“They cared more about stopping the Super League than stopping racism!” ⚽ Les Ferdinand

“They cared more about stopping the Super League than stopping racism!” ⚽ Les Ferdinand | Up Front

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Күн бұрын

On today’s episode, we are joined by a Premier League great who started off in non-league football and went on to become PFA Player of the Year.
Les Ferdinand enjoyed a successful and varied career playing for clubs such as QPR, Tottenham Hotspur as well as being part of the ‘great entertainers’ under Kevin Keegan at Newcastle United. After retirement he returned to West London and took up the role as Director of Football at QPR, becoming the first British black player to hold that position.
After stepping down last year ‘Sir Les’ as he is affectionately known joins the show to discuss his unconventional route to superstardom, opening up on his time at Tottenham and Newcastle, his turbulent tenure at QPR and the issues black former players are facing to find jobs in football.
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Warning: This episode may contain strong language. 18+ gamble responsibly.
#simonjordan #football #premierleague
00:00 Introduction to Les Ferdinand
00:59 Les Ferdinand’s journey
08:29 Young players in 2024
11:16 Non-League to QPR
16:26 The chance to move to Man Utd
21:04 Moving to Newcastle & working under Keegan
26:28 Alan Shearer
33:20 Joining Tottenham
36:56 QPR Director of Football
50:24 Opportunities for black coaches
01:09:33 What’s next for Les Ferdinand

Пікірлер: 588

@Primitive01 3 ай бұрын

Proper geezer.. Can tell he grew up around people who did not give a shite about what he looked like and liked him because of who he is.. A great watch.

@ginganinja83 3 ай бұрын

Easily one of the best interviews Simon has done. Brilliant by Les. It was such an enjoyable but eye opener interview

@mdg1867 3 ай бұрын

Love Sir Les. He's never played for the club I support but he's easily one of my favourite all time players

@truthseeker2095 3 ай бұрын

Sir lesbian Ferdinand 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

@tomjenkins1989 3 ай бұрын

Met Sir Les as a kid. Couldn’t have been a nicer man. Absolute class act and brilliant player!m fkr the toon!

@T.london878 3 ай бұрын

Top player 💯

@rayshac3450 3 ай бұрын

I knew Les awhile ago through a very good friend of his and found him to be one of the most genuine easy to get on with professionals that you could imagine.

@deanwarde7126 3 ай бұрын

52 years a QPR fan & Sir Les is in my all time Top 5 favourite players & I refuse to let his time as DoF ruin his legacy.

@Revelian1982 3 ай бұрын

DoF?

@deanwarde7126 3 ай бұрын

@@Revelian1982 Director of Football.

@GregTink-il5po 3 ай бұрын

With you 💯, club legend.

@jeff110373 3 ай бұрын

Yep seems a good guy who didn't just firat luje so many others do blaming all on RRRAAAAAAAACISM or everything eose. Victim Culture making a generation of weak betas. ie Rashford.

@Lee-S-Carlson 3 ай бұрын

Les was brilliant. Great in the air. Fast. Strong. An excellent finisher. He first scored a hatful of goals in the 1992/93 season at QPR then continued to score prolifically for quite several seasons. His partnership at QPR with Kevin Gallen and then his move to Newcastle enabled Les to show us what a superb forward he truly was. I don't care about footballers' colour and I never have cos it isn't interesting what colour a person's skin is. It's what is inside a person's heart and inside their head that is important in a person. Not their skin colour. That's about as interesting as what height they are. I don't think hardly any supporters in 2024 in stadiums do either. Good.

@spiderkins 3 ай бұрын

One of, if not, the best interview from these two guys.

@duncanclark9614 3 ай бұрын

Love Les Ferdinand, what a player and an even better person.

