Face to Face with Jack Charlton

As a young, green journalism student, studying in the famed Rathmines School of Journalism in Dublin back in the early- mid 1990's, two invaluable lessons were learned in one single event. And, neither of them came from the third level course or from the tuition per se.

The first was the value of having contacts. Any journalist will tell you, if you don't have contacts, you don't have a career.
The second, and the one which has diminished most in my view, is the value of trust. If you are not trusted, you will not be respected and people will not open up to you. Sadly, trust in our media, nationally and internationally, is probably at an all-time low and that is down to the actions of many of its practitioners.

The major personal highlight of my time in third level was a one-to-one interview I managed to get with the then Irish soccer manager Jack Charlton, just ahead of the teams departure for the World Cup USA '94.

I say I managed to get it, but the reality is that the interview came about as a result of a family contact with FAI Treasurer Joe Delaney - he had worked in a Thurles based accountancy firm for a time and hence the contact. So, Joe - father of future FAI CEO John Delaney - arranged the interview for the Forte Crest hotel, beside Dublin Airport on the eve of Ireland's last warm-up game for the World Cup against Russia. Lesson number 1 - the value of contacts.

Awe struck and with much trepidation, I awaited Big Jack's arrival, and then there he was, towering over me with a big smile and strong handshake.

“Cum in ere and we won't be bothered,” he said in that broad Midlands accent as he ushered me and my brother who was acting as chauffeur on the day, into a room off reception.
“Ave ye eaten? Will ye ave somethin?”

Jack Charlton pictured with his assistant Maurice Setters

Now, it was hard enough to believe that I was sitting getting a one-to-one with Big Jack, but to have him offer to wait on us was something else entirely.
After all this man was Irish gold at the time. He had brought Ireland to Euro 88, Italia 90 and now USA '94. He was on every Irish chat show on TV and featured in all the major newspapers .... every day.

And, here I was getting to interview him. I would be the envy of my classmates in the School of Journalism when I told them - I was not allowed to reveal in advance that this interview would be taking place, just in case something unexpectedly turned up and it was cancelled.

So, Big Jack sat down and readied himself for a 'grilling' from this young cub with the shorthand notebook and tape recorded. But, for the first few minutes it was I who got the grilling.
“So, your gonna be a writer? I hope you'll be one of those who prints the truth,” says Jack. My card had been well and truly marked.

You see, despite the euphoria sweeping the country during Jack Charlton's golden days, there was much criticism of the style of play, especially considering some of the quality players in the squad. The 'put em under pressure' mantra which Jack had promoted so successfully was wearing thin for many of the soccer writers, led by Eamon Dunphy, and the World Cup winner with England in 1966, was himself coming under a bit of pressure to change his style.

But, Jack was stubbornly single minded and he knew what way he wanted his team to play - if you didn't like it, you could lump it, which is exactly what the centre halves and full backs were told to do - lump the ball upfield as far away from Packie Bonners goal as possible.

Jack turned '85 recently and thanks to Covid-19 we've had a chance these last few weeks to see some of those old games again. We have perhaps looked back with rose tinted glasses at the Charlton era and believed that it was great stuff. Well, it was great and the country delighted in the whole thing - The Green Army of supporters were the darlings of the tournament be it Euros or World Cups, with the great humour, banter and unique Irish outlook taking the world by storm.
On the field too, Ireland performed well in the tournaments, but as some of those recently broadcast games illustrated, some of the fare was poor enough. Did we care at the time ? Nope - we loved it.

In secondary school we were brought to the assembly halls to watch the games on TV - they were usually played on Wednesday afternoons. Imagine, a CBS school watching soccer matches - there were Christian Brothers doing summersaults in their graves. The Charlton era had captured the imagination and was shaping a generation of Irish people in a unique way - a can-do confidence was sweeping the country. Yes, we could beat Italy; yes, we could take on Holland; yes, we did beat England and were on course to do so again when the Lansdowne riots began.

Jack Charlton had knocked that Irish team into shape and in many ways he helped to knock the country into shape too. And now, here he was answering questions to me.

The content of the 45 minute interview is irrelevant now, save for one element. We chatted about the World Cup; what could be garnered from the Italia 90 experience? the teams we would face; Big Jack's ambitions with Ireland after the USA and so on. In that context the issue of Gary Kelly, Jason McAteer and Phil Babb cropped up. They were the new kids on the block, but fringe players at that time. There was a media clamour to have all three on the plane for the USA, but Jack was keeping his cards close to his chest. Afer all, anything could have happened in terms of injuries in the weeks prior to finalising the squad.
But, Jack had his mind made up - The Three Amigos, as they were to be labelled when then squad was announced, would travel to the World Cup.

“I'm tellin' you that now, but you can't print it. And if you do, I'll know where it came from. I' m trustin' you because I think I can. I 'ope I'm right,” Big Jack said as he eyeballed me before the interview concluded.

That was the test. Here was the Irish soccer Manager putting me under pressure. It would have been a big scoop to have revealed the news, but it would have been a big betrayal of trust to have done so. Lesson number 2.
I had the interview published and was like a hero in Rathmines for a few days. But Big Jack's lesson has remained with me and the big scoop was kept under wraps.

Despite intense football scrutiny, the Jack Charlton era engenders great memories in Ireland. He and his family still respond to personal correspondance. Jack is a gent. And a giant.