Newcastle United have been handed a huge injury boost over midfielder Jonjo Shelvey

What’s the latest?

Magpies boss Eddie Howe has revealed that the 30-year-old is available after recovering from an illness and will be able to face Tottenham on Sunday.

Shelvey has not played for the Toon since the 2-1 win over Southampton at St Mary’s in the Premier League on 10 March, missing the subsequent defeats to Chelsea and Everton.

The Athletic’s Chris Waugh tweeted this update: ‘Howe: “Midfield has been a key area for us. We’ve had a really good mixture of technical & physical quality. If we decide to play with three, I need to pick which three & it’s a difficult choice but nice one to have.” Jonjo Shelvey is also fit to play after illness.’

Delighted

This update will surely leave Howe delighted, as having Shelvey back fit and available will be a big boost to his team heading into the clash with Spurs.

The ex-Liverpool metronome is unbeaten in his last nine Premier League appearances, having been absent for the last two losses, and will be hoping to make it into double digits this weekend. He has been a key player for the Magpies this season and having him back in the middle of the park will improve their chances of picking up a result, as he has been one of the club’s top performers.

Allan Saint-Maximin (6.96) is the only Newcastle player, excluding January signings, who has averaged a higher SofaScore rating than Shelvey (6.91) this term. This shows that the Englishman has been excellent for the majority of the campaign as he has stepped up under Howe and made himself a go-to option in the middle of the park.

He has chipped in with two goals and one assist from midfield, whilst averaging 0.7 key passes and 1.8 tackles and interceptions per game. Shelvey is making contributions at both ends of the pitch in a box-to-box role, but it is his passing which catches the eye, playing 4.9 long balls per game with an impressive accuracy of 61%.

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His ability to spray passes left and right to spread the play opens up angles of attack for Newcastle and gets them up the pitch quickly. He has the quality to drop a ball in behind for the likes of Allan Saint-Maximin and Ryan Fraser to run onto, which is why his availability will be crucial against Tottenham.

If Spurs dominate the game on Sunday, then Shelvey’s long passing will be key to hitting them on the counterattack, and that is why Howe will be elated by the midfielder’s return this week.

AND in other news, Fabrizio Romano drops exciting Newcastle United transfer update, fans will be buzzing…

Last week, it was made known that Thomas Frank had sat down with ENIC Group and left that meeting with the backing of the Tottenham Hotspur board.

But, since then, the Londoners have fallen to another home defeat, this time against struggling Liverpool, and the pressure is unquestionably cranking up. Still, pundits like Jamie Redknapp have reiterated the stance that the Danish coach needs time to right the many wrongs down N17.

Redknapp is right, and Tottenham’s star players need to step up. However, with the defenders leaving much to be desired, who is it within the Lilywhites squad who has what it takes to step up and guide the squad back to the forefront of Premier League football?

Who can lead Frank's Spurs side to success

In recent years, Tottenham have lost Harry Kane and Heung-min Son to overseas moves. It’s difficult to argue that such talismanic figures have been effectively replaced.

Now, new stars need to step up. Whether Cristian Romero is the one to lead the charge is open to debate, with the Argentine skipper sent off after kicking out at Ibrahima Konate at the weekend.

Spurs need players to step up, leading the club to success after a first half of the 2025/26 campaign that has underlined the fact that there are too many pieces of driftwood about Frank’s outfit.

Too often, Spurs have launched big-money bids for the likes of Richarlison and Dominic Solanke. Both arrived to the tune of £60m or so, and it’s hard to argue that either striker has been a bona fide success.

The worst of the lot would have to be Tanguy Ndombele, who was the club-record arrival when he joined from Lyon for £63m in 2019.

Journalist Paul Brown called the lazy France midfielder “one of the worst signings Spurs have ever made”. It would be hard to replicate such a dismal deal, but ENIC Group may be worried they have done exactly that this summer.

ENIC must worry they've signed Ndombele 2.0

The Lewis Family didn’t enjoy a flawless summer transfer window by any stretch, but there’s no question that the likes of Mohammed Kudus and Xavi Simons arrived as talented additions capable of driving Tottenham back into the domestic ascendancy.

Simons, 22, joined Tottenham from RB Leipzig for an initial £51m fee this summer, and his arrival caused a fanfare, given Chelsea had shown a vested interest for many months before.

