Wally Downes knew when he and Glyn Hodges might just make a managerial partnership. âWhen we played for Wimbledon and [Dave] Bassett made us play direct, we got on with it,â Downes explains. âWe wanted to play a little bit more than we did, but we needed to be effective. We were the disparate voices in the dressing room.
âBassett knew that we were more imaginative than perhaps some of the team, who were more functional. We used to sit in the corner together and if either of us was getting a coating, Iâd sort of take it on the chin but Hodge was a bolshie f----- and if he knew it was coming, he would have the programme out.
âHarry would say, âput the programme down, Glynâ and he would say, âI ainât putting it down, heâs talking a load of b-------â. So Harry would shout, âput the f------ programme downâ. I would think, âoh s---, heâs brought attention to us nowâ. âHodge, we are losing 2-0, we ainât got enough f------ crosses in, donâtâ. He used to p--- him [Bassett] off something rotten.â
The language is as ripe and colourful as the stories when Downes gets going but it is extraordinary that 40 years after they first met as teenagers he and Hodges, who played on opposite flanks in Wimbledonâs Crazy Gang days in the 1980s, are only now working together for the first time.
Downes was appointed manager of League One Wimbledon last month and always had it in his mind to bring Hodges with him. âIt was very short and sweet,â Hodges says. âHe was in India and had just had the first interview. He texted me and said, âhave a look at this â do you want to get involved?â I said, âyes, Iâll be your northern scoutâ because I was based in north Notts. And he just said, âno, Iâm talking about assistant managerâ. So, straight away I said âyes, perfectâ. That was it.â
Hodges was out of work, having left his job as Stoke Cityâs Under-23 coach last January following the sacking of Mark Hughes.
âIâd had opportunities to come back in but they didnât feel quite right so I was basically waiting,â he says. âWhen this one came, I thought it was a no-brainer. Iâve got this opportunity to come back here where I have great memories.â
Downes, whose extensive coaching CV includes managing Brentford, was assisting Steve Coppell at the Indian Super League team ATK. âI was getting more calls to work overseas than England,â he says. âI wouldnât have come back for many clubs in this division because I hadnât worked at this level for a long time. But when I got the call it wasnât a case of wondering whether I should do it. I knew I definitely should.â
Wimbledon are preparing for their first-ever FA Cup fourth-round tie since the phoenix club were formed in 2002, at home to West Ham today, and are relishing their status as underdogs. It even feels like old times and is a relief from the greater job of staving off relegation to League Two as they sit seven points from safety. âItâs nice to be in the fourth round because we are making a new history for AFC Wimbledon and youâve got to fancy our chances â itâs the FA Cup,â Hodges says.
Despite their rich past with Wimbledon, neither he nor Downes played in the 1988 FA Cup final win over Liverpool. Hodges had left the year before, briefly joining Newcastle United before reuniting with Bassett at Watford, but was there as a fan. âI went to Wembley on the Tube when they won the Cup. It was great for them,â he says. âMy biggest beef was when I played against them for Watford in the quarter-final at Plough Lane. We were 1-0 up and they were down to 10-men â Brian Gayle got sent off â but [John] Fashanu blew us away in the second half to win 2-1. So, we had one foot in the semi-final. But once they beat us, I wanted them to go and win it.â
For Downes, the final is the defining memory of Wimbledon, even though one of the original leaders of that Crazy Gang was not involved. âThatâs the game when people were saying that football would get done away with if a team like that won,â he says. âI had done my journey, fourth division to the first, played in every one for the club. To see them win that day was the defining moment: gone through the leagues, got to first division and that was great. Whatâs next? âOh, the FA Cup. Weâll win that anâ allâ.â
Another Cup shock would be wonderful but the focus is staying up before making the emotional return to Plough Lane next year, even if their current home, the tiny Cherry Red Records Stadium, has a similar feel to their old one.
âThat was something else. I thought, âwowâ. I came here and itâs exactly what I expected,â Hodges says, with many of the people behind the scenes still at the club and a âcircle of usâ from the playing days. âItâs got the feel of the old Wimbledon. Itâs like Iâve never been away. The bar over there â itâs like the bar at Plough Lane. It looks exactly the same. Our playersâ lounge was a nightclub. Weâd go in there after the game and sometimes you were still in there at half two, three oâclock in the morning. That was encouraged.â
Although he and Downes have not worked together for decades, Hodges did work under Downes â at Sheffield United and Palace, when he was still a player. âOur ages are quite close. Next thing, heâs coaching me so it was quite difficult. Heâs your mate, who you played with and are drinking with and now heâs got authority over you,â Hodges says. âI didnât expect it but football is weird.â
There is also something he wants to get off his chest. âAll that stuff about âlong-ball Wimbledonâ â to play at that level, to do the double over Man United, to go and win at Liverpool, you donât play long ball. Itâs a myth,â Hodges says. âWe had a system but we were good footballers and we all went on to play for other clubs. We were a good team and could compete.â
As Downes says, Hodges likes to speak his mind. âHe came through as a kid and was a confident boy,â Downes adds of his former team-mate and colleague with whom he has an almost telepathic understanding. âWhen he came here, I was 17 and he was 15. Itâs terrific because thereâs stuff you donât have to say.â
Even if both have plenty to say.