Les out to repeat feat

14 April 2012

Les Ferdinand laid the foundations for an illustrious goalscoring career against Chelsea 14 years ago. Typically, he did it in some style, although he concedes it was a very different Chelsea in those days.

His first two goals in English football came in Queens Park Rangers' 4-2 win over a Chelsea team that included just one foreign player - his marker that day, the Norwegian centre-back Erland Johnsen, who had cost a piffling £300,000 from Bayern Munich.

It was Ferdinand's sixth game for Rangers. "Getting those first goals out of the way was a wonderful feeling and, being a Rangers player, there was no one better to score against than Chelsea," recalled Ferdinand. "Overnight I became a bit of a hero with the Rangers fans."

He's 37 in December and can still score spectacular goals, as he demonstrated in Leicester's 2-2 draw with Southampton last Saturday. Nothing would tickle him quite like another couple of goals against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge tomorrow. "Different scenario now," he smiled.

"I've known nothing in my career as extraordinary as what has happened at Chelsea in the last few weeks. Ten years ago you would have laughed at such a suggestion. Best of luck to them.

I think what Mr Abramovich has done will be shown to be good for the game as a whole.

"Chelsea have been close to the title in recent seasons but his money has now made them serious contenders. For years it's been Arsenal-Manchester United, Arsenal-Manchester United. Now you have to add Chelsea to the equation.

"Look at the players they've bought. It'll be nice to see Joe Cole and Glen Johnson again. I think Glen's going to be a fantastic defender. I hadn't heard of him until my first day of training at West Ham back in January. He looked so good I asked, 'Who's this young kid?' I've no doubt that he'll be playing for England sooner rather than later. It's good to see a youngster like that applying himself. I've got a teenage son, Aaron, who's a talented player. But I'm always asking him, 'Have you got the desire for this?' He might have a chance but he's got to dedicate himself to it.

"You know, when I was a kid my best toy was a football.

"Today they've got mobile phones, Playstations, computers and all the rest of it and footballs have to fit in somewhere down the line."

Ferdinand is third (137 goals) in the all-time Premiership scoring list behind Alan Shearer and Andy Cole. That is why he was such a key figure in the Kevin Keegan 'dream team' at Newcastle that twice finished runners-up to United. That is why West Ham signed him from Spurs in January and why Micky Adams thinks that, in the striker's last season, he can help Leicester secure their Premiership status.

"Realistically, that's got to be our priority at Leicester," said Ferdinand.

Others to have benefited from the goals and guile of the 17-cap England striker include Trevor Francis, Jim Smith, George Graham, Kevin Keegan, Kenny Dalglish, Glenn Hoddle, Graham Taylor, Terry Venables, Gerry Francis, Don Howe, Ray Wilkins, Glenn Roeder and Gordon Milne.

"Top blokes, all of them, and I picked up some really good stuff, listening and watching," said Ferdinand.

"They all have their own ideas about how to do things and I've come to realise that they don't always think you're the best man for the job. Spurs fans, for instance, are still asking me why I left. I left because Glenn's plans no longer included me. He didn't want me in the side. I've got no qualms about that. It's the way the game is.

"I'll have to make the same decisions if I become a coach. I really want to have a go at it. For years I've been saying I'll do the coaching badge. This year I mean it. I want to do it properly."

Much like he's done everything else in his career.

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