However, it’s been tough for the Dutchman to adapt to the pace and physicality of the Premier League, with content creator Ronaldo Brown even asserting that he has been “swallowed” in the English top flight this season.

Having started to kick on, Simons lunged too far against Liverpool, receiving red in the first half after a studs-up challenge against his Netherlands captain Virgil van Dijk.

Branded for a moment of “reckless stupidity” by Sky Sports co-commentator Gary Neville, Simons will know miss a crucial run of fixtures after a recent uptick in form, scoring his first goals for the club in December and maintaining promising creative levels.

There’s nothing wrong with Simons’ application, but his over-zealousness and high technical bar suggest he may well have a bit of Ndombele-itis about him, and this is something that Frank will need to swiftly fix if his project is to be a success, having worked with the board to secure this coveted playmaker for a hefty fee.

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After all, Simons ranks among the top 10% of positional peers in the Premier League this season for passes attempted, the top 6% for progressive passes and the top 14% for tackles per 90, as per FBref, so he’s got the fullness of skillset to succeed.

However, it could be said that the same was true for Ndombele. He’s one of the most technically gifted players we’ve seen in Spurs colours this decade, but the application of his skillset was too inconsistent. He became an easy scapegoat and his time in the capital ended in tears and with a hefty dent in the club’s wallet.

Spurs cannot afford to fall by the wayside here. Neither can Frank. Neither can Simons.

Related Forget Romero: Frank must make Spurs' "world-class" star his new captain

Thomas Frank now has a huge call to make on Cristian Romero’s future at Tottenham Hotspur.

Posts ByEthan Lamb

You would think a manger as experienced and as wily as Redknapp would know that it is a sin to change a winning formula; however Harry felt the need to change personnel and formation, largely down to one unhappy Dutchman. Van der Vaart seemingly has a hold over his manager and what he wants he generally gets.

I’m not going to criticise Van der Vaart as a player, but his off field outbursts are starting to grate. In the wake of beating Arsenal he bemoaned how effective he could really be in the team when he is playing out on the right of midfield. Rafa clearly feels he deserves the freedom of the park and despite the team looking settled in their run of wins with Modric and Parker orchestrating the midfield and Defoe and Adebayor’s strike partnership blossoming, Van der Vaart appears left out and wanted to make his feelings known. You would think if Redknapp had any backbone about him he would have put the Dutchman in his place, but instead he totally unbalances the line up with Bale on the right, Modric on the left, just so Van der Vaart can play alongside Adebayor. Needless to say Tottenham look disjointed and out of sorts for the large part at St James’ Park; however at least Van der Vaart is happy.

I think I should make it clear that I am not questioning the ability of Van der Vaart as a player, the guy has bundles of it, but I do feel his presence in the team can be detrimental to the way we play. I mean if playing him means that Bale and Modric (arguably two of our biggest attacking threats) have to move out of their natural positions to accommodate him then something isn’t right surely. Unlike a lot of Tottenham fans I didn’t think we played well at all last season, apart from the odd European trip, and the team lacked any real cohesion as Redknapp continued to adopt this 4-5-1 system. I thought he’d woken up and seen the light when Adebayor arrived and he adopted a 4-4-2, but one major outburst in the press later and Harry has fallen back into his old ways as he looks give Rafa what he wants.

One comment Redknapp made in his post match comments at Newcastle was that he was unhappy with the way we passed the ball and how Spurs never had any control in the game in terms of possession. Funny that isn’t it Harry – I wonder if that has anything to do with Modric being out on the wing? It is like he has a blind spot with anything that Van der Vaart does, best highlighted by the way he continually allows him to take set-pieces despite how continually bad he is at them. No team last season had as many corners or freekicks around the box than we did – I’ll leave you to count how many goals actually came from them.

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Maybe I am being harsh on Van der Vaart, but I see a player who believes he is bigger than the football club and his teammates. Using the media to vent his unhappiness is very unprofessional, but he never gets penalised or criticised by his manager for doing it and worryingly it seems to get the desired results. I can’t help but feel if a Gareth Bale or Jermain Defoe adopted a similar stance then Redknapp would jump on them and condemn them for their outbursts, but with Rafa it is totally different. Harry should put the team first always, rather than to pander to the prima donnas of this world.

