Kebabs With Beckham, Chelsea's Match Attire & England Camp Secrets

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0:50BBC Sounds. Music, radio, podcasts. I got to England and then you get on with the physios and massages and stuff. I got on the event and you're painting your toenails. Seeing Guy Neville and Carragher now blows my mind. You never picture Guy Neville and Jim Carragher being mates. I think there's no way I'm going to bed every night with an excellent pool legend and picture on my wall. So I made them take it down. He took it down. He took it down anyway and they went back into my room. he put one up for myself went to met up with Bex and Victoria meet and clean when he was at Madrid and went for dinner there and we were having kebabs

1:34Kae Kurd:do you like international break? now or when I was playing? now now now it's horrible isn't it? yeah I think now because the games I don't know I know the competitive games now and even before when we used to have friendlies when you played I used to enjoy it as a player but now it's just like you just want the league to carry on It's also this one, this one's way too early it feels like, isn't it? We're just getting some rhythm we're just like, oh yeah, football's back oh no, football's gone again, it's just annoying isn't it? Well do you know what, as a player you used to think if I get to the international break have your international games and then you knew from then really you were probably up to full fitness after the international break.

2:24But yeah, now obviously when you stop playing, it's, I used to love playing for England, but watching England now in some of the games, you're just like, because you know they're going to win, you know it's a bit boring. Obviously getting into the tournament, that's when you enjoy it, but the games, the last few games, I think we were there against... The ones in June were tough. There was one at Nottingham Forest. Yeah, I was just like, yeah, I feel sorry for Thomas Tuchel at the minute. He probably wants a decent game where he can go and show what he can do with the team. But yeah, it's much better when you're playing in them.

3:00Kae Kurd:You see, when you were a player during this international break, was it one that even if you weren't in this team, was it sort of like, oh, whatever, it's fine? Or did you care about every single England squad that you were in? No, you wanted to be in every squad. um i used to love getting called up to england and whether it was a friendly whether it was a qualifier um you know it was just love going meeting up with the players um preparing for the games and um it's probably the reason i got you know 120 caps because yeah never used to pull out it always remember alice ferguson before we go um in some of the games and i'm sure he'd speak to the manager, the England manager as well, but you'd be like, right, no more than 45 minutes.

3:48Make sure you come off after 45 minutes or you'd only play 45 minutes. Yeah, yeah. So I'd get to the Englands and I'd be like, boss, I want to play 90 minutes. I want to play the full game. Don't take me off because, yeah, I used to love playing. Some players were different and some players were protecting themselves with injuries as well, especially in the friendly games. But yeah, no, I used to love going.

4:09Kae Kurd:Did the boss ever get annoyed with you if you came back I think he knew. And to be honest, I've seen Schalzi talk about it as well. I was better when I was playing. The more I played, I was better, the more rhythm I got in my game. So I don't think he was too bothered. Like, for instance, if Rio, for instance, might have played on for 90 minutes, he might have been a bit annoyed with that. Can you remember the first time you went away with an England squad, what it was like? because I think your first cap came in, I think it was February 2003, wasn't it? But can you remember going to your first squad?

4:46It was mad, really, because we were at England, at Everton, sorry, we went out to train and David Moyes came out and said, you've been called up by England. So I thought I was doing the 21s because I'd done one training camp with the 21s. So I was like, okay, should we end up with the first team? So I was surprised, I was obviously delighted. so we went home I always remember the night before we were meeting up I was in Colleen's mum and dad's house and then I fell asleep on the couch the night before and Colleen painted me toenails while I was asleep and I didn't I had no idea it was like a see-through glossy type thing I don't know what it was well so you couldn't see it was an actual colour yeah so I couldn't see it but if you really look close obviously you could see it I got to England and then you get on with the physios and my sairs and stuff.

