Phelan: Canary To Carrington

Assistant boss Mike Phelan recalls his time at Norwich and assesses United’s current crop in an exclusive interview with United Review, the official matchday programme.

What do you remember about the move from Burnley to Norwich?
To me, it seemed like a proper football club and when the offer came in it felt like it was a natural progression for me to go there. Leaving Burnley was not something that had ever crossed my mind. I was a local lad and they were my team, but Norwich were in a higher division and seemed like a progressive club. Despite the fact they’d just been relegated from the First Division, I liked their philosophy and they actively sought to keep hold of their better players, like Chris Woods, Dave Watson, Steve Bruce and John Deehan. I liked the stadium, the training facilities were good and [manager] Ken Brown and [coach] Mel Machin were a good combination.

Winning the Second Division title in your first season must have been very satisfying…
Yes, we steamed through the division that year. The decision they made not to sell players at the start of that season sent out a strong message to everyone at the club and so did the fact that the manager brought in a handful of new lads including myself, Kevin Drinkell and David Williams. Ian Culverhouse joined soon after and eventually so too did Mark Bowen and Ian Crook. So we had a really good blend in the squad.

Did your Norwich team-mate at the time, Steve Bruce, always seem destined for greater things?
Steve was a great professional and I think he and a couple of others could have moved on after the club were relegated but they stayed. That didn’t just help the club, I think it helped them progress as players, too.

When Steve left to join United, could you ever have imagined you’d be following soon after?
No, my aim was to just do well for Norwich. I was comfortable there. I liked the club, the football we played, the fans, the area and the general way of life. Moving on wasn’t something I really thought about until United came in for me.

When did you hear about United’s interest?
I knew my contract with Norwich was coming to an end but the club were just happy to let it run its course – there were no ‘Bosmans’ in those days – and then we’d sit down at the end of the season to talk through a new one. I heard a couple of whispers about United and a few other teams who showed an interest in me and it soon became obvious that Norwich were willing to let me go. I talked to a couple of other clubs, but when I met the manager here I just had a good feeling about the place and it felt like an opportunity I had to take.

What do you remember about your debut season in 1989/90, which ended with the manager’s first trophy. Did it feel like the start of something big?
I admit I never really understood what United were all about until I came here. It’s like nowhere else. You’re in this pressure cooker that you don’t realise is there until you start playing for the club. You’re scrutinised week in, week out but you have to learn to deal with it and you have to perform. There’s no question it was a hard year – when you first join a club people judge you every day and you’ve got to win. We started off like a house on fire in the first game against Arsenal and then dipped after that. We managed to turn things around by winning the FA Cup and that was definitely a big moment. When you win something here, you win it well, and you want to do it again and again because it’s such a great feeling.

You were involved in all but one of the games, including the final, during the famous European Cup Winners’ Cup run in ’91 – how was special was that?
There was just a really good feeling about that competition from day one and it’s fair to say the draw was quite kind to us. Playing in Europe was something that was brand new to me and it was an education. As players you always want to progress and that European experience allowed us to do that. To finish up winning the trophy was a real achievement for everyone.

Where does winning the league in ’93 and ending the club’s 26-year wait rank in your career?
It felt terrific. At the time you don’t really know what you’ve achieved because you’re so focused on doing it. Looking back now you wonder if that might have been the catalyst [for everything that followed]… and the reason why players began to fulfil their potential and help the club grow.

You left Old Trafford a year later and soon went into coaching – back at Carrow Road…
Leaving United is a hard thing to do but coaching was something I’d always fancied. I enjoyed my three months at Norwich with the Reserves, but it was a bit of a turbulent time at the club and after Gary Megson left I followed him to Blackpool and Stockport and became his assistant. I was out of work at the time the manager invited here for a chat and at the end of it he offered me a job, which was fantastic.

Looking at United now, how high is confidence at the moment ?
The players have certainly put in the hard work to achieve some good results, but it’s still relatively early and no-one at the club is getting carried away. The blend of youth and experience is there for all to see – the energy is high in the team and we’ve got players in there who haven’t won anything and are desperate to. Yes, you could say we’ve hit the ground running but it’s about keeping that momentum going.

Are you surprised at how seamlessly the younger players have slotted into the side?
Obviously you never know exactly how players will perform but the manager and coaching staff have put a lot of work in with them behind the scenes. There has been a lot of planning to get them to this point, they haven’t just suddenly appeared from nowhere. It’s a matter of deciding when to give them their opportunity and then it’s up to them to make their chance count. So far things have gone well.

They seem to have reinvigorated the squad…
Well, what youth does is generate an interest for everybody and a challenge to perform. All the players know they’re going to get games at some stage. They therefore all have to be ready for the call when it comes and I think the injection of youth this season has given an extra impetus to some of the more senior players because they can see that these lads can play. Youth brings that energy, that no-fear factor and an enjoyment to things and that’s what we’ve seen so far. There have been good individual displays and the collective form has been good as well. But it’s a long journey and we need to keep progressing if we’re to achieve what we want this season.