Table of contents for April 2021 in FourFourTwo UK

Two issues ago, we ran a list of the 100 best players in Premier League history – and unsurprisingly, Thierry Henry emerged from it as our worthy No.1. It’s not normal practice at FFT to feature the same figure twice in a short space of time, but occasionally exceptions have to be made. When we were offered the chance of an exclusive chat with Henry – an interview almost one year in the making – to discuss his career in management so far, we decided our knowledgeable readers would forgive us more of the Frenchman (sorry, Spurs fans – even you). As ever, he didn’t disappoint. It’s been no stroll for Henry in the dugout to date, but he spoke to us eloquently about his challenging stints in Monaco and…

Spinney Dynamos 3 Spinners Colts 1 1970 Harlow Recreational League Cup Final “I’m going a bit left field with my first game, as I was 12 years old. I hope I’ve got the details and opponents right – I didn’t worry about the opposition too much in those days. Tottenham had scouted me but lost track of me for six months, then Martin Chivers came along to hand out the medals at the cup final and watched me play. I scored a couple of goals, and Martin went back to Spurs and told them about me. Without that game, maybe I wouldn’t have become a professional footballer. The weird thing is that Martin scouted me, then I ended up making my first-team debut for Spurs in the same team as…

When Philippines powerhouses Ceres-Negros were taken over by a sports marketing firm in July, the new owners knew how to create global interest. In Asia and beyond, everyone knows Manchester United, and they also know Manchester City, so... erm, what about changing the club’s name to ‘United City’? The mere thought of such a merger is rightfully enough to horrify the people of England’s fifth-largest city, but the club’s name has received attention – and not just in Manchester. United City aren’t blessed with Bruno Fernandes or Kevin De Bruyne, but they do have former Bolton and Bournemouth forward Trevor Morgan as manager, which is almost as good. Based in Bacolod on the island of Negros, the club were founded in 2012 by Leo Rey Yanson, owner of the Ceres…

What was the first match you ever saw live? My first game was Manchester United vs Bolton in 2003-04. It was Cristiano Ronaldo’s debut and we beat them 4-0. Sadly, because my dad wanted to be one of the first on the train home, we weren’t hanging about – we were from down south, in Bedford – and missed some of his magic when he tore them apart. I was absolutely fuming at him. I wasn’t happy, but I was pleased that we won. Going to Old Trafford was like going to heaven, walking into paradise. I loved it. It still feels the same when I go there now. Who was your childhood hero, and did you ever meet them? I had two or three. There was Paul Scholes [right],…

Becks at Wimbledon, 1996. Wayne Rooney against Arsenal, 2002. Phil Foden at Anfield, 2021. Every so often, a young Premier League player delivers a moment so compelling that it’s forever viewed as the day a superstar came of age. Time will tell whether Foden can be as great as Beckham and Rooney – but ever since he masterminded England’s U17 World Cup triumph in 2017, no one has been in any doubt about his potential. Against Liverpool in early February, he broke through from being a star of the future, to the undoubted star of the here and now. This was always going to be a big season for the 20-year-old. David Silva had left Manchester City, and Pep Guardiola was placing his faith in Foden to replace the Spaniard…

Is there an issue you feel strongly about? Contact us: fourfourtwo@futurenet.com FourFourTwoUK FourFourTwo OLLIE’S NAILED IT Ian Holloway’s well-timed and very poignant first column about mental health was a great read. The simple message Ian promotes around the access to support is so important, but also seems frustratingly obvious – an individual who is in tune with their mental and physical health will undoubtedly perform better. I’ve subscribed since your first issue in 1994 – FFT is still a great and varied read. Cheers, Ollie! Ian Mastaglio, via email DO ONE, RON RON I have to say I’m baffled by Cristiano Ronaldo being selected at No.2 in your list of the 100 greatest Premier League players [FFT 322]. As I’ve seen in previous Manchester United features, his team-mates were long…

“Ladies and gentlemen, please give a warm welcome to the New York Cosmos’ newest soccer star...... Dennnissss Tuuuearrrrtttt!” From the moment Manchester City’s former forward was blinded by flash bulbs outside the Time Warner building on Rockefeller Plaza in February 1978, he realised this was a very different ball game. The affable Geordie had played six times for England, helped Sunderland win the 1973 FA Cup Final and scored a superb overhead kick to claim the 1976 League Cup for City – but New York was far removed from anything else he’d ever experienced. “It seemed almost unreal that I was poised to play in the Big Apple – and inheriting Pele’s shirt,” Tueart tells FourFourTwo, recalling the day his life turned upside down. “Few people can say they were…

Was it always a dream to play in England? Yes, Liverpool actually. When I was growing up in Cleveland, there was hardly any football on television, but I went on a family trip when I was 10 or 11 and watched Liverpool. I fell in love. From that point, I wanted to join them. As a youngster, you had trials with English clubs but could never secure a work permit. How frustrating was that? Very. I signed a contract with Newcastle and went there for three months while we tried to get my work permit through on appeal. Then I signed a contract with Sunderland, but that got denied too. I tried again at Southampton as well. I had a trial at Celtic and was offered a contract, but didn’t…