5:38I got on and he went to, one of my sairs went, have you painted your toenails? It didn't have you down for, what did you do that? I was just like, no. He really had to look at my toenails and paint, so I was raging, fuming then. And then we went out for the first training session and I got my, obviously took my boots from Everton, I mean, I looked at my boots, my boots were the size 11, they were Steve Watson's boots. So I took the wrong boots. the whole first couple of days there was just a nightmare really, I went out, I wore them I didn't say anything, I wore them I put about three pairs of socks on wore the boots and I was okay then, I got more boots sent I always wonder with kit is it you that takes the kit or do the club pack it up for you and you take it?

6:23Because you know when you see players arrive with their bags is it your responsibility? No, you obviously have your tax shoes if it's your first time, you go in your own clothes and then obviously when you get to England you have all your tracksuits and training kits and stuff there but then if you've been before you've obviously you've got your tracksuits or you're travelling your tracksuits and I think it's a bit different I was looking at the French team yesterday arriving to their international squad I was like what is going on here have you seen some of the clothes

6:54Kae Kurd:it's a fashion show for them isn't it oh mate it's like walking down the catwalk that's the Pep Guardiola Man City effect as well isn't it if you think of what they turn up? When you used to look at Chelsea, if you look at the players who weren't in the squad, they weren't on the bench. They used to sit right behind the bench and they were all in their own clothes. I thought they looked a bit scruffy. We were at United. It was rarely professional. Even if you're on the squad, everyone would be in the club suits and it looked really professional. It's gone. I think now it's the same at every club where they just went whatever they want.

7:26But I used to always think, you know, at United, it looked really professional where everyone, even if you're in the squad or not, you were in your club suit and it looked good.

7:34Kae Kurd:Did that come from the gaffer way or was that just... Yeah, that was from the manager. We used to always say we used to wear the club suits to go to the away games. Even like flying to Europe, we'd fly in the suits. So when you get in the plane, if it's a long flight, you take your suit off and put pyjamas or shorts and whatever on. But you'd always have to put it back on before you get off the plane. And he said he always liked to, when you walk into someone else's stadium, like to you know to look good and you know everyone the way fans the way team look and thinking you know this is a professional team so and yeah it was it was I used to enjoy it I used to like them.

8:12Is it still the same I feel like United whenever I think of United arriving at games they're always quite I can see that suit in my mind now like I know the suit you mean it's quite like iconic with United isn't it they always wear it. Yeah it starts to change and then Van Gaal was brilliant with it as well you know even if your your tie was a bit loose or whatever Van Gaal will come up to you and fix your tie for you and you know to keep the standards and then I remember Mourinho come in Mourinho was a bit more relaxed on him remember we played went to the League Cup final and so I'd pull the players and they kept doing it and like players were wearing their suits with big bright yellow trainers and stuff like that so I went to Mourinho I said listen I've spoke to the players and they keep doing it you need to have a word and to keep the standards, you know, we can't have that going to Wembley into a cup final.

9:04It's like, yeah, yeah, I'll speak to him. And then as we come down to leave, I've seen Jose there and he's got like a zip up top with no tyre and I was thinking, what's the point?

9:12Kae Kurd:Oh, wow. If the manager's not doing it, yeah, what's the point? He was relaxed on it, so I was thinking, what's the point? Why am I even bothering with this? So, yeah, and then I think then from now, now it's just, you know, wear what you want and the headphones, caps whatever saying is with suits I like how old school you are Wayne I don't think people would realise that he's come through the Sir Alex Ferguson school of football hasn't he yeah I just think it looks good and you know it looks professional like it looks like you've got your main business do you know what I mean yeah I think it's different now isn't it sponsorships and stuff I won't name who but before a cup final in recent years I was about to interview a player and I went oh nice outfit and they just went don't we have to wear it and it was like, yeah.

10:00So I think a lot of it is not in players' control, is it?

10:03Kae Kurd:Well, yeah, no, I saw that. Was it the FA Cup final, Man City versus United and the City team turned up in like designer gear that was like jeans and a top and then the United team all turned up in suits and it just seemed a lot nicer. I mean, back in the day, I felt like if you wore a really funny suit, Fergie would come in and go, well, that's one, Neil. yeah no it was always it's just actually with England with England for the 2000 for the Euros 2004 remember we had this obviously Bex was captain so he's picking the suits and we had the sponsorship deal with Armani and he's got this suit and we're trying it on and I'm looking I'm thinking I'm an 18 year old scouser and And we put this suit on and it's this big flares at the bottom.

