 Hello, you're listening to the official AFC Bournemouth podcast and very welcome you are to the latest episode in our series and with the five star ratings racking up it's no wonder you've chosen to join us. Thank you for finding us, particularly if it's your first time dipping into one of our episodes as we uncover some of the stories of the personalities that make up the heart of AFC Bournemouth. This is Chris Temple, Cherry's commentator for BBC Radio Solent and AFCB TV and alongside me once again on the podcast is AFCB journalist Neil Perret. Neil, hello. Hello Chris. You can tell me I'm a very important guest today Neil because we're in the boardroom and riff-raff like you and I don't normally hang around in places like this. No we don't. I think I'm looking forward to the fillet steak and the red wine when it arrives you know when that will be. That's a staple, yeah I would imagine half time. We don't have half time, that's a bit of a problem. Well let's move straight on with our guest for this episode shall we. He's one of the most recent arrivals to Vitality Stadium and after a whirlwind first few weeks today is a chance to find out a bit more about the player, the coach and the man behind the initials JW on the Cherry's track suit. It's a warm welcome to the gaffer head coach Jonathan Woodgate. Afternoon, afternoon guys. It's great to have you with us thank you for spending some time amongst a very busy schedule of games. We're going to crack straight on because there is so much to get through Jonathan and we're going to come on to your time here a little bit later but we're going to start right back at the beginning if that's all right. We're all started. Born in Nunnthorpe near Middlesbrough what are your earliest memories of growing up and maybe being thrown a football for the first time? Earliest memories for me in Nunnthorpe Middlesbrough was just kicking balls about on the street, kicking balls against the garage door, neighbours going crazy because I'm making a racket outside and you know every time you'd go somewhere was it you'd walk to the shop you'd have a ball where you'd go at the park you'd have a ball you'd go playing the woods you'd have football so that was just the area I grew up in. There was a lot of kids in the same estate as me and it was a great time growing up to be honest with you with everyone on the on the street at the time and it's not it's not the same anymore now kids can't really play out till all I was my mom used to shelf dinners ready she used to call out the door and I'd be straight in dinner then I'd be out again football again so it was just that as a as a young kid growing up that's all I wanted to do. I guess this is a slightly silly question given that the North East is a hotbed for football but what members of your family were your inspirations and was there other football interest in your family? Yeah my father was a massive Middlesbrough fan my mother's from Seam which is near Sunderland and she was a Sunderland fan as was my my mom's side was he was a Sunderland fan my dad's side was Middlesbrough so I ended up being Borough I used to go to the games from from 1986 onwards really when every single week with my dad to the home games and loved it absolutely loved going to Wesson Park loved then going to the Riverside and watching all the special talented players and my dad didn't always push me into playing it I just really loved playing the game. Did your mom ever try and drag you up the coast of Sunderland before you got hooked on Middlesbrough? It's another sale man I mean I didn't ever say it wasn't on me dad you're a Borough fan son you used to get two did I hear in another podcast you used to get two burgers on the way to the game that was one of your standout memories yeah well my granddad used to live right close to the stadium Brompton Street because the Erson Park was right in the centre Erson Park and my my granddad lived on Brompton Street so we used to park the car outside go to Brompton Street watch certain grieves on the telly walk down the cobble the cobble streets and there was always a burger van in the exact place I'd go to have two burgers and straight in the ground great times for you great times and when you're a kid like you don't dream that you're going to play for the town you're going to captain them so you fulfilled dreams. Chris and I once attended the first game we went to was at Pheathams Darlington's home ground and Chris said here we are on Teeside and he got absolute daggers from all the locals would you say you're a Teeside or a North Yorkshire man no I'm Teeside definitely yeah I'm yeah Middlesbrough Middlesbrough Teeside it's it's covered is North Yorkshire now but I'm a Teeside. Second question it's probably not overly relevant to your career but we understand you were introduced to the delights of Shay Fred recently the award-winning fishing chipshop in Westbourne now one of our colleagues has a criticism there's no gravy did you agree with that yeah there wasn't any gravy actually and northern boys like a bit of gravy don't they and when I when I go up north I always I love fishing chips we have a one round in red car called Sea Breeze oh it's unbelievable unbelievable Harry told me to go to Shea Fred it was nice it's pretty similar to red car yeah it sure was. No they weren't too expensive because the first time I come down here my Mrs got a pepperoni pizza was £18 and I couldn't believe it I felt like she didn't take that back how big was it like that big no but the places were quite similar so that was a surprise. Now this is quite a long one but it's it's going back to when you first started going to watch games and I understand you followed Borough first of all in the late 1980s now Bournemouth supporters. Very fond memories that's exactly what I was going to come on to here we go Stephen Pairs, Gary Parkinson, Alan Kernigan, Colin Cooper, Tony Moebray, Gary Palaster, Gary Hamilton, Paul Kerr, David Hodgson, Bernie Slavin and Archie Stevens with a starting 11 in a game here in the March of that season that Bournemouth won on their way to the title just give us your memories of those early days. Well then that team I could name off by that that was a team I loved adored and it's everything I wanted to be when I grew up watching that team play because they're the manager in Bruce Ryock with the assistant and Colin Todd I was only eight six what was yeah was it again eight that was 86 87. 86 so I'm I'm six seven year old but I knew everything about the team had all the pictures on the walls all the autographs because after games I used to wait for autographs and you know they meant the work that made have my walls and that was just the love you had for that team but as well with the the two center arts I used to be Gary Palaster he was my he was my idol growing up because he was a center back and you know I've Tony Moebray's been my manager so I've met these people in person I named a horse after Archie Stevens which again I mean I'm meeting these people I know Archie he lives up in upstokes away and I wanna and I know him but I meet these legends like when I was a young kid growing up now and I'm meeting them and speaking them it's it's really really surreal but that team then was fantastic but I remember you were in the title like yeah I remember it we can't let that go past without that's when that's when three got promoted if I remember rightly sorry three got promoted and the rest were promotions is that right sorry we won the title not pass yeah we won the title yeah you're right we won the title is that right I'm sure three went up and it was four for playoffs think it you think you're right we only looked at the top yeah the horse named after Archie Stevens might have some racing fans listen just just tell us about that were you a big racing man were you yeah well we had a syndicate mean a few few friends and the other friend I was in it called Steve Seed he was he's a massive Middlesbrough fan huge Middlesbrough fan so it was a joint effort I'd say between me and him it Archie Stevens he used to stand it wasn't a great one to be honest I used to stand in the whole gate shouting Archie Stevens so we named after him I guess at that time under under Bruce Ryock you went on to win back-to-back promotions at Middlesbrough how much did the success of that team not just the fact they were your idols but the fact they were winning and getting promoted how much did that fuel your fire that's the buzz you get when you're a young kid and and you know your local teams winning games and climbing the leagues there's nothing better and they kept on doing that constantly I mean the team a few um a few players changed but it was them it was like the the basic of that squads did all the way through and Colin Coop we come in England the National Guy Palace of Shorter Man United so a lot of them really fulfilled the potential let's move it on from you kicking around in the street then to to play for non-thorpe athletic tell us about that and the the early I guess organized football that you're involved in yeah well I didn't even know I didn't even know they had teams then because I must have been about 10 year old now they're playing a four-year-old so I was 10 year old and I remember two of my friends used to play on the street I said come on come on join this team we've joined so I went up walked up there and they were a year above me so I had to play with a year above because I didn't have a younger team so I always played a year above myself not because of I was good just by chance really but I tell you what I didn't have to bring you on because you're playing against more physical players and yeah went went and unthought when we used to get trounced every week and then we started winning and then we started winning and winning and winning and that was a that was a really good time that just you enjoyed football you absolutely adored it you know your parents are there trying to make money for the track suits and stuff and selling teas and selling oranges and bobbles and all that still happens now I my son's team we have it now do me and Spike Graham Lee do the coaching for our under nine team so we really enjoy that I can't do it the minute but it's great times to be honest with you but as a childhood as a child child there as a kid growing up playing for that local team then going on and on was was brilliant just going on despite your affiliations