RB’S CAT WAS REARED BY BULLS

THE goalkeeper who stands between Liverpool and the Champions League quarter-finals is a former Anfield back-up cat who was hardened by a horror loan spell at Hereford United.

Tuesday’s clash pits RB

Leipzig’s Peter Gulacsi

(right) against the club he joined as a teenager from

MTK Budapest. Reds boss

Rafael Benitez sent the Hungarian out on loan to Hereford, fighting for survival in League One.

Gulacsi, now 30, was the Bulls’ fifth keeper of a wretched season and recalled: “The games were a bit like a training session because I had almost 20 shots to save every time.” He shipped 32 goals in his 18 games as Hereford finished bottom. Josh

Gowling, who played in that team and is now boss of phoenix club Hereford FC, admitted: “They weren’t all Peter’s fault. A keeper’s only as good as his centre-halves – and I was one of his!

“From day one, you could see Peter had good feet, was a shotstopper and believed in himself.”

The experience clearly didn’t hurt – Gulacsi was a Champions League semi-finalist last season.

LEON OSMAN reckons the next seven days can shape the fortunes of Everton’s season.

Carlo Ancelotti’s side begin what could be a defining period at home to Fulham tonight before league leaders Manchester City visit Goodison Park on Wednesday.

Then comes the Merseyside derby with Liverpool at Anfield, by which point Everton could be above their bitter rivals and occupying one of the Champions

League spots. It is almost a decade since the Toffees finished a season ahead of Liverpool, with Osman (right) a key figure in the squad which did so in 2012/13.

They ended that campaign one place above them in sixth, but Osman insists repeating that feat should not be the primary focus with a great prize on offer.

“Look at Spurs, they were in the title race at one point then after a bad run of results they’re out of it,” he said.

“Chelsea were talked about being title challengers at the start, then Frank Lampard is out of a job because they were drifting, and Thomas Tuchel comes in and a few wins sees them back up the table pushing for the Champions League. “Manchester City seem to be stealing a lead at the top but the rest is all up for grabs. Liverpool have found themselves in poor form at an important time.

“It’s not just for Everton to think they can finish above them. It’s for everyone in and around those positions.

“Teams playing Liverpool over the last 18 months probably would have always been thinking about getting out of the game having conceded as few goals as possible, such was Liverpool’s dominance. Teams now are going to fancy playing against them or at least see it as more of an opportunity because of the form they’re in.”

Everton are now looking to build on their last three positive results, which saw them beat Leeds at Elland Road, nick a lastminute equaliser at Manchester United, as well as beat Tottenham 5-4 in a thrilling FA Cup tie.

“Confidence comes from the manager because he is so calm and collected,” Osman said.

“He’s a reassuring figure because he has been there and done it all before in his career.”

has not Paul Pogba heights the reached that of the talent know his fans is there

CHRIS SAMBA reckons that if Sam Allardyce can’t keep West Brom in the Premier League then no one can.

Former Blackburn defender Samba, 36, worked with Big Sam for two years at Ewood Park from 2008 – and became a £12million player in the process.

He believes 66-year-old Allardyce (right) took The Hawthorns job in December in a bid to wipe away the stain on his reputation caused by the controversy of an ill-fated England reign.

But while the Baggies go into today’s clash with Manchester United cut adrift in the relegation zone, Samba insists they’ve got the best man for the job. He said: “When it comes to rescuing clubs from a bad situation, I would say in all confidence that Sam Allardyce is the best manager in England.

“He has saved so many clubs before that I could understand why West

Brom asked him to do the same for them. But this is probably the biggest challenge Sam has had in his career.

“My advice to the West Brom players would be to trust in him

100 per cent because he is much more than the traditional British manager his critics say he is.

“When he came to Blackburn we had gone from a club that had overachieved under Mark Hughes to one that had badly lost its way under Paul Ince. No-one gave us a chance. But Sam gave us an identity and a belief that it wasn’t too late to rescue ourselves.”

And Allardyce was proved right, as Rovers survived.

West Brom have the worst defence in the Premier League and only Burnley and Sheffield United have scored fewer goals. Samba said: “Most of the time, the teams that succeed – whether that is winning the league or beating relegation – have a solid defence.

“When Sam came to Blackburn, he spoke to us about the basics of defending. If you keep a clean sheet then one goal wins you the game – and winning 1-0 is still three points.”

Samba added: “People will ask why someone his age would come back to take up such a stressful job.

“I think Sam feels he has something to prove because he will worry deep down that what happened with England has damaged his reputation.

“When you love football like him, you can’t suddenly decide to hate the game even if you feel that there has been an injustice.

“Football is in Sam’s DNA and he has a human quality that enables him to rally all the players to his cause.”

football was only played at a small number of independent schools,” said a senior figure at the Independent Schools Football Association (ISFA).

“Football was seen as the working man’s sport and rugby was seen as the sport played by gentlemen.

“That has now been turned completely on its head — and players like Patrick are poster boys for that transformation.

“Football is now a major part of youth culture. More and more [non-state] schools have found that they have to offer football to satisfy the demands of pupils and parents.

“The fact is that kids want to play football, regardless of their background.

“And the more role models there are — players like Patrick and Hudson-Odoi — then the more that number will grow.”

The most recent England squad contained four independent school graduates in the form of Pope, Keane, Mings and Jude Bellingham.

And given Bamford’s impressive form for Leeds in the run-up to their match against Arsenal this afternoon, it’s not outlandish to suggest that he could soon join that group in England’s elite.

Bamford has scored 12 goals in just 22 appearances as Leeds have enjoyed an spectacular return to the top flight.