An exclusive interview with Andy Griffin.
I spoke to the former Newcastle United and England Under 21s star via zoom on Thursday March 26th.
The one-time NUFC defender is currently running the Andy Griffin football academy near Stoke.
We began by talking about him signing for NUFC in 1998 before moving on to his memories of playing under three different managers until 2004, as well as his thoughts on Newcastle United in the present day.
(ED: This epic interview covers a lot of ground and has been split into four parts, this is the third of the four. Our thanks from The Mag to The Armchair Fan for this top quality interview with Andy Griffin)
Which manager would you say you learned the most from in your career?
That’s a hard one as I think you take a snippet from every manager you work with.
My first manager at Stoke, Lou Macari, was all about professionalism, looking after yourself and your habits off the pitch. He was huge on work rate, desire, putting your head in where it hurts, out-working your opponents, being as fit as you possibly can. He was no-nonsense, asking what you bring to the table with the right mentality. Having that work ethic is what I modelled my career on and then tried to set an example to other players as I got older and more senior.
I learned leadership qualities from Bobby Robson. I think Bobby inspired those around him with his enthusiasm. He was in his late sixties and early seventies. He was my manager for five-and-a-half years and you couldn’t help but admire the man. I had some run-ins with him and he dealt with them perfectly.
Great managers lead and the team becomes a part of who that person is. That team under Sir Bobby had energy, desire, an honesty about it and a little bit of flair. Sir Bobby had a great sense of humour but he was also ruthless at the same time and I guess you can’t be a really successful manager without being ok with not being liked by everyone all the time. You’re there to do a job and not necessarily be liked. Bobby inspired the team just through his actions and how he conducted himself, he was very big on time keeping as am I.
Issue 168 – 22 March 2003
Tony Pulis from a work ethic point of view and from a defensive point of view, concentrating on what was in our control and being as fit as we possibly can.
Under Harry Redknapp, things were very laid back, allowing the players to be happy in their environment which helped good players to flourish. With Harry, you’d have four days off during the international break, with Tony we’d go to a military camp. He wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea and even though we had a little bit of a fall out near the end of my time with him, I have the utmost respect for him as a manager and as a man. He wasn’t afraid to make tough decisions and not everyone is going to like that. Tony was a really good manager. I then had Brian McDermott who was similar to Redknapp, very relaxed and allowing senior players to look after the dressing room and enjoy training whilst taking days off. It felt like nothing would ever faze him, he had that composure. Even if we lost two games in a row, he’d tell you not to worry and let you know that he still trusted you.
Ruud Gullit was all about standards, he had very, very high standards and if they would slip, you’re out of the team, regardless of who you are, it was that brutal. I’ve been very fortunate with the managers I’ve had, so it’s hard to say who I’ve learned the most from. I’ve been blessed with the managers I’ve worked under who all had very different leadership styles and approaches to management.
When Newcastle United were top of the league in December 2001, did the squad genuinely believe we could go on to win the title?
I don’t think so.
It was very, very hard to look past Manchester United at that time. It was hard to look at that team and think ‘we’re as good as them’. They had at least ten, maybe even up to thirteen outstanding players in that squad. We had our own superstars in Alan Shearer and perhaps Laurent Robert but he’s not Ryan Giggs. Craig Bellamy was outstanding but he’s no Van Nistelrooy. We only really had Alan Shearer that you could honestly say would walk into that Man United team.
The Newcastle team at that time played on energy and there was no fear. We were mauling teams a bit like Eddie Howe’s teams have been playing the past few seasons. We were very direct and we had one or two senior players but when you look at that Arsenal team and that Man United team, it’s very, very difficult to have the deep-rooted belief that we would go all the way. Don’t get me wrong, as the games keep coming and we keep winning, it gives you more belief but we got clipped in the second part of that season. We were competing against some of the best Premiership teams of all time.