@user-fe8yu9ss1m 3 ай бұрын

Les ferdinand. Loved him growing up. Was absolutely devastated when he left newcastle and shearer stayed. I love big Al but losing him and ginola was so sad as a fan

@gibboj81 3 ай бұрын

Loved Les as a player. He seems really nice, smart and passionate guy. Like his story, how he got his football chance the hard way. Top man. This interview (I hope) will do him the world of good for his next job. I would hire him. Good luck Les.

@barryriste3229 3 ай бұрын

Brilliant, I hope he gets an opportunity, speaks incredibly well and you can see his passion and knowledge for the game. Very good player too. One of the best I’ve seen in the air for headers

@craigstonley8924 3 ай бұрын

Brilliant interview. Les is definitely a person I’d hire. Got all the attributes to be in football full time

@spiderkins 3 ай бұрын

I agree.

@tyronetalyor2645 3 ай бұрын

What a class act , met him at QPR, Gentleman!! Was so warm and welcoming!!

@darrenroche9225 3 ай бұрын

An absolute legend a brilliant person , one of my favorite players ever , just listening to the legends he played with against is great

@user-iu4xo8ol6p 3 ай бұрын

Les is a class act the same on the screen and off. his wife and kids are too. Met him a few times at sopwel house 20 years ago was always humble

@kevinmitchell9376 3 ай бұрын

Love and respect to Mr Les Ferdinand im a Gooner but he seems like a true gentleman and was a very under rated Strikers. Definitely one of the best in Premier league history 👏🏿

@matthewpotter8491 3 ай бұрын

Brilliant player. Grew up watching him in the 90s as part of that fantastic Newcastle side. Just wish he’d come to United. A proper football man is Sir Les who clearly has the right values. Sad there aren’t more people like this in football today. Need to get Keegan the show Simon.

@lorddougal07 2 ай бұрын

A proper hard-working classy striker. Always respected Les as a top man.

@will-bp9gz 3 ай бұрын

Growing up in the 90s I loved les ferdinand! even tho we fowler and collymore I would've loved to of seen him at Liverpool.

@dash7148 3 ай бұрын

Sir Les, a man of integrity, and who gave the Rs his best as a player and DoF. Shame on those ‘fans’ who got personal when it wasn’t going well. By all means, have an opinion that they didn’t think he was very good, but, some got personal and were out of order. I wish him every success.

@an-alternative-contrarian5047 3 ай бұрын

Les's QPR partnership with Kevin Gallen then his move to Newcastle showcased his deadliness perfectly. Once he caught fire in 1992-93, Les Ferdinand was a force of nature...

@an-alternative-contrarian5047 3 ай бұрын

Les's goal record is superb

@an-alternative-contrarian5047 3 ай бұрын

One in two

@an-alternative-contrarian5047 3 ай бұрын

Great for ANY striker in ANY era.

@an-alternative-contrarian5047 3 ай бұрын

I think Les scored a hatful in 1992-93 for the first time then didn't look back

@danwillan-vasey1984 3 ай бұрын

Sir Les. A top top centre forward and more importantly a real gentleman. The best header of a football I’ve ever seen at the toon. Great interview

@steveetienne 3 ай бұрын

Better than Big Dunc at heading? Tough to choose.

@T.london878 3 ай бұрын

Top player and yes great in the air ⚽

@deanlatimer2323 3 ай бұрын

super mac still for me

@mattchimpy 3 ай бұрын

Love Les at Spurs, can never understand why Newcastle sold him (and Ginola) to us

@andrewharrison7767 3 ай бұрын

we became a plc, so getting back what we paid qpr was seen as clearing a big chunk of shearer's fee

@nWoWolfpacTV2016 3 ай бұрын

Newcastle fan here. From what I have learned over years & heard Les say. Newcastle thought £6 million for a 30 year old was too good to turn down plus we'd be ok with Shearer/Asprilla. But Shearer got injured so they asked Les (who never wanted to leave) to stay. Les felt disrespected so went to Spurs. With Ginola, I've been told he wanted to leave and go to London. I do know Barcelona wanted him a season prior but we didn't sell him. Kenny Dalgish ruined us for 4 years by dismantling the team selling 3 of our best players in Les, Ginola, Beardsley plus Robbie Elliott and John Beresford & later Asprilla. And he replaced them with past it Barnes, Rush, & flops likes Andreas Andersson, Jon Dahl Tomasson, Pistone, Des Hamilton & his son Paul.

