Hornets captain talks through his best players, matches and more in a quick-fire interview...
Best player you've played with?
“That's a good question. It would have to be Maxi [Pereyra]. He has it all. People tend to like the players these days that are strong and quick and go past people, but his football intelligence is unreal. You forget that he's 29 and already he's played in a Champions League final and played regularly with Messi. He's an unbelievable player.”
Best player you've played against?
“It's a choice between David Silva and Kevin De Bruyne. I'll probably just go with Kevin as he's a bit more rounded and does things at a slightly faster pace but those two are just frightening. It's like they are playing a different game sometimes, like they are playing chess and you are playing checkers.”
Best player you've seen live?
“I watched Beckham when he played for AC Milan against Manchester United [in 2010] and the way he handled himself was the best I've ever seen. He is obviously used to all the hype and the euphoria but he didn't let it change his game that night and the way he pinged the ball around, left foot and right foot, was on another level.”
Best captain you've player under?
“John Eustace. He was quality. He handled himself so well around the place. He went round talking to everyone and was a nice guy, but then he had this nasty streak in him and wouldn't be afraid to leave a bit on people. And you wouldn't know if he was being serious or not when he did it. I remember he smashed Bondy (Jonathan Bond) once and the next day he was like to him, 'How are things? How is the family?'. He was great.”
Best game you've played in?
“It's difficult to look beyond the Leicester game. I don't always like seeing the replays of that goal because I'm as fat as in that! I've worked hard to lose that gut. The funny thing about that is how I jump into my brother's arms when I leap over the boards.”
Best coach you've worked under?
“I'm going to go with Shakey [Craig Shakespeare]. His delivery is quality and he's so open and honest with the players. He's the only coach I've worked with that asks you for feedback. And this is a guy who has won the Premier League and worked with England. He's asking about timings and enjoyment and that struck a chord with me.”
Best friend in football?
“Mapps. He's just a genuinely nice guy and he's never changed with me over the ten years, even though I wasn't the easiest to begin with. He's always been cool with me, always helped me out and always kept in touch when he went to Palace and Reading. He's top man.”
Best game you've been to?
“It was my first away day with Blues [in April 2003]. It was Charlton away and was my first trip to London. I went down there in the back of an old van! Christophe Dugarry scored and so did Robbie Savage and we won 2-0.”
Best atmosphere you've been involved in?
“It's got to be the semi-final against Wolves. It was electric. Unlike the final, there was genuine optimism that both sides would win it and that was reflected in the atmosphere between the fans. When I scored that penalty it was like a volcano of noise and you had that great delay between when I knew the penalty was in and when the crowd did. I loved every second of it.”
Best game involving the team you support?
“I would say when Blues beat Arsenal in the Carling Cup final in 2011. It's the one Ben Foster keeps talking about as the one he played in and won and yet when we see Blues fans on the train, they want their picture with me and not him! I was in a corporate bit and you can see the players walk past me as they go up to get the trophy. I was wearing a suit that fitted no-one and was probably about £40 all in!”
