Did you know you were one of FFT’s very first subjects for ‘Boy’s A Bit Special’ back in 1994?
No I didn’t, so it was a lovely surprise to be told that and to be asked to feature in FFT’s anniversary edition. When I played seems like a lifetime ago, so the fact that you’re still going strong is fantastic. There were loads of different football magazines at the time, such as Shoot and Match – that was part of the culture back then. But FourFourTwo was and is very special.
Your dad is Mike Summerbee, a legendary player for Manchester City who also made eight senior appearances for England. Is that a help or a hindrance for a youngster coming through?
I didn’t know any different really, but being brought up in Manchester and going to watch City as a youngster, it was clear how much he meant to the supporters. I’d always had that in my life, so it came as no surprise to me, as I made my first steps in the game, that comparisons were drawn between us. That was always going to happen and I just had to accept it – I tried to not let it affect me either way.
You began your Swindon career at a very dramatic time: promotion in 1989-90 was blocked due to financial mismanagement. What was that like to experience?
Well, Swindon aren’t a big club now and they weren’t back then. I don’t say that with any disrespect, though – on the contrary, in fact. The players and managers who the club were able to attract in that era were amazing. Lou Macari was the gaffer when I first went there – ex-Scotland, Celtic and Manchester United, so a huge name. Then Ossie Ardiles came in as manager – a World Cup winner and an absolute legend. Of course, there was some strange financial stuff going on behind the scenes, but as footballers – especially as a young player – you don’t know about any of that. I was focused on trying to break into the first team.
Denne historien er fra November 2024-utgaven av FourFourTwo UK.
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Denne historien er fra November 2024-utgaven av FourFourTwo UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
"THE PLAYERS DIDN'T SEE KEVIN KEEGAN'S 'MELTDOWN' AS ANYTHING NEGATIVE. WE LOVED HIM FOR HIS PASSION"
The Geordie recalls King Kev's rant, shares his love for Ossie Ardiles and reveals what it's like to cross the Tyne-Wear divide
"HODDLE HAD BEEN PLAYING FOR MONACO UNDER WENGER, SO WE COULDN'T BELIEVE IT WHEN HE JOINED SWINDON HE WAS LIGHT-YEARS AHEAD!"
The tireless winger opens up on playing in his dad's shadow and making the wrong kind of headlines at Sunderland...
"I'M PROUD TO BE THE FIRST AFRICAN IN THE PREMIER LEAGUE - BUT LOOK WHO CAME LATER"
FFT chats to the three Boy's A Bit Special stars of Issue 1: first, a humble hotshot on rejecting Arsenal and being 'Nuddy'
AROUND THE GROUNDS
Rangers' in-form keeper tells FFT he has his sights set on a Three Lions recall
WHY MESSI'S ARGENTINA HAD TO GET 'WORSE' TO CONQUER WORLD
The Albiceleste didn't have their most talented squad in 2022, and their star wasn't at his absolute peak - but 4-4-2 helped them to win anyway...
WHY 1999 WAS THE FINEST MOMENT FOR 4-4-2... AND SIR ALEX FERGUSON
Manchester United swept to a famous Treble thanks to the management skills of their legendary boss - and a formation that suited them perfectly
HOW THE 4-4-2 BECAME BRITISH FOOTBALL'S MOST ICONIC FORMATION
A system of playing inspired the name for this very magazine - on these shores, for numerous reasons, it's football heritage
FINDING DIEGO
A little over a year before his untimely death at the age of 60, Diego Maradona was managing Mexican second-tier side Dorados de Sinaloa - FourFourTwo went deep into drug cartel country to track him down
RESPECT
That's what women's football demands more than anything. Its status has grown exponentially during FourFourTwo's lifetime, but finally the long and arduous battle for recognition is starting to pay dividends
EL TEL THE MAN WHO HELPED TO LAUNCH FourFourTwo
Terry Venables was the cover star for FFT's launch issue in 1994 a year after his death, former players pay tribute to one of the finest managers Britain has ever produced