Innholdsfortegnelse for March 2024 i FourFourTwo UK

“AT CELTIC, I BECAME A MAN. I LEARNED WHAT IT MEANS TO PLAY FOR A TEAM WITH YOUR HEART” Pirin 3-0 Montana May 31, 1995 Bulgarian A Group “This was my professional debut at 15 years old. I remember finding out that I’d be playing on the Friday while I was at school. The headmaster called me to his office and said I had to leave, as the first team were playing an away game and I’d been picked in the squad. I was nervous and excited. Nobody expected me to feature in the match – they just thought it would be a nice experience for me – but I came on for the last few minutes in injury time and loved it. On the bus journey home, everybody was…

YES JAMES ANDREW EDITOR @JamesAndrew_ In March 2010, a friend and I were walking along Corso Vittorio Emanuele II in Turin ahead of Fulham’s Europa League last 16 first leg against Serie A heavyweights Juventus, en route to meet other supporters in a bar. As we strolled down the busy road, a bloke in a black car spotted us, started beeping his horn and shouted things in Italian. We opted to keep our heads low, not engage and walk on, but the driver continued to bellow at us before eventually swerving across the road and pulling his car up onto the pavement. He jumped out and said, “You English?” At this stage there was little point trying to pretend otherwise, so we sheepishly nodded our heads. “Wait there,” he said…

Welcome to the run-in, folks. We’re at that stage of the campaign where we concede our club didn’t really endure ‘a bad start to the season’ – they just weren’t particularly good from the outset. Give it until Easter and I’m sure you’ll begin to see the same old Team of the Season posts clogging up your timelines: your Salahs and Salibas, debates on how many Manchester City players are too many and whether Cole Palmer has “done enough”. I know how my side looks – Declan Rice, you have my heart – but there are a number of tertiary characters who deserve their spotlight. Like Rinus Michels and Garth Crooks before me, I wanted to concoct 2023-24’s ‘Vibes XI’: alternative shouts for the standout stars who have hoovered up…

For almost a dozen years at Tottenham Hotspur, there was a constant presence between the sticks. France international Hugo Lloris appeared 447 times under eight Spurs bosses, including interims – nine if you count Ryan Mason’s pair of spells separately – and was a safe, reliable comfort blanket for Mauricio Pochettino’s nearly men, Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte’s joylessness and Tim Sherwood’s banter era. Under Ange Postecoglou, though, a new-look Spurs have had a new goalkeeper, and it already feels as if Guglielmo Vicario has been at the club for years. Last season at Empoli, the Italian made more saves (227) than any gloveman in Europe’s top five leagues – Inter, Juventus and Napoli were all reportedly interested in securing his services, before his transfer to north London for an…

A glass of red wine, a glass of white, a heated argument, a Tiswas star, a huge dry-cleaning bill and Yakubu. It’s a sentence that FourFourTwo never thought we would write, but one that sums up the simultaneous fusion of madness and magic at Portsmouth in the 2000s. At the heart of it was Serbian businessman Milan Mandaric, who became one of the first major foreign owners in English football in 1999, and who rescued a second-tier club in deep financial trouble and dire straits on and off the pitch. Within a decade, Portsmouth were a top-half Premier League side, FA Cup winners for the first time since 1939 and giving AC Milan an almighty scare in Europe. From one Milan to another, it was a hell of a ride…

SUNDERLAND VS COVENTRY Separated by the best part of 200 miles, there was no beef between Sunderland and Coventry (below) until Jimmy Hill got involved back in 1977. Both teams were battling to avoid the drop to the second tier on the last day of the season. The Black Cats visited Everton while the Sky Blues hosted fellow relegation candidates Bristol City, only for the latter kick-off to be delayed – supposedly at the behest of managing director Hill. Sunderland lost 2-0 and Hill insisted the result be announced over the PA system – Cov and the Robins then knew a draw was enough to save their First Division status and gave up seeking a winner in the closing stages. Relations have been bitter ever since, not helped by City’s…

