Archive still of Hong Kong Souey from his playing days at Ayresome Park, where he demonstrates his sliding tackle technique to an out of shot Bobby Murdoch.
The Scottish Patient has a hunch about the Huns, and the current ongoing corruption investigation involving themselves, Newcastle Utd (poor old Fat Sam; wherever he parks his arse, you know that the headlines are not just for the back pages) and 'Play Pay Up' Pompey.
I'm not going to do the old 'no smoke without fire' routine. I'm simply going to sit back and revel in any potential disruption it may cause a currently resurgent R*ngers team for the coming season.
The Hib'ster's Case For A Prosecution?
Back in 2004, R*ngers sign Jean-Alain Boumsong on a free transfer from Auxerre and, little more than six months later, sell him to a Souness managed Newcastle Utd for eight million pounds.
Granted, splashing out eight million squid on a player who then proceeds to have the worst run of footballing form this side of San Marino reserves does, at first glance, look a bit iffy, but I think Kev's looking at it from the wrong angle.
If slapping a black and white jersey on Boumsong, planking him in the penalty box at St James Park, and then whispering the simple instructions in his ear: "If the ball comes within five yards of you, run away . . ." was what it took to make Titus Bramble look half-competent in the centre of the Newcastle Utd defence by comparison and by default, then I'm sure we can all concur that it was money well spent. It just meant that Will Rubbish and his bretheren had to fork out for a few more XXXL 'Toon replica kits that season to make up for the shortfall in NUFC finances.
Not even Kev throwing in the little matter of the Barry Ferguson questionable transfer to a Souness managed Blackburn Rovers in 2003 for seven and half million pounds, only for him to be sold back to R*ngers eighteen months later for a set of tracksuits and a job-lot of fire-damaged zippo lighters can help revive the case for the prosecution.
Souness the Manager's talent for spotting a decent player was always in inverse proportion to Souness the Midfield General's talent for spotting an opponent's shinguard-less ankle with the studs of his boots.
Remember this was the bloke who, when he was manager of Benfica, didn't think Deco was worth a place in his side, but with a straight face signed Steve Harkness and Brian Deane.
Shame, that in all probability, there isn't any substance to the specualtion, 'cos I was looking forward to spending the next 97 minutes - 90 minutes + 7 minutes of injury time in homage to Souness - racking my brains, trying to think up an apt title for the post that somehow played on Souness's nickname with a seventies cartoon character.
Maybe next time.
*Wishful thinking for one of Kevin's commenters that Rangers finally achieve an apt comparison with Juventus.
1 comment:
That tackle on George Beastie McCluskey in 1986 should convince anyone that the man with the tash is criminally insane. There is no case for the defence.
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