Chris Powell has been involved in professional football for over twenty years. In that time he has given excellent service to eight clubs at all levels of the game. One of the most dedicated and hard working professionals of his generation, Powell’s consistent performances were rewarded as he became an established Premier League performer and earned five England caps.

The outgoing PFA Chairman may have joined Leicester City in the twilight of his distinguished career, but The Foxes are now benefiting from his wealth of experience, immense enthusiasm and having one of the game’s true gentlemen at the club. Powell has already built a fantastic football legacy, but his passion for the game remains as genuine as ever…

Jon Reeves: The game must have changed a lot since you started as an apprentice with Crystal Palace?

Chris Powell: So much has changed; the stadiums, the infrastructure, the TV coverage and the money that players get. I had dreams and ambitions of becoming a pro at Crystal Palace. Still to this day I feel fortunate that I made it. I think that was the biggest moment for me, when I was told I was a professional footballer.

JR: You played in the lower leagues for a few years before getting to the Premier League. Did that make you hungrier to succeed?

CP: I think it gives me a more rounded view on the game and that’s maybe reflected in me being PFA Chairman. I know the feelings of players in the lower leagues and the struggles they go through. My love of the game has never changed and it hasn’t left me to this day.

JR: Who has had the biggest influence on your career?

CP: My mum and my late dad. He missed a big chunk of my career, parts that he would’ve loved. He was a big West Ham supporter from way back to Clyde Best in the 60s and 70s. I played for West Ham and he never saw that. He loved football and gave me my love of the game. My mum’s been a constant all the way through teaching me how to deal with people, about being a rounded person and how to deal with set-backs.

Coaches have helped me too. Alan Smith was my first coach at Palace and Steve Coppell. Alan Curbishley and Alan Pardew were good coaches and they came around at a vital time for me. Latterly, it was Nigel Pearson. He took a chance on me and I became the oldest player to represent Leicester at 40. He’s responsible for the position I’m in now, he saw qualities in me that I could become a coach.

JR: Who were your heroes growing up?

CP: I’m a big Spurs fan and was a left-winger as a kid before I got converted to left-back, so I always loved wingers like Chris Waddle and John Barnes.

JR: I imagine you have ambitions to manage one day?

CP: Absolutely, It’s my trade. You find something you’re good at and it becomes your way of life and this is mine. I wanted to be a journalist at school, that’s always interested me. Media was one option, but a lot of players are going into that. I’ve had the PFA work and I like the admin side, but I just felt that this is the sharp end. I’ve been in it as a player for a long time and I know how players think.

Someone has to believe in you to become a coach and I had that in Nige. It’s up to me to progress now and I’m learning from another manager in Paulo. I’ve got the personality and you need that to deal with different players. They all have different needs and it’s about marrying those together to have a successful team.

I feel I have a duty now I’m in this position to be a role model for black coaches because that is lacking. Keith Alexander was the first black manager and he was always a hero of mine. I could tell you all of the other black coaches in the game. I think there needs to be more. Plenty of black players have walked away with knowledge and talent that they should put to good use.

JR: What was the greatest moment or period of your career?

CP: I never like to choose a club because I’ve had success and good times at every club I’ve been at, except Watford. I shouldn’t say this about a fellow East Midlands club, but Derby were great for me because we got promoted to the Premier League and that was the first time I’d played at that level.

At Charlton we got relegated but returned to the Premier League as champions of the Championship and that started what Charlton fans would say was their golden period, being in the Premier League for six to seven years. We finished seventh one year and I got chosen for England playing for Charlton. That was a big moment, not only for me, but for them as a club. I look back on that with real fondness.

My year at West Ham meant a lot as my father was a fan. It was also the first time I’d played in a major final, the play-offs at the Millennium Stadium, and we won it.

JR: Tell us a bit about the England call up, how did you first hear about it?

CP: The Daily Mail ran a story saying there would be a couple of shock names included and my name was on it. I pulled into the training ground ahead of an away game against Coventry and there was press everywhere. The press officer ushered me in and told me not to say anything. We trained as normal and then I was called up to Alan Curbishley’s room. I actually thought I was getting dropped for the Coventry game because whenever you got called to his room, you were getting dropped! But he said, ‘I’ve got a fax here with your name on it, congratulations, you’re in the England squad.’

My phone went crazy. I’m quite open to journalists and I wish I wasn’t that day because they all called. I knew all the eyes of the football world were on me. I remember warming up at Coventry with Mervyn Day, the number two, and I said, ‘Merv, everything’s on me, I realise now what these big name boys go through.’

JR: What was it like meeting the players?

CP: I met up with the squad on the Monday, but knew a lot of them from playing against them. I trained well and fitted in ok. Obviously they were a little bit quicker and sharper but I knew I had to step up and I did. I worked out I was in the team by who had a bib. I saw Beckham, Scholes and Ferdinand had a bib and I had one.

I started the game against Spain and had a good first-half, but I had a calf injury and came off. I bought every newspaper under the sun the next day! I wasn’t a one cap wonder and that was a big thing as well. I got five caps and I’ve still got them at home.

JR: Sven gets his share of stick from the press, what did you make of him?

CP: He was quiet and would let the coaches do a lot of the work. He would go and talk to players individually, that was more his style. When you look back we made the quarter-finals in every major competition. Our ranking was eighth so we actually played to our ranking. I’m always thankful to Sven because he picked me.

JR: You seem to be remembered fondly by fans of all the clubs you’ve played for, why do you think that is?

CP: Whoever you play for, you’ve got to remember that you’re wearing the shirt and you’re lucky to be part of the club. You should represent them in the way the fans want you to. They know you’re not going to win every game, but they want you to give them a bit of pride. People always talk about passion, but we’re all built differently. Some have inward passion and don’t show it outwardly, but I think your attitude towards the club, the team and the fans should always be at the forefront of your mind.

JR: It must have been a great honour to be named PFA Chairman?

CP: I’ve always been interested in what the union does. I didn’t realise the extent of what they do and that’s grown over the years. We look after the welfare of the players, whether it is contracts, education or finances, we always look to help. It doesn’t matter whether you play for Arsenal or Accrington; you’re treated the same. If any player has problems we will help them. We provide boots as a lot of clubs don’t even provide players with boots now, which is beyond me. We stepped in and gave players boots at clubs in the Championship, League One and Two.

It’s been a real honour to be chairman. It’s been a learning curve about what happens off the field and how we’re trying to improve things. I’ve grown into the role and really don’t want to give it up, but you have to be a current player. I will definitely miss being part of it.

JR: Are there any issues in football that you feel particularly passionate about?

CP: I think the game is geared towards the Premier League too much. I think the England team needs looking at because we don’t exactly cater for them, whether we need a winter break or not needs addressing.

The good players aren’t filtering down to the lower league clubs and they don’t get much TV income. They don’t sell players to clubs in higher divisions any more and that used to provide the money to keep them afloat. The rich are getting richer. Reserve team football needs addressing too. I’m trying to get reserve games for the boys here and most clubs don’t have a reserve team. That’s a big part of the development of younger players.

JR: Finally Chris, how are the Leicester City players finding the transition of working under a new manager?

CP: I’ve told the players that all you can do is be yourself and play to the best of your abilities. We’ve been successful over the last two years but it’s a new beginning. All we can look for now is to carry that work on with Paulo and our coaching staff. Everybody has to muck in because Leicester City is still here, the fans are still going to turn up and support their team and we’ve got to produce the results to progress as a club.