Jose Mourinho would have prepared for his first Chelsea press conference in quite the same way.

 

I’m sure he didn’t (laughs) I think he’ll have someone to do that. I’m not going to have much time after today to be doing these kind of things so I’ve got to help while I can I think.

 

How is excited are you about today – the prospect of returning to Yorkshire?

 

Yeah, very excited, initially it was quite a big decision to leave Durham because I’ve enjoyed my time up there and they are a fantastic club and great people to work with and for. It was quite a challenging few weeks, but ultimately the journey between home and Chester-le-Street was, for the first time in six years, really having a detrimental effect on me. When the Yorkshire job became available in January it was too good an opportunity to miss really. Now the decision has been made and everything is sorted I’m really looking forward to it.

 

You applied for the job and put your application in along with everyone else – you weren’t approached by the club?

 

Yes, when the job became available and I was battling with this travelling situation I discussed it with my wife as to whether I should throw my hat in the ring. I spoke to Stewart Regan and a lot to Geoff Boycott and fortunately they decided that I was the man for the job.

 

As far as today is concerned with the press conference and the media you will be facing, are you like Darren Gough, who loves that sort of thing or is it more of an ordeal?

 

Oh no, I don’t mind it. Obviously over the years I’ve spent a lot of time doing interviews so it’s not a problem for me at all, but it will be nice to get it done and get today over with so I can start to work with the players to prepare for the season.

 

You’ve taken Durham a long way, but do you feel that you have left the job there unfinished?

 

Oh yeah for sure. The job is unfinished up there. I’d like to think I’ve left a decent set of players who can only improve and go on and do well. The Yorkshire job is not going to come along every day and it was ultimately the right time for me to make the move.

 

And I guess you wish Geoff Cook and everyone else up there every success apart from when they play us?

 

Absolutely right, I’ve really enjoyed my time at Durham, they are a fantastic club and obviously I wish them all well for the future. As long as we finish one point above them all the time that’s fine.

 

When today is over and you can put on your tracksuit and get cracking what is the first job to do?

 

Initially it is more of an observational role really. There’s a programme put in place by Dean Riddle, Steve Oldham and Kevin Sharp for the next few weeks. I want to get around all of the staff, talk to them and do a bit of finding out about people. The first couple of weeks are going to be more observational and them once we get to La Manga I’ll take on a more hands on role and talk about team things and how I’m looking to play this coming season.

 

Do you think you have time to make an impact on the squad before the season kicks in?

 

Hopefully I’ll have an impact along with Darren. We know about Darren and his passion, enthusiasm and pride. He’s got a lot of experience and a very good cricket brain. Hopefully together we can have an impact. We’ve got just over a month to do that. Really all I’m looking for is for the players, who have undoubted ability, to make the most of that ability. I think it is my job along with Darren and the other coaches and support staff to make the most of the talent and ability that they’ve got – give them a structured way of going about things, make sure the preparations appropriate and good and give them the freedom to go out and express themselves.

 

Which Yorkshire players are he most looking forward to working with?

 

I wouldn’t single out anyone in particular. I’m delighted with the group of players we’ve got and it’s going to be interesting to get to know them. I already know a few of the more senior players, but certainly some of the younger ones I don’t know well at all. It’s about me getting to know them better, find out how they work and try to get the best out of them.

 

This winter has been a real rollercoaster for the club and fans. The good news of late has raised spirits and a lot of fans are very excited now. Do you feel the pressure of expectation?

 

I think the expectation could well have gone up over the last few weeks, but the expectations are high in Yorkshire. Obviously I would like instant success. Having said that I think I need to be closer to the team and players to really make a considered assessment of how quickly that success can happen. There is a lot of ability and talent within the squad. We’ve got some quite experienced players now Anthony’s staying, now Darren’s joined us and the overseas players have experience, Craig White, Matthew Wood – they’ve all been around a bit now. There is experience and youth and on paper we’ve got a nice balance. I think all of us go into the season expecting to do well, so I wouldn’t say there is any more pressure, because the bottom line is we want to win and all of us want to bring trophies to Yorkshire. We’ll be doing everything we can to achieve that.

 

It’s difficult to predict where you will finish, but would you see a survival in the 1^st Division of the Championship and a few more wins in the Pro40 as good enough?

 

No I don’t think so. I would be looking for us to be challenging at the top end of the table. I think that promotion in the Pro40 League is something we should definitely be aiming for and in the Championship being at the top end of the table rather than battling relegation. In the C&G you don’t go out to lose games, you go out to win every game we play and that’s certainly the way I’ll be going about it and Darren will be the same. It’s an old cliché, but you take each game as it comes and try and win them as and when they come along. I’ll certainly be setting our targets high and trying to win things, whether we will or not only time will tell.

 

Fans have been disappointed with the one-day performances. Darren said last week that he sees the need for game plans and a better strategy. I assume you agree?

 

It’s been a great surprise that they haven’t so well in one day cricket. Looking at the players they’ve got. I agree with Darren that we have to have a plan and I’m very much into players knowing their roles. That’s what we’ll be working on other the next few weeks, to put those plans in place and try and get the players playing towards them.

