Exclusive interview - Jonathan Woodgate

Middlesbrough born and bred, Boro legend, a former Spur with cult hero status after scoring the winner in the 2008 League Cup Final, former Boro manager who was in the dugout when the teams met in the FA Cup just two years ago - there is no-one better qualified than Jonathan Woodgate to run the rule over tonight’s FA Cup fifth round clash at the Riverside Stadium (7.55pm).

‘Woody’ came through the junior ranks at Boro before switching to Leeds aged 16 in 1996. He later returned for a spell on loan in 2006/07 that became permanent and was back home in 2012, ending his playing career at the Riverside between 2012-2016.

In-between, he enjoyed four years at Spurs, where the classy centre-half formed impressive partnerships alongside the likes of Ledley King and Michael Dawson. He played regularly in his first 18 months - he started 34 of 38 games in the Premier League in 2008/09 - but injuries restricted him to a handful of appearances as we qualified for and played in the Champions League in 2009/10 and 2010/11. He signed for Stoke in the summer of 2011 and returned to Boro the next season.

Now 42, and with managerial experience under his belt at Boro and Bournemouth, Woody will always be remembered by Spurs fans for heading home that extra time winner against Chelsea at Wembley in 2008. He was back in N17 alongside assistant coach and former team-mate Robbie Keane when our third-round clash against his Boro side went to a replay in January, 2020 and has returned more recently as part of his recent media duties for Five Live.

Here's what he had to say as two of his teams meet again...

Woody on - Boro

“Middlesbrough have brought in a good manager in Chris Wilder, and he’s really improved them. They are challenging for promotion, there or thereabouts, looking to get into the play-offs. They play 3-5-2, and he’s got some really good players in there who play from the back, like Paddy McNair, Dael Fry, he’s done really well. The two forwards, Folarin Balogun, who they brought in on loan from Arsenal and Aaron Connolly, from Brighton, they will be really good, they’ll get better and start hitting the heights. Jonny Howson in midfield, he’s been a top player for them, Matt Crooks, Marcus Tavernier, they’ve a really good squad. Chris Wilder is also a really good man-manager, and I’ve met him a couple of times and he’s a good guy, as well.”

Woody on - tonight and the FA Cup

“I would imagine Chris Wilder will say to his players, ‘go out and give it your best shot’. No-one expects them to win, they are the underdogs, there’s no pressure on them - all the pressure is on Spurs. It’s a chance for Spurs to win a trophy, so he’ll say, ‘let’s stop them going all the way’. Don’t forget, they’ve already beaten Manchester United, so I’m sure they’ll just want to see how far they can go. They’ve nothing to lose. A result like they picked up at Old Trafford - and they fully deserved it - can only breed confidence. It makes you feel together - players, fans, the whole club - you saw all the celebrations after the game and there were thousands of Middlesbrough fans there. It brings all the town together. This is an unbelievable competition. I did Five Live for Newcastle against Cambridge United; Cambridge beat them 1-0 at St James’ Park. I did Forest v Leicester; Forest beat them 4-1. The atmosphere at these games is off the scale. It’s the best domestic cup competition in the world, isn’t it? The attendances... teams like Boreham Wood beating Bournemouth. You just don’t see that in other countries.”

Woody on - 2020

Woody: “It was unbelievable, myself and Keano, facing Spurs with Middlesbrough in the third round, then coming to the new stadium for the replay. I’ve history with Spurs, scoring the winning goal in a cup final, and the supporters have always been great, so welcoming. I was so proud that night. My family were in the stands, my wife, my son and daughter, it was great. I enjoyed my time as a player at Spurs, good times. We were in a bit of trouble at one point, but Harry Redknapp came in, and we recruited well. Then we started moving forward. We had some great characters in that team. Ledley King, Luka Modric, look at him now! Ballon d’or winner! Vedran Corluka, Niko Kranjcar, Jermain Defoe, Crouchy, all great lads.”

Woody on - Antonio Conte

“I’m a huge fan of Antonio Conte, a huge fan. What he did at Juventus, the three Serie A titles, two Supercoppas, then the Premier League title and FA Cup at Chelsea, the Serie A title again at Inter, he’s also been national manager of Italy. He’s a top manager, knows what he wants, and he walks through the door and connects with the fans straight away. They love his passion. He wants to bring success. You’ve always got a chance with world-class players like Harry Kane and Heung-Min Son. You’ve just signed a good player in Rodrigo Bentancur as well. I watched him at Boca Juniors, and he was class then. He’s got 47 caps for Uruguay! He’s a proper player. He can pass it, break play up, hit long passes, short passes. He’s more of a ‘6’ than an ‘8’, a really good, young player.”

Finally... what’s Woody up to?

“At the moment I’m staying patient, applying for managerial jobs, trying to get through the door again. I’ve got down to the last two, last three for a couple, but you have to be patient. It’s like any other interview process. You get your agent to make contact, then you go in and do a presentation, or have a chat, or have a formal interview, or an informal interview. Different clubs do things in different ways. A lot of people talk about philosophy. What about winning games? What if you go in with a philosophy and then lose five games on the spin? Then you’re out the door! So, you need to buy yourself time to implement that philosophy. I’d love to get back in, of course.”