'Football's not horrible, it's the people in it. I'm still in love': Ex-Portsmouth, Millwall and Leicester man Steve Claridge on 25 years in management

With the hood of his navy Dyno-Rod sponsored coat pulled tightly over the head to combat extreme elements, Weymouth’s manager was drowning in yet more problems.

Admittedly, it was difficult to glimpse his identity, let alone accurately gauge an ever-darkening mood, yet beneath the weather-beaten exterior was unmistakably Steve Claridge.

Certainly last month’s 2-0 defeat at the hands of fellow Southern League Premier South relegation candidates Hawks would have done little to raise the visiting boss’ sunken spirits at a rain-lashed Westleigh Park.

Claridge first dipped his toe into managerial waters little more than 25 years ago, taking on the mantle of Pompey player-manager under Milan Mandaric in October 2000.

It would be a short spell at the Fratton Park helm - just four-and-a-half months and 23 matches - with the Blues owner later curiously claiming the hugely popular striker had never been a permanent appointment anyway.

Still, a quarter of a century on, the ever-passionate Claridge remains in management, having returned to Weymouth for a second spell in August, and challenged with addressing the fortunes of a club in free fall and in danger of successive relegations.

Now aged 59, the Pompey Hall of Famer no longer needs dismal days inflicted by Westleigh Park - but he just can’t get enough.

‘I love it, I couldn’t be without football’

‘Some days when it's that cold, it almost makes it impossible to play. I've never seen so many lads shaking and shivering at half-time and after the game,’ Claridge told The News.

‘It was the wind, the rain, the temperature was also absolutely bitter - and I had been soaking wet through for nearly four hours. It has to be one of the coldest days I’ve ever had in football.

‘But I have to admit, I wouldn’t know what to do with myself if I didn’t have it. I love it, I couldn’t be without football.

‘I’m still wondering whether I was manager at Pompey 25 years ago! Me and Milan probably had different ideas of what it meant. It feels like it was yesterday, parts of it are still very vivid.

‘It was a hard one to take, but you’ve just got to get on with it. I took a long time to come back from what happened at Pompey and it would have been nice to get a proper chance. It wasn’t to be and you have to get on with your life - and I did that.

‘It was Milan being Milan. I later became Millwall boss for 36 days and that was personal, Theo Paphitis actually made it impossible, the way he went about it was absolutely dreadful.

‘What happened at Pompey never affected my feelings for the club, though. Milan was the owner of the football club, it’s his money, it’s his prerogative, which is disappointing. I just wish there was a bit more clarity and a bit more honesty.

‘Obviously there’s that conflict of emotions, but it’s your football club, the club that gave me my start in the game, and a club where I had two-and-a-half fantastic years, enjoying every minute of it.

‘It’s not the football club, it’s the individuals within it. Football can be a horrible game, but it’s not actually a horrible game - it’s the people in it.’

Portsmouth player-manager aged 34

In October 2000, with Pompey languishing in 17th place in Division One, manager Tony Pulis was placed on sabbatical to concentrate on a forthcoming court case with former club Gillingham over unfair dismissal and money allegedly owed to Welshman for player transfers. Yet there was to be no return.

His replacement was leading scorer Claridge. The 34-year-old was promoted to player-manager, assisted by team-mate Guy Whittingham, who had been recalled four days into an Oxford United loan spell.

The new appointment netted in his first match in charge - a 2-1 victory over Sheffield Wednesday - and went on to score in each of his opening three fixtures, all of which were wins, as the Blues registered a seven-game unbeaten start under his charge.

However, following a 2-0 win over Norwich, they collected one win over their next 12 fixtures and Claridge was dismissed in February 2001 after signing just one player - Jamie Vincent.

With Rix appointed as Pompey’s fourth manager in 16 months, Claridge also left Fratton Park as a player after 37 goals in 124 appearances, and having twice won The News/Sports Mail Player of the Season.

He added: ‘It’s impossible to be a player-manager. You can’t watch the opposition, you can’t scout for players, you’re trying to keep yourself fit, you are trying to do everything - and there just isn’t enough hours in the day.

