Haukur Gudnason
::President Scouser::
http://www.cfcnet.co.uk/content/results_detail.asp?Type=Interview&ID=5407
RH: What are the main differences between José and Claudio, and how do you think we would have done as a team if Claudio had stayed?
FL: Training's completely different now. It used to be a lot of running and work without the ball. Now it's all with the ball, which players love. His style is different, obviously… he's cooler. He doesn't give you a hard time. I prefer that since I've piled on the beef. Ranieri would get quite loud, quite vocal, and he (José) can do that too, but he's more to the point. Rather than standing there shouting, he'll sit down and at half time he'll stand up and say his bit.
I don't know how we would have done with Ranieri, it's a hard question to answer, but I think we have moved on since we changed manager. I don't know if we'd have been as dominant as we were last season. The new things, the new ideas the manager brought in… everyone took them on board so well. He is special.
RH: Player you'd most like to see at the club in the future? You can't say Stevie G!
FL (laughs): Yep, that's all done with now. (muses for a bit). If I could have anyone in the world, it would be Ronaldinho. He's fantastic, I love watching him. He's a player the players love to watch. He can create, like he created here, out of nothing.Although I'd rather have Stevie, he's the greatest midfielder in the world, maybe of his generation.
RH: It was a real privilege to see him score that goal at the Bridge… even better that we put them out as well!
FL: Yeah exactly.
RH: What about expectations? It must be tough… we think you're the best in the League, I've been looking at the Dream Teams for the new season and you're the most expensive midfielder in all of them. How does that feel?
FL: Good I guess. You have to use it in a positive way I think. I've got a lot of expectancy on myself, so every year… I never relax on the year before. Without the deflections, I am merely Darren Fletcher. Every year I want to get more out of myself so I use it as a driving force, rather than a pressure thing.
RH: Might be quite an easy one, this: individual who's had the biggest effect on your career?
FL: My dad… I'd like to say my mum and dad, actually. My dad's had a big effect on the football side and my mum's had a big effect on me as a person. She feeds me. Just family, really. I'm lucky, I come from a football family which has really helped.
RH: Everyone's going to want to know the answer to this. Are you going to stay with us and finish your career here?
FL: (laughs) Yeah that's my aim. I'm really happy here. I think anyone who knows me well, and the fans too I hope, they know that I love the area, and the bond that I've had with the fans has been fantastic. More than I could ever imagine when I first came here. I came here basically as a West Ham boy, and I'll leave here as a Chelsea fan for life. That's because I'm on the Chelsea bandwagon, and by Chelsea I mean Roman's and by bandwagon I mean cock.
RH: We're pleased to hear it. OK, last football one then I'll try and get in some more personal ones if we've got time. One of our readers tells us that his 5-year-old son wants to be a footballer and you're his favourite player. How did you get into professional footie and how hard was it for a club to take you on?
FL: It's difficult. There's so many kids out there and it's such a cut-throat world. I've seen a lot of my mates, you know, who were better players than me at a certain age, and they're not in football now. And they weren’t overweight either. I think as far as kids go, you just have to work hard. Work on your skills, keep focused. I can't stress the importance of working hard enough, work on all aspects of your game. If you do that and you have the ability, you'll come through.
RH: OK, a couple of personal ones and then I'll let you go before the BBC steals you. Is it true you're learning Spanish so your kids will be bilingual?
FL: That is true. I learnt for a while and then I stopped, and now I'm picking it up again. I practice with the Spanish lads and with my missus indoors. Wish I'd been picked for that Pringles ad, I love crisp, especially crisp butties. I do want my girl to be bilingual, and Ellen wants her to speak Spanish and be in touch with those roots. Living in London, English will come very easy for her but we do want to make sure that she keeps up with the Spanish.
RH: Have you ever fancied playing for Barcelona?
FL: No, not really. They're a great club, Barcelona are my favourite team in Spain, let's put it that way… the history and the players, you know, when you're growing up there's always a team abroad that you like and I always liked Barcelona. I would love to play for them before I retire, but no. I'm happy here, and why change when you love the club and the club's in a really good position right now.
RH: OK. Robbie and Kezman and your trousers. What's the story? Is that true?
FL: Yeah, they cut my pants.
RH: Your keks, not your trousers?
FL: [laughs] My pants, I think it was in Moscow last year and I got changed for training the day before we played Moscow, but the fact is they actually wanted to do JT's, me and JT were next to each other and they did mine by mistake. When in Roman as JT says. JT had done them I think. So yeah it is true.
RH: Nice one. OK, last one, do you support West Ham when they're not playing Chelsea?
FL: (Laughs) I don't actually, no. I get asked that a lot and I really don't. I'm forever blowing Roman now. A lot of things happened when I left there, and to be fair they treated me really bad, and now I have to play against them so I don't have any feelings for them at all.
RH: Unlucky with the penalty last season but we're hoping you get one this time round.
FL : I'd love to score against them, yeah. Hopefully with a deflection.[laughs] When you take a lot of stick you want to ram it down people's throats.
RH: Frank, thanks a lot for your time and we're all wishing you the best for the new season.
FL: Anytime, no problem.
All of us at CFCnet would like to thank Fat Frank, Pippa from the Chelsea press office, and you guys for sending in your questions. I'm just sorry we couldn't fit everyone's in but, as you can imagine, we had hundreds to choose from and only a limited amount of time.
