#2Sides: My Autobiography Read Online Free

became an object of ridicule. You did NOT want to be the guy everyone was laughing at! So there was always something to play for. The players pushed each other to improve, and if we slackened Alex Ferguson or Carlos Queiroz would step in. One time we were doing a positional drill and it was wasn’t as intense as it should have been. So Carlos stopped the training and was sharp with us: ‘if you don’t want to train, go inside. Do it properly.’ We didn’t like him sometimes because he used to get on our nerves. The training could be boring. But we really missed him when he left. He was one of the best coaches I worked with because he had such a clear picture of how he wanted you to play.
    When I was younger at West Ham, I was always quicker than any forward I played against. So, when the other team had the ball, or one of their midfielders or forwards was making a run, Iused to say to myself: ‘I’ll give this guy a yard, then race him, beat him and then get the applause.’ When I started playing in Europe I had to change. The ball comes in quicker, opponents identify space quicker, get their heads up quicker and pass the ball quicker. More importantly, if they get in on goal they don’t need extra touches to get the ball under control. They take one touch then … bang! You have no time to recover. So I learned to stay goal side. I couldn’t rely on my pace because I’d get caught out at the highest level.
    Whatever stage you are at in your career you have to keep learning and developing and solving new problems. When I was a kid with West Ham I’d be facing a certain type of forward, then you get into the first team and there’s bigger, stronger people to deal with. Guys like Mark Hughes and Les Ferdinand could roll you, use their strength to ease you out of the way and then they’re facing your goal with the ball and you’re on the floor. So, I had to read situations like that. Sometimes I’d tap someone on one side of his body when the ball’s coming in, so they think I’m coming that side, then go round the other. You’d be working to get little things like that in your game all the time. Neil Ruddock used to say to me, ‘Go down their back with your studs from the first header when the ball goes up.’ So sometimes the ball goes up, the referee’s watching the ball, and you jump with your leading leg, and you put your studs down their back. And then sometimes, the striker won’t come near you for the rest of the game. Sometimes you do stuff like that if you’re having a hard game. You try and do something a bit cute and hope the referee won’t see it, just so that forward recognises that you’re not messing about. But I’m not one for blood and thunder and lots of flying around. I always relied on being a bit smart, trying to do things a little bit differently to get the upper hand.
    I played with a lot of fine players but I have to say my bestdefensive partner was Nemanja Vidić. One of the things that brought us together was that we were both highly competitive and determined to be the best. We shared a lot of ideas and ideals. He’d had a hard time when he first arrived. He came mid-season and people were saying: ‘who is this guy? He’s not ready to play for Man United.’ He had a lot to prove over his first year or so. It was a big step up coming from the Russian league, to training against the likes of Rooney, Saha and Van Nistelrooy. Physically he wasn’t ready and he didn’t know the game in England at all. At first, he didn’t look cut out for it physically. But he got in the gym, bulked up a bit, watched the game and learnt quickly. And over time he became the great player he is. He was always tough, and he worked out how to play in England. Tackles and challenges that we let go in the Premier League would be fouls in Europe and Russia, so he just needed time to get his head around it.
    As partners we complemented each other perfectly. But it’s hard to explain why. It was an