Deaks Chats to Former England International, Darren Bent

Darren Bent began his football career with Godmanchester Rovers before being spotted by Ipswich Town. After progressing through their youth system, he made his first-team debut in 2001 and went on to make 122 appearances and scored 48 goals in the league for the Tractor Boys. He then joined Charlton Athletic in 2005 for a fee of £2.5 million. He was Charlton Athletic's top goalscorer for two consecutive seasons and he then joined Tottenham Hotspur in 2007 for a club record fee of £16.5 million. After two successful seasons at Spurs he joined Sunderland on Tyne and Wear. After a successful 18 months, he then joined Aston Villa in 2011 for another club record of £18 million, potentially rising to £24 million. He remained at Villa until 2015 during which time Darren also had loan spells with Fulham, Brighton and Derby County who he eventually joined on a permanent basis.  

Darren represented England at all levels including full international. He made his debut for the senior England team in 2006 against Uruguay and went on to make 13 appearances for England, scoring four goals. His first goal for England came on the 7th September 2010 in a 3–1 UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying victory against Switzerland. 

Darren retired from football in July 2019 and currently works as a TalkSport radio presenter. 

Deaks: Hi Darren, it’s really good to talk to you and thanks for taking the time to speak to Over the Edge magazine. There are plenty of Tottenham supporters in this part of Essex, and they’ll be pleased to hear from you. 

I’ll begin by confessing to supporting West Ham United, who I recall you scoring against in 2008 in a 4-0 defeat for the Hammers, as I was there! Having done my research, I noticed that it was your 100th career goal, so belated congratulations on that! 

You began playing for Godmanchester Rovers in Cambridgeshire. When did you, and presumably the whole of Godmanchester, begin to think you might have a career in football?

Darren: I don’t really think that I gave it much thought until I joined Ipswich Town at the age of 14, and I started to do well in their youth setup. At that age, it’s difficult to know how well you are doing, although I began to think I might make it when I got my chance with Ipswich’s first team at 17 and when I received a call-up for the England youth team. 

Deaks: You were the subject of two club record transfer fees when you joined Spurs and Aston Villa. Those figures do not seem a lot now but they certainly were in those days. It must be thrilling to have been valued so highly because you know you’ve made it when clubs bid record sums for your services. Were you ever conscious of the pressure to live up to these figures? Many players, particularly strikers, have struggled in the past. 

Darren: It is definitely hard to deal with as a young player and it is fair to say I felt the pressure of being Tottenham’s club record signing. All people want to talk about is what the club paid for you. However, the second time around it didn’t phase me at all because I felt I had nothing to prove anymore. 

Deaks: I do recall you being linked with my club, West Ham. Was there any truth in that? Did you speak to the Hammers?

Darren: Yes, I did, and I was very close to joining them. It was at the time when I joined Tottenham. Charlton had just been relegated, and I knew Alan Curbishley, the then West Ham manager, very well because he took me from Ipswich to Charlton.  He came straight in for me when Charlton were relegated, and I actually flew back from holiday in Miami to meet Alan and Eggert Magnusson, who was one of the owners of West Ham. I was on the verge of signing for West Ham, but I found the owner very blunt and difficult to warm to, so when Tottenham came in for me, I decided to join them. It was a shame as I was very close to Curbs and would have enjoyed working with him again. 

Deaks: I read somewhere that you are a lifelong Arsenal fan. In most professions, there are some strict rules around conflicts of interest. I guess in football, though, it’s more about conflict of loyalties and emotions? What was it like pulling on the jersey of your North London rivals? You should’ve joined West Ham Darren!!

Darren: It’s true, I am a lifelong Gooner! To tell the truth, I never gave it a second thought. I viewed the move as a step in the right direction for my football career. 

Deaks: One of the things that struck me is that you must have been involved in some big local derbies such as Tottenham vs Arsenal, Sunderland vs Newcastle and Aston Villa vs Birmingham or any of the West Midlands clubs. I’ve always enjoyed the big derbies. Which ones stand out for you? 

Darren:  Newcastle vs Sunderland stands out as a great local derby as their rivalry is very intense and if I’m honest, and this might surprise some fans, I never felt that so much when Arsenal played Tottenham. The London derby that stood out for me, and the rivalry is still evident to see even now, is Tottenham vs Chelsea. That fixture seems to run very deep, not only with the fans, but also with the players. There were a couple of players sent off last season I recall in a 4-1 defeat for Spurs. 

Deaks: You clearly enjoy your work in the media, but I’m guessing you miss the day-to-day involvement of professional football? Do you have any plans to get into football coaching and/or management?  I spoke to Joe Cole last month, and he told me that he was taking small steps towards obtaining his badges, and he hoped to go into management at some level. An Over the Edge exclusive!! What about yourself Darren?

Darren: No, I don’t really feel any passion to go into coaching, although I have taken some of my badges so I would never say never. On the other hand, I enjoy my media work and love sharing my opinions with my fellow presenters on TalkSport. I do have a desire to advance as far as I can in the world of media, so that is my focus at the moment. 

Deaks: I recall that your name kept getting a mention on the Rory Stewart / Alastair Campbell podcast ‘The Rest is Politics’. What’s the background to this, just an ‘in joke’ between media people or is politics something you’re interested in?

Darren: I have no idea! I’m aware of it, and I believe it’s just an ‘in joke’, and I certainly have no interest in politics. I have met Alistair Campbell, and he is a nice guy, but I’ve never asked that he shares the joke with me. 

Deaks: I’ve saved this one to last Darren. That miss in front of an open goal in the final minutes during a home match against Portsmouth in January 2009. Harry Redknapp, your manager at the time, and always ready with a quip, said immediately afterwards, live on Sky TV, "You’ll never get a better chance to win a match than that. My missus Sandra could have scored that one.” Another quip for Harry’s many books, but I recall thinking at the time it wasn’t that easy! I’m sure nine times out of ten you would have put it away, however I like the adage that ‘you have to be in position to miss them’. Did that anger you at the time, and is Harry on your Christmas card list now?

Darren: I wasn’t particularly happy with him at the time because the quote was all over the press the next morning, but Harry and I are fine now. As you say, Harry is always ready with a quick one-liner, and I don’t think he meant any harm at the time. I made the cardinal sin of thinking in my mind that I’d already scored. Effectively, your mind is already turning away to celebrate the goal, and you lose focus on the important part of putting the ball in the goal. 

Deaks: When I researched this to remind me of the dates, I discovered Harry talking about it on a podcast following his spell at Derby County in 2016. You were still playing for Derby, and Harry joined in the March on a short-term contract. He says he was standing on the touchline during a training session and you picked the ball up 20 yards out, beat a couple of defenders and unleashed a rocket into the top corner of the goal. Harry shouted from the touchline, “Oi Benty, my Sandra couldn’t have scored that one!” I expect it’s hard to stay angry with Harry for long!

Thanks Darren, it’s been a real pleasure talking to you. Good luck in your career, and I’m sure you will go right to the top. I look forward to you coming back and talking to Over the Edge when you are presenting Match of the Day! 

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