Uilleam

Damned few, and they're a' deid, I imagine.....

I am against the idea of fading 'legends' (whatever) returning, as a rule. It rarely ends happily, and I think that such manoevres often are designed for PR and retail purposes. With PC in charge it would be counter productive to attempt to turn the clock back, or to ask/require him to do so.

Latterly, if memory serves, Stein was treated quite shabbily by rasellik board, insultingly being offered the post of Pools Manager, or something similar. A less than classy way to treat a 'legend'. I have often wondered if this was because he was, as they say, a non-cafflick, or because he was the guy who 'sacked' Torbett (despite their being no connection between rasellik and rasellik boys' club whatsoever, no sir).

It's never good to see a team go to the wall. In this case, I make an exception.

A piece from The Guardian, today, on the legendary Hungarian coach, and his world beating Benfica side. https://www.theguardian.com/football/2017/may/18/bela-guttmann-benfica-european-cup-eusebio Béla Guttmann and the barber’s trip that helped Benfica win the European Cup The legendary coach’s signing of Eusébio followed a chance meeting in an unusual location and Benfica’s path to a second straight European Cup triumph in 1962 showed Guttmann was a man ahead of his time David Bolchover Thursday 18 May 2017 17.53 BST First published on Thursday 18 May 2017 13.30 BST Win a major sporting trophy once and the naysayers will dismiss the success as random luck. Win it twice and the same people are forced to eat their words. The 1961-62 season was when Benfica’s Béla Guttmann wrote his name in the pantheon of coaching greats. A chance meeting in the unlikely venue of a barber’s shop, several months before the first European Cup victory, also with Benfica, had paved the way for further success. Guttmann bumped into José Carlos Bauer, a former Brazil international, who was coaching Ferroviária in his native country, and whom he rated as a shrewd judge of the game. “He greeted me happily, saying they were on a tour [in Lisbon] and they’d soon go to Africa,” recalled Guttmann. “I told him: ‘Listen to me, old man, if you see a talented player for me, someone who was born in Portugal, keep his name in mind.’ A month after this conversation, I was at the barber’s again, and as if I was telling you a joke, Bauer came in again. ‘What’s up? Have you found anyone for me?’ ‘Oh,’ he said, ‘I saw a black lad in Mozambique … I wanted to get him for myself … but those fools are asking for $20,000 for him!’ ‘What’s the lad called?’ His face was being lathered as he blurted out: ‘Eusébio!’” Eusébio da Silva Ferreira had been playing for Sporting de Lourenço Marques. Sporting Lisbon regarded their namesake in Mozambique’s capital as their feeder club, and went berserk when they found out that Guttmann had usurped their supposed rights, signing the highly promising striker for their bitter rivals instead. A Sporting director turned up at Eusébio’s door and offered him 500,000 escudos, a huge sum of money for an 18-year-old, to change his mind. “He put the money on the table and told me that it was mine if I signed for Sporting,” Eusébio recalled. “I told him that it was a low thing to do, that I wasn’t mad and I wasn’t going to sign two contracts.” Guttmann had stolen a march, and not by sheer luck either. The master networker had spent decades building up his contacts, and one of them had led him to this future star. He tenaciously held on to his advantage. Eusébio was hidden in Lagos in the Algarve for 12 days for fear that Sporting would try to swoop again. “I sent three bodyguards to hang around him and I told them my orders,” said Guttmann. “Eusébio cannot be left alone, not for a minute, and he can only stay at the Benfica house.” When Eusébio did emerge for his first Benfica training session in early 1961, Guttmann stood on the sidelines, purring with pleasure at his sly capture, transfixed by Eusébio’s devastating acceleration, explosive shot and ability to glide past opponents. Unable to contain himself, he eventually turned to his assistant Fernando Caiado, shouting “O menino é ouro!” (The boy is gold!). Ineligible, as a recent signing, for the European Cup, Eusébio made his debut in a domestic friendly the week before the 1960-61 European Cup final where Benfica beat Barcelona 3-2, scoring a hat-trick. He scored again on his league debut a couple of weeks later, before being named as a substitute against Pelé’s Santos in a close season international tournament in Paris in June 1961. With his tired team 4–0 down at half-time, Guttmann looked to the bench and called for his new gem. “I sent him on and he scored three goals, all of them from a 20–25 metre distance,” he said. The next day, the French sports newspaper L’Équipe ignored the result of the match, instead running the headline “Eusébio 3 Pelé 2”. Guttmann now had his passport to footballing immortality. He had transformed the Estádio da Luz into an impregnable fortress, and his team into a force that inspired fear throughout the continent of Europe. If the route to the 1961 final had been relatively straightforward, the hurdles this time round continued to get steeper. In the semi-final came Tottenham Hotspur, who had the previous season become the first team in the 20th century to win the English League and FA Cup double, and who had already taken apart Poland’s Górnik Zabrze and Czechoslovakia’s Dukla Prague. Guttmann knew he had to be at his absolute best to get his team through, and he didn’t disappoint. The eventual outcome of the tie between these two great sides, a narrow victory for Benfica, owed much to the box of wily tricks he had assembled during 30 long years as a coach throughout the world. His adversary, the relatively inexperienced Bill Nicholson, lost out in the battle of the small details, a fatal defeat in such an evenly matched confrontation. Nicholson failed to prepare his team psychologically for the inevitable early onslaught in Lisbon. Goals by Simões and José Augusto put Benfica two up within 20 minutes, before Spurs had even settled into the game. Even though Spurs dominated the second half and Smith got one back, another goal from the inspired José Augusto meant that Benfica were to bring a 3–1 lead to London for the second leg. A good lead, but one which Guttmann knew could evaporate in just a few minutes of frenzied action at a packed and raucous White Hart Lane, with the home fans electrified by the possibility of their team becoming the first English representative in a European Cup Final. He did everything in his power to stop that happening. His main weapon was the media. “When I go to the press conference before the game,” José Mourinho once said, “in my mind the game has already started.” Alex Ferguson agrees: “At a press conference you need to come out as the winner.” Football analysts routinely point to such comments as evidence of these coaches’ acute awareness, their ability to sense the subtle influence of media messages on the psychology of players. Béla Guttmann was doing exactly the same thing more than 50 years ago. A large English press pack were camped at his team’s base at the Park Lane Hotel to cover a game which had captured more public attention in England than any against a foreign team since Hungary’s visit in 1953. To allow his tense players to rest and relax in private, Guttmann’s opening move was to shift the spotlight to himself. He reiterated his intention, first hinted at a few months before, to leave Benfica at the end of the season. As