In this episode, Gary Neville, Paul Scholes, Jill Scott, Roy Keane, and Ian Wright are joined by Arsenal’s record appearance holder David O’Leary to talk all things football and reflect on his incredible career. The team look back on some of David’s former teammates for club and country, including Tony Adams, Mick McCarthy and of course Wrighty himself. David also opens up on his time with Ireland, sharing stories from some unforgettable nights out alongside Roy and the squad. Attention then turns to Arsenal, where David reflects on his time at the club, including a brilliant FA Cup story, before giving his thoughts on the current side as they chase Premier League and Champions League glory. The episode finishes with a look back on David’s managerial career at Leeds, as well as talks over a possible move to Manchester United in 2001.
00:00 – Intro
06:22 – Tony Adams Leadership
11:41 – Jack Charlton Tough Love
18:42 – Nights Out with Ireland
33:27 – Arsenal Memories
37:24 – Arteta and Modern Arsenal
43:06 – Leeds Job
51:44 – Rio Ferdinand Deal
01:05:48 – United Succession
01:10:58 – Modern Football
01:16:01 – Arsenal Title Run in Verdict
Key Quotes:
O’Leary on Ian Wright’s personality at Arsenal…
- ‘I’ve seen really good players come to Arsenal and just couldn’t cope with the pressure but with Ian Wright you could tell straight away that when he arrived he had that confidence. I was there about 12 years, but you thought Wrighty had been there 12 years. You could tell he was going to be good. I loved when somebody kicked him because it made him angry and you just knew he was going to score. He bailed us out a lot of times.’
O’Leary on his thoughts on Tony Adams…
- ‘I’d watch him in the reserves and I thought, he’s got a great chance coming through. Then he made his debut with me, and I ended up rooming with him and we’d become good friends. He was a strong personality; he was a leader. He used to say to me, ‘Dave, let me head it, you worry about everything around me,’ which suited me anyway. Tonys turned out great, he’s turned his life around and he’s dedicated himself to help people and that other side which he does a brilliant job.’
O’Leary on his relationship with Jack Charlton when he was manager of the Republic of Ireland national team…
- ‘We had a good young lad, called Pat Scully, that came from Dublin, and he was playing in the reserves. He was never going to make it, and he was always going to go back and play in Ireland. I was probably playing the best football in my life and the best run of my career and Jack picked Pat Scully into his squad. That caused even a bigger issue, that he wasn’t even near the Arsenal team and people realised. It got very personal in that way. The best thing I did was not say anything. I think it was my own fault in many ways. I remember when he banned me, I must have missed about 40 internationals. He brought me back against Spain. He didn’t say anything to me all through training but just before he went out, I remember him saying, you pass to Mick McCarthy, and you’ll never play for Ireland again. I think it was my own fault in many ways. I wasn’t his type of centre-half.
O’Leary on Arsenal’s current team style…
- ‘They’re effective. They’re hard to beat. I haven’t thought they’ve bottled it over the last few years. I was detecting after that Bournemouth game where it was early doors, sideway passes and the centre-half back going nowhere, back to the goalkeeper. The crowd gave them stick for it which I thought was unfair because you’re coming off the pitch still six points ahead in the league. The Arsenal crowd are a little bit demanding, and I wish sometimes they’d play with more freedom.’
O’Leary on advising Micheal Carrick at Manchester United…
- ‘I’d say to Michael now that, for all he thinks, he’s the manager of Man Utd but when you get it officially and when you get told that, you’ve got to play midweek games and you’ve got to make all these other decisions, it’s a bigger thing. Man Utd, they don’t come much bigger than that.’
O’Leary on who had the best contract at Arsenal…
- ‘I remember Arsene Wenger saying to me, when he came, Ian Wright was on the best contract at the club. It was a big contract, but now players are getting paid more than that in a week at Arsenal.’
O’Leary on the British transfer record signing of Rio Ferdinand…
- ‘At Leeds, I was a coach who looked after the team. When I went to Villa, Doug Ellis said to me, we’ve got a board meeting in a month’s time, we want you to do this. I’d been at Leeds nearly four years as manager and I’d never been to a board meeting. I said I want Rio Ferdinand because in my opinion, he’s so good on the ball, and he plays as a spare one in the three, as a kind of sweeper in that way. I think putting him in the back four, the size of him, the build, the quickness of him, the whole lot about him in that way.’
- ‘Rio was a refreshing lad to deal with. He wanted to learn football. He was rogue as well. If something happened at the club, I knew he’d be involved. I liked him immensely. He was a great player for me. He loved football. He wanted to stay behind and talk about football and learn it. You could give him a volley and he wouldn’t sulk. He’d take it on the chin.’
O’Leary on his possible move to Man Utd taking over Sir Alex…
- ‘Alex had recommended three people or something like that. It never went any further than that, but I was one of those people.’
O’Leary on a potential Champions League or Premier League title for Arsenal…
- ‘I would say the league because I think people would accuse us of bottling it. I think if we don’t win it this year, we’ll never have a better chance of winning it. There was a big purpose in the summer of what do you want? Put this squad together. It’s the best squad really, balance-wise. If you’re not going to do it with that squad, with the position you’re in now, I fear when you’ll ever do it.’
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