It’s 20 years this month since Porto shocked Manchester United en route to a remarkable Champions League triumph. The star of Jose Mourinho’s team? A magician called Deco, who would later score in the final as Porto beat Monaco 3-0. At the start of that season, Deco had wanted to fulfil a lifelong dream by joining Barcelona, but Porto snubbed their bid. Things worked out pretty well in the end, just as they did when the midfielder – born in Brazil as Anderson Luis de Souza – won 75 caps for Portugal after moving there aged 19. Deco joined Barça in 2004 and won the Champions League with them, too, followed by league titles with Chelsea and Fluminense. This season, after a decade as an agent, he returned to Camp…

LeBron James hollered like he’d just won a fifth NBA championship ring. Serena Williams watched on in wide-eyed disbelief as if witnessing herself triumph in a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam singles final. Beneath Kim Kardashian’s trowel-applied make-up, the reality royalty was probably smiling the most rictus of grins. The acrid phosphorus smell of pink and black pyro hung in the humid, heavy South Florida air around the trio’s pitchside seats. “Inter Miami golazo scored by numero diez,” trilled the stadium announcer, “Lionel…” “MESSI!” exploded the exultant crowd, responding to the same call twice more with ever-increasing mania. Inter Miami’s new No.10 was barely 45 minutes into a bow that had begun with a frenzied welcome from the substitutes’ bench. There had been goals disallowed for offside and Messi-created opportunities aplenty,…

Nestled in the foothills of the Basque province of Gipuzkoa, northern Spain, lies the small, sun-kissed town of Tolosa. There, along the tranquil banks of the River Oria, thousands of people flock each year to learn more about the peculiar art of Basque puppetry. From processional giants to wooden marionettes, Tolosa’s puppetry centre is home to countless lifelike figurines; its local residents committed to keeping an ancient tradition alive. Fittingly, the town’s most famous son made a name for himself as a string-puller of an entirely different kind. Xabi Alonso’s ability to make those around him dance to his own rhythm was feted throughout a decorated 18-year playing career that took him from nearby San Sebastian to the grandest stages of Liverpool, Madrid and Munich. Accolades included four league titles,…

It’s 35C in Ivory Coast, and four goats are wandering along a dirt path towards a confused FFT, as we look for our accommodation along a road that could best be described as, well, a goat track. We’re not quite sure what we expected when we booked two nights in pretty much the last available room in Korhogo, for £100 a night, but it wasn’t this. When FFT decided to head to the Africa Cup of Nations, we fancied some adventure. Korhogo was the most remote of the five host cities, in the far north of Ivory Coast, so we made plans to travel from the country’s biggest city Abidjan and take in the mighty group-stage fixture of Tunisia vs Namibia. We hoped to see the authentic Africa, and there…

For many professional footballers over the age of 30, thoughts of retirement can cause sleepless nights. But for 32-year-old Zander Murray – now in his final season as a player with Scottish fifth-tier side Gala Fairydean Rovers – it’s the memories of his younger days that cause anxiety, while a future filled with exciting opportunities awaits. That’s because, in September 2022, Murray came out as gay – the first professional footballer in Scotland to do so. Aged 30 at the time and tired of concealing his true identity, the striker decided to share details of his sexuality on social media following a Pride march in Benidorm with pals. Had Murray been a lawyer or a lorry driver, no one would have cared. Yet men’s football has quite a complex relationship…

Carl Magnay nearly walked away from trials to be the new Football Icon. The then 17-year-old arrived at the North East auditions, held in his native Newcastle in 2006, took one look at the “massive” queue and decided to head home. The first edition of Sky One’s popular talent show – which put budding professional footballers through a string of challenges before crowning a champion – had seen Chelsea supporter Jaimie Ashley handed a six-month contract with the west Londoners. The Roman Abramovich era was in full swing and Jose Mourinho’s side had bagged a second consecutive Premier League title that year, so there was arguably no more exciting team to play for. Series two lured thousands of hopefuls, much to Magnay’s chagrin. “As I went to leave, I was…

