The May issue of FourFourTwo has hit the shelves â Didrik Ottesen reveals why itâÂÂs a must-read...
As an increasing number of football fans start losing sleep and gnawing off their own fingernails with the season approaching its tense climax, you can be sure FFT will keep 'putting in a shift' through to the glorious (or bitter) end of the campaign - and beyond.
With the season coming to a close, what better time to name the Top 50 Football League Players of this season? That's exactly what we do in the May issue of FFT.
One man whose end-of-season ambitions are slightly higher than breaking into the top 50 (about 47 places higher, to be precise) is Harry Redknapp. Those who know him the best exclusively reveal to FFT how the East End wheeler-dealer* has become EnglandâÂÂs would-be-king.
What were his exact words to Paul Merson when he wanted to take him to Portsmouth? What does Paolo Di Canio actually think of his ex-boss? And how does John Hartson think Harry handled âÂÂThe Berkovic incidentâÂÂ? All is revealed to FFT by the men themselves.
We also take a look at how the current Tottenham manager could start chaos this summer by instigating the biggest ever managerial merry-go-round, should he depart White Hart Lane for Wembley and the England job.
Also potentially on this contractual carousel could be Jose Mourinho, Pep Guardiola and Roberto Mancini, but what do these three succesful managers have in common? TheyâÂÂve all managed Zlatan Ibrahimovic (or at least tried to...). The super-Swede is exclusively interviewed in our new issue.
Is it true he used to do taekwondo? What actually happened between him and Guardiola at Barca? ItâÂÂs all revealed as FFT chats with the mercurial and controversial serial title winner.
Another man who's no stranger to controversy is Paolo Di Canio. We travel to the Kassam Stadium to take an up-close look at the lower league clash the Italian labelled âÂÂbigger than Roma-Lazioâ - the A420 derby between Oxford United and Di Canio's Swindon Town.
Sticking with all things Football League, there's also our aforementioned countdown of the Top 50 Players - plus we name the best player at all 72 clubs in the Championship, League One and League Two.
We also hop over to Rome to reveal what really happened when Dundee United were harassed, threatened and denied a European Cup final place when they played Roma in 1984. Then we go to China to have a chat with Shanghai Shenhua manager Jean Tigana, learn how Shenhua got hold of former Arsenal, Real Madrid and Chelsea 'bad boy' Nicolas Anelka and how they may lure Didier Drogba in the same direction.
But we donâÂÂt stop there! We also speak to Chelsea hot-shot Oriol Romeu, go one-on-one with Fabrizio 'the White Feather' Ravanelli, talk amazing headers with Martin Palermo, have a cheeky chat with Roberto Di Matteo, ask Kevin Phillips few silly questions, look at the gameâÂÂs top ten cry babies, talk to Milan Baros on scoring goals for fun at Galatasaray and speak to Zico, who is now manager of Iraq (just the football team, not the whole country).
Not bad for an end-of-the-season effort, really.
This issue was brought to you by Fabrizio Ravanelli, Craig Burley, Rob Scott, Liam Hearn, Radamel Falcao, Steve Fletcher, Ian Taylor, Roberto Di Matteo, Matt Jarvis, Kevin Phillips, Michel Salgado, Shaka Hislop, John Hartson, Paolo Di Canio, Remi Garde, Matt Ritchie, Jordