JODY MORRIS wants to get Swindon flying like his hero and mentor Glenn Hoddle.
The new Robins boss takes charge of his first game at Newport County.
In a far-ranging exclusive interview with SunSport, Morris reveals:
- How ex-England, Tottenham and Monaco midfielder Hoddle inspired him as a player and now manager.
Hoddle cut his teeth as player-boss of Swindon in 1991 and won promotion to the Premier League with the Wiltshire club in 1993 before taking over at Chelsea in the same role.
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And three years later he handed Morris his debut — making him the club’s youngest-ever Premier League player, aged 17 years, 43 days.
Now former Chelsea star Morris is cutting his own managerial teeth at the County Ground.
He told SunSport: “Back in the early 1990s, even 2000s, Premier League teams never mind EFL clubs, were still lumping the ball forward.
“Glenn Hoddle was miles ahead of his time. He put Swindon on the map, not just because he was such a huge name, but the way his team played.
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“It was three at the back, passing out from the back, using the keeper and not just booting the ball upfield.
“It was innovative. No-one was doing it and certainly not in the second tier of English football.
“He got Swindon promoted, leaving a legacy, and then went to Chelsea and did exactly the same thing.”
The Blues then were mid-table fodder but Hoddle changed the playing culture and laid the foundations for them to become a multiple trophy-winning machine.
Morris said: “The demands he was putting on defenders to try to pass out and not just get the ball as far away as possible was different.
“He had an idea how he wanted to play, was good at getting those ideas across and improved almost everyone who worked under him.
“For me, he was a first-class coach who always had a massive influence on me, both as a player and now a coach.
“Because he was Glenn Hoddle, he immediately had you hooked. Whenever he joined in training he was still the best player. What he could do with a ball and his intelligence with it was outstanding.
“I was just 14 when he came to Chelsea and he showed interest in me immediately. Managers back then rarely knew a youth team player’s name but he knew mine and would take time to talk to me.
“I had opportunities to play anywhere in England as a young kid and the only reason I hung around Chelsea was (a) it was my club and (b) Glenn made me believe I could make it there.
“Not many other managers would’ve given me my debut at the time I played because I was 9stone wringing wet and 5ft 5in so wasn’t physically ready.
“He saw in me technical ability and knew tactically I was switched on despite being 17. I took on board the information and wouldn’t have that record as the youngest Chelsea played had it not been for him.
“His attention to detail was huge. I watched him coach central defenders and Glenn was never known for sticking his head on the ball and making tackles. But he’d improve their game.
“Then he’d then walk up to the strikers and talk about movement.
“His intention to detail and wanting to improve individuals, but at the same time hit the collective, is a talent and something I try to do myself.”
Morris coached the Chelsea Under-18s for two seasons, winning the treble and quadruple, before hooking up with old friend and Blues team-mate at Frank Lampard.
Frank and I could disagree about lots of things. But he told me, ‘I don’t want a yes man.’ Challenging each other, brings the best out in you.
JODY MORRIS
They led Derby to the play-offs before taking over at Chelsea and guiding them into the fourth Champions League spot while the club were under a transfer embargo.
Morris did not follow Lampard to Everton — deciding he wanted a crack at management.
And the Swindon boss revealed how he and his old pal had a lot of disagreements.
He said: “Frank was new to coaching so a lot of the stuff translated from the grass was coming from me.
“When you’re an assistant you must adjust to whatever the manager wants.
“Frank and I could disagree about lots of things such as how long we’re training for or I wanted to do a certain bit of training that was opposed to his idea.
“Maybe we’d do shape work on a day I thought was too early. Or perhaps we’d argue about which time we should travel to an away game or team selection and formations.
“But Frank always said to me, ‘I don’t want a yes man’ and was open to other ideas. That’s why I’m bringing as my No2 Ed Brand, who I worked with at Chelsea with the under-18s. He’ll challenge and argue with me in the same way. That’s how you get the best out of yourself.”
Morris actually got his first taste of management at the end of his playing career as a caretaker after Derek McInnes left St Johnstone.
It was under McInnes where Morris really got real insight into what coaching and management was about as his club captain.
He said: “I was close to Del and was his captain. There were a lot of decisions to be made about the team and players that I was privy to.
“I got my first insight into that and Del was really good with me. He saw potential in me as a coach and knew I wanted to be a coach and manager one day.
“And funnily enough being caretaker manager for a couple of weeks aged 32 was testament to how they saw me.”
Morris says he owes a huge debt of gratitude to former Chelsea academy director Neil Bath, who is now director of football development and operations, for developing him as a coach.
And the Swindon boss also credits his dear friend — the late great Chelsea legend Gianluca Vialli — as the other great manager he worked with.
While doing his Pro Licence Morris used the Italian as an example of a manager who seamlessly transitioned from playing to taking charge of a changing room full of his ex-team-mates.
He said: “Vialli was my favourite manager. He was a diamond fella. He was my team-mate first then manager.
“I learned a lot from him about his preparations and he was excellent with off-the ball stuff. Italians love pressing, getting after the ball and being difficult to beat.
“I spent hours with him over Zoom calls, interviewing him for my licence and tapping into his amazing football brain.”
But how does he take all that fantastic knowledge he gained at the top of the game to be a success managing League Two players?
He said: “You need to know what their capabilities are and sometimes it depends how true you are to yours and how quickly you want to sacrifice that.
“Teams are trying to play football at all levels. That’s a good thing for football. We don’t want to be a team who looks pretty, you want to be as much the full package as possible
“When certain things are not going well, you can rely on other attributes or other things that your team can display to give you a better chance of winning.
“I certainly have coached teams where we’ve beaten up the opposition because we couldn’t pass water that day.
“There are other days where we’ve looked magic but you are not always going to get that with players but unfortunately the lower down you go, the more inconsistent certain traits are and talents.
“You have to hone and harness the attributes you have got as a group. And try to mask up what you’re looking for.”
I end the interview by asking: “What is the ambition of Jody Morris?”
He did not even need to pause: “To get promoted with Swindon.
“I know memories are short in football and things can change quickly so without looking far ahead my first focus is to get the players working and playing the way I want.
“That, for me, is the best way I can get success and win.
“The club is in a promotion-challenging position so naturally that is what I want. But what you want and get can be two different things as I found out on transfer deadline day.
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“I’m not going to walk into a group and say, ‘I’m going to pull up trees and we’re going to be unbeaten for the rest of the season.’
“Instead I’m saying, ‘We’re in an OK position and I’d like to be in a better one’ and if we can we have a chance to be in a better position that’s something we must aim for.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