with Middlesbrough Wikipedia says that that was your first professional club now that's not quite right is it well I started off at Middlesbrough and there's some I'm ringing you on a Friday night saying can you play on a Saturday and my dad was like no he's already agreed to play with his his local team so we didn't want to let my local team down I would give our word to who we play for so then different clubs come and watch the team I'd moved to Martin at this time which was a really successful team dropped down on my own age and then other scouts come and watch him on United Forest Leeds you name it every scout was coming to them games you obviously got scouted by Leeds it's how you ended up there yeah I got scouted by Leeds I went there lots on trial but absolutely loved it I had an affiliation with the club the first time I went down everyone was friendly and I and I got stuck in and that's what you've got to do especially at a young age you've got to go there with a full of enthusiasm and look to look to get in amongst it I know I know it's a source of frustration that you didn't win a great deal in your professional career and you talk about the league cup but you often forget about the FA youth cup which is winning that is some achievement as well normally when you win the FA youth cup the brunt of them players are going to go and have successful careers that doesn't really happen now because of the the foreigners have been bought into the Premier League but a lot of the younger players you win the FA youth cup you've got a whole better talent coming from and we we had that in that team there's a lot of good players came from like Harry Cure, Paul Robinson, Alan Smith, Alan Mabry and others who went on to do well Lee Matthews who's now an agent but a lot of that team went on to to play Ian Hart and Warren Feeney who are two ex Bournemouth players obviously we're trying to keep this as local as we can I know you played with Ian did you have a cross paths with Warren as well who's Stephen Perchers his brother? Yeah Feeno was below me so I had a good relationship with Feeno he's a good lad you know what Feeno is like he's a heart and soul and everything really he texts me for I was coming down here and you said it's a fantastic club so yeah I've got his number and I've texted him the other time Hart you have we have had a few holidays with Hart he's different destinations but he was an unbelievable left-back unbelievable leader and but one friendly game he's got a hat-trick of free kicks against Huddersfield in the preseason friendly but what a player what a left foot he had he was brilliant when he came in he was well wonny you could do a few set pieces here couldn't you at the minute? Yeah I could do that left foot just talking about another heart who was pivotal in your early career Paul Hart I know that you said he was quite a scary man and just tell us a bit story about how he told you have to improve your heading yeah well I remember so we went to the Dallas Cup and I was a 15 year old kid playing I'd say in a under 19 tournament it was my first tournament and I was really nervous going to it like the training session before I was like oh my god and I remember I couldn't pass the ball come to the games I was absolutely perfect and I played really really well against Vastodegama and Santos and Sao Paulo and I was I was very good so anyway we go back to England and they offer me a pro contract at the age of 15 and say right when you're 17 you're going to turn pro brilliant all agreed so then I go to Leeds I've signed my YTS but I've signed my pro form Paul Apples man he says call me ghost said ghost that's because I spewed up when we're doing some runs at the early days so he calls me he said ghost he said uh you might not be getting this pro contract I went oh why is that he went because you can't add the ball I went I can Paul I can do it he said you're not doing it at the minute you're not aggressive enough to do it so he had me out afternoons practice practice practice practice just to become better in the air because the center half part I was playing against playing with called Damian Lynch was smaller than me but he was unbelievable in the air and I was watching him in some of the games going how are you doing that then one game of me just went boom just clicked so it was the aggression it was the time and it was the height I was jumping at and it all just fell into place ended up getting the pro contract because of Paul getting me out there on afternoon doing it and doing it and practice I know it's difficult now with the all the stuff going on about heading and stuff but it's a massive part of the game so I don't know what they're going to do with it in the long run you must have read my next question it's a very serious and a very topical subject at the moment in light of Gordon McQueen's recent dementia diagnosis and other players in now there are some age groups at this football club where heading is banned already and some of the younger age groups just give us your you've got a young son who plays football what's your take on all of that yeah I think in in younger ages it has to be the kinds that head in balls or if they're going to head something head a really light ball like the the green ball do you know when you're playing on the inside and indoors you can get them balls which you can you can head but I think it's a a lot different now and you know it how much evidence is that in into this I think we need to look harder and and look firmer to see what it really is with it it hasn't obviously been being good in the past but unfortunately it's part of the game so they'll have to come up with something look and fold at 18 you had played in the Premier League you played in the UEFA Cup you played in the League Cup played in the FA Cup you'd scored in the Premier League and you'd been sent off in the FA Cup what kept you what what what kept you it's not a bad question it's not a bad question to be fair 18 you're all playing the Premier League and I think I was you did you say you were for club that I think I made my England debut 18 as well didn't I so yeah I don't think there's many players who do that at this age now but you need a manager who's got who's got bottle to put you in there and and David O'Leary done that George Graham was a manager before he always had us training amongst the first team and we obviously to try and make an impression but when David O'Leary came in he put numbers in the first team and you know takes a manager with bottle to to do that so if it wasn't for them I might not have got my chance Is it staying on that theme of being a teenager and being at the top level your England debut as you mentioned was against Bolgaria in 1999 Kevin Keegan chucked you in Gareth Southgate of course at the minute is not a verse to throwing young guys in he played in that game I think I'm right saying but it was it wasn't really the dumb thing back then to throw teenagers in for England was it no especially in a qualifier European qualifier but Kevin Keegan had been watching me that season and he was pleased what he's seen I was high in confidence I was playing some good football to be honest with you so looking back now I think I deserved my my chance at that age because in my view I was was good enough maybe not on the on the outside it might look not look I was the most confident but on the inside I was had a real ambition and I was resolute and I knew what I wanted As part of that leads team I mean it was a good team you obviously spent a bit of money you know you've spoken very highly about Rio Ferdinand who of course was was here as well as a young player did you expect with the players you had to have the amount of success that you had with the Champions League runs and you went for carbon success there was no success because we didn't win a trophy all right we've got the Champions League semi-final and you have a cup semi-final but we didn't win the thing so you can you can you can see all you want but for me that's not success success is winning trophies okay we had a good running it made a few positive seasons and you know I can imagine being a Leeds fan at that time because our team was just flamboying it was aggressive we had a lot of young kids coming through together and it was more like playing with your friends to be honest with you because I'd been brought up with them all through the Eufranks and then we started to buy Rio and Robbie Fowler and Robbie King we used to buy it they're all English young hungry players so you can imagine you can imagine the banter in the dressing room it was unbelievable tight to be honest with you but that was the one thing we didn't win anything so you can't be a great team I suppose the trophies is the the ultimate marker Neil and I when we were looking through some of the results of that Champions League campaign you reached the semis in in 2000-2001 you came through groups that included Barcelona AC Milan and Real Madrid you've got through those groups your last game was against Lazio I guess for you though that the injury that robbed you of the chance of playing in the quarters in the semis is that is that one of the things you look back on the frustration it's one of them things isn't it you get you have to get over it it's happened in my career many times so you become used to it it's not nice but you move on you go on with it and when you do get injured you think yourself I'll come back fitter faster and stronger it's difficult when you get older but when you're younger you have that bit between your teeth but like I said them them runs at that time were unbelievable the night at Ellen Road the atmosphere from the fans what a stadium that is when it's full by the way and I'm gutted this year that they haven't had their fans there because I'm telling you now that place would be rocking with the football their players well how exciting they are they'll be jam packed every week you talk about the the team the league great leads team being assembled but it was also dismantled eventually as well and on January 2003 you were sold to Newcastle to to race funds for the club that must have been quite an unsettling period in your career because I understand Terry Venables also left the club because he disagreed so much with your your sale yeah um I think it was a tough tough period in the in the club's history really and I think pete ridsdale did unbelievable for