Andy Burgess On Rushden & Diamonds Success, Luton Town, And Working As A Football Executive | OneFootball

What made now the right time to tell your story through 11 of Diamonds, and what can readers expect from the book?

“It has been a long time coming, to be honest. I started it during COVID, and writing a book isn’t the easiest thing to do in the world.

“I was there for 12 years across two periods and had so many unbelievable memories. There hadn’t really been a player who had written a book about the football club and, with the club no longer there in its original form, I felt I was probably as well placed as anyone who played there to put those memories into a book.

“It covers everything from joining at 16 after being released by Luton as a 15-year-old and not getting a scholarship there, to getting a scholarship at Rushden, progressing through the youth team, earning a professional contract and eventually being part of teams that won the Conference and Division Three titles.

“I made 333 appearances for the club, so there was plenty to talk about. It’s about the players, the staff and everybody around the football club.

“There has been a lot of fallout from the book in terms of former teammates getting in touch. Brian Talbot is reading it now, and I’ve also reconnected with the old kit man and people like that. It’s been fantastic.

“Hopefully, it will give the fans lots of memories of a football club that was very special, particularly for those who were on the inside.”

What made Rushden & Diamonds so special, particularly during the success of the late 1990’s into the early 2000’s?

“It was in a village where the ground held more people than the population of the village itself. It was just a family environment. Everybody knew the fans, everybody knew the players, and everyone was together.

“Max’s factories were next door, and the whole place had this unbelievable feel to it. The infrastructure wasn’t the biggest, with Nene Park having a capacity of around 6,500, but it pulled everyone together.

“It was about the people. Obviously, the money was massive in terms of where it got the club to, and nobody is ever going to deny that, but the people – led by businessman Max Griggs, who made his money through the Dr Martens footwear brand – were special.

“That filtered down through the club. Everybody wanted to win for Max, and those two promotions were really for him.

“Max built the club, and Brian Talbot turned it into an unbelievable football club to play for and support. It was incredibly special.”

During his time as manager, Brian Talbot was a huge part of that success. What did he bring to the club?

“He ran it meticulously from top to bottom. Max never got involved in the football side of things and allowed Brian to build the training ground and organise everything connected to the football operation.

“Brian had unbelievable football knowledge. He had played for Arsenal, England and Ipswich, winning the FA Cup with both Ipswich and Arsenal, and he didn’t do things flippantly.

“He didn’t waste Max’s money. He spent it, obviously, but he did it in a way that Max trusted. There was an unbelievable relationship between the two of them and a complete level of trust.

“There was so much respect and such a connection between them that it filtered down through the rest of the football club. Brian made sure everybody worked hard for Max.

“It was a relationship I’d never seen before between a manager and an owner. I’d be surprised if that kind of relationship ever happens again because it was so close and honest. They worked perfectly together.

“I know Brian turned down bigger jobs while he was there because I think he felt he owed it to Max to get him where he wanted to be.

“The patience eventually worked. We got promoted to the Football League, reached the play-offs the following season, and then won them the year after.

“Max was rewarded for his patience, but Brian deserved huge credit for the job he did.”

Was reaching the Football League the pinnacle of your time there?

“One hundred per cent. I say in the book that winning the Conference was far more special to me than winning Division Three.

“Don’t get me wrong, winning Division Three was magnificent and I’ll never forget it. But getting over the line in the Conference was Max’s dream.

“The football club was so tight and well connected that everybody wanted to achieve it for him. We knew what his dream was – getting into the Football League – and because of where the club had come from, having only been in existence for around 10 years, to do that for him was incredibly special.

“For me, and I think for a lot of fans, that was the bigger achievement.

“Attendances did increase once we got into the Football League, but a lot of that was because of the away support. I don’t think supporters enjoyed the Football League part as much as they did the non-league years, which is interesting.

“Winning the Conference was the number one achievement for me.”

Given your emotional attachment to the club, how painful was it to see Rushden & Diamonds eventually collapse?

“It was horrendous.

“You hear stories about clubs going close and, as a supporter, you can’t fathom how it can happen. For Rushden, I wasn’t there when it folded, but from a distance, looking at it and hearing the stories, you think, ‘That won’t happen. That can’t happen.’

“You look at the infrastructure and everything that was in place and think somebody will come in and save it at the 11th hour.

“When that didn’t happen, it was almost disbelief. Look at where the club had risen to in such a short space of time. You felt it was a club that was going to keep going and perhaps get back to where it had been.

