INTERVIEW: Jermain Defoe is ready for his next step in management following roles at Rangers and within Tottenham’s academy setup but he does not know where or when his opportunity will emerge
Jermain Defoe is ready to cut his teeth in management – but he’s already faced multiple job rejections due to his “lack of experience.” The ex-England striker left Spurs’ academy setup last summer to pursue his next coaching venture, however, opportunities have proven few and far between.
Defoe revealed: “Harry Redknapp messaged me the other day and said ‘when am I going to see you on the touchline’ and I said ‘boss, I’m trying’. A lot of the feedback I get is the same, it’s about my experience.
“Clubs respect your playing career but a lot of them say ‘you don’t have the experience, we want somebody that’s managed in League One or the Championship’.
“I have to be honest, it’s frustrating because I’ve played at the top level for 23 years and I know I’ve not managed but I played 800 games and I’ve got a team behind me with all the experience that you need that’s ready to go.
“You can only gain that experience by getting the opportunity. Harry Redknapp at West Ham never said to me ‘you won’t play because you’ve got no experience’ – he played me and I kicked on from there.”
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Defoe had been in deep discussions with Northampton Town before Kevin Nolan pipped him to the League One vacancy last December. Former Sunderland coach Paul Bracewell, who Defoe worked under during his time at the Stadium of Light, has already agreed to form part of the 42-year-old’s backroom staff when he eventually lands a position.
At the beginning of the season, only two BME managers were in jobs within England’s top four domestic leagues (from 92 clubs). Instead, coaches – like high-flying Strasbourg boss Liam Rosenior – are now moving overseas, something Defoe is willing to seriously consider.
He continued: “I tried to dip in and out of the first team at Spurs, even if I was just doing finishing drills but that opportunity wasn’t there for me. Even with the academy stuff, Simon Davies is head of the academy and he wanted somebody in full-time, not just coming in three times a week and I have also been doing my media work alongside my coaching.
“I played in the legend’s game with Robbie Keane recently, he’s at Ferencvaros in Hungary and he said ‘maybe you should go abroad somewhere and then come back.’ He’s loving it, I always knew he’d be a coach because he’s like me, he just loves football. So that’s something I’ll definitely consider.
“I always thought the same about Scott Parker in my playing days too, he was a natural leader and I just had the sense that he would be a manager. He’s only conceded 16 goals this season in the Championship at Burnley and because they have that base, I think they’ll do well in the Premier League next season.
“With me, I’ve done everything, I’ve done all my badges, I worked as a player-coach under Stevie [Gerrard] at Rangers and I’ve done a player-to-coach course so I went to different clubs, met different managers – I went to Burnley to see Vincent Kompany and Russell Martin down at Southampton – and also sat down with Gareth Southgate and Lee Carsley for two hours each.
“Recently, I had a conversation with West Ham recently as they want to develop their next No.9 from their academy. They wanted me back in to work with the U19s and U21s to find these young players that are hungry to score goals – so we’ll see.”
So what does a Defoe team look like? He’s against the latest ‘obsession with possession’ trend that has plagued the modern game. He wants his teams to attack with purpose – just like he did in the Premier League.
He explained: “We want to keep the ball but at the same time, we want to pass with intent. I want players to take risks because I want to score goals. The players that will win you the game, play them the ball. I just don’t see the point in playing 15 passes before the ball goes forward”
Defoe was speaking following his involvement in an FA five-a-side tournament at St George’s Park – a competition introduced to support local football communities – where four regional-based sides made up of ex-FA Cup winners, influencers and Non-League stars went head-to-head for the trophy.
He concluded: “Any opportunity to put your boots back on is special. When we got knocked out, I saw Newcastle play with Shola [Ameobi] up top – I said they’ll win it, they had so much energy! I respect anyone that plays football, Saturday or midweek regardless of what level, all of us share the same love for the game.”
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