The dust has finally settled on the transfer window and it’s now time for teams to reflect on their summer business from the last couple of months. For fans of sides like Liverpool, it’s not going to make pretty viewing, but rivals Manchester United will look at Robin Van Persie’s hat-trick on Sunday and think job well done. Some managers may have needed the last couple of days simply to calm down from events on the 31st, indeed both Mark Hughes and Andre Villas-Boas had their hands full at QPR and Tottenham in trying to secure last minute deals for their clubs.

Those who competed in the transfer market this summer will certainly be hoping that they’ve done enough to make their team competitive in the coming months. There’s nothing worse than leaving your side undercooked for the challenge ahead and January all of a sudden looks a long time away for those who are struggling. Some sides will certainly be pleased with what they’ve achieved this summer though and with this in mind, we take a look at the 15 winners of the transfer window.

Click on Nigel Adkins to unveil the 15 real winners

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Spanish reports claim Manchester United are interested in both Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale this summer, but which one would fans rather they sign?

According to Spanish outlet Don Balon, Manchester United have “made offers” to both Bale and Ronaldo.

The report claims the pair are both seeking reassurances from Real Madrid in the wake of Zinedine Zidane’s departure, and could make the switch to Old Trafford.

Bale has been frustrated by injuries and a lack of playing time, and both players made comments after the Champions League final that had fans and clubs on red alert.

The report from Don Balon claims Bale is Jose Mourinho’s priority, and that he could swoop for Ronaldo if Bale decides to stay in Spain, but which one would be a better fit back at Old Trafford?

[brid autoplay=”true” video=”252976″ player=”12034″ title=”Watch 21 things that will definitely happen at the World Cup”]

Bale is five years younger than the Portuguese sensation, but Ronaldo of course already has a great relationship with the fans at Old Trafford, and has never suffered the same injury issues as Bale.

One would have to think Ronaldo would also be cheaper given his age, even though he will expect a massive wage packet.

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The 33 year-old scored 84 league goals in nearly 200 appearances for the Red Devils, and if they could get even two good seasons out of him then it would be worth the risk.

So, Manchester United fans, which superstar would you rather sign? Let us know by voting in the poll below…

Toby Bailey saved face for Northamptonshire with a career-best 85 not out against promotion-chasing Worcestershire at New Road.The Second Division champions were deep in trouble at 96 for seven until their 24-year-old reserve wicketkeeper delayed the home county’s march towards their first target of maximum bowling points.Bailey shared in half century partnerships with acting captain Tony Penberthy (48) and Paul Taylor (14) before tea was taken early with the visitors in much better shape at 231 for nine.Needing victory to have a chance of joining Northants in the top-flight next year, Worcestershire gambled that Glenn McGrath would profit from bowling first on a cloudy first day.The Australian fast bowler claimed his 65th Championship wicket of the season with only his second ball and eventually took his total to 68 with figures of four for 69 in 24 overs.Medium-pacers Stuart Lampitt and David Leatherdale added to the morning demolition with four lbw victims, all given by umpire John Steele, but Bailey transformed the situation with 14 fours from 117 balls.

