Jack Wilshere On Arsenal, Injuries & Starting Again
Former Arsenal and England midfielder, and current Luton Town manager Jack Wilshere joins us for an honest conversation about his career, the impact of Arsene Wenger, working with Mikel Arteta, battling injuries and his transition into coaching. Follow more on the BBC Sport app, iPlayer and Sounds. ============= Find us here: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BBCMOTD X: https://x.com/BBCMOTD Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bbcfootball/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@bbcsport bbcfootball
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Mikuel had a big influence on me and I'm grateful for that time I got to spend with him. >> You're like his little protail. >> Yeah. Everyone [music] talks about the Barcelona game. I remember. >> Does it not mean as much to you as maybe we think? >> No, it does. You know, they were players that I'd watch and idolize. Iniesta, Messi. >> You're not the party boy that maybe days are gone. Them days are gone. >> Well, he was the teenage sensation aged just 16 years old. He went on to win two FA Cups with Arsenal. And now he's back where it all began. No, not at Arsenal, but here at Luton Town as a manager. and he's already won his first silverware, less than a year in charge. Welcome to the football interview, Jack Wilshshire. >> Yeah, it's a bit of a full circle moment for me coming back here. Amazing to win something after a tough couple of years for the club. Um, but yeah, we're building. We're growing from that. We were close last year to the playoffs. We want to obviously take that next step now. >> I'm told your office actually looks out on the pitch that you used to train on. Is that right? >> That's a bit mad. That's literally my office window is there. Um, and if I'm standing there, I look to the right, there's you can see the academy pitches there. And I remember when I was seven, seven, walking. So you you used to enter through there and walk around to the pitch and Yeah. I get to see it. It's weird. >> Why was this the right job for you then? Was it as simple as you knew the club? >> Uh, a little bit. I think I started here. So then when when you start at a place, you always keep your eye on them and I understood their journey that they went down um all the leagues and they worked their way back up. I was then fortunate enough to come back when Nathan Jones was here. Um and I done a preseason here actually and yeah, I did in 2021 and I felt I felt the energy of this place. They actually invited me to stay, but I I couldn't. I couldn't because the energy and the intensity that Nathan Jones wanted. I was coming towards the end. When I first walked in the door here, I could tell that was gone. They needed an identity. They needed direction. I had really strong beliefs on it. And I think probably, you know, when you're you're first starting your coaching journey, um you do have that. You do have that. You're strong. You know, you think you know everything. And yeah, I learned a lot along the way. Um but that was the main focus was that. >> So what are you like then as a manager? >> My idea of it is that you have to work really, really hard and you have to, you know, I want to give the players clarity in every single moment. And to do that, you have to have clarity and even more and more. So, yeah, I'd like to think I'm I'm really hardwork. I think you have to be. I think the second thing is you have to have a big love for the game because it takes over your life. Um, which I do. Um, and then yeah, I think if you have that that blend and then you try and make it enjoyable for the players, um, yeah, there'll be challenges along the way, but I think you're on the right path. So it [music] did all start here, but was it always Arsenal for you as a player? >> Yeah. Well, saying that, so I came here at 7, stayed here till 9 and then Arsenal came in for me. Um, and it was actually a really difficult decision. I mean, 9 years old, I was playing with my my friends that I played with for years. Um, and then Arsenal came along and obviously in the end I made the decision to go there. Um but yeah, it was it was actually a tough decision to leave it. >> So talk to me about those early memories of being at Arsenal because it feels like there was like a generation of you that were being talked up at such a young age. >> Yeah, it was and you know I was fortunate I mean to to get the the facilities that Arsenal had at a young age to get the coaching um but probably most importantly the the pathway and >> you know I remember 12 years old watching watching Arsenal's first team and Seth Fàregas playing in the the team. So that gave everyone a belief that if you were good enough um you'd get the chance. So yeah, I was I was fortunate that we had a manager in Asen that um really believed in in young players and giving them the opportunity. And you know, I've been influenced by a lot of coaches, but probably the one that stands out is and it wasn't necessarily for the way he coached or how he was on the training pitch. It was more about how he made you feel. And um players want to take that on and give that to other players. and you know me, Ces, Aaron, Robin Van Percy's gone on to coach. So >> yeah, and also Arson's way was was by teaching people the game. So you you always felt like you your knowledge of the game was getting better. >> It's clearly so important to you to have this relationship with your players. And I feel like I can ask you this now. There were perhaps photos taken of you when you were younger doing things that maybe footballers don't always do in terms of the smoking and the drinking. How do you reflect on that now? >> Yeah, I made mistakes. I made mistakes and um you know I always say players experiencing things before you explain it to them. So I can explain to a player that yeah it's going to be really hard. You're going to have to do this, you're going to have to do this. It's a different type of game. But actually giving them the opportunity and them going through it is much more powerful. So yeah, I reflect on yes, I made mistakes, but I also reflect on that manager um that yeah, he had high standards and he he let me know that he was disappointed, but he also gave another chance. >> That was my next question. What was his reaction? >> Yeah, he he was um Asen was always um that the same way as as as I was in thinking that yeah, players are going to make mistakes, but number one, you educate them. You let them know as well that there's a line and there's there's things they can't do, but also giving another chance. I believe in that. >> And he did give you chances and you went on to reward him, didn't you? In so many ways. When you look back, what are the highlights from playing? I think the biggest one is the cup wins, the FA Cup final in 2014. I remember just feeling a big responsibility that everyone owes this to Arsen like he he'd obviously had real success early on in his career at Arsenal and then yeah went through a period where they moved stadiums and success looked different but ultimately we needed to win trophies and I remember feeling a big responsibility to to deliver that for him and um yeah we did and there was also players in there um Kieran Gibbs, Aaron Ramsey um who we've been together for a few years and yeah I went from winning the youth cup with the club then to winning uh the actual FA Cup and that was special. >> I did wonder if you were going to mention the Barcelona game. >> Everyone talks about the Barcelona game. I remember. >> Does it not mean as much to you as maybe we think? >> No, it does. It does. Of course it does because you know there were players that I'd watched and idolized in Messi compared to >> Yeah. Busett going out in the tunnel and there was this aura about him. Um and Pep walked through and yeah there was it was I remember in that moment thinking okay now I got that feeling what they're feeling the game started we didn't touch the ball for 10 minutes um and then yeah there was a moment where I won the ball back and I sort of drove the team forward and I remember just feeling the crowd lift and yeah the team got confidence from that and we went on to win but it still hurts me because we lost the away league. [snorts] >> Such a manager I can tell kind of everything you're saying. Was that peak Jack Wilshshire that season? Was that the best football you played? probably unfortunately probably probably yes. Um don't get me wrong, there was there was still times throughout my career where where I had a similar feeling in that game where you're kind of you're in flow and things are happening around you and everything's going right for you. And there was other games like that. >> Um probably not against the level of opposition, but probably for a consistent spell probably. Yeah. >> How frustrating were the injuries? I know it sounds like such an obvious question, >> but it obviously was such a big part of your journey. No, they were they were really frustrating at the time. I look back on them now probably with not the same frustration because I genuinely love this what I'm doing now and I probably if if I didn't have them injuries, you know, I'm 34 now probably could still be playing and players that I played with Henderson Wellbe like they're all still playing and I'm sure that especially Henderson is going to go on to coaching. Um so yeah, I feel fortunate that I've got an opportunity to start this journey early. At what point did you realize you needed to start thinking about life post playing because as you said you did retire early. So I done my B license quite early in my career and enjoyed enjoyed it enjoyed the coaching side of it but was really focused on on my playing career and then I went to Bournemouth and started to think about the A license and towards the end of my A license I was without a club um and Arsenal it was actually Edu who called me and said oh do you want to come back and continue your A license with the 18s but also train with the first team to keep yourself fit for whatever's next and of course I I took it. Then I would train um with the first team in the morning and I got to saw Mikuel and and how he coached and the influence he was having and that was something different that I'd ever seen. Eddie was quite similar, but Mikuel was even more intense and even more about teaching players and yeah, it really intrigued me and I was obviously I got good relationship with Mikuel. So I would I would ask him questions about why he's doing certain things and yeah, just started to I started to fall in love with it and how we started to prepare training sessions and then I'd obviously get an opportunity to practice that with the 18s in the afternoon and it was something as well that I wasn't, you know, I'm open with. I wasn't that good at it. You know, I had to learn it. I had to So >> you weren't that good at coaching. I had to get I felt uncomfortable at times. Um >> what made it feel uncomfortable? >> I don't know. Just maybe because you've never done it like and maybe because as well I I had a really clear way of how I saw it and I was influenced by Mikuel. Um but then I had to learn how to teach. I had to learn how to get that across and and how to plan a session and how to get the outcomes of the session that you wanted. That stuff was all new and thankfully I really really enjoyed it and loved it because you have to because it takes over everything. >> What kind of stuff did Muel help you with? Is there anything you that kind of stands out that he said to you or >> with you? >> Probably. Yeah, probably with understanding the game because um you know I I played the game, right? And I played under some good coaches um and they'd tell me to do something, I'd do it. I was quite um I was quite good at that, understanding what a coach