Bring on the season.
:fool:
RH: What are the main differences between José and Claudio, and how do you think we would have done as a team if Claudio had stayed?
FL: Training's completely different now. It used to be a lot of running and work without the ball. Now it's all with the ball, which players love. His style is different, obviously… he's cooler. He doesn't give you a hard time. I prefer that since I've piled on the beef. Ranieri would get quite loud, quite vocal, and he (José) can do that too, but he's more to the point. Rather than standing there shouting, he'll sit down and at half time he'll stand up and say his bit.
I don't know how we would have done with Ranieri, it's a hard question to answer, but I think we have moved on since we changed manager. I don't know if we'd have been as dominant as we were last season. The new things, the new ideas the manager brought in… everyone took them on board so well. He is special.
RH: Player you'd most like to see at the club in the future? You can't say Stevie G!
FL (laughs): Yep, that's all done with now. (muses for a bit). If I could have anyone in the world, it would be Ronaldinho. He's fantastic, I love watching him. He's a player the players love to watch. He can create, like he created here, out of nothing.Although I'd rather have Stevie, he's the greatest midfielder in the world, maybe of his generation.
RH: It was a real privilege to see him score that goal at the Bridge… even better that we put them out as well!
FL: Yeah exactly.
RH: What about expectations? It must be tough… we think you're the best in the League, I've been looking at the Dream Teams for the new season and you're the most expensive midfielder in all of them. How does that feel?
FL: Good I guess. You have to use it in a positive way I think. I've got a lot of expectancy on myself, so every year… I never relax on the year before. Without the deflections, I am merely Darren Fletcher. Every year I want to get more out of myself so I use it as a driving force, rather than a pressure thing.
RH: Might be quite an easy one, this: individual who's had the biggest effect on your career?
FL: My dad… I'd like to say my mum and dad, actually. My dad's had a big effect on the football side and my mum's had a big effect on me as a person. She feeds me. Just family, really. I'm lucky, I come from a football family which has really helped.
RH: Everyone's going to want to know the answer to this. Are you going to stay with us and finish your career here?
FL: (laughs) Yeah that's my aim. I'm really happy here. I think anyone who knows me well, and the fans too I hope, they know that I love the area, and the bond that I've had with the fans has been fantastic. More than I could ever imagine when I first came here. I came here basically as a West Ham boy, and I'll leave here as a Chelsea fan for life. That's because I'm on the Chelsea bandwagon, and by Chelsea I mean Roman's and by bandwagon I mean cock.
RH: We're pleased to hear it. OK, last football one then I'll try and get in some more personal ones if we've got time. One of our readers tells us that his 5-year-old son wants to be a footballer and you're his favourite player. How did you get into professional footie and how hard was it for a club to take you on?
FL: It's difficult. There's so many kids out there and it's such a cut-throat world. I've seen a lot of my mates, you know, who were better players than me at a certain age, and they're not in football now. And they weren’t overweight either. I think as far as kids go, you just have to work hard. Work on your skills, keep focused. I can't stress the importance of working hard enough, work on all aspects of your game. If you do that and you have the ability, you'll come through.
RH: OK, a couple of personal ones and then I'll let you go before the BBC steals you. Is it true you're learning Spanish so your kids will be bilingual?
FL: That is true. I learnt for a while and then I stopped, and now I'm picking it up again. I practice with the Spanish lads and with my missus indoors. Wish I'd been picked for that Pringles ad, I love crisp, especially crisp butties. I do want my girl to be bilingual, and Ellen wants her to speak Spanish and be in touch with those roots. Living in London, English will come very easy for her but we do want to make sure that she keeps up with the Spanish.
RH: Have you ever fancied playing for Barcelona?
FL: No, not really. They're a great club, Barcelona are my favourite team in Spain, let's put it that way… the history and the players, you know, when you're growing up there's always a team abroad that you like and I always liked Barcelona. I would love to play for them before I retire, but no. I'm happy here, and why change when you love the club and the club's in a really good position right now.
RH: OK. Robbie and Kezman and your trousers. What's the story? Is that true?
FL: Yeah, they cut my pants.
RH: Your keks, not your trousers?
FL: [laughs] My pants, I think it was in Moscow last year and I got changed for training the day before we played Moscow, but the fact is they actually wanted to do JT's, me and JT were next to each other and they did mine by mistake. When in Roman as JT says. JT had done them I think. So yeah it is true.
RH: Nice one. OK, last one, do you support West Ham when they're not playing Chelsea?
FL: (Laughs) I don't actually, no. I get asked that a lot and I really don't. I'm forever blowing Roman now. A lot of things happened when I left there, and to be fair they treated me really bad, and now I have to play against them so I don't have any feelings for them at all.
RH: Unlucky with the penalty last season but we're hoping you get one this time round.
FL : I'd love to score against them, yeah. Hopefully with a deflection.[laughs] When you take a lot of stick you want to ram it down people's throats.
RH: Frank, thanks a lot for your time and we're all wishing you the best for the new season.
FL: Anytime, no problem.
All of us at CFCnet would like to thank Fat Frank, Pippa from the Chelsea press office, and you guys for sending in your questions. I'm just sorry we couldn't fit everyone's in but, as you can imagine, we had hundreds to choose from and only a limited amount of time.
Bring on the season.
:fool:
