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Nicky Butt: Allardyce reminds me of Ferguson


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Allardyce reminds me of Ferguson, says Butt

By Clive Hetherington

Last Updated: 11:57pm BST 25/08/2007

 

 

 

It has taken Butt, 32, three turbulent years to come to terms with life away from Old Trafford, the only football home he had known before his £2.5 million departure. Sir Bobby Robson signed him, but his sudden and brutal sacking only a month after Butt's arrival heralded a difficult period for the former England midfielder. Graeme Souness, Robson's successor as manager, sent Butt on a season's loan to Birmingham in 2005-06 after his first year on Tyneside was blighted by indifferent form and injury.

 

Souness had gone himself before the end of that campaign and Glenn Roeder last season offered Butt the chance of redemption. But Roeder, too, was out of a job in May and made way for Allardyce.

 

Such has been the immediate impact of the former Bolton manager that Butt is already comparing Allardyce's methods to those of his Manchester United mentor, Sir Alex Ferguson. "Sam has set up a whole new regime with an emphasis on dedication and commitment,'' he said. ''He's made it clear no one will be taking anything for granted. You have to work hard every day.

 

"He's a no-nonsense manager. When he was at Bolton, he looked like a tough man to play for - he would take no crap -and I'm sure he's going to bring that here. In a way, it reminds me of OId Trafford. The way it was set out there, with the manager and the staff, it was always 100 per cent every day in training and obviously Sam's trying to emulate that.

 

"There are similar characteristics. You definitely know who's boss, as you do at United. Sam's the man everyone looks up to: when he walks onto the training pitch everyone steps up a level. This is the best I've felt about a set-up since I was at United."

 

Butt is in the final year of his contract, hoping to impress Allardyce sufficiently to win a new deal and end his career at St James' Park. He no longer has England ambitions and prefers to concentrate on chasing success at club level. "It's very important for me to win something else before I retire," he said. "I'm 33 in January and I'd like to finish my career here. I think I have a couple more years left and if we could sort out a new contract, that would be great.''

 

Allardyce admitted: "I'm glad to see the old Nicky Butt looking like he's in the same mode he was for United and England. He's trawled himself through a traumatic time and I hope he can finally lay to rest the disappointment of leaving United.

 

"People with the character of Nicky Butt, Joey Barton and Alan Smith have an effect on the dressing-room. You know when there's a good dressing-room, you can smell when there's a bad one. The fact the smell is disappearing gives me great heart."

 

Signing striker Mark Viduka has also given Allardyce grounds for optimism. Viduka today returns to Middlesbrough, the club he left this summer to join rivals Newcastle as a free agent. Allardyce said: "I would like to think Mark wants to change himself a bit. I'm sure he knows one of his faults is that he has had these little dips in his career. He's in his thirties and, at that age, players start thinking about what they need to do to be capable of giving 100 per cent.

 

''That escalates a talent like Mark to be a bigger star than ever before. Going back to Middlesbrough, he shouldn't need any motivation.''

 

Probable teams

 

Middlesbrough: Schwarzer; Davies, Riggott, Wheater, Taylor; Tuncay, Boateng, Arca, Downing; Aliadiere, Mido.

Newcastle: Harper; Carr, Taylor, Rozenhal, N'Zogbia; Geremi, Butt, Smith; Martins, Viduka, Milner.

 

 

Kick-off: 1.30pm. TV: Setanta Sports 1.

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"People with the character of Nicky Butt, Joey Barton and Alan Smith have an effect on the dressing-room. You know when there's a good dressing-room, you can smell when there's a bad one. The fact the smell is disappearing gives me great heart."

 

Is that why he released Bernard?

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"People with the character of Nicky Butt, Joey Barton and Alan Smith have an effect on the dressing-room. You know when there's a good dressing-room, you can smell when there's a bad one. The fact the smell is disappearing gives me great heart."

 

Is that why he released Bernard?

 

:D

 

Luque, perhaps though (for a metaphoric if not maybe real one).

 

 

"There are similar characteristics. You definitely know who's boss, as you do at United. Sam's the man everyone looks up to: when he walks onto the training pitch everyone steps up a level. This is the best I've felt about a set-up since I was at United."

 

That's no bad thing at all.

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Jimmy Bullard reckons Bernard stinks doesn't he? :D I think that's what Brock was on about btw.

 

Yup think so (but it's probably realistically not what Allardyce was on about, hence Luque creating a metaphoric not real one [stink]).

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Jimmy Bullard reckons Bernard stinks doesn't he? :D I think that's what Brock was on about btw.

 

Yup think so (but it's probably realistically not what Allardyce was on about, hence Luque creating a metaphoric not real one [stink]).

No shit? :icon_lol:

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Jimmy Bullard reckons Bernard stinks doesn't he? :icon_lol: I think that's what Brock was on about btw.

 

Yup think so (but it's probably realistically not what Allardyce was on about, hence Luque creating a metaphoric not real one [stink]).

No shit? :headphonedance:

 

You were the one explaining it. :D:headphonedance:

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