Gary Smith: the view from Colorado

January 26, 2012 Leave a Comment

If you had asked any Stevenage supporter a couple of weeks ago who Gary Smith is, the majority would have replied ‘Who?’ It would have been a justified reaction because until his name began to be linked with the vacant managerial position, Gary Smith’s reputation within this country was, well, non-existent.

Once the rumours of his impending arrival began to gather pace, I decided to have a detailed look into who he is. It painted half a picture, but there were still some questions needing answers.

I’ve spoken to Chris White from the Colorado Rapids blog, Burgundy Wave. He’s given us a small insight into the Gary Smith they witnessed in the MLS. Enjoy.

What were your opinions on Gary Smith?

I was always a fan. Smith was always incredibly straightforward, a bit of a beacon of light in the muddled front office that the Rapids had up until this offseason. At man management he was a master, and I was consistently awed by the fantastic player signings and developments that he pulled out. He did have his flaws, mostly in the sense of being a bit stubborn when it came to playing ‘his guys’ over more talented individuals. He wasn’t brilliant at strategy either, but to be fair he did his best for an essentially brand new managerial talent.

What style of football does Smith encourage his teams to play?

Smith plays a very rigid, defensive style of football. At the Rapids he favored a classic triangular 4-5-1 with three defensive midfielders back and two wingers trying to hit the big target forward — and Smith loves his big target forwards! — before he switched to an equally rigid 4-4-2 with two holders in the midfield late in 2010. By rigid I mean that his teams are fantastic at keeping their shape, which tends to be fairly wide with the two holding defensive midfielders roaming the center to snipe the ball away and set up big goal opportunities on the edge through fullbacks and wingers.

It’s a style that is fantastic against teams that try to build attack through the center, and he prefers his wingmen to have defensive mettle as well. The biggest problem with Smith’s teams is offense, and your squad will need to have very good strikers and very good service into the box in order to make the most out of the formations he runs. The Rapids had two strikers on fire in 2010 and scored 30 goals combined, but when one of them was injured for the season in 2011 along with the best service provider on the team, they couldn’t pull out anyone with more than 7 goals all year. Be prepared for a lot of 1-0 games in both directions, essentially

How did Smith come across in the media?

I always loved Smith in the media simply because he’s always brutally honest while still not giving away too much. He’s also snarky; my favorite quote was when the Rapids were in the MLS Cup final and the media continuously was asking him if the Rapids were going to take extra care to mark the opposing team’s playmaker as much as possible. Smith’s response was ‘Well I won’t be marking him personally, no.’ You will not get any media BS from Gary Smith.

How did Smith get the first team coach job at Colorado in the first place?

You might know that the Colorado Rapids and Arsenal have a cross-country partnership, partially because they’re both owned by Stan Kroenke. At the time the partnership was forged, Gary was a scout for Arsenal and was shipped over to Colorado to help build the Rapids at the time. He wound up working his way up to assistant manager by 2008 and when inept manager Fernando Clavijo left, Gary took on the lead role and had enough success to keep the job after a trial period. Since Colorado were at the bottom of the table there was nowhere to go but up; Colorado missed the playoffs only by goal differential in 2009 which assured his staying around for at least another two years.

What were the reasons behind Smith’s departure from Colorado?

It’s actually a rather sad story and one that should let you know how awful Colorado’s front office has been the past few years. President Jeff Plush and head scout Paul Bravo never really got along with Smith, who wanted essentially complete control of the club’s team management and player signings. This led to kind of a three man power struggle and after the league form of the club dipped halfway through the season Bravo hinted to Smith that ‘there were other jobs available’.

After an embarrassing 4-0 aggregate loss to knock the Rapids out of the playoffs he was let go quickly. Always struck me as a bit of a scapegoating move, to be honest. Fortunately the move sparked the Rapids to reset themselves wonderfully with a brand new FO set-up, so both of us can be happy about the Smith sacking in the end I suppose!

Did you always think he would return to English football?

After he was removed from the Rapids I was fairly sure nobody else in MLS would want him, so yes. He built a reputation, perhaps unfair, of not being a particularly attractive managerial hire in MLS especially after he refused to attend a Rapids first team match in the CONCACAF Champions League since being told he was going to get sacked. With no real MLS teams looking for coaches anyway, England seemed the likeliest way back for him into coaching. I’m glad that he landed with a team on their way up like Stevenage, it would be quite a treat if Boro could keep their form going another few years and we could see our former gaffer in the EPL!

Is Steve Guppy still in the US? If so, how likely is he to eventually join up with Smith at Stevenage?

I believe he’s still here, but I doubt that he’ll join Smith since he’s already named a different assistant. Who can tell though?

Thanks to Chris for taking part in the Q & A.

Hopefully that has improved your knowledge on Boro’s new boss.

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Interview with Adrian Clarke

August 26, 2010 3 Comments

Adrian Clarke spent two years at Broadhall Way, joining the club in 2000 after his release from Southend United. The former Arsenal trainee was brought to Stevenage by Paul Fairclough and instantly became a fans favourite. The left winger used to cause Conference defenders havoc and will always be remembered for his trademark long-range goals that many fans still remember to this day.

Although he was a firm favourite with the Boro supporters and didn’t want to leave the club himself, Clarke was deemed surplus to requirements by the manager at the time, Wayne Turner. He went on to sign for Margate before spells at Hendon and then Welling United.

