Sol Campbell Interview

First Published: Nov 12, 1999

Sol Campbell spoke about the unfamiliar right back role he is being asked to play for England at a press conference yesterday.

The Tottenham centre back will play as one of three defenders in a 3-5-2 formation at |Hampden Park against Scotland as the Euro 2000 play-offs get under way.

Campbell has only played four full games for the London club since his return from an ankle injury and spoke at length about his season so far and thoughts before the Hampden derby clash.

You were back to your very best on Sunday, do you feel that yourself?

"It is looking good. Obviously after ten weeks out it is pretty hard because I'm behind most players, but you know it is getting better and better, I'm getting stronger every week and getting fitter every week getting used to playing back in the position. At the moment it is on the right track anyway."

There was some pretty dramatic pictures after the European defeat; how much did that affect you?

"Obviously it has been cut short. You know, I wasn't crying, but I was upset anyway. It is a shame we've got to go out there again and qualify again you know. So..."

There were also some dramatic pictures of you after the victory on Sunday, that clearly meant a lot to you and the players, you played well and you deserved it, didn't you?

"Obviously it is the Derby. You know, the fans out there. They don't want to lose against the other side of north London. So, yeah it was a good result obviously we go on from there. We want to go on from there, it is good."

Do you like the atmosphere of a derby?

"Obviously, yeah. Obviously it is good to be involved. You want to play in those kind of games. You want to play well. So it is quite frantic and anything goes. But, you know, you don't want to lose it too much; you want to keep a cool head, but you want to put in a good performance as well."

There are a certain of type of player that flourishes in that atmosphere, a bit of aggression, bit of self control too, gotta have some bottle?

"I can imagine that. In every game you have to play in that kind of way. You can't save your self for certain games. If the game comes along it adds a bit too it."

Do you think Saturday's game, particularly as the first half hour on Sunday it was just a blur?

"I can imagine it is going to be a bit of a derby. Most guys have been involved in the domestic kind of derbys so I can imagine it might be the same, yeah."

Has George been saying anything to you about it, winding you up at all?

No, not really, no.

What is the most passionate atmosphere of an England game you have played in yet.

" Argentina, obviously you've got Rome there. Everyone was against us and we needed a result. Obviously, you know, you're playing away, so everyone gels together, stakes together and says 'Look, let us go for it. We want to get a good result.' On the day, you know, it went well for us."

You say it is about keeping your head, as far as I can recall you don't seem to have any problems with self discipline; have you ever had to work at it or does it come naturally?

"I don't know about naturally. You know, obviously you don't want to get sent off, or whatever, or get booked because you know if you do get booked you're kinda on the back foot, sometimes you are a bit hesitant in certain tackles. What can you do, you want to play your best game. You don't want to be thinking about that every time you go out on the pitch. You still want to play, get a good performance out of yourself and go for the cause for the team."

If you are on one yellow card at the moment, right?

"Yeah."

How will you approach it if somebody is trying to wind you up because of being on a yellow card?

" I don't really think of that, you know, you shouldn't really think of those kinda things. You're a professional footballer and want to play football. It is like if a crowd is winding you up or whatever, you just get on with it. I want to play football, that is what I love and that is what I want to do. I want to do my best for my country if I playing."

Where was your booking?

" I can't remember, must have been maybe Bulgaria."

Does anybody get under your skin when you have been playing?

" Not really. Everyone has a kinda of a breaking point. Just how far people can go. But you know..."

You have never reached it?

"If you have a breaking point, you bite your lip and get on with it. There is a lot of things happen in the world and other people. You kinda look at those of situations and start thinking to yourself it is not all happening to me, you know there is a lot more worst things happening in the world. You kinda put every in perspective and say this is what I want to do; this is what I want to do. I want to play football, that is the main thing."

Have you ever seen things happen on the pitch, not involving you, when it has resulted in anything happening, like a red card and you thought to yourself 'Why react like that?'

"Everyone is different. No one is the same. If everyone was the same person it would be a boring place. Everyone has their different kinda breaking points. Some people are higher, some people lower."

Have you been pushed in close that breaking point - intimidation I am talking about in football terms?

" Not really. Obviously people say things from time to time through your career or the crowd or whatever but you just get on with it, just get on with it."

Did they make a point of that national - when you were at the school of excellence, did they make a point of that keeping your head and so on?

"No, not really. I was a quite, you know, level-headed lad you know at that age anyway. So..."

Does the people talk about your future at Spurs, is that lodged in the back of your mind, or can you cut that off completely, or not?

