It’s not the smoothest of introductions to a career in football management – dodging Iranian drone attacks while managing a second-tier side in Dubai.
But Jonjo Shelvey insists he feels safer in the UAE than back home – because ‘England is full of scumbags’.
The former Newcastle midfielder, 33, claims he’s ‘not felt unsafe once’, and as he moves into the dugout with Arabian Falcons FC he is shutting out the noise of war and focusing instead on the footballing minds that shaped him.
The ex-England international is already drawing heavily on a career spent under a wide range of managers and it is Eddie Howe, above all, who stands out as the central influence.
‘I’ll always use Eddie Howe as a massive, massive tool,’ Shelvey told Daily Mail Sport. ‘I’ve taken things from quite a lot of managers that I’ve worked with in the past, and one thing I’ve done since I was a player is, during training, if there was a good session, I’d go home, write it down, note it down – the drill, etc.
‘So I’ve basically got a big folder of all the drills I’ve done in my career, which I thought back then would be a good thing to have later on down the line so I could use it. But yeah, I’d say Eddie Howe in terms of his detail and his professionalism. And I also loved working with Michael Laudrup at Swansea because of his attacking play. And then at the back end of my career, Scott Parker in terms of his motivational speaking.’
That blend – Howe’s detail, Laudrup’s attacking philosophy, and Parker’s motivational edge – is the foundation Shelvey wants to build on as he takes his first managerial role in a project designed to push Arabian Falcons FC toward promotion and, in time, far beyond.
Little phases him, not even the war raging in the region. ‘People are still going to the beaches, the malls, the restaurants. The first day when there was a bomb we just went out and went to the mall’, he told the i.
It’s not the smoothest of introductions to a career in football management for Jonjo Shelvey
Shelvey and ex-S Club 8 member Daisy Evans have been married since June 2015 – he has spoken out about his new life in Dubai while claiming Britain is ‘going downhill’
‘We just got told “Everything’s fine” and it was. I know a lot of people have gone home but I’m just like “Why?” Trust them. The UAE has made us feel so safe.
‘The only thing that’s been a bit annoying is the kids are off school for three weeks…’
He added: ‘Even if my family have a big party and ask me to fly back for it I say “No”. You want to see us, you come out here. I don’t want to put anything at risk.
‘My wife’s sister was walking in London along the street after work and the phone got robbed. Just kids coming past on a bike. There’s too many scumbags around.’
When asked by the Mail about Howe’s current position at Newcastle, Shelvey is unequivocal in his backing of his former manager, even amid scrutiny and inconsistent results.
‘I’m never gonna say a bad word about him. For me, he stays. If I was in charge of who makes that decision he would stay in the job. For me he’s got more than enough credit in the bank, winning that trophy.
‘He deserves at least another season in charge to try and turn it around. But yeah, it’s not been consistently good enough. They’ve conceded too many goals, but I know for a fact that that man will be doing everything in his power to put that right, because that’s the type of character he is.’
Shelvey’s foray into a new area of the game has led him to reflect on how managers handle players, setbacks, and pressure. He recalls the different approaches he experienced after disciplinary issues during his playing career.
‘I’d probably say the most difficult interaction I had with a manager was when I’d been sent off in the past, which was quite a few times. It would be how managers have reacted with me during those moments. Some managers have given me a real telling off, and then I remember Rafa [Benitez] was like, “Don’t worry about it, it’s fine. We’ll just serve your suspension, train hard, and we’ll get you back into the team.”
‘So there’s been different ways, and I think different players react differently. And to be fair, I’ve tried to react well to both types of criticism. But yeah, it’s just about finding that balance of how you speak to your players, and like I said, that’s something I’m trying to learn along the way.’
Asked which approach worked best for him as a player, he is blunt before bursting into laughter.
‘No one likes being told off, do they? So I’ll go with the Rafa way.’
Now, stepping into the other side of the touchline at Arabian Falcons – a club he says is built around ambition, promotion targets, and long-term vision – Shelvey is also clear on the type of football he wants to play.