Clarke decided to retire from the game after leaving Welling and has since taken steps to pursue a career in the media. He has set up his own company called Sport Media Solutions along with colleague Iain Spragg and has worked on various projects ranging from co-commentating on games on arsenal.com to writing features for the likes of The Irish Examiner and Nuts.

Adrian has kindly agreed to take part in an interview with FC Boro about his time at Stevenage and his thoughts on Boro’s promotion as well as an update to what he is doing now.

You started your career at Arsenal in the mid 90′s, but left soon after Arsene Wenger took over. Was it clear then that he would be as successful as he has been? 

When Arsene first arrived at Highbury everyone was very sceptical. He was an unknown and came with some very different training methods but it quickly became apparent that he knew what he was doing! The modern regime improved players’ fitness incredibly and before you knew it, the side was playing faster, more attractive football than they had ever done before. Personally I was gutted not to be a part of the Wenger revolution but when he signed Marc Overmars shortly after I left, I could hardly complain could I?!

After leaving Southend, you joined Stevenage in 2000. How did the move come about? 

After two good seasons at Southend I found myself frozen out by the new manager Alan Little, and after spending almost an entire season in the reserves I was allowed to leave. Lots of Football League clubs wanted me to go on trial to assess me (as I had been missing for a year!) but I was having doubts that I wanted a career in the game as a journeyman lower league footballer. Paul Fairclough called me out of the blue to offer me a contract with Stevenage and having played at Broadhall Way in friendlies previously I knew it was every bit as good as many League 2 clubs. Paul was extremely persuasive and before I knew it, I’d decided to quit the pro game, begin a career in journalism and play Conference football for Boro.

Did you enjoy your time at Boro?

I absolutely loved my time with Boro. I initially found it hard adjusting to doing a full day’s work and then training but once my body and mind got used to the change I felt really happy at the club. We had a cracking bunch of lads involved at the time and the camaraderie Paul Fairclough forged was tremendous. The dressing room was every bit as passionate as the Arsenal one, and far superior to what I’d experienced at Southend. The fans and staff were also nice to me throughout. Being quite a frequent goalscorer for Boro also added to my enjoyment too, I’m sure.

What was your favourite moment as a Boro player?

There was a spell during my second season at the club when I had a run of scoring long-range goals, so that’s what I remember most fondly. It was a pleasure reaching the FA Trophy Final as well but sadly we lost to Yeovil so the day did lose its sparkle. One victory that I smile about came at Forest Green when we came back from 2-0 down to win 3-2. Paul Fairclough was hilarious afterwards telling each and every one of us how gigantic our bollocks were!

I remember some of the great goals you scored against the likes of Boston, Dover and Forest Green. What was your favourite Boro goal?

Thanks – I’m glad you can remember! I was chuffed to score some crackers for Stevenage, I really was. My favourite came against Forest Green I think, in the FA Trophy. I hit a first time volley into the top corner from the angle of the penalty area and I believe it won Goal of the Season! I must admit, I sometimes still think about that one.

Stevenage finally won promotion to the Football League last season. What are your views on this?

I was so happy when Stevenage gained promotion. Even though I’ve lost contact with the club a little, I know how much it meant to the supporters who treated me so well and I was delighted for them. It was a long overdue promotion but richly deserved. John Dreyer was someone I played with briefly at Stevenage and he’s a brilliant guy, so I was thrilled for him that they made it while he was the coach. Hopefully the club will fare well in League 2. I think within 2-3 years they could be in League 1.

Who was the best manager you played under and why?

Personally speaking I have to say that Paul Fairclough was the best man motivator I ever played under. I was a very laid back person but somehow he’d manage to get me fired up like never before with his team talks. His greatest strength was in making us all believe we were world beaters. Bruce Rioch was my favourite gaffer in the professional game, as he was the man who picked me most for matches in the Premier League. I never once felt I didn’t belong in the Arsenal side, so he played a big role in my career which I’m thankful for.

What was your favourite ground to play at and why?

I was lucky enough to play at some amazing stadiums; Wembley, Olympic Stadiums in Munich and Berlin, St James’ Park etc but Highbury has to be my favourite. In the Conference I enjoyed playing at Broadhall Way and Dover the most.

You’ve now moved into the media side of things. Was this always the plan when you retired from the game?

Yes, I always wanted to be involved in the media but I was hoping it would be around now, at 35 when I was rich, famous and wanted by Match of the Day! Joining Stevenage forced me to start this early but having now had a decade in the business, starting from the very bottom, I almost forget what it was like to be a footballer. I love writing and talking about the game these days.

What’s the best thing about working in the media? 

Being paid to write and talk about football is a pleasure! I’ve also got to meet some amazing people along the way. I’ve met Pele, Maradona, Greaves, Kaka, Giggs and lots more wonderful players through my work. I also love the co-commentary work I do for Arsenal, as it’s exciting to be back  involved with the club in some capacity.

Lastly, after experiencing Football from both the playing side and the media side, what do you prefer?

You can never beat the thrill of playing! I miss the buzz you get when you’re playing in front of a good crowd and it can never be replaced. I don’t miss the uncertainty though. When you’re not sure of being selected each week and feel out of favour, life as a footballer can be difficult. At least now, running my own company Sport Media Solutions, I have my destiny in my own hands!  

Good luck this season Stevenage! You can follow me on Twitter at sms_adrian.

I want to say a big thank you to Adrian for taking part in this interview. You don’t get many ex-footballers that are as willing to answer questions as he was from the supporters and credit to him for that. I wish him all the best with the media career.

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