@an-alternative-contrarian5047 3 ай бұрын

@@nWoWolfpacTV2016 - I remember you watching beat Barcelona with Faustino Asprilla. I was in the pub with an old girlfriend and her brother. It's quite a pleasant memory as it happens...

@Lee-S-Carlson 3 ай бұрын

@@an-alternative-contrarian5047 - I watched that game too.

@neilhunt2668 2 ай бұрын

Brilliant interview, top man and top player, a massive reason I became a QPR fan, I've never seen someone bulldoze defences the way Les did

@lancerooney3398 3 ай бұрын

Great interview and Les came across so well. Very articulate and knowledgeable! 👏👏👏

@SteveModlin 3 ай бұрын

Love you les you were my idol growing up and based my football game on you a true legend!.

@Deano_Longley 3 ай бұрын

Hull city fan here who lived & worked in Hammersmith in the 90s,Les for me with shearer was the best 2 strikers in the prem 93-98,loved his all action style my absolute favourite, Sir Ferdy they called him in West London

@ops7917 3 ай бұрын

Ok but for what reason? Together they never won a bean. Shearer and Sutton is a better duo. Surely the best striking partnerships have to end with silverware at the finish! Cole and Yorke is my pick for best in the 90s.

@jameskelso2324 Ай бұрын

Really enjoyed this, honest talking guy with plenty personality and experience, hope he gets another opportunity 👏🏻👏🏻

@brianmaguire3413 3 ай бұрын

Great player gave 100% played with a smile great player thanks for the great memories Les

@daveclarke6986 3 ай бұрын

Absolutely brilliant what a great interview👍🇦🇺

@user-dc5wk8gt1b 3 ай бұрын

Class player at Newcastle and a class guy. Never should have let him go, Les and Al were lethal up front.

@tago69mago671 Ай бұрын

Gotta love Les. So humble and down to earth but what a handful as a player. Loved him at Spurs and Newcastle! Wish our England players had that old school mentality. We'd walk the World cup and the Euros with the talent at our disposal!

@richardhouston7277 3 ай бұрын

I remember Les went to the same secondary school as me, Christopher Wren in Hammersmith. I grew up in w10. Barlby Road.

@Simko3426 25 күн бұрын

les ferdinand is a gentleman.fine personality and a real man.

@afrasiabhussain250 3 ай бұрын

53 years as a Gooner fan and Les was a Proper Football Player love x

@baldb7 3 ай бұрын

Never played for my team, but love Sir Les and one of my favorites players who never played for my team.

@garyduddell3224 3 ай бұрын

Fantastic interview, 100% agree he stayed at QPR too long but very glad he did. His parents should be very proud of how they raised him and he speaks so well on many subjects.

@raystephens1142 3 ай бұрын

Worked in Istanbul for a few years, the Besiktas boys in my department revered him. 🦅

@boazharris6329 3 ай бұрын

Thank you both

@fts4608 2 ай бұрын

Nice hearing about how his parents taught him respect . I wish he had come to spurs sooner

@seanburke5686 3 ай бұрын

Legend and humble ❤❤❤

@johnnyretro1975 2 ай бұрын

great interview was great to hear les sounds like a great guy

@redredwine5640 3 ай бұрын

Amazing how there is so little about his 5 years at Tottenham even if he won his only trophy there.

@davidwithers1748 3 ай бұрын

Yet another example of why he is known as Sir Les. Class act and a gentleman. Good luck for the future.

@DwightCrichton-yg6wh 3 ай бұрын

The headline says it all!

@dennispepperack2973 3 ай бұрын

Tons of respect for Les & John B.