wants and do it. But actually, I never probably dived into or understood why is he asking me to do that? What's it creating for other players? And and Mikuel really really made that clear to me. And yeah, I was probably at a stage in my career and lucky enough to have a relationship where I could say, "Well, what why do you want that and why do you want that?" And he was open enough to share it with me. >> That's that must be pretty special for him now seeing you in this role. You're like his little prot, aren't you? >> Yeah. >> Um Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I speak to Mikuel still. And do you? >> Yeah. Yeah. Mikuel had a big influence on me and I'm grateful for that that time I got to spend with him and also when when you you see that and you're really convinced by something then you go away from it and they continue on that journey and they then become successful. It gives me even more um belief in that. >> It must have given you particularly as an Arsenal fan such pride, such a buzz to see what they did last season and what they're building now. >> This is the first step for them. I think probably if Mikuel's honest he would say that um they could have done it earlier and probably should have um and you could see how much that then drove him on to be successful last season and yeah really happy for him really happy for his staff because how committed they are and how much work they put in but also the players you know um Miles was in there Max Dman was in there of course you would have coached them. >> Yeah. So really happy for them because >> yeah they they work really hard to get there and they deserve all of it. >> Max Dman's pretty special. He's a good player. He's a good player. He um >> yeah, he played for my 18s team when he was 13 and Yeah. He says it [laughter] already, doesn't it? >> Yeah. Even because I played for the 18s when I was 14 and I remember calling my dad and saying, "You need to come watch his kid like and uh my dad did and my dad's very biased as you could imagine, but even he said, "Yeah, he's better than you." I wanted to ask you about your kids as well because you've got two older kids, two slightly younger kids. Your oldest son, is he playing here at Luton now? >> He is. He's signed for Luton now and he had to come on trial and and earn his place here. Um and yeah, really proud of him for that. >> And let's make this equal. Your daughter as well. She's young. [clears throat] >> Yeah. Yeah. She's 8 years old and and she gets better all the time. Genuinely her love for the game. She loves Luton. She loves football. She loved the World Cup. um >> future lioness. >> Yeah, potentially. >> That's exciting, isn't it? Um and also her story is even more remarkable, isn't it? Because she's had a tough few years. >> Yeah, she had heart surgery. She um she it's actually quite common. They actually missed it, but she had a hole in her heart. That was obviously something as a parent, you know, like it's tough and um yeah, it's probably the uncertainty that that any any parent or any person going through is that's probably the hardest thing to deal with. But um it yeah, it taught me a lot. It taught me a lot. And you know sometimes I actually use it here with about process. You know I was I was put into a position where I just had to listen to people and listen to surgeons and trust them and trust their process and >> yeah amazing what they done and um but it was tough. >> It's going to be even more amazing when you play for England and she's got that back story. >> I also wanted to ask you about your other son because was it Archie I think it might have been 2015 2016 where he was having a really tough time. I kind of just want to show that maybe there's more we don't realize sometimes what footballers and football managers are going through off the pitch. So if you can kind of elaborate what's >> Yeah, that was tough. >> That was tough. It wasn't it wasn't open heart surgery but of course he's my first my first born. Yeah, he had epilepsy. So yeah, again like you're put into a situation. I remember I was at home. Um I had a call from the school saying there's an ambulance here. Archie's fainted or something and he was only four. Yeah. And that was tough to deal with. It teaches you things and I think all these these experiences that that you go through in life um they're there for a reason. >> And now sitting here, everyone's happy, everyone's healthy. >> Yes. Yeah. Yeah, they are >> good. Well, that's that's the main thing. And I guess now we're in >> the intense period of the season. When we actually came to schedule this interview and I was speaking to the press officer, he saw Wednesday is normally the day off, but Jack's in anyway. >> Does that tell us a lot about your mentality? Are you able to escape? Do you escape? >> I think I need to be better. >> He's saying no in the corner, by the way. >> Yeah, I think I I need to be better at that because Yeah, it's important. Your your wife, your kids, your family, they're really important. >> So, you're not the party boy that maybe >> days are gone. Them days are gone. >> You can't do that really when I guess you're a manager. That's probably something. No, even even when we uh won the virtue, I had a beer and someone said to me, "Oh, do you want another beer?" And I was like, "We got game Wednesday." Like, "I need to start watching Northampton." So, um yeah, it's tough. >> What was Jack that maybe was in some dark moments with injuries during his playing career kind of make of all this now? Because I guess this is proof, isn't it, that everything's all right in the end? >> Yeah, I think keep going. I think that is so important. like you're going to like a boxer, you're going to get punched in the face. You're going to face adversity, but keep going and keep believing in in what you believe in. That's really important. >> Jack, thank you so much for talking to us. >> Thank you, Ky.