Even at 69, Jack is still acting the lad

(And even the days of the week. “The day after tomorrow,” he frowns at one point, “what do you call it? Aye, Thursday.”)

Jack Charlton is in town for the launch of a book by Frank Gillespie, the owner of the Blackthorn Bar in Boston, which became a home from home for Irish emigrants, international footballers and entertainment celebrities throughout the 90s.

“He’s been a good friend to the lads and everybody for about 15 years,” says Jack. “He asked us all to come and we’ve all arrived.”

They certainly have. The top table in the Submarine Bar in Dublin plays host to a lineup of household names who are also friends of Frank, among them Kevin Moran, John Aldridge, Ronnie Whelan, Denis Irwin and Michael Muircheartaigh.

Even Michael Flatley turns up to say a few words. But you can’t escape the special sense of affection in the audience for the big Geordie, who is relishing the opportunity to renew old acquaintance.

“I don’t get a chance to see the players that much nowadays,” he says, after the formalities are over. “Every now and again I bump into Ray Houghton or Andy Townsend or Aldo in different places. But we’ve never actually made a time when we would all meet and be together. It’s never happened with us.”

He sounds a tad regretful - would he like to do that?

“I would, I would. We’ll have to have a golf day or something - if one of your newspapers can fund it,” he adds with a grin.

Compared to the merry-go-round he was on at the height of Charlton mania in the late 80s and 90s, people don’t get too many chances to see Big Jack out and about these days.

“I’ve packed in doing the dinners and things,” he explains. “I’ve retired, I’m 69, I’ve had enough. I’m doing a lot more fishing, a lot more shooting, a bit more of what I like to do.”

But there can still be public dimension to his private passions, as when he reveals that the reason he’d have to miss the Faroes game was because, in a charity fundraising endeavour, “a guy bid 800 quid to have a day’s fishing with me.”

But a rare chance to hook Jack Charlton away from the riverbank is not to be missed either - and he doesn’t disappoint with a customarily forthright, funny and occasionally contrary take on Irish football.

He’d watched the game in Paris on the box and liked what he saw. “I was very impressed. I thought it was terrific. I thought the lads worked hard, they chased, they closed down, they did everything a manager would want. They created quite a few chances and always looked positive. The one thing that did upset me was the English newspapers when all they talked about was how bad France were and not how good Ireland were.

“That annoyed me a little bit. Well, I’d like to have seen how England would have done out there. Kevin Moran said to me the game reminded him of the game against Scotland when we beat them 1-0 at Hampden Park - because everyone was cheering for us, all the Celtic people.

“Seeing the atmosphere and the crowd in Paris was unbelievable - it’s something unique in the world.”

I gently dangle a question about how the Irish side compares with the ones when he was at the helm. But I don’t even have to mention the words “long” and “ball” before Jack has cheerfully gobbled up the bait.

“They play a lot more football than we did,” comes the blunt reply. “My game was fitted to suit what was happening at that time. We couldn’t play this type of game then because we were way out of it. So we invented a game that put other people into a little bit of trouble, playing balls in behind them, closing areas - putting ’em under pressure, which we all remember from that time.

“The game now has become a passing game. But Ireland also have a couple of players who can take people on. I thought in Paris that Kilbane was terrific. He kept running at people. I always said to him as a kid when he played for us: you’ve got to go at people and you’ve got a tremendous left foot.

“He always had the potential but, I couldn’t believe it, he looked better than he ever looked, in Paris.”

Before the chance to ask another question, Jack delivers a classic.

“Shay Brennan was terrific,” he says. That’s going back a few years, we point out. Jack does a double-take. “Shay Brennan,” he chuckles, “I played with him actually - I mean, Shay Given. I see him quite a lot, with him being at Newcastle. Maybe if he had another six inches on him, he’d be even better - he sometimes doesn’t come for a cross when he should. Because he’s good when he does. But, other than that, his shot-stopping is tremendous.”

An easy one: would he have liked a player like Damien Duff on his team?

“I would. The one thing I always felt we lacked when we lost Kevin Sheedy was a left-sided player.

“Like England have been lacking for years. But gifted left-wingers are very hard to find.”

A harder one, perhaps - is Jack glad to see Roy Keane back?

“I always said I would like to see Roy back because the one thing he is is a hell of a good player. But I would have wanted a little bit more of an apology or two. You never know with Roy. I used to get on all right with him. He was a young lad and I can’t remember having an argument with him.”

Perhaps you didn’t understand a word he said with that Cork accent, someone quips.

“Well, that was why we didn’t speak very often,” Charlton deadpans.

And the view of the old boss on the new boss?

“Well, Brian has wanted to be the manager since I was the manager,” he claims. “And he finally got the job.

“He’d always done well with the young lads and the kids, and the way the team are playing now he’s got to take a little bit of the credit for it. “They’ve been playing well and he’s got results - I’m delighted for him.”

But Charlton adds a word of warning about hurdles to overcome in Group 4.

“Who do we play next? Israel away. That will be a difficult one. That will be a very difficult game. I wouldn’t like to be going to Israel to play.” Speaking of which, Jack, do you miss it at all? Would you like to have been in charge of the team in Paris?

“No, no, I’ve had my day. You move on, you do other things.

“I left football because I wanted to leave football. I’ve been in it since I was 15 and 45 years is quite a long time. If I was going to coach anybody now it would be U11’s.

“I’ve toyed with the idea before but I’ve never had time. Maybe now that I have time...”

As the autograph hunters descend again, one is left to reflect that Jack Charlton may have left football - but football clearly hasn’t left him.

