The Guardian from London, Greater London, England • 43

SPORTS NEWS 1 13 Tim Ouftilan Saturday May 24 1997 A final twist of the Blade for Teesside Totten the magician on verge of glory Patrick Qlenn on the man who took Falkirk to today's Scottish Cup final jiBaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaai aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaal -v4alaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaal BBBaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaj Jm tflaaaaaaaaaaav Laaaaaaaar iSVnLaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaB SjJi jaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaff aaallBaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaF BePaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaav "Jaaaaffi aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaE Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaar ''idaaaaaaaaaaB'V aa. aaaaaaa Laaaaaaaaaaah aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaalB sy tained Norway and won 71 caps. "The most dangerous thing about a spell like the one I had at Middlesbrough is that you lose yourself. I said all the time that if 1 got a chance I'd take it. but then, once I got back into the team and played well, I still lost my place.

But what I learned was to try and look at things in small fractions, try and improve little things. I did. As a striker you have to sort your head out." Head sorted. Fjortoft has made a success of his 1 million move to Sheffield. His ability may be short of Alan Shearer's or Robbie Fowler's but, as he says.

"There are two divisions in the Premier League" and he will always do well in his. He is ready and, he feels, so too are Sheffield United, a club on the up financially and one who, in contrast to Middlesbrough, expect to be in the Premiership. United having conceded a goal at home to Ipswich in the semi-final first leg, Fjortoft admits he thought they might remain one of the big clubs in the First Division, but eventually they pulled through and they face Palace five matches after beating them 3-0. Fjortoft got one then and says the gloomy atmosphere after the home tie with Ipswich has changed: "Suddenly it's 'We're 90 minutes away from the Premier League'." As he sat in the Blades' social club sipping blackcurrant juice. Fjortoft did not appear giddy with excitement.

Instead he spoke with the level headedness which has distinguished his playing here over four years. His intensity has not been sapped even if he is startled by the British professional's culture of eating football, sleeping football and drinking lager. "Sometimes I'm amazed that players today don't learn from those of the past who are alcoholics, running pubs or bankrupt. But over the next five years I think there will be a revolution in England because all the foreign coaches and players coming in won't accept the slackness. Some like Ravanelli have already said so.

In the time I've been here there have been improvements but England is still far behind the Continent in terms of tactics, medicine, food and not least booze." That is not to say that Fjortoft will not have the odd one on Monday night should Sheffield United be celebrating. And he may even raise a toast to Middlesbrough: well, the four who went away. "When the new regime took over at Ibrox there was a general clear-out." he said. "Eight of us. including managers and directors, were moved out as a natural consequence.

I've been too long in the business not to understand what happened. "When 1 left, I shook Graeme Souness's hand and wished him the best of luck. I meant it and he knew it. When one of my players at St Johnstone, Doug Barron, had a testimonial a couple of years later, I was able to call Graeme and ask him to provide the opposition. He said No problem, Alex' and brought his team and played himself.

They brought around 8.000 people into the old Muir-ton Park and it was a great night foi Doug. "I'm not so noble as to say that's how it always has to be when there is a change of regime at a club. I mean, when Bill Shankly took over at Liverpool he didn't get rid of Bob Paisley or Joe Fagan and things worked out okay. "All I'm saying is I understand how the new management at Rangers felt." Totten spoke of Liverpool from inside knowledge, having begun his career at Anfield when he signed for Shankly as a 15-year-old in 1961. He would dismiss as garbage the very notion of revenge, but his sacking by today's opponents Kilmarnock in December was not so long ago that every vestige of bitterness has been erased.

He was justifiably upset, having done nothing wrong. The team's seventh place in the Premier Division last season was as high as they had been since the elite top 10 was formed 22 years ago. He had managed that despite having to overhaul a side replete with veterans they were known as "Dad's Army" in Ayrshire inherited from Tommy Burns, who had moved on to Celtic in 1994. The players who stand between Falkirk and their third Scottish Cup triumph they have won the only two finals they have ever contested, against Raith Rovers in 1913 and Kilmarnock 40 years ago are mostly Totten signings. Perhaps the most significant of them will be Paul Wright, who has recovered from the thigh injury that threatened his participation.

Since being bought from St Johnstone in 1995, Wright has become Killie's most potent weapon. But he will have to overcome the 6ft 7in prodigy, the 21-year-old central defender Kevin James, and the 33-year-old former England international who rides shotgun. Andy Gray. These two have blossomed in only a few months under Totten into a formidable partnership. "But I've told all the play ers that, whatever happens, I'm proud of them." added Totten.

