You joined Fulham at an exciting time
for the club, with loads of investment
and publicity. What was that like to
be part of?
It was one of the things that moulded
my career and took me to the Premier
League. With all the cash in the world,
though, you’ve still got to get the right
players together and the right results.
We still had to win the Second Division,
then push on and win the First, which
we did. Kevin Keegan brought me in for
a big fee, and I went from being worth
£250,000 one year to £2.1 million the
next. Eyebrows were raised but he tried
to settle me in straightaway. I didn’t hit
the ground running. Maybe there were
nerves because of the fee, but Kev was
key in helping me to adapt – he’d been
there and done it.
What sort of effect did Jean Tigana’s
arrival have? Was his style different
to other bosses you’d worked under?
I remember us all going to the dentist
- Jean said we needed to get our teeth
checked because it would help us with
our balance. That was the first time I’d
heard that! He had this ethos of never
panicking if things weren’t going right.
He was very quiet and calm, and didn’t
complicate things. His famous words to
us were, “Just go and play.” When we
heard that the first time we were a bit
taken aback, like, ‘What do you mean?’
There was no long analysis because he
knew the players he had could go out
and get the job done.
You worked well with Louis Saha for
a few seasons – what was he like to
play alongside?
He’s the best footballer I’ve played with
- not just the best striker. Louis had all
the qualities to be an elite player: pace,
heading ability, two good feet, power.
He had everything. I wouldn’t say I was
a battering ram, but I was the one who
could take lots of the physical stuff and
he’d play off me. He was so sharp. Nine
times out of 10, he’d be timing his run
to go and finish off a move. We played
in a front three with Luis Boa Morte and
worked well in tandem.
After a long and successful spell at
Fulham, why didn’t things work out
at Sheffield United?
It was the gaffer [Neil Warnock], really.
We had a bit of a bust-up after a game
and I thought the matter was finished,
but I never played for him again. Soon
after he called me to his office and said
Millwall had made an offer. I told him
I was happy to see out my three-year
deal, but he said he wanted me to go.
Then he told the press I couldn’t settle
up north and that wasn’t true, so I lost
respect for him. He’s a good manager,
probably the best there’s ever been at
getting sides out of the Championship,
but we didn’t see eye to eye.
The intersection between music and
footballers has mainly been vacant
since the synthesised sensations of
Hoddle and Waddle cheerily mimed
Diamond Lights on Top of the Pops- and given the dodgy distinction
between those who can genuinely
hold a tune and kick a ball, it makes
Tyler Dodds all the more intriguing.
By night, she plays professionally for
last term’s Scottish Women’s Premier
League champions Glasgow City. By
other nights, she performs as tribute
act ‘Tyler Swift’, boasting a red lipstick,
blonde wig and back catalogue that
scales the breadth of her namesake’s
chart-friendly hits.
“It was much easier when I wasn’t
a pro footballer,” the 26-year-old tells
FFT. “I’d work Fridays and Saturdays,
and if I had a game on Sunday I’d go
to that and sometimes do a gig later
in the evening.”
Football has always been her first
love, though. She doesn’t remember
how she got into the sport, but the
Gateshead native went on to feature
for Middlesbrough, Sunderland and
Durham – singing was just a pastime
picked up at school and something to
do on the side; first in a trio with her
dad, who manages her.
Tyler has been performing solo for
five years now, and juggled the two
hobbies before she was paid to play
football. When the pandemic struck
she signed for Calcio Pomigliano in
Italy, simply as being a self-employed
singer and part-time footballer during
lockdown was... well, about as tough
as you might imagine. Tyler ended up
winning promotion to Serie A, but it
was only by joining Glasgow last year
that she ceased her singing hiatus.
“I went to Italy because I felt it was
my chance to push and actually play
football professionally,” she explains.
“I didn’t push myself before – I was
comfortable and singing on the side,
so I stopped dreaming of becoming
a footballer. But I couldn’t sing in Italy
and it was extremely hard – it’s like
not working a muscle when I couldn’t
use my voice.
“When I arrived at Glasgow City my
intentions were purely football, but
as soon as I found out the schedule,
I realised I could sing and it wouldn’t
really affect my game. It’s amazing
that I can do the two things that I’m
a professional in and love.”
Tyler has her own solo show, too,
where she performs original songs
and covers – dropping the ‘Dodds’,
however. “That’s only for football,”
she winks. She puts on a ’90s tribute
called TNT as well, but the Tyler Swift
act is both her headline-grabber and
a happy accident born from a gag.
“My drummer suggested the name- we had a laugh about it,” chuckles
the winger. “Then my dad signed me
up to play under it. I thought he was
joking! I had to start listening to all
her songs, so there were lots of words
and they’re quite high. I was thinking,
‘What have I got myself into?!’”
The singing remains a fun facet that
most fans don’t know about unless
they’ve scrolled through Tyler’s social
media. Even her team-mates didn’t
know she could sing at first, until they
heard her in the dressing room – and
most have never seen her live.
“Usually I perform at holiday parks,
so you’re not allowed in unless you’re
staying there!” says Tyler. “I managed
to bring a couple of them in my car for
a gig, and they were shocked at how
different I am on a stage compared
to how I am in person. If you’re not
used to being on stage, it’s a totally
different feeling to anything else. You
have to be confident or everyone will
see right through you.”
Aside from perhaps Liverpool boss
Jurgen Klopp belting out favourites
from Swift’s seminal 2012 album Red,
who would Tyler most like to perform
a duet with?
“You don’t often hear of footballers
singing!” she laughs. “I’d have to go
for my hero, Kelly Smith. I don’t know
if she’s any good at singing, though.
Or what about Cristiano Ronaldo? He
definitely has the confidence to shine
in the spotlight...”
Mark WhiteTHE PLAYER’S GOnnA PLAY
Glasgow City’s Tyler Dodds isn’t just a flying winger competing at the summit
of Scottish football – she’s also a talented singer with a headline-friendly act...SCOTTISH nEWS
“BEInG UP On STAGE IS
TOTALLY DIFFEREnT. YOU
HAVE TO BE COnFIDEnT”
AROUnD THE
GROUnDSPicturefacebook.com/TYLERofficialmusic/photos