An Interview with…Chris Turner
This week’s interview is with former goalkeeper and manager Chris Turner.
Turner played for several clubs in his career, most notably for Sheffield Wednesday, Sunderland and Manchester United.
He then started his managerial career at Leyton Orient in 1994 and had two spells at Hartlepool United. Turner also returned to Sheffield Wednesday where he played for three years and spent a year as Stockport County manager.
You were born and raised in Sheffield. It must have been a dream came true when Sheffield Wednesday came in for you?
I signed for Sheffield Wednesday at 14 years of age. I could also have signed for Manchester United at the same time but there was only one for club for me.
What do you remember of your debut for Wednesday?
It was a 0-0 draw against Walsall at Hillsborough. I got a clean sheet and that was a very satisfying start to my career.
After a loan spell at Lincoln City, you joined Sunderland for £80,000. Sunderland were promoted in your first season. What was your time like at Roker Park?
I absolutely loved my time at the club. The first season finished at Roker Park playing against West Ham who had just won the FA Cup two days before. 47,000 were there with thousands locked outside. We got a 2-0 victory which ensured promotion.
Five years in the top flight followed with a Wembley performance included in 1985.
You reached the League Cup Final in 1985, losing to a deflected winner. What do you remember of the day?
The 1985 League Cup Final match itself was not a classic but the run to it was. We beat Spurs, Chelsea Nottingham Forest and Watford along the way. I personally recieved a lot of acclaim during that time which concluded with a move to Manchester United.
Ron Atkinson then came in and you signed for Manchester United. Alex Ferguson replaced Atkinson shortly after. What were their managerial styles and how did they differ?
Both were great managers and I feel privileged to have played for them both. Ron Atkinson and Sir Alex Ferguson were both winners and were very experienced.
You then went back to Wednesday, won promotion from the Second Division and won the League Cup, beating your former club Manchester United in the Final. It must have been nice to put one over your old boss?
Winning the League Cup in 1991 playing for Wednesday against Manchester United was obviously a great feeling for me, especially when at the final whistle Sir Alex was one of the first to congratulate me.
Your playing career ended at Leyton Orient and you then took the managers job there. How did that opportunity come about?
When I was 34 and I looking to go into coaching, I was offered the opportunity of signing for Crystal Palace but decided to stay with the Orient and start a coaching career.
A while later you joined Hartlepool United where your team lost three successive play-off semi finals. That must have been hard to take?
Hartlepool United was the start of my managerial career after working for five years as Youth Team Coach at Leicester City and Wolves.
Yes, the play offs were tough to take but as each season went by, we were getting better and better. When I left Hartlepool after four seasons with them, I left them 12 points clear at the top of League Two.
You then managed both Sheffield Wednesday and Stockport County but things didn’t go to plan there with you not being given enough time to improve things. Do you think that managers are given enough time these days at clubs?
Managers don’t get enough time at clubs but that’s football. At Sheffield Wednesday for instance, I worked for 18 months and for 14 months of that time I battled with four previous manager’s players. Some of those players had given up on a career at the club.
I had four months with the players that I had been recruiting and had three wins, three draws and three defeats in a nine game period.
That squad of players I built played a massive part in winning promotion that season plus several of them were sold for big money.
As for Stockport, I should never have started the job. Unknown to me, before I had signed a contract, my job was ultimately was to sell or move on anyone who was any good so as to reduce the wage bill. This was £1.8 million and I needed to reduce it to £800,000. I managed to do this but I was left with young players and players that I begged, stole and borrowed to get hold of.
Are you still working in football?
I am a mentor for the League Manager’s Association. I currently help a manager working in the Championship, plus I working on a football project with Wakefield AFC which has just started.
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