Steve Eyre

From 21 years coaching at Manchester City to taking the Rochdale job in difficult circumstances, Eyre has seen a lot in football. Andy Mitten spoke to him.

“I’m a Salford boy, the son of Fred, a football loving journeyman footballer who went onto write a best seller about his failures at Manchester City. He found a niche, but he was more talented than he gave himself credit for.

I grew up as a City fan in an area where there’s a lot of United fans. I was going to City from an early age, block A in the main stand at Maine Road. Then I moved to the Kippax and began to explore what being a football fan was all about. Paul Power was my first hero, the City’s captain, the ever-consistent one. I’d go on to work with him for 20 years.

I was a footballer too, but my career ended at 19. I did an apprenticeship at Burnley and then got a pro contract at Wigan. It’s said that injuries did for me. The truth is, I wasn’t ready for the first team at 19 and to earn your second pro contract, you had to be good enough to do that. There was none of the time for late development that a young player would get now. I played football in non-league, but then I did get injuries, twelve of them. All requited surgery.

I had two choices. Trawl around the country playing football or do something else. Paul Power advised me to talk to Alex Williams, the ex Man City goalkeeper. The club were big into the community and Alex was trying to deliver coaching to schools in Manchester. I started work with him and visited schools in the inner city, getting to know all the teachers.

Only 20 myself, I came across all these young footballers looking to me for advice. Some would become professional, Nedum Onuoha, Adam Clayton and Ishmael Miller. City then asked me to work in their youth programme. They wanted to become kings of youth football, albeit with a smaller budget than their rivals. They turned to youth out of financial necessity, but also from tradition, for City had some great youth sides in the 80s. The club also had great staff in Jim Cassell, Alex Gibson, Frankie Bunn, Power and Barry Poynton. My own development accelerated because of these people. I worked 18 hours a day and watched how City’s coaches created a path to the first team for players like Shaun Wright Phillips, Joey Barton, Michael Johnson, Stephen Ireland and Micah Richards. Over 35 first team debuts were given, over £60 million received in transfer fees when players were sold. Those sales were crucial in helping City stay afloat.

It was hard to compete with United, especially after Sir Alex Ferguson reorganised their youth system and made a real effort to get the best local youngsters. We didn’t give up. We were handicapped by the size of our budget, so we had to give a real hard sell to players and parents. City’s training facilities at the Platt Lane fortress were bleak and it wasn’t easy convincing parents to let them put their kids on buses to inner city Moss Side – especially when talented players had other options - but we made sure players were looked after. We also said they’d have a good chance of getting in the first team. Joe Royle, then manager, trusted youth, as did former player and board member Dennis Tueart.

Our system worked. We got better and better. In 2008, we won the FA Youth Cup, a huge achievement. We’d seen those players coming from the age of nine or ten. We had Ben Mee, Vladimir Weiss, Kieran Tripper and Daniel Sturridge, who we’d signed from Coventry at 14. Daniel was the best young player in the country and City convinced him that it would be the best place to take the next steps in his career because he needed to develop his huge natural talent and be better technically and tactically. It was.

Of the players I worked with in 2007, 08 and 09, 12 were involved in the European championship this summer. I’m proud of them all; just as I am of the lads playing in England’s top six divisions. I still speak to many of them, usually after a game on a Saturday. They want to talk football. They came as schoolboys and became international footballers. Some are millionaires, some parents. It gives me so much pleasure. We couldn’t replace the relationship that a son has with his father but we came as close at that to possible. We were life teachers, football fathers. Some of the boys travelled from far away, they needed looking after.

After 21 years, I left City in 2011. I’d been head of coaching players aged 9-18, under 18s coach, U21 assistant coach and assistant academy manager. I was coaching every boy in the academy.

City was changing quickly. From 14 staff, there are now over 100 working in the academy under new chief Mark Allen. It’s a much bigger operation. I left because I wanted to become a football manager and had the chance to take over Rochdale in League One.

I was 40 and ready to be a manager. I was replacing Keith Hill, their most successful ever manager who had joined Barnsley and taken several of the best players with him.

I started with seven professional players and two players were injured on the first day leaving me with just five and no goalkeeper. There was no raining ground and no scouting at the time but I still had a strong desire to succeed, even with the handicaps and the restricted budget. I also made mistakes. I relied on untried players or those without League One experience. The process of developing a player was also much slower than at City, where I had youngsters keen to learn and adapt. At Rochdale, a seasoned pro was more difficult to develop.

We had a lack of depth in a tough division and it showed. The players gave their all, but even when we played well, three points didn’t always come but away derby victories at Bury and Preston were precious. We also beat Premier League QPR away in the League Cup too.

With the team struggling, Rochdale decided to dismiss me in December. I was very disappointed, my pride was hurt. I felt lost and lonely, but you can’t stay like that. You have to move on – or try to.

Rochdale fans were divided. Some wanted to stick with a young coach and give me time, others felt they needed experience – which they got when John Coleman replaced me. Rochdale didn’t get a higher placing and were relegated by finishing bottom of the league.

I was fortunate because Huddersfield Town gave me a job immediately, a coaching position working with the under 21s and the first team. Huddersfield were at the top end of League 1 with Simon Grayson as manager. I finished the season I started at Rochdale in the centre circle at Wembley as a winner after Huddersfield won the play-offs, despite missing the first three penalties in a shoot out.

Simon moved to Preston North End and I had three stints as joint caretaker manager at Huddersfield with Mark Lillis. We played eight, won four, drew two and lost two. Then the chairman wanted changes throughout the club.

“I’m sorry, I’m giving the club a facelift,” he said as I was let go last November.

After 29 years in professional football it’s hard being out of it. I’ve got vast experience from being a youth player, professional player, youth coach, under 21 coach, first team coach caretaker manager and first team manager.

I have to tell myself the same things which I tell players, to keep going and hope for a change in circumstances. I’m grateful that I get invited to watch games and get invited into football clubs so I’m watching a lot of football. I also work for BBC radio in Manchester as a match summariser. I’m halfway through my pro licence with the English FA too.

Football is still a beautiful game, but it’s a tough industry. At 44, it’s one I want to stay in and I’m gearing up ready for my next challenge in coaching or management.”