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Tony Warner initially thought it was a wind-up.

Last October he received a text claiming to be from former Aston Villa boss John Gregory and asking whether he fancied joining his backroom staff in India.

The former Liverpool goalkeeper was coaching at Bolton Wanderers’ Academy at the time. Having established that the offer was indeed genuine, he took the plunge and headed for South Asia.

The past six months proved to be an unforgettable experience for the 43-year-old - both on and off the field. He returned home to Merseyside on Wednesday triumphant after helping Chennaiyin FC win the Indian Super League title.

“It was a long stint away but it was successful and enjoyable,” he told the ECHO.

“When I got a text out of the blue from John, I thought it was a wind-up to start with. I didn’t know him but someone had recommended me to him.

“We had a chat, he asked if I would be interested in being his goalkeeping coach and I decided it was something I’d like to do.

“Within three or four days I was flying out to Thailand for a pre-season training camp and then after sorting a visa out it was on to Chennai.

“I’d never been to India before and it was a culture shock. We were in a five-star hotel and they looked after us so well. But when you went out of that first-class environment you would see so many unusual things.

“It’s a beautiful country and the people were fantastic but you would see some terrible poverty. It took a bit of getting used to. There would be a BMW garage selling expensive cars and across the street entire families lying on the pavement. The gulf between rich and poor there is huge. You speak to people over there and they tell you that India is a work in progress.”

Launched in 2013, the Indian Super League has helped to raise the profile of football in a country of 1.3billion people where cricket is a national obsession.

It has attracted talent from across the globe with Gregory’s squad including Spanish defender Inigo Calderon, who previously played for Brighton. Chennaiyin FC beat Bengaluru FC 3-2 in last Saturday’s final.

“You are only allowed five non-Indian guys on the pitch at any one time,” Warner said.

“As well as Calderon, we had a couple of Brazilian lads and one from Portugal, Nigeria, Slovenia and Holland. What we found early on was that the Indian lads would just give it to the foreigners, no matter what position they were in. That was something John tried to stop quickly and he got the local lads to take responsibility.

“It’s a fledgling league which is trying to draw in greater quality. We usually got crowds of around 12,000 but Kerala Blasters, who are managed by David James, would get up to 30,000.

“We finished second in the regular season but the top four go into the play-offs. We won our semi-final and then beat Bengaluru on their own ground in the final. It was great to be part of the celebrations. The hard work paid off and it was a good feather in our cap.”

The likes of Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, China and Indonesia have all been stop-offs on Liverpool pre-season tours of Asia and Warner believes it won’t be long before India joins that list.

“The Premier League is massive over there,” he said.

“Cricket is still the biggest sport. Everywhere you go you see kids playing on waste ground with sticks and rubber balls. But football is a real growth area. The fanbase is there and they have the facilities. Liverpool would be well accommodated. It’s a market they could really benefit from.”

Warner turned to coaching after hanging up his gloves in 2015 following two decades as a professional involving spells at some 20 clubs in the Football League and beyond.

After growing up in Childwall, he realised a dream when he signed his first contract with Liverpool in 1994. His journey to Anfield was very different to his team-mates.

“After I left school, I went to work in accountancy and at 18 I was just playing Sunday League football,” he said.

“One day I was off work and (Liverpool Academy director) Steve Heighway phoned me up. He said a keeper had left and they needed someone to fill in. He asked if I’d be interested in playing the next day.

“I played and then Steve asked me to keep playing for the B team on Saturdays. Back then it was the first team, the reserves, the A team and then the B team.

“I played the whole season and we won the league. We used to train Tuesdays and Thursdays after work. I’d get expenses and a few pairs of gloves and boots, I loved it.

“The following season I stepped up to the A team and then they offered me a full-time deal. It was life-changing.

“I got signed by Graeme Souness as a pro in the January and he left a few weeks later. Roy Evans got the job and I started playing for the reserves about a year after that. When Michael Stensgaard got injured I was able to establish myself as the No 2 behind David James.”

It was a position Warner got used to. Over the course of five seasons he was an unused substitute for Liverpool on 121 occasions as the debut he coveted continued to elude him.

“I remember a game against Manchester United at Anfield, Jamo had been clattered in the six-yard box and Ryan Giggs was waiting to take the corner,” he recalled.

“Jamo was getting treated while I was running up and down the line warming up. I thought ‘this could finally be it!’ I was excited but Jamo got patched up and it wasn’t to be. I had to sit down again.”

There was no friction between the keepers who remain friends to this day.

“I got on with Jamo really well,” Warner said. “If I’m being totally honest the competition wasn’t really there. Around that time he’d just made his debut for England and I’d come from Sunday League football.

“Jamo was probably happy with that situation. Sometimes it’s tough if there’s a No 2 breathing down your neck.

“We had a very decent team. We just weren’t quite as good as those down the road (Manchester United) at that time. They were pushing on to another level.”

Warner was part of Evans’ squad which included the likes of Robbie Fowler, Steve McManaman, Jason McAteer and Jamie Redknapp. They were branded under-achievers after only lifting the League Cup in 1995.

They were also dogged by the ‘Spice Boys’ tag amid accusations that they were more interested in being celebrities than trophy winners.

“That wasn’t the case,” Warner said.

“Yes, players went out for a drink on a Saturday night but so did players at all the other top clubs. Alex Ferguson was dragging the likes of Lee Sharpe out of parties.

“The white suits we wore for the FA Cup final in 1996 are viewed as a sign of what was wrong but if we had won the perception would be very different. It’s fine margins in football. The fact is United were just a bit better.”

Warner had loan spells at Swindon, Celtic and Aberdeen before leaving Liverpool to join Millwall in 1999. He spent five years at The Den prior to signing for Cardiff City and then playing for Fulham in the Premier League.

“Millwall gave me the fondest memories of my career and I still follow them closely,” he said.

“I was established as the No 1 and I loved that intimidating factor of the fans there. It’s something lacking in football now. They seem to want to make it sterile. At Millwall you still get a proper atmosphere, it’s not manufactured.”

He also spent time at Leeds, Norwich, Barnsley, Hull, Leicester, Charlton, Scunthorpe, Tranmere, Wellington Phoenix in New Zealand and Floriana in Malta.

“It was a footballing journey and when I stopped playing I was lucky to get a call from Paul Ince who needed a goalkeeper coach at Blackpool,” Warner said.

“During my career I played with and against some special players. Robbie Fowler was my most gifted team-mate. If he was anywhere around the area, he was capable of scoring - left foot, right foot, tight angle, whatever. He had power, pace, skill and was good with his head. He had pretty much everything.

“Thierry Henry had an aura about him when you faced him and Henrik Larsson was the best striker I played with apart from Fowler.”

Warner intends to take a break before embarking on his next challenge.

"John Gregory has signed on for another year in Chennai and is waiting to see what happens with his budget," he said.

"I'll kick back for a little bit, enjoy spending time with my family and see what comes up."

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