that football club but we just pushed that little too far and we finished fourth that year when we need to finish third it was top three then they got Champions League we finished fourth in the Premier League I think we missed out by a point or something but we chased the dream that's what the club did chase the dream okay we got so far but we didn't reach the pinnacle we didn't reach the top of the mountain and then it just slowly folded I think we sold Rio that year for 30 million a man united our one in the January transfer window in Newcastle and I didn't want to leave I wanted to stay I think Harry Cure was sold Lee Boyer Fowler came and everyone was going and then the year after Leeds were Leeds were really struggling but it was a time where I remember getting told in the gym that they've accepted a bid for you off my age and I want to listen I don't want to go I'm out here I love playing for Leeds and I love the the club because I did have I did actually when people say I love the club and all I actually did because I'd been there since one so young signed out at 14 year old and and come all the way through I loved it and but I was told listen you've got to leave all the club might go further down and and there was a lot more money and you know I didn't want to see that happen has that been a lesson do you think as footballers I know everything's changed and the money's changed infinitely since then but of Leeds and what happened and how much they threw at it to chase the dream and how it went wrong from there I think of Portsmouth down the road did something very similar is that a lesson for other clubs to what yeah I think so yeah you can on banking on getting somewhere you can basically sometimes it's a flick of a coin and we try to do that that was the biggest thing and look where they ended up they'll end up in league one and now they're back in the Premier League after what 20 odd year such a thing that you shouldn't you shouldn't do okay we chased it as a manager as well now you would have you would have learned from that experience when you were a player so when a player you know you call a player into your office and say wherever you are I don't know you know we've got to sell you to balance the books or all that and he might tell me and say well I don't want to go so you've been on that on the other end of that yeah I think my view and working with players is just be honest with them whether they like it or not they'll appreciate it later on and say well at least he told me the truth and at least he was honest with me I don't want to talk a lot about the players when they come to my office I'd have just tell them tell them straight at the minute I haven't told players they need to leave when I was at Middlesbrough I was at Bournemouth so that's that's been okay I've got to tell players why they're not playing and they've got to respect that and sometimes it's not easy but if you're honest with them and tell them the truth why they're not playing they should understand T-Sider moving to Geordie Land what was that like how did that go? It was alright to be fair to be fair the when I went to Newcastle I probably played my best footballer when I was at Newcastle I had a manager and Bobby Robson who just was off the scale and giving you confidence just a man manager just absolutely first class how he dealt with you and okay at times he did give you a roll again but he's come out the office after him giving you the roll again you still feel ten foot tall because what he said you're after the roll again but he's very honest so he was enthusiastic on the training pitch enthusiastic with all his plays and it was one of them managers he's really want to you want to play for want to work as hard as you can for remember at dinner times we all used to sit we all used to have to wait for him to eat so he'd have to be the first one up so we'd all wait near me King Dyer Bellamy Shira Gary Speed all sat there at the table like a bit like out of an Oliver scene and he says right boys you can eat so then we go go up and eat and then we'd have to wait until the heat finished so when he finished he could see we'd all go so again we've all dead quick Bobby was a bit like slow eating his food and then he'd say right you can go boys all often so you couldn't do that now no chance of doing that now right lad stay there until I've eaten they'll be like yeah Steve Fletcher sit there yeah no chance you've spoken about that atmosphere at Ellen Road but everybody knows that St James's Park is as good as better worse yeah I wouldn't say it is it is it is good but they had 56,000 in there when they do raw they don't have raw and they've got massive expectations at that football club huge expectations and we were in the Champions League at the time as well and we were up there fighting for I wouldn't say they never really looked like we're in the league but we're up there third fourth giving it a go on our day we're a really really good team but that is a hot bed that is a goldfish water living you talk about different areas in the country and that wow that's one city one team one city one team but like Leeds so I'm used to living in that pressure situation where it's a goldfish ball environment and the fans wouldn't do so well and the passionate and every time I see a Newcastle fan this or you're the best centre half we've seen at Newcastle blah blah blah I'm like well all right I don't need any more of that but no the fans would brilliant with me from one city one team to one city two major teams anyway because from Newcastle to to Real Madrid um just just talk us through the background of how it all came about how much of a surprise it was when they were interested yeah they were we were playing in the way for Cup that season against a lot of big teams and I knew my agent told me said they're watching you they keep an eye on you um and that season I got injured against Chelsea so far that was the end of that and anyway they bought Walter Sanwell Real Madrid it was it was playing for him a lot of time Argentinian defender top draw he was I said well that's that's definitely not happening so anyway I got a phone call off my agent and I'm walking down the steps and would be the famous steps and would be and I'm walking down them at the time and he around me said Real Madrid are going to bid for you tomorrow what you want to do well I nearly I nearly fell down the steps I said well what do you what do you think I want to do I want to I want to go I want to play for the biggest team in the world I said right well they're going to bid for you they're going to bid for you there might be a few problems Newcastle's and they might want a bit more money I said well let's see but if the bid's right then I 100% want to go but then of course when you did go um you didn't play for 12 months um you got injured you tried to come back you got injured again I mean that is as tough as it gets isn't it as a player and not only in a new club the biggest club yeah it's an absolute nightmare and like when players get injured here now or at Middlesbrough and I was there it's heartbreaking to be honest with you because I'm at the biggest club in the world playing my best football that I've played and I couldn't do it being there on the big stage what you've dreamed of as a kid and it was I look back now and I think whatever I couldn't do nothing about it but I wish my body had stood up to it I come back to early and probably that was my eagerness of coming back to early I want to get back I want to get back and my thigh had ripped again at times I don't think I was diagnosed right because I was come back to early so obviously I wasn't get I wasn't getting diagnosed right because I was come back to early um and yeah it took me a year to make my debut and yeah I'm walking the train ground every day I'm embarrassed I'm embarrassed to to look at other players and stuff and it was a really tough time then you don't realize how tough it was but it was tough living there on my own I did find it difficult but you have to get on with it you have to you have to deal with it and I try to learn the language and I try to fit in with as many players as I could because I thought that was not really important of me learning trying to fit into their culture learning the language doing what they do because I wasn't playing so I couldn't build relationships on the pitch I try and do it off the pitch and whenever I saw the players try and make little mistakes so you have a little conversation with them you have a little laugh and just try to be affable with them all yeah and it worked to be honest with you I had good relationship with them all the real situation I was in and they realized how hard I was working to try and get back and that was the biggest thing for me and I was proud when I got back because it was difficult obviously Michael Owen I think I'm right I said enjoying the week before you is that right yeah he was yeah very similar time anyway David Beckham obviously was already there how good were they for you or not in the case and and was there that I guess you say getting on with all the lads was a bit of you that's the default of hanging around with the English lads that a bit of a safety net nah well I wasn't like that I was I probably hang about with the foreign lads a bit more David was top man over there Michael was I still speak to Michael now but very much um how do I how do I how do I say it they're not as outgoing as me do you know me they're not they're not as outgoing and I'd have conversations with someone because I'm not bothered about making mistakes to be honest with you and I wanted to get to know them where they could build relationships on a pitch so I do it a different way um but yeah they were they were fantastic for three English lads to be at Real Madrid at that time was was unbelievable but I had good relationship with the Brazilian lads who were fantastic for me especially being injured that time um Michelle Salgado was was also very good but I can't speak highly enough of that bunch of that world-class bunch they were so easy to get on with and there was no big egos because they all know they're good players but they don't show it and they haven't got egos just get on with the work and do it I like a glass of riocca and I sometimes have a glass of coke as well is it true that they put the two together in Spain uh yeah yeah the dude's called Cali Mocho I