Words matter. These are the best Phil Neville Quotes, and they’re great for sharing with your friends.
I won the league at Middlesbrough with Manchester United, and I wore my medal for the next two or three days because I thought, ‘I want this again – and the best want it again and again’.
When I went to Spain two years ago, I only knew three Valencia players. I didn’t know anything about La Liga, and within six months, I knew everything. I was speaking another language and knew everything about the game, so I am a fast learner.
When it came to Sociedad, I didn’t want to come back into football so soon after the Manchester United experience.
I’d been coaching since the end of my playing career, first with England’s Under 21s, then Manchester United, and finally, in Spain with Valencia.
I’ve always had a good relationship with the BBC, and I’d enjoyed the freedom that goes hand in hand with punditry, so it was ideal for me.
As a manager, you can only worry about those who can get on the bus, and those are the fit ones. Injuries and illnesses mean opportunities for others.
From facing a manager for the past 16 years to suddenly being the one person everyone is looking at is a daunting prospect. It’s something I want to be prepared for. If I get the opportunity, I don’t want to let myself down.
One of the main things I said in my job interview was that I want to develop female coaches.
I didn’t win a trophy with Everton, but that time is just as special as my playing career at United.
I know every part of their lives. I know about their animals; if they’ve got a dog, I know its name. My players love their dogs. I know about their partners; I know if they go to the cinema – it’s the detail you need to be successful. If they have an ice cream, I know about it.
The biggest thing I will miss is 4 July when Everton are due back for pre-season training. I loved that day. I lived for it, getting back with the lads.
I played for England at cricket and football. Playing at Wembley in front of 60,000 people seemed better than playing at Cirencester in front of my family and friends.
Whether you’re male or female, going to a World Cup is the biggest thing that will ever happen in your life.
Within 10 minutes of a WSL game finishing, virtually ever player gets feedback on their performances in terms of England-level requirements.
If Jose Mourinho came to Man United, you would think, with his track record, that in maybe three seasons he would be gone. Man United are looking at the next 20 years. They’ve just given David Moyes a six-year contract. It is that kind of club.
I had a good football intelligence. I didn’t need 10 games to get used to a position. I could go out and do a job.
People make a big thing about rankings, but being first or second in the world doesn’t mean much if you don’t actually win anything.
I’ll definitely play cricket again, but only socially. I’ve still got a lot of friends at my local team, Green Mount, and I do miss playing, but I don’t regret anything.
There’s no shortcut to being a manager or coach.
Modern-day coaching is about relationships, so I need to know every little thing that will make my players tick. How am I going to get more out of our best players, from Fran Kirby, Lucy Bronze? Lucy wants to be challenged. If you tell her she can’t do something, she’ll try it.
Me going out 25 minutes early onto the training ground to practise wasn’t me being teacher’s pet. That is what I have done throughout my career.
Our style of play is non-negotiable, but we also have to become ruthless serial winners.
My passion is coaching, and I see myself more as a head coach with a more continental approach, in charge of football, running the training programme, the players.
I wanted a new experience, to learn another language. I wanted to be different. I wanted people to realise I’m taking my coaching career very seriously. I wanted to create my own pathway.
Punditry has taken me across the world, it is wonderful to have interaction with new people, and it’s a very small world now. I’ve worked for companies in the Middle East, America, and Europe.
I’ve been the captain of a Premier League club, and I’ve coached some of the best players in the world.
I’ve played in successful sides, and you smell it. When dinner finishes at 7:45 P.M., and you’re playing in an unsuccessful side, everyone goes up to their own room.
When I’m retired, I want to be able to tell my kids I played in a European Cup final. I don’t want to have to say I watched one from the substitutes’ bench, then kept getting knocked out in the quarters and semis.
I’ve proved I’m in love with the women’s game, and I think the quality is unbelievable.
It’s part of the captain’s job to keep people on their toes.
To be a manager, you’ve got to gamble. Be brave, be bold, but be humble in everything that you do, and from the kit man to the physio to your best player to your youngest player, make sure you treat everybody the same.
At the end of the day, if I’m playing for a manager who I know cares about me, then I’m going to give more.
My expectation levels are probably higher than what’s achievable. But I have to keep pushing the standards.
I was approached by Sue Campbell to give my thoughts on whether I’d be interested in being the next head coach of the women’s national team. Straight away, I was unbelievably excited and honoured to be approached by Sue.
It’s our English mentality to worry about the weather.