"They are here because they deserve to be." No more than Alex Totten, a member at Glenbervie for 12 years, deserves that dinner next weekend. Celtic's reserve-team coach Frank O'Connor has become the latest departure, 24 hours after David Hay was appointed acting manager. Connor follows the manager Tommy Burns and assistant manager Billy Stark out of Parkhead. Michael Walker finds things looking up for another Boro exile JAMIE POLLOCK was the first, six weeks ago, when Bolton wandered back into the Premiership. Not long after him came John Hendrie and Paul Wil kinson, who helped Barnsley secure their historic promotion.

Then, on Wednesday, Neil Cox was next, moving to Bolton and leaving no one in doubt as to the reasons why. Pollock, Hcndric, Wilkin son and Cox: a quartet of former Middlesbrough players, all sold by Bryan Robson and all moving in the opposite di rectlon to Boro. And, as if watching these four playing in the Premiership would not be hard enough for Teessiders next season, things may be worse by Monday evening. Jan-Aage FJortoft. the Middlesbrough goalscorer sold in January, spearheads Sheffield Unlted's attack in the First Division play-off final against Crystal Palace at Wembley.

If they win. United will soon be entertaining the Arsenals and Newcastles and the significance of Fjortoft's goals 11 in 19 games will be undeniable. Middlesbrough, meanwhile, may be losing at Bury. Thus huge are the effects of relegation and yet, as Fjortoft argues, ultimately the cause of Bora's failure was tiny, "maybe three or four goals' With authority rather than bravado, Fjortoft had prefaced that remark with: "I think if I had stayed at the Boro I would have scored the goals to keep them up, and I am not afraid to say that because statistically I will always score goals." He was not given the chance to remind Robson of his vital statistics as, once the manager had signed Fabrizio Ravanelli and Mikkel Beck. Fjortoft was third choice.

Frustrated rather than bit ter, Fjortoft says: "I didn't think it was a matter of ability. It was a matter of when Robson signed Ravanelli he was going to play him whatever. What was more disappointing was that in Robson's view I wasn't even the second best striker at the club But I was watching that Leeds game, I saw the chances that came. But what can you do? I may agree or disagree with Robson but it doesn't matter, does it?" On a personal level, however, life in tile reserves did matter to a man who had cap tant to show players that if you're in the team and you do well you stay in." Rotund but by no means FaJstafflan, Molby's sheer physical presence has transformed Vetch Field. He cheerfully admits to a lack of inability and a lack of knowledge of the lower leagues, which prompted him to recruit Billy Ayre as assistant manager; Ayre steered Blackpool to the Second Division via the play-offs in 1992.

Their pragmatic marriage of the AJax and Liverpool passing game to a more robust approach when necessary has proved the key to Swansea's revival. With the experienced Roger Freestone, Keith Walker. David Penney and Steve Torpey providing the team's backbone, such promising tering move which seemed to involve every player In the side. Davidson got his second two minutes later but Jeff Wittenberg's first try for the Bulls completed another successful step on the way towards the championship. Sheffield's new coach John Kear, who stepped up to replace Phil Larder this week, realised the size of his task when Halifax beat them 49-24 last night, their seventh defeat in 10 games.

Castleford, the bottom club, felt the effect of Wlgan's revival in a crushing defeat at Central Park by 'i8-8. Robert Connolly consulted the video six times as London Broncos beat Warrington 30-6 at The Stoop. Sprue, Baku. CaMand. luahlln, Scalaa: Paaeeeli, Tafllllnaon, l.

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faimalo, Oartdaon. Gomn. Oetdaplnk. Oanaon (St rMana). Heading up? Fjortoft will be the fifth Boro sale to play in next season's Premiership if Sheffield United win Monday's play-off FOR the manager of a club outside the Premier Division, a trip to the moon seems a more attainable ambition than contesting the Scottish Cup final or having a dinner in your honour thrown by the committee of the distinguished Glenbervie Golf Club in Stirlingshire.

By the end of next week, only the lunar landing will have eluded Alex Totten. The man who has steered Falkirk into today's confrontation with Kilmarnock at Ibrox has, over the past 18 years, made a habit of achieving the improbable. Whether it was transforming Alloa Athletic from the worst team in the Scottish League into one of the First Division leaders, pulling St Johnstone all the way from the old Second Division to the Premier, or rejuvenating the ageing Kilmarnock side he inherited and keeping them in the top league. Totten has shown himself to be some- saaM Kilmarnock sacking was not so long ago that all bitterness has been erased thing of a conjurer with the underprivileged. His secret is simply to psych himself into believing that whatever club he is currently serving are the best around and to commit himself accordingly.