@davidsykes1980 3 ай бұрын

Watching in the hope I learn something along the way

@andylakey2744 3 ай бұрын

top class interviews as per

@paulwarner5700 3 ай бұрын

Fantastic, Sir Les is amazing

@royaloak5455 24 күн бұрын

I like Les, seems like a nice bloke and always thought he was a brilliant player who never got the opportunities he deserved with England.

@amillionviews888 3 ай бұрын

I saw Les at hombres night club in 1994. Many footballers were there on that day. I was with a friend that played for Chelsea back then. I beat Dennis Wise at pool that night at hombres while he was on a winning streak :)

@yodabiscuits2429 3 ай бұрын

And

@1574john 3 ай бұрын

Already loved Les but I love him even more now ❤ Les and Shearer were the best I’ve seen

@mmlentertainment 3 ай бұрын

Brilliant player for Newcastle, they did him wrong on his departure. Very underrated number 9

@gordonirvine726 3 ай бұрын

What a great guy! Love Les.

@stuartgould3111 3 ай бұрын

Watching this tomorrow but great shout getting les on

@michaelmcqueen4514 3 ай бұрын

Gentleman .. Great Interview

@aelfricofcedde363 3 ай бұрын

Class act as a player and thorough gentleman.

@millsy1861 3 ай бұрын

Always liked Sir Les, wish my club had signed him, thought he came across really well in this piece.

@charliearnold4706 3 ай бұрын

Sir Lez is a top man. He speaks well and is a very humble guy. Its such a shame that so much of this programme was about racism.

@claudeanderson5966 3 ай бұрын

why was it a shame?lived experance that is some people daily experience

@charliearnold4706 3 ай бұрын

@@claudeanderson5966 Hi there, I agree with his views on racism, but you cannot just say that it's down to the colour of your skin. I think John Barnes feels the same way. Why not go against the grain and try management? Nothing will change , unless you challenge the status quo.

@Gagefelstead 3 ай бұрын

@@claudeanderson5966 BLM in America claims being punctual and on time is white supremacy - unfortunately, real racism is overshadowed by nonsense these days. Les was a fantastic player and sounds a great bloke. Black players are overrepresented in football in many league clubs all over Europe, there's absolutely no reason why systemically it would suddenly stop at them becoming managers

@an-alternative-contrarian5047 3 ай бұрын

John Barnes was the best player I ever saw with my own eyes and I was thirteen when we signed him. I was a winger too at the time. This picture of me was me around my twelfth birthday. I was a winger in the school team and in a Sunday League team that was managed by my stepdad. Did I notice Barnesy was black? Did I notice Eddie Murphy was black when we were watching his 'Raw' video with the guy who managed our Sunday League team that I was a schoolboy winger in before my stepdad took over? Yes. Did it matter? No. I'm from Liverpool and I'm lower-working-class. We didn't move to a council house until I was fifteen. So I tend to look at the world more class-wise.

@El-Cid-Barrett 3 ай бұрын

@@an-alternative-contrarian5047 - John Barnes was also the best player I saw and I was 14 when we bought him from Watford to play with Beardsley so brilliantly.

@neiltucker80 3 ай бұрын

Les Ferdinand top man spoke a lot of sense 👍

@K.ALISON 3 ай бұрын

I'd like to point out in my opinion without equality racism will obviously always exist. Its not just a race thing though , we have women who are now commentating on football matches that shouldn't be doing the job. There are male ex players who would do the job better with more passion and knowledge who haven't got the job because they are male ! I am f/male and I find it embarrassing. I want women to get top jobs but not on the grounds of gender or race. Equality all the way, sod feminism and sod all the other crap ! Just my opinion ppl.

