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      I was living the dream as a professional footballer – now I work on a scrap yard… and I’ve never been happier

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      ALEXANDER Easdale was living every young man’s dream – playing professional football.But he sensationally quit the game and for the last 10 months has been working in a scrap yard – and he has never been happier.
      Alexander Easdale played professional football for Scottish Championship side Greenock MortonCredit: Kenny Ramsay
      Alexander now works at his dad’s scrapyardCredit: Supplied
      The disillusioned striker with Scottish Championship side Greenock Morton has swapped football boots for steel toe caps.
      Instead of enjoying a couple of hours a day pre-season training, he is up at the crack of dawn and working till dusk sorting through scrap metal.
      He has swapped coaching sessions for swotting up to pass his HGV licence to drive skip lorries to deliver metal to the company’s three junk yards.
      Alexander, 23, who was on Morton’s books for nine years and attracted the attention of a handful of English clubs, says: “I’m a lot happier. I’m really enjoying every day.
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      “Football is fairly well paid. The lifestyle is good. You train in the morning and then you have got time off in the afternoon to do whatever you want and recover.
      “I was full time for almost 10 years in football. I started full-time when I was about 15 or 16 but I just thought, I have achieved what I could at football.
      “One day I thought maybe I could go into the scrap business and start at the bottom where my dad and uncle started.”
      Alexander’s dad is tycoon Sandy Easdale, who with his brother James, started in the family scrapyard business as boys, going there every night after school.
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      Alex says he doesn’t miss the pressure of being a pro footballerCredit: The Sun
      Alexander with his dad SandyCredit: Supplied
      Sandy and brother James Easdale are worth over £1billionCredit: Supplied
      Today, in their fifties, the duo are worth £1.4billion after making their fortune in buses, taxis and window manufacturing.
      Sandy says: “Scrap is in your blood, you either like it or hate it.”
      He and James once travelled to London to buy a Bentley GT first edition from Jack Barclay’s Mayfair showroom, which was in the middle of a renovation.
      Sandy, 53, says: “There was a skip outside with some copper in it. I said to James, ‘There’s £30 worth of copper in there, put it in the boot.’
      “To the amusement of Jack Barclay’s senior manager we put thirty quid of copper in a two hundred grand car.
      “We will walk round London and everybody is looking at the super cars but we’ll be looking at a skip!
      “I’d rather have a skip lorry than a Ferrari – they’re the same price.” 
      Hard graft
      Alex has taken to the new job quicklyCredit: Supplied
      Last October Alexander told his dad he was quitting Morton to become a scrap man working in the family junk yard in Greenock and Renfrew, near Glasgow.
      Sandy says: “It’s difficult to go from a Championship club to do a hard day’s graft.
      “He left the football club on the Monday and started at the scrap yard the next day.
      “At football you get your breakfast, then have a massage followed by a workout, then you get your dinner and watch a movie to recover.
      It’s difficult to go from a Championship club to do a hard day’s graftSandy Easdale
      “Compare that to driving about collecting rubbish. I thought the experience would either make him or break him. But it has obviously made him.
      “I told him, ‘Remember the future in football is an easy life compared to the scrapyard, you’re not going to sit in the boardroom,’ and he was fine with that.
      “It’s dead easy to say wear a suit and sit in the boardroom and get 100 grand a year and a company car, but he didn’t want that.
      “So he’s at the bottom rung of the whole empire. He’s a dogsbody, has no rank through his name.”
      ‘Down to earth’
      As part of his car collection, Sandy has Lamborghinis, Porches and Rolls-RoycesCredit: Supplied
      Alexander is learning the business quickly, having already passed his truck and bus test, and has a material handling licence.
      “That comes from the football training, having to focus on something and do it well,” Sandy explains.
      “He has been there nine months. He loves it. I am proud he has adapted so well.
      “He doesn’t miss football at all and has not kicked a ball since.
      “In the last ten years, I probably spoke to Alexander for five minutes a day. Conversation over and then he’d go to his room.
      “Now he sits, has his dinner and we talk for ages. ‘I did this, I spoke to this person. How do you do this? How do you do that?’ 
      Alexander doesn’t miss football at all and has not kicked a ball sinceSandy Easdale
      “He’s in the office dealing with customers and dealing with prices. He’s learned in the last nine months where to buy stuff, how much to sell for, what the profit margins are.
      “He has the mental arithmetic that me and James have got. 
      “It surprises me how he’s adapted. He seems to have picked it up and run with it better than I’d ever have thought.”
      Sandy says his son is also helping to modernise the operation, expanding into precious metals and trading in catalytic converters for cars.
      “Talking of cars, I have the biggest car collection ever, so Alexander has access to Lamborghinis, Porches and Rolls-Royces,” Sandy says.
      “But he’s happy driving a little white VW Caddy van that he goes to work in.
      “He’s the most unbelievably down-to-earth boy you’d ever meet in your life.
      “On the day he told me, ‘Dad, I’ve had enough,’ I said to him ‘You’re 22, I don’t want you telling me in five years’ time you finished my football career for me.’”
      But Alexander has no regrets about turning his back on the world of football.
      He says: “There was a lot more pressure in football than in my working life because you are being watched every Saturday.
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      “Here I’m just a worker, doing the job, 8-5, going out in the lorry picking up scrap, working the skips and the machinery in the yard.
      “I feel a lot happier now and I am really enjoying it every day.”
      Alexander says he’s never been happierCredit: Supplied
      Sandy and James are delighted to have Alexander on boardCredit: Supplied More