still drink it now I still drink it now and I named another horse called Barolo top was he any better than the other one he wasn't too good so what's that taste like nice have a taste of it it's quite nice you know seriously when I say to people have a go of it they're like what's the measures are we talking here not a full large guy you're probably half you're half he's talking not half of no not half a bottle of wine so half a glass of wine bit of coke bit of ice in there as well it's nice have you seen Neil's measures it would be off a bowl and what what would you have eaten with that what could you make out there did you learn to cook spanish and stuff yeah I can cook I wouldn't say I'm a great cooking paella like but I can cook um I think it's important when you when I've moved around so many times in my life that it's important I cook I don't just see my wife cooking all the time I enjoy cooking so it's good for me as well every young footballers dream would be to play and make their debut for Real Madrid and you would be talking about this one the famous debut I would tell I know have you ever been in an interview about Real Madrid where it hasn't been asked no but all I say what was your Real Madrid debut like exactly that's the point I'm making I would have given one second to play one professional football match yeah so okay talk us through it yeah I remember a couple of days before one day Luxembourg or September you're gonna play so get your parents over so parents came to the game night before a game it was always in a hotel so we'd always go to the local hotel and before every single game whether it'd be a practice game friendly game preseason league game whatever game I'm always nervous the night before and I'm talking like myself like I'm a better wake up in the morning like and your belly starts and this is a night here my belly started and rumbling and I've just got butterflies all day my belly as soon as I get the game I'm absolutely perfect as soon as I cross the right line not a problem I think I'm the I'm the best player there in the next minute I just see this ball flying towards me I think go and deflect it away obviously I'd been out for a year didn't have my didn't know where I was on the pitch deflects in the goal and I think myself oh my god against athletic core build about 100,000 people in the stadium that's one of the ground to wake me up I remember one of the players picking me off the floor pav on come on pick me said come on let's get going anyway start playing again got a yellow card should have been in red there was a horrendous tackle because I'm not up for it charged whatever should have been in red second half comes anyway I remember uh want the forward knock on the ball past me I've just body checked him and sprinted after it and got the ball off all good bit of defending that keep on going keep on going the next minute the referee charges over and they're quite aggressive the Spanish referees and I'm seeing him what marching towards him I'm like oh no he's going to get the yellow out and take him slow more she's went slow yellow card remember like Roberto Carlos Rabinho all of them players surrounding the referee he's went off so I remember walking off and the whole stadium applauded me off the pitch I couldn't believe it I couldn't believe it they all like the whole stadium applauded me off I was like wow wow and then we were getting beat to one at the time we actually won it I think four two in the end so that was that was good that we won and after the game I'm lying there in the in the dressing room and Ronaldo comes and he says how are you I say as you can imagine obviously devastated he went don't worry about what you fit your legs fine you can you can play on you can kick on from here so yeah from going from a horrendous minute to making your debut we're getting applauded off by all them fans special so you um you obviously learned to to speak some Spanish so did you pick up all the local news all the national newspapers the next day and did you read the Spanish what they were saying about you yeah I try I read I try to read bits obviously it was difficult to understand but my mum still got all the cuttings from what the English press was saying about me and that was quite funny to be fair when you when you look back but I did try to read all the the newspapers pedigod because they're called um so I try to read all them and you just try to improve got a bit of stick what if it ducks back I've been offered here talking about every schoolboy's dream to play for real Madrid it's every schoolboy's dream just to get an autograph of someone like Ronaldo Figo Zidane Roberto Carlos and Raul and you you played with them all you've spoken about how good Ronaldo was I think the Brazilian lads were we're really good with you as well just expand on that yeah they were they were top draw like um after games and that we used to go to restaurants and so even if their family were there we used to go around and and just sit with them and just have a good time if my friends came over we'd go to Ronaldo's house so you can imagine my friends are coming over from England like 22 year old lads who were maybe labouring or whatever or joiners or welders and the next minute there were Ronaldo's house playing pool with him you know that you can picture them you can just picture the Kanye but the Brazilians are that like likable and they're just normal all I want to do is have a good time on the pitch that they're a different a different ball game they're like off the pitch they just want to enjoy themselves and they really helped to be honest with you because I didn't I wasn't that that lonely I go on there I have tea or whatever and enjoy it um the mental side of going to a dressing room like that did you have any issue I know you had your injury issues believing you were good enough to be in that dressing you know you're just allowed for a Middlesbrough you know that's what you'd say I'm sure that you deserve to be in that dressing room with those kind of world-class players you have to get yourself mentally to the right level like I said on the inside or on the outside I didn't look so like that but on the inside I had been in desire to be the best defender in the world and I believed 100% that I was I was right for that club and right to play with them players um you have to believe in yourself you have to have that in the drive um unfortunately I couldn't really couldn't do it because of of the injury at the time but yeah I definitely believed in myself no doubt about that yeah you went on to play with a young Sergio Ramos at centre back didn't you he was just coming through I think as a as a teenager then did you have a little inkling then that he'd be as as good as he turned out Sergio came on the second season from Seville um and I knew he was going to be a special player he was a very more individual defender as a more team defender but he was playing right back centre back he even played centre midfield against Rosenberg but you could see he was going to be an outstanding outstanding talent and once he got something like 182 caps for Spain won a world cup two European cups two European championships four champions leagues the leaguers I don't believe was one of their biggest ever players then of course from Real Madrid alone moved back to Middlesbrough which I think I'm right in saying came as a little bit of a surprise when it all happened didn't it yeah it was a surprise because I'd done the full preseason and I was feeling fit and I was feeling really good looking forward to to cementing my place in the team and Fabio Capello took over that that uh that season I remember just walking past Fabio in the corridor then he went to me or Franco Baldini wants to see you I said I'm okay walk walk to see Franco and he went now Jonathan we want you to go on loan this season Middlesbrough want to take you on on Newcastle and I went right okay I didn't see that one coming because I just walked past the manager about five seconds later he didn't mention the word to me obviously they do a different in Spain so he ended up going to my my boyhood team fulfilling my ambition um started playing again I played most of the games that season and got back in England squad I don't know if it was specifically in that period but you mentioned embarrassment earlier on about the injury issues and I guess that you said in the context of being at Real Madrid and not being able to play for a year also hearing you speak before about embarrassment in a stadium sometimes if you had a little bit of a problem in a game and you felt like you had to come off was that was that Middlesbrough sometimes when you thought you were you were going to get stick for the fans so you played on just to avoid it it's not so much the stick it's like that you see you go down right and he was oh not again do you know what I mean so I used to try and stay out lifetime even if I'd tweak the car for a hamster I just try to get through the game and I've done it multiple occasions listen I wouldn't advise any other player to do it I just couldn't handle coming off so I had to come off half time so I didn't get that oh you should stick in my mind so he's just thinking right get through it selfish of me to be honest with you because if something had happened I might not have been able to just spin back it's not the right thing to do but I did it another chapter unfolded when you move to Spurs playing under Harry Rednapp just tell us about your time with him yeah well it started under one day Ramos bought me from Middlesbrough at 18 months at Middlesbrough and and they bought me in we won we won the league cup I had a good team playing the new A4 cup and I want to just keep on stepping up that level my worst decision I ever made in football so we've missed this was signing for Middlesbrough full time so when I went on loan from Real Madrid to Middlesbrough I should have just went on loan for the year and then gone back to Real Madrid and done it again I had another year on my contract but in the middle of that year I decided I'll stay permanently so I signed a four year contract at Middlesbrough I should never have done that I should have gone back to the biggest team in the world and and gone again but I didn't massive regret I mean have we also missed that you could have signed a five year contract with Real Madrid and went for four yeah that was doing that was