Charged with the task of opening the bowling for Bangladesh, and facing up to AB de Villiers in the first Twenty20 international against South Africa on Sunday, Arafat Sunny said he was focused more on bowling to his plans instead of the batsman at the other end. Sunny dismissed de Villiers off the sixth ball of the first over of the match the hosts lost by 52 runs.Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza brought Sunny into the attack at the start to counter de Villiers’ decision to move up the order, only the second time the South Africa batsman has opened in T20 internationals. Off the last ball of the over, de Villiers, looking to make room, chipped a length delivery off the back foot to cover, where Mashrafe took a simple catch. Sunny said the plan was to refrain from bowling full or short at de Villiers and to keep the batsman in check.”It is important not to concentrate too much on the batsman,” Sunny said on the eve of the second game between the two sides, “otherwise a bowler goes under pressure.””I tried to bowl according to my plan and not focus too much on the batsman. I think it helped me. I was told that I cannot bowl too full or even slightly short at him (de Villiers). I was only focusing on a specific length to keep him in check. Luckily he aired one and I got his wicket. I think the pitch was helpful to the spinners, so I could find a bit of turn and try to control the scoring rate.”Sunny also took the wicket of JP Duminy, who fell to an excellent catch by Nasir Hossian at deep midwicket for 18. He kept things tight for most of his three overs in the game, ending with returns of 2 for 19.In his four T20s since January 2014, Sunny has opened the bowling twice and has an economy rate of 6.70 and an average of 11.16, and a strike rate of 10 in the format. His ODI numbers are also promising, with 22 wickets in 13 matches at a strike-rate of 30.7.Bangladesh haven’t played domestic T20s since December 2013 and as one of the more important bowlers in the format – along with Enamul Haque Jnr, Shakib Al Hasan and Abdur Razzak – it is important for Sunny to gain international exposure. The bowler, however, knows he could, on occasion, lose his place in the XI, depending on the team combination and conditions. He played one ODI for the side during the World Cup and despite finishing the highest wicket-taker for Bangladesh in the ODI series against Pakistan, he played only one game against India.”Sometimes the team combination can be different,” he said. “If the opposition has a number of left-handed batsmen in their line-up, it can be different. Pitches vary too. I am always prepared to play, but it is all up to the team management.”Meanwhile, Soumya Sarkar, who opened the innings in the game against South Africa, expressed frustration at his failure to convert starts. He scored 7 in the T20, but in the ODIs against India his scores of 40, 34 and 54 could have been more substantial knocks.”We discussed how we couldn’t play according to our plan,” he said. “The two early wickets kept us on the back foot, otherwise we had planned around 40-45 runs in the first six overs. It would have helped the next batsman. I think everyone, including myself, understand that I am getting out after getting set. I feel disappointed that it is hurting the team. We are discussing ways to get out of this situation.”

Kane Williamson looked a leader long before last week, when he took New Zealand to a series win in Zimbabwe, long before last year, when he took them to victory over Pakistan in the UAE, and even before July 2012, when he headed up their humbling in the West Indies. It was earlier that year, on a windy and wet Wellington afternoon, when he saw off an increasingly vicious Morne Morkel, survived being struck everywhere it hurts – his arm, his shoulder, his box – and forced a drawn Test against South Africa that Williamson first made his claim as a future captain.

‘Captaincy helps my batting’ – Faf du Plessis

While Kane Williamson compartmentalises captaincy and batting, his opposite number Faf du Plessis combines them to form a complete package. Du Plessis took over as South Africa’s T20 captain in February 2013 and believes the extra responsibility has enhanced him as a cricketer.
“I really love captaining. It makes the game feel a little bit easier for me because I am thinking of all the aspects and I feel it also helps my batting because I am a cricketer that relies on being smart when I bat, that carries into my captaincy,” du Plessis said.
“I’ve played under really good leadership and I think I have matured a bit more than I was two years ago. Even though I have always enjoyed captaincy, the more you do it the more you mature and you understand what makes people tick. In that sense I’ve grown the most.”

That day Williamson impressed not by virtue of his runs – and he made 102 of them – but by his resoluteness. He could not be broken because if he was, his team would break with him and that, more than the individual feat, was the most important part of being an international cricketer to him. He said so that day; he said so again today.”That’s a lot of what we talk about: playing for the right reasons, playing to move the team forward and being able to somewhat remove too many selfish endeavours – which can be a challenge in the game. There’s so many stats around that they can come into individuals’ mindsets but the biggest thing for us is that when we play for the team the obligation is purely to help the team and move the team forward.”New Zealand’s kumbaya culture of cricket has multiplied manyfold since that day. Now it’s not just Williamson that believes in taking one for the team, but all of them. Close your eyes and attend a New Zealand press conference and you will think they keep bringing the same man to the microphone, because they all say the same thing, but unlike the rehearsed corporate speak of professional sport today, New Zealand actually sound sincere.It helps that when they’re on the field, they walk that talk too. Just think of the World Cup. New Zealand represented true team culture. They were having what Brendon McCullum called “the time of our lives,” and we couldn’t help having it with them.”It was a lot of fun. We had a great time. It was just a fantastic time to be playing cricket; to have it in our own country, it really changed the way the country looked at the sport,” Williamson said. “In New Zealand, rugby is No.1 but during that World Cup we might have taken that spot for a brief moment in time, which it made it all that more special.”No regrets over not going that one step further? None, it seems. “It would have been nice to go all the way but still, we played the cricket we wanted to play. Someone had to lose in that final and it was us,” Williamson said. “Now the World Cup’s over, that’s cool, and we are still looking to improve.” Because next year there is another major trophy to play for and New Zealand want to win as much as anyone else.A serious challenge on their part will likely require a Williamson in top form, even though he will not admit it himself. “It is about playing for the team in any situation. I am a believer that sometimes results or figures that you try and reach can be a distraction to achieving it. My focus is contributing playing a role that I’m given and if you are able to pass milestones along the way, thats great.,” he said.Captaincy is one of those milestones. Williamson is not likely to lead because McCullum will be back but Williamson’s seniority and the experience he gains as captain on this trip will come in handy. He has admitted this trip is challenging him in different ways, with demands of both bat and brain but he has come up with a way to handle them.”I think captaincy is separate to batting. In the field, it’s applying yourself more in terms of thinking, whether it’s bowling changes, fielding positions, the whole lot. And it’s an enjoyable challenge, particularly in T20 cricket where there’s so much happening and things happen quickly so you need to stay on your toes,” Williamson said. “It’s enjoyable and a challenge as well with a new-look side.”The newness of the New Zealand side should, in theory, increase the pressure on Williamson to perform with the bat more often but he insists it hasn’t. The responsibility is shared by old and new players, who Williamson said will always put the team first. “It’s more about looking to contribute to a team performance, a team win, and that’s where we want people playing their games. Whether that means one or two guys consistently perform and hold a position that great but ultimately we want a bunch of guys that are going to be giving to the team and moving the team forward.”