‘Plus when you’re a big player of that side, one of the better players in that team, there’s a lot of pressure. It’s almost a physical impossibility.

‘Going from player to manager in that dressing room, you have to put some distance between them, it was never about who I liked or who I didn't like as a player, you must divorce yourself from that. There’s a professional and personal standpoint, it’s what’s best for the team.

‘That side wasn’t a great time to take over. We started off really, really well and then suddenly had this plethora of horrendous injuries. We played QPR and Andy Awford retired the next day! I was injured as well, with bad bone bruising.

‘We trained at the Wellington Sports Ground. There was a Portakabin for injuries - and more people were in it than were taking part in training! We didn’t have a left-back, we didn’t have any left-footer in the house, so I got Jamie Vincent.

‘I had the chance to sign others, but Milan and I agreed that we would keep the money and sort it all out at the end of the season. We weren’t going to go up, we weren't getting relegated, and I had one or two really good players lined up who weren’t available until the season was over.

‘Milan wasn’t in the country an awful lot, to be fair, and every time I spoke to him it was a case of “I've got this player lined up, but we won’t get relegated or reach top five, so let’s conserve what we’ve got and have a go in the summer”.

‘Milan didn’t spend an awful lot of money under me. As a manager, I am still loath to spend money when I don’t need to. I don’t mind paying good players, but I hate overpaying for bad players.

‘It’s funny, we played Bolton in February 2001 and Sam Allardyce was asking where all my players were. Well, they were injured and I explained I didn’t want to spend money at this stage when I didn’t need to.

‘I’ll always remember his advice: “Let me tell you, you need to look after yourself. You need to do things now because in football you might not get tomorrow”. I was sacked a few days later.’

36 days as Millwall boss

Having resumed his playing career with a hugely productive spell at Millwall, with 33 goals in 101 appearances, Claridge subsequently featured for Weymouth, Brighton, Brentford and Wycombe.

Then, at the age of 39, he hung up his boots to return to Millwall in June 2005, this time as boss, inheriting a side which had finished 10th in the Championship in the 2004-05.

With Theo Paphitis that summer relinquishing his position as chairman following eight years at the helm, instead becoming a non-executive director, board member Jeff Burnige was promoted to the role.

Claridge represented Burnige’s first managerial appointment. However, a second spell in management lasted just 36 days - without playing a single competitive match.

He said: ‘I was at the Conference Cup in America and Millwall chairman Jeff Burnige called me back for an interview. I got the job. I said “Jeff, has Theo Paphitis gone?”. He replied: “Yes, he’s completely gone”.

‘I rang Theo and asked whether he had actually left? He said: “Yes, I’m gone”. I rang him up four times and he gave me his word he’d left - but he never left. His ego wouldn’t let him leave, he was always in the background.

‘Jeff told me that, for every £1m I made from player sales, I could keep £100,000 for my budget. The club was in financial difficulties and the horrible stuff had to be done, which was selling players to bring money in.

‘I made enough though and we had Marlon King ready to join for £500,000 from Nottingham Forest. Steve Guppy had agreed to sign. Gillingham keeper Jason Brown, a local boy, had agreed to £1,200 a week.

‘Then, on the Friday night, we were in my office ready to sign them and Theo pulled me in. I was told it wasn’t happening. Burnige had gone as chairman and the message was “You’re not signing any of these players”.

‘I was relieved of my duties, with Colin Lee, my incoming coach who had been working behind my back, took over. I hadn’t even been in charge of a game.

‘Jeff later told me that he and Theo were not the best of buddies and, whoever he had employed as manager, Theo would have got rid of. I was basically caught in the middle of a boardroom battle. They were relegated that season under Colin Lee and then David Tuttle, Absolutely ridiculous.

‘These things happen, I haven’t had it easy, it took a long time to get another job and I took over at Salisbury in July 2015. We didn’t have a player signed and won the Sydenhams Premier Division by 20 points that season.’

Claridge would spend seven seasons at the Raymond McEnhill Stadium, winning two promotions, before being sacked in October 2022, with the side positioned fifth in Southern League Premier South.

He also had a season at Fleetlands, leading them to the Wessex League Division One play-offs, before departing in August 2024.

