Peter Beardsley looking for World Cup advice
Jul 31 2010 by Stuart Rayner, The Journal
PETER Beardsley is looking forward to picking Jonás Gutiérrez’s brain for the secrets of Diego Maradona’s World Cup success.
The Argentina legend became the latest victim of the now traditional post-World Cup cull of managers when La Albiceleste refused to renew his contract in a dispute over backroom staff.
But Beardsley was hugely impressed by how Maradona inherited a team struggling to qualify for South Africa and transformed them into World Cup quarter-finalists. So Newcastle United’s reserve team coach will be interested to hear how he did it.
“I have to be honest, when I look at the World Cup just gone I wanted them (Argentina) to win it,” said Beardsley. “I loved the way he was with the players, he was fantastic.
“I haven’t had the chance to speak to Gutiérrez yet, but the atmosphere looked unbelievable. It basically comes from the manager and I love that.”
Some of Beardsley’s 1986 World Cup team-mates have never forgiven Maradona for scoring Argentina’s opening goal in the quarter-finals with his hand en route to a 2-1 win. Beardsley, though, is typically magnanimous. “I loved Maradona as a player and I have to be honest, I didn’t blame him for what he did,” he said. “He did it on the spur of the moment. He should have been caught, but I don’t blame him.
“That game will never be forgotten because of the ‘Hand of God’, which is sad because his second goal was unbelievable.
“People should focus more on that. It (the first goal) shouldn’t have stood but the best team won.”
The tournament was the making of Beardsley as an international, who started with five caps and one goal but ended it a key figure. It is another reason he is so grateful to England’s then-manager Bobby Robson.
“I didn’t expect to go to any World Cup so to go to two was amazing,” he said. “86 was fantastic for me. It wasn’t great for England but the fact they failed in the first game, struggled in the second, gave me an early opportunity I didn’t expect.”
