Eric Steele - Being Sir Alex's GK Coach
The Official Manchester United Podcast
Manchester United
4.8 • 1.1K Ratings
🗓️ 23 May 2023
⏱️ 57 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
A familiar face joins hosts Helen Evans, Sam Homewood and David May on the latest UTD Podcast as Eric Steele lifts the lid on his time at the club.
The Reds’ former goalkeeping coach has some fascinating tales to tell about working under Sir Alex Ferguson and helping the team lift the Premier League title in 2012/13.
After starting out at the Wallsend Boys’ Club, like our previous guest Steve Bruce, the Geordie retired from his playing career in 1988 but was determined to start a new chapter in coaching. There was a back-up option, buying a pub, but he ended up working with some of the best in the game, including Peter Schmeichel, Edwin van der Sar and, of course, David De Gea.
Piecing together his journey in the game, Eric reveals how he felt compelled to re-enact one of the most famous saves of all time, Gordon Banks’s jaw-dropping dive to keep out Pele’s header, at the same stadium in Guadalajara, while on tour.
There is great insight into what his job entails on a day-to-day basis, his working relationship with Sir Alex and the Reds he felt were the best and worst trainers. In addition to his thoughts on van der Sar and De Gea, Eric recalls how Ben Foster became the penalty shootout hero in the 2009 League Cup final win over Tottenham, with the help of an iPad.
Steele reveals the fall-out from Ferguson’s retirement and how much a new project means to him, as he continues to appreciate how lucky he is to work in the sport.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hello and welcome to the Manchester United podcast. I'm Helen Evans. I'm Sam |
| 0:06.7 | Homewood. I'm David May. And we're up Pride Park. Yeah, a Pride Park. Lovely little |
| 0:12.0 | viewing area here. Oh, it's a wonderful studio, isn't it? Yeah. We're all |
| 0:15.9 | like the red carpets for us. It's a black carpet. I know. I just mean because it's |
| 0:19.8 | such a nice position in the ground. Hi, are we all? Good, yeah. All good. Good week. Yeah. |
| 0:25.8 | Had a little street party on Sunday. That was nice. How's it been? You've been in Madrid? |
| 0:30.4 | Yeah, I went to Madrid. I've not seen any of the coronation. Didn't have a |
| 0:33.8 | street party. I was out the country. I went to a wedding. So I spent five days |
| 0:37.4 | in Madrid. And it was really nice. It had a very pleasant time. How about you, Helen? |
| 0:40.6 | Yes, I've been fine. Thank you. Yeah, busy. I assume because you were late, |
| 0:43.5 | which is why we were recording this. No, no, no, no, after. Eric's left. Well, I haven't been busy. |
| 0:47.8 | I just, that was traffic on the motorway. So I had to take a detour. I did arrive on time. |
| 0:53.8 | Yeah, sort of. I mean, he was everybody. No, you did. I was in that car park at half past |
| 1:00.9 | two. Anyway, I know. Anyway, I'm never usually I'm here. I'm here. What were you for? |
| 1:08.6 | For Eric, right. And my favorite bit in the podcast is when he was talking about how |
| 1:13.2 | Masty was. The footplates were never late. Nobody was ever late. I know. And he was reference to |
| 1:16.9 | Johnny is in the room as he is right now. Never late. Helen on the other hand. First time. |
| 1:22.5 | Yeah, John is on his way back from Leicester training and I thought he could see his wife do a |
| 1:26.2 | podcast. We had another hour could do one with him, but you know. Thanks to do. Thanks to do places |
| 1:32.8 | of old people to see. But anyway, so basically we didn't have time to record this little intro before |
| 1:38.5 | the podcast because I was running a little bit late. So we're doing it. And yes, during the podcast, |
| 1:45.2 | Johnny entered the building. He is Johnny. He was on his way up from Leicester. So he |
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