Francis Jeffers makes huge admission over failed Arsenal move

• “You know, going into training every day was brilliant, because I was training with these world-class players, but it also ended up being the lowest point of my time at Arsenal as well.”
• “We both did a management diploma and were on the same course so we spent a bit of time together on that. When Robbie went out to Saudi, I didn’t know about it to be fair, until he got in touch with me and asked if I fancied joining him. He’d obviously been impressed with something in me.”
• “It was mad when we turned up at the club, Al-Qadsiah; the facilities weren’t great when we got there, but the club assured us they’d get that sorted, and in fairness to them, they did. Everything they said they were going to do, they did.”
• “We turned up on the first day of pre-season and it was just a surreal moment; we had about 45 players. We didn’t know anyone’s name or anything. After three days with them, the club were asking us to whittle them down to 25 players before we went on a pre-season trip to Turkey.”
• “We were unbeaten in the first eight games of the season – winning six and drawing two – so we were sitting joint-top at the time when we got the call to come to the ground and we lost our jobs.”
• “What I will say about Robbie is that, while his career in management has been a little bit different than most – he’s managed in India, Thailand, Australia and Saudi – he’s desperate to prove to people that he’s a good manager.”
• “You never know what might happen in the future, but all I’ll say is that I loved working with him, and if the call ever came, I’d love to work with him again.”
• [Playing for Arsenal] “You know, going into training every day, knowing I was going to be on the bench… it was hard to take. And it’s the wrong mentality to have; I totally get that. But unfortunately, sometimes the circumstances dictate your mentality.”
• “You know, going into training every day was brilliant, because I was training with these world-class players, but it also ended up being the lowest point of my time at Arsenal as well, because I never felt I really had the opportunity to show I was improving. And, if anything, the general consensus now is that my career ended up going backwards as a result.”

Working with Fowler in Saudi Arabia… turning up to 45 players on day one and a really, really harsh sacking

In terms of mine and Robbie [Fowler]’s relationship, obviously we’re both from Liverpool, and I’ve known of him for so long, obviously. But I can’t say I was a good friend of Robbie’s before we went to Saudi Arabia. You know, I class him as a friend because I’ve seen him around Liverpool, but it wasn’t like I was his mate and he was taking me out to Saudi Arabia because of that.

We both did a management diploma and were on the same course so we spent a bit of time together on that. When Robbie went out to Saudi, I didn’t know about it to be fair, until he got in touch with me and asked if I fancied joining him. He’d obviously been impressed with something in me, so he asked if I’d be prepared to go out there with him. I was Oldham’s first-team coach at the time, under David Unsworth, who I’ve got a great relationship with. But when the Saudi opportunity came up, it was too good to turn down and to his and their credit, David and Oldham were great with me and they made it clear they weren’t going to stand in my way.

It was mad when we turned up at the club, Al-Qadsiah; the facilities weren’t great when we got there, but the club assured us they’d get that sorted, and in fairness to them, they did. Everything they said they were going to do, they did.

They’re a massive club out there, to be fair, and they’d been trying to get back into the Pro League for a while… I wouldn’t say they’re as big as the Al-Hilals and co, but certainly in the league below, they were the biggest club.

We turned up on the first day of pre-season and it was just a surreal moment; we had about 45 players. We didn’t know anyone’s name or anything. After three days with them, the club were asking us to whittle them down to 25 players before we went on a pre-season trip to Turkey.

So we had to move pretty quick; obviously you’re allowed six or seven foreign players, so you’re then on the lookout for people. I can’t say I was privy to conversations around how blank the chequebook would’ve been; that was down to Robbie and the Director of Football, who was a Spanish guy.

On the football side, it was a real challenge. We were quickly told by the club that they wanted promotion to the Pro League, which was understandable, but there needed to be a bit of realism in place as well, because they’d finished 12^th in the previous season.

Pre-season was manic, but we did our best, and by the time the season had started, all of the work that Robbie, the club and myself had put in, had started to show. We were unbeaten in the first eight games of the season – winning six and drawing two – so we were sitting joint-top at the time when we got the call to come to the ground and we lost our jobs.

I felt that was so, so unfair, because the job that Robbie had done was absolutely unbelievable. Sometimes, though, whatever you do will never be enough; that’s all I can say on it, really. There was always this feeling that they were never going to be satisfied, regardless of what we did. We felt we were well on track to get that club where they wanted – and needed – to be. And I’ve got absolutely no doubt that we’d have been sitting where they are now, at the top of the league. I just felt that whatever we did was never going to be enough.

