Seriously into soccer | Canterbury Sport | Surfing, Rugby, Soccer, Football, Cricket in Canterbury

Mainland Football’s new director of football Alan Walker, 44, talks to Nick Tolerton

Did you come to New Zealand for football?

No, I came to take up a position with Longbeach, the clothing importer, in Christchurch just over three years ago.

 You played at a reasonable level in England?

I was at Stockport County for a short while in the reserves. I did a period at Middlesbrough, and in some of the reserve games there played alongside a couple of well-recognised internationals, Tony Mowbray - the new Celtic manager - and Russell Osman. I wasn't good enough, and ended up playing semi-professional around the north-west, mainly for Wythenshawe and Curzon Ashton. From 20 I had seven major knee operations, so I finished playing competitively by 28.

Then into coaching?

I started coaching at amateur level, mainly at Wythenshawe - we were the best performing amateur team in the area - and also Winsford United. When I came here I took over from Harry McCosh at Rangers, and then have had the two seasons with Coastal Spirit.

What are your priorities with the Mainland job?

Yet to be set. Every senior chairman, president, and coach in the area would have their own, and I'm a facilitator to ensure that the development of football is carried out in the correct manner.

However, there are three key things I'd like to look at.

One is player development and player identification so we're identifying good players from the age of four to six in the in-house leagues, seven to nine we're helping to develop them, and then from nine onwards they'll be identified even further.

Second thing would be player retention at 16 and 17 into senior football, and the third thing ensuring that players at the end of their career give something back into the game.

What do you like most about New Zealand soccer?

The fact that you look at the fixtures in the papers and there's four columns of football fixtures in comparison to four and a half columns of rugby and league fixtures. That excites me, because you know the numbers are there. It's just grabbing them and pointing them in the right direction and giving them the quality.

The other thing that excites me is Canterbury is a very sporting region. So you've got great numbers in football, but you've also got engrained in the nature of a Cantabrian excellence in sport.

Who was the biggest personality you played against in the UK?

It was at Stockport, against Everton reserves when they fielded five internationals, the likes of Trevor Steven, Peter Reid, Imre Varadi, and Graeme Sharp. We got beaten 1-0 by an 88min screamer by John King who'd won the goal of the season on Match of the Day two seasons. We joked with him afterwards, we thought he just saved them for the television!

What team do you follow?

Manchester City. There's a golden rule, if you come from Manchester you support Manchester City. If you come from Ireland, Scotland, Singapore, or Surrey, you support Man United.

My favourite player of all time is Colin Bell, and my highlight was as a child being taken to Wembley to see England v Scotland when they beat the Scots 5-1 and he scored two goals.

Funniest moment on the field?

The most embarrassing moment I've ever had was playing in the last 16 of the English Schools Cup, with a few hundred fans around the pitch.

I had a bad tackle made on me and was writhing in agony with a broken ankle. I swore, and my mother stepped over the rope and kicked me and told me to stop swearing.

The other funny one was getting a head wound when I was at Stockport and going to hospital to get it stitched up - and sitting in the waiting room with two team mates who'd done the same later in the game, needing stitches to the head too.

Favourite movies?

Rocky. Blues Brothers. Seven.

 TV?

Premiership highlights. Premiership football. And outside football programmes, Lost.

Music?

Being a Mancunian, it's got to be Oasis. Also the Killers. The most fantastic entertainment I've ever seen was Billy Joel in concert, it absolutely blew me away.

Holiday destination?

Abel Tasman. Had a holiday there and absolutely loved it, kayaking and things like that.

Interests away from football?

Golf is the other sport. I play to an eight-handicap but not often enough. There's a gem of a little course I like at Charteris Bay.

Last book?

 The only books I ever read are autobiographies, and the last was Winning by Sir Clive Woodward.

Superstitions?

Rarely do I make a substitution while we're in the defending half.

Vices?

Yeah, caffeine. I'm a professional coffee drinker.

Ideal night out in Christchurch?

The lads I went out with from Coastal Spirit on Saturday night would know, and the fact I suffered all day Sunday would be testimony to it. We finished at Sol Square. It was a sign off by the players.