Fulham Legend Barry Hayles speaks to Charles Jones Sports in an exclusive interview. 

Most Fulham fans would agree that Barry Hayles is a legend of the club. Playing at Craven Cottage in 3 different divisions and scoring plenty of goals. This week we got the opportunity to speak to Barry Hayles about his time at the club and his career as a whole.
CJ: “A lot of Fulham fans consider you a legend but you had a bad start at Craven Cottage when you compare it to what you went on to do. Why do you think this was?”

BH: “Getting booed by my own fans on my debut didn’t help. it was because the fans thought I came to replace fan favourite Paul Peschisolido.”

CJ:  “Who was the best manager you ever worked under and why?”

BH: “Ian Holloway and Kevin Keegan were very good but Jean Tigana was the best. He made me a better player and taught me to get in better scoring areas allowing me to score more goals.”

CJ: “You’re still playing for Chesham United at the age of 45 how do you keep up your fitness levels?”

BH: “I go to the gym a few times a week and in the summer after the season has finished I carry on playing right through.”

CJ “What was your most memorable goal at Fulham?”

BH: “I think my 1st goal for Fulham was my most memorable because we beat Southampton and they were in a higher league than us back then.”

CJ “Why do you think it didn’t work out for you when you moved to Sheffield United?”

BH: “It was down to me and the then manager Neil Warnock not seeing eye to eye. He had his methods and I had mine.”

CJ: “What was the best moment of your career?”

BH: “Reaching the Premier League with Fulham was most definitely the highlight of my career.
CJ: “When you first joined Fulham for what was a huge fee for a 3rd tier side at the time did you think that they would ever get to the premier league?”

BH: ” On joining Fulham I never really looked that far we were all just concentrating on winning the league we were in at the time and taking it one game at a time.”

CJ: “Did you feel any pressure from the £2 million pound price tag especially in the lower leagues?”

BH: “I felt a lot of pressure having been bought only a year and a half before by Bristol Rovers for £250k. Then being signed for £2 million pounds so soon after came with a lot of pressure.”

CJ: “Do you remember pulling Emmanuel Petit’s hair? What were you thinking at the time?”

BH: “I do remember that the game had only just started so I thought it was a funny thing to have done. I’m not really sure why I did it hahaha”

Barry was a legend at the cottage and had so many memorable moments. What were your best memories of Barry Hayles. Discuss in the comments here or at 

http://www.friendsoffulham.com/forum/index.php?board=1.0

Author: Charles Jones

Journalist. Fulham supporter. Leeds Trinity University student.

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