Paul Sturrock - Luggy: The Autobiography of Paul Sturrock

First published by Pitch Publishing, 2015

Pitch Publishing

A2 Yeoman Gate

Yeoman Way

Durrington

BN13 3QZ

www.pitchpublishing.co.uk

Paul Sturrock with Bill Richards, 2015

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A CIP catalogue record is available for this book from the British Library

Print ISBN 978-1-78531-045-4

eBook ISBN: 978-1-78531-111-6

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I HAVE known Paul Sturrock from when he came in as a rookie wannabe footballer at Dundee United in the 1970s and have watched his playing and managerial career flourish ever since.

So, it is a genuine pleasure to be asked to contribute to his life story which has seen Paul win trophies and league titles with Dundee United, caps for Scotland and promotions as a manager both north and south of the border.

It is no surprise to me and no accident either that Paul has earned the reputation as one of the most successful managers and coaches outside of the Premier League in England. I remember Paul or Luggy as he became better known, as a very keen youth player, one of several that Uniteds manager Jim McLean had brought to Tannadice.

It was obvious that Paul had the drive and ambition to become a first-team player, and his willingness to learn and improve was evident from the word go.

That he has achieved so much in the game is a testament to his work ethic and attention to detail and what he was being taught and told.

Paul is a football man through and through, and the discipline and professionalism was learnt early on at Dundee United under Jim McLean. But it is to Pauls credit that he was willing to go that extra yard.

It is fair to say that Paul was probably not the finished article when he burst into the first team, but through hard work and extra training with the coaches at Tannadice, he very quickly became an outstanding striker and established himself in an excellent Dundee United squad.

Paul had a great attitude and was a model pupil, which as any coach will tell you, is rewarding both for player and coach.

As a player, Paul clearly relished a challenge and worked his socks off with myself and John Duncan in extra training and was straining at the leash to bring his left foot more into play.

He realised that we were working with him in extra training not for the good of our own health, but to help add another dimension to his forward play, which we achieved.

Although Paul was personally ambitious to turn himself into a better player, he was also extremely loyal to Dundee United, despite the interest of several bigger clubs, both in Scotland and in England.

He has said on record that he could not have been happier anywhere else, than at Tannadice, where he stayed for 16 years as a player and five years as a coach and latterly as manager.

One-club footballers are a rarity, particularly, when as an outstanding striker which Paul was, he could have made more money elsewhere.

But then, he was achieving so much at Dundee United at the time winning League Cups and championships and reaching European finals, so it suited Paul, who was a huge part and presence of the teams success. That applied to most of the United squad where individual talent, of which Paul was one, turned the side into an effective unit, as their record at that time clearly proves.

Paul, perhaps, was unlucky to be playing at a time when Scotland already had two very good strikers, in Kenny Dalglish and Steve Archibald. Otherwise he would have won more caps than he did.

That would be a regret to anybody, to say youre a better player than Kenny Dalglish who was one of the best players anywhere, never mind Scotland.

But Paul never gave up trying and I think it was that attitude which ensured he was always involved in the Scotland scene. He was also a very good character to have around the first team.

Through all the years Ive known him, particularly early on as a young striker, I can honestly say that no-one worked harder to rise to a higher level as a player.

He also brought that same level of intensity to his coaching and later managerial career.

Paul was always working hard in coaching even in his early to mid-twenties and he made no secret of the fact that he wanted to get into management once his footballing days were over.

Pauls work ethic ensured that he would give it a good go, and, in fact, he has achieved a lot more than that as a coach and manager.

He worked really hard to achieve that level of ability as a player and did not let his own standards drop, which is precisely what he did as a coach and manager.

He accepts everything as a challenge and wherever he has managed and coached, no matter what the situation he finds himself in.

Theres no doubt in my mind that Paul Sturrock is an outstanding manager in what is a difficult environment to be successful.

Looking back on my years at Dundee United, it was a very good time to be there and people like Paul made it all the more enjoyable and memorable.

I VE KNOWN Paul for many years now, mainly through Jocky Scott and Gordon Wallace and have followed his career ever since. Obviously I knew him as an outstanding player with Scotland and Dundee United.

In his playing career Paul was unlucky that Kenny Dalglish was around otherwise he would have won an awful lot more Scotland caps than he did.

He played in a really good team up in Scotland and was a terrific footballer but no player would displace Kenny Dalglish in his prime.

As a manager, Ive also watched his career blossom and I like the way his teams play the game.

We were rival managers when Paul was at Southampton and I was with Portsmouth for that short spell.

Our two sides played against each other down at St Marys and we got to know each other again then.

If I was able to help Paul out with a loan player then I would and I did.

Pauls main attribute as a coach is first and foremost that he is a football man and knows the game.

Hes been brought up around good coaches and managers up in Scotland and he has a fantastic understanding of the game.

There is no magic formula to the game its about good players and getting the best out of them.

He prepares his teams well and gets to know the strengths and weaknesses of his players and strives to get the best out of them.

And that is something Paul does well as his success rate of winning championships with his various clubs shows.

When you consider that Paul is having two things to manage in his career his illness and football teams I think that shows his courage and also his deep love of the game.

Naturally, I wish Paul every success at Yeovil Town and I will keep in touch with him and Ill go down to watch a game there, Ill enjoy that.