the doing my medical yeah that was my medical I remember the doctor saying listen John if you have a slight back issue that we that we need to look at um we'll have to see what the chairman wants to do Florentino Perez so I hit him on the phone I'm thinking myself oh god they were speaking in the Lord of Spanish and then the doctor come off the phone went to me he said right Jonathan the chairman said they said they're giving you a five year contract we'll give you a four year contract yeah happy days happy days you signed them around yeah yeah just moving back to Spurs you obviously scored the goal in the lead cup final against a really good Chelsea team it comes across about how much of a winner winner you are and that was the only trophy you won in your professional career how where where does that rank in your career would it be top because of your yeah because you you win something um and I always want to win trophies and and to win a trophy was was unreal but when you don't you always look back you think um unfulfilled you know I mean obviously think you can't be in the right place at the right time at in different occasions but yeah to score that goal and to overcome my injuries was like the feeling when I scored that goal was oh my god I've done it if you know what I mean I've got back from all them injury issues and and got back there to score the goal and I remember all my family were there at the time and to do that was just special they've won a trophy since it's a shame I obviously you've played under Harry Redknapp and you've taken his recommendation for Shea Fred just tell us what he was like to play under yeah unbelievable it's similar Bobby Robson and Howard manager just man management each day just feel it feed your full of confidence tell you how good you've been playing could go mental as well by the way I've seen Harry Lewis's temper on a few occasions with different players and it's like it's one of them but he was a brilliant manager and I think I was I was I was really good for him when he didn't get the England job that time I thought he was nailed on to get it and Roy Hodgson got it was equally very good manager but I was just good for Harry that he didn't it didn't get that opportunity but another great person and when I'm down here I always speak to him you're being brilliant for me from one ex Bournemouth manager to another with Tony Poulis at Stoke and spoke to Asmere Begavitch about playing under Tony Poulis and asked him whether he ever got the hair dry treatment and he said who didn't did you yeah I got a couple let's say well he's he just brought me off one after 34 minutes so that just said it all really yeah but he played me he was playing me right back and he said to me before the game he said listen John I need you to do a job playing right back for me because he likes man there's a big set of halfs playing right back I said yeah no problem gaffer all do it um so we played Wolves and I went against Matt Jarvis it was goes right where he goes right side he goes left side I'm thinking right I'm right on here really revved up before the game ball goes into our thing he's getting taken out try to take him out got a yellow card next time he comes in the box he texts me on giveaway penalty so I haven't got sent off so I'm lucky anyway they missed the penalty and all I see is this number 39 number and all I see is the gaffer with his cap when he's gone come here come here John so I'm walking off I just say as I go past him I say tell you what gaffer it was the right decision you just made there he tells us story no actually it was the best decision I was getting turned left right and sent there I was getting absolutely annihilated it was the right decision for the team we ended up winning the game so no problem but I learned so much from him because I thought I'd go to stalk I was the beads knees whatever just left spares I learned so much from him in defensive organisation and in different in different things you can do and either take your manager's really really hands on and then what a job he did at stalk getting from the lower leagues and taking them up brilliant we'll come on to your management management career in depth later but has any player had the hair dryer treatment from you as a manager yeah few yeah you've got one yeah yeah there's a time and there's a place but don't do it all the time that's you can't do it all the time because it'll just go through wanting out either but yeah you have to do some rounds there's a time and a place so back to borough and then you retired was that injury or lack of prospects or yeah the management the last the last year I didn't really play and I was more of a senior player in that dressing room trying to help the few of the the players and I've been through that experience and but it was a year that the team went up under italker anger it was it was a really good manager for Middlesbrough at the time and had a lot of success he built a really good squad a strong foundation he upped the standards at that football club when I was there and he did a fantastic job just before we come on to your post playing career we I've been in the press room you know I don't know if you have when Harry Redknapper's launched a member of the media as well about a certain question this is at Portsmouth back in the day and it wasn't a good room to be in let me tell you about that so and the cameras were off at this point by the way but that was a fairly hefty hair dryer treatment for the media let alone for his players was that a different Harry Redknapper the one we saw on the Sandbanks program I don't watch that trash Neil I'm too busy with searching football with commentaries um let's come back then Jonathan to post playing life um how did you deal with that sudden lack of structure and routine and everything that a player has that's exactly what you say there routine and structures of the biggest thing I was used to from a 16 you know lad knowing what I was doing what time I'd have breakfast what time dinner training the whole shebang then it used to go evaporate and you think yourself well what am I going to do now I've done my b-licensing coaching and I got a phone call from Michael Edwards at Liverpool who when he was at Spurs was head of analysis and now I always used to spend time in the analysis department every single day me and him just just talking about football and watching clips on myself or watching different players so I'd always kept in contact with him and always had a relationship with him and he said what you doing I said you know what I'm bored aren't my brains I've been retired three weeks I've got nothing in the pipeline so listen I'm open to wherever he said do you want to come and work for Liverpool do you want to be the the uh Spanish and Portuguese scout I went didn't even ask my wife I went yeah I said I'm all over it because I used to watch the league or anywhere on the telly so I knew I have to play as anywhere so I was thinking yeah brilliant I'm all in and then did that with him for say eight months absolutely adored it absolutely adored he used to go over to to watch the games in in Spain I'd say once every two weeks maybe get four games in over the weekend period and watch a lot on on the tech scouting on on television and stuff and write reports and clip different games and I absolutely adored it and I thought it was important for me looking at my long-term plan was to be a manager but to get the recruitment in and to see what the recruitment teams do I thought that was going to be important part of my development and to learn something else learn how to clip games learn how to clip players do lots of things for to try and bring this all to for a wish and later on in your in your career just want to go on Michael Edwards obviously a link between you and bringing Gary O'Neill here as well wasn't he yeah but I knew Gazz when he was at Middlesbrough yeah of course I played with Gazz um so obviously I made inquiries to Michael how was he doing in his coaching and he he sport really highly of him so after doing that scouting for Liverpool for eight months or so then it was it was back to Middlesbrough and starting to work your way up through the the coaching ranks by the academy and things yeah well Steve Agnew brought me in because I talked about and got sacked so Agnew's rang me he said I want I want to bring you in I said well Agnews I'm at Liverpool at the minute really enjoying my role he said well you need to think what you want to do long term I said well I want to be a manager that's that's my aim that's what I want and he said well you need to make a decision so I give it a a few days and I had a few conversations with with Michael at Liverpool and I said listen I want to be a manager at the end of the day I want to I want to try and focus on my coaching and stuff I've really enjoyed my time here so then I went in as the first team coach of Middlesbrough and that was like wow the situation the club found himself in when it looked like there was a bit of split in the camp with different different types in the in the changing room which was difficult it was difficult for Agnews at the time so that was a real real learning experience for myself I had three months there and then I went to the under 18s because a new manager came in and normally they bring their they bring their own staffing and other staff members leave I went to the under 18s and started working there with Mark Tinkler again so in this space of time in a I'd say 18 month I've worked for Liverpool in recruitment I've worked at first team level and now I'm working at under 18 so I'm gaining different experience at different parts of different football clubs so I thought that was invaluable for myself as well and loved that working with the kids and really trying to improve money on a daily basis and obviously the manager that came in was was one Tony Pulas who we've we've already mentioned um obviously it didn't work out brilliantly for for him ultimately there he ended up departing as well can you remember the moment you were offered the job to be the manager of your hometown club the club you've loved yeah can I take you back a bit though yeah of course please yeah yeah so it's so when when Tony so after our under 18s games I go back home and I watch the first team game if I miss it just in case something ever happened so if a new manager came in he'd say well Jonathan Woodgates in the background team he must know what's going on in Middlesby's a brother lad so I made sure I watched every single game Tony Pulas walks in the door Garryman gets a sack Tony Pulas walks in the door and I'm like oh first thing it was he calling his office me and he wants me he wants to know everything about the team for that season so I'm obviously I'm in probably in his office now for an hour just talking about football at the end of that hour he says right you're in with me so it was easier it was like as easy as that decision was made bang you're first team coach with me so then I look back and I think myself if I hadn't watched all them games prepared properly I wouldn't have been able to give him a proper view of what I knew about the players at that time so I'm just thank God I've done that work because I might not have been in that situation yeah so I completely deleted Gary Monk from the history of Middlesby there I thought apologies for that to Gary if you're listening and obviously then ultimately the experience you built up under Tony and working as part of his team put you in a great position then to to get that job and to get that phone call from from Steve Gibson presumably to say we want you to be the manager yeah I've done 18 months coaching with Tony and learning day and day out with him he was absolutely first class for me different things that he did with me learning made me end up doing all the meetings for the players day before games and one on one meetings and you know when you're when you're going to coach I don't care who you are or what you are or what you've ever done in the game you going the first meeting with them first team players you are nervous you're nervous so he said to me I think it was half an hour before the first meeting Tony says to me right he says you're doing this meeting I'm like yeah inside I'm going oh my god try to eat my food so I ended up doing the meetings for the rest of the season the Friday before the game obviously he takes a team meeting Saturday and and stuff before games but I was doing like the presentations before games and really going through it with the full team so that stood me in good stead for what I was going to do as a manager and when I went I put in an application for the job and the interview people from everywhere and when I come to do my interview I had to nail it and we're walking out of that room now I still remember the feeling thinking to myself you've got a chance because you're absolutely nailed it what was the fan reaction as a hometown hero what was the fan reaction when you got the job I think it was quite mixed I think it was mixed because they wanted someone with a lot of experience um the one had maybe someone who the club maybe couldn't couldn't afford at the time you know there was a lot of big names getting put in and sometimes fans have pipe dreams of who they think they can get well the reality is they can't get everyone in the world um so I think it was split when I got the job when I spoke I think then it was more 70 34 and they were with me they say I wanted to play um so that was that was a real good feeling getting a lot of the backing but you know it's so you can't please everyone can you and you do and as I as I carried on in my my middle's marine I did get a lot of abuse off off a certain section of keyboard worries you just say my friends used to sell me you're getting absolutely nailed it but personal stuff you don't mind when it's about football it really comes personal about yourself then it's a different ballgame amazing attention to detail there when you were the under 18s at borough but you did all your research on the first team as well I know I was an early victim of your attention to detail in an early interview I did with you and I said you probably don't know a great deal about Arnaut Danjouma and you knew a lot more than I did about Arnaut Danjouma just just explain sort of how important that is and and you know you've got to know a lot about a lot of players yeah well of course you do yeah and when they said about Danjouma I knew everything about him because I'd watched him play I'd watched him play and I'd I'd done my research and I think that's important and even when I was even when I was doing the reports for for Liverpool or whatever I've still got a record of them so I knew exactly what I was doing it's like recently about Cameron Karvickers as soon as I got in putting interim charge he started playing because I knew what I was getting I'd seen him I'd worked on him in when we were in lockdown because I wanted to sign in at Middlesbrough so I knew what I was getting so doing them extra little bits of work where you think you might not need I didn't think I needed for this because I didn't think this opportunity would be there but you do them bits of work and they'll come back and help you so sometimes the harder you work the luckier you get in situations like that at burrow you said that in a pre-season friendly you wanted to play out from the back but you had to abandon it quite early on didn't you just explain why just because they were given stupid goals away a bit like what I've done here we aren't playing out as simple as that and if you can work on it for a long period of time when you've got the players to do okay but sometimes you encourage yourself more harm than good and I saw that of the recent games you know you can you can you can give goals away and give teams a leg up like we've showed a couple of times this season and I don't want that to happen so eliminate that and we still played good football against Preston first half against Bristol City first half and different games we haven't played out so people have this fascination about playing out we've got to do it no matter what I don't believe in it if you've got the right if you've got the perfect players and yeah and you're not conceding goals then yeah fair enough but if you are then why are you doing it your exit from burrow did it hurt more because it was your hometown club and just tell us how it sort of came about absolutely killed me wiped me out not gonna lie I got a phone call off Steve Gibson had to say seven o'clock seven o'clock in the morning he said oh where are you I said I'm on the way into work he said oh can you come and see me when you're getting oh he said he'd be in about half eight I said yes or I told the coach that the chairman wants to see me but I was still working on the game for the Saturday in my back of my mind I was thinking this is this is not going to be good anyway I went in there he said this and Jonathan I'm relieved of you of your duties not as a manager but as a as a coach and he said to me at the end this I still want you to stay at the football club I was just I was honestly I was I was devastated I can't even be getting home to be honest with you I can't remember the journey home because all I'm thinking about is well this is a whirlwind this is absolute whirlwind because it was only a couple of weeks before so a couple of weeks before lockdown we had a meeting me Steve and my coaching staff and the chief executive a restaurant in Middlesbrough and Steve went to me this is before COVID and this is before the charting game Steve goes to me if we get relegated your goodness promoted where you turn at where you turn at you get a bit of abuse but we'll go again and if we stay up even better we'll rebuild and that was to for me to hear that I was under pressure from the chairman I was like this is this is unbelievable this is this is the backing that a chairman gives you we'd be charting on the Saturday 1-0 we're going to lockdown and it's like well no one knows what's happening it's is the lead going is it not anyway we've done a lot of preparation with the players to keep them fit anyway swanji game comes we get B-3-0 and I think okay we've been B-3-0 but I've still I've still got 10 games to go I think we're three points above the the the relegations run at the time so I think yeah okay I've got the chairman's backing no problem anyway the Tuesday comes and I get that phone call I think and then he makes the decision I think it was a lot to do with what happened in COVID and the club couldn't afford to to go down with them restrictions but yeah I was absolutely devastated took me ages to get over there to be honest with ages I had to get away had to get away at the time the crazy thing is I couldn't get away because I couldn't find my passport so it was absolute nightmare anyway I went away and you know I don't really think about things and what I wanted still I'd love for the football club but yeah it took a while to get over there it was really difficult that restaurant that you would have had that meeting and it wouldn't have been Janinio's by any chance because I seem to remember Chris and I having a pizza in there and a few baby shams one night before Middlesbrough game was it that was a tonne time did you ever venture into Janinio's restaurant was it still there or was it gone I've never had one oh in Middlesbrough Town Centre I'll tell you you're talking about me I certainly don't drink baby sham going back to those keyboard warriors now what seems to happen with a manager is that they all put the boot in when he's the manager and then when he leaves oh they never should have got rid of him he was the best man for the job did you experience any of that with Middlesbrough fans that you know of you don't strike me as a sort of man that's glued to social media I know you're on Instagram but that's about it that's all I'm on it's just not it's just not nice I mean you don't mind if it's comments about the team and and whatever but when it comes personal it's a bit it's ridiculous to be honest with it's not nice and it's not nice for you your mother a reader times and she had turned the radio off a few times when people were ringing in but I suppose it's football but when people get personal it's different it comes vindictive you headed off to Ibiza when you eventually found your passport didn't you for a month that was the real getaway yeah yeah no it was I took me me the kids and my wife went um I'm lucky enough to have a place in Ibiza so we went we went there and just laid low and just you know they were in they were in a bit of lockdown as well so but I wear masks and everything but I needed I had to get away to be honest with you I had to get away from that goldfish ball of Middlesbrough because we