BBC - May 30, 2007
Chief scout Gorman takes back seat By John May
Gorman is back in football as chief scout at Southampton
For someone who worked hard to prove he was more than just former England manager Glenn Hoddle's sidekick, John Gorman is glad to be taking a back-seat role at Southampton.
Gorman is back with the Saints as chief scout, seven years after he and Hoddle first pitched up at The Dell.
Since then, a lot of water has passed under Gorman's bridge, including the shattering experience of his wife's death that made him evaluate his whole outlook on life and football.
Gorman, 57, was driven by the desire to shake off the perception of him as the ideal and perennial number two as he trailed Hoddle to Swindon, Southampton, Tottenham and the England set-up.
But the chance to show he could manage in his own right became a sharp, double-edged sword.
Wycombe were riding high on a 21-match unbeaten run in the 2005-06 season when Gorman's wife Myra died of Cancer.
He quit the Chairboys, with the intention of taking a break to reassess his values, but within a week was back in management with Northampton.
It's the manager who has to put his head on the block and he is the one who deserves the credit for signing players
John Gorman
With the gift of hindsight, he now realises his attempt to immerse himself in work was not fair on himself or the club.
"When I lost my wife there somehow wasn't the same desire for football. Winning and losing somehow didn't seem as important - and that wasn't right or fair to the people who were employing me," Gorman told BBC Sport.
"So I thought it best to let somebody else do it. It was my decision to give up management.
"I had shown to myself and other people that I was good at it and I could do it. But I had things put into perspective for me."
Gorman's skills were in demand and it is gratifying to know that in a business not always noted for its philanthropy, there was still a place for one of football's genuine nice guys as Saints boss George Burley was reunited with his old Ipswich first-team coach.
"I've been doing some scouting work for the FA, looking at the opposition for the European Championship qualifiers and I'm going out to watch the Under-21 Championship, so it means I can look at possible players for Saints as well," said Gorman.
Gorman proved he could emerge from Hoddle's shadow
Although always involved in management and coaching since his playing days ended, Gorman feels his new role at St Mary's is no great departure.
"When you're a manager in the lower divisions you tend to do most of the scouting yourself, looking at players you might try to sign and running the rule over the opposition," added Gorman.
"It will involve travel up and down the country and abroad but the biggest difference now is that there isn't the same pressure on me.
"When I like the look of a player, it's not my decision to sign him, I make my recommendations and it's then George's decision.
"It's the manager who has to put his head on the block and he's the one who deserves the credit for signing players."
Southampton have been able to produce their own top-quality youngsters - as shown by Theo Walcott's departure to Arsenal and Tottenham's capture of Gareth Bale.
But Gorman's ability to be able to sniff out talent in the lower echelons is a key skill for clubs like Saints, whose ability to compete in the transfer market is dictated by the loss of their Premiership parachute payments.
I love football, I'm good at what I do and I still think I have a lot to offer
John Gorman
It does not necessarily mean Gorman sifting through the bargain basement as he revealed: "George is hopeful things can improve financially, so my brief is still to look for quality players.
"More and more these days, though, people are competing for the same players and I've no doubt when I go to look at a player all the usual suspects will be there alongside me looking at him.
"But I'm happy doing this and it's great to be back.
"George came to me and offered me a chance to get back in the game with a club and I really can't praise or thank him highly enough.
"It was nice to come back here and see there are still quite a few people here from when I was last at the club.
"I love football, I'm good at what I do and I still think I have a lot to offer."
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