Back to my roots - Neil "Razor" Ruddock

Dan Pope, Club Website Editor

Neil Ruddock, known affectionately to the whole football world as "Razor" was never going to go out quietly.  A larger-than-life character on the pitch, Razor was loved by fans wherever he played.

Regarded as a "hard man" rarely seen in the game these days, his physical presence was backed up by a willingness to have his say - he famously got into spats with Eric Cantona and Patrick Vieira - so it's little surprise that talking plays a big part in his life now that he's hung up his boots.

When he's not seen in the Australian jungle, these days Razor can often be found appearing as an after-dinner speaker.  He was appearing in this guise when I caught up with him at Grassroots Football Live recently and, after just a few minutes of chat, I can see why he's successful at it. 

As I take him back to his roots he is always looking to crack a joke but, behind the gags, he has some interesting views on football, as you can see here.

"When I was at Millwall we

had five apprentices.

At West Ham we had 40! 

It's a lot harder to make

it nowadays."

DP: "What is your best memory from your grassroots football days?"

NR: "We won the London Cup when I was 14 and we won a trip to Dallas to represent London in a tournament called the Dallas Cup. We got knocked out in the semi-final which was a shame."

DP: "Still, a great experience?"

NR: "A great experience. I got to go to South Fork, where Dallas was set, and I went to the grassy knoll and the book depository building [at the scene of US President John J Kennedy's assassination in 1963].

DP: "No hard men!"

NR: "For me, football has become like basketball, a non-contact sport, which is crazy. You don’t get good FA Cup ties any more or good derbies any more because the referees spoil it. They don’t let the game flow."

DP: "If you were Brian Barwick for the day, if you could do one thing to improve the game from a grassroots football point of view, what would you do?"

NR: "I would… I don’t know if it’s grassroots, but they are talking about only letting so many foreigners play in the first team. I think that’s rubbish. You can have as many foreigners as you like in the first team as long as they are good enough. You can only have four in the reserves and four in the youth team, so it gives all of the youngsters a better chance to come through."

"So clubs like Arsenal, Chelsea, any club that has teams clogged up by foreigners who aren’t good enough to get in the first team, it’s just stopping young kids getting through."

"Football has become

like basketball,

a non-contact sport,

which is crazy."

DP: "Apart from that?"

NR: [Smirks] "Apart from that… if I could change one rule I would give four points for an away win!"

DP: "What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received throughout your career?"

NR: "The best piece of advice I’ve received was… what is your ultimate goal? It should be to play your best in every game and try your hardest, not to represent England or to win the FA Cup but to try your hardest in every game you play, so you never look back and think “I could have tried harder”. Always give your all."

Neil Ruddock was appearing at Grassroots Football Live with Soccer Speaker, who help clubs at grassroots level raise much needed club funds whilst providing quality entertainment for a social event at the same time. If your club would like an ex-professional footballer to speak at your very own Sportsman's Dinner or other club social occasion, all you have to do is sell the tickets and Soccer Speaker does the rest!

They provide the speaker from a list of ex-pros including Razor Ruddock, Matt Le Tissier, Paul Merson and many more, whilst also arranging a comedian and Master of Ceremonies for the evening. Furthermore, Soccer Speaker can supply your club with a fantastic array of prizes for a club auction on the night to help swell those club coffers.

For information, visit www.soccerspeaker.co.uk or phone them on either 01704 834493 or 07799 720483.