. If Thomas doesn't, then Gareth was great because Thomas couldn't do it. I think that's kind of... Everyone's on pause.
I think he laid the groundwork, the foundations or the FA as well, to make England competitive and virtue of a couple of moments, which ultimately most sport is decided by, we're talking about an England side that still haven't won anything since ‘66. However, I think there's a belief we as fans expect realistically, rather than just expect because we had good players. As I say, if Thomas, and I like what he's done already in the first couple of games, if Thomas is to be successful, then there won't be too much talk about Gareth, naturally, because all the talk will be about Thomas Tuchel and what he's achieved.
As a footballer synonymous with video games, are you pleased that the stigma that used to surround the gaming community has softened considerably since the 1980s and 1990s? It’s a much more accepted part of society, rather than being seen as a refuge for outcasts.
I mean, I think, you know, sort of going back to my references or my involvement in playing games when I was playing, it wasn't the games that hurt my career. The reality wasn't the games, it was me. And like anything, or most things should I say, they're not harming unless you're abusing them.
My issue with games was I just getting in my own world. I have to say this, people talk about the smartphones and kids' addictions to smartphones, and how they should be reading a book. Well, if you've got a kid sat in the corner of a room for eight hours a day reading a book, then you would think there's a problem because they're just stuck in the book. And it was more the amount of time spent. Playing the game rather than the game playing itself. I think there's a healthier approach to it now because everybody does it. I mean, back in the 90s, not everybody had a PlayStation.
SoI think it was more a case with smartphones and the ability to play games pretty much on the go now. It's seen as a more natural thing to do, but it's just more about just controlling the amount of time that you play it. I mean, I learned from that as a manager, looking around my team playing PUBG, and when I saw players playing it too much, I could go and have a word with them and ask them why they were. I recognized what I was doing in other players. So, yeah, I think it's healthy.
Do you think the shift in gaming towards microtransactions and ‘pay to win’ is a good thing?
I mean, let's be right. The companies involved in creating these video games, they know what they're doing. We know why they're doing it. I go back to my childhood where we used to go down the arcades with a pocket full of pennies or 10ps and we would put our money in game machines and for a pound you might have 10 minutes of Space Invaders. Now if I told you or you told your kids here's a pound you've got 10 minutes worth of gameplay they would laugh at you. The cost of these things has come down heavily, but the access to them has vastly improved. I mean, I play a lot of games on my phones. I do not buy games anymore, I do the free games only because I know, again, I'm slightly older and more experienced, as we've said, but the reality is... That I'm doing it for a reason. That's for me to beat this game. I don't have to pay for the pleasure of me knowing that I'm doing it for a reason. There are many games out there which are worth paying for, just like the arcade games were when I was a kid. You know, I'd happily put my 10p Space Invaders and play for 30 seconds and realize I would do that because I enjoyed doing it and I don't think there's a problem with these games. The key to these games is just having control over it. You're perfectly entitled to do it. I just think youhave to educate the kids or the people who are playing it on how better to use it and control their spend. Otherwise, we wouldn't have these entertainments and some of the entertainments are great.
What do you think about the rise in technology’s use in football, overall?
I think technology, the way that it's going. Players walk out on the training pitch with an iPhone or a tablet with instructions and details on how they're going to train that day, so using the technology itself can be seen as a benefit.
I think with the introduction of AI and AR, there's an opportunity for Football to develop because of technology, in which case you're going to find a lot more players immersed in digital worlds, if you like, or a combination of reality and digital worlds. So, yeah, I think the learning has been put in place and I think the understanding by, more importantly, the people in charge of the players who are playing games, just to make sure that they're doing it for the right amount of time and getting the best benefits.
(EXTRA) David James on how gaming and exercise have complimented one another for him
So I love doing gym bike. I do, if I can, I do an hour a day. It keeps me sane and it stops me putting weight on. I started playing when I was exercising, I could jump on a gym bike for an hour, an hour and a half. Sometimes I might do two hours and I was just like, yeah, I'm a player. This is keeping me fit. I didn't need anything. Maybe a bit of music in the background, that’s it. When I stopped playing, I'd jump on a bike and I'd be like, why am I doing this? I'm not playing anymore. I don't need to be fit and I got into the habit of not doing the exercise. Then I thought ‘actually I need to start exercising’.So the only way that I could do it was by playing Candy Crush. I got to level 1000 on Candy and then I was like sitting down after the bike playing Candy Crush. I was like, why am I playing Candy Crush? So I've sort of been going through all these different phases. It's a companion, isn't it?
It is a companion to the workout. One has to be done and I have to occupy myself while I do it. I've still got a PlayStation 4 somewhere. So I dug the PlayStation 4 out and played Ridge Racer on PlayStation 4 while doing a gym bike. I was slowing down on corners and leaning. You can imagine me on a gym bike and leaning.
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