During my playing career, I had the good fortune to work with some excellent coaches. In fact, my decision to leave Darlington FC to join Dundee United FC was made primarily because of the coaches I would be working with.

Paul Sturrock was the manager, with John (Sloop) Blackley as his assistant. Terry Butcher was the youth team coach, and Maurice Malpas was still, at the age of 36, the best defender at the club – and probably in the SPL.

Paul was brutally honest with me when I met him for the first time in Dundee. Rather than blowing smoke up my backside and telling me what a great player I was – which is often what happens when a club is courting a potential signing – he told me I was very raw, given that I had missed out on the “apprenticeship in the game” that most players get in the UK. Continue Reading…

A 2-0 victory in their opening game – one that virtually everyone expected them to win – does not mean the Vancouver Whitecaps should be crowned MLS Cup champions just yet. There is still an awful lot of work ahead for the Whitecaps if they are to clinch a playoff berth, let alone win a championship.

But I am willing to say this much for certain – Martin Rennie is the real deal. Continue Reading…