ScorecardKumar Sangakkara’s hundred helped propel Surrey to a winning total•PA Photos

Classy hundreds from Steven Davies and Kumar Sangakkara propelled Surrey to a 77-run victory over Derbyshire in a high-scoring Royal London Cup match at Guildford.A crowd of 3000 saw some rich entertainment as Davies and Sangakkara added 204 in 31 overs for Surrey’s second wicket to set the hosts on their way to 326 for 6. Wes Durston led the chase with a thrilling 129 from 98 balls, which contained five sixes and 16 fours, but no other Derbyshire batsman could give him much support and they were despatched for 249.Surrey were given a fine start by Jason Roy, who twice drove Mark Footitt wide of mid-on for fours in the paceman’s opening over on his way to a bright 24. Footitt then made one bounce at Roy to have him taken at the wicket in his fourth over but, from 40 for 1, the Surrey innings was then dominated by Davies and Sangakkara.The two left-handers built their partnership expertly, with Davies twice pulling Alex Hughes’ medium pace for six and Sangakkara beating his partner to three figures with a thrilling assault on Footitt when the paceman returned for his second spell.From successive balls, Sangakkara square drove Footitt for four before flicking him over the midwicket ropes for two sixes. And spectators were on their feet again in the next over, when Davies pushed a ball from offspinner Durston to deep cover to complete his own hundred from 96 balls, two less than it had taken the Sri Lankan.Sangakkara scored 109 from 104 balls, with two sixes and nine fours, before he was stumped off the bowling of Durston – and Surrey lost another four wickets while adding a further 82 runs.Rory Burns fell for 11, mishitting a full toss from Hughes to extra cover, and Davies was held on the deep midwicket boundary off the same bowler after an enterprising 115 from 117 balls, taking his competition tally to 351 runs at an average of 87.75.Footitt had Tom Curran caught at deep cover for 29 in the closing stages and Gary Wilson lofted Ben Cotton to long off to depart for 2 in the final over – but Zafar Ansari scored a useful unbeaten 25 as Surrey posted their highest List A total against Derbyshire. It was a chastening 10 overs with the ball for Footitt, the left-arm fast bowler who has been added to England’s fourth Ashes Test squad, and his final figures were 2 for 86, with his second spell of three overs costing 38 runs as Davies and Sangakkara cut loose.Derbyshire’s openers then enjoyed a stand of 115, although Billy Godleman contributed just 27 to that as Durston quickly stole the limelight. Chesney Hughes, Wayne Madsen and Shiv Thakor also fell cheaply but Durston continued to pile on the runs, passing the hundred mark in 74 balls.He had just swung his fifth six, over wide long-on off Tom Curran, when two balls later he tried to repeat the stroke and skied to Curran’s younger brother, Sam – who took a well-judged catch at midwicket.Durston’s exit left Derbyshire on 203 for 5 and their lower order quickly fell away. Scott Elstone made 39 in a late cameo but no one else troubled the scorers as Surrey allrounder James Burke finished with a one-day career-best of 5 for 28.