"When I was appointed at Alloa," he recalled, "I thought they were the best club in Britain. The fact that they were probably the worst team in Britain, bottom of the Scottish Second Division, had nothing to do with it. It's a question of doing the best job you can. and that can only be done by being totally committed." He took Alloa on a seemingly impossible journey from 38th in Scotland to sixth in the First Division. It was the first of a series of comparable accomplishments.

St Johnstone were given the treatment later, decaying in the Second Division before Totten set about turning them into a Premier Division side. Along the way. they contested and lost a Scottish Cup semifinal with Rangers. That match was a poignant occasion for him, as his previous occupation had been as assistant manager to Jock Wallace at Ibrox. Totten was in the company of others, after the takeover by the Lawrence construction company and the accession of Graeme Soilness in 1986.

Badminton England miss their Archer In ENGLAND surprisingly left out tile Rjiiuei European men's doubles champion Simon Archer against Sweden here yesterday and then stunningly went down to defeat and relegation to Group Two of the Sudii man Cup team event of the world championships. The Swedes, who had been consigned to the drop after a defeat by England four years ago, took a noisy revenge, winning 4-1 after jumping out to a 3-0 lead. The most important encounter was the men's doubles. In which Chris Hunt and Nick Ponting lost 15-3. 15-8 to Par-Gunnar Jonsson and Peter Axelsson.

England's manager Steve Badde-ley had decided to break up the partnership of Hunt and Archer because Aitdier had neck, back and calf injuries. "With the benefit of hindsight" Baddeley said, "that was probably a mistake." Molby helps put Swans on an upward flight rsQHBSSSBSiM SBBBfl IHIMMk BaaaBB3 such favourites and we cruised through it. There wasn't that great sense of relief afterwards. It was all a little low-key." For Molby, now player-manager of Swansea, today's Third Division promt iu ii iiu-ufr filial against Northampton could hardly be more different. He has performed a minor miracle in taking the Swans second from bottom in October after losing to Ill-man Torquay to the verge of the Second Division, from where they came a year ago.

And when the full-back Steve Jones broke a leg in the semi-final second leg at home to Chester, the 33-year-old Dane found himself back in the frame as a player; he now seems certain to grace a stadium tailor-made for his of fancy youngsters as Jonathan Coates, Dal Thomas, Jones and Chris Edwards have blossomed. As his first full season at Vetch Field reaches a climax, life for Molby is looking good. His row with the chairman Doug Sharpe has been patched up. his job seems under no threat when a new owner takes over next week, and his relationship with the Swansea fans could hardly be better. "They've never turned on me, even when we were 9lst in the League.

Wc had 350 down at Torquay and they gave the players a standing ovation at the end. We felt at the time that these people deserve better. Hopefully we can finish it off today for the 20.000 or so who'll be at Wembley." Basketball England in threes spree ENGLAND enjoyed a rare points spree yesterday when they started their European Championship campaign with a 108-64 win over Luxembourg. After trailing 13 -6, England compiled a lethal 28 9 run to lead 51 -32 at half time They hit a total of 16 three-pointers, and seven plavers. led by the 7ft lin Ian Whyte (18 points), scored in double figures.

"It's good for confidence," said the England coach Laszlo Nemeth. "And we managed to shoot some threes, which is not like an England team." Nemeth's biggest worry after the first-day cruise will be complacency. England must beat Switzerland tonight or the hosts Slovakia tomorrow to ensure they are not left in the backwaters of International hakthal) for the next two years. Peter Scantlebury broke Paul Stimpson's record by winning his 113th cap. Rugby League Stones Super League: Bradford Bulls 42, Oldham Bears 28 Bulls get record after Bears scare THE last time Jan Molby played at Wembley five years ago, Liverpool won the FA Cup by easily outclassing Second Division Sunderland.

The man tagged "the new Graeme Souness" helped to provide aouness himself with the only piece of silverware won during the Scot's largely unhappy return to Anfield as manager. A more telling Wembley contribution had come six years earlier when two sublime passes from Molby set up goals for Ian Rush as Liverpool beat Evert on 3-1 in the first of the Dane's three Cup final appearances. "The 2-0 win over Sunderland proved to be very comfortable," he recalled. "It's the one game that didn't really feel like an FA Cup final, because we were Also seeking points will be Guin Batten, fifth in the single sculls in Atlanta, and the 1992 Olympic champion Greg Searle, who has taken up single sculling. The series continues in Paris next month and concludes in Lucerne in July.

Olympic Qaimt The European Broadcasting Union will pay a record $350 million (215 million) for exclusive Europe TV rights for Sydney 2000, compared with the $250 million paid for rights to Atlanta. Equestrianism Polly Lyon on Wat Tyler retained her overnight lead when the dressage tests of the International Horse Trials ended in Windsor Great Park yesterday, writes John Kerr. The 28-year-old Wiltshire rider, returning to top-level competition, leads the 64-strong field with 47.6 points. The Dutchman Eddie Stibbe, l.G points behind on Kilkea Castle, is best foreign rider. Boxing Robbie Regan, the WBO ban lain weight champion, Is to see a specialist about the mystery virus which has forced him to postpone another fight Grahame Lloyd on the player-manager who makes a fourth Wembley final appearance today Molby physical presence and switched to 4-3-3 to put Chester under pressure from the start down here.

It worked because our three strikers all scored. "If Steve hadn't been injured I'd have possibly gone for the same team, but now we'll have to change things slightly. It's impor Davidson might have been sent off two minutes later but instead was placed on report. He claimed he had caught McNamara round the shoulder but the loose forward needed a minute's treatment before he continued. The contest swung violently in the opening 20 minutes of the second half.

Tony Nuttall was denied a try which, if It had stood, would have put Bradford in deeper trouble. But by the hour the Bulls were running rampant. Oldham's midfield defences collapsed and the Bulls poured through. Spruce went over; Ekoku got his second and then Tomlinson scored twice in six minutes. Before last Sunday Tomlinson had not scored a Super League try; now he has four.

Scales's second try completed a calamitous period for Oldham. The Bears scored the best try of the night when Rob Myler went over after a blis rare talent by occupying the central midfield role he has filled 27 times in an injury-bedevilled season. "I was fit for both semifinal games," he said, "but I picked teams that I thought were going to do the best for us. We changed to 4-4-2 to keep a clean sheet up there, after 11 minutes with tries from Abi Ekoku and Jon Scales. Steve McNamara failed to add the goal points but kicked a penalty.

Such trifles seemed unimportant until Oldham replied with two tries in two minutes from Joe Fai-malo and Francis Maloney and went ahead at 12-10. Faimalo had looked one of Oldham's more dangerous players from the start and he burst cn to Maloney's pass with such power that even Stuart Spruce could not halt his charge to the posts. Bradford's fans were still trying to come to terms with that when Ekoku carelessly knocked on and from the scrum Maloney cut clean through the Bradford defence. Perplexity turned to real concern nine minutes later when Martin Crompton's break took him into the clear and he sent Paul Davidson away, leaving Maloney with an easy conversion. Sport in brief Cycling The German sprinter Marcel Wust won yesterday's 210km (130 miles) seventh stage in the Giro d'ltalia after a bunch finish in Mondragone.

and the Russian Pavel Tonkov retained his -Usee overall lead from the Frenchman Luc Leblanc. Wust. of the Festina Lotus team, edged out the Italians Mirko Rossato and Endrio Leoni after an expected challenge from the mauve-jersey points leader Mario Cipollini fizzled out. Tonkov nut looking forward to today's 202km hilly stage to Cava de'Tirreni. 1 anticipate many will attack.

We must try to control the race but I do not want my Mapei team to get too tired," he said, mindful of the final week in the Dolomites. Rowing The coxless four of the Olympic pairs champions Steve Redgrave and Matthew Pin-sent with Tun Foster and JaiiNM Cracknell will lend tile British team in the new World Cup series which starts In Munich on Friday, writes Christopher Dodd. Paul nttpatrtck OLDHAM Bears led Bradford 18 10 at half time at Odsal Stadium last night and the biggest up set of the Super League season was in prospect. But a defence which had looked reasonably secure suddenly disintegrated and the Bulls completed their 11th win in relative comfort. With the victory they achieved to finish last season, Bradford have won 12 successive Super League games, a record they share with St Helens, who won the opening 12 games of last season's championship winning campaign.

Bradford are threatening the same thing and, with a lead of six points at the top of the fable, are beginning to look beyond catching. The Bulls appeared to he on course for another routine victory when they led 8-2.