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Stephen Bywater. Over 425 club appearances, 14 different teams represented, two continents played in, one play-off final win and now the owner of a luxury brand?
The goalkeeper retired recently, putting an end to 23 years of professional football, and I had the pleasure of speaking with him on behalf of Prost International.
In this interview, Bywater gave fascinating insight into his illustrious playing career. From winning the FA Youth Cup with West Ham to plying his trade in the Indian Super League with Kerala Blasters, the 39-year-old covered it all.
What do you remember about your time in the West Ham academy and winning the FA Youth Cup in 1999?
“I remember it being a close-knit young squad. Tony Carr was really good at coaching the young kids and we had a good bond.
“We had Richard Garcia, Michael Ferrante, Leon Britton was there in the squad of players so we were just lucky we had a good set of young lads really that all got on.
“Obviously we had the talent of Michael Carrick and Joe Cole.
“We were of the mentality that if you are good enough then you play in the first team so that is probably how we got the best out of each other.
“We thought ‘you know what, if we play well we might have a chance in the first team’ and there are not many clubs that really do that in the top flight.”
You made a handful of Premier League appearances for West Ham, followed by a number of loan spells before signing permanently for Derby County – how well do you recall joining up with the Rams?
“Alan Pardew said Derby have enquired about you and would you like to go up and see them? I said yeah I will go and sign for them.
“When I went up there, Billy Davies said to me ‘we’ve got a three-year plan and we want to get to the Premier League in three years’, so that was the plan.
“When I got there the training ground was mega. Facilities wise I was levelling up but obviously the standard of the Premier League is just on another level.
“I knew they had the motivation and the drive to go up and that’s what you want to hear as a player.
“You know, coming from the Premier League you’re going down a level but how can you get yourself back into a club that’s in the Premier League? That’s what we did. That’s where Derby should be now.”
What was it like playing under Billy Davies?
“He wanted to get every ounce out of everyone. He wanted his money’s worth out of the team and he wanted dedication as well.
“We’d all have a massage time, a yoga time and a prehab time.
“You’d have to arrive in staggered starts. So if you’re in you saw the chiropractor, then you saw the masseur, then you had your yoga, then you went out to train.
“It was ultra disciplined. I enjoyed working for him because if I wasn’t in football I’d be in the army or something. I like being told what to do and I just do a job. I’ll do what people say really.”
How well do you recall winning promotion at Wembley with the Rams?
“It’s definitely one of the best moments.
“I just remember it being cold and wet.
“I was a bit gutted really because I was soaking wet and you know when your arms are soaking wet the ball skids off so I wasn’t prepared for that but I dealt with it.
“The atmosphere was mega.
“I had a really calm roommate, [Paul] Peschisolido. He was experienced, he was calm, he was knowledgeable and I think I was given him.
“We never thought we’d lose. We were the underdogs but we never thought we’d lose and that’s the attitude we have.
“I just remember afterwards I couldn’t believe it. The fans were mega. It was like everyone was relieved it was over.
“It was a dream come true.”
Is there any ambition which you failed to fulfil with England or within the Premier League?
“I was a very good goalkeeper. The only thing is, if you’re in a team that doesn’t do so well, you’ll always be judged on being in the team that doesn’t do so well. Every player is aware of that.
“I didn’t have the opportunity to play in a good team where you could just showcase your skills in the team, rather than your team just getting pummelled every week.
“Realistically, I wasn’t good enough for a Man United or a Man City team or whatever because they’re playing international goalkeepers and I wasn’t at that standard.
“I was never going to get that chance.
“I don’t have any regrets at all. England? No. Didn’t do it, but I had a go at life and maybe if the team was better…”
How do you feel the loan move back down into the Championship with Ipswich Town impacted your career?
“I’d banged my shoulder really bad and popped out my collarbone at Newcastle away and then I came out of the team because I was injured.
“Paul Jewell wanted experience, it was just before the January transfer window and he wanted experience to stay in the Premier League so he brought Roy Carroll in.
“I just wanted to play, I was never motivated for anything other than playing.
“I didn’t see it as a step down. My mentally wasn’t up or downs, it was what can I do for myself to better myself?
“I didn’t see it as going from the Premier League to the Championship, I saw it as this is me, Stephen, I need to play and who’s going to give me the opportunity?”
