Jeff's bad-boy days help today's good times

MOST of Jeff Chandler's work colleagues had little idea of his footballing past until recently.

It is a sign of how far the former Wanderers winger has moved on since his playing days, that his fellow staff on the Preston Youth Offending Team did not know that they were working with a former Republic of Ireland international.

The 44-year-old could have boasted about his days as a footballer if he had wanted to -- but that is not his style.

Instead, the forthright Londoner, who had two spells with Wanderers in the 1980s, has spent the last few years in a much more constructive way.

Chandler, a married father-of-two who lives in Blackpool, is a youth justice worker, helping youngsters aged between 10 and 17 with criminal convictions back towards the straight and narrow. He is also a qualified counsellor.

This may seem a lifetime away from the days when he was a tricky left-winger giving opposing right-backs and goalkeepers nightmares.

But maybe Chandler was destined to follow a path helping young people whose lives have come off the rails -- because he freely admits that his footballing career suffered as a result of a lack of guidance and his own indiscipline.

"One of my biggest regrets is that I didn't make the most of my talent as a player," Chandler said. "People have told me that I wasted my ability, and as a result I ended up playing at a lower level than I should have done.

"I think that I have taken that lesson into my current job. A lot of young people have a lot to offer. Some are academic, and some are not -- it's just a case of finding that talent."

The young Chandler had talent to burn. Born in Hammersmith, he joined Blackpool on the recommendation of his games teacher, who was the son of former Seasider Harry Johnson.

Chandler soon attracted the attention of Leeds United, and moved to Yorkshire in September 1979. Within weeks, he was in the first team, and had won the first of his two caps for the Republic of Ireland. He was just 20.

"I got carried away," Chandler said. "When you're a star and people are writing about you, it's hard to keep your feet on the ground.

"I didn't have any family around to keep me grounded, and I think ultimately that held me back. But it didn't help that I was a cocky lad from London with no discipline and a lot of attitude!"

The themes of discipline and attitude run through Chandler's football career, which took him to Bolton in 1981, Derby in 1985, back to Burnden two years later, and then finally Cardiff, before a knee injury forced him to retire in December 1990, at the age of just 30.

His time in the game was, by his own admission, littered with fall-outs with managers, poor self-discipline and inconsistent performances.

But he has fond memories of his time with Wanderers, and of George Mulhall -- the manager who brought him to Burnden Park the first time.

Chandler said: "I probably had the best time of my career during those four years in terms of playing regularly. It was a great club, everyone was friendly.

"George Mulhall was a good manager for me. He could give you a rollicking, but he knew when to put an arm round you as well."

Chandler was Wanderers' top scorer in 1984/85 with 20 goals, but was sold to Derby that summer.

He snatched the opportunity to return to Burnden Park two years later -- even though Wanderers, led by Phil Neal, were by now in Division Four.

"I jumped at the chance to return," Chandler said. "But unfortunately, I snapped the cruciate ligament in my left knee after four games, and I was out for nine months.

"When I got back into the reserves, I thought I was ready for the first-team. I told Phil Neal that, and we fell out big time. But he was right not to pick me -- my attitude was diabolical."

Chandler did play at Wembley in Wanderers' 1989 Sherpa Van Trophy final win over Torquay, but his time at Bolton -- and his career -- were coming to an end.

He said: "I hadn't earned enough money to stop playing, I had no academic qualifications, and I didn't know where to turn. I did a bit of selling advertising and double glazing.

"I'm a big believer in fate. Since the age of 16, I had been a professional footballer, and it was a gift I didn't appreciate. Those four years after I retired taught me a lesson."

In 1995, a friend who worked in childcare suggested that Chandler might be suited to social work. He pulled himself together and got a job as a residential social worker, first in Blackpool and then in Preston.

After seven years, he switched to his current job. "I really enjoy my work," he said. "I deal with young people who have been in court. I might be supervising their court order, or looking at their educational needs, but it's all about trying to put some positive things into young people's lives.

"Sometimes, young people don't see that they have a choice, but if you can present them with choices and information, then they can see that they shape their own destiny."

That is a comment which could just as easily be applied to Chandler. Having qualified as a counsellor three years ago, he is now studying for certficates in youth justice.

And after falling out of love with football in the early 1990s, he has rediscovered his enthusiasm for the game in the last few years. He is a regular visitor to the Reebok and a big fan of Sam Allardyce. Chandler has even learned to reassess his own football career.

"Recently, I came across some old fan mail that had been sent to me from about 1982. It was a really complimentary letter, but I thought to myself: 'Was this really me they were writing to?' It all seems like a lifetime ago now'."