The worst answer I ever gave in a job interview was 11 years ago, having just graduated and looking for my first post-uni job. I travelled up to Aberdeen and was being interviewed for a role selling drill parts for the oil trade around the world. The Aberdonian interviewer asked:
"Who is your hero and why?"
Without a moment’s pause I said: "David Batty"
Totally ignoring the astonishment displayed on the interviewer’s face I ploughed on.....
"In this modern era of fairies and prima donnas you'll never see a harder worker. A man who always gives everything that he has to the cause."
The interviewer replied:
"I'm a Manchester United fan. I f****** hate him."
I didn't get the job.....
However, I stand by the core of my thinking (even if I would never use that answer again!) I love players like David Batty. Not only was he a hard, combative midfielder - the man could play a bit too.
When I interviewed Shaka Hislop last year he said: "David Batty was probably the most technically gifted player on that team, which no-one ever credited him for."
Now that is a remarkable statement when you consider the team. Batty himself said in his autobiography: "That Newcastle team, sporting names like David Ginola, Peter Beardsley, Tino Asprilla and Les Ferdinand was the best I ever played in."
Batty's 40-yard lob of Wimbledon's Neil Sullivan at the Leazes End opened Newcastle's scoring in the 1996/97 season. That goal was a glimpse of the superb technique that Shaka credited him for.
Batty played 42 times for England. He played in the 0-0 draw in Rome that took Glenn Hoddle's team to France '98 and he played in every England game in the tournament itself, famously missing a penalty in the shoot-out exit to Argentina. Batty never scored a goal for England, but he was man enough to step up at a time when more obvious 'goal scorers' seemed to be hiding. A mark of the man.
Batty was Newcastle's Cheick Tiote of the day although he was probably a better footballer than Cheick is (and I'm a huge Cheick fan as regular readers and Twitter users will know). Batty had a similar problem with yellow cards to Cheick - he'd never been sent off, but once he picked up that first red card a flood of them followed. Fingers crossed Tiote does not go down the same road.
Two favourite Batty moments are blood and thunder incidents. The first one being in a UEFA Cup game against Metz in 1996. Batty and Metz Brazilian midfielder Isias tangled on the floor. Isias punched Batty in the face splitting his brow open. Amazingly the referee didn't send the Brazilian off. Batty didn't make much of it and played on with blood spouting down his face - looking for retribution. The Brazilian went into hiding and then received a furious reception from the St James' Park faithful when the second leg was played a couple of weeks later. In between the two games Isias publicly apologised to Batty knowing the possible on-field consequences.
The other was when Batty clashed with future Newcastle United midfielder Nicky Butt in the 5-0 thrashing Newcastle gave Manchester United that same year. Batty and Butt clashed in a tackle. Both players got to their feet and Batty walked towards Butt with purpose. Butt pushed Batty in the chest and Batty responded by practically lifting Butt off his feet by the throat. The look on Butt's face was priceless.
A tough tackling, technically gifted midfield enforcer who was an England international, all for a measly £3.75 million. Compare that to the £12 million plus that Manchester City paid for Gareth Barry a decade later. Newcastle also made a significant profit on Batty when they sold him on to Leeds after he played 83 times for the club.
And finally, David Batty's autobiography contains my favourite passage from any footballer’s book...
"It seemed Keith (Gillespie) had been getting on Al's (Shearer) nerves by repeatedly flicking bottle tops across the table. As we sat down, Al was saying "Do that one more time and I'll give you a good hiding." Keith did it again. The two men got up and walked down the narrow aisle between the tables and out through the glass doors, but they had barely exited the place when I noticed a pair of legs in the air. We ran out to see Gillespie, spark out in the gutter; there was blood everywhere, and Alan was looking shaken. Keith had taken a swing as the two made their way towards the rear of the pub and Al had turned and decked him.
Matters went from bad to worse that evening as Pearce, Speedy, Albert, Andy Griffin and I made our way to another bar. Big Philipe had a traffic cone on his head and he and one or two of the lads began throwing the thing around. It hit a parked car, going through the windscreen and setting off the alarm. The woman who owned the vehicle emerged from a nearby apartment with her boyfriend and some mates, screaming and the Guarda rushed to the scene.... After some investigation the police went into a bar further up the road and pulled out Stuart Pearce, who admitted he was responsible."
I wonder what Stuart would say if that was one of his U21 boys?
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