Exclusive interview with ex-trainee Alan Tonge

Yolkie and Doron had a chat with Alan Tonge for Stretford-End.com. Tonge lays claim to being Sir Alex Ferguson’s first ever signing at the club (coincidentally – the man who lays claim to that officially, Viv Anderson, has also talked to the site in an interview to be published later this week) but what is beyond dispute is that, like Viv, Alan was part at the club at a time of huge change. And both left at a time in the early 90s when United’s success boom was about to hit.

It’s Alan’s story that we explored first; with a first hand account of how Sir Alex Ferguson revolutionised the United youth system in accordance with Sir Matt Busby’s blueprint, his time at the club and also his devestating retirement with a back injury in 1996.

Yolkie : Did you grow up as a United fan?

Alan : Yes, all my family are Man Utd supporters. My Dad is a mad red.

Doron : Describe the process of how you were discovered by the club, and when you were signed?

Alan : I was playing for a team called Bolton Lads Club and there was a scout called George Knight who was keeping track of my development. There was also a man called Joe Brown who was the youth development officer at the time. He came to watch me play for Greater Manchester County at Macclesfield Towns ground and asked me to go training with the club after the game. I used to train on a Monday and Thursday evening at The Cliff and play for the “A” team/ “B” team on a Saturday morning. Apparently when we won the “B” team league in 1987 I think it was, it was the first time it had been won for twenty odd years (since Besty etc). Apparently, when Sir Alex joined in 1986, I was the first signing he ever made (signed schoolboy forms and YTS along with a couple of other local lads). This is my claim to fame! I was the start of the revolution of change! He refers to this briefly in his autobiography).

Yolkie : You were part of the club when the revamping of the youth system was taking place – how much of that did you notice, and what did Alex Ferguson try and explain to you about the philosophy of it?

Alan : I wasn’t really aware of the revamping at the time. You just tried to do your best and improve week in week out. As I’ve just mentioned, Sir Alex tried to start the process of change by recruiting local young players and brought in Brian Kidd to oversee that part of the club. Sir Alex always instilled discipline (timekeeping, behaviour, wearing ear rings etc) and if you didn’t live up to that you’d be in for a rollicking or a severe talking to. He also got the canteen serving breakfast for the young lads and there was porridge in the mornings and sometimes haggis served for lunch too!!

Yolkie : Sir Matt Busby was alive at the time; how much of an input did he and/or Bobby Charlton have?

Alan : Sir Matt and Sir Bobby used to come and watch the youngsters a lot and would often come on trips with us to youth tournaments (Blue Star e.g.). Sir Matt asked a group of youngsters once if we were ok. The lads replied timidly “fine Sir Matt.” In his Scottish gravelly tones he responded “as long as you are enjoying yourselves, that’s the main thing.” I’ve never forgotten that. That was his philosophy wasn’t it? I also got the opportunity to play with Sir Bobby in a tournament! A Brazilian side requested that Sir Bobby play in a game to promote links and friendship. He absolutely ran the show! Even at an elderly age, he was passing long, short, shooting, showing great touch and great control. It was an eye opener! He took the mick out a group of 17/18 year olds.

Yolkie : Describe your style as a player?

Alan : Hard tackling, good passer and could hit a ball well.

Yolkie : Who were some of the players you played with who people might recognise?

Alan : Over the course of my 5 years being involved with the club, I got to play with most of the first team squad in different levels of games. Particular players of note are Bryan Robson, Norman Whiteside, Gordon Strachan, Mark Hughes, Clayton Blackmore, Ryan Giggs, Lee Sharpe, Viv Anderson, Steve Bruce, Andrei Kanchelskis and Denis Irwin.

Yolkie : And who was the best?  Are there former United youth players who you thought were bang-on to ‘make it’ either at United or at a high level in English football but didn’t?

Alan : Ryan Giggs was the best (as has proved). Other players from the youth teams of 1988/1989 and 1989/1990 who went on to make league appearances were Darren Ferguson, Mark Bosnich and Lee Sharpe. There was also a lad called Aiden Doherty who looked like becoming a real player. He died young; a sad tale.

Yolkie : You left when the youth system really began to bear fruit; how frustrating was that?

Alan : Very frustrating I suppose. I always joke I was born a year or two too early! I felt I deserved at least another year to develop (had completed 1 year professional after my YTS, when I moved onto Exeter City for an undisclosed fee). Sir Alex said I lacked a yard of pace? Alan Ball said I was quick? That’s the nature of football. It’s based on opinions. In relation to quickness, i certainly never had a run-around by any winger?

Yolkie : There’s understandably not a plethora of information about you online, but it does say that you had to retire in 1996 due to a back problem – just as “Fergie’s Fledglings” really took off. So you also missed out on the huge financial boom in the game too; how do you look back on that time?

Alan : Not bitter at all. I’m not financially driven. Playing with some great players and being lucky enough to have that experience means just as much, if not more than several thousand pounds a week. One area of disappointment though was the finance I received when I had to retire through injury. I received £7,000. Half an average earners wages! Not a lot in the scheme of things really, when I had to rebuild my life.

Doron : How important are the PFA in helping players who have to finish their careers early for one reason or another?

Alan : The PFA were and always will be a big help to players and ex players. They fund courses for you etc and there is a benevolent fund for ex players in hardship. They never forget you and you can contact them anytime if you need to talk etc.

Doron : Do young players have it too easy now?

Alan : Without a doubt! Too much money for some of them too soon! We had to clean boots, clean dressing rooms, clean Old Trafford, collect training kit in etc etc. The young players don’t do any of that now! Some of them need to get some grounding. They don’t know they’re born!

Doron : Should there be a revamp in the way young players are allowed to be recruited locally, nationally and internationally?

Alan : I think so. Is there still a 45 minute rule in? The problem is the big 4 would have their fingers in all the pies, and recruit all the best talent so maybe it’s a good thing there is a level playing field in place? Sir Alex didn’t seem to think it was a good idea though did he?

Doron : As a young player trying to go pro how important is it to still have an education and grounding – learning life skills etc ?

Alan : This is the most important bit of advice I could ever pass on. I had to pack in early with a serious back injury, after having two operations on my spine and really I should have got more qualifications through my rehabilitation. As a young player, you think you are going to play football forever, but you have to get a reality check. It may sound a bit cliché but there are only a tiny amount of people who reach the big time and your career could be over in an instant.

Doron : Should there be stricter transfer rules on foreign signings like in Spain or Italy where they encourage domestic talent to come through?

Alan : Definitely! What’s the point of being involved at club from 9/10 years old, if you get to 18 and they go and sign a player for 30 million? The great thing about Man Utd is their youth development outlook is strong and always has been strong (from Sir Matt etc). Some clubs don’t believe in it. Sir Alex started to put that right straightaway when he came to the club in 1986.

Doron : Was a young player 25 years ago more likely to have a chance of a good career in English football than today?

Alan : Probably was slightly easier 25 years ago. Because of the financial rewards, I think it is more competitive now and young players come from everywhere to try and impress (e.g. Africa, USA, Europe and Scandinavia etc etc).

Doron : What was the core area that young players when you were breaking through were encouraged to focus on? Today it seems like technical skills are the current trendy area.

Alan : Focus on passing and moving and keeping the ball. Basically the message was, do the simple things well. Don’t take chances and do the right things at the right times.

Yolkie : You’re now a sports lecturer; tell us a little more about what exactly you do?

Alan : I have been a Lecturer for seven years now and work primarily on the Higher Education sports provision at The Manchester College. I’ve recently completed a Masters Degree in Philosophy (sports psychology related subject) and am looking to continue that to PhD in the near future.

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Thanks to Alan for chatting to the site. You can follow Alan on Twitter.

You can also follow Doron and Yolkie on Twitter too.

14 Comments on Exclusive interview with ex-trainee Alan Tonge

  1. Thanks for the comment Anthony; sorry you didn’t find the interview interesting. As you may know from reading the site we try to cater for every supporter and some find listening to a relatively obscure player’s point of view very interesting indeed..

    It was a point made by another poster on my recent 2nd May interview. But the reaction to that is simple; it’s all well and good, magnificent, even, to be able to interview someone like Ryan Giggs, Sir Alex or Eric Cantona. Few get that privilege, though, so what we’re doing is bringing you first hand accounts from ex-colleagues and team-mates with a “grander” reputation.

  2. Fascinating interview, really enjoyed it. Noticed you’ve had a lot of unfair and rude criticism lately, no one praises you for all the good, so just wanted to thank you for this piece and I think it’s brilliant

  3. Can’t say I agree with Anthony’s comment. this was a great interview – football isn’t just about the super-stars…

  4. Hi Pooks – I am the editor of FUB. Both myself and Yolkie have been fortunate enough to chat with Alan in the last few days. Having looked at this article, the questions myself and Yolkie were asked were different and furthermore, Alan gave completely different answers. I focus much more on his experiences with Fergie, so I’d like to think people will read both articles and enjoy the separately as opposed to drawing similarities.

  5. Pooks, Steph’s right, I checked the site and she conducted a very good article. Ours being a straight interview and quite a substantial shift in content; I think we can both claim an exclusive 😉

  6. A nice refreshing change. There is so much in the media these days for current stuff, hell my Twitter time line can be totally full by the ‘same messages’ all from people keen to tell you ‘the latest’ but we should never forget our History!

    More like this please from time to time!

  7. Alan is my current tutor at the Manchester Collge,he often talks about his playing days and entertains us with tales from years back.

    It’s refreshing to see an ex-pro still so grounded,if only that were the case today

  8. A very interesting interview, i am a student of Alan`s and would like to say if his football was as good as his teaching today he would be on the same level as G.Bale.
    Alan is the man, top lecturer! All the best…Ryan

  9. I don’t disagree with any of your comments. I just feel billing up something up as exclusive when I am sure anyone who goes to the pub with Alan will get the same scoop.

    It’s a case of Twitter trawling of the highest order.

  10. Fair enough Anthony – so rather than any issue with Alan or the content, what bothers you is the word “exclusive” in the title?

    The truth is, the interview and comments are exclusive to our website…I’m sure Alan’s friends know his story well but there will be fans of the club in Manchester let alone Singapore who won’t know it.

  11. Well I can only apologise that this has failed to excite you. Alan Tonge has been able to provide a fascinating insight into the early Ferguson days. Personally I think it’s intriguing and it saddens me that you fail to appreciate it. We’d all love to be able to bring you an interview with Rooney, Giggs or Ferguson himself but that’s just not possible (!) so the stories Alan can provide of first hand experiences we treat as a real luxury. Every Man United player is a piece of the puzzle in our club’s history.

    I feel you should go and do some research about Alan and maybe find out why he didn’t have a career like Giggs for example. Maybe then you’ll have a bit more respect for the man and you’ll hold him in a different light. I’ll give you a hint – try back injury; cost him a career; screws and plates in spine; surgery – some players aren’t as lucky as Giggs or Scholes even if they have the natural talent.

    As I said, sorry this piece didn’t hit your spot, not every interview needs to have a sensational ground-breaking discover. We don’t try and be a newspaper – we try to bring something for the fans. I dare say that until you read this (or if you’re on twitter, until recently) you wouldn’t have even heard of Alan – well I hope like me, you’ve at least been educated a bit by this interview.

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