@user-ob4wo9po2y Ай бұрын

Sounds like you’re a lemon

@K.ALISON Ай бұрын

@@user-ob4wo9po2y Lemon ! omg lemon 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

@danielf4324 3 ай бұрын

Best memory in football les....never forgets it

@stephencooper9935 3 ай бұрын

Proper fella Les. I'd take him at Newcastle in some capacity

@user-sw2ob4iw1m 2 ай бұрын

The Ferdinand and Shearer situation reminds me very much of the Marcus Allen - Bo Jackson situation at my beloved Raiders, ironically AL Davis mishandled the situation allowed Marcus to leave for Kansas City of all teams and then Bo suffered a career ending injury.

@pikehead1 3 ай бұрын

Total Q.P.R legend love Les ❤

@longlivetheboleyn1917 3 ай бұрын

Love Les. Proper old school bloke

@martingonzalez2850 3 ай бұрын

Rubbish.

@kwadwoappiah6730 3 ай бұрын

Killer interview

@asibgulzar9244 3 ай бұрын

Les Ferdinand should have been given a longer run as England's number 9,unbelievable striker. Maybe England would've got over the line and won a tournament.

@nohmanahmed4463 3 ай бұрын

Total love n respect big Les smashed it at Ncastle

@oliverrichards5009 3 ай бұрын

Best one yet

@joemorley5536 2 ай бұрын

I love Les!

@adeniran77 3 ай бұрын

I feel as though some segments of this interview was cut out; such as the England opportunities..

@ops7917 3 ай бұрын

True and maybe they had to because I think this episode is already the longest duration of the series, well over an hour.

@am5790 3 ай бұрын

@@ops7917 lol

@fabianking997 3 ай бұрын

It was a good interview regardless of some of comments posted in here.

@martingonzalez2850 3 ай бұрын

It really wasn't. He com😢es out with the same tired old tropes. Anti-white racism is real. In which he plays his full part. Never liked the fellow.

@chrismiller6317 3 ай бұрын

Footballers today have never been taught the work ethic (for real life)have no idea just what a privileged position they are in and they need a roll model of how you to conduct yourself on and more pertinently off the pitch step forward Sir Les,a dying breed of gentleman 👏👏👏👏

@user-oq9rr5fy7e 2 ай бұрын

Sir les absolute legend

@goldenboyproductions2740 3 ай бұрын

YAWN

@greenparksandblueskies9099 3 ай бұрын

Wow what an interview....that story about Man.Utd and Ray Wilkens ....hard to digest! What might have been???

@andrewforeman2168 3 ай бұрын

I remember Darren Ambrose saying on talkSPORT once something to the effect of: "I've never been in negotiations over a move to another club and thought WOW I would love to play in this stadium every week!! A stadium is a stadium and I can only speak for myself but the size of a football stadium never had any impact or baring on where ever I ended up during my career." And I'm the same way with shirt numbers. Personally I couldn't give a toss what squad number I was given at a football club. The opportunity to play professional football would of been MORE THAN ENOUGH for me. I think AC Milan sat down with Andriy Shevchenko like YEARS ago and offered him €5 million to give up the no. 7 shirt because they were going after David Beckham at the time and they wanted to use the fact that he could have it himself during negotiations. UTTER MADNESS when you actually think about that!!

@ajb6243 3 ай бұрын

The pre season Shearer signed i already had the Ferdinand 9 shirt 😢

@nealh2555 3 ай бұрын

Enjoyed that, Thank you both..

@CafeMambo1982 3 ай бұрын

Absolute goal machine

@kevinroyall8829 3 ай бұрын

If I were responsible for hiring a manager at a football club I'd happily headhunt Les Ferdinand to run the team. He is so grounded, so wholesome and so no nonsense. He would only command respect in the changing room. Football club owners are missing a trick in not approaching him for his services.

@MathewParker-by4nx 3 ай бұрын

On that basis please don’t ever run a football club.

@user-ud9gb5xx4p 3 ай бұрын

If they'd got behind 'Kick It Out' and all the hard work Troy Townsend had done I'd have been behind it, they chose BLM and that's like asking me to sign up for the IRA in support of Ireland. In an era where Le Tissier gets sacked for his views on a terrorist organisation yet Carragher can spit at a young girl and keep his job, it is all bollocks and I'm bored of the racism chat now...