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      Dundee United kit manufacturers involved in Twitter spat as fan calls them out over one crucial detail on new strip

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      DUNDEE UNITED’S new kit launch went down a treat with supporters.But the company who made United’s kit have managed to score a rather spectacular own goal.
      Dundee United’s new home top has been well-received by fans
      But Erreà made a critical error when promoting the shirt
      Erreà, the Italian sportswear brand, signed a deal with the Tannadice outfit to produce their strips starting from this season.
      They unveiled their first offering today, with the home kit revealed on social media (though the release date remains TBC).
      While supporters wait to find out when they can get their hands on the new threads, they’ve been looking at as many images of it as possible.
      Erreà posted some of snaps of the jersey being modelled on Twitter, but didn’t quite get the reaction they were hoping for as they got one key detail mixed up.

      They wrote: “Introducing @dundeeunitedfc’s new home kit.
      “Orange, elegant, it pays tribute to the iconic club founded in 1909.
      “The jersey features a stylish pattern of the club’s rampant lion logo, with white and black details on the collar and sleeves.”
      One particular aspect of that description left United fans with the same complaint.
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      Plenty of Arabs quickly pointed out to Erreà that their club’s official colour is of course tangerine, not orange.
      One exclaimed: “Excuse me, ORANGE? No, we play in tangerine.”
      While another, offering a more positive perspective, said: “*Tangerine. Looks great!”
      But a response from Erreà to one reply stood out above all others, with the manufacturers getting on the defensive.
      A supported commented: “Should be tangerine. Not orange. At least get the colour right!
      “Plus, we didn’t start playing in tangerine till 1966. Not off to a good start with 2 important stats incorrect!”
      Erreà seemed to get the claws out for their comeback.
      The brand said: “Sorry for the two inaccuracies James, we will improve so that everything will be perfect next time thanks to your valuable advice.
      “Congratulations you are a big fan of your club. Do you even like the jersey or did we get that wrong too?”
      Talking about the kit on its own, punters seemed to be mostly in approval.
      One called it a “stunning kit” while another said it “genuinely looks class”.
      A Hearts fan even chimed in: “Furious at how nice a kit that is.”
      Others shared their excitement and the fact they couldn’t wait to get their hands on the top.
      But, many agreed that the shirt looked better without one key feature…
      The sponsor on the front.
      One said: “Not United’s fault; the same can be said for most kits and money is money, but… That looks absolutely SENSATIONAL with no sponsor.”
      Another commented: “Going to be heartbreaking watching them plaster sponsors all over this masterpiece.”
      “Looks unreal without the sponsor on it,” came a further reply, and many after it…
      United’s head of commercial and sponsorship, Elliot Shaw, said: “I am absolutely delighted how our maiden kit of the Errea era has turned out.
      “The design is stylish and contemporary, and I have no doubts that it will be a real hit with our supporters.
      “I am also thrilled to introduce Bartercard as our new front-of-shirt sponsor for the 2023/24 season.
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      “Bartercard have been a fantastic partner to work with, and it is great to see how our initial conversations last summer around partnering with the club have developed at such a pace that they are now Principal Partners. I would like to thank Chris and the team for the magnificent support that they have given to Dundee United.”
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      SPFL side announce key man’s contract with VERY rude post as fans say ‘huge if true’ – and even Rylan’s got involved

