‘Fighter’ Alonso hopes battle to win his father’s respect can inspire his Celtic side on final day

FOR A full year, a long silence hung heavy between Fran Alonso and his dad, Paco.

One was chasing a dream via a £5-an-hour cleaning job in a foreign country, the other irked at the ‘stupidity’ of such a move.

It was an inauspicious start to a new life. Working as a housekeeper without a word of English, Alonso volunteered in grassroots refereeing and then launched his own football training school for kids before finding evening coaching work with the Southampton Foundation Under-8s.

He then got his first lucky break when he was asked to translate for newly-arrived Uruguayan midfielder Gaston Ramirez. When Saints manager Nigel Adkins was sacked shortly after, Mauricio Pochettino’s arrival proved to be a sliding doors moment for Alonso.

‘When I first came to the UK, my dad was not happy,’ said the Spaniard (right). ‘Back in Spain, I had to pass a few assessments to work for the council to get my garden landscaper license. It is a job for life.

‘It could still be my job — I am on a 15-year break!

‘When I said I was leaving because I wanted to try to become a football coach, my dad was disappointed. He thought it was stupid. We did not speak for around a year.

‘The day that Mauricio came to Southampton and made me part of his technical staff, I phoned home. ‘Always when I had called home I had spoken to my mum, Miraglos, but not my dad. That day from St Mary’s, I walked out of his office and called my dad first. ‘I couldn’t speak.

Even now when I think about it, I get emotional. I was crying and couldn’t quite get the words out because I was so upset.

‘He said to me, sharply: “What do you mean?” He couldn’t believe it. It was a magical moment for me. I had been in his bad books and I wanted him to be the first to hear it.’

It is a story which offers a window into how Alonso’s Celtic team play; gritty, determined and with a bit of fortitude about them.

If titles were won on paper, Alonso’s side would not be within touching distance of a first SWPL title, not when their budget is dwarfed by Rangers and Glasgow City. But there is a resilience about Celtic under Alonso that is inescapably part of the fabric of the Spaniard.

‘I played football as a kid,’ said Alonso. ‘I was quite talented, or so I thought. But my dad would never acknowledge that. I would ask him after games: “Who was the best player on the team?” and he would say: “Pedro”. And after that? And I would keep going until he said my name but he would never, ever say it first.

‘I always tried to fight hard and at first I think it was to impress my dad.

‘After all this, he is a massive fan of Celtic and a massive fan of me, but he never made things easy for me.

‘But if you don’t take yourself out of your comfort zone then you will never grow. So much is your attitude; you cannot stand still. You always have to test yourself, to do it the hard way.

‘I think the team and I have something in common in that we like a challenge and we are not afraid of it. We have embraced the pressure and you see that in our performances.’

Not that his heart-on-sleeve theatrics on the touchline have endeared him to all.

There have been criticisms from opposition coaches while there was a narrative that circulated that Alonso’s whooping of delight when Celtic scored a last-minute leveller against Rangers back in March invited the headbutt that came shortly after from Ibrox coach Craig McPherson.

‘Managers and coaches cannot be fake,’ he said. ‘If you are someone who quits, it is very difficult to have a team who doesn’t give up.

‘I am a fighter. I suffered when I first came here. I know that to get the best things in life, you have to be willing to suffer. Without suffering, you cannot grow.

‘I quit a very good job just to chase a dream. My players know I will do anything. Anything. Even when we have tough defeats, we stand together and we never quit.’

Alonso’s side need a win over Hearts today but they also need the pieces to fall kindly for them in the other game at Ibrox.

Glasgow City require only a win against Rangers and the title — a 15th in 16 years — is theirs. A Rangers win and a Celtic win and the title will be settled on goal difference, of which Malky Thomson’s side is currently better by one.

Should that also be level, then the league will be settled on who has scored the most goals. Alonso’s side top that by two.

‘We want to score three, four, five goals but to do that we must first score one,’ he said. ‘That only happens with total concentration and focus. That is all we can do. We will be aware of what is happening because there is a big crowd expected and I am sure they will let us know, but we have to focus.’

He has allowed himself to dream. ‘It is tricky,’ added Alonso. ‘But I have. Obviously I have.

‘It is very emotional. I hope we win it but, regardless of what happens, I am extremely proud of these players.’