were in lockdown I couldn't go out couldn't do a thing so I needed to to get away and if you ask any manager when they get sacked then it just need to get away and think about something different but it was tough we've had a few days with the Sun out here so you've been at a sort of established that Bournemouth knocks Ibiza into second place does it when the Sun's out with the beaches do you know what right Chris I've had two days since I've been here with Sun I can't I can't believe it everyone tell Ari Ari's Ari and Tony keep on saying me oh it's beautiful down here I've seen two days of Sun it's like it's not as bad as the northeast let me let me tell you that like the lads yesterday were freezing out there with the better rain I was like are you mad this isn't cold you want to come to Middlesbrough and see how cold it is on the training ground at Darla where Middlesbrough train it's absolutely balty you would see sometimes the lads in the training ground Totspin you can only see their eyes they're that cold they got hats everything up yeah I've got to say today by the way it's not Bournemouth as we're recording this there's wind and howling rain my kids have a t-shirt on now down the beach they wouldn't have a big jacket on you know four seven four seven wind um how much did the experience at Borough and it not ending the way you want make you even more determined to come back into the game as a manager yeah hugely hugely um but that's and to be fair I wasn't that stupid I think you're gonna get a second opportunity because I know it's so difficult to get a second opportunity in anything you really do in life so sometimes you've got to go out your comfort zone and go and do a different another challenge um and that's what happened with with Jason Jason rang me out with the blue I know uh Graham Jones went to Newcastle I didn't even think about anything and then uh Jason rang me so don't what you're doing your fans are coming down and taking Graham Jones's place and I was I was a bit gone I was like uh yeah he said yeah too right I said to learn from from Jason who'd been a successful part of Eddie I was back room team I thought was a massive massive pull to learn again to go on uh learn really more than more than anything and you know what go outside your comfort zone come six hours away from your own coach different players you're not used to coaching go and speak to people you've never met before canteen staff all staff around the building go out your comfort zone and I think it was that that was an important position to me moving forward of what I want to do it shows that I wasn't scared to come down the other end of the country and do something different shows ambition um and then do you know what when when that happened to Jason when he when he when he got really did his duties I was absolutely I was gutted because of he took a chance in me to to come down to Bournemouth and you know to try and to help him and to help her team and and the team and I was gutted that we couldn't fulfill that but you know football's like it's a it's an accrued business at times just tell us what you can tell us about the the events of the the weekend if you like and then leading up to the Sheffield Wednesday game what were how were you being given information about what was going on obviously would have started after Sheffield Wednesday I know uh no uh when Jason rang me said I said yeah I'll come down I'll come down on the Sunday night and then we're coming down on that and driving down six hours I think while this is miles away I hope it's going to be going to be worth it hope we can get to the the playoffs or maybe get automatic automatic promotion I looked at the squad and the squad looked good get down Jason meets me at the at the hotel gives me the keys helps me settle in with his with his wife and stuff and really really nice to see him next day starting on the Monday and I'm just watching the session just as you do it's my first day there and just want to watch and observe and see what the players are like and it was all good get to the game I'm thinking good good team we got out here when we go go behind we get one back then 90th minute but I've never seen the Jordan Rhodes I've never seen him before the game so it makes you when you come on to do you don't score I'm saying it and then thinking three days later thinking do you want to get a flashback in your mind and I'm thinking oh my god these scores that's that I remember the next morning I remember I missed loads of missed calls on my phone loads of missed calls and I'm thinking he doesn't normally ring me so I normally have my things I flicker in the morning so you have different things if you the newspaper rap or dbc sports I flicked on the mail online sport bum Jason Tyndall like sacked so I'm like not to gnarly night have you seen have you seen this and she was oh my god so I get on the phone to Jason I went just what's happening mate he says I've been sacked I was like literally gobsmacked I couldn't believe it obviously the technical director around me and told me that the situation and they tried to get hold of me on that night but I'd been I'd been in bed so waking up in the morning you see loads of missed calls you don't see you so yeah and then they said to me would you be interim manager for the time being with perch I went it's not the ideal situation of being involved in my life I don't know one of the year I don't know the coaches I don't know anyone I said listen I'll give it my my best go for the football club so I did give it everything I had and work with the the coaches who have been brilliant everyone's been so welcoming over at the pavilion's been second class and hopefully I have been to them as well I'm a generally nice nice lad he's someone easy to get on with that's the public side of it Jonathan now what about the private side of it you just mentioned Natalie and two children as well they obviously would have come down with you and you know they come down in the car and you're the coach and then five minutes later you're interim manager and then and then your head coach what what's it been like for them um the kids are really they don't really understand what bringing them down they were excited to come up on them because it is a big thing for me to move the family move the family down especially young kids and my wife has a dance school the luckiest thing I'd say we're in we're in uh the restrictions around me so that was a that was a big thing whether they were in that school so I brought them down and they're really in they really enjoyed it but like I say my wife was really pushy to me to come down so what do you think I should do Natalie do you think I should go what do you think she wouldn't go you gotta do it if you want to if you want to do it if you want to try and coach again and get yourself on the map again I think that's important so she was the one who really pushed me and you know you have to have a you have to have a good wife and I've got that I've got two lovely kids and you know I'm lucky enough to have them you said dance school it's just a dance school for young kids so in middle school did you no no no I'm just thinking that you know as we always like to say other dance schools are available but no we definitely have the managers don't Natalie Woodgate's dance school coming it's called the Downing Dance Academy because she's Stuart Downing's sister so it's called Downing Dance Academy with a bit of a middle a branch coming to Bournemouth soon for everybody to join it's a bit too expensive down here the prices you could charge them now in your podcast with Jamie Carragher he asked if you would do things differently in your next management job what you would change and what you learn from Middlesbrough let me up what have you done differently since you've been here and what have you changed um firstly I'd like to say I was really really happy with my staff at Middlesbrough extremely happy what I'd have done to that staff I'd have added an experienced head like I've just done with Joe Jordan I didn't want to make that same mistake twice I think Joe was really important to bringing someone who's been there done it got experience of different scenarios which you're gonna come up against so that was the the biggest thing really um and the most important things when I was at Middlesbrough I try to change the style of football probably too quick in my view um see in football you can have all this philosophy philosophy whatever till it's coming out of your ears if you aren't getting results you weren't getting a job you're getting sacked so when I got the bottom of interim it's important for me to get results or then I don't get a job again in football and I think about going into Middlesbrough again in them first year games I just try no matter how you get these results you get them and then you can build your philosophy when you can buy yourself more time because if you're getting sacked after five games or whatever you ain't got a chance to build your philosophy so you've got to buy yourself town then you can start implementing of what you really want when you bought yourself more time you also said in that podcast that managers need time um and you can't change change the style of a player in six months or it takes longer than that well it's fair to say that time probably isn't on your side here nice I agree it's not on your side but you've got to do as well as you can and I think over the games we've done that as a as a team um I've tried to implement different different things within the group um and I think it's benefiting the benefiting the team um you don't have the UEFA Pro license at the moment do you I think that's that's right and say you don't have to have it to manage in the championship but you would do in the Premier League I mean let's say we're being optimistic and things and we don't know what will happen beyond the summer but is it an aim for you yeah I'm not looking I'll be looking to take obviously with covid restrictions it's been super difficult to do anything like that so I would have had it by now if we wouldn't have been in covid um we've taken up nearly the best part of an hour of your time so far Jonathan we're going to let you go shortly we've got a few supporters questions that we need to to get out as well I've got to say by the way on that subject we had so many uh sorry if we don't get to yours we had literally