SOUNESS NOW AFTER 50 YEARS IN THE GAME

This podcast is celebrating Graham Souness' 50th year in football, a player who has left his mark on the game and on several oppositions shins.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2017/10/19/total-football-podcastgraeme-souness-special/
Souness started his career playing for Tynecastle Boys in Edinburgh, a youth club that has provided football with may young stars. You may find them still appearing at the Gothia Cup in Sweden every July where they make a very good fist of the international tournament.

Souness joined Tottenham having signed forms in 1968 at 15 years old and he appeared briefly for the Spurs from 1970-2. Indeed he appeared at Fenners, Cambridge against the University side as a youth player and we had to cope with him a several other starlets under the care of Bill Nicholson.

Not having much luck at Spurs, the young Souness went to Montreal Olympique one summer and then joined Middlesbrough for £30,000, playing over 170 times up to 1978. He then briefly went to West Adelaide, landing at Liverpool later that year and made his name over 247 games. He then joined Sampdoria (56 apps), a phase in the club's history involving players such as Trevor Francis, Vialli, and Mancini and came back as player-manager at Rangers. During the 1974-86 he played 50 times for Scotland.

Management then took over where he made a name for himself at Rangers and established the "Souness Revolution" during the ban of British clubs due to the Heysel tragedy, drawing in English players like Terry Butcher, Trevor Francis, Ray Wilkins and  Gary Stevens. It must be said there were moments of ill-discipline during his time in Scotland and indeed he wound up the authorities by signing Mo Johnston, a Catholic.

Remarkably Souness went manage Galatasaray in the furnace of Turkish football between 1994-96, laying out the club flag across the centre circle after his team had beaten arch rivals Fenerbache in the Turkish Cup Final. he became known as "Ulubatli" after a hero from the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople.

There should have been quieter times at Southampton but he fell out with the board and signed an unknown called Ali Dia from Senegal, apparently on the recommendation of George Weah, though this proved to be a fake. Dia actually made an embarrasing start in a professional league match!
Souness then spent a short time with Torino.

He brought British players Dean Saunders and Brian Deane to Benfica (1997-9) when he was in charge, but refused to sign Deco! After spells at Blackburn Rovers (2000-04) and Newcastle (2004-6), he was voted "Worst Manager" by the Observer Sports Monthly and appeared in "Boys from the Blackstuff"  along with Sammy Lee. He now lives with his second wife at Sandbanks, Dorset, not far from Harry Redknapp and many other millionaires.

Souness did win; 5 English League titles, 3 European Cups, 4 League Cups as well as the European Golden Boot (1980-1), he earned 50 caps for his country, was put on the Roll of Honour in the Scottish National Football Hall as well as voted into the English Hall of Fame and now as you know is a very good pundit with Sky.