Paul Stewart had the world at his feet in his Tottenham days – an FA Cup
\nwinner’s medal, three England caps and a place in midfield alongside the then
\nphenomenal Paul Gascoigne. When he was transferred to Liverpool, it was
\nexpected he would hit new heights but it wasn’t to be. Here Paul Stewart
\nreveals the true highs and lows of a chequered career.<\/p>\n
You represented Man City in the Masters tournament at the Manchester Arena
\nrecently – are you a Man City fan?<\/p>\n
No, I’m a United fan actually – I was born in Wythenshawe. I used to go with my
\nbrother to watch them play every week. The likes of Martin Buchan, Arthur
\nAlbiston, Gordon McQueen and Joe Jordan were my heroes.<\/p>\n
What would you say was the highlight of your career?<\/p>\n
Playing for England and scoring at Wembley in the Cup final when we beat Forest
\n2-1. I’ve had some lows as well, but the highs outweigh the lows.<\/p>\n
What about the low points?<\/p>\n
Injuries mainly and then when I went to Liverpool it didn’t really work out, so
\nit was a bit of a lonely time. I would liked to have succeeded there, but I
\ndidn’t. You always get remembered for those sort of things.<\/p>\n
You played up front for Man City and scored a lot of goals and you were signed
\nby Spurs as a striker. Whose decision was it to move you into midfield?<\/p>\n
It was just pure coincidence. What happened was that we were playing against
\nMan United of all people and Gazza and Pat van den Hauwe both got sent off. It
\nwas either me or Gary Lineker who had to move back and I couldn’t see Gary
\ngoing back into midfield and working his b****cks off! I went back there and it
\nworked out for me. I didn’t play up front again until I went to Sunderland.<\/p>\n
I was an up and downer – I was never blessed with the greatest of skill like
\nsome players, but I made sure that throughout my career I kept myself in trim
\nand worked hard to get the best out of myself. When you get older, things like
\npace catch you out so it becomes difficult for players like myself to play as
\nlong as some of the others.<\/p>\n
How would you sum up your professional career?<\/p>\n
I’ve enjoyed it – I don’t complain. A lot of people tend to get bitter about
\nthe high wages and that sort of thing, but for me I was just happy to get the
\nchance I got and play.<\/p>\n
What are you up to these days?<\/p>\n
I’ve got my own business and I’m doing a degree in Spanish at University. It
\nwas always a goal of mine to get a degree – I never really did very well in my
\neducation at school. I decided to take up a language and it’s going alright for
\nme. Hopefully I might be able to get into the press side of the game.<\/p>\n
You mentioned Gazza before – you’ve obviously played alongside some great
\nplayers in your time. Who would you say was the most gifted footballer you’ve
\nplayed alongside?<\/p>\n
Gazza without a doubt. I mean, I’ve played alongside Ian Rush, Gary Lineker,
\nJohn Barnes and Chris Waddle. They were absolutely fabulous players, but for me
\nnone of them really touched Gazza when he was at Spurs before his injury. He
\nwas probably the greatest player in the world at the time.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately things didn’t quite work out with his knee injury and I just hope
\nthat he does really well at Everton. I hope and pray that he keeps himself fit
\nand doesn’t let the knocks that sometimes waylay him interfere with his career.<\/p>\n
I hope everybody gets behind him because I tell you what, before the European
\nChampionships people were screaming that he was finished, that he was no good
\nand that he lets everybody down. In the European Championships we couldn’t keep
\nthe ball. If Paul was fit, we could have done with him. The country could do
\nwith someone like Paul.<\/p>\n
I think he’ll do well at Everton if he keeps himself fit and steers clear of
\ninjuries. It’s a big stage for him again and it’s where he’s at his best.<\/p>\n
By Zoo Football.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"