I first met Jack in a pub in Barnsley. A decade later we went to see the Pope together before a
World Cup quarter-final
By The Coaches’ Voice for the Guardian Sport Network
The first time I ever spoke to Jack Charlton was in the Red Lion pub, when I was still playing for Barnsley. He used to come in, have a pint and play pool. He lived up the road – he was the manager of Sheffield Wednesday – and he was great with everybody, not just me. I was a Leeds fan, so to meet Jack – a World Cup winner, a great player and one of my heroes – in the pub was a bit surreal. He was a regular bloke who you could have a laugh and a joke with – he was warm, open and unassuming – but I didn’t really get to know him until I played for him.
When he became
Ireland manager in 1986 I wasn’t the best player by any stretch, but he gave me the captaincy. I’ll be forever grateful for that. I was left out of the first squad he named – he later explained he’d already seen me as a player and wanted to look at others – and I thought: “That’s me done – Jack obviously doesn’t fancy me.” But it was quite the opposite.