Even at 69, Jack is still acting the lad

By Liam Mackey

THE handshake is warm, the smile is broad, he’s back among old friends - and, of course, he still manages to get the names mixed up. (And even the days of the week. “The day after tomorrow,” he frowns at one point, “what do you call it? Aye, Thursday.”)

Jack Charlton is in town for the launch of a book by Frank Gillespie, the owner of the Blackthorn Bar in Boston, which became a home from home for Irish emigrants, international footballers and entertainment celebrities throughout the 90s.

“He’s been a good friend to the lads and everybody for about 15 years,” says Jack. “He asked us all to come and we’ve all arrived.”

They certainly have. The top table in the Submarine Bar in Dublin plays host to a lineup of household names who are also friends of Frank, among them Kevin Moran, John Aldridge, Ronnie Whelan, Denis Irwin and Michael Muircheartaigh.

Even Michael Flatley turns up to say a few words. But you can’t escape the special sense of affection in the audience for the big Geordie, who is relishing the opportunity to renew old acquaintance.

“I don’t get a chance to see the players that much nowadays,” he says, after the formalities are over. “Every now and again I bump into Ray Houghton or Andy Townsend or Aldo in different places. But we’ve never actually made a time when we would all meet and be together. It’s never happened with us.”

He sounds a tad regretful - would he like to do that?

“I would, I would. We’ll have to have a golf day or something - if one of your newspapers can fund it,” he adds with a grin.

Compared to the merry-go-round he was on at the height of Charlton mania in the late 80s and 90s, people don’t get too many chances to see Big Jack out and about these days.

“I’ve packed in doing the dinners and things,” he explains. “I’ve retired, I’m 69, I’ve had enough. I’m doing a lot more fishing, a lot more shooting, a bit more of what I like to do.”

But there can still be public dimension to his private passions, as when he reveals that the reason he’d have to miss the Faroes game was because, in a charity fundraising endeavour, “a guy bid 800 quid to have a day’s fishing with me.”

But a rare chance to hook Jack Charlton away from the riverbank is not to be missed either - and he doesn’t disappoint with a customarily forthright, funny and occasionally contrary take on Irish football.

He’d watched the game in Paris on the box and liked what he saw. “I was very impressed. I thought it was terrific. I thought the lads worked hard, they chased, they closed down, they did everything a manager would want. They created quite a few chances and always looked positive. The one thing that did upset me was the English newspapers when all they talked about was how bad France were and not how good Ireland were.

“That annoyed me a little bit. Well, I’d like to have seen how England would have done out there. Kevin Moran said to me the game reminded him of the game against Scotland when we beat them 1-0 at Hampden Park - because everyone was cheering for us, all the Celtic people.

“Seeing the atmosphere and the crowd in Paris was unbelievable - it’s something unique in the world.”

I gently dangle a question about how the Irish side compares with the ones when he was at the helm. But I don’t even have to mention the words “long” and “ball” before Jack has cheerfully gobbled up the bait.

“They play a lot more football than we did,” comes the blunt reply. “My game was fitted to suit what was happening at that time. We couldn’t play this type of game then because we were way out of it. So we invented a game that put other people into a little bit of trouble, playing balls in behind them, closing areas - putting ’em under pressure, which we all remember from that time.

“The game now has become a passing game. But Ireland also have a couple of players who can take people on. I thought in Paris that Kilbane was terrific. He kept running at people. I always said to him as a kid when he played for us: you’ve got to go at people and you’ve got a tremendous left foot.

“He always had the potential but, I couldn’t believe it, he looked better than he ever looked, in Paris.”

Before the chance to ask another question, Jack delivers a classic.

“Shay Brennan was terrific,” he says. That’s going back a few years, we point out. Jack does a double-take. “Shay Brennan,” he chuckles, “I played with him actually - I mean, Shay Given. I see him quite a lot, with him being at Newcastle. Maybe if he had another six inches on him, he’d be even better - he sometimes doesn’t come for a cross when he should. Because he’s good when he does. But, other than that, his shot-stopping is tremendous.”

An easy one: would he have liked a player like Damien Duff on his team?

“I would. The one thing I always felt we lacked when we lost Kevin Sheedy was a left-sided player.

“Like England have been lacking for years. But gifted left-wingers are very hard to find.”

A harder one, perhaps - is Jack glad to see Roy Keane back?

“I always said I would like to see Roy back because the one thing he is is a hell of a good player. But I would have wanted a little bit more of an apology or two. You never know with Roy. I used to get on all right with him. He was a young lad and I can’t remember having an argument with him.”

Perhaps you didn’t understand a word he said with that Cork accent, someone quips.

“Well, that was why we didn’t speak very often,” Charlton deadpans.

And the view of the old boss on the new boss?

“Well, Brian has wanted to be the manager since I was the manager,” he claims. “And he finally got the job.

“He’d always done well with the young lads and the kids, and the way the team are playing now he’s got to take a little bit of the credit for it. “They’ve been playing well and he’s got results - I’m delighted for him.”

But Charlton adds a word of warning about hurdles to overcome in Group 4.

“Who do we play next? Israel away. That will be a difficult one. That will be a very difficult game. I wouldn’t like to be going to Israel to play.” Speaking of which, Jack, do you miss it at all? Would you like to have been in charge of the team in Paris?

“No, no, I’ve had my day. You move on, you do other things.

“I left football because I wanted to leave football. I’ve been in it since I was 15 and 45 years is quite a long time. If I was going to coach anybody now it would be U11’s.

“I’ve toyed with the idea before but I’ve never had time. Maybe now that I have time...”

As the autograph hunters descend again, one is left to reflect that Jack Charlton may have left football - but football clearly hasn’t left him.