Walter Smith R.I.P.

I loved the Gazza story about when he was playing for Walter Smith at Everton. Can't remember who was telling this tale now, he was a fairly well known, but journeyman PL midfielder, someone like Jimmy Bullard perhaps.

Anyway he was playing against Everton at Goodison and Gazza was on the bench, Walter sent him on in the second half, he trotted onto the pitch, looked at the palm of his hand and trotted over to mark, let's say it was Jimmy. A few minutes later, Jimmy was unmarked, saw Gazza look at the palm of his hand and he trotted over to mark him again. This happened again a few minutes later, and Jimmy was so intrigued he asked Gazza why he kept looking at his hand and then coming over to mark him. Gazza said that Walter had sent him on and told him who he had to mark, which was Jimmy, but he knew he would forget who he was supposed to be marking, so he had written Jimmy's name in the palm of Gazza's hand.

Maybe the story is apocryphal, who knows, maybe it is, but it's a good story, and Walter knowing what Gazza was like, it sounds right to me.

RIP Walter, one of the good guys.