WHERE ARE THEY NOW?; Alan Gowling

Alan Gowling was always a curiosity among footballers, a player with an education, a Masters degree in economics no less. A tabloid newspaper labelled him one of the "Eggheads of Soccer." As such, his front-line partnership with Frank Worthington in the last Bolton side promoted to the top division, in 1978, remains one of the game's stranger alliances.

He does not regret that his university education set him apart from the crowd, first with Manchester United, then Huddersfield and Newcastle before he joined Wanderers in the spring of 1977. Nowadays he is general manager of a chemicals company in Buxton.

"It was difficult to combine study and football in that you needed to be single-minded about both, which obviously was not possible," he said. "But, looking back, I am pleased I did it. There is no doubt it has been to my advantage."

The distraction did not diminish his enthusiasm for football and he considers himself honoured to have played alongside his "hero", Denis Law, at United and, later, with Malcolm MacDonald at Newcastle. When he retired at Preston 14 years ago, he might have stayed in the game had clubs been run more as they are today. "But the chief executive position did not exist and too many directors regarded a club as they would a train set."

He rejects the notion that football managers have less job security than their counterparts in business. "In a family firm such as the one I'm involved with the philosophy and ethics are a little different but in business in general, just as in football, everybody wants results."

Now 46, divorcee Gowling lives in Whaley Bridge, midway between Buxton and Stockport, and he is an active member of United's ex-players' association.