10:56And I was looking at myself in the mirror. I was like, what am I wearing here? What is going on? It was horrendous. It was a terrible suit. And I think we still had Armani, I think, for the 2006 World Cup. I think because we didn't win anything, they must have gotten rid of us. So our next suit was Marks and Spencer's. Which was all right, actually. It was actually better. Wayne, Colleen's quite into her fashion, isn't she? What does she make of all of this? Does she kind of help you and make sure you look good? Well, before we had kids, Cleen used to leave my clothes out the night before. Every day?

11:31Every day, yeah. Before we had kids. I need someone to do that for me. She put my clothes out and have it out, ironed and ready for me to put on the next morning. Shouldn't have had four kids, really, should you? Because she'd probably still be doing it. Now I've got to get up and get my own clothes and fuming.

11:48Kae Kurd:Wayne, do you see when you went to your first England camp, what was the vibe like for you? I loved it. And people talk about, you know, was the cliques with United or Liverpool or Chelsea lads. I'd never seen that. I don't know if that was before me, but I didn't really see that. And I've seen, obviously, when I got there, the first few squads, you've got Bex and Guy Neville and sat there and whatever, but they were still talking and there was still everyone getting around each other. And I think I was probably one of the ones to actually help connect everyone because I was good mates with Lamps and Ash Cole and JT and obviously Steve Gerrard and Carragher.

12:33So I was actually very rarely with the United lads when I was there. I was with other players from other teams. I think you were the United lads 24-7. I didn't want to be with them again, do you know what I mean? All camp. So I ended up with different people and different players. So yeah, I didn't really see that clicks the way other people did. But meeting up, I used to love it. You go in there. The only problem was you go back and you'd always went back to your club, probably about two kilos heavier than when you left because you're just literally eating all day. You're there, you're up for breakfast, you'd lunch, there's snacks, then you'd have dinner and just sat around the hotel all day and it's just constant.

13:23Kae Kurd:What hotel were you at? Because I know now they're at St. George's Park, right? We used to stay... When I first got in the squad, we were traveling around because Wembley weren't built. So we'd stay wherever the game was. But then once Wembley was built, we used to stay to Grove a lot. Okay. Which I used to love. The golf course was playing there. So you'd be able to get out for nine holes every now and again. when you went there. When we went to St. George's Park, everyone hated it. Really? Yeah, it was... The facilities and that were great, but the small things, like the Wi-Fi in the hotel was terrible.

14:03So you can imagine everyone was fuming down. And then it was quite boring. It was in the middle of nowhere. It was... There was nothing to do there. It was... Yeah, it didn't like it. And it just felt like playing a home game for England. It felt like you were actually playing an away game because the day before we'd get the train up to Watford and go to the Grove. So it always felt like we were playing an away game. But I think everyone's got used to it now. The England players, obviously, that's all you know now, really. A little fun fact for you. I used to waitress at the Grove, Wayne. Did you?

14:38Yeah, we did it. We used to, sometimes we'd be put on there. And I remember serving Ashley Young his lunch once. I don't remember you. Sorry, not that you're not memorable. I just remember I was a Watford fan, so I think serving Ashley Young was... But yeah, it's a lovely hotel, isn't it? And it's got the spa. Did you get to go in the spa there as well? Yeah, I used the spa a few times, yeah. It was the day after the game. The lads would go out and train on the pitch at the Grove, the ones who didn't play. And the lads would get treatment and go into the spa and stuff or play an older golf. So no, I'd very like the Grove.

15:11Wayne

15:12Kae Kurd:was St George's Park similar to where it is now because I see the lads have got like games rooms and like they've got like basketball nets and stuff like that where they can play to fill the time yeah we'd have games rooms we'd have a games room and they put a golf sim up as well but yeah it was quite bummed I remember speaking to when we were first doing it I remember speaking to the FA over it about trying to put like a a nine-hole golf course there oh really yeah they haven't got enough space and I know this sounds weird because you're going away with England but you know sometimes you just have a little bit different you have an afternoon off being able to do something without having to travel an hour, an hour and a half it's better if you've got a tear on your doorstep so but yeah it's I just didn't like it I remember when I went in so when you go into your room you'd always have the same room and when I first went in, they have a picture of an ex-England legend or whatever up in your room.