THE BEAUTIFUL GAME GREEN ENERGY HEIDENHEIM, GERMANY Bundesliga champions in 2009, Wolfsburg have been mid-table for three seasons now. Their fans had to keep themselves occupied somehow, so donned masks and lit green flares during their game against Heidenheim. Inevitably, it ended in a stalemate. Boring… Photo Sebastian Widmann/Getty A POUR SPORT LONDON, ENGLAND Fulham’s Craven Cottage home is a pleasant location for football in the summer – slightly less so in mid-winter, when it’s pouring down and there are tsunamis on the Thames. It must have felt a long way from South America for Brazil international Andreas Pereira – although the playmaker was born in Belgium, to be fair. Photo Alex Pantling/Getty “ER, CAN ANYBODY SEE THE BALL, LADS?” AUE, GERMANY When Erzgebirge Aue took on Rot-Weiss Essen in the German…

When one of Swiss football’s most famous clubs fell on hard times, they knew how to turn things around – with a 25-foot inflatable grasshopper. Former Champions League side Grasshopper Club Zurich, domestic champions on 27 occasions, lost their Hardturm home when the historic ground closed in 2007 and plans for a new arena on the site stalled. Relegation to the second tier followed in 2019 – unable to get back to the top flight at the first attempt, they summoned the extra large insect, deploying the inflatable as the tunnel onto the pitch for home matches at the Letzigrund, which they share with neighbours FC Zurich. A grasshopper may not be the scariest thing in the whole world (what’s it going to do, nibble you into submission?), but bemused…

30 DIXIE DEAN One of the greatest goalscorers in England football history, Dean joined Ireland’s Sligo Rovers in 1939. Understandably, that sent the locals wild – Sligo’s railway station was overcome with hordes of people, desperately clamouring to catch a glimpse of the striker. HOW’D IT GO? Dean netted 10 times in just seven league outings, although he had his cup final runners-up medal stolen – it was returned to him years later. 29 PETER BEARDSLEY A little-known youngster for Carlisle United, Northumberland-born Beardsley headed to Canada in the early 1980s – signing for NASL club Vancouver Whitecaps under manager Johnny Giles, the former Leeds United star. HOW’D IT GO? His goalscoring form helped to earn him a transfer to Manchester United – that didn’t go brilliantly, so he was…

THE NEW ROLE GIVING MO SALAH HIS BEST GOALSCORING SEASON FOR SIX YEARS Liverpool’s quest to win a second league title in five seasons has featured their star running riot from the flank once more – FFT’s tactics ace explains how the Egyptian King has evolved Here’s a fact for you. Walking off the field after his team’s annihilation of Newcastle in January, Mohamed Salah was tracking to have his best season in front of goal for Liverpool since his first campaign in 2017-18. Back then he posted a staggering 44 goals in all competitions. As he entered 2024 – roughly the season’s halfway point – he was up to 18. If he continues at the same rate after injury, and Liverpool go the distance in the remaining cups, he’ll net…

XI BEST: Ben Hinchliffe, Sean Connelly, Mike Flynn, Ashley Williams, Michael Rose, Anthony Pilkington, Kevin Cooper, Tom Bennett, Chris Marsden, Paddy Madden, Alun Armstrong. WORST: Andy Dibble, Simon Travis, Jeff Eckhardt, Lee Mair, Fredrik Bryngelsson, Layton Maxwell, Carlton Palmer, Eddie McGoldrick, Barry Conlon, Tes Bramble, Vasilios Kalogeracos. PLAYER B: My all-time hero is Alun Armstrong. His last-gasp equaliser against Everton in the 1995-96 FA Cup third round is the entire reason that I fell in love with football in the first place. He moved to Middlesbrough for £1.6 million in 1998, which is still County’s record fee received for a player. W: A German midfielder called Kenan Dunnwald-Turan, loaned from Scunthorpe a couple of years ago. He came on during a 3-0 defeat to Yeovil, missed a sitter and never…