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      TV presenter Rylan Clark couldn’t help getting involved when Championship side Raith Rovers announced a key man’s contract extension with a VERY rude post. Former Falkirk star Liam Dick has emerged as a key man for the Kirkcaldy side and Ian Murray’s men were clearly happy to keep him involved as he penned a new one-year contract.
      Rylan Clark keeps a keen eye on developments in the cinch SPFLCredit: Getty
      He has signed a new contract extensionCredit: Kenny Ramsay
      The contract extension post sent the internet into meltdown
      Whether or not the club banked on their tweet being viewed no fewer than 5MILLION times or not is another matter – as Rylan got in on the action.
      And it’s all because of the interesting way they phrased the post.
      They wrote: “✍️ Dick extension.”
      “We’re delighted to announce Liam Dick has renewed his contract for another year, keeping him at the club until June 2024.

      “Liam’s strong defending and versatility has been vital in his 80 appearances for the club, scoring four goals.
      “#YouBelong”
      Let’s just say it was a post – and a HASHTAG – which raised a few eyebrows, not least from Rylan Clark who is the face of cinch’s SPFL sponsorship.
      He quickly responded: “Fine with it.”
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      And footy fans from all over the UK rushed into the comments to make their own jokes – as the post gained huge traction for a fairly routine contract extension.
      Raith were delighted that their post reached 5m views
      One wrote: “Huge if true”
      Another said: “Best player announcement yet/”
      A third wrote: “Player sponsored by Viagra.”
      A fourth said simply: “That’s massive/”
      A fifth said: “It’s great to have a hard man at the back.”
      Raith took to social media again this morning to say they were delighted with the engagement they had got on their social media post – and that the player and his sponsors were all equally delighted.
      They wrote: “Well, things escalated last night.
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      “Over 5,000,000 people now know Liam Dick extended his contract for another season.”
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      Three EFL clubs watching former Liverpool ace with star set for transfer after stunning season in Scotland

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      YAN DHANDA is being watched by Blackburn, Birmingham and Ipswich.The Ross County attacking midfielder, 24, has shone for the Scottish Premiership club this season.
      Yan Dhanda has impressed in his first season in Scotland with Ross County after leaving Swansea last summer.Credit: PA
      The Birmingham-born midfielder started his career at LiverpoolCredit: Getty
      Dhanda has had nine assists and three goals in 31 games north of the border.
      And he even scored directly from a corner against Hibs in February.
      Dhanda moved to Scotland on a free transfer from Swansea.
      He signed a two-year deal with the SPL side.
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      But the Englishman could be available for a price of £400,000.
      Dhanda started his career with the Liverpool academy before joining Swansea in 2018.
      Since his move to Ross County, Dhanda’s performances have improved as the season has gone on.
      And that has attracted the Championship trio to register their interest in the Birmingham-born player.
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      Ross County travel to relegation rivals Dundee United in the Scottish Premiership on Saturday.
      Malky Mackay’s side are bottom of the table but just one point behind Kilmarnock and the Tangerines. More

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      ‘Was it directly hit by a solar flare?’ – SPFL club’s ‘charcoal sausage roll’ leaves fans speechless

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      IT’S tradition for many football fans on match-days to sample a pre-match or half-time snack from one of their club’s many fine kiosks. But even the most peckish punters won’t be flocking to one Scottish Championship club’s stadium for a meal any time soon after seeing the sausage rolls they have on offer. 
      Fans aren’t impressed with the meal
      Fans from across the UK have taken aim at the Scottish side after Footy Scran, a Twitter account which rates stadium snacks, posted pictures of the well-fired pastry dish on the platform. 
      Launched in 2020, the page asks footy supporters to rate food items from football matches around the world. 
      Below the pictures, fans can deliver their verdict on the meals by picking between ‘Scran’ or ‘No Scran.’
      Scottish teams regularly feature, with a burger from Aberdeen’s Pittodrie recently rated as one of the worst items of footy grub – with 93.57 per-cent of those who voted opting against the snack. 