usual, he was less than fully honest about the reasons, which would only become apparent later, claiming that he had taken the team as far as he could and craved a fresh challenge. Next, he sought to sway the course of the game more directly. He worried that his Portuguese players were insufficiently accustomed to the typically British physicality of players like Dave Mackay and Bobby Smith. “I told the journalists that I expected a bloodbath and they, in turn, went to Poulsen, the Danish referee, and told him Guttmann did not think he was strong enough to handle the match,” he later recounted. “It was an old ploy, but it worked. Poulsen kept a close check on those players, and we got more than our share of free-kicks.” In those days, the two teams would come out for the start of the game separately. Whereas Guttmann allowed Spurs to come out first in Lisbon, where they were made to wait for their opponents amid the din like gladiators in the colosseum, he made sure his own team would not suffer the same fate in London. “I locked the dressing-room door and only let Benfica go out at the last minute, with the referee and linesmen,” he said. “The game started before the crowd got at us.” Benfica went one up after 15 minutes at White Hart Lane, with Águas converting a cross from Simões. Smith levelled the score on the night before half-time, and Blanchflower converted a penalty early in the second half. Spurs were just one behind on aggregate, and the crowd scented blood. The Benfica team, however, was to show the same resolve that had got them through in Bern against Barcelona. With Costa Pereira making save after save, and Germano once again a rock in the centre of defence, they reached the final by the skin of their teeth, owing a considerable debt of gratitude to their maestro, soon-departing, coach. Guttmann had decided to leave because of money. Having brought Benfica and Portuguese football unprecedented glory, he believed that the directors of the club should be bending over backwards to keep him, not quibbling over salary demands and minor expenses. He asked for a salary increase of 65% if Benfica were to win the European Cup a second time, only to be met by a non-committal response. As time drifted on, he was further irritated by an incident after the quarter-final in Nuremberg. His wife, Mariann, had gone with him and the team to Germany – a rare occurrence. Back in Lisbon a few days after the game, Guttmann received a bill from the club – for half the cost of his hotel room. In spite of his clear brilliance, it seemed that old attitudes were not shifting easily. The club hierarchy still couldn’t quite believe that a coach could be so important, and their penny-pinching reflected a foolish insouciance. “I am the most expensive coach in the world, but looking at my achievements, I’m actually cheap,” Guttmann said a couple of years later. Just as there was a push factor for him leaving, there was also a pull. There was an attractive offer on the table from Uruguay, his next port of call. By stubbornly insisting on his value, we can say that Guttmann set in motion an upward ratchet in coaching pay that is continuing to this day. But before his eventual departure from Lisbon, he was to face the biggest single game and greatest challenge of his coaching career. On 2 May 1962, in the Olympic Stadium in Amsterdam, Benfica took on the mighty Real Madrid in the European Cup final. Again, Guttmann’s team were underdogs. Real had won the Spanish league. They had annihilated Standard Liège in the semi-final. And their team contained the ageing but still brilliant duo – Ferenc Puskás and Alfredo Di Stéfano. Guttmann’s mastery of human psychology was evident once more. Everything he said before and during the final was calculated to counter the inevitable fear, with one message to the fore: they are history, you are the present, you will win. “Straight after the semi-final against Tottenham, he was building us up, telling us: ‘We are going to be champions again,’” recalls António Simões. In the dressing room just before the kick-off, he sat his team down, and told them about his experiences at the 1924 Olympics. “I had the opportunity to meet some well-known celebrities, including the Finnish idol, Paavo Nurmi,” he said. “He ran the 5,000 metres in what was regarded then as a superhuman time, 14:31. In the 1960 Olympics, an unknown New Zealander [Murray Halberg] beat his time by almost a minute.” In sport, he was at pains to convey, time does not stand still. Benfica needed all the self-belief they could muster. They were down early on by two goals, both scored by Puskás. Again, they rallied. Águas got a goal back after Eusébio’s free-kick hit a post. Then Cavém rifled a long-distance shot into the top corner. A frenetic half of football ended with the deadly left foot of Puskás restoring Real’s lead. There was work to do in the dressing room at half-time. Guttmann may be best known for his teams’ attacking talents, but he was no slouch in defensive organisation either. In order to isolate Puskás and deprive him of service, he told the versatile Cavém to stick closely to Di Stéfano. With tactics out of the way, and less than 15 minutes to play with at the interval, he moved to the mind. He had told his players before the kick-off that they would win against their older opponents if they were only two down at half-time. Now, it turned out, the deficit was only one. “Guttmann said to us: ‘Gentlemen, we’re going to win, we’re stronger than Real Madrid!’” recalls José Augusto. “The important thing about those words was the belief and conviction with which he said them, and that conviction transferred to us. He gave so much strength because he spoke with such force. It was as if a divine force had entered us!” Simões echoes his former team-mate’s recollections. “We really had the belief we could win the game. I remember Guttmann in his own special language, a sort of mix of Portuguese and Italian, telling us: ‘Mister, sit down, mister, sit down, Real Madrid tired, Real Madrid tired, Real Madrid old, old, old, they cannot win, Real Madrid cannot run, Di Stéfano dead.’ That moment really struck us.” After five minutes of the second half, it was 3–3. For the second European Cup final in succession, Coluna had scored a spectacular goal with his weaker right foot. From that moment on, it was to be the Eusébio Show, as irrepressible youth triumphed over ageing experience. Running from his own half past tiring defenders, the so-called Black Pearl waltzed into the Real area and was brought down. Leo Horn pointed to the spot, and Eusébio himself calmly dispatched the penalty. Five minutes later, it was all over. Eusébio’s deflected shot ended up in the corner of the net to make it 5–3. Real Madrid knew they were beaten. They were gone – tired, old and dead. Guttmann was carried off the pitch by his players. At the winners’ banquet that night, Guttmann was in his element, sharing memories at a Hungarian-speaking table. How satisfied and content he must have felt, the 63-year-old two-times European Cup winner, chatting the night away with friends and colleagues from his now illustrious career. Some guests at the banquet approached Guttmann and begged him to stay in Lisbon. But angered by the directors’ intransigence and parsimony, and with the world at his feet, he was having none of it. With a wave and a curse, he was gone. This is an edited extract from The Greatest Comeback: From Genocide To Football Glory, the story of Béla Guttman, by David Bolchover. It is published by Biteback Publishing on 18 May

