Innehållsförteckning för February 2023 från FourFourTwo UK

Weeks since that incredible final between Argentina and France, the World Cup is now in the rear view mirror, and we’re back to the hustle and bustle of domestic football. One of the stars of the tournament was Roy Keane – OK, just like the previous World Cup in Asia, he wasn’t on the field, but he was one of the standout pundits on ITV, just as he’s been during Sky Sports’ Premier League coverage for some time. In this issue, we look back at the career of a no-nonsense midfielder who never took any prisoners – on or off the pitch. Cesc Fabregas sits down for a chat with FFT, explaining why Serie B side Como is likely to be his last club before he hangs up his boots…

FourFourTwo is officially a work of art. Hey, don’t just take our word for it – go and see for yourself. Our 2021-22 Season Preview cover is on display at The Lowry gallery, next to LS Lowry’s 1953 painting Going To The Match, which has been acquired by the arts centre for a hefty £7.8 million with assistance from The Law Family Charitable Foundation. The work famously depicts a throng of football supporters heading inside Burnden Park, Bolton’s former home. It was previously owned by the PFA, who then loaned it to the Lowry for 22 years, but they were recently forced to sell it as a result of the financial crisis. To celebrate the iconic purchase, the gallery has now rehung the painting with a notable addition: the adjacent…

HENRIK LARSSON The Swede’s football journey started at lower-league Hogaborg before he went to their neighbours, Helsingborg. After going abroad to shine for Celtic and Barcelona, he did that journey in reverse, rejoining Helsingborg aged 34, then playing his last ever competitive match for Hogaborg at the age of 42. DIRK KUYT Pace wasn’t one of the many qualities he was renowned for, but Kuyt began his career at amateur side Quick Boys. He turned out for Feyenoord before and then after spells with Liverpool and Fenerbahce, and late in his career he played for Quick Boys again, where he was also the assistant manager. GIANLUIGI BUFFON The Azzurri legend came through Parma’s youth system and spent six years in their first team, lifting the UEFA Cup before grabbing more…

ANDREI KANCHELSKIS “The best midfielder I played with. He wasn’t scary in the dressing room, but on the pitch he was aggressive.” KAREL POBORSKY “He was mad, but in a good way. Totally uncompromising, he ran around like he had four lungs.” ANDY TOWNSEND “An awesome all-round central midfielder. There have been few better anywhere in Europe over the years.” TEDDY SHERINGHAM “You need someone to dictate the pace of play, which Roy did perfectly. When things got tough, Keaney got going.” EMMANUEL PETIT “I used to enjoy coming up against him for Arsenal – it was always a battle. He was a giant of the game.” BOBBY CHARLTON “A born leader and a great team player. He didn’t make many mistakes, and he always made up for it if…

Cesc Fabregas looks us up and down and smiles, his teeth glistening in the mid-afternoon winter’s sun. In the distance, Lake Como tries to match them. “Life is good,” he tells FFT. There is a contentment to the former Arsenal, Barcelona and Chelsea midfielder’s voice that not even this most picturesque of settings in Lombardy, northern Italy, can fully explain. “Como is an amazing place and everyone has been so welcoming,” he continues. “We have been on holiday here before as a family and my wife and kids are all very happy. It’s a real positive to come here, believe in the project and enjoy my football once again.” Now aged 35, Fabregas arrived in the Alpine foothills at the beginning of August. Joining Serie B side Como is about…

ARTHUR JOHN (1929-31) Benfica’s first foreign boss, John guided the Eagles to Campeonato de Portugal glory in both of his campaigns at the club, ending a 10-year wait. Doubled as a massage therapist and pioneered the position of the specialist manager, declaring, “You either coach or play.” TED SMITH (1948-52) The Essex-born former Millwall fullback was 33 when he took over Benfica in July 1948. Clinched two Portuguese Cups and the 1949–50 Primeira Liga crown, the only league title Sporting’s supreme Cinco Violinos (Five Violins) side didn’t lift between 1947 and 1954. JIMMY HAGAN (1970-73) County Durham-born Hagan’s martinet methods worked wonders, lifting three league titles including the unbeaten 1972–73. The great Eusebio struck 40 that term to win the European Golden Shoe, later claiming training sessions were so tough…

LIONESS: MY JOURNEY TO GLORY Beth Mead (Seven Dials, £20) European champion, top scorer and player of the tournament, Beth Mead had quite a 2022 to remember, but as this often heartwarming autobiography explains, it’s not always been a straightforward path to glory. As a teenager, the chronically homesick Whitby-born forward was often a reluctant tourist for club and country, and unsure if she’d have a career in football. Though the women’s game has risen to prominence at last, financial problems have often provided an uncomfortable backdrop. Mead’s 2017 move to Arsenal came as Sunderland had to sell prize assets following the relegation of their men’s team. Previously, when the Black Cats gained promotion to the WSL, several of Mead’s team-mates were reluctant to go full-time as they had better…

