GRAEME Souness will receive an unwelcome reminder of the not-too-distant past when he leads his side into action in Heerenveen's Abe Lenstra Stadion tonight.

Heerenveen's home ground - capacity 20,000 - is named after the club's most famous player.

But, while Lenstra is revered in the northern province of Friesland, he is known throughout the rest of the country as one of the most controversial figures in the history of the game.

Lenstra played his football in the late 1940s and early 1950s - a time when the Dutch league was run on a regional basis and Heerenveen were crowned northern champions nine times in a row.

The striker quickly made a name for himself as a prodigious scorer of goals and, domestically, his greatest moment came in May, 1950, when he inspired Heerenveen to a 6-5 win over the mighty Ajax despite them trailing 5-1 with less than half an hour to play.

Such exploits quickly cemented his place in the Dutch national side, but it was here that his troubles began.

While Lenstra possessed all the ability in the world - many esteemed commentators feel he was a better player than the legendary Johann Cruyff - his Achilles' heel was a volatile temperament and a refusal to bow down to authority.

So, when the Dutch selectors asked him to play out of position for a crucial World Cup qualifying game, there was only ever going to be one outcome.

Lenstra refused and, after winning just 40 international caps, one of the finest international careers in Dutch football was brought to an ignominious end.

A portrait gallery in Heerenveen displays an infamous picture of Lenstra fishing while his international colleagues played in the World Cup but, in a part of the world that prides itself on its liberalism and individuality, his anti-authoritarian stance ensures he remains a cult hero.

It is safe to assume that Souness would view his actions in a rather different light and, while Newcastle look to book their place in the last 16 of the UEFA Cup this evening, it is tempting to imagine Craig Bellamy belligerently dipping his rod into a Glasgow canal.

With Heerenveen having a population of just 28,000, the press party has decamped to nearby Groningen for the duration of their stay.

The town is quintessentially Dutch - every journey takes you past a miniaturised version of the Tour de France - although there are a series of high-profile advertisements that will make supporters of Newcastle feel at home.

Coaches - a sportswear brand specialising in footwear - have plastered five-foot posters of Patrick Kluivert all over Groningen in an attempt to entice customers to their flagship store.

The striker is photographed in all manner of poses, although the snap of him banging the ball into the net might not be too familiar to the travelling hordes.

THE Newcastle squad weren't quite prepared for the icy blast that greeted them when they stepped on to the tarmac at Groningen Airport. Flurries of snow are forecast for the rest of the week, so maybe last week should have been spent in Dunston, rather than Dubai. Training in 100 degree heat is fine but it's going to be rather harder to trap the ball tonight when Newcastle's players can't even feel their toes.

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