Tugay facing battle of top flight’s golden oldies

11:30am Friday 22nd August 2008

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IF Rovers’ irrepressible maestro Tugay takes to the pitch against Hull tomorrow, he could find himself in a highly unusual position.

For the Turkish legend, who will blow out the candles on his 38th birthday cake on Sunday, may well not be the most senior player on display – if the Tigers field their own golden oldie.

At 37, for two more days anyway, and 39 respectively, Tugay and Hull’s blood-and-guts striker Dean Windass are the Premier League’s oldest outfield players. While they are certainly no spring chickens, what they lack in youth they certainly make up for with invaluable experience.

Although both players are no longer regular starters, they do have the priceless ability to dramatically change a game with a killer pass or a last-minute goal.

That is the kind of impact managers Paul Ince and Phil Brown will both be looking for as they see their two teams lock horns for the first time in the Premier League.

“Tugay can definitely play a part for us – not just on the field, but off the field,” said Ince.

“The lads look up to him and it’s important that, even if he’s not playing, he’s making sure things are right in the dressing room and stuff like that. But when he does comes on, his variety of passing is different class and I’m pleased I’ve got him for another year.”

Some may question how long Tugay, who has clocked up nearly 500 appearances with Rovers, Rangers, and Galatasaray, can keep going. But Ince puts the former Turkey international’s ability to still peform at the very top level down to the clever energy-preserving way he plays.

“It was slightly different for me because I was more of a tackler, a box-to-box player, so my legs used to go and I’d struggle a bit!” said the Rovers boss.

“Tugay is not that sort of player. He’s more of a sprayer and runs the game that way.”

Windass’s trademark whole-hearted game means that the former Middlesbrough striker willl still pose a very real threat.

Last year’s return of 11 goals from 37 outings, including the winner in the play-off final, took Windass’s hometown club to the top tier of English football for the first time in their 104-year history.

Living out his boyhood dream is a far cry from Windass’s days at Aberdeen, where the striker had to see a sports therapist to deal with his anger – which would see him punching walls when drunk.

Now with his personal problems behind him, Windass will be going all out to score his first Premier League goal since 2003, when he played for Middlesbrough, and keep up the momentum from Hull’s opening day win over Fulham.

So don’t be surprised if, come five o’clock, fans are leaving Ewood Park praising either Tugay’s or Windass’s match-winning contribution.