When you’re within 800 miles of the North Pole, and it’s dark for three months of the year, there’s only one thing for it – a game of football. The miniscule 2,500-person town of Longyearbyen is the capital of the Svalbard archipelago and the world’s northernmost settlement posting a population over 1,000. Despite being at 78 degrees north, it has all the makings of a modern economic hub. Even here, people go running, get pizza delivered and take a stroll around the shopping centre. Even here, people play football. Sure, outdoor matches are somewhat tricky, what with all the snow and ice – winter temperatures average close to minus 15, so not even under-soil heating could get the job done, even if a pitch is ready and waiting for an…

@FOURFOURTWO ASKS… The man. The myth. The throw-in legend, Rory Delap. John Slingsby Radja Nainggolan is loved by every fanbase for whom he has played – Piacenza, Roma, Cagliari, Inter, Antwerp – but strangely gets little love from the national team, even when he was an obvious call-up. Adam Fysh Divock Origi – not the most talented footballer and didn’t play much, but scored incredibly important goals. James Daly Carlos Roa. He literally disappeared to join a religious cult. Diego Flatley Fans of a certain vintage would probably say Frank Worthington. Phil Loynds The man that took grey joggers to the very top, Gabor Kiraly. Cam Ramsey Number one is Perry Groves, and number two is Perry Groves. Number three is Perry Groves, and number four is Perry Groves… Tony…

Whenever Manchester United fans discuss the club’s greatest captain or their favourite all-time player, Roy Keane’s name will always come up. His impeccably high standards, desperation to win and desire to lead by example raised the levels of those around him. United were a better team because of him. Keane was the original mentality monster – he wasn’t afraid to leave his boot in and he wouldn’t back down from a fight. But that sometimes allows people to view him merely as a player who worked very hard and was a tough nut. That’s an unfair reduction of an incredibly talented footballer and a great passer of the ball, who could finish well, read the game, time a tackle and inspire the best in others. Almost 20 years after he…

GENNARO GATTUSO Credentials The beast to Andrea Pirlo’s beauty for Milan and Italy, Ringhio (‘The Snarl’) was the most terrier-like of midfielders, scurrying about, barking at bigger boys and pissing up their legs (probably). Televisual highlights don’t really do justice to the full narrative arc of his aggro: the deceptively mild early clash, the sinister simmer and the eventual boil-over followed by a ludicrous tackle and glorious multi-player free-for-all. It’s almost operatic. Angriest moment Explicit challenges aside, Rino’s most mad-eyed moment was the furious, topless headbutt on the fearsome but venerable Tottenham assistant Joe ‘Jaws’ Jordan, another Rossoneri legend. Gattuso blamed that 2011 skirmish (right) for him not getting the Spurs job a decade later, though some inadvisable comments about all sorts of best-avoided issues didn’t help, either. RAGE RATING…

INTERVIEW Did you always know that you wanted to go into management? I retired due to my back at 33, and it was just a case of seeing what I wanted to do. I did a bit of media work and enjoyed that, but I started doing my badges and got the bug for developing young players, having always thought about giving senior management a shot. I’m a big believer in stretching yourself, taking yourself out of your comfort zone. It’s the only way you can better yourself in life. Were there coaches you played for that inspired you in particular? I’ve worked with plenty of good ones – George Graham and Glenn Hoddle were both very good at Tottenham. Then during my time at West Ham, I had Alan…

FINN AZAZ PLYMOUTH THE LOWDOWN The London-born playmaker joined West Bromwich Albion aged nine, but switched to Aston Villa in 2021 and continued his run of successful loan spells. Having already helped Cheltenham to the League Two title in 2020-21, Azaz impressed at Newport last term and is now shining in League One for a promotion-chasing Plymouth side. HIGHLIGHT Adding a goal threat to his creativity earned Azaz a place in League Two’s Team of the Season for 2021-22, soon followed by its Young Player of the Year award. THEY SAID “I know he loves it down here – he has a nice apartment.” Plymouth gaffer Steven Schumacher hoped bricks and mortar would help in convincing his loan star to return from Villa after he injured his ankle in a…

