[Archived] Tugay - Better Than Ever

[Eddie]

Even in France it isn't viewed as acceptable for athletes to be smokers. There are probably more smokers here and it certainly plays a greater role in society and is far more accepted when it comes to work (where smoking breaks every hour are seen as necessary) and social situations (although this is being reduced slightly by the smoking ban), but people understand that it isn't good for your health and that you can't be a smoker and be in top physical condition.

A lad i know, used to work at Bolton BMW & once Serviced his X5... He sent me a message to tell me. Afterwards he said they had to valet it because it was minging from the fags. There was fag ash & fag ends everywhere... Thats how I found out, and I could'nt believe it.

Who cares tho... he was amazing for us, and it just makes it all the more pleasing that I've seen him run the likes of Frank Lampard & Steven Gerrard off the pitch in games... If they could'nt keep up with a smoker in his late 30's, what chance do England have!!!

Thing is, he never ran those players off of the pitch, he played them off of the pitch. Imagine the player he could have been had he had that extra yard into his 30's. His game never required pace or a huge amount of movement, it relied on incredible vision and ability, but had he been able to cover a bit more ground and recover that bit faster he could have been an even better player. It was a tremendous pleasure to watch him play and he will always be one of my favourite ever players, but maybe we would have seen the invisible friend a little less and seen a few more Tugay masterclasses.

[DP]

When you say 'that extra yard' Eddie what do you mean? Tugay had the extra yard always, that's why he carried on playing into his late 30s! It's got nothing to do with pace.

Look at it the other way. If he hadn't have smoked he might have run himself into the ground and he knees could have gone earlier...

Or, he's just a natural and the smoking has never affected him.

Read Garner's book. The one time Mackay gave them all a b*llocking about going out drinking and not being prepared. Then he turned to Garner and said "This doesn't include you Simon".

[T4E]

On a related note though, who the hell decided that Tugay and Zura were surplus to requirements at Ibrox? They need firing, pronto.

Dick Advocaat. By name and by nature.