Some of the Arsenal players went on to be the invincibles, they were monsters physically as well. Pires, Bergkamp, Henry, Van Persie and Gilberto are all iconic figures in Premier League history. They could cover the ground so quickly. I remember playing against Arsenal and as soon as you touched the ball and lifted your head up, you were getting clattered. It was usually me doing the clattering! We weren’t as good as them and ultimately that’s why we didn’t win the league.
Photo by The Mag
Maybe in the second half of that season, other teams put us in our place but we gave everything we had, we just didn’t have that little bit of extra quality to compete with those players but we had a team that certainly wore its heart on its sleeve.
What was the highlight of your time at Newcastle?
Moving to the club in the first place.
My Mum’s life wasn’t easy when I was growing up in terms of putting food on the table and keeping a roof over our head. That’s what inspired me and showed me never to give up. When I joined Newcastle and signed a four-and-a-half year contract, I phoned her up and said she no longer needed to worry about her bills. That was the proudest moment for me in my career.
In terms of the moments from a footballing perspective, I’d say meeting Kenny Dalglish, Ruud Gullit and Sir Bobby. Playing with Stuart Pearce, John Barnes, Ian Rush, Alan Shearer, David Batty, Speedo and Duncan Ferguson.
I remember playing in the FA Cup semi-final where I felt like I earned that shirt and was good enough to play with those players. Playing in the final too even though we lost, what an experience for a twenty year old. I really enjoyed the occasion. Another highlight was when we beat Man United 4-3 when Roy and Alan had that little scuffle at the end. That was a great game to play in.
I made my European debut under Ruud Gullit away at Partizan Belgrade and the hostility was off-the-scale but I loved that, the more hostile the better it was for me.
I loved playing in Europe and then you look back on the Juventus game, the Feyenoord game, playing against Barcelona home and away, the Inter Milan game away from home when we drew 2-2 in front of twelve thousand Geordies. Just overall an incredible, beautiful, memorable experience.
My last game was against Liverpool at Anfield and it was 1-1. Even though I was there for six-and-a-half years and only played one-hundred-and-four games, the quality of some of those matches that we won, and even some that we didn’t but it was a great battle, was immense. I was man-marking Pavel Nedved away at Juventus at the Stadio Delle Alpi and Bobby told me ‘wherever he goes you go’. I’ve never had so much of a game of football in my whole life. It was such a memorable time and it’s such a great city.
When we outplayed Inter Milan in the Champions League at the San Siro, were the players proud of the performance or disappointed that the match finished in a 2-2 draw?
Both. We felt that we’d done enough. We conceded from set plays and when that happens it’s not great because you feel as if they haven’t done an awful lot to engineer the opportunity. It’s a ball into the box and someone has lost a little bit of concentration or been outmuscled so yeah there was that disappointment. I remember a famous picture of Sir Bobby trudging off in his Newcastle suit and you could see he’s disappointed and we felt exactly the same. We’d lost 4-1 at home in the previous match against Inter Milan so to then go back to their place and hold our own, Alan got two goals in front of twelve thousand Geordies and we felt we’d done enough to win the match but ultimately we hadn’t.
Do you regret the fact that Sir Bobby was unable to bring silverware to the club despite having a brilliant five years in charge?
Of course, as that would have been the icing on the cake.
One, for Newcastle United to win a cup because obviously we had to wait a good number of years for that to eventually happen but also because Sir Bobby was from that neck of the woods, knew the area, knew the football club and knew what it meant. You could see that he was driven to bring success to Newcastle United. We came very close, yes we got into the Champions League which is almost like a trophy in itself as it’s a huge achievement but it’s not silverware or a trophy you can lift over your head. Disappointed but, at the same time, what a ride! He gave us some great years, he gave us some great games. He gave us and the Newcastle faithful hope and excitement, a little bit like Keegan did a few years earlier, it was a great time.
Did you know you would be leaving the club at the end of the 03/04 season or did you still feel you could do a job for NUFC?