From today's Guardian, a valedictory salute to a special player.... https://www.theguardian.com/football/englische-woche/2017/may/18/philipp-lahm-germany-bayern-munich-world-cup-bundeliga Farewell Philipp Lahm, the man who won it all and left as a champion Philipp Lahm has won eight Bundesliga titles, six German cups, the Champions League and the World Cup. Now he is going out at the top By Jason Humphreys for Englische Woche, part of the Guardian Sport Network Jason Humphreys Thursday 18 May 2017 16.02 BST Last modified on Thursday 18 May 2017 16.42 BST It’s 18:06 on Friday 20 June 2006 and 66,000 people, mostly clad in Germany colours, have packed into Munich’s shiny new Allianz Arena on a warm evening to watch the first match of the World Cup. The crowd is bouncing, buoyed by the home team’s tenacious start and still drawing breath following a 30-yard shot from Thorsten Frings that narrowly missed the net. Noise levels begin to swell again as Philipp Lahm picks up a loose ball wide on the left. He is faced with two Costa Rica defenders. Bastian Schweinsteiger is offering the overlap, but Lahm drops his right shoulder and shifts the ball inside quickly with his right foot, leaving Danny Fonseca on his backside. The Costa Rica player lands heavily and, as he glances over his shoulder, the next thing he sees is Lahm opening up his body and winding back his right foot. Lahm blasts the ball past everyone in the area and into the top right corner, the ball kissing the post on its way in. Six minutes in, and the first chapter of Germany’s Sommermärchen has been written. Lahm was an instrumental and respected footballer but, even in that moment, as he scored the opening goal at a World Cup in his home city, few of the millions watching would have predicted just how important he would become for his club and country over the next decade. Born in Munich 33 years ago, Lahm began his long career with Bayern when he joined the youth team in 1995 from local club FT Gern München. Having started life as a forward, Lahm soon found his home as a full-back, mostly operating on the left. Despite being an obvious talent, his path into Bayern’s first team was blocked by two formidable French defenders, Bixente Lizarazu and Willy Sagnol. So the one-club man began his career on loan at another club, a short hop from Bavaria to Baden-Württemberg. Hermann Gerland, now Carlo Ancelotti’s right-hand man, was then in charge of the Bayern reserves and felt Lahm was too good to play with his team in the third division, so he recommended him to VfB Stuttgart manager Felix Magath, who duly organised a two-year loan deal. After making his Bundesliga debut on the opening day of the 2003-04 season, Lahm soon became Stuttgart’s first-choice left-back. Aside from a couple of injuries, his time in Stuttgart was a success. He returned to Munich having made 53 appearances in the Bundesliga and picked up some Champions League experience. Loan moves do not always work out, but Lahm’s stint on the banks of the river Neckar paid dividends for all parties involved, not least Bayern, who suddenly had a new full-back, and a German international to boot. Lahm’s form in Stuttgart had catapulted him into the senior Germany squad, where he soon claimed ownership of the left-back slot. He had won 15 caps for his country before his Bayern Munich career had properly begun. It would have been more but for an injury sustained towards the end of his loan spell, which not only temporarily curtailed his international progression but also delayed his long-awaited Bundesliga debut for his parent club. Eventually, Lahm took to the pitch for Bayern in November 2005 and established himself as the club’s left-back, ushering Lizarazu into retirement. As with the majority of players of Lahm’s generation, winning the World Cup in Brazil has to be seen as the pinnacle, but it was the 2006 tournament on home soil that elevated Germany back on to the world stage after their dour showing at Euro 2004, where they were knocked out at the group stage without winning a game. And it was at this hotly anticipated and feverishly supported tournament that this unassuming and unspectacular player made perhaps his most famous contribution. His opening goal lit up an emotional summer that brought back some national pride and touched German society well beyond the confines of football. Players and fans alike had been whipped into a feelgood frenzy by the World Cup and Lahm returned to what would become a decade of near omnipresence in the Bayern team. Although Bayern finished an almost unimaginable fourth in the Bundesliga in the 2006-07 season, they have gone on to dominate, winning the title in seven of the last 10 years. In Europe, however, success has not always been forthcoming. Lahm only tasted the glory of winning the Champions League after he had lost two finals: against José Mourinho’s impenetrable Inter side in 2010 and then the infinitely more bitter defeat against Chelsea in the ill-fated “finale dahoam” in Munich two years later. Lahm and Bayern bounced back from those heartaches in spectacular fashion. Now the captain of both club and country, he shouldered more responsibility and also developed as a player. By the start of the 2012-13 season, which would be his most decorated, he had clocked up just as many appearances on the right side of defence. Lahm had entered the second phase of his career as a roving right-back, almost a deep-lying right-sided playmaker, charged with more than simply overlapping and whipping in crosses. He was an ideal foil for Arjen Robben, with whom he formed a deadly duo on that flank. Robben’s now infamous left-foot inswingers win games and grab headlines, but more often than not Lahm’s pass or movement off the ball enabled the Dutchman to gain the extra half-yard required to make the incisive move infield. Lahm also chipped in with 11 assists in the 2012-13 season, becoming the first defender in the league’s history to hit double figures. His relationship with Robben was just one component in a season when everything came together and culminated in Beryn winning a glorious, record-breaking treble under Jupp Heynckes. Both Heynckes and Lahm had the good fortune of being part of a very special group, with players such as Bastian Schweinsteiger, Franck Ribéry, Thomas Müller, Jérôme Boateng, Manuel Neuer and Toni Kroos hitting top form alongside emerging talents such as David Alaba and Xherdan Shaqiri. Lahm played the entire treble-winning season at right-back, but things were about to change. Fresh from a year-long sabbatical, Pep Guardiola arrived in Munich in 2013 with big ideas and even bigger expectations. He walked into a dressing room of Champions League-winners with the aim of changing things for the better. The degree to which Guardiola was a success is a popular debate, but one specific tactical tweak certainly bore fruit. Bayern’s clash with Chelsea in the Uefa Super Cup early in his first season pitted him against Mourinho. Half an hour into the game, Bayern were losing 1-0 and being suffocated by Chelsea. Guardiola was looking for a way out. In his book Pep Confidential, Martí Perarnau reports that it was Guardiola’s assistant, Domenec Torrent, who suggested moving Lahm from right-back into a defensive midfield role, mid-game, to wrestle back control of the ball. This was not the first time Lahm had played in midfield. In an uninspiring friendly against England in 2007, Lahm had appeared as a No6 in a starting XI bereft of many of the previous summer’s heroes. Guardiola had seen enough of Lahm in training to know he was wasted as a full-back and could be more than a destroyer in midfield. In Lahm, Guardiola saw someone capable of anticipating passes, protecting the ball and instigating attacks. The game turned in Bayern’s favour and Guardiola suddenly had a new crux of his team, a new pivot. Guardiola has since called Lahm the most intelligent player he has coached. His latest metamorphosis was another blurring of the lines between defence and midfield. It made him the perfect player to adopt Guardiola’s intricate tactical plans, allowing other players such as David Alaba, Xabi Alonso and Rafinha to rotate and float between positions. Lahm is a master of receiving the ball and taking it forward in the same movement, his body often deliberately leaning forward. He glides over the field, not just shuttling up and down the right flank, but also drifting deliberately infield, penetrating crowded midfields from a deep right position. And, as his responsibilities were increasingly found in the centre of the pitch, he often took on the role of problem-solver and pacesetter. Lahm’s ability to adopt ideas of what an inverted full-back should be may even have given Guardiola problems in his first season in Manchester; as good and experienced as Pablo Zabaleta, Bacary Sagna and Gaël Clichy may be, they are not Lahm. Lahm may look like every mother-in-law’s dream, but he can rock the boat if he deems it necessary. Unlike other quiet and unassuming stars who keep their opinions to themselves before becoming critical and controversial once they have hung up their boots, Lahm’s most infamous comments came slap bang in the middle of his career, aged 27. In an interview with the Süddeutsche Zeitung in 2009, Lahm accused the Bayern board of working without a defined plan and buying players without a clear philosophy of how to fit them into a tactical system. His comments were not the act of a disgruntled star throwing his toys out of the pram, but someone totally ingrained in the club giving an honest and considered opinion. Having been raised at a club marked by the footprints of vocal, alpha male leaders such as Steffen Effenberg, Oliver Kahn and Michael Ballack, Lahm has been partly responsible for ushering in a different kind of leadership for his club and country, one characterised less by outward aggression and displays of passion, and more by quiet pragmatism, calculation – and no less inspirational. Manuel Neuer is favourite to succeed him as captain and, although the extra responsibility will not weigh down his broad shoulders, filling the void on the pitch may be a different matter. Hopes will undoubtedly be pinned on Joshua Kimmich, but the youngster has had limited opportunities under Ancelotti thus far and the reality is that Bayern may have to recruit two players to compensate for Lahm’s departure. Not only are the club waving goodbye to one of Europe’s best full-backs over the last decade or so, but also an outstanding midfielder with a head full of tactical nous and experience. It is one thing to perform consistently for over a decade at an elite club where mediocrity is not tolerated, but it is something else to have the ability and willingness to continually adapt and evolve your position. Lahm could easily extend his career at a number of elite clubs abroad. Who wouldn’t take a punt on someone with his pedigree, consistency and flexibility? But he has no desire to extend his playing career or boost his bank balance. Lahm has a knack of going out at the top, having packed in international football the day after he lifted the World Cup into the night sky in Rio de Janeiro in 2014. Interestingly, one thing Lahm said during that controversial interview with the Süddeutsche Zeitung in 2009 was that Bayern needed a new type of midfielder – one defenders could look for as a point of reference, an escape route in the centre of the park. He gave prominent examples of players who love possession, such as Andrés Iniesta and Xavi. He was criticised at the time but he turned into the very player he had described. In his final press conference as a Bayern player this week, Lahm said: “I just hope that the fans will remember me as a good footballer.” He did that and then some. After winning eight Bundesliga titles, six German cups, a Champions League and the World Cup, Lahm will lead out Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena for the last time on Saturday afternoon. The chances are he won’t find the top corner like he did 11 years ago against Costa Rica, but you can guarantee the stadium will be rocking just as it did back in 2006. • This article is from Englische Woche • Follow Englische Woche on Twitter Not a bad CV -Philipp Lahm has won eight Bundesliga titles, six German cups, the Champions League and the World Cup- but Xabi Alonso, also hanging up the boots, just shades it.......