After an injury and a couple of loan spells with Cardiff and Sheffield Wednesday you permanently left Derby – can you recall your emotions upon leaving the club you had spent the longest spell with?
“I played against Scunthorpe the week before playing Hull and I dived and literally broke my ribs. I played against Hull and I was struggling big time. They were trying to give me an injection but they couldn’t give me one because it was so near to my kidneys.
“The club just said we’ve got an option if you want to go and play somewhere else and I just thought go on then, I’ll play somewhere else.
“Nigel Clough had come and he was trying to get rid of people that were on the bigger wage salaries at the time to reset the actual club structure and I must’ve been one of those players he wanted to get rid of for financial reasons.
“I’m one of them people, if I can help a club out I will go. So that was it.
“I went to Cardiff, came back and then I went to Sheffield Wednesday so I was always looking to help Derby County out as much as I could.
“Robbie Savage did it as well, he agreed terms to help the club out when he was leaving. That’s what a good pro does. He remembers the good times that he had with the club and then he tries to help them out the best he can, whenever he can.
“I don’t have any bad emotions about Derby County or not playing for them. If you have emotion in football as a player you get bogged down.”
After time with Millwall, Gillingham and Doncaster Rovers you made the move to the Indian Super League with Kerala Blasters – what can you tell us about the league and what it was like out there?
“I went on loan to Gillingham and Peter Taylor was the manager and I got on really well with him, I’ve got a lot of respect for him.
“He just rang me and said do you want to come and play in India and I said yeah. I literally went to India because of him.
“When I got there it was kind of fun. The standard is not great because half of your team are farmers or people who have been released by council tax inspectors.
“You’ve got Europeans or non-Indians you could only play six of, but they were talented. The rest of the players, the Indians, weren’t footballers but they were there to big the league up.
“The standard kind of evens itself out. The Western world couldn’t keep up with the conditions so after ten minutes we were all fatigued, but they could run. We had talent, they could run, so it was a mix really.
“The games were brilliant. We had like 80,000 fans. Whatever the stadium held, 60,000 or 20,000 and then 80,000 we had the full stadium.
“It was just the living conditions, I wasn’t liking the living conditions. I need things to smell nice, I need things to look okay, I need things to be finished off.
“I got to Mumbai, we had the weekend off, I’d arrived in the night and I got there and all the lights were lit up on the apartments over the road and I thought oh my God it’s like New York this. I woke up in the morning and it was a derelict building site! It was terrible, nothing was finished.
“Travelling was hard. It was literally 12 hours to travel anywhere on a plane so imagine having a 12 hour plane journey every four days.
“The standard wasn’t great. The football itself was exciting because I loved the atmosphere, it was really nice and really energetic, but just the living out there, I didn’t like it, it wasn’t pretty to see people without literally anything.
“I won’t ever go there again to play football and I don’t recommend it to be honest.”
You then moved back to England with Burton Albion before retiring. How did you know it was the right time to hang up your gloves?
“I met a business partner so the last couple of years I’ve been trying some business and trying to get a foundation for my new venture so the timing was right.
“I was enjoying it at Burton and I was always there, the last six months I was always there.
“I told Nigel Clough in October before I retired in June that I was busy and he said it wasn’t a problem because he knew I kept myself fit for football. He just asked me what I wanted to do and I told him I’d turn up for him but I didn’t want a wage.
“I was moving on with my life, I was there to transition from football to business. I had a lucky transition and I found something good.”
What can you tell us about your new business venture with Hanbury Tenison?
“I’m transferring all of my football knowledge into making a business and that means if you’re going to do something, you have to do it right.
“When I used to go on a pitch, I used to do everything right beforehand so that the supporters who were watching me would know that I’d really given it a go and done the best that I can.
“I’m producing luxury products. The best belts, the best boxer shorts, accessories, towels, caps. Everything that I’m going to make is literally the highest quality.
“From being a top professional in football and sport, I’m being a top professional in manufacturing my own products. It’s exciting because I can basically think of anything and then I’ll make it.
“I never even picked up a pen, I just started drawing one day. I went into the Apple shop and got a MacBook with a pen, then me and my business partner just drew this logo and it just transfers on absolutely everything.
“It’s exciting.”
So there you have it, a fascinating lowdown on the fantastic career of Stephen Bywater from the man himself.
On behalf of everyone at Prost International, I would like to wish Stephen the very best of luck with his new business venture and thank him for finding the time to partake in this interview.
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