I’m an ex-EFL boss… club owner kicked me up the backside for goading fans before running off to do same thing
EFL legend Andy Hessenthaler has opened up on the craziest moments of his career.
Hessenthaler, 59, starred for Watford, Hull and Gillingham during his playing career.
After hanging up his boots in 2007 he then moved into coaching, and has managed Gillingham, Dover, Leyton Orient and Eastleigh.
His experience across the football pyramid has churned up some remarkable stories, ranging from furious managers to wild owner antics.
The icon lifted the lid on some of his experiences as part of SunSport’s “What the EFL series?”
Best ever player?
Kevin Phillips would be the standout player for me in the EFL because the amount of goals he scored and he had a fantastic career.
Most annoying EFL fans?
Got to be Millwall. (Laughing) Has to be.
Maddest dressing room tale?
Lindsay Parsons, bless him he’s passed away now. We was losing a game – I can’t remember who it was against – and he lost his head.
He kicked the door and as he’s kicked the door his foot got stuck in the door.
Everyone was trying to keep a straight face but he actually couldn’t get his foot out of the door.
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Craziest transfer story?
I signed Paulo Gazzaniga from Valencia and we ended up, within a year once he got in to the team, we were selling him to Southampton.
But the craziest thing for me was I got to Southampton with him and another agent turned up out of the blue.
There were two agents saying they represented the lad so we couldn’t do the medical.
Fortunately for the lad it went through and he signed for Southampton.
Wildest owner antics?
Old Leyton Orient chairman [Francesco Becchetti].
We were playing on boxing day against Portsmouth.
We were losing the game, and the manager was getting a little bit of stick from the fans but at half-time the owner had come down and sat behind our dugout.
I kept looking around, the subs were looking. I was like ‘what’s up with this guy? Has he been drinking? What’s happening?’ All he kept shouting was ‘Andy, Andy’.
We won the game and the guys who were giving Ian [Hendon] the manager a little bit of abuse, I sort of cupped my ear a little bit, to say you’re not going to give him any stick now.
And as I did that and we come out of the dugout and stood up somebody kicked me up the backside.
I’ve turned round and it’s the owner, the next minute the owner just ran off down the side of the pitch, took his coat off, ran past the Orient fans clapping them, went over to the Portsmouth fans and started goading the Portsmouth fans.
I couldn’t believe it, I’ve just been attacked by the owner.