What I will say about Robbie is that, while his career in management has been a little bit different than most – he’s managed in India, Thailand, Australia and Saudi – he’s desperate to prove to people that he’s a good manager. I worked with him for five months and he was top drawer; everything that he does is of the highest level. I’ve got nothing but admiration for him and I hope that someone does wake up and give him an opportunity over here, because he certainly won’t let anyone down. You never know what might happen in the future, but all I’ll say is that I loved working with him, and if the call ever came, I’d love to work with him again.

Summing up Arsene Wenger in one word

Summing up Arsene Wenger in one word is simple: class. He was just unbelievable. I never played all that much when I went down there, but he was just a class act. You know, the way he carried himself every day, the work he put in, his enthusiasm every single day on the training ground… he was ahead of his time. You know, the things he had us doing, the yoga and all of that stuff, it wasn’t really the known thing in football back then. He just brought a new level of professionalism to the club, along with some top, top players of course.

He was involved in me making the move from Everton. When I met him, before I signed, I was just in awe to be in the same room as him. I think I’d just turned 19, and I was leaving my boyhood club to sign for Arsenal, so with that came a lot of nerves but Arsene just puts you at ease, almost instantly. He’s a great man, and his love for football comes out straight away.

The way he was with me, right from my first conversation with him, just reassured me I’d made the right decision at that time. When you’re leaving a club that means so much to you, like Everton, it’s so important that the team you’re joining makes you feel welcome, and makes you feel like you made the right decision, and Arsene definitely did that.

Arsenal move still hurts, to be honest… my career ended up going backwards because of it

Obviously, in hindsight, I never got much football and the move probably had a big impact on the rest of my career. I’d gone from playing every week for Everton, as a youngster, to just having my career stifled a little bit through lack of game time. I’ve said this before, but the bottom line is – and there’s no shame in saying it – I wasn’t good enough to go and force Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp, Sylvain Wiltord and Nwankwo Kanu out of the picture… I was fifth-choice, and there’s no shame in that. You know, of those four strikers, two are World Cup winners, one speaks for himself in Bergkamp, and then you’ve got Kanu, who in his own right was a top class international footballer.

It hurts a little bit, because of the impact it ended up having on the rest of my career. When you’re a young lad and you sign for these big clubs, and you’ve come from a place where you’re going into training on a Monday knowing you were probably going to be playing a big part in things at the weekend, it’s tough. I was a regular starter at Everton, and so I found it a lot easier going into training, whereas I always felt at Arsenal like it didn’t really matter what I did in training; I wasn’t going to break into that team.

And so it was difficult for me to keep my focus, to be honest. You know, going into training every day, knowing I was going to be on the bench… it was hard to take. And it’s the wrong mentality to have; I totally get that. But unfortunately, sometimes the circumstances dictate your mentality.

Maybe I should’ve got my head down more and worked harder. Thinking back now, that’s what I should’ve done. But it’s always easier said than done in hindsight. Sometimes you just lose your way a little bit.

You know, going into training every day was brilliant, because I was training with these world-class players, but it also ended up being the lowest point of my time at Arsenal as well, because I never felt I really had the opportunity to show I was improving. And, if anything, the general consensus now is that my career ended up going backwards as a result.

There’s a lot of downtime that comes with being a player, too – especially when you know you’re not going to be playing on the weekend. And when you add in the fact I’d moved away from my friends and my family, it was a tough time for me at that age, and at that point in my career. I spent a lot of time at home, on my own, sitting and watching TV.

When things like that are happening, and you’re a young lad, you tend to look for home comforts. And thinking back to that time now, I probably was going back to Liverpool too much, really. Probably because I wasn’t settled – maybe settled is the wrong word; I was just looking for something to perk me up.

Look, I loved the group, we were all good mates and it felt really tight, but as soon as you drive out of the car park, that’s it; you’re not all going to each other’s houses – they’re your teammates and they’ve all got their own lives. They’re probably not people you’d spend the rest of your day with.

Arsenal are currently the second-favourites to win the Premier League next month, ahead of Liverpool and just behind Manchester City.

They’re also the second-favourites to win the Champions League in June. The Gunners drew 2-2 with Bayern Munich in London this week, and travel to Germany next week for their away second-leg quarter-final tie.