I knew my numbers were up, I wasn’t playing as much. There were a few injuries and I knew the club were thinking of getting rid of me which was fine, I’d enjoyed my time there and had six-and-a-half years. A couple of teams had approached me in January. I’d spoken to Portsmouth and Glasgow Rangers so there was a big decision to make there. I knew I was leaving, I’d been told by a couple of people that Stephen Carr was on the radar of Newcastle and he was a brilliant full-back. I could see why they wanted him as he was end-to-end, could defend well but then quickly go forward. I shook hands with Sir Bobby and didn’t think I’d play again but he then approached me to say we had an injury to Ollie Bernard and asked if I could play away at Liverpool in the last game of the season. A lot of players would be hesitant in case they picked up an injury before signing for a new club but it was a great opportunity for me to say goodbye. I loved that game, I came off with two minutes to go. The papers were very complimentary about me and we got the point that helped us get back into Europe.
What kind of reception did you receive from Newcastle fans when playing against the Toon after you’d left?
I never got booed! (laughs) I never really got a big cheer either, I think because I was never one of the main players. Fans probably knew that I didn’t play as much as I would have wanted in six-and-a-half years but was my time there a success? I’d played over one hundred matches, played in the Champions league, played in the FA Cup final and earned that number two squad number which was the challenge given to me when I first joined the club as a teenager, that’s something I’m very proud of.
I walked away from Newcastle feeling sad because I was leaving a great group of players, a great manager and a great football club. A lot of the time, if you leave Newcastle you are going down a level but I was still playing in the Premier League with Portsmouth and enjoying my football under Harry Redknapp. Maybe if I had signed for Rangers, I wouldn’t have felt such a step down because of the size of the fanbase and what it means to play for the club.
Do you still spend any time in the North East and follow the fortunes of NUFC?
Yeah, after I left, every summer me and a couple of good friends would go and visit the city. We’d go go-karting, have some food and a night out on the Quayside. Going to that city always brought a sense of excitement and I’ve still got really close friends up there.
When we qualified for the Champions League and played PSG, Eddie Howe asked me to be a guest of honour and do a Q and A. What a match that was! I’ve been up about twelve times since then doing those guest appearances and always thoroughly enjoy my time there.
What was your perception of Mike Ashley’s ownership of Newcastle United?
Brutal, a bit strange and very much business. My youngest son is into his football and I got tickets for us to go up and take in a match at St James’ Park. There was not a lot to play for, it was near the end of the season and the match finished 0-0. I was thinking ’this is not the place I left’. It felt like there was a dark cloud over it.
Since the new owners and Eddie Howe came in it’s been superb, brilliant. There’s a real connection and togetherness between the football club and the fans. You can feel that connection. It helps when the team is performing well which we have been doing since Eddie took over, we’ve just hit a bump in the road at the moment.
When we look at what Eddie Howe has achieved in the job, he has to be held in the same esteem as Keegan and Robson. He’s steered the club away from relegation into the Champions League spots, I’d say we’ve had two successful Champions League campaigns. He’s given us some great individual games and the way he has handled the media pressure since the takeover has been very good and he articulates himself well.
Maybe some of his signings haven’t worked out or reached their potential just yet. This team has based its success on pure energy and desire, outrunning teams, mauling them and not allowing them to breathe. You lose Isak and then you’ve got the amount of matches catching up with you, it does take its toll. Someone said to me at the derby last weekend that ahead of the derby, Sunderland had played thirty-four games this season but Newcastle had played fifty-one.
I looked at the second half performances against both Barcelona and Sunderland. The players looked down and out, like they didn’t have any energy. This team has the right mindset, it has the right spirit, the right heart. It’s not a lazy team, these are not lazy players, they are very good individually and collectively they are an energetic, hungry team. It was hugely disappointing against Sunderland. It had been ten years in the making. You’ve got everything that goes with it, ‘Wor Flags’ and the fans. To then have that performance. You’re out of both cup competitions, out of the Champions League. What is worrying some of the fans is maybe the league position but Eddie has certainly deserved and earned patience and loyalty.
(ED: Our thanks once again to Andy Griffin and The Armchair Fan. You can read the first part that went up on Sunday, the second part that went up on Monday, then the final fourth part of this epic interview will go up on The Mag on Wednesday)