Tottenham cult hero, 45, now managing in ninth tier as he reveals plan to reach EFL in ten years

TOTTENHAM cult hero Pascal Chimbonda is now trying to make it as a manager in England’s ninth tier.

The iconic defender, 45, spent two years at White Hart Lane between 2006 and 2008.

Chimbonda scored four goals in 98 games following a £4.5million move from Wigan, where he had just made the PFA Team of the Year.

The one-time France international helped Spurs win the Carabao Cup during his final season.

And he also spent time in the Premier League with Sunderland and Blackburn before dropping down England’s divisions.

But Chimbonda is now hoping to strike it big as a boss after joining Skelmersdale United in the ninth tier.

They play in the North West Counties Football League Premier Division.

Chimbonda joined as player-manager in October, and was finally able to make his debut this year after being registered in January.

He has since played four times for Skelmersdale, but has only overseen 8 wins in 33 games.

However, the fan favourite is already dreaming of climbing the ladder to become an established EFL boss within the next decade.

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Chimbonda exclusively told Ladbrokes Fanzone: “Look, in some ways, it’s good for me to start from scratch, at the bottom, and make a name for myself, step by step, climbing and climbing. And if I have to do that, then I will, because my dream is to one day be on the bench of a professional club.

“In 10 years from now? I want to be managing in the EFL. League Two, or maybe League One, or if I can be an assistant manager, or in the backroom staff at a Premier League club, of course that’s right up there as one of my dreams!

“I learn every day, you know. I watch as much football as I can, from across so many different leagues and levels. I love watching group sessions, I love one-to-one sessions. This is what I live for now.

“This game is my life, you know. It’s always been that way, since I was young. I’d wake up and play football; it didn’t matter what the weather was doing, or what the ages were of the people I’d play against. I just loved being involved in football, and I still do now… you know, I can’t picture myself doing anything else.

“I just have a love for the game, and it’s something I want to pass on to others. That’s why I coach. I love teaching people, and helping people reach their potential. I actually think I love this job more than I loved playing!”

Chimbonda also lamented the lack of chances he feels black coaches do not get in football.

He added: “There’s a clear lack of black managers within the game. If I had the answer as to why that was, believe me, I would give it to you right now. It is what it is, you know… maybe people see us as inferior for whatever reason.

“I don’t know, but there are so many black ex-players, who have all the necessary coaching badges, who know the game inside out, who have played at the highest level, but they’re not being given the opportunity. 

“You know, there are so many people working and coaching within the game who have never played the game, who have never kicked a ball. They’ve just watched the game on the internet, or whatever.

“Nowadays, so many academies are taking these kind of people on, who have never played the game before, and they’re being put in these huge roles, like head of academies, or coaching roles at academies. I don’t understand why that keeps happening.

“But there should be more black coaches in football. It’s as simple as that. If you’ve got black kids playing in all of these academies, you’re going to want to identify with someone in one of those roles, you know?

“It’s just so difficult for black managers, and when we do get these jobs, you feel like you have to deliver results straight away, otherwise you’ll lose your job, and it becomes harder to find a job anywhere else because you’ve not had enough experience. If a white coach gets sacked, they’ll usually find a new job straight away… it’s something I’ll never understand.

“Maybe changes will be made, but at the minute we have to live with it and hope something happens in the near future. 

“I know there are more rules now around interviewing candidates for roles, and there’s an emphasis on diversity, which is only a good thing for the game in the future. It is frustrating, though. I’ve applied for so many jobs. So many, and they’ve all come back as negative. “

Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk