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In the summer of 1968, Tottenham midfielder Dave Mackay agreed to become player-manager of his beloved boyhood team Hearts. Upon hearing the news on the grapevine, Derby boss Brian Clough drove down to London to see if he could step in and strike a deal for the Scottish living legend before any contract was signed. Mackay took some convincing – Clough had to make several trips, always in his chairman’s white Rolls-Royce in the hope of impressing the player – but eventually the player agreed to drop down a division and sign for the Rams. Clever Cloughie! Persistent Cloughie! Pints of Bell’s all round!
It’s questionable whether this sort of brazen stalking would work today, which is probably why Pip Cocu hasn’t spent half his summer wheelspinning around Washington DC in the biggest Hummer he could rent, honking the horn and performing skids up and down National Mall, donuts in front of the Lincoln Memorial, and epic burnouts on the grass at the front of the White House. That’s no way to grab the attention of a slightly jaded soccer star these days, is it, and the feds would probably want a quiet word too. Nevertheless, the current Derby manager has still convinced DC United forward Wayne Rooney to become the Mackay de nos jours and join the Rams as player-coach in January for their now-annual ill-fated push for promotion.
So much for historic precedent, then, you might say. But there are more similarities between Mackay and Rooney than is first apparent. Both were among the world’s best in their position during their heyday. Both were integral parts of the greatest XI their club has ever fielded. Both are unassuming gentlemen of few words, though if you don’t heed their point of view when they do speak, and they start breathing a little heavier through the nose, it’s probably best to take a couple of steps back. Perfect coaching material, in other words. Mackay went on to secure promotion for Derby as a player, then under his managerial yoke they became champions of England just a few years later. No pressure, then, Wayne. No pressure at all.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“By god, I did not make a VAR signal. That is done with a small square of television. I do not know where they got that I consulted a TV screen or that they had passed me information from another place. The intercom is used only by the four officials. They have misunderstood it, for the controversy. I just pointed at my hand, used body language so that everyone knows that there was an offence” – referee Raúl Orosco claims he did not consult a non-existent VAR in a match in Bolivia to give a 96th-minute penalty, despite looking for all the world like he did.
FIVER LETTERS
“I stopped reading The Fiver for a few years around 2011-13. I would suggest that was a golden era for both The Fiver (because I wasn’t writing letters) and myself (because, well …)” – Andrew Tate.
“I am moved to write in response to all the negativity that typically fills your Letters section, the unkind remarks about your insight and comedic prowess. As a Colonial who knows just enough about football to know that I know bugger all, I just want to say that I look forward to your mid-day tea-timely email. Most days I learn something and, indeed, very often have a chuckle. But then as I freely admit, I am pig-ignorant” – Nicholas Wallace (and no others).
“First Alisson. Now Adrián. Is it just me or is Jürgen Klopp’s transfer policy not a little Beautiful South driven?” – Daniel Kennedy.
“Reading about Adrián! Adrián! and his transfer to the comfy seats of Anfield has reminded me of the magnificent ‘Tony Bonus’. Tony Warner spent five years at Liverpool, made a grand total of zero appearances but had the best part of 120 win bonuses” – Tony Crawford.
Send your letters to the.boss@theguardian.com. And you can always tweet The Fiver via @guardian_sport. Today’s winner of our prizeless letter o’the day is … Nicholas Wallace, but from tomorrow Fiver letters prizes are back, so get scribbling!
NEWS, BITS AND BOBS
Dario Gradi had information that could have stopped a serial sex offender, an independent inquiry into football’s sexual-abuse scandal has revealed.
All WSL matches are to be streamed live on a snazzy new app dedicated to women’s football launched by the FA.
Bristol City will not kick the ball out of play when an opponent is knacked, unless they have suffered a head injury, and have written to every other Championship club to jolly well explain why.
Laurent Koscielny’s summer mardyness is set to finally be rewarded with a move to Bordeaux for £4.6m. In his stead Unai Emery is seeking to bring in Leipzig’s Dayot Upamecano and Juve’s Daniele Rugani, though they won’t come cheap.
Nottingham Forest have banned a piece of work who aimed “horrific abuse” at Derby’s Duane Holmes on Twitter.
German third-tier club Chemnitzer have sacked their striker Daniel Frahn after accusing him of openly expressing sympathy with neo-Nazi groups.
Virgil van Dijk has done a mind game on Harry Maguire, warning Manchester United’s new recruit that the defender’s stonking £80m price tag will put him under the microscope. “It is not easy to completely shut off all the pressure. Personally, I like to put things in perspective,” he advised.
And Crystal Palace have signed Gary Cahill, 78, thwarting the claret and blue interest from Burnley, West Ham and Aston Villa.
RECOMMENDED LOOKING
It’s your man David Squires … on what to expect in the new Premier League season.
STILL WANT MORE?
Premier League pre-season previews: the latest two under Big Website’s microscope are Daniel Farke’s Norwich and Still Bernard Cribbins’s Newcastle.
Why are Ajax in Big Cup’s third qualifying round? Don’t let the regrettably necessary use of the word “coefficient” put you off Simon Burnton’s piece on the quirks and occasional injustices of the competition’s format.
Wolves’ Max Kilman tells Jamie Fahey about what he learned from futsal.
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