Henry Winter sits down with Ian Cathro to discuss learning the ropes at Newcastle and Spurs, and leading Estoril up the Portuese top flight…
One of the most atmospheric walks to a ground in English football starts at Newcastle Central Station. The walk winds through alleyways, past pubs and restaurants, past offices and the old city wall, before emerging at St James’ Park. It feels as much a pilgrimage as a pathway. It is a journey never forgotten by the former Newcastle United assistant coach, Ian Cathro, even a decade on.
The Scotsman, 40 later this year, is now the much-admired head coach of Estoril Praia, and voted Coach of the Month for January by his peers in Portugal. He enjoyed his time in England, working under Steve McClaren and Rafa Benitez at Newcastle, and under Nuno Espirito Santo at Wolverhampton Wanderers and Tottenham Hotspur.
Newcastle particularly chimed with him. “Sometimes we wouldn’t do overnights for home games, we’d just meet at the stadium on the day,” Cathro recalls. “My family home is in Edinburgh. Every so often, I’ve been getting on a really, really early train, getting off at the station, and walk from the train station to the stadium, half past 8 in the morning.
“There was a feeling that something really important was going to be happening. I was almost the first of thousands that were going to make that little journey, putting our footsteps in that direction towards the stadium. Even doing that, even that early, I could just tell that something really special was going to happen later on that day.
“It’s hard to say it [his time at Newcastle] was one of my ‘favourite experiences’ because it coincided with a really difficult time for the club. We were relegated [under Benitez in 2016], which was a huge failure. But I still have a real deep fondness for the club, a huge respect for how people feel about football, how that place feels. If I was to choose one club that left the biggest mark on me, it would be Newcastle. I’m delighted that they’re living their lives just now, a different air, a different feeling, a real optimism, a really good coach [in Eddie Howe].”
He learned a lot from Benitez. “That was a really positive experience. He’s someone who really enjoys talking about football, about different experiences and his own journey as well. A proper pro, a real coach’s coach, nine out of the ten conversations you have with him were football ones. Small talk was limited. The thing I took from Rafa that pops into my mind every so often is the defensive work, simple but detailed.”
Cathro’s coaching and personal journey has particularly been shaped by Nuno, who he met on a Scottish FA coaching course at Largs in 2009. “Nuno was a huge influence on me on a football level and also a personal level. Our relationship goes right back to the point where I had the opportunity to do something that I wanted to do for a long time, which was leave home, work abroad, learn in a different way, grow and evolve in a different culture.” Cathro left Scotland where he had been coaching in academy at Dundee United and running his own coaching school. He assisted Nuno first at Rio Ave and Valencia and, following an unsuccessful solo management spell at Heart of Midlothian, again with Nuno at Wolves in 2018 and Spurs. “We worked together for a number of years. Nuno helped me hugely.”
They blended. Nuno’s a popular character, who moved from the island of Sao Tome & Principe to Portugal, overcame prejudice and became a well-travelled goalkeeper before moving into coaching. “At the beginning, I was someone who had lots and lots of training-pitch experience as a young guy. Nuno was starting out with less of that from the coaching side but had incredible experiences and was a natural leader in changing rooms. We had each other’s missing piece. I’m really lucky to have learned and absorbed a lot of his experience.”
Cathro knows when Nuno delivers most. “When Nuno’s been in a role where there’s been the support, and everybody’s been aligned in the way that the thing was going to work, he’s only had success.”
The pair didn’t last long at Spurs, just 17 games. Cathro reflects on those five months in 2021, and argues that the club is still struggling to re-find its way after Mauricio Pochettino left in 2019. “Not that they were ‘lucky’ to have Mauricio because they’d done well identifying Mauricio, but what he brought and what he represented, it became him.” Pochettino espoused a philosophy that Spurs fans craved.
“We know there are certain traditions, certain feelings and the way the team should play and what a Tottenham player should look like. We also know that there’s a reality aspect to that where, ‘well, that’s all good, but what actually is winning?’ Is being in the top six winning? Is winning always being in the Champions League? Is winning being in the Champions League one season in three? Or is winning actually actually winning? Does that have to look a certain way? Do you believe that you can do that without getting into the salary brackets and the expenditures of those clubs that you would be competing with?
“Maybe it sounds silly to say they need to decide exactly what they are. We’re talking about a really big football club with history, with great traditions and at the same time, it’s still valid to say, you could probably do with sitting down for a minute and just deciding exactly what you are right now, exactly what you want to be in five years’ time and make some difficult decisions and be really ballsy about following it through.”
As Tottenham deal with their travails, Cathro focuses on Estoril Praia, a small club trying to punch above their weight in Primeira Liga. So it was encouraging when he was voted Coach of the Month in January of this year. “It’s hard to get noticed in these small clubs in this league so it’s positive.” The citation about Cathro read: “with him, it’s only beautiful football”. He smiles. “I don’t think I’ll ever be someone who spends 75 minutes on the edge of their own box to see if we get a transition and score from a corner. I would struggle to be the best guy for that job. If I see somebody defending and lets the other team make 25 passes before they lay a glove on them, I’ll get bored and change the channel.
“We’ve built a clear approach to how we play here, which was less based on playing beautifully – as was described in that [citation] – and more about playing without fear. Because this club has lived constantly with the fear of being relegated. And what I wanted to build was the way we work every day, the way that we approach the game and the way we play is completely fearless to try and detach from the feeling like you’re playing to stay up.”
He feels accepted in Portugal now. “I don’t mind saying that I’m quite proud of myself. I’ve done a lot in my career and been in many, many places, but I’m genuinely proud of that and appreciative, grateful to a certain extent as well, but also know that I’ve worked really hard to get to that point.”
He’s loving life in Portugal. “I’ve got my young family here with me this year, which has been an absolute treat and the opportunity for our daughter to be growing up with two languages and going to the beach after school.” As Cathro talks on zoom, sunlight permeates his room. So will he return to the UK? “The answer is I don’t know. It’s not something I’m looking for. It would be a surprise to me if that was anytime soon. I’m also aware that I don’t control exactly how long I’ll be here, if someone else is interested or they get fed up of me or whatever one happens first.” Cathro’s not ready for the long walk back in British football yet.