James Milner

So I may as well.

And he said, yeah.

And it was a time when you could do a month loan.

So I went there with Andy King, played six games, done pretty well there, you know, full of confidence, scored a few goals.

The lads there were brilliant with me.

and just got stuck in there and we did pretty well in the short time I was there.

Whether that gave me the confidence to go back to Leeds then and whether the manager saw what I'd done at Swindon or whether the team was struggling when I wasn't there and I came back in and then I got in the team and Eddie

took over I think midway through that season and Eddie had known me for years I played with his son all the way through from under 10s, 11s played with his son Nick who was also a good player and had a bit of bad luck with injuries and Eddie knew all about me he'd seen me grow up and it was incredible for me I remember even when I first come in the encouragement and I remember one pre-season and the older guys were saying slow down, slow down and he said if you slow down I'm going to knock your head off you keep pushing and dragging them

drag him along and stuff he used to do with me after training because he was an incredible player himself you know I had all the videos watching when he was at Leeds and he'd set up scenarios of receiving the ball in situations as a winger and set up things and he gave me so much confidence and advice and situations on the pitch and you know I had so much to thank Eddie for

Yeah, it was horrendous.

I think, you know, your team's getting relegated anyway, but having been in the academy and watching them in the Champions League, playing in the Champions League semi-final, and then you finally get a chance to play for your hometown club and...

You're giving it everything and it was turmoil really and you think I didn't really understand what was going on too much off the field at that time.

I remember having meetings in terms of going into administration and what's it mean for wages and as a 16, 17 year old you don't care, you just want to play football.

Obviously when you're an older player now and mortgages and families and stuff like that.

I was just trying to focus on the football.

So then to play for your home-time club finally and be relegated, it was heartbreaking really.

that it was such weird, I don't even know how it happened now really in terms of how it could happen without me really knowing a lot about it, but turned up for the first day of pre-season the next year and was told I was going up to Newcastle for a medical and that was the first I heard of it.

I thought I was coming in and playing for Leeds that season and they said it had been the best interest of the club if I went and waived the so small amount of money.

That was it really and obviously Newcastle was an incredible opportunity but I'd only ever wanted to play for Leeds and was a Leeds fan and you wanted to help them get back in but it was painted it was the best thing for the club to do that and obviously that was Leeds through and through so that's what we did.

Would you have stayed if you'd had a choice?