Some Golden Soft Sombrero Moments with Dwight Yorke Yorke on the Jamaican bobsled team… Diegos: "Hailing from Trinidad and playing football in the English Premiership is a bit like the Jamaican bobsled team at the Winter Olympics. How did Dwight find himself at Aston Villa football club?" Yorke: "Like you said it is a little like the bobsledding really. Certainly coming from a country that is known for it's cricket and being able to play football at the highest level in England is an opportunity that doesn't come along very often. It's an opportunity that I relish and have taken with both hands." Soft Sombrero Moment 1996
Diegos: "During a recent Four Diegos tour of Trinidad and Tobago we discovered the absolute God- like status that Brian Lara holds in the country. The main street is named after him and the government, in appreciation for achievements in cricket, built his house. Do you hold the same God-like status back home and if you do can we stay at your place next time we rock up to Trinidad?" Yorke: "Brian is obviously loved in Trinidad but he is also known all over the world. To be the top batsman in his own right I believe he deserves all the rewards that come with that. Yes I know Brian is a God there. Everybody loves and adores him and he is a major superstar there. I'm a good friend of Brian. We go a long way back. Comparing our status, I think Brian because of his overall achievements being the world record holder and going on to score 501 runs in one innings, certainly deserves all the accolades he is getting at the moment. I am proud that I am the first footballer from the region to play at the highest level in England. It is up to me now to try and match Brian's achievements in the biggest game in the world and in a team sport that requires a lot of team work." Diegos: "Dwight would that mean that you'd just be happy to have a side street named after you and not a major road?" Yorke: "Yes rather than the whole city. Certainly where I come from I am adored and people appreciate me coming back home all the time. I really look forward to regularly going back home and meeting all my friends. So yeh a street back home in my name would be a bonus but certainly to achieve anything that Brian has achieved would be enormous by anyone's standards. " Soft Sombrero Moment 1996
Diegos: "You have moved from the hot and sweaty climate of Trinidad to the icy cold of England. The Diegos have noticed that you have worn gloves on occasions in games. Have you ever been tempted to take one glove off once you've scored and do a Michael Jackson 'Moonwalk'?" Yorke: "I can remember taking it off once after I scored but I didn't go the whole 'moonwalk' thing. Obviously I have been brought up in the warmer climate of Trinidad so it's been hard to adapt to the extreme cold here in England. Some days are very unpredictable. There have been days were I have experienced sun, snow, sleet and everything else so that's why I always have my gloves handy. Having said that England is a fascinating place to live and play football." Soft Sombrero Moment 1996
Diegos: "The Diegos have watched you performed some memorable tricks on the pitch over the years but perhaps one of your most audacious acts occurred in a tense game in the F.A Cup where you actually chipped the keeper from a penalty. Can you tell us a bit about that and what did John Gregory have to say about that when you got back into the change room?" Yorke: "We were playing in the fourth round of the FA cup in a pretty important game. I decided that I wanted to chip the keeper from the penalty spot and I did it. It was televised all over the country and obviously all over the world. I remember Savo Milosevic earning the penalty for us and it was entirely up to me to take that penalty. I composed myself and I thought this is what I'm going to do. If I miss it's just one of those things and everybody will slaughter me but if I score then everyone will remember it. My confidence was pretty high at the time and I had practiced it against Mark (Bosnich) a few times in training and I thought if I can do it to Mark then I can do it to anybody else because he is certainly one of the top five goalkeepers in the country. To have the confidence and then seeing it come off at the same time then you can imagine how thrilled I was." Soft Sombrero Moment 1996
Diegos: "Mark Bosnich is obviously a great goalkeeper. The Diegos are wondering though, as a striker at the other end of the ground, he does back himself and at times seemingly does some strange things off his goal line. Do you ever have your heart in your mouth while your watching him keep from the other end of the ground?" Yorke: "No not really even though we do call him 'Bozo' now. You really can't fault Mark because he is certainly in the top five in this country. All keepers make mistakes and he will be the first to admit it when he does make one but at the same time he has made some fantastic saves to keep us in the game on many occasions." Diegos: "Mark Bosnich tells the Diegos that he hangs out with you and Brian Lara a fair bit. Is it embarrassing when you hit the nightclubs with an Aussie who head bangs to ACDC and has two left feet when you guys can move to the music in real smooth Caribbean fashion?" Yorke: "I'm not that sure about my movement on the dance floor. I think I've lost some of my rhythm since I moved to England. As far as 'Bozo' is concerned I'm not quite sure. I guess I'll have to wait until we hit the nightclubs." Soft Sombrero Moment 1996
Diegos: "You play for Trinidad and Tobago internationally. Is it a real buzz to play for your country of birth or does it frustrate you that you're playing for a team that may never play in a World Cup?" Yorke: "The World Cup is the biggest stage that any footballer can dream of playing on. I'm no different to anyone else. Unfortunately I play for a country that is not known for its football so it's always going to be twice as difficult. In the absence of ever getting to a World Cup with my country, the only way that I can think of really making a name for myself is by playing in the English Premiership at the top level and in European competition. Unfortunately I can't control where I've been born and because Trinidad and Tobago is not known for football it's always going to be a struggle there." Diegos: "Dwight if you like the Diegos can get on the phone to Terry Venables and maybe you can put on the Green and Gold of Australia. How does that sound?" Yorke: "I'm sure the Australians will have great games against Tahiti and those types of teams. Good luck to Australia. If you get to the World Cup it would really put football on the map down there. Having Terry Venables as your manager, you've got every chance because he has been there and done that." Soft Sombrero Moment 1996
Diegos: "Dwight, now its time for 'The Four Diegos 'Jamaican Bobsled Heart Balm' where we ask you to give us your brief inner most private thoughts on the following topics… The Australian Cricket team? Yorke: "Brilliant." Diegos: "The Trinidad Carnival?" Yorke: "Fantastic and very tiring." Diegos: "Curry and roti?" Yorke: "Beautiful. I miss it a lot." Diegos: "The Spice Girls?" Yorke: "Not bad. Not as good as curry and roti though." Diegos: "The Four Diegos Soccer Show?" Yorke: "Absolutely Fantastic!" Soft Sombrero Moment 1996 |