16:17So I walked in, it was Kevin Keegan. So I was fuming. It's quite badly thought out, isn't it? Yeah, I was like, there's no way. Kevin Keegan, absolute legend. I was thinking, there's no way I'm going to bed every night with an ex-Livepool legend picture on me wall. So I made them take it down. So they took it down. They took it down anyway, and they went back into my room and he put one up for myself. Did you ask for yourself? No, I didn't. But yeah, there's no, I couldn't, even though he was in his England kit, I couldn't have it up. Wayne, you know, in the Gareth Southgate era, there was a lot more activities, wasn't there?

16:57Like there's the basket, we saw them playing basketball and stuff at St. George's. So I think he did take that into consideration. Would you have gone on one of the inflatable unicorns like we saw the images of them? Yeah, definitely. Oh, okay. I thought you'd be like, No, no, no. Them days, the day after the game, they're quite strange actually because for the ones who've played, you know you're waking up in the morning and you're having a down day and you're going in the pool or you're stretching and so you know it's a complete rest day and that's probably the most difficult day for the lads who don't play because you're having to work and you're in small groups.

17:32It's hard and then that's the one day really where I feel like you feel a bit not part of the squad not part of the team even though you are of course you're very important but you know you've you've watched the lads play the day before then the lads are just having rest getting massages going in the pool where you're having to go out and get your boots on and and you're you're getting run it's a hard day for the lads who don't play and that's the most difficult day and I used to think about that because most of the time I was starting but I used to think about that I used to think for them lads that must be mentally it must be very tough then Sven said it in 2006 he said if these 11 players are fit they're gonna play and I remember thinking for them lads who aren't in that 11 like you'd be thinking what's the point like well I know I spoke to a few of them and I know it was that's that's the toughest part of being at England because you want to play you want to be there and I think sometimes you know you're you know, backup or you're there if someone gets injured or to come on the last 20 minutes.

18:39But still for the manager to actually say that publicly, that was that was very tough for a lot of lads. Pop quiz. What's in your kid's lunchbox? At Whole Foods Market, they've already done the studying. Over 300 food ingredients are banned from their shelves. No hydronated fats in the peanut butter and no high fructose corn syrup in the cookies. And for sandwiches, there are no synthetic nitrates or nitrites in any of their deli meat. So you can pack lunchboxes with peace of mind. Get back to school ready at Whole Foods Market.

19:22Kae Kurd:Wayne, was there anything that the managers did to sort of try and help the team bonding with the squad? because I know a lot gets made about Gareth Southgate and they're like, he brought in a culture where everybody was mates with each other and everybody was happy around camp. Did any of the other managers do that, like actively try and build a sort of culture or was it just, here's your tactics? That was the, I think when we went to the Euro 2016, that was, that already started the thing. And I don't think that was down to Gareth, even being honest. I think lads were, it was a younger squad and they knew each other from the other 21s, a lot of lads anyway.

20:03And I think from there really, players now, they speak to each other on social media and you know, you see in the off-season, players are training together, getting the work together from different clubs and stuff. So I think that was just a culture, a generation which was starting to happen anyway. so and then we were a really close squad in 2016 and and then it's just the way we went out basically that's how you know it gets remembered but we were a really close close knit squad then so yeah and even before that we were close and you had obviously you're older players like who maybe who wouldn't like like seeing Guy Neville and Carrigan now is blows my mind really yeah that's like because you could never talk to each other and obviously work together at England but you never picture Guy Neville and Jim Carragher being mates the way they are now and you would never think they'd socialise outside of football but obviously they work together and become really close mates so yeah that's so strange now still You've said before that you kind of hung around with everyone and you mentioned some of the names but who did you kind of hang around with because to be honest I wouldn't be surprised if there was from what you said a few people avoiding you in the afternoon at camp because it sounds like you were a right pain yeah no in a good way no obviously I was with Stevie quite a lot with Frank Ash Cole so after games when we had the double-edged games me, Ashley and Frank would go back into one of our rooms and we'd get like a bottle of red wine and have a couple of glasses of wine was that allowed?

