The First 90 Minutes.com

When not representing Britain abroad, the United Kingdom’s Foreign Secretary David Miliband likes nothing more than watching his beloved Arsenal play football.

The highly respected politician became Foreign Secretary at just 41 years old, the youngest person to hold the position in 30 years. Despite a hectic travel programme combined with the continuing problems overseas, Miliband was able to answer some questions exclusively for thefirst90minutes.com. 

Do you welcome the foreign invasion of players, managers, sponsors and owners into the English game?

It does present a challenge, no doubt about it; we have to invest in grass roots football and training to ensure that home grown players can compete. But at the end of the day (if you will forgive a Match of the Day-ism) what fan doesn’t want to see the best players playing for their teams and the best managers leading them?

The Premier League is the best league in the world, and the mixture of foreign and home-grown players has helped that happen. Think of Cantona playing with Giggs and Beckham. And who better to nurture Theo Walcott than Arsene Wenger?

As an Arsenal supporter would you like to see a greater balance with home grown personnel at your club?

Of course I want to see winners who can also play for England.

I remember George Graham’s teams of the early nineties, grinding out results - 1-0 to the Arsenal. So I don’t think I can really complain about the players and the ethos Arsene has brought to the club.

And I think there are British players starting to come up through the ranks now. Theo Walcott, obviously, but people say Aaron Ramsey is also going to be a great player in a few years. And we’ve got other young British starlets like Jack Wilshere. 

Do you believe the reputation of British clubs has improved abroad since the problems that occurred during the 1980’s?

Immeasurably. And I don’t think it’s all down to the government. A lot of credit should go to the clubs and fans that have stood up to hooliganism and racism. It’s no longer the blight on our football that it once was. In fact, tackling hooliganism is something where Britain is now seen as leading internationally. 

Here in the Foreign Office we have lots of experience of dealing with football abroad. And football diplomacy in May 2008 for the UEFA Champions League final helped us find common ground with Russia!

In your opinion, would the introduction of a 39th game abroad be beneficial to the reputation of English football around the world?

No. The Premiership is the English Premiership, and adding a game will upset the balance of fixtures and put a strain on both players and fans. And foreigners love the passion of British fans. 

 

Does the national team qualifying for a major international tournament boost British interest and business abroad? How key is it that a home nation reaches the World Cup in 2010 after the disappointment of failing to qualify for Euro 2008?

I think it’s important to qualify for 2010. Not just for business reasons, but because it gives the country a boost. We’ve the potential to be one of the world’s best teams. We’re not currently a Brazil, an Italy, an Argentina, but we’re in the chasing pack. And the players we have mean we should definitely qualify and, if we get it right, have us a tilt at the title. I’m very pleased with the start that Fabio Capello has made! 

Do you think staging the World Cup in England in 2018 is both a viable and wise option? What would it mean to the standing of England in Europe? 

I definitely think it’s viable. My constituency of South Shields is between Newcastle and Sunderland. I can’t think of two cities better equipped to host a World Cup match; passionate and knowledgeable fans, great stadia, a rich and vibrant football history.

The same can be said for Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham, and in fact the whole country. And that’s without even mentioning London – only Istanbul out of every city in the world can boast more professional clubs. I think that says something.

Do you believe there should be a Great Britain football team competing in the 2012 Olympics?

Definitely. I think it would be a shame if we couldn’t compete at our home Olympics, especially considering that we invented the game!

Why are you an Arsenal fan? How do you think they will fare this season in all competitions?

Like many people it was my local team when I was a kid.

This season I think we’ve been pretty inconsistent.  Our victories against Man U, and now Chelsea (thanks to Robin Van Persie and the linesman), were brilliant, but we’ve had some pretty poor results too. We’ll recover, but the League looks like a long shot now. We’ve still got a chance in the FA Cup and Europe though. On our day, I still think we can beat anyone. 

Which manager would you like to succeed Arsene Wenger? Who is your all time favourite footballer?

I don’t know if anyone can succeed Arsene! And I certainly hope he isn’t ready to go yet. I don’t know any other managers with the same purist philosophy, or the same ability to nurture young players to success.

My favourite Arsenal player of all time is probably Patrick Viera.  He could control the game against any midfield, and always played with passion, skill and discipline. 

Which football manager do you think would make the best politician?  And which politician would make the best football manager?

Now here’s a question! Jose Mourinho is certainly smooth enough, but I question his temperament. I can’t see him debating in the House without losing his temper a little bit. Sir Alex Ferguson has great political judgement (he votes Labour) and he reminds me of a less garrulous Churchill. But you have to spend too much time with the press these days, which isn’t one of Sir Alex’s favourite pastimes.

And the other way round? I think John Prescott could take over from Sir Alex. He could certainly dole out the hairdryer treatment! 

TF90M would like to thank David for taking the time out of an extremely busy schedule to answer our questions. We wish him all the best for the future.