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Slaven Bilic did not live up to the traditional footballer’s stereotype.

When he signed for Everton in 1997 – signed by a chairman after the manager who had pursued him had been mutually consented – Peter Johnson spoke glowingly of a qualified lawyer who could converse fluently in four different languages and played guitar in a rock band.

The Blues chairman quickly learned he could play football, too – a classy, but ill-disciplined centre-half (nine yellows and three reds in 29 starts takes some doing) until a hip injury effectively ended his top flight career.

He was just as non-conformist off the pitch, too.

He once agreed to do an interview with me after training, but declined the usual practice of standing in the Bellefield corridor. He invited me over the road to a nearby hotel, ordered a coffee and a brandy, lit up a foreign cigarette – and shrugged in surprise when I told him I didn’t smoke.

But he was captivating company – even if some of his stories didn’t quite ring true.

He surely didn’t turn down advances from Real Madrid to stay at Everton?

Others stories did.

Trying to explain why an Everton team which consistently struggled at the wrong end of the table went nine matches and five years without losing to rivals Liverpool – a period which coincided with his spell at the club, he fixed me with those intense eyes and declared: “They have better players, but we have more men.”

Some of those Reds players who faced Bilic, Big Dunc and the Dogs of War have confirmed they never relished derby matches during that era.

A couple of recent quotes are just as resonant.

“I know I can’t save the world on my own; but if there is a struggle against unjustness, I always prefer to be on the frontline, and that is my attitude toward life,” he said.

Then there was: “If you can give players composure but without losing the passion and positive craziness, that is impressive. If you put a wild horse in the movies, you usually kill some of the wildness. But to be organised without killing the passion or spirit, that is the trick.”

Slav has now learned the art of composure, without losing any of his passion or positive craziness.

The new West Ham manager is a welcome addition to the Premier League.

Can’t wait until he locks horns with The Special One.

Slaves to fashion

Wearing a suit with no socks was a peculiar fashion statement, singular to the 1980s.

Like rolling the sleeves up on your jacket, or letting your hair grow long at the back – then perming it.

They were short-lived trends inspired by hit TV show Miami Vice.

And they seemed to perish with the popularity of Crockett and Tubbs.

Until recently.

On Saturday night Barcelona boss Luis Enrique was spotted charging down a Berlin touchline to celebrate with his players – ankles bare to the world beneath his immaculate suit.

Tim Howard was highlighted on the big screen at St George’s Hall during Everton’s end of season awards night, again with ankles on show.

And Idris Elba was spotted out and about in town dressed immaculately from head to ankles, where stylishness went missing round about the bottom of his trousers. But he is a film star.

Now I’m keenly aware that I’m tossing rocks from a very large glasshouse. As the picture at the top of this page shows, my knowledge of gentlemen’s fashion is, at best, lacking.

But I was once handed a very good piece of advice by a former Everton midfielder as to why shoes, training shoes especially, should never be worn without socks.

“It makes your feet stink.”

Eighties throwbacks, you have been warned.

Hand to mouth is the Barca way

What state secrets do footballers possess?

What earth-shattering items of information do football people know that we can’t possibly be told?

They must know something significant.

That’s the only conclusion which can be drawn from the images of so many Barcelona and Juventus players cupping their hands over their mouths while talking to each other during Saturday’s Champions League final.

Travelling down the Olympic Stadium escalator, they refused to go hands free, talking to each other at free-kicks they covered their mouths – chatting as they left the pitch at half-time they concealed their lips.

It’s a tactic beloved of Brendan Rodgers and his coaching team, presumably because they’re discussing tactics they don’t want rivals who may have access to a lip-reader learning.

Paranoid. But understandable.

But even while Barcelona were celebrating Saturday’s success, Messi and co. were hiding their lips from view while talking.

Clearly that wasn’t tactics.

So we can only guess at what gems Leo & co. didn’t want us to learn.

Maybe it was: “How the hell did Neymar scuff that? I could have headed that in with my hand over my mouth.”

Or: “At least Cristiano will be pleased I didn’t score.”

Perhaps: “I knew all those growth hormone treatments would pay off in the end.”

Or maybe modern footballers are just increasingly paranoid.

To put the Champions League final behaviour into perspective, 10 minutes later, on the national news, members of the Royal Family were filmed wandering around talking to each other, hands free.

Put Barry back on top of the world

THE 14th Liverpool International tennis tournament gets underway next week – with a bid to recapture a world record.

Last summer Barry Cowan, the Liverpool supporting former tennis player who famously took Pete Sampras five sets at Wimbledon, led 680 schoolchildren in a single tennis lesson at Liverpool Cricket Club.

That smashed the previous record held by Andy Murray’s mum, Judy – until Mrs Murray got wind of the record.

On July 2 she led 770 participants at the Dukes Meadows Tennis Centre in London.

So Barry’s going again.

Next Wednesday, organisers of the International are hoping to attract even more schoolkids to the cricket club to reclaim the record.

If you want to get involved contact tournament organisers on admin@northern-vision.co.uk or 07950-260165.

It’s got to be worth it to wind up Mrs Murray.