Last week I had the pleasure of interviewing former Arsenal, Portsmouth, Bristol Rovers and Barnet player David Hillier. David won the League with Arsenal in 1991, the FA Cup and League Cup “Double” in 1993 and the European Cup Winners’ Cup in 1994, before moving to Portsmouth in 1996, having made over 100 appearances for the Gunners. He retired in 2003 and has since continued to be involved in football. Without further ado, here’s our conversation.
Were you always an Arsenal fan as a boy?
Up until I was about 12 it was mainly Millwall for me, but from the first day I was asked to train as a schoolboy with Arsenal there was no other team for me; even when I was playing at Pompey as soon as the game finished I would be asking about the Arsenal.
What do you think made you break through the Youth ranks at Arsenal and into the First Team?
I had always been a good all-round player- I had really good fitness and found it easy to adapt from Youth to Men’s football, but mainly I think it was my ability to be a team player; to play to the manager’s brief and play with a committed, “100%” attitude.
How did it feel playing in a Championship winning side in 1991?
To play in such a great team was unbelievable and I’ve always said that I was just carried on a crest of a wave, and it wasn’t until years later it hit home how privileged and fortunate I was. I look at videos now and get massive goosebumps, but back then I was just “doing a job the best that I could”, as it were.
You missed both the League Cup and FA Cup finals in 1993, as well as being injured for the 1994 European Cup Winners’ Cup Final. How devastated were you to miss them? Or was Arsenal winning them all more important to you?
Of course I was devastated not being involved in the finals, especially after playing a large part in all the previous rounds, but I have always been a team player and the team is what matters and we won, so I was still over the moon.
When you finally played in a final for Arsenal, they lost! What was your reaction when Nayim scored that late wondergoal for Sampdoria?
Nayim’s goal was a killer blow, not only because it was so outrageous but also because we had worked so hard and I believe would have won another title. The small matter of him being an ex-Tottenham player didn’t help!
What do you think was the main factor in your becoming out of favour at Arsenal in your final years? How did it feel when you were placed on the transfer list in 1996?
I think it became more difficult for me after George “the gaffer” Graham left; Bruce Rioch had different ideas as to how he wanted to play and he brought in Platt and Bergkamp and the writing was on the wall. Arsenal were now moving towards the European player and to be fair that Bergkamp fella weren’t too bad!
I wasn’t put on the transfer list: [my mistake, Hugo] I was told Portsmouth were interested and it was First Team football which I didn’t see happening at Arsenal and also the money was much better, because coming through the ranks back then you didn’t always get great contracts, so I made the decision and left; it was the saddest day of my football career.
Though you did not spend that much time under his reign, how different were things working for Wenger instead of Graham or Rioch?
The main thing I take from my short time with Wenger was his approach to football fitness: his training methods were much more advanced and tailored towards movement and passing and technique, moving away from the more rigid pattern of play we had been following and he also addressed the the diet and ‘drinking culture’ which had been part of the average Footballer’s lifestyle.
After Arsenal, are you proud of how your career went afterwards, particularly the way you established yourself at Portsmouth?
I was happy at times in my career after Arsenal, both at Pompey and Bristol Rovers- at both we had successful and not so successful seasons: nearly getting promoted at Rovers and reaching the Quarters of the FA Cup with Portsmouth. However, I was still blessed to be a pro footballer and made many great friends, had many memorable times and was fortunate to play for some very good coaches and managers.
Other than managing Almondsbury, what else have you got up to since your playing days? Do you hope to make it to a higher level as a manager? Do you think you’ll return to management?
I’m not managing anymore, but I have set up a Development Academy for young players who just missed out at Pro Clubs to help them stay in the game as it’s a difficult period in a young player’s career. Furthermore, I do a fair bit of football media work for ArsenalPlayer online, a bit of after dinner stuff, blogging etc, anything I can do football related. I just love the beautiful game!
A few years ago you took part in a “Masters” tournament playing for Arsenal, where you duly started a fight with a few Spurs players. Is your passion for the Gunners still as great as it was when you were playing for them?
I do still play in Masters or ‘Legends’ games and I can only still play one way: committed and competitive. Especially when there is someone in a Spurs shirt standing opposite…
And finally, can Arsenal win the Premier League this season?
Yes Arsenal can win the league, but they must stay injury free and play their very best in every game. We’ve got the team ,now we need the rub of the green!
Follow David on Twitter @davehillierr, well worth a follow if I say so myself.
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