How special were your two years in charge of Sheffield Wednesday? Our idea was to do things differently, to avoid the typical English style and break away from the past. In the beginning we struggled a bit, playing more long balls than we wished that led to negative results. Eventually, the players absorbed what we wanted. We reached the Championship play-off final in the first season [2015-16] and then finished fourth. We had full control of the club. Not even a roll of toilet paper was purchased without my knowledge. Those were Wednesday’s highest finishes since 2000. What was the key? I used to say that we had a team of shorties. We went after players that everyone ignored. Barry Bannan was one – no one cared about him, but…

THOU SHALL NOT PASS Leo Moynihan (Bloomsbury, £16.99) ●●●●● With the distinct advantage of playing square on to the action in front of them, centre-backs have historically received little in the way of fulsome praise. Yet Thou Shall Not Pass does an excellent job in revealing why they should be respected, and how their role has evolved. After Hungary crushed England at Wembley in 1953, it became clear that the era of the ‘stopper centre-half’ – so successful in Herbert Chapman’s aspirational WM formation – was over. But it wasn’t until the 1960s – when Bill Shankly converted forward Tommy Smith into a defender to play alongside the colossus Ron Yeats, and Alf Ramsey slotted a rougher Jack Charlton alongside smooth operator Bobby Moore – that managers began paying attention…

YOKOHAMA F MARINOS Despite winning the Emperor’s Cup, the Yokohama Flugels went bust in 1998 and merged with seaside rivals Yokohama Marinos (that’s ‘marine’ in, er, Spanish). Trouble is, it wasn’t really a merger at all – the ‘new’ team had the Marinos’ badge and kit, and only three Flugels players. A solitary F is all that remains – and unsurprisingly, the merger was as well received in Yokohama as a team called Tottenham A Hotspur would be in north London, playing in white and blue with Hector Bellerin at the back. Instead, furious Flugels formed Yokohama FC. KASHIMA ANTLERS In the late 1980s, the small industrial town near Tokyo was famous only for two things: its gambling parlours and the deer which roamed the city. That was until citizens…

PARMA The Gialloblu bagged four European trophies during a glorious 1990s but went bankrupt in 2015, resulting in demotion to Italy’s fourth tier – the same fate that befell Fiorentina in 2002. The latter returned to Serie A in two years after being allowed to skip the third tier; Parma were back in the top flight after three seasons. DNIPRO Twice Soviet League champions, the Ukrainians reached the 2015 Europa League Final – losing out to Sevilla, of course. Soon banned from Europe for breaching FFP, debts escalated and they were packed off to the third tier in 2017, before going out of business. Phoenix club Dnipro-1 have already ascended to the top table in Ukraine. SKONTO RIGA Set up in 1991 when Latvia became independent, Skonto immediately won 14…

“PLAYERS OUT OF THE TEAM LIKED SVEN AS MUCH AS THOSE IN IT – THAT’S PRETTY RARE” What attracted you to swap Swindon for Salford in November? How much have things changed since you were a player there? I joined Salford for a very brief spell at the end of my career [in the National League North] – I still loved it, but my legs were gone. It wasn’t a great time, to be honest! You can see how much the club has changed: the ground has improved a lot and things have moved quickly. Now we need to keep up with what’s happening on the pitch – our training ground needs some work, as does our pitch. We’ve had quite a few postponements this season. The club has maybe…

MICHAEL OLISE READING LOWDOWN Royals fans had become accustomed to dross, but this season is different: with silky wideman Olise flanking a free-scoring Lucas Joao, Reading are in the mix for promotion and daring to dream. Former Chelsea youth-teamer Olise – born in England but who represented France in 2019’s U18 Toulon Tournament – joint-led the second tier for assists at the start of February, while his languid, Riyad Mahrez-lite style has perked up fans forced to watch matches from home. Sit back, load up his highlight reel on YouTube and weep. HIGHLIGHT Olise celebrated his 19th birthday in mid-December by curling home an exquisite 25-yard winner at QPR, in the 89th minute. THEY SAID “Michael was maybe the most wonderful talent I’ve worked with – and I’ve worked with…

After progressing through the youth ranks at Auxerre, you made your senior debut at Valencia under Rafael Benitez. What was he like as a boss? It was a huge honour to play under him. He’s one of the greatest managers I’ve ever met. He gave me the opportunity to play in La Liga, and I can only thank him for what he did for me. I was still very young at that time. I was supposed to play for Valencia’s second team and train with the senior squad, but after the first session, Rafa asked me to stay with the senior team permanently. That was in 2003-04 – what a campaign it turned out to be... Absolutely, as we won La Liga and the UEFA Cup. We had two secrets…