“It was horrendous, particularly for the supporters and the lads who were there at the time who lost their jobs.

“Being a Luton fan, I couldn’t imagine not having a football club to support. I know they moved quickly to reinvent the club with AFC Rushden & Diamonds, but it was never going to be the same as the original club.

“I’ve had people speak to me in recent weeks who supported Rushden & Diamonds and said that not being able to take their sons and daughters to Nene Park is something they’ll regret forever.

“For everybody who knew Nene Park and what a special place it was, the fact that it isn’t there anymore is incredibly sad.”

Looking back on your career as a whole, how do you reflect on it?

“I was fortunate because I got into the team in the year we won the Conference. We then finished in the League Two play-offs and won it the following year.

“I thought that was going to happen every year, but it doesn’t really work like that!

“I would have liked to have had more success over a sustained period. I think that would probably be the regret.

“The move that should have happened for me was to Swansea. It’s in the book. I was sat around the table with the chairman of Swansea after they’d moved into the Liberty Stadium.

“My agent decided he wanted to come back on the Monday, and they thought we were playing them off against another club, which we weren’t. The deal fell through.

“I do wonder what my career would have looked like if I’d gone there. That was Swansea on the up, and the year they got promoted to the Championship.

“Perhaps if I had my career again, I’d do one or two things differently. But I had good success at Rushden, played a lot of games for the club and won a couple of titles.

“I also played for Luton Town, which is my club, in front of my grandparents at Kenilworth Road.

“So I look back with a lot of happiness and plenty of great memories, but there are also one or two decisions and things that happened during my career that I regret.

“I can’t change it now. I just have to remember the good things and sometimes think about what might have been.”

You also represented England C while playing in Non-League. What was that experience like?

“It was fantastic. I genuinely loved it.

“I was fortunate enough to play eight times for England. We had two Four Nations tournaments and then went to the Caribbean to play Grenada and Barbados.

“Paul Fairclough ran it so professionally. I think people perhaps look at it and think it’s the end of the season, so the lads are going away on a bit of a jolly, but it wasn’t like that at all.

“I remember when we went to the Caribbean, we were having urine tests every hour and weren’t allowed in the sun!

“Everything was done properly. Paul made sure everybody knew it was a huge achievement to be selected because you were being picked from all the non-league players in the country. It was the pinnacle.

“At the time it was open age, whereas a lot of the squads now are under-23 or under-24. I was 27 when I first played for England C, so I thought the opportunity to represent England had gone.

“I’ve got the England caps with me here, and I look back on those games and that time with huge fondness.

“For a non-league player, it is almost impossible to represent your country, so England C was the only real opportunity you had.

“It was a huge highlight of my career.”

Post-retirement, you’ve worked in elite academies, recruitment and senior football operations. How much have those experiences taught you about yourself and the game?

“A massive amount.

“When you cross that line into coaching, recruitment and analysis, you see what people were saying about you when you were a player. Obviously, analysis has developed massively, but I think the fundamentals are still there in terms of how people talk about and analyse players.

“My time as Chief Operating Officer at Southport was particularly interesting because you see the amount of money involved even at National League North level. It’s eye-watering.

“You realise why so many clubs struggle. If you’re getting gates of 1,200 or 1,400 and trying to keep your head above water, it’s really tough.

“I’ve also experienced completely different environments. I was full-time at Accrington in their academy and then went to Manchester City.

“At City, you could choose from six pitches, whereas at Accrington you might have to divide a full-size pitch between five different age groups.

“It has been interesting and made me view football from a lot of different angles. It’s certainly something I’d like to be involved in more.”

Finally, Andy, given the time that you have had to reflect on your journey so far due to the book, what would you like to achieve in the coming years?

“I’d like to get back involved with a football club that has a similar feel to Rushden, although I know that’s not always going to be easy.

“Southport was fantastic. It’s a really good football club with good people, a fantastic fan base and loads of potential to get bigger if they can get things right on the pitch.

“They’ve got a town of 100,000 people on their doorstep, and there is an opportunity to connect with the town and get more people through the door.

“I’d love to be involved with a club like that where I can help and give my knowledge and understanding of the level.

“I understand a lot about non-league football, particularly the National Leagues, and I feel like I’ve got a lot to give.

“I’m still only 45, so I’m keen to get back involved with a football club and share the experiences I’ve had as a player, a member of staff, and at board level.

“Hopefully, I can help a club be successful both on and off the pitch.”