Wycombe appoint Adams

[Salem6]

Former Arsenal and England defender Tony Adams has been named as the new manager of Wycombe.



Adams - who has been out of the game for 17 months - has signed a two-and-a-half year deal.

He taken his first job in football management on the back of a ringing endorsement from former Wycombe manager Martin O'Neill.

The Celtic manager is believed to have advised Adams to use Wycombe as his first step into management.

Former caretaker boss John Gorman will stay on to assist 37-year-old Adams at the Causeway Stadium.

The former Tottenham assistant manager became caretaker following the sacking of Lawrie Sanchez at the end of September.

"I've really missed the game. I've been enjoying my sports science degree at university, which I'm half-way through, but it feels right to be here now," said Adams.

"Adams was very impressive. We had the same feelings when Martin O'Neill walked in here" Wycombe director Alan Parry.

Adams' adviser Steve Kutner said that his client had been offered several jobs before deciding on the Chairboys.

Wycombe director Alan Parry said: "He could maybe have gone to clubs in a higher division but maybe there was something not quite right, but he has found this quite right and we're delighted about that.

"He had a long conversation with Martin O'Neill, who still has a great affection for this football club. He sang the praises of Wycombe and sold the place.


"Arsenal fans are all now Wycombe supporters now as well. Tony is Mr Arsenal and deserves the support of all of us" From r_emmins .

"When Lawrie Sanchez moved on we had a stack of applicants. We whittled them down and had some very worthy candidates.

"Tony was on the shortlist and when we interviewed him he was very impressive. We had the same feelings when Martin O'Neill walked in here.

"He is not the average up-and-coming manager. There is something very different about him," added Parry.

Wycombe are bottom of Division Two with 11 points from 17 games.

[Salem6]

By Jonathan Stevenson



TONY ADAMS [/I]

Born: 10/10/1966, Romford
Club: Arsenal (1983-2002), 504 league apps, 32 goals
International: 66 England caps, five goals
Honours: League title (1989, 1991, 1998, 2002); FA Cup (1993, 1998, 2002); European Cup-winners Cup (1994); Charity Shield (1991, 1998)

In August 2002 Tony Adams walked away from football, saying he needed time away from the game he loved and had served so well for so many years.

Now, just 15 months later, the Arsenal and England legend has found football's lure too strong, and is ready to begin his career in management with Division Two basement boys Wycombe.

Adams was deluged with coaching offers as soon as his retirement from the game was confirmed after nearly 700 appearances for the Gunners.

After all, footballers with so much experience of both the game and life are not 10-a-penny. Adams experienced the whole gamut of emotions in his illustrious 18-year professional career.

He made his debut at the tender age of 17 in November 1983 against Sunderland, and his rise to the top of the game was astonishingly rapid.

By 1987 Adams had made his England debut against Spain, and a year later he became Arsenal's youngest ever captain, leading them to their memorable league championship triumph in 1989.


But so much success at such an early time in his life sent Adams down a path that would haunt a great part of his footballing life.

In 1990, after the World Cup finals in Italy, he was jailed for drink-driving and served two months of his sentence, before returning to the fray to help Arsenal to another championship medal.

But, as Adams' sporting career continued to blossom, with cup wins for club and caps for country, the heavy drinking continued.


Adams was distraught after losing to Germany in Euro '96

He hit rock-bottom after England were dumped out of the semi-finals of Euro 1996 by Germany.

Adams had been magnificent throughout the tournament, but defeat sent him spiralling into a pit of despair from which he struggled to resurface.

In his autobiography Addicted, he revealed he went on a seven-week binge, sinking 20 pints of beer a day as his problems escalated out of control.

Adams knew he needed help and eventually admitted he was an alcoholic at the same time his wife Jane was being treated for drug addiction.

Making the decision to ask for help signalled a new dawn in the life of Tony Adams - a new dawn that prolonged his career and almost certainly his life too.