“I GAVE A TAXI DRIVER ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS – THEN LEFT MY PHONE IN HIS CAR!” Hello Pascal. You once handed Wigan boss Paul Jewell a transfer request after a game, pulling a piece of paper out of one of your socks. What was your thinking? Did you shout “Ta-da!” as you produced it? Hi! It wasn’t in my sock. This was said, but it wasn’t true – I had it in my bag and got it out for him. I wasn’t aware of how transfer requests really worked in England, and my agent said I had to write a letter to the manager. So I did, and gave it to him after the game. But I didn’t know that he’d then open it in front of the whole team…

25 ETHAN AMPADU 24 NECO WILLIAMS 23 JOE WILLOCK 22 CONOR GALLAGHER 21 EDDIE NKETIAH 20 TYRICK MITCHELL 19 PASCAL STRUIJK 18 AARON CONNOLLY 17 FABIO SILVA 16 GABRIEL MARTINELLI 15 ERIC GARCIA 14 DWIGHT McNEIL 13 EMILE SMITH ROWE 12 ILLAN MESLIER 11 TARIQ LAMPTEY 10 CALLUM HUDSON-ODOI 9 REECE JAMES 8 PEDRO NETO 7 CURTIS JONES 6 KAI HAVERTZ 5 FERRAN TORRES 4 MASON GREENWOOD 3 WESLEY FOFANA 2 BUKAYO SAKA…

So, you joined Nordsjaelland as an assistant coach last summer... I’ve been learning from friends and doing my badges, and the team has been growing. The people have taken to me and been very supportive and encouraging, which is vital during this COVID period. There were chances to go and do it in mainland Europe, but I chose Nordsjaelland. It’s been the best place for me to get the practice and attention to detail that I need. How have you been coping with life since the pandemic began? I’ve been doing all right. Obviously it’s so mentally draining, having to keep away from a lot of things that made living beautiful – things like hugging colleagues, handshakes and even the close spaces we share with people on the pitch. It’s…

“There’s one thing that Arsene tells me all the time. ‘Enjoy the ride and all the best,’ he says, ‘because it’s not easy...’ And, yes, he’s right. It’s not.” Thierry Henry briefly bursts into laughter as he repeats the words of Arsene Wenger, but he’s never been so serious about anything in his life. He’s recounting the most regular piece of advice he’s received from his former Arsenal boss since embarking on his own management career. That career may have been short so far, but Henry has already been through enough stresses to understand the subtle humour Wenger intends – akin to the advice he might offer someone heading off for their first day as a lion tamer, or a daredevil about to hurl themselves over Niagara Falls in a…

WAYNE ROONEY DERBY ROONEY’S BEEN A CALM PRESENCE IN THE DUGOUT AND GOT THE BEST OUT OF DERBY’S YOUNGSTERS As he was unveiled as a manager for the very first time, Manchester United and England’s record goalscorer smiled for the cameras. He had just taken charge of a historic club in the second tier, hoping to return them to former glories. Bobby Charlton was 35, but things didn’t go very well: within a year, Preston North End were relegated to the Third Division. Unable to seal promotion the following year, he resigned in a huff, unhappy when one of his key players was sold without his consent. It would be Charlton’s only permanent managerial role, as he became the example in any argument about the best players not always making…

JORGE CADETE PARTICK THISTLE, 2004 CREDENTIALS After dumping Celtic out of Europe with Bobby Robson’s Sporting in 1993-94, Cadete made amends three seasons later when he bagged 25 league goals for the Bhoys alongside Paolo Di Canio and Pierre van Hooijdonk. The volatile amigos had fled the coop come the following summer, though: Cadete forced a switch to Celta Vigo after going AWOL, before heading back to Portugal with Benfica in January 1999. And that’s where it all went wrong: a year later, he was reunited with Dean Saunders (!) by joining Bradford (!!) on loan, then failed to net in seven games. Jorge’s career path then read: Estrela Amadora (relegated), the Big Brother house, Partick Thistle. Gabrielle was right: dreams can come true. HOW’D IT GO? February 20, 2004:…

1 GET OUTTA OUR CUP Hereford United were the last Welsh Cup winners from England, in 1990, five years before English clubs’ invitation was withdrawn. Unable to represent Wales in the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup, however, beaten finalists Wrexham took the spot instead – then landed a plum second-round tie against eventual champions Manchester United. 2 GENTLE GIANT Surely the Bulls’ most famous signing, John Charles turned up in 1966 and became player-manager a year later. Despite arriving aged 34, Il Gigante Buono smashed 130 goals in just five seasons at Edgar Street, and laid down much of the groundwork for the historic FA Cup run that began weeks after his exit. 3 HAMMER TIME Yes, they defeated Newcastle in 1972 – but just four days after…

THE GAFFER SIR BOBBY ROBSON “It was such an honour to play under him. Mind you, I liked winding him up. I’d play my trumpet in a room at the training ground and he couldn’t work out where all the noise was coming from!” SHAY GIVEN “He’s one of the best goalkeepers in Premier League history. Shay went about his job very quietly – he was never showy – and always seemed to be in the right place at the right time. A massive part of that Newcastle side.” JORGE SOTO “One of the greatest players to represent my first club, Sporting Cristal, and he ended up making over 500 appearances for them over three spells. Jorge won 101 caps for the Peru national team and could play in midfield…