      And now another Scottish club has been posted, but sadly not for the right reasons either!
      The platform’s 526,000 followers have shown their distaste towards the blackened sausage roll, with one fan asking if it had been found in a “Roman archaeology dig”.
      But the big question is, where did it come from?
      Well if you want to get your hands on the savoury meal, you will need to head up to the Highlands and visit the Caledonian Stadium – home of Inverness Caledonian Thistle.
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      The Jags hosted Championship leaders Dundee yesterday and the match ended in a 1-1 draw.
      It leaves the Dens Park outfit still leading the chase for the title – one point ahead of Queens Park – and Inverness in pole position for a play-off spot in third.
      But while it was a crunch clash with plenty on the line, one punter was more focused on his char-grilled sausage roll after being handed it over the counter.
      He then sent it in to the Footy Scran admins.
      And it didn’t go down well with fellow supporters as 87.5 per-cent of voters chose ‘No Scran’ compared to the 12.5 per-cent who claimed they would give it a go.
      They took to the comments to highlight their disbelief at the heavily burnt pastry snack too.
      One fellow football fan asked: “Was it directly hit by a solar flare?”
      Another added: “Rescued from a fire in the kitchen.”
      Someone else laughed: “Remember kids, if you’re naughty, Santa will leave a sausage roll from Inverness Caledonian Thistle FC in your stocking.”
      A fourth joked: “That’s a charcoal briquette.”
      An Inverness fan said: “No wonder we can’t afford our electric bills!”
      Whilst a sixth laughed: “Super Caley go ballistic, that sausage roll is atrocious.”
      The price of the sausage roll was £2.50, which is fairly cheap for your average stadium food.
      But most fans have admitted even that’s too much and insist they’d need to be paid to sample it.
      One comment read: “You’d have to pay me £250 to try that.”

      Another said: “That’s £2.50 too much.”

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      SPFL Championship club announce they will be fielding a team of SCHOOL KIDS in their next game

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      INVERNESS have warned they will be forced to play SCHOOL KIDS against Hamilton this weekend and blasted the SPFL for a lack of support.Billy Dodds’ Championship side face an injury crisis with NINE first-team stars currently crocked. 
      Billy Dodds has been left with an extensive injury list with nearly a whole first team out injuredCredit: Kenneth Ramsay
      The Highlanders head to Accies in the fourth round of the SPFL Trust Trophy on Saturday.
      But club chiefs have warned punters making the 340-mile trip to expect several youngsters to feature.
      Caley believe game chiefs haven’t done enough to support their recent problems and claimed a ‘lack of assistance’ from the SPFL in recent weeks. 
      They informed John Rankin’s side of their problems and believe it was right to warn fans to expect the youngsters to feature.

      A club statement said: “As the ticket prices for our away SPFL Trust cup tie v Hamilton are announced, the club feels that it is only fair to let Caley Thistle fans know that because of our continued unprecedented injury situation and the lack of assistance we applied for via the proper channels at the SPFL, the club will have no choice but to play a team in this tie which will not include many of our current first-team squad. 
      “While we will obviously welcome support for the boys, this in effect will mean our Under-18 squad, many of whom are still at school will play the game.
      “We believe that it is only fair that our supporters know this in advance of purchasing tickets and planning a round trip journey of six hours plus and over 300 miles, which we do of course face again the following week in the League match at Hamilton. 
      “We have spoken to Hamilton in advance of the ticket announcement to explain our situation which is in no way a reflection of anything else other than our injury situation.”
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      Caley Thistle have failed to win in their last seven Championship matches as they slipped down the table.
      The Jags’ 1-0 home defeat to Dundee saw them slip nine points behind league leaders Ayr.
      Dodds led his side to the promotion play-off final last season before losing 6-2 on aggregate to St Johnstone in May.
      Caley have had their name on the SPFL Trust Trophy three times before, including the abandoned 2020 final where they shared the title with Raith Rovers as a result of the Covid-19 lockdown but their attempts of a fourth triumph now hang on a knife edge.
      When contacted by SunSport, the SPFL admitted they had ‘sympathy’ for the Highlanders but had to stick to the rules.
      A spokesman said: “SPFL Rules state that a player out on loan is ineligible to return and play for the lending club until the next transfer window opens.
      “While the SPFL has sympathy with any club that is suffering from a number of player injuries, it is essential that the League applies these rules consistently and fairly to ensure the integrity of its competitions.”
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      Rapist footballer David Goodwillie FINALLY released by Raith Rovers eight months after they signed him