A Bentley (from the days when Bentleys were Bentleys).

He inherited a rather straitened squad, with injuries adding to the problem, and one assembled to play Warburton's system. A lot of the players are journeymen, good enough for 3rd in the SPL, but no more. Recruitment of players from lower leagues means that they are likely to be limited technically, and also tactically, the teams in these leagues not being regarded as sophisticated in that regard. What is noticeable is the rather effete way they approach games, with little in the way of competitive spirit, far less grunt, drive, and hard yards. I think that this can be laid at Warburton's door. I think that PC is damned if he does something, and damned if he doesn't. For example, he may flood the midfield with players he sees (and we know) are a little short of required standards, and will be criticised for so doing; or vice versa. I think that we will only see if he is worth his salt next season, after modification of the squad. I would say, in his favour, is that he is a serious minded intellectual coach, and on that basis I should expect the development teams to produce players with a higher degree of tactical education and nous than has maybe been the case in the past. We may also see some of them attaining and maintaining a place in the 1st XI. Some people will not be happy, including those who do not have Rangers' interests at heart, until Derek McInnes is installed as Manager. I don't know why; he has had several years to build a squad, and his side is no nearer challenging the fhilth than it has been since Ferguson.

An interesting chat between Xabi Alonso and the man from The Times. One of football's great mysteries (to me, at least) is why Rafa Benitez, at Liverpool, wished to ditch Alonso in favour of Gareth Barry. https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/sport/southgate-is-trying-to-change-england-but-the-mentality-is-buried-deep-0vl9b7s5s (Paywall) XABI ALONSO INTERVIEW Xabi Alonso interview: ‘Southgate is trying to change England but the mentality is buried deep As he heads for retirement this weekend, Xabi Alonso tells Matt Dickinson why the game is about intelligence not physicality Matt Dickinson, Chief Sports Writer May 18 2017, 12:01am, The Times There is a vintage BMW R100 motorbike sitting in a garage waiting for its owner to rev it up and ride it down the highway. Xabi Alonso is looking forward to opening the throttle. “Well, I have to pass my test first,” he smiles. “But I’ve already done the theory. I’m almost ready to go.” This weekend, almost two decades after a teenage Alonso gave up his two-wheeled machine to focus on making the most of himself as a footballer, one of the best players of his generation will ride off after 18 seasons in which he has not only won so much but accomplished it all with such class, such style. I love a good tackle, but it’s the last resort. It’s better to avoid the tackle, anticipate. How often does Busquets tackle? He doesn’t need to When Alonso decided it was time to announce his imminent retirement, he wondered which moment he would use to accompany the message on Twitter. Would it be the jaw-dropping comeback in Istanbul to win the Champions League with Liverpool in 2005? How about the celebrated La Decima with Real Madrid in 2014? Or his most recent back-to-back Bundesliga championships with Bayern Munich? But, then, how could Alonso possibly overlook the 2010 World Cup with Spain, when he started every game, which was the crowning glory of his country’s unprecedented hat-trick of international triumphs? How could one picture sum up a career? With characteristic thought, Alonso grabbed a pair of boots, wandered over to the park pitch near his home in Munich where his nine-year-old son plays at weekends. Using a phone, his wife took a black and white picture of Alonso, boots in one hand, shy little wave with the other. “Lived it. Loved it. Farewell beautiful game,” he posted. “I couldn’t pick one photo of my career,” he says. “So I thought, ‘Let’s go back to where it all started, a normal football pitch, with my boots. Let’s finish where it began, where the kids play.’ ” It was perfectly done, with no PR hullabaloo; elegant, uncomplicated. It is the same when we sit down in the sunshine at Munich’s relaxed training ground on Säbener Strasse to discuss all that Alonso has achieved, and what happens next. As Philipp Lahm chats a few yards away about his own retirement, Alonso is still not sure what emotions will hit him against Freiburg on Saturday, the last professional game of his life. But, as he counts down every training session, the finale feels right. At 35, he wanted to bow out at the top, not dragging out his career in China for any amount of money. He hoped to go out on a high — lifting the Bundesliga with Bayern is close enough to the peak. Retirement propels many sportsmen into a scary void. “I am at peace with myself,” he says. “When I have time to reflect, I know the memories will be good ones.” Regrets? Well, not quite too few to mention. “Maybe I have three,” he says. “With Real Sociedad, my club, we were one game from winning La Liga [in 2002-03]. With Liverpool we were so close to the Premier League. With Bayern, so close to the Champions League. But maybe that would be too much to ask, too perfect. If you can call them regrets . . . but that’s just football. When I look back, I can be happy that I’ve done what I wanted, dictated my path.” A new direction awaits, and one that will surely take him into coaching. If ever a man seemed hand-crafted for guiding the next generation, it is this most wise of footballers. Not so fast, Alonso says. First he wants a long break, a proper year out after so many years of physical and mental intensity. “Sometimes I think about the games too much,” he says. “I’ve lost a lot of sleep thinking about matches for days before, days after.” There is that motorbike to ride, perhaps some skiing, travel with his family. His son, Jontxu, “a little Scouser” born in Liverpool, is demanding that his father takes him to see the new main stand at Anfield. “I’ve spent my life trying to squeeze everything into four weeks in summer,” he says. “Now I don’t have to plan anything. I have weekends for the first time in 18 years. My wife is thrilled.” But you would bet a lot of money on the game drawing him back, and Alonso seeking to pass on all he has learnt from all those years as the cerebral midfield fulcrum of some of the world’s biggest clubs. Alonso is the boy from the Basque country who came to England in 2004, aged 23. His Liverpool debut came in a bruising defeat by Bolton Wanderers. “I remember [after] 15, 20 minutes I think it was a Kevin Nolan tackle, a ‘welcome to the Premier League tackle,’ ” he laughs. “Then there was [Jussi] Jaaskelainen from his kicks, not even trying to pass, just long balls up to Kevin Davies. I said to myself, ‘This is different. OK, Xabi, you want to make it here, become a pro with Liverpool you need to learn fast.’ ” He won the Champions League, unforgettably, at the end of his first season. From those five seasons at Anfield, Alonso developed a deep fondness for English football. But it is not a blind loyalty. That overt physicality still makes Alonso shake his head with bemusement. We chat about Steven Gerrard’s recent promise to knock out the “showboating mentality” among Liverpool’s under-18s. It is a matter of emphasis and Alonso’s is clear. “You need to be up for the game but, for me, it’s about intelligence,” he says. “If you are afraid of contact, for sure you won’t make it. But the most important thing is to understand the game, like why I need to play a short pass here, a longer pass there. Why take this position not that one. Try to understand the game around you. That’s my idea.” It is a reminder that he once gave an interview despairing that a young player in the Liverpool academy had cited the tackle as his greatest strength. “Tackling isn’t a quality to aspire to,” he said, in a perfectly pitched challenge to English footballing culture. “It was a great controversy,” Alonso says. “And I stick with my opinion. I don’t refuse the tackle. I love a good tackle. But it’s the last resort. “It’s much better to avoid the tackle. Try to anticipate. How many times does [barcelona’s Sergio] Busquets tackle in his position? He’s so ahead of the game, he doesn’t need to. “In England you love to roar, ‘Aaagghhhh,’ it’s part of your game. But it needs to progress like we see with German players now, more adaptable, more flair. You see the success they had at the World Cup, and that was a ten-year process. England, it’s taking longer. You have good young players, [Gareth] Southgate is trying to bring a different way that I like. But the mentality is buried deep.” It would help, he says, if British players travelled more, as he has done. “Who does it? [Gareth] Bale has done it and been a big success but, in the past 20 years, how many other great players abroad? How many since David Platt? But you have everything you want in England, money, famous clubs, so players don’t try to find something else abroad,” he says. Asked to name his favourite young English player, he instantly alights on the versatility and composure of Eric Dier, who just happens to have learnt his game in Portugal. Such a fine player in his own right, with those beautifully stroked passes, Alonso insists that he was most useful for what he could bring out of others. “My job? To be a solution for my team-mates,” he says. “I wasn’t going to be the player to dribble past two opponents and strike from 30 yards. For the ones that could, I could make their job easier. “My idea was never about my game individually. It was always about that collective. If I do this, how does it help the team?” It is another reason why he seems so well suited to coaching, having spent so many years understanding how a team ticks. “It doesn’t mean I am going to be a great coach,” he says. “But will it help? You would hope so.” Additionally, he has worked under some of the most renowned coaches of the past 20 years — Rafa Benítez, José Mourinho, Pep Guardiola, Carlo Ancelotti — and in so many different systems, always the brain of his team. He hates to compare those managers, declining to be drawn into moral arguments about which style is better. “What mattered to me wasn’t which style they used but having a clear vision,” he says. “It’s all about making the players believe in your ideas. “Right way, wrong way? You need to know your players. With the national team, [Andrés] Iniesta, [David] Villa, [David] Silva, we couldn’t play counterattack and run 50 metres. We had to play in their half, to keep control. With Madrid, we had [Gareth] Bale, [Karim] Benzema, [Ángel] Di María and Cristiano [Ronaldo]. That’s very different.” He has not started his coaching badges but, as he moves back to Spain this summer and a life split between San Sebastián and Madrid, the Spanish federation will fast-track him. His mind whirs with ideas. “I have never used sport psychology,” he says. “Maybe it would have helped sometimes when my form was not so good or thinking too hard. That’s a part where football can really develop, in my view.” He mentions Paris Saint-Germain’s collapse to Barcelona in the Champions League, where they lost the second leg 6-1 to lose 6-5 on aggregate. “That fear of losing,” he says. “We could all see it, so, mentally, how do you prepare better to cope with that? Physically, at the top, football is so well developed. Technically, tactically too. Mentally, I don’t know exactly how we can move it on, but I’d like to explore.” Another thought process is how best to develop young players in an environment where the fame and riches grow with each year, turning heads. Alonso puts his own balance down to family. His father, who was a footballer with Barcelona and Real Sociedad, made his son finish his homework before going out to play. “Because my father was a player too it was easier for me, watching that on a daily basis, to deal with the football life. For players who came from difficult backgrounds, neighbourhoods, the transformation is so huge that I can understand that you lose your way. I have some sympathy. “That’s why the people around, an agent, staff from the club, you need to protect young players. That’s part of management. You can’t be a policeman but you have to guide. But it’s easy to talk. The best thing is to show the right way.” As a career to follow, you could not do much better than look to Alonso, though, unusually, there is no autobiography. “To write an interesting book, you need to tell too much,” he says. “Some part of me is shy as well. I like to preserve some parts for me.” It is not that he lacks opinions — far from it — but ask him to pick a best XI of team-mates over his career and he looks pained, saying that just at centre forward, it is impossible to choose between Fernando Torres, Robert Lewandowski, Villa, Benzema and more. “Imagine the texts I get,” he says. “Do I need that?” He is not interested in the froth, the superficial noise, of football but in real accomplishment and improvement. It is why he wants that proper break to recharge. His good friend, Mikel Arteta, jumped at the chance to go straight into coaching under Guardiola but despite Ancelotti offering to take him under his wing, Alonso is insistent that he will take a long pause. “Whatever I try, I want to feel it from my guts, to feel strongly about it,” he says. “I want to get it right. I won’t rush.” So he will ride off into the sunset on Saturday evening, to reflect and think. He will sort out those two big sacks of swapped shirts that have been piled up over the years. He will enjoy his break, talking about a car rally he would love to join. But one day, surely, he will be back in elite football. Alonso as the successful coach of an intelligent, passing team is not at all hard to imagine. And not a bad CV, when all is said and done. ALONSO’S ROLL OF HONOUR Spain 114 caps 16 goals Honours World Cup, 2 European championship (2) Real Sociedad 124 games 10 goals Liverpool 210 games 19 goals Honours Champions League, FA Cup, Super Cup Real Madrid 236 games 6 goals Honours League title, Champions League, Copa Del Rey (2) Bayern Munich 116 games 9 goals Honours League title (3), German Cup Would be useless at Tannadice on a cold and blustery February night, mind.