millions obviously one or two we had to filter out due to them not being appropriate but most of them were very good questions we just have to have time for all of them a couple more short ones for us to finish with though first of all um football as recall always seems to be amazing they can remember every game every good game every bad game who they tackled who they fouled for a yellow card your recall has proved to be brilliant over this hour as well but what mementos have you got are you a are you a memorabilia kind of person have you got some of your shirts or other people's shirts framed on your son's wall or something not one nothing nothing right in the box in the garage probably some England caps yeah what does it mean doesn't mean I'm not one I'm not a lot some players like it some players do I'm not one of them no I don't have a bit of Mackenzie Mackenzie thought pictures up there or something and that it's born in Middlesbrough I was just about to ask him I was thought I was going to be a lack of culture not knowing who Mackenzie thought was but yeah no I'm not I've got this and they're all in the garage somewhere one day I'll show my son but it doesn't really it doesn't float me bored does he look you up on YouTube and things how do you sort of demonstrate what how good dad was does it does he what does he watch clips of you on YouTube I don't know I don't know there's that many bits on there to be honest with you I got a cracking video made when I was a dispersed from there from the analysis lads Michael Edwards was doing a cracking like a DVD it was unbelievable there's never I have to find it to be honest we ensure him but it was it was brilliant Paul Hart you said he was a beast has that translated into your management style uh he said listen Paul Hart was beyond his years and I'd say being a coach I mean his pre-season friendly's is at under 18's leads coach he used to blow whistle and say for five minutes you've got to keep you keep the ball in your own half this was back in 1996-97 so he was beyond his years and how we used to play football we used to play two at the back for our lead youth team we used to play two four four and everyone just going and me and Damian Lynch at the back who can defend to want him so he used to do things like that but listen you can you can take different things from different different managers of work with good good and bad and he's my youth team coach at the time and someone who were how I hold in the highest regard best and worst decisions of your career the worst decision was coming silent for Middlesbrough full-time when I should have done that year on loan um best decision was signing for for Leeds as a schoolboy and getting out of Middlesbrough just quickly do you have other interest at that point when you were signing for Leeds were there other clubs floating around then or was it just yeah yeah other clubs yeah but Leeds Leeds was for me um you've mentioned your son plays and you coach his team a little bit does it you got a daughter as well does she play no she's a little dancer she's the dancer okay um we've got a very successful stable of uh former Bournemouth players children in the academy here as well by the way so yeah I've heard there's a few in there yeah we can offer your son a contract potentially you decide are you a canopy manager I've just avoided myself well I've just avoided myself um a couple of support questions to finish with Neil do you want to do Chris's first of all or Kevin's can I just ask one the one final question from from us um you can ask as many as you want this is just one more from us before we wrap up that you scored obviously the own goal for Rio Madrid but you did score a much more higher profile own goal in the eyes of Bournemouth fans at the Riverside in 2013 when you turned Elliot Ward's cross past your own goalkeeper yeah you went two in the loop didn't you we do two two three three three you're right I remember I remember going two in the loop I think myself will get back in this game because you just got promotion that year didn't you yeah I think we did you did yes Matt Richie was playing that's right it was our first season back and then we went up the following season I remember what do you remember about that day no I remember just facing the wrong way at all the age I think it must have been that one up there Neil just to finish the hours next to rub it in go then let's go to some of the support questions Ian Hensman asked about mementos I've just asked that one Ian without actually realizing that you'd put it on the list of questions um Clive on Twitter asks as a defender who would you say your hardest appointment was in your career I've got three shira for physical attributes for getting in the box and difficult to mark onry speed and pace and swirers swirers I played swirers when I was at Stoke for a little coming to my end of my career to but he was like I didn't normally get ruled by center forwards but every time I was getting near him he was rolling me and I couldn't understand why it was like it was ridiculous how like how strong he was and how he worked his body around you he was he was very tough to play against Kevin Anderson asks you've played under some of the greatest managers venables capello robson what have you taken from them that you can bring to your own management style I'd say man management more than anything um with your players honesty is a massive thing just be honest with your players they might not like you for the for the for the first hour or whatever but if you're honest with them they'll appreciate it if you're filling for the lies and telling someone's not true they'll can see through it um a question from talking cherries which is our supporters mental health initiative here at afc Bournemouth what is the greatest mental challenge you've faced in your career you might have answered this already yeah when I was out for a year in Spain toughest out there on your own in the foreign country 24 year old kid from middlesbrough difficult to deal with but you uh you find a way I know you're a you're a fan of boxing and uh chris billum smith who is a fan of this this club the common wealth champion he's submitted a question who is your favorite artist or band band but I do like the drifters um I like bob marley and the whalers um I like a lot of more town as well you know like a lot of old school stuff which I can dance to now and again now and again if you want some dated old school music can I recommend bbc radio solent the station I work for which has got that coming out of your ears don't you 24 seven some of the music from yesteryear I'll have to have a listen that'll get cut out definitely uh plugin yeah final one uh from the supporters questions comes from neil snoden who says comparing your time from middlesbrough to now within yourself what is better or what is the biggest thing that's changed from from being a middlesbrough to coming here now uh the pressure that said the pressure at middlesbrough from just uh the fans because it's a it's a northeast of the country everyone's on on top of you it's a bit more different down here I mean I know there's pressure but there being a local lad was there was a lot of pressure on you I enjoyed the pressure though to be honest with you and that's an interesting one to finish with did you feel a different pressure here because you've come in completely from the outside and you've got to prove yourself yeah yeah definitely yeah that's that's that's one thing for sure um and like I said the local being a local lad there's a lot more pressure with it well we've taken up well over an hour of your time do you have questions from the fans is that it well we honestly there was there was loads there was loads we had to feel to sum out um and we didn't want to take up any more than your time than we we had to because you've got a busy week here preparing for for matches but Jonathan I think this has been hopefully really really valuable for for Bournemouth fans to get to know a bit more about you and to hear about your career because obviously when you're having to bat off questions from me and Neil in the press conference it's uh we don't get to uh to hear the real you do we sometimes with uh I'm not saying you don't uh expand on things but what I'm saying is that sometimes it's not time I like to keep my answers really short and sharp I don't like to bubble on for too long there's no podcast yeah there's not time is there um but Jonathan thank you very much for joining us no problem you're welcome well Neil um often we only get what three four five minutes sometimes with the manager post-match when he's rushing off to do other things so to get to sit for over an hour and and hear a lot more about the man I think hopefully fans will have will have learned a lot in that hour it's fascinating fascinating insight Chris into somebody that Bournemouth fans will have known about during his career during his lead's career and Newcastle and playing career in England career but not so much behind the scenes about you know his wife's got a dancing school and you know he was a Middlesbrough fan as a youngster and knew exactly that Bournemouth had beaten them to the title in 1987 very very impressive another thing to remember Chris one of the very few people in recent years who's had no traditional history with the club who's been put into that role you know you look at Jason and Eddie and Mel Machen and all the other people Sean O'Driscoll all had a lot of history with the club Jonathan had absolutely no history with the club before he came here so it was fascinating to get the insight into all of that absolutely yes don't forget to subscribe and give us a rating if you've enjoyed listening to Jonathan we'll get ahead if you haven't heard any of our previous episodes then do pop back on your podcast platform to listen to some of our previous episodes as well with the likes of Richard Hughes and Jack Wilshere amongst others as well share us on social media the hashtag is AFCBpod and as ever we do invite your questions and your suggestions as to who may be here at the club you would like to hear from in future episodes make sure you're following AFC Bournemouth on Instagram Facebook Twitter and the other social channels as well and we very much hope you've enjoyed our chat with the Cherry's head coach Jonathan Woodgate from myself Chris Temple and Neil Perrett thanks for listening