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A CAPTAIN'S TALE Our next game was against Georgia away and I had to miss it because I was recovering from yet another groin operation. We met Italy next at Wembley and he sent for me to say, 'I promised you three games as captain. You'll lead this side out for this match.' It is for others to consider my good and bad points in the job; all I do is just try to be myself. In public I try to behave politely and courteously because that is the way I was brought up. I state my opinions honestly, but I will never criticize anyone-team mate or opponent-in public. If i came across on television or in the press as boring, well, I cannot change that. I have never tried to cultivate a certain image. What you see is what you get with me. Sometimes I may appear to be rather cagey when I am being interviewed but I think this is understandable in the modern media age. I get on well with a lot of journalists in the written press and from radio and television, and always try to be helpful and polite with them. But there are one or two lurking around the corner whose motives are suspect. They can take a quote completely out of context and draw you into a controversy of their own making. I get dozens of requests for interviews every month and have to be selective or I would have no time for anything else. I take great pride in my work and try to be neat and tidy in everything. I do both on and off the field. My methodical manner used to drive Mike Newell mad when we were room-mates at Blackburn. We would arrive at our hotel and the first thing I did was to take my suit out its carrier, hang it in the wardrobe,umpack the rest of myclothes and lay my two toliet bags out in the bathroom. Mike would just throw his bag in the corner, jump on the bed and go to sleep. I annoyed him intensely every morning because when I am awake I cannot just lie in bed. I have to get up and do something. It would be about 8 o'clock when I'd get the newpaper, throw the curtains back, flick on the bedside lamp if necessary and have a good read. Once the papers were finished, I'd put the television on. Mr Angry was like a bear with a sore head. 'Look, I don't mind if you have the curtains open but do you have to have the light on as well?' he complained. I know how he feels now because whenever I share a room with my Newcastle colleague David Batty, he is even worse than me. He can never sleep and usually up and about at seven every morning. My punctuality would have mike tearign his hair out as well. I detest being late for anything. When we travelled in for training at Blackburn and it was my turn to drive, I used to sit outside his house fuming and blowing my horn while he would be casually finishign his breakfast. Likewise when we were in his car, he was late more than often than not when he came to pick me up and I would be hanging around twiddling my thumbs. 'It is extremely rude to be late and keep people waiting,' I told him repeatedly. 'Well, it is just as rude to be early,' he would reply. There was no point in arguing with him. I have been described as England's captain Clean but I hate the public image that I am too good to be true. My team-mates will tell you I love a laugh and a joke the same as everyone. I've been known to take part in a few dressing-room pranks. I have had the finger of blame pointed at me when the toes have been cut out of team-mates' sock. |