Claridge: ‘There’s definitely hope, absolutely there’s hope’

Now he’s at Weymouth and, with the Terras occupying the fourth relegation spot in the Southern League Southern Central, it’s a fight Claridge is revelling in.

‘I knew what I was getting myself into. It’s a fantastic football club, I’ve been there three times, so I should know. There’s definitely hope, though, absolutely there is hope,’ he told The News.

‘We came in and, of a squad of 18, 12 of those have now gone. They just weren't anywhere near good enough. We’ve brought three or four in - who have done really well - but we need another four or five.

‘The squad we inherited simply wasn’t good enough, they would have been relegated by Christmas. We’ve also cut the budget by half, we were overpaying players who weren’t good enough, but you just can’t that quality at this stage of the season.

‘Most of the time since I have been here, we’ve named one or two players on the bench. The other week, our two subs were both left-backs, a 16-year-old and a 17-year-old.

‘At my interview for the job, I told the owners that relegation means we’re the same as Poole Town, the same as Dorchester Town, the same as Wimborne. You are Step 3 football, you just won’t get the better players at clubs. Especially where Weymouth is.

‘Logistically, it’s the worst club of the lot in respect of getting players in, you’re miles from anywhere. The closest club, Southampton, aren’t letting their players under Step 2, while Bournemouth just don’t have anyone.

‘So many players have said it’s too far. Recently a couple of lads joined from the Reading area. They played on a Tuesday night and, on the way back, the A35 was shut and it took them more than three hours to get home at 1.10am.

‘They had work the next day and couldn’t keep doing that. So instead they signed for clubs closer to home. Reuben Reid signed in May, he lives in Bristol but can’t come to training because it’s just too far. So he does his own stuff at home.

‘If Weymouth had still been in Conference South, I could have had a whole new team in, clubs are failing over themselves to give their players away to Step 2 - but not Step 3. Then you chuck in the logistics and it becomes very difficult.

‘I have probably spoken to 60-70 players. That sounds ridiculous, but it’s certainly easily past the 50 mark.

‘It’s also difficult when you’ve had 4-5 directors, the secretary, the chairman, the board, all leave the club since I’ve been here. It’s not ideal, but it’s not an excuse. There are things which happen at a football club, people come, people go. Ours is just player recruitment, that’s all.

‘We have started 20 steps behind everyone else, but we’ll be okay. It’s a slow burner, it’s not going to happen overnight, I think everybody realises that now.

‘The club has been on a decline over the last five years, but I love it, it’s a fantastic club, I’ve had fantastic support and we’ll be fine. We’ll be all right this season.’

Pompey fans had been surprised to see their star striker appointed as Pompey boss in October 2000.

Season-ticket holder Adie Fuller from Somerstown told The News at the time: ‘Steve Claridge is a great player, but is this the time to let him cut his managerial teeth?’. A ‘stunned’ John Westwood said: ‘I don’t understand why a top manager hasn’t been brought in with Steve possibly being groomed for the future’.

Meanwhile, Damian Hider commented: ‘I’d like to see an old head like Jim Smith brought in to oversee operations at the club as Steve is inexperienced at management.’

Yet 25 years later, the former Pompey, Millwall, Salisbury and Fleetlands boss is still going strong, with Weymouth his latest challenge.

‘I never spoke to Milan Mandaric ever again’

Claridge added: ‘Blimey, 25 years in management is a long time. Do I still think about Pompey? Of course. Do I still wonder what might have happened had I stayed? Of course.

‘If me and Milan had been singing off the same hymn sheet - as I had thought - I would probably have done it differently and left the door open to stay and play, but that never was the option on the table. Besides, had it been, I would probably have had second thoughts about managing.

‘I understood the situation to be different to what it was. The implication was I was a full-time manager - and no-one told me anything different. I then went and played for Millwall and had three fantastic years there.

‘Milan thought I would just go back to playing for Pompey, it just wasn’t an option. As much as it’s my football club and I love the football club, it just wasn’t an option. That’s just people who don’t understand football.

‘I never spoke to Milan ever again. I just wish he had been more honest and a bit straight with me.’

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