 

How much have you spoken to Darren. You are obviously happy that you can work with him and it can be a positive thing?

 

Yes, we go back a long way. I was playing when Darren started in the 1^st Team at Yorkshire and I obviously captained him for a period of time. We haven’t had a great deal of chance to talk so far, but from the conversations we’ve had we are singing from the same hymn sheet so I fully expect to have a great working relationship. Darren’s going to be in charge of the team and I’m here to support him. As far as selection is concerned the captain has the final say on the team that he wants. Obviously you discuss it leading up to the game, but ultimately it is the captain’s choice. I’m there to support him and the team and give them ideas, feedback and run the preparation side of things along with what Darren feels is required.

 

You were at the club in a similar role before – do you see your role as different from last time? Have you learnt things at Durham that you will bring with you this time?

 

I’ve definitely learnt things. I think my role is different. I was Director of Coaching last time so I had ultimate responsibility for all cricket matters, whereas now I am specifically in charge of the professional side of things so I can challenge all of my energies towards that. I think having been away from the club for six years it gives you a different perspective on things. I’m six years more experienced at the doing the job so I’d like to think that I’m better than when I left. I think when you are involved somewhere constantly you tend to become a little bit insular at times and don’t see things that are glaringly obvious that other people might see. It’s been a great experience for me at Durham and hopefully I’ll come back a better coach for it.

 

The Level 4 Coaching Qualification that is ongoing and that I’ve gone through is really beneficial. In particular the Bradford Management side of things has been invaluable in how you deal with players and run teams, as well as all of the information you get from the other modules – the bio-mechanics, physiology, the bowling, batting and field things. That’s been a massive influence on me over the last four or five years.

 

Do you believe we can get back to having an all Yorkshire born/bred team (plus one overseas) and still compete for the title in the next few years?

My views are that I want to give the young Yorkshire players as much chance as possible to play in the 1^st Team. I’ve always believed that if you’ve got an Academy and if the players are good enough they should be given an opportunity in the 1^st Team, otherwise what’s the point in having an Academy? Getting the balance right between winning and developing is the crucial thing and that’s what I’ve got to try and achieve other the next few years. Whether we’ll ever get back to it being a full Yorkshire team I don’t know. I want the young players to understand that there are opportunities there for them and I’m in favour of playing as many of our own players as we can, but we’ve got to also try and win. We’ve got to look to build a team that is going to be competitive over a period of time and not just as a one off.

 

The last game of last season was Durham at Headingley which was massive for both sides. How nerve-wracking was that for you?

 

It was tense. We were under the cosh for the majority of the game and when we were 200-6 at the end of the second day things looked bleak. It was an unbelievable partnership between Dale Benkenstein and Otis Gibson who put is within 22 from saving the follow on and then we lost 4 wickets for 10 runs which meant we had to follow on. From the position where it could have been a comfortable last couple of hours it became another tension filled session. The important thing I took from that was how well the younger Durham players performed under pressure. The batsmen particularly – Scott, Park and Harmison – played well under pressure. It was pleasing that they stood up under that kind of pressure. It was an amazing four days with Darren Lehmann scoring the runs and signing off in great style. For it to come down to half a point was quite incredible really.

 

Do you still think about the leg-byes that robbed you of scoring a hundred in Tests?

 

Not now, no, the bigger regret is that I never felt that I played as well as I could for England. There were a couple of innings in New Zealand where I got 99 and 81 which was the best I played, but I never really played as well as I thought I could at international level. I didn’t think I did myself justice.

 

Who was your favourite opening partner for Yorkshire?

 

They all had their own attributes. I learnt a lot from batting with Geoff Boycott in the early days and that was a great experience being the other end to him. He was very focussed and knew exactly what he needed to do and I learnt a lot from that. It was great being at the other end to see how he played and dealt with different types of bowling, how brave he was against the quicks and his skill against spin, how he played the ball late and his powers of concentration. The partnership with Ashley Metcalfe was pretty productive and we complemented each other well. Then latterly with Michael Vaughan was good as I saw myself as the senior partner to try and help him break into the 1^st Team. I enjoyed them all and each partnership was different, but no less enjoyable. We had a good time. It is important to create that partnership at the top of the order as it takes the pressure off the rest of the team.

 

There is now a strong Barnsley connection (Boycott, Moxon and Gough) all now having key roles in 2007. What are his memories of his playing days in the town?

 

Very fond memories - I went to Barnsley after playing at Monk Bretton, my local village club and they were fantastic and looked after me well there. Steve Oldham was there as well at the time. There were some good ‘old pros’ at the club – people like Trelford Mills and I remember Ron Hooley who helped bring me along. The Yorkshire League at the time was very competitive and they gave me a good grounding really.

And a last message to the Yorkshire supporters?

 

Having made the decision to leave Durham, which was a difficult one, I’m delighted to be back. I’m really looking forward to it. It’s an exciting challenge for me and I want to help makes Yorkshire the best team in England again.

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