Every overseas trip needs a 'fixer' - someone with the contacts and the knowhow to look after the local logistics. Whether it's organising transport, checking arrangements for training, picking people up from the airport, or sorting out tickets, they are the ones who do the legwork that allows club staff to concentrate on the pre-season preparations.
And the man with his phone permanently glued to his ear acting as fixer for Sunderland's week-long training camp in Portugal is no stranger to Wearside - although award yourself a gold star if you saw him play! Ex-goalkeeper Brian Horne spent a loan spell with the Black Cats back in 1992, although he does not feature in the record books because he didn't make a first-team appearance for the club, although he did turn out for the reserves.
Horne has fond memories of his stay at Sunderland under Malcolm Crosby, and training alongside players including Gary Owers, Gary Bennett, Kevin Ball, and goalkeepers Tony Norman, and the late Tim Carter. But 54-year-old Horne is better known for his seven-year stay at Milwall in the 1980s and early 1990s, when he was a teammate of, and later played under, future Sunderland boss Mick McCarthy.
