Manchester United and Sydney FC superstar Dwight Yorke has watched many of his team-mates enter the coaching ranks, all over the globe.
While he has adopted a patient approach, Yorke felt another factor was at play, leaving him as one of the few players from his Old Trafford era under Sir Alex Ferguson yet to have been handed a chance.
“People ask time again about ‘All Night Dwight’. What is ‘All Night Dwight’? You never heard Dwight is at training everyday. Dwight doesn’t miss training, (about) the Dwight commitment, defying the odds coming from the Caribbean making it all the way to Manchester United,” Yorke told KEEPUP.
Watch the full interview with David Davutovic below.
“That doesn’t happen overnight. There is some misconception out there, but behind the scenes when you get to know the individual, there is a steel and a determination there to make sure you defy the odds to be successful.
“The team I played at in Man United, we had a squad of 21, and 14 have been given an opportunity in management. I’ve seen some players who you kind of raise your eyebrows on, who’ve gone on to become managers, but they take the challenge. Some of them may seem successful and some of them have not been.
“I look at some of these individuals, I know their characters, I know what I can bring to the table. And I see if some of these guys have been managers, I have no doubt I will be.
“The difference is that I decided to take a little bit more time in doing that rather than rush straight into management – I think that is a blessing in disguise.
“The game has certainly moved on from when I played to what it is today. I feel very confident that the time I’ve taken out from the game, now that I’ve ticked all the boxes, I feel in a much better place to come to come to management and (understand) the concept to just be successful, but very successful.”
Thirteen years after retiring for club and country, Yorke will finally get to flaunt his managerial credentials, as he leads the A-Leagues All Stars in the May 25 match against global powerhouse Barcelona at Sydney’s Accor Stadium.
Buy tickets to the A-Leagues All Stars v Barcelona here.
Yorke, who won 72 Trinidad and Tobago caps and spent three years with Sunderland – including the last two in the Premier League – after returning to the UK from a 15-month stint with Sydney FC, is ready for his first permanent role.
Ex-United team-mates Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Laurent Blanc, Ryan Giggs, Gary Neville, Phil Neville, Jaap Stam, Roy Keane and Paul Scholes are among those who’ve made the switch in the 13 years since Yorke retired.
The former Aston Villa, Blackburn Rovers and Birmingham City sharpshooter has patiently pursued his coaching badges and completed a series of roles, which included touring Australia several weeks ago to promote United’s upcoming July tour.
And locally, the Pierre Littbarski-led inaugural A-Leagues champions have produced a high proportion of coaches, with Steve Corica (Sydney FC), Mark Rudan (Western Sydney Wanderers), Ufuk Talay (Wellington Phoenix) and Ruben Zadkovich (Perth Glory) all in top jobs.
“He (Corica) didn’t strike me as that type of individual (future coach). A great professional, great advocate for Australian football. Quietly spoken type. I didn’t think Stevie was going to go down that road. But he did and been very successful with Sydney FC and wish him continued success,” he said.
“I look at character building and what it takes, how the game is shaped in where it is now, I think it’s more suited to me being a manager right now.
“But I can sit here and preach and say I’ve got all the badges, but until I’ve actually got into it, you won’t actually know until you’ve been given that opportunity.”
Yorke, who was the A-League Men’s inaugural and ideal marquee player at the birth of the A-Leagues, fondly recalled his Aussie stint, on and off the pitch.
He made headlines on the front and back pages, as well as dominating the social pages, and continued to deliver on the pitch, netting seven goals in 21 games and a starring role in the 2006 Grand Final win over Central Coast, which included an assist.
All this despite playing largely from a deeper, midfield role, to the striking position he’d made a name at, including winning the 1998-99 Premier League golden boot alongside Michael Owen (Liverpool) and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink (Leeds United), ahead of Nicolas Anelka (Arsenal), Alan Shearer (Newcastle United) and another former A-League player and coach Robbie Fowler (Liverpool).
“The most important thing was I was here to do a job and give the A-Leagues the face that it needed. I had a responsibility to do that., not just to bring in the crowd but to be an example to young boys and girls to make sure I was an example on and off the pitch, which I think I fulfilled that role in every aspect,” Yorke said.
“But I was also here to be a winner, I was here to win and I managed to do that. So my job was pretty much completed, it was just a little bit unreal that I didn’t get a chance to defend it for whatever reason. Take nothing away from the experience of being here and playing in front of so many fans.
“Australia, everyone knows how much I love your country and it will be an honour to be back. Great memories and to go on and win (the title) with Sydney FC.
“Realising that a sporting country like Australia, there is a place for football, or soccer as you call it. Cricket, AFL and rugby are huge, but what was fascinating about being here was how many football lovers were in the country. The support was incredible.
“The people, the food, the culture, everything about Australia was superb. It ticked all the boxes.”