@Bobbibouchersmumwasright 3 ай бұрын

I have you 💯right

@ashleywebb2736 3 ай бұрын

I thought exactly the same when I saw the headline.

@christopherbenjamin3242 3 ай бұрын

Of course you're bored about the racism. Equating BLM with the IRA shows the shallowness of your mind and your lack of critical thinking. If your bored about racism maybe have a chat with one of your black friends...maybe as Simon says you'll learn something.

@Thai.Farang 3 ай бұрын

The most accurate, and best comment I've seen on KZfaq for a long, long time. Couldn't agree more.

@user-nc8jy5te9b 3 ай бұрын

@@christopherbenjamin3242he didn’t equate blm with the ira, he equated the them being used as proxies for anti-racism and irish republicanism which is of course true. Talk about shallow mind, imagine so blatantly misinterpreting something.

@fts4608 2 ай бұрын

I very interesting interview

@lloyddossantos1800 3 ай бұрын

Always an interesting podcast and enjoyed this one a lot.

@TeampeakUk 3 ай бұрын

57! Les looks about 45 fair play lovely guy too

@Lee-ry9ux 3 ай бұрын

Another good interview always liked big Les on and off the pitch

@pauldowney4280 3 ай бұрын

I would really like to ask Simon about what part he played in utd and Liverpool being the only clubs allowed to interview the candidates for the position Richard masters ended getting, Simon was on the committee.

@TheEnglishCad 3 ай бұрын

Sir Les…what a gentleman.👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 Always admired him.

@BrianBoru5523 3 ай бұрын

All the English girls abused by the Pakistani rape gangs were racially abused, I never heard Les or the other grifters stick up for them, is it only racism against non whites that counts?

@ERICSHUN12345 3 ай бұрын

You admire someone that plays the race card? Honestly what a clown

@danielsampson7530 Ай бұрын

EricShun11299 oh dear here comes our resident idiot and permanently offenced dunce

@grahamatkinson8727 3 ай бұрын

Director of football will be the dream job of the next generation of players.

@gerryrr93 3 ай бұрын

I had a trial at QPR I scored and Les Ferdinand decks me, apparently I was supposed to put the ball in the goal at the other end of the pitch

@cloudy8614 3 ай бұрын

Which was stupid because there were loads of their players up that end.

@donbrogan3158 3 ай бұрын

Tip. Sad Ken. 100/1 3:30pm Chepstow....

@Bobbibouchersmumwasright 3 ай бұрын

There isn’t 1 player in football like Les today.. player and bloke wise

@PBenoit1738 3 ай бұрын

Top striker, top player

@user-rm6cj7yj9i 3 ай бұрын

These are the type of characters u need around academy’s les has been there done it

@martingonzalez2850 3 ай бұрын

Is that why he failed at QPR?

@AriGoldBawse 3 ай бұрын

@@martingonzalez2850club was falling before he got there. Crazy wage bill and overpaid players not willing to go

@MartinGreen932 3 ай бұрын

Just wish Barnes or Les could give clear examples of racism in board rooms.

@michealparchment6192 3 ай бұрын

class act

@stevehenke678 3 ай бұрын

As a mag I love how Les calls us NEWcastle, instead of the southern NOOcastle. Top man.

@jonathanward7320 3 ай бұрын

Surprised Simon didn’t ask him about his decision to leave Newcastle and what impact Kenny Dalglish had in that, and the fallout with Shearers injury and how Newcastle tried to cancel the deal. Missed opportunity

@davidwilliams5378 3 ай бұрын

I like Les.. he is right, the Area with most racism in England is upper class owners, directors box.. So true. Old money

@stevenjordan6529 2 ай бұрын

Les was a top striker!!

@CarlitoGio 3 ай бұрын

Les looks likes Denzil Washington lol. His nephew was in my year group at secondary school. To this day I don’t know if he was telling fibs or not. Surname Edwards come to mind