I think that PC is struggling with a group of players, a significant no of which, in significant positions, are not good enough to compete at SPL level. It is a stretch too far for them, and when you ally this to a complete change of coaching staff, and of coaching philosophies and methods, you are going to see less than optimal performances. Some might have expected that a new coach/manager would have led, automatically, to better performances (an arguable proposition, at best), but what we are seeing is merely the continuing exposure of sub par players. I think that we have to take it on the chin. Mind you, we are 3rd, completely unsatisfactory, but it could be worse, so not everything/everyone is irredeemable. Don't panic. Maybe we should look at PC's time this season as much as experimental as anything else. I think that the time to judge Caixinha is after two transfer windows, ie, more or less this time next year. I hope that I am right.

It was a very poor performance. What we are seeing is a group of players, who as a collective lack drive and will to win. The team lacks heart, and displays little aggression. Some of this will relate to confidence, or, more properly, its lack. That can change, sometimes overnight, but what is more evident, increasingly so, is that a no of experienced players are not up to scratch, not, alas, even as squad members. They lack physical and mental strength, skill, poise, game intelligence, tactical adroitness, and struggle to master some of the very basics of the game (trap, pass, move; defend, ffs!!) A lot of this is obvious, and will be even more noticeable to the coaching staff. We can hope only that PC will be able to bring in some spirited and technically accomplished players, who, and following a judicious sifting of the present staff, with a full pre-season of training and tactical instruction, will lift performances, and results. Of course, Radio Scotland last night (a pre match slaver fest of anti Rangers bitterness, of an intensity surprising even by its disgracefully low standards) was able to advise listeners that Rangers' recruitment will be from the lower leagues in Portugal, and, yes, although I scarcely believed my ears, that this kind of player will not fancy it on a wet February night in Dundee (or wherever). The national broadcaster's default position of Rangers hatred seems to have received unnecessary stimulation from the Club having the temerity to appoint a foreign intellectual as coach, and not Derek McInnes. Personally, I like to think that PC will have, by now, a fairly clear picture of what is needed, and that he will be aware that his team will have to deal with the muck and the nettles. He does not strike me as a stupid man. We await developments with interest.

Granted the Freedom of Ibrox Park.

Too many pusillanimous punters on here. A draw, is it? Indeed, sirs! Rangers 3 Dingy Dons 1 FGS: Garner, J.

Last week, recently anyway, there appeared an article on Gersnet, berating the Club's poor image and its antediluvian approach to the public and to public relations. This week, there are two threads on Gersnet, and another article, identifying difficulties affecting the supporters' organisation Club 1872; soiled linen is on open display. The fact is that the Club 1872 scenario, as evidenced, is an embarrassment; it appears, in terms of administration, governance, management, a shambles (a word I do not use lightly, unlike others); in terms of public relations, image, and marketing, a disaster. Arguably it is a minor matter, of interest only to the Rangers' support, but it does provide an amusing divertissement for our enemies, encourages the enemies of supporter ownership/control, and does little to encourage the Club's board(s) to take criticism by supporters' groups seriously. Would it be unkind to suggest "Physicians, heal thyselves"?

Double post.