Shelvey says he has taken inspiration from his former Newcastle manager, Eddie Howe
Shelvey does not believe Pep Guardiola will leave Manchester City at the end of this season
Shelvey recalled the time manager Rafa Benitez let him off the hook after getting a red card
‘I like to play football. I like to press high up the pitch. I mean, the past two days I’ve absolutely killed the team in terms of the training sessions – they’ve been worked really hard, and that’s what I’ll focus my team on, being one of the fittest teams in the league. But in terms of playing style, I like to pass the ball.
‘I was a passer myself as a footballer and like to play football, but not to the extent of Pep Guardiola. I like to get the ball in behind as well, and I like runners in behind, so it’s a bit of a mixture. But I also like the rougher style in terms of the defensive side of the game as well, and being hard to beat, and as soon as you lose the ball you’re back compact, etc. So yeah, it’s a different… I’m going to call it the Jonjo Shelvey way.’
Amid growing speculation over Guardiola’s future at Manchester City, Shelvey also offered his view on whether the City boss could walk away at the end of the season if they fail to get their hands on the title.
‘I don’t think he’ll leave. I just think he’s just a serial winner. I hope he doesn’t leave, because I like tuning in. I actually like seeing what he’s wearing first, so I can take a little bit of fashion advice. But no, in terms of his football, it’s great to watch, and I don’t think he will leave. I don’t think he could leave England without winning something that season.’
If Shelvey’s tactical blueprint is still forming, his decision to retire as a player has arrived with far more clarity. The move into management, he says, had been building quietly over several weeks.
‘I’ve known probably for about three to four weeks in terms of taking the new role, but yeah, it probably sunk in sort of today when you see it black and white everywhere. I mean, my wife was crying when she started reading everything, but it’s just one of those things that happens to everyone at the end of the day. And yeah, I just felt like it was my time to call it a day and take on this new challenge.’
The decision was not driven purely by physical decline, though that played a part, but by a growing pull toward coaching and development.
‘I still love it. I go and play on Monday nights with my friends out here, just like a local thing as well. So I’ve still got that buzz for it. But I took training about four to five weeks ago, like daily, when the old manager was away, and then as soon as I got home from training that first day, I just had this feeling that that’s what I wanted to do.
Shelvey says his time at Newcastle United was one of the fondest times of his career
Shelvey has also said making the England team was one of his proudest moments of his career
‘My body’s not the same as what it used to be in terms of my knees – I have to take tablets to get through training and games, so at least I won’t have to do that anymore. But yeah, it was more the fact of the real buzz for coaching and trying to develop these young players that we’ve got at the club.’
Looking back, he is reflective about the peaks of his playing career and where they came.
‘I’ll always say that playing for England is probably the highest point of my career. But I also loved my time at Newcastle. I loved every single minute of being up there, it was a really great club to play for. And then towards the back end of my career, the club that I played for in Turkey, Caykur Rizespor, which had a really good year there, and I really enjoyed my football again. So probably those three years, those three moments.’
The former Liverpool midfielder moved to the United Arab Emirates last September. Shelvey, who won six caps for England between 2012 and 2015, making the switch accompanied by his pop star wife Daisy Evans and their two daughters and a son.
Shelvey was born in Romford in east London and began his professional career with Charlton Athletic, before multi-million-pound moves to clubs including Liverpool and Newcastle as well as Swansea City and Nottingham Forest.
Shelvey previously said he feels his children are safer in the UAE – the couple are pictured with their two daughters during his time at Liverpool
Speaking previously about his move, Shelvey said: ‘I just think the UK is going one way. It’s gone downhill. I mean, when I was a kid growing up, it was a fantastic place to live. You could go out and play and everything was fine. There was never any trouble. ‘But now it’s just every time you read, someone’s getting stabbed and things like that. And I don’t want to bring my children up in that environment.’
Shelvey’s move came amid a growing migration of sports stars and high-net-worth individuals relocating to Dubai.
In recent months, Rio Ferdinand and Ronnie O’Sullivan have joined a long list of British names to take up residence in the UAE, following the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar – now playing back in Brazil – and Roger Federer.
