Todd is a top pro, says Dickov

ANDY Todd has the attitude and experience to provide a perfect focal point for advice on and off the pitch.

That is the verdict of Athletic manager Paul Dickov, who has snapped up the 36-year-old defender for the remainder of the season following his return home from a two-year spell playing alongside Robbie Fowler with Perth Glory in the Australian A-League.

Todd — renowned as one of the toughest characters in football — is a former team-mate of Dickov’s at Blackburn Rovers and will provide defensive cover for Reuben Hazell and Neal Trotman, once international clearance has arrived for his place in the squad to be confirmed.

“People might look at Australia and think it is not a great league, but it is a good standard out there,” Dickov said, of a player who has spent the bulk of his 18-year career in the North-West with Bolton and Blackburn.

“The one thing Toddy will bring us is experience and professionalism.

“Whether he starts games here or not, the one thing he will be is a top professional for our younger players.

“We have possibly been missing that, whether it be in the changing room, the training ground or the football pitch.

“There is a tendency when senior pros aren’t playing that they can be a bit disruptive, because they feel a bit left out.

“The one thing Toddy is not is disruptive. He will be in there, helping everybody and giving advice out. And if needed to play, he will put a shift in for us as well.”