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      DAVID GOODWILLIE has finally been RELEASED by Raith Rovers.Goodwillie joined Raith from Clyde in January this year but his signing caused huge uproar at the club.
      David Goodwillie while playing for Clyde
      Goodwillie watching Raith vs Queen of the South shortly after signing for themCredit: SNS
      They attempted to send him back to Clyde but the Cumbernauld-based outfit performed a U-turn after being told by the local council, who own Broadwood Stadium where they play, that he would not be allowed to enter the building.
      He was promptly axed by Raith following a backlash from livid supporters but his contract was never formally ripped up, despite the club announcing in February that they would terminate it.
      Eight months on, he is officially no longer a player at the club.
      Raith released a statement on their website that read: “The club can confirm that David Goodwillie has been released from his contract with immediate effect. The club will make no further comment.”
      Stark’s Park went into meltdown over the signing of Goodwillie, who was convicted in a civil court in 2017 of having raped a woman.
      Author Val McDermid, a lifelong Raith fan, decided she could no longer support the club following the move to bring Goodwillie in and withdrew her sponsorship of the team.
      Other sponsors and celebrity fans called out the Kirkcaldy outfit too, while long-serving board members resigned and the women’s team disbanded.
      Raith initially doubled down on their decision to sign him, citing his record as a “proven goalscorer”.
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      Eventually, manager John McGlynn came out and publicly apologised for the debacle.
      Goodwillie and then-teammate David Robertson, were accused of raping Denise Clair in 2011.
      After not being found guilty in a criminal court due to lack of evidence, Ms Clair took her case to a civil court.
      It was the first of its kind in Scotland.
      A judge then found that both men were guilty of raping her and ordered them to pay £100,000 in compensation. The civil proceedings did not need corroboration, unlike the criminal case.
      Ex-Scotland international Goodwillie, 33, has also played for Dundee United, Blackburn Rovers, Crystal Palace, Blackpool, Aberdeen, Ross County and Plymouth Argyle during his career.
      He won three caps for Scotland, scoring one goal, between 2010-11.

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      Chelsea escape with warning as Uefa fine eight clubs including AC Milan, Juventus and PSG £149m for FFP breaches

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      CHELSEA, Manchester City, West Ham and Leicester have been warned they face Uefa financial fair play punishments if they cannot get their books back in balance this season.The four Prem sides were among 19 European clubs that Uefa experts ruled had only met the requirements because of Covid 19 emergency measures or historical break-even results.
      Chelsea spent over £271million this summer on new signings including defender Wesley FofanaCredit: Getty
      Former Arsenal skipper Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang joined the Blues on deadline dayCredit: Getty
      Uefa allows clubs to record a loss of just £25m over a three year period, a significant contrast to Prem rules that allow clubs to lose £35m a season.
      And as it announced fines totalling £149m against eight European clubs, Uefa said the Prem sides will now face extra scrutiny.
      Uefa said: “The Club Financial Control Body reminded these clubs that as from financial year 2023 these exceptional Covid deductions and consideration of historical financial results will no longer be possible. 
      “These clubs were further asked for additional financial information and will be monitored closely in the upcoming period.”
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      The English quartet may not be terribly bothered though, as Uefa also confirmed that despite levying the fines against the errant eight, only £22.5m must be paid now – with the rest waived if the clubs comply with new financial regulations by the 2025-26 season.
      PSG and the Italian quartet of Juventus, Inter, Roma and Milan were joined by French duo Monaco and Marseille and Turkish side Besiktas on the Uefa naughty step.
      The French champions copped the biggest fine, of £56.2m, but with just £8.65m due immediately.
      Uefa said the punishments had been imposed after studying the accounts of the clubs from 2018 through to this summer, taking into account the effect of the pandemic.
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      Euro chiefs said: “These amounts will be withheld from any revenues these clubs earn from participating in UEFA club competitions or paid directly.
      “The clubs agreed to comply with the football earning rule during the 2025/26 season. 
      “They undertake to reach intermediate annual targets, and to the application of conditional financial and sporting measures should these targets not be met.” More