1 HAIL TO THE CHEF Norwich’s majority shareholder is TV cook Delia Smith, a regular matchday attendee, and whose passion gave the Premier League one of its iconic moments. With the Canaries drawing 2-2 against Manchester City in early 2005 – and mired in a relegation battle – Smith walked on to the pitch at half-time in a bid to rouse the home support, slurring, “Let’s be ’avin you!” It only served to inspire Robbie Fowler, who plundered City’s late winner shortly before Norwich’s demotion. 2 BAD BLOOD Norwich and Ipswich contest one of British football’s fiercest rivalries, playfully dubbed the ‘Old Farm derby’ due to East Anglia’s agricultural heritage. There’s no love lost, with former referee Keith Hackett declaring the Old Farm the most aggressive atmosphere he ever experienced…

Last year was the greatest in the history of English women’s football. As a crucial member of the Lionesses for a long time, how do you reflect on those achievements, culminating in a European Championship triumph at Wembley? It’s come a very long way! I experienced it all: the complete amateur side, paying to play at Tranmere, and the semi-professional side, then later I managed to play full-time for Lincoln and Doncaster, and I also played for my country. So, I’ve seen the whole way through! I had to work very hard initially and balance things with my studies, then work. I did it because I loved it, but it’s nice to see the current players following a professional lifestyle and improving daily. You got involved in the Euro 2022…

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THE GAFFER SAM ALLARDYCE “I’ll go for Big Sam because of the type of fella he is: a character and a very clever manager. He’d be able to handle all of the players in my team. I think he’s underrated as a manager.” THE SUBS 01 WAYNE ROONEY 02 JONATHAN WOODGATE 03 MARK NOBLE PEPE REINA “When people talk about goalkeepers now, it’s about how good they are with their feet. Reina was the ‘new’ style, as well as being very commanding and a top-class keeper. He could have played outfield if he’d wanted to.” GLEN JOHNSON “I had a good relationship with Luke Young at both Middlesbrough and Aston Villa, but Johnno could get forward more and he had two good feet. At Liverpool, I’d play on the right,…

Which was the first game that you ever attended? A League Cup game in August 1999, Manchester City vs Burnley at Maine Road. It was shortly after we won promotion from the Second Division via the play-offs against Gillingham, so I was already falling in love with football at that point. That summer, I would have been at my mum and dad, saying, “Get me to a match!” [Laughs] I didn’t really have any kind of concept of how bad things had got for City compared with what they used to be like in the ’60s and ’70s – the Gillingham game was a turning point. I was only seven at the time, so you don’t know, it was just fun. I remember going up the steps as you get…

After spending the past six years playing in Turkey and Japan, what was the motivation behind your move to Gornik Zabrze in 2021? It was about following my heart and coming back home to my roots. This is where everything started. I’m from this city: I grew up next door to the stadium, I started playing football on the streets here and my whole family supports this club. When I played for other teams, I always had a dream to finish here. You can’t plan your career to the letter, but I feel really good and that’s why I chose to carry on playing. That’s why I’m here. It’s similar to when I rejoined FC Köln for a second spell [in 2009] – it’s about going back to help the…

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JOHN ROBERTSON NEWCASTLE TO HEARTS | 1988 £750,000 PEDIGREE Hailing from Edinburgh and not to be confused with the Nottingham Forest European Cup winner, a teenage Robertson was offered terms by Hibs only to sign for cross-town rivals Hearts. To add insult to injury, the striker was later called ‘The Hammer of Hibs’, for his knack of scoring in derbies. Hearts nearly won the double with him in 1985-86 but missed out on league and cup with consecutive defeats. Newcastle paid £625k to take him from Tynecastle to Tyneside in ’88. THE SITUATION At Newcastle, Robertson had a hernia operation, went 14 games without scoring, played on the wing and was put up for sale by a new manager, all within eight months. A bidding war broke out between Rangers,…

Your chip in Newcastle’s 5-0 win against Manchester United in October 1996 is one of the Premier League’s most iconic goals. Do you ever get tired of talking about it? Never. Why should I mind? That was a very special result against a very special team, and my goal was against Peter Schmeichel – the best keeper in the world at the time. Any win against Manchester United has to be enjoyed, and because of the circumstances, this was more enjoyable than most [below]. After all, they had won the title the previous season when we had lost that big lead, and then they had smashed us 4-0 in the Charity Shield a few months earlier. My goal was the fifth but it wasn’t the only good goal of the…

As a local boy, what did it mean to make your professional debut for Bari in Serie A? It was a dream come true because playing for your boyhood team, in the town where you were born, is something so unique and beautiful. My family, friends and schoolmates were there, cheering for me. All the sacrifices I had to make as a kid were worth it in that moment. It really was an unforgettable day. You joined Fiorentina in 1995 and won the Coppa Italia in your first season. Gabriel Batistuta, Rui Costa, Francesco Toldo and more – how special was that team? That was an unbelievable side, managed by Claudio Ranieri and made up of great men and great players. Our team spirit was vital during two absolutely wonderful…