Graeme Souness

Graeme James Souness (born 6 May 1953) is a Scottish former professional football player, manager and television pundit.

He signed professional forms as a 15-year-old in 1968.

Frustrated at a lack of first-team opportunities, the teenage Souness reputedly informed Nicholson he was the best player at the club.

Souness made one first-team appearance for Spurs, in a UEFA Cup tie as a substitute.

A midfielder, Souness achieved his greatest period of success as an integral part of the Liverpool team of the late 1970s and early 1980s, during which he won five First Division titles and three European Cup trophies.

During the summer of 1972, Souness played in the North American Soccer League for the Montreal Olympique.

He appeared in 10 of his team's 14 matches and was named in the league's All-Star team for that season.

Spurs sold Souness to Middlesbrough for £30,000 in 1972.

He made his first appearance for Middlesbrough on 6 January 1973 in a 2–1 league defeat to Fulham at Craven Cottage.

His first goal came on 11 December 1973 in a 3–0 league victory over Preston North End at Ayresome Park.

Souness' tenacious style began to garner acclaim during his time at Middlesbrough.

His first season saw Middlesbrough finish fourth, two places and 14 points short of promotion.

Jack Charlton was appointed Middlesbrough manager, his first managerial post, in May 1973.

One of Charlton's first signings was experienced former Celtic midfielder Bobby Murdoch, a fellow Scot whom Souness later cited as an important influence in the development of his playing style.

Promotion as champions of the Second Division followed in 1973–74.

Souness' influence was demonstrated when he scored a hat-trick in the season's final fixture, an 8–0 victory over Sheffield Wednesday.

Souness' playing career is best remembered for his seven seasons at Liverpool, where he won five League Championships, three European Cups and four League Cups.

After winning his first European Cup in 1977, Liverpool manager Bob Paisley sought reinforcements by signing three Scottish players, all of whom were to contribute substantially to further success.

Central defender Alan Hansen arrived from Partick Thistle for £110,000.

Kenny Dalglish – an established Scottish international – signed from Celtic for a then British record fee of £440,000.

Souness' time at Anfield began in January 1978 as a replacement for veteran Ian Callaghan.

Souness formed the final part of the Scottish triumvirate, leaving Middlesbrough in acrimonious circumstances for a club-record fee of £350,000 on 10 January 1978.

Souness' Liverpool debut came in a 1–0 league victory over West Bromwich Albion at The Hawthorns on 14 January 1978.

His first goal – a volley from just inside the penalty box, eventually awarded fans' goal of the season – came in a 3–1 win over bitter rivals Manchester United at Anfield on 25 February 1978.

Souness played a critical role in Liverpool's retention of the European Cup against FC Bruges in 1978 at Wembley Stadium, providing the pass for Kenny Dalglish to score the match's only goal.

Sustained success followed.

Souness's first League title medals were won in seasons 1978–79 and 1979–80.

A second European Cup medal for Souness arrived in 1981 with a 1–0 victory over Real Madrid – the culmination of a campaign in which Souness scored a hat-trick in the quarter-final against CSKA Sofia.

This burst of success prompted Paisley to award Souness the club captaincy for season 1981–82, to the chagrin of the incumbent Phil Thompson who had made some errors that season and with whom Paisley had a vicious row during one match at Aston Villa.

Thompson initially refused to speak to Souness, claiming he had "stolen the captaincy" from behind his back.

This was the start of several long-running feuds between the two robust characters, and over the coming years, they would confront each other in various circumstances.

He was captain for three seasons at Liverpool until his departure to Sampdoria in 1984.

Souness later became player-manager for Rangers, leading the club to three Scottish titles and four league cups.

His final game as a player came in the closing minutes of Rangers' final match of the 1989–90 season, which was his only appearance of the season.

Souness continued as Rangers coach for a further year before joining Liverpool as manager for the 1991/92 English First Division season.

He went on to have spells at Galatasaray, Southampton, Torino, Benfica, Blackburn Rovers and Newcastle United.

At international level, Souness gained 54 caps for Scotland, captaining the squad on 12 occasions.

Souness was brought up in the Saughton Mains area of Edinburgh, and supported local side Hearts and Rangers.

As a teenager, Souness played for local boys' club North Merchiston.

Souness' career began as an apprentice at Tottenham Hotspur under Bill Nicholson.