Dietmar Hamann, the German Scouser, spent seven years at Liverpool and became a cult hero along the way. He won a sack-load of trophies and played a pivotal role in the legendary 2005 Champions League final against Milan. Life’s A Pitch caught up with the German midfielder as he launches his first book, The Didi Man – My Love Affair With Liverpool.

Didi, you’ve achieved a fair amount in your career – how did you manage to fit it all into a book?

It’s about 300 pages, so I didn’t put that much in. I’m sure there are other players who struggle more than I do!

Your book tells of the special relationship you had with Liverpool the city as well as the football club – what made it so special?

I think there’s a special bond between the fans, the people in the city and the football club. This is something I experienced over the seven years I was there and it is something special. I’ve not experienced it elsewhere. Why this is I don’t know exactly. Obviously the club has experienced some terrible tragedies with Heysel and Hillsborough, and I think it brought everybody closer together – the people are very loyal, very honest, and in the city I think there’s a great sense of that towards each other and towards the club as well.

How does it compare with Newcastle, Manchester City and Bayern Munich?

Newcastle is a great club in its own right, as is Manchester City, but obviously Liverpool, over the last 30 or 40 years in the European Cup and domestic leagues, are second to none. If you speak to people abroad, I think Liverpool will always be one of the first clubs they mention when they talk about English football.

What do you think of Liverpool’s season so far?

If they could have converted two or three of the draws into wins, they’d be right up there, but I think they had a very good last week, and hopefully they can kick on and go on to better things. Top four has to be the target because you need to be in the Champions League to attract the top players and it’s a lot of money for the club. The cup run has been good for them, but they can put that away for now and concentrate on the league. They’ve got a big game on Monday, and if they win that, I think they’re right back in the mix [for fourth].

What about Andy Carroll – he’s had a difficult start to his Liverpool career. What advice would you give him?

I think he just has to realise that he’s got a great opportunity to make a mark at a great club. He’s loved by the fans. Every time he’s near the ball the crowd gets excited. He’s got so much potential and I think he’s just got to realise that he’s got a great opportunity, and I hope he grabs it because he’s got all the ingredients to be a top-class footballer.

How do you feel that Steven Gerrard’s game has developed as he’s got older?

I think if he plays in a more defensive role, though he can play anywhere on the pitch, but if he plays more defensively, I don’t see any reason why he can’t play for another three, four or five years. He’s improved his game every year and he’s been at the heart of all the successes we [Liverpool] had, but he’s over 30 now so he may have to adjust a little bit. He’s got everything a top-class footballer needs, and I think he’ll give great service to Liverpool for a few more years.

What do Liverpool need to do to start winning more games at home?

They just need to score more goals; they’ve created chances in all the games and the [away team’s] keepers have played blinders in a few games – they just need to find somebody to put the ball in the back of the net.  Carroll scoring last week should give him a boost, and I think he could be the man who can make the difference from now to the end of the season.

Is Kenny Dalglish the right man to bring the glory days back to Anfield?

Yeah, I think he’s stabilised the club. He brought in quite a few English players, which is always good. I think they’ve done well, and now they need to take it up a notch and get the club back into the Champions League.

At Liverpool you won two League Cups, two FA Cups, two Super Cups, the Champions League, the UEFA Cup and a Charity Shield, including the treble in 2001. What’s the highlight of your time there?

Without a doubt it’s the Champions League final – it’s one of the biggest games in club football.

You came off the bench at half-time and turned that game around. Is that the best game you’ve ever played?

It was the best game I’ve ever played in, but I’m not sure if it was the best I’ve ever played. Obviously it was a memorable night and we were all happy that we could pull that back. When we pulled one back, I was pretty certain we’d get another, and once it was 3-2 it was all to play for. But to pull it back in such a short space of time was hard to believe.

You were also part of the German team that lost 5-1 to England. With Steven Gerrard, Emile Heskey, Michael Owen, Robbie Fowler and Jamie Carragher in the England team, I imagine training back at Liverpool wasn’t much fun?

It wasn’t, but the game was only a qualifier so the group was still alive for Germany. It was one of those things where if we’d lost 2-0, 3-0 or 5-0, it didn’t matter that much to us because it was only a qualifier, and at the end of the day we both qualified for the World Cup. It wasn’t too bad [back at training] actually.

How would you rate Germany’s chances of glory at Euro 2012?

I think they’ve got a good chance; they cruised through the qualifying group and I think they’ve got as good a chance as anyone. They’ve got some very exciting players that we didn’t really have when I was playing for Germany, and the future is bright. They’ve had a few near misses so hopefully they can go one better this year.

Obviously the league looks beyond Liverpool this season, but how pleased would you be to see another former club Man City win the title?

Yeah, they’re doing well. They’ve spent a lot of money, and they’ve still got every chance to win the league. It’s a bit more interesting now after dropping quite a few points recently, but I still think they’re the most likely winners.

And finally, you had a brief spell as manager of Stockport County. Is football management something you want to go back into?

Yes, I want to go back and I will be back. Things didn’t work out as I imagined at Stockport because the takeover didn’t go through, and that’s why I left the club, but it’s what I want to do and I’ll be back. I’d prefer to stay in England, but as a manager you need to see where you are wanted and you never know where you could end up, but preferably in England.

 

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