Brad Haddin will always be welcome in the Australian team dressing room, of which he was such a major part for much of the past 15 years. The new captain Steven Smith and the coach Darren Lehmann both offered warm tributes to Haddin from Manchester as he announced his international retirement on the other side of the world in Sydney.For Smith, Haddin is something like his cricketing father. The pair have been close for almost the entirety of the younger man’s career with New South Wales and latterly Australia, also linking up influentially as the leadership duo for the Sydney Sixers. Last summer Haddin handed over his vice-captaincy post to Smith, allowing the 26-year-old to step in as Test captain at home against India. There will be plenty of Haddin about the way Smith leads Australia.”He’s been a terrific player over a long period of time for Australia, certainly one of the best team men I’ve ever been around – he always put the team first in every aspect,” Smith said. “He’s been a great mentor for me. I’ve learned so much off him, throughout [playing for] NSW. When I started there he was captain. I learned a lot off him there.””In the Australian setup as well he always took me under his wing and helped me develop as a player and as a person. I’m very thankful for that. He was an extremely experienced player, and a great vice-captain to Michael throughout his whole career. He was just a great team man to have around, and who a lot of the young guys learned a lot off.”Smith also admired Haddin’s natural tendency to take the game on, even if it meant the occasional pratfall. The rewards for such courage could be rich, never more so than during the 2013-14 Ashes summer when his brazen batting drove England to distraction.”The home Ashes, where we won five-nil, he was a massive part of that. I think he scored 50 or more in the first innings in all five of those Test matches,” Smith recalled. “He was a big part of our success throughout that summer. That’s probably my fondest memory of him.””Magnificent player, really took the game on. Batting at No.7, I think he really came out and played positively. I think there were a lot of times where he got us back into the game, just from sheer will and taking the game on. He was magnificent at that, and I think a lot of keepers around the world can learn from the way he played.”Lehmann and Haddin crossed paths well over a decade ago as opponents in domestic competition, and had their share of confrontations as aggressive captains of South Australia and New South Wales. Years later they worked closely as Lehmann took over as national team coach, and he admitted Haddin’s role extended as far as mentoring the mentor.”It’s a sad day for Australian cricket, because he was a fantastic player, a fantastic mentor for a lot of young players. A great mentor for me as coach,” Lehmann said. “I played against him as a youngster, [when I was] with South Australia, and saw him rise through the ranks and play some amazing knocks for Australia.”Some of the catches and keeping he did over that period of time, in 66 Test matches, is an amazing achievement for him – but also [because of] what he went through personally. It’s a credit to him and [wife] Karina and the kids. He’s a fantastic human being and he’ll be welcome in our change rooms all the time, because he’s an absolute superstar.”The role of vice-captain to Michael Clarke was never an easy one, as Clarke himself knew from a difficult period alongside Ricky Ponting, while Shane Watson’s alliance with Clarke was always tenuous. Haddin engendered such respect that he was able to work strongly alongside Clarke while also fashioning workable relationships with all players, and Lehmann credited his ability to use the position for the betterment of the team.”The way he went about it as vice-captain of Australia was exceptional,” Lehmann said. “He was instrumental in Ashes, World Cup, series wins in South Africa. We had a lot of success with Brad in the team. He was fantastic around the group and he complemented Michael really well. He was a fantastic vice-captain for Australia, one of the best we’ve ever had.”He was quite vocal behind the scenes. He was one of those guys that really wanted to help and push the youngsters … making sure they’re learning the craft. He pushed the Australian cricket team to the limits, and I think that’s a great thing for a vice-captain, a keeper, [to be] someone so vocal.””You’ve seen someone like Steven Smith, who obviously grew up watching Brad and then playing with Brad, and [learning from] the way he went about it, the way he trained. His work ethic was second to none. I think Michael and him set a great example for the way they went about it and played the game.”When asked to sum up Haddin’s legacy, Lehmann offered the following: “The baggy green, the way he wore it with pride. The way he helped younger players. The way he helped drive the team as a whole. The way he helped coaches. The way he helped mould the team. The way we play today is an exceptional legacy for him. The way he thought about his family and helped his family through difficult times, and the way he helps other people’s family and friends.”