Ray Farningham

BEST MANAGER YOU PLAYED FOR?

TOMMY McLEAN at Motherwell. He was brilliant at getting the best out of his players.

BEST PLAYER YOU PLAYED WITH?

BOBBY RUSSELL, again at Fir Park. Bobby was just brilliant on the ball and it was ridiculous he never won a full Scotland cap.

BEST PLAYER YOU PLAYED AGAINST?

LIVERPOOL’S Jan Molby gets my vote because he was the one guy I came up against on a football pitch I just could not get near to.

BIGGEST TURNING POINT IN YOUR CAREER?

I WAS working as a bricklayer’s labourer for Paul Tosh’s building company when, out of the blue, Jocky Scott offered me the chance to become assistant manager with Dundee. That was a big one.

BEST GOAL YOU SCORED?

MY diving header which gave Motherwell victory over Rangers at Ibrox back in the days of Graeme Souness, Trevor Steven and Terry Butcher. It was a whole lot of fun.

BIGGEST ACHIEVEMENT IN YOUR CAREER?

I CAN’T split my title wins with Dundee, Dunfermline and Forfar Athletic. All were great in their own way.

BIGGEST INFLUENCE ON YOUR CAREER?

IT would have to be my father, Robert, who took me everywhere when I was a kid and was a constant source of encouragement. I wouldn’t have made it without him.

MOST MEMORABLE GAME?

MOTHERWELL 2, Liverpool 2 at Fir Park in 1986 in a match held to celebrate Well’s centenary. I have always been a Liverpool fan and this one gave me the chance to play against my heroes – Kenny Dalglish, Ian Rush and Jan Molby.

BEST STORY ABOUT A TEAM-MATE?

IN the interests of decency I will have to make it about one of my coaches. John Lambie at Partick Thistle had a great way of getting us fit in pre-season. He took a bag of golf balls to Glasgow’s Bellahouston Park, battered them out one at a time with a six iron and we had to run to the ball and back again. Not exactly scientific but it got you fit!

SECRET ABOUT YOU?

EVERYONE knows I am a Dundee fan but not many are also aware I started my career across the road at United. I was a Tannadice S-form but Jim McLean let me go because he said I was too small. To be fair, I did grow!