Sunday Mirror (Northern Ireland)
RALPH’S UP FOR FA CUP
RALPH HASENHUTTL believes Southampton can rewrite the record books – for a second time this season.
Saints hit the top of the Premier League in November, somewhere they had never been before.
Now boss Hasenhuttl (below) fancies FA Cup glory for the first time since 1976 after drawing Championship Bournemouth in the quarter-finals.
He said: “We can rewrite history still. We have already written positive history, with our first time at the top of the
Premier League table in club history.
“Hopefully, we can now do this in the Cup too.”
are Even though fans inside Goodison, not
Ancelotti is trying to bring some joy in hard times
Olsen, Coleman,
Keane, Holgate, Godfrey, Gomes, Doucoure, James, Sigurdsson,
Richarlison,
King Areola, Tete,
Andersen, Adarabioyo,
Lemina, Robinson, Anguissa, Reid, Loftus-Cheek,
Lookman; Cavaleiro
CARLO ANCELOTTI is a class act, no doubt, and he has made Everton genuine European contenders.
They’re not going away now, they will be right up there in the argument for the top four. They are resilient, organised, and every player knows his job.
And I believe that Carlo (above) has been helped, in a sense, by the lack of fans over the past year. Bear with me.
I know it sounds a little absurd, but I think it has taken the pressure off him.
Just before the first lockdown, Everton were on a bad run which stretched to the end of the season.
After his brilliant start, they won three of their last 12 matches.
I have friends and family who are big Everton fans, and they were questioning him. I can’t help wondering what it would have been like if fans had been in the stadium.
Carlo has done his stuff and got his side organised, difficult to beat, got great results without always playing great football, and away from the demands of the fans, I think he got the space and time to do that.
Now they are playing well, scoring goals and looking like a side who no one wants to play.
I’m not for one second saying it’s a positive to not have fans.
It’s a tragedy for football – but I do wonder if it helped Ancelotti weave his brand of magic.
DAVID MILLS was the first £500,000 signing by a British club – but he freely admits it is football’s “forgotten’’ transfer milestone.
Striker Mills moved from Middlesbrough to West Bromwich Albion for £516,000 – to be exact – in January 1979, but the following month the deal was eclipsed when Trevor Francis became Britain’s first millionpound man.
Brian Clough took forward Francis from Birmingham City to Nottingham Forest for a fee the legendary manager mischievously quoted as £999,999… although with increments, it topped the seven-figure mark.
Francis was soon conquering Europe with Forest (below), but Mills was only at The Hawthorns for three years and late in his career returned to Boro as player-coach – driving the team bus for the cashstrapped Ayresome Park outfit on a pre-season tour.
Now 69, and senior scout at Leicester, Mills said of his Baggies move: “It is forgotten because people tend to look at the first million-pound deal.
“When I went for my fee, Kevin Keegan had gone from Liverpool to Hamburg for less (£500,000), Kenny Dalglish had gone from Celtic to Liverpool for less (£440,000) and Gordon McQueen had gone from Leeds to Manchester United for less (£495,000).’’
Ron Atkinson was the Baggies boss who splashed out on Mills. “The initial offer was something like £325,000 and it was turned down,’’ the player recalled.
“It went up and up until it got to half a million. In those days, a percentage of the transfer fee went to the player and a percentage went to the Football League, so all in it was £516,000.
“I’d been with Boro all my career, but things had started to change after
Jack Charlton’s time in charge.
“Graeme Souness had gone to
Liverpool and I had the feeling things weren’t going to be the same.
“Boro were looking to make money by selling their better players.
“John Neal was manager and he came to my house to see if I was going to accept the offer. It was a tough call because it was my testimonial year and I would have preferred to wait until the end of the season.
“But West Brom were desperate to sign me. They were a good side, with the so-called ‘Three Degrees’ – Cyrille Regis, Laurie Cunningham and
Brendon Batson.
“They also had Bryan Robson, Ally Brown, Tony Brown, Derek Statham, Ally Robertson and John Wile.
“That winter was horrendous and there were games called off for weeks. I finally made my debut at Coventry and scored. But I tore my Achilles in a testimonial for Birmingham’s Garry Pendrey at the end of the season.
“I was in and out of the team after that and Ron eventually left for Manchester United. Ronnie Allen came in as manager followed by Ron Wylie.
“I went to Newcastle on loan under Arthur Cox before rejoining Big Jack at Sheffield Wednesday. After Howard Wilkinson took over, I ended up going to Newcastle in a swap deal with Imre Varadi.
“But looking back, I don’t regret the move to West Brom.
“I made what I thought was the right decision at the time.’’
Mills added: “I ended up back at Middlesbrough in 1984-85 and they had no money. Willie Maddren asked me to go back as player-coach – but I didn’t realise he meant I had to drive the bus!
“We went to Scotland in pre-season. We couldn’t afford a proper coach to travel, so I drove a mini-bus. I also handled all the kit and played in all the games. I’ve never worked so hard in my life. But I absolutely loved it.’’