From today's Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/who-scored-blog/2017/may/17/premier-league-clubs-player-season-eden-hazard The best player from every Premier League club this season Eden Hazard – not N’Golo Kanté – was the best performer this season, closely followed by Alexis Sánchez, Paul Pogba, Romelu Lukaku and Roberto Firmino By Martin Laurence for WhoScored?, part of the Guardian Sport Network Martin Laurence Wednesday 17 May 2017 10.11 BST Arsenal: Alexis Sánchez, 7.74 The second highest rated player in the entire league, Alexis Sánchez has carried Arsenal for much of the season, scoring 23 goals and laying on 10 assists, all of which have come from open play. He is the only Premier League player to register double figures for both. His workrate has been clear to see once more, winning possession the second most times in the final third (29). Bournemouth: Steve Cook, 7.18 One of just four individuals to play every single minute for their side in the Premier League this season, Steve Cook has developed a reputation as a strong defender at this level. He has drawn admiring glances from a number of clubs, having made the most clearances in the entire division (342). Burnley: Ben Mee, 7.14 Burnley’s home form guaranteed their safety, with much of that down to the performances of Ben Mee and Michael Keane at the heart of the defence. Mee ranks second for clearances (300) and first for shots blocked (46) in the league this season, with his proactive approach to defending a vital reason why Sean Dyche’s side will be back in the league next season. Chelsea: Eden Hazard, 7.79 He may have missed out on the PFA Player of the Year award to team-mate N’Golo Kanté but Eden Hazard has been the top performer in the Premier League according to our statistical ratings. Along with 15 goals and five assists, he has completed the most dribbles (138), drawn the most fouls (98) and created the most chances from open play (75). Crystal Palace: Wilfried Zaha, 7.39 Wilfried Zaha set Crystal Palace on their way to a thumping 4-0 win on Sunday, confirming their place in the Premier League for another season. This has probably been his best season to date, with nine assists and seven goals. Everton: Romelu Lukaku, 7.50 As the top scorer in the Premier League (24 goals without a single penalty), it’s little surprise that Romelu Lukaku is Everton’s highest rated player, having also had the most shots on target this season (51). He has also laid on six assists, while completing more dribbles than any of his team-mates to ensure he is in demand once again this summer. Hull City: Harry Maguire, 7.07 There are a handful of relegated players who are likely to return to the Premier League this season and Harry Maguire is one of them. The 24-year-old has been a standout performer for Hull, having completed more dribbles than any other defender in the league. It’s no wonder a number of clubs are interested in bringing him back to the top flight. Leicester City: Christian Fuchs, 7.06 It was a disappointing title defence from Leicester City, but a top-half finish is still possible following their change of managers in February. Christian Fuchs has again enjoyed a decent campaign, ranking highly for assists (four), tackles per game (2.5) and crosses per game (0.8). Liverpool: Roberto Firmino, 7.55 He may be the least lauded member of Liverpool’s front three but Roberto Firmino has led the line well this season. A return of 11 goals may be modest but his link-up play and workrate from the front ares invaluable to Jürgen Klopp. Only Eden Hazard has created more chances from open play this season (65), while the Brazilian ranks third for possession won in the attacking third (29). Manchester City: Kevin de Bruyne, 7.49 While a goal tally of five is disappointing for a player of Kevin de Bruyne’s considerable talents, his creativity has set him apart. His tally of 15 assists is the highest in the league and only Eden Hazard and Alexis Sánchez have won more of our man of the match awards this season (eight). Manchester United: Paul Pogba, 7.71 A controversial award, no doubt, but Paul Pogba has been influential for Manchester United in the league and in Europe this season. He has averaged the second most passes per game in the Premier League this season (73.7), delivered the second most accurate through balls (12) and also leads the way for United in both key passes (1.9) and dribbles (2.4) per game. Middlesbrough: Calum Chambers, 7.07 It says a lot when your highest rated player for the campaign is on loan from another Premier League club. Calum Chambers has impressed during his time at the Riverside, at centre-back and right-back, and he has made more clearances per game (7.2) than any other Boro player. Like Maguire, he is likely to be playing Premier League football next season, be it with parent club Arsenal or elsewhere. Southampton: Virgil van Dijk, 7.43 When Virgil van Dijk’s season was cut short in January due to a serious knee injury, Southampton fans could have been forgiven for thinking they had seen the last of him in the red and white stripes. The 25-year-old is perhaps the most in-demand defender in the Premier League and for good reason. He has been dominant in the air, winning 4.7 aerial duels per game, and calculated when stepping in to make interceptions, averaging 2.6 per game. It would be a shock if Van Dijk were still at St. Mary’s next season. Stoke City: Joe Allen, 6.94 Stoke City’s big money signing came in the form of Joe Allen and he has not disappointed, even if the team’s form has dipped towards the end of the season. Allen ranks highly for tackles (2.4) and interceptions per game (1.7), with his ball winning ability vital for Mark Hughes’ side. He is also their joint-top scorer in the league. Sunderland: Jordan Pickford, 7.05 Jordan Pickford’s form has been a shining light amid Sunderland’s dreary season. The 23-year-old will surely return to the Premier League this summer, having made more saves per game (4.5) than any other goalkeeper, with his rating of 7.05 the highest in the league. Swansea City: Gylfi Sigurdsson, 7.26 It’s no surprise to see Gylfi Sigurdsson top of the pile at Swansea. He is seventh for key passes (78), second for clear-cut chances created (16) and joint-second for assists (13) in the Premier League. A lot of clubs will be keen to sign Sigurdsson this summer, but Paul Clement really needs to retain the services of the 27-year-old. Tottenham Hotspur: Harry Kane, 7.52 Having become only the fourth player to score at least 20 goals in three consecutive Premier League seasons (after Ruud van Nistelrooy, Thierry Henry and Alan Shearer), Harry Kane took his tally to 22 by scoring Spurs’ last ever goal at the old White Hart Lane. A couple of injuries mean Kane has only started 27 times in the league but he has still mustered the second most shots on target (50) and registered a career-high total of six assists. Watford: José Holebas, 6.99 José Holebas has been a consistent performer for Watford this season, with the experienced left-back topping the assist charts for the club, with four. The 32-year-old has attacked well – he ranks high for key passes (1.1) and dribbles per game (1.3) – without shirking his defensive responsibilities, as shown by his 1.8 tackles and 1.7 interceptions per game. West Bromwich Albion: Gareth McAuley, 7.11 It may seem risky for a club to renew the contract of a 37-year-old but Gareth McAuley remains a crucial player for West Brom and warranted a new deal this year. The Northern Ireland international is a fantasy football favourite, having scored six goals this season – as many as any other defender when excluding penalties. He also leads the way of the Baggies in clearances (6.3) and blocks (0.9) per game. West Ham United: Michail Antonio, 7.25 Michail Antonio was linked with a move to Chelsea earlier in the season and looked reluctant to sign a new deal but he has now put pen to paper on a fresh contract. West Ham will be relieved as he has been their top scorer this season, with nine goals in the league.