"I think that shouldn't really come into it - shouldn't come into it at all. As I said, I just want to play football. That is the main thing. You start thinking of other things, start thinking of this, start thinking of that. I don't want to think of those kinda things, I want to play football. And if a few things start flying around, let them fly around because I can't stop them."

I don't suppose you have played at Hampden before, certainly not against Scotland at Hampden before. Can you afford to try to taste the experience, aside from going up there and winning? People talk about going to cup finals and the day can go in a blur. It is an intense atmosphere, rivalry as well, very important match. Can you savour that?

" I think the lads know what they've gotta do. At the end of the day, it is two games where you've got to get through. We know what is at stake. We want to get through to the finals. So I think, you know, on the day, whoever plays, all the lads won't need to - if it goes in a blur it goes in a blur. As long as you get a good result, that is going to be it at the end of the day."

The fact is historically it is the oldest fixture in the world and a lot of people sort of get very...

" That is for you guys to build it up, not for me or the lads. All the lads know what is at stake. We want to get through to the next round, to the finals. If you start thinking of this, thinking of that, you know it might get in the way. Obviously you understand the kinda history about at it. At the end of the day, we want to get through - it is something to look back on when your career is over in 15 years' time?"

You came on against the Scots '96?

"Yeah, five minutes from the end."

Paul Scholes was telling us his experience of playing Scottish teams is pre-season friendly?

"I played Hearts in a pre-season, played Hearts."

Do you find that to completely focus when you are in dressing room before a big game, do you find it easy to complete focus on what the job is, or do you have, like, a routine?

"I think every player has a routine really. They all go through their kind of ritual. Some players are quite quiet, some players, you know, quite vocal."

Which one are you? Do you like to keep to yourself?

"I like to keep to myself and get yourself together and go out there. Then within yourself obviously just before you're going out whatever we all get together and gee ourselves up and go from there. You don't want to waste too much energy before the game, before a ball has been kicked you can play the game through your mind far too early and as soon as you get on the pitch it is, you know, you kind of brain dead a bit."

Is that the same way you captain Spurs, the approach before the game, where you have to be a bit more out there?

"Not really, it was quite the same for the two games."

Lead by example?

"Obviously, yeah. When you are actually on the pitch then you can become more vocal because you are on the actual pitch. That is where it counts really."

On that theory, you are definitely one of the leaders in the Spurs team. It shows in the way that people play around you they respond to that. Are you already one of the leaders in the England team? Do you aspire to be a leader on the pitch for England?

"I think the first thing is to play well for England and then whatever happens after that happens after that."

You are not intimidated about the prospect of looking round to the players and trying to draw more out of them?

" They are playing for England so they should be good players. The gaffer has picked them because they are good players. You don't want 1 captain, you want 11 captains out there."

How do you cope with the frustration of missing early games this season for England and Spurs? They were important games and you were not playing?

"Yeah, what can you do? The first game of the season it was when I got injured, ten weeks. I missed a couple of England games. What can you do? You want to play and you want to play every game. Sometimes it doesn't work out like that. Sometimes you could be working, you could be ill and you want to work on a good piece, you have something hot off the press. It sometimes happens."

Do you learn a lot from watching?

" Yeah, you kinda learn -- obviously with other teams and how centre forwards like to run or you know where they like to run or if they are quick or slow or they like going back post or whatever. You kinda watch from time to time."

I know beaten teams always feel down, when the Scots were beaten at Wembley three years ago did you get the feeling they were more devastated than most teams when beaten by England or Spurs?

"Because it is England and Scotland it is only natural it is going to hurt a bit more because it is England. I think that is only natural."

Do you prefer playing in a three or a four?

"Whatever. Whatever the gaffer picks, I just go with the flow and, you know, just want to play."

When was the last time you played fullback in an actual game?

" Full back, I don't know. Five years maybe something like that."

On a Spurs thing, are you happy to say you are learning under George. He admires you. He has a track record for educating defenders even beyond their ...

"Yeah, he has done it time and time again. He has done it at Arsenal, done it at Leeds. So why can't he do it at Tottenham?"

Does he work individually with guys like yourself on the defense?

"From time to time he works with -- he also works with the team, from the front two, to the middle to the defence. So he starts up front, you know, working hard and it goes through the whole team."

How well briefed are you on any problems that Billy Dodds or Mark Burchill could give you, because they are players that don't come up every week?

"We have watch a video of one of their games. We pretty much know what the Scottish have got in for us. I think the main - at the end of the day, you just want to play. Whoever plays on the day, we just want to get out there and play and just try to play the best, to the best of your ability on the actual day."