Elder statesman

SEEING Gudni Bergsson and Danny Livesey playing side by side in the pre-season friendly at Burnley said as much about the veteran's staying power as it did for the youngster's potential.

The age difference was a staggering 20 years but on this occasion, as on so many others down the years, talent bridged the generation gap.

Bergsson looked ... well, as Bergsson does, while the youngster was singled out by Sam Allardyce as a player who could emulate Kevin Nolan by graduating from the Academy to the Premiership in double-quick time.

Where he will be in 20 years time is impossible to say but he will have had a sensational career if, as in the case of the Wanderers' skipper, he is about to embark on another season of top flight football!

It is a lot to ask or to expect of any player, for Bergsson is a phenomenon.

Not only has his proved himself to be one of the most durable footballers of his generation, appearing to improve with age rather than decline, but he has done so in the face of incredible distractions.

For more than a year now he has stayed on in Bolton while his wife Ella, son Bergur and daughter Paldis Bjork have lived in the family home in Reykjavik. Not easy for such a close, young family but an arrangement Bergsson describes as "manageable".

He also has a career in the law waiting for him when he finally retires, which he now insists will be at the end of this season.

The simple fact is that, each time Bergsson has contemplated retiring, he has known in his heart of hearts that he is still good enough and fit enough to carry on.

And he still believes he has another year of top flight football in that 37-year-old body of his. He also believes there is a good thing going at the Reebok and he is determined to be a part of it.

"Life goes on," he laughs when he is reminded that the Nolans and Liveseys were not even born when he was first paid to play football.

"It's been a long career but I genuinely feel that I have another year left in the old legs. And I am really glad I am able to play.

"We are really fortunate having the opportunity to play professionally, to enjoy the excitement and the benefits that come with being a Premiership footballer.

"The older you get, the more you realise that and the more you learn to appreciate it."

Bergsson, who made his name in England during a six-year stay at Spurs after learning his trade with Valur in Iceland, now considers himself an adopted Boltonian.

"The club and the town of Bolton has been magnificent for me," he says. "I love the club and the place. There has always been a good team spirit in the dressing room and that was one of the big reasons for me deciding to stay on.

"We've got a great group of lads and I feel I am part of something special here.

"I've been very excited by the signings the manager has made. I believe we have a better squad now than we had last year at the start of the Premiership.

"You are always looking to strengthen. Every manager would always want another couple of players here and there to strengthen the squad and I'm sure our manager is no different than any other"

Bergsson, who has always had a great rapport with the Bolton fans who see him as one of the game's true statesmen, says Wanderers will be aiming to give Reebok crowds more to cheer next season.

"The support last season was excellent," he recalls. "We weren't picking up as many points as we would have liked at home but the fans showed great faith in us. We still know there is a long way to go financially for the club but we have the chairman and the board working on that. But it's also important for us to have capacity crowds for every game here at the Reebok.

"We are definitely moving in the right direction but the next step is to make sure we have another good season in the Premiership because, as everyone knows, the second season can often be the more difficult one.

"We know it's going to be difficult and we know it's going to be a tough league but we are determined to build on the experience of last season and perform even better."