From today's Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/who-scored-blog/2017/may/17/premier-league-clubs-player-season-eden-hazard The best player from every Premier League club this season Eden Hazard – not N’Golo Kanté – was the best performer this season, closely followed by Alexis Sánchez, Paul Pogba, Romelu Lukaku and Roberto Firmino By Martin Laurence for WhoScored?, part of the Guardian Sport Network Martin Laurence Wednesday 17 May 2017 10.11 BST Arsenal: Alexis Sánchez, 7.74 The second highest rated player in the entire league, Alexis Sánchez has carried Arsenal for much of the season, scoring 23 goals and laying on 10 assists, all of which have come from open play. He is the only Premier League player to register double figures for both. His workrate has been clear to see once more, winning possession the second most times in the final third (29). Bournemouth: Steve Cook, 7.18 One of just four individuals to play every single minute for their side in the Premier League this season, Steve Cook has developed a reputation as a strong defender at this level. He has drawn admiring glances from a number of clubs, having made the most clearances in the entire division (342). Burnley: Ben Mee, 7.14 Burnley’s home form guaranteed their safety, with much of that down to the performances of Ben Mee and Michael Keane at the heart of the defence. Mee ranks second for clearances (300) and first for shots blocked (46) in the league this season, with his proactive approach to defending a vital reason why Sean Dyche’s side will be back in the league next season. Chelsea: Eden Hazard, 7.79 He may have missed out on the PFA Player of the Year award to team-mate N’Golo Kanté but Eden Hazard has been the top performer in the Premier League according to our statistical ratings. Along with 15 goals and five assists, he has completed the most dribbles (138), drawn the most fouls (98) and created the most chances from open play (75). Crystal Palace: Wilfried Zaha, 7.39 Wilfried Zaha set Crystal Palace on their way to a thumping 4-0 win on Sunday, confirming their place in the Premier League for another season. This has probably been his best season to date, with nine assists and seven goals. Everton: Romelu Lukaku, 7.50 As the top scorer in the Premier League (24 goals without a single penalty), it’s little surprise that Romelu Lukaku is Everton’s highest rated player, having also had the most shots on target this season (51). He has also laid on six assists, while completing more dribbles than any of his team-mates to ensure he is in demand once again this summer. Hull City: Harry Maguire, 7.07 There are a handful of relegated players who are likely to return to the Premier League this season and Harry Maguire is one of them. The 24-year-old has been a standout performer for Hull, having completed more dribbles than any other defender in the league. It’s no wonder a number of clubs are interested in bringing him back to the top flight. Leicester City: Christian Fuchs, 7.06 It was a disappointing title defence from Leicester City, but a top-half finish is still possible following their change of managers in February. Christian Fuchs has again enjoyed a decent campaign, ranking highly for assists (four), tackles per game (2.5) and crosses per game (0.8). Liverpool: Roberto Firmino, 7.55 He may be the least lauded member of Liverpool’s front three but Roberto Firmino has led the line well this season. A return of 11 goals may be modest but his link-up play and workrate from the front ares invaluable to Jürgen Klopp. Only Eden Hazard has created more chances from open play this season (65), while the Brazilian ranks third for possession won in the attacking third (29). Manchester City: Kevin de Bruyne, 7.49 While a goal tally of five is disappointing for a player of Kevin de Bruyne’s considerable talents, his creativity has set him apart. His tally of 15 assists is the highest in the league and only Eden Hazard and Alexis Sánchez have won more of our man of the match awards this season (eight). Manchester United: Paul Pogba, 7.71 A controversial award, no doubt, but Paul Pogba has been influential for Manchester United in the league and in Europe this season. He has averaged the second most passes per game in the Premier League this season (73.7), delivered the second most accurate through balls (12) and also leads the way for United in both key passes (1.9) and dribbles (2.4) per game. Middlesbrough: Calum Chambers, 7.07 It says a lot when your highest rated player for the campaign is on loan from another Premier League club. Calum Chambers has impressed during his time at the Riverside, at centre-back and right-back, and he has made more clearances per game (7.2) than any other Boro player. Like Maguire, he is likely to be playing Premier League football next season, be it with parent club Arsenal or elsewhere. Southampton: Virgil van Dijk, 7.43 When Virgil van Dijk’s season was cut short in January due to a serious knee injury, Southampton fans could have been forgiven for thinking they had seen the last of him in the red and white stripes. The 25-year-old is perhaps the most in-demand defender in the Premier League and for good reason. He has been dominant in the air, winning 4.7 aerial duels per game, and calculated when stepping in to make interceptions, averaging 2.6 per game. It would be a shock if Van Dijk were still at St. Mary’s next season. Stoke City: Joe Allen, 6.94 Stoke City’s big money signing came in the form of Joe Allen and he has not disappointed, even if the team’s form has dipped towards the end of the season. Allen ranks highly for tackles (2.4) and interceptions per game (1.7), with his ball winning ability vital for Mark Hughes’ side. He is also their joint-top scorer in the league. Sunderland: Jordan Pickford, 7.05 Jordan Pickford’s form has been a shining light amid Sunderland’s dreary season. The 23-year-old will surely return to the Premier League this summer, having made more saves per game (4.5) than any other goalkeeper, with his rating of 7.05 the highest in the league. Swansea City: Gylfi Sigurdsson, 7.26 It’s no surprise to see Gylfi Sigurdsson top of the pile at Swansea. He is seventh for key passes (78), second for clear-cut chances created (16) and joint-second for assists (13) in the Premier League. A lot of clubs will be keen to sign Sigurdsson this summer, but Paul Clement really needs to retain the services of the 27-year-old. Tottenham Hotspur: Harry Kane, 7.52 Having become only the fourth player to score at least 20 goals in three consecutive Premier League seasons (after Ruud van Nistelrooy, Thierry Henry and Alan Shearer), Harry Kane took his tally to 22 by scoring Spurs’ last ever goal at the old White Hart Lane. A couple of injuries mean Kane has only started 27 times in the league but he has still mustered the second most shots on target (50) and registered a career-high total of six assists. Watford: José Holebas, 6.99 José Holebas has been a consistent performer for Watford this season, with the experienced left-back topping the assist charts for the club, with four. The 32-year-old has attacked well – he ranks high for key passes (1.1) and dribbles per game (1.3) – without shirking his defensive responsibilities, as shown by his 1.8 tackles and 1.7 interceptions per game. West Bromwich Albion: Gareth McAuley, 7.11 It may seem risky for a club to renew the contract of a 37-year-old but Gareth McAuley remains a crucial player for West Brom and warranted a new deal this year. The Northern Ireland international is a fantasy football favourite, having scored six goals this season – as many as any other defender when excluding penalties. He also leads the way of the Baggies in clearances (6.3) and blocks (0.9) per game. West Ham United: Michail Antonio, 7.25 Michail Antonio was linked with a move to Chelsea earlier in the season and looked reluctant to sign a new deal but he has now put pen to paper on a fresh contract. West Ham will be relieved as he has been their top scorer this season, with nine goals in the league.

I said this last week: I am inclined to ignore -completely- reports of transfer targets who appear to be players in whom we may have been interested, if our Manager was not a Portuguese intellectual with only a handful of games in Scotland under his mortar board. I stand to be corrected, of course, but it seems to me that the football media speculate, ironically firing blanks to avoid, well, blanks, the latter anathema in their world. It is the journalistic equivalent of talking for talking's sake.

He is foreign - he doesn't understand Scottish fitba'. He is an intellectual - he doesn't understand Scottish fitba'. He is inclined to state his views candidly, and to explain his reasoning - he (certainly) doesn't understand Scottish fitba'. I am disinclined to rush to judgement on Caixinha, whose greatest transgression (oxymoron alert!) in the minds of the Scottish fitba' intelligentsia, is that he is Manager/Head Coach of Rangers. The time to form an opinion will be up to a year hence: only then, ie this time next year, and barring disaster, will we be able to take a measured view on his recruitment, training, coaching, discipline, and all the associated and ancillary stuff that go to make up a modern management regime, at a modern football club.

Oh Cherlie Shaw, he never saw Whaur Alan Morton pit the ba' And when the ba' was in the net Oh Cherlie Shaw he sat and gret (My grandfather's song.)

Part 1: 41mins https://www.acast.com/thebiginterviewwithgrahamhunter/waltersmith-allroadsleadtorome Part 2: 38mins https://www.acast.com/thebiginterviewwithgrahamhunter/waltersmith-gazza-laudrupandtherangersrevolution

The play off system is worth supporting, if only because it produces the only important decisions in Scottish fitba' which are not made in the boardroom of the piggery.

This season has seen Kenny Miller shoulder the burden of a position that many believe does not exist: Defensive Midfield Striker

Congratulations to Giovanni van Bronckhorst. The boy done well..... Feyenoord won their first Dutch title since 1999 thanks to captain Dirk Kuyt's hat-trick in their win over Heracles Almelo on the final day. Giovanni van Bronckhorst's side needed to win, with Ajax one point behind them, and nerves were settled when 36-year-old Kuyt pounced on a defensive mistake to score the opener after 38 seconds. He headed in his second in the 12th minute and scored a penalty late on before Peter van Ooijen's consolation. Ajax won 3-1 at Willem II,and finished 2nd. Note the following Their manager Peter Bosz fielded the youngest starting XI in Eredivisie history for the game, with an average age of 20 years and 139 days. Captain Davy Klaassen, at the age of 24, was the only player over 21 starting. But goals from Kasper Dolberg, Davinson Sanchez and Klaassen proved to be in vain for their title hopes.

A bit light in the loafers all round.