Glenn Hoddle was widely regarded as one of the most technically gifted players in world football, let alone in England, when he pitched up at Swindon Town in March 1991 as a 33-year-old, replacing his former Tottenham Hotspur team-mate Ossie Ardiles in the dugout.
After four seasons in Monaco, whom he left due to a serious knee injury, Hoddle quickly proved his worth upon his return to English football.
With Swindon still reeling from the previous season, in which they were denied promotion to the First Division due to a financial scandal, Hoddle quickly turned the club's fortunes around and stopped them from plummeting into the third tier.
Glenn Hoddle 'light-years' ahead of division
"Hoddle had just been playing for Monaco under Arsene Wenger, so it was a real surprise to us when he rocked up in the second tier," Nicky Summerbee, a young player at Swindon at the time, exclusively tells FourFourTwo.
The 1991/92 season represented real progress, with Hoddle gradually recovering from his knee injury and managing to put his stamp on the team. He eventually managed to play 25 games over the course of the season, guiding the club to eighth.
As Summerbee recalls, Hoddle's ability far outweighed what anyone in the division could ever manage.
"He was still a sublime player," Summerbee adds. "He could’ve played now, in the modern game, comfortably. He was light-years ahead of others – we were in awe of his technical ability, even towards the end of his playing days."
"He managed us and also played sweeper, where he could control games. He wanted us playing proper football. It’s funny: he actually changed my position after seeing me cross the ball during a training session. He said, 'Right, Summerbee, you can really whip a ball in – you’re playing out wide from now on.' I’d thought myself a striker before then, but he was right.
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"I remember complaining to Glenn in one game because he hadn’t passed me the ball; he told me to stop coming short for it. 'Just go,' he insisted. 'I’ll find you.' Well, I did that in the second half and this ball dropped over my shoulder like you wouldn’t believe – it hardly bounced. It was so good, I almost fell over it. He led us to promotion via a nail-biting 4-3 victory against Leicester at Wembley. Great days."
After helping get Swindon promoted to the Premier League via the play-offs in 1992/93, Hoddle departed for Chelsea just days after that Wembley victory, becoming player-manager there. He played for two more seasons before eventually hanging up his boots. Swindon, meanwhile, were relegated back to the second tier after just one season in the top flight.