21:47yeah you could after the game you could chill and whatever but yeah and you used to have a little glass of wine and just talk and stuff which you know was good and different players done different things and and whatever so yeah it was weird I always remember years ago we got invited to Beck's for a dinner there was me lamps me lamps and a couple couple more players we went to his house and me and Cleen we were only like 19 or something like this is weird what's happening here and then they're walking around and he's shown us around his house and then I opened the door and I think I bumped one it was his eldest boy Brooklyn I bumped his head he started crying I was like oh Jesus opened the door and bumped his head but yeah that was like surreal and you know sat there Berks and Victoria and having dinner.

22:50It was like mad. What was dinner? I can't remember. Was it posh? No. No, we met up with Bex and Victoria, me and Cleen, when he was at Madrid and went for dinner then. We were having kebabs. Come on. Stereotypes being completely thrown out the window. But, you know, obviously great lad and Victoria is such a lovely woman and funny, like, a lot funnier than what people would think. Okay, I'm just visualising. Imagine if you walk past and you just see Wayne and Colleen, Posh and Bex, sitting there having a kebab.

23:24Kae Kurd:I think it's a bunch of like, like lookalikes or something. I wouldn't think it's a real thing. What was your favourite tournament, Wayne? Was it the first one, obviously, in Portugal? Yeah, that was the best I played in the tournament. But the one I enjoyed most was Germany. Okay. I just thought the set up, the interaction with the fans it was it was brilliant when you go into the games there's fans everywhere and like for instance when we were in South Africa in Brazil that day they were horrendous like you just didn't feel you couldn't I remember the US game USA game in South Africa and we're traveling into the game and there's no fans you're just going in it's dark and it just doesn't feel like a World Cup.

24:12Whether the one in Germany really did, it felt brilliant. There was also, that was around the era, wasn't it? Where like, I think it was in South Africa where there was all the, all the media were just obsessed with like wives and girlfriends and families and what was going on. There was a lot of coverage. But that was in Germany. Was that Germany? I lose track of which tournament. What was that like for you? Is it a distraction or are you able to just kind of block it out? No, that's happened before. obviously I went to tournaments and that still happens now actually now more of a mother's tent where the wives are probably staying with them one night in whatever so we used to be able to see them for like couple hours a day on on a certain day whatever which is fine I think the problem you guys is all of the wives and kids and whatever we're staying in one hotel and you saying staying in the same hotel as the journalist with him which was expensive as well to pay for like for instance to pay for clean and me cousin to stay there it was like 100 grand so it was a hotel the fa have put on but you're still paying a lot of money for it and then all the journalists in the same hotel and then um the following that they're obviously following and all the wives around and, you know, what else are they to do?

25:34They're going out for food and having a good time. It's not, we're not doing that. We're not part of that at that time or whatever. And then sometimes what you don't realise is mentally, when you get like a few hours to come away from it, and especially, I didn't have kids then, but especially the lads then who had kids, you've got like, say, four hours for them. Lads, they can go and see the kids for a little bit and switch off from football, which mentally helps you massively. but then obviously a massive thing got made, which I think was out of order. I always remember Guy Neville. You know what Gaz is like?

26:10He goes over the top and he's like, lads, this is a disgrace. This is a distraction. They shouldn't be here. They should be doing this. He's like, yeah, whatever, Gaz. And then the next day, God bless him, Gaz's dad is all over the front of the newspaper, stood on a table in a bar with a fake World Cup, From page of the newspaper. Oh, mate, I was so happy. Did you give him stick for it? No, I stated to him, say, guys, what's going on here? Oh, his face dropped. But yeah, no, I think that was just a big media chase, and I think that was very unfair, actually. As I said, it's still happening now where the families are going, and why shouldn't they?