He led Arsenal to two more Doubles, in 1998 and 2002, and played out his final days with a maturity both on and off the field that belied his earlier misdemeanours.

He also founded his own charity, Sporting Chance, which offers support to footballers addicted to alcohol and dugs.

After a year away from the game and having turned down plenty of offers, Adams has earned the right to have a crack at management.

Few would wish him anything but the greatest of success.

[Salem6]

By Steve Stammers, Evening Standard
5 November 2003


Tony Adams said today that he will follow Arsene Wenger's advice and "be my own man with my own ideas" as he takes his first job in management at Wycombe.

The former Arsenal and England captain hopes a wealth of playing and life experience gathered since, 20 years ago today, he made his debut against Sunderland as a 17-year-old will stand him in good stead. And his own public battle against alcoholism is bound to influence his philosophy.

Indeed, Adams insists that if anyone at Wycombe needs help, he will be there for them.


He said: "If someone comes to me, then I will point them in the direction where they can get help. I will do that without hesitation. Will I recognise the signs if someone has a problem? Isn't that part of a manager's job, to look after the welfare of the players?"

Adams, who will complete his sports science course at Brunel University while managing the team who are bottom of Division Two, sounded out some heavyweights before accepting the job.

He explained: "George Graham, Arsene Wenger, Terry Venables, Kevin Keegan and Martin O'Neill, I have talked to a lot of quality people. I got good feedback about Wycombe. It appeals to me.

"There were other talks with other chairmen and other clubs over the last year but they didn't seem right. The Wycombe job did.

"I could have looked for an assistant manager's job but there are only a few managers who you would call great ones, the likes of Wenger, Alex Ferguson, Gerard Houllier, and they have people in place."

Adams served under two highly-successfuland very different Arsenal-bosses in Graham and Wenger - and learned plenty.

He said: "From George - determination, camaraderie, resilience and practice. From Arsene - love, patience, man-management and empathy. But I will be my own man with my own ideas. It will be hard to approach the job in the same way at Wycombe as Arsene does at Arsenal.

"At Arsenal he just lets the players train. I mean, how is he going to teach Tony Adams to head a ball or Thierry Henry how to run with the ball? He doesn't need to coach, he just has to be a man-manager. At Wycombe it will be different. There may well be no place for complicated tactics. It will be a test of my coaching ability."

Wycombe will be a stark contrast to the life of a Highbury star. The training ground is four miles from the Causeway Stadium. Players get changed at the ground and drive to the four-pitch centre from where, on one occasion, assistant manager Terry Gibson had his car stolen provoking a chase which ended with the apprehension of the culprit in nearby Marlow.

The club is £2million in the red, the players have had a 10 per cent pay cut imposed after four senior players left. One replacement was Charlie Mapes, from Camden, who joined from non-league Berkhamstead and, at £300 a week, is marginally better off than a year ago when he was selling the Evening Standard for a living.

John Gorman, in his final game as caretaker last night, achieved a penalty shoot out win over Plymouth-in the LDV Vans trophy but Adams' first game will be at home to Swindon on Saturday. Home gates have dropped by around 2,000 to just over 4,000 - which means a loss of £20,000 a week.

He won't be leading a team out at Adams Park either because the Stadium name was sold to local firm Causeway for £30,000 - much to the consternation of the fans who had persuaded the club to name the ground after benefactor Thomas Adams. And Lawrie Sanchez, sacked earlier this season, has yet to receive a penny in compensation despite being owed more than £ 200,000.

Despite all these problems, Adams is resolute.

"The only way to really learn about this job is as a manager. You grit your teeth and you learn - you learn about budgets, about players, about the tea lady, about everyone connected with the club.

"I am really excited about it and I cannot wait. I feel ready."

[Dazkool (Harrow Gooner)]

Good Luck Tone in your new role.....hope it all goes well for ya. I'm sure every gooner will be doing the same! ;D