Congratulations first of all on the award.
What does it mean to be crowned the outstanding manager?
Well I think any recognition is always nice to receive.
For me, probably, it’s about what the evening means and..
what I’ve been hugely impressed with is for those that have received awards tonight,
it’s about what they are prepared to give back in.
To give back into society, to give back into local communities and to give back into African communities.
Probably that’s the most important thing of the night,
but it’s always nice to be recognised for the work that you enjoy doing.
You speak about giving back to African communities...
and I’m sure a lot of people who watch the Premier League won’t be aware of you’re part Irish, part African heritage.
Your father is Ghanaian is that right?
Yes my father is from Ghana, my mother is from Ireland.
It’s fairly topical news at the moment but both met in England in the 1950's
at a time when of course a lot were coming over from Ireland, a lot were coming over from Africa.
[I was] brought up in London, in East London,
but I’ve certainly always been very proud of my background, both sides of my background.
That African heritage that you have has lead to you being described as
the outstanding black manager in British football for the last decade or so.
Is it important to you to carry that around and almost be the standard-bearer for black coaching in the country?
Well it’s something that I certainly feel very proud and honoured to do.
What we do have in our game in England is that, of course is
an imbalance, for those who are playing which is a high percentage of black and ethnic players playing.
Of course a huge imbalance of those going into management.
What we have seen certainly in recent years and now are great developments at grass-roots level and academy level, under-23 level…
but of course that step up into senior football. First-team football and jobs in other aspects of our game has been far more difficult.
In any way that I can help, persuade, encourage or be any type of role model for somebody that wants to get in to management,
that is something that I’m very proud and honoured to do.
It was never anything that held you back - the obstacles that were put in your way.
Why do you think it has been difficult to redress that balance in the past 10, 15 maybe 25 years?
Yeah, I think more than that.
My circumstances were different and my pathway was different.
I left Tottenham Hotspur as a player, went back as a coach.
It still happens today but certainly in them days it happened a lot more.
When a manager got a job, generally he took somebody with him that he knew.
Somebody he knew, he could trust, he worked with.
I went back to Tottenham Hotspur as a coach under Ossie Ardiles
and stayed there as a coach for 14 and a half years before I went into management
so my pathway was different.
There are a lot of ex-players,
black and ethnic ex-players that have found that pathway a lot more difficult.
I think there are lots of reasons for that.
I think certainly going back to when I played there was always an unfair perception
that black and ethnic players were...
quick, good wingers but not really captain material or management material.
Sometimes those perceptions stick for far longer than what they should do.
Of course in our game there has always been, as I’ve spoken about...
managers getting jobs and taking those with them that they know and trust.
I think that has helped redressing the balance that I spoke about. I think that hasn't helped that.
What we have seen of course in recent years and implemented in the Football League is a form of ‘Rooney Rule,’
which is something that, in which ever way, something I would encourage
because what you want to see black and ethnic coaches doing is at least getting opportunities.
Nobody’s going to give anybody a job on the strength of their colour,
just opportunities.
Do you think sometimes players fall into those old stereotypes about themselves and their ethnicities,
even in this day and age?
As a coach and as an educator do you find you have to rid these players of their own perceptions of themselves
to get the best out of them?
To a degree, I think there are definitely because I’ve spoken to lots of ex-players
that would have thought about going into coaching and taking their badges.
They didn’t see the opportunities. They didn’t feel that they would get the opportunities.
They didn’t feel it would be a pathway for them because of what they see.
So I suppose in some ways that would be a form of that
and of course what the game needs to show.
I think there are signs of that. Our stakeholders that need to encourage in which ever way that we can.
Those that would look to go into another direction of staying in the game, taking their badges
and hopefully be getting opportunities.
Taking Brighton up with the points total that they had in the Championship last season...
congratulations on that achievement.
Nearly there in the Premier League this season.
What do you think has been behind the rise of Brighton, getting them into this league for the first time...
and obviously your own personal success to arrive from a squad and played plenty of Championship football?
Yes, well, last season seems like a long time ago now with the way that our game goes.
Probably two things.. one, I think when I went into the club I was very definite about a way I wanted to play
and what I wanted from the team.
At that time, what we had to do was recruit well.
When I first went in which was January, the priority was the team was in the bottom three,
was just to make sure that we stayed in the league.
But I think we recruited really well in the summer and we not only brought in what I regarded as good players,
we brought in good individuals as well.
I think that gave us something to build on. That gave us a platform to build on.
One thing you’ll see, probably the best example is Burnley.
You’ve seen where they started and the confidence that they have now had.
That is because of the stability that they have got there.
The fact that they are comfortable in the division, they’re winning games
and players are playing at a better level than they have done.
I think we’ve managed to do something like that and Brighton.
I think we’ve certainly recruited well in every window.
Probably the biggest plus for the group of players that we had was that we missed out
on promotion in my first full season.
Sometimes that can knock a squad. Well I think it made them stronger
and I think the way they’ve adapted to the Premier League has been outstanding for me.
Thanks very much Chris and again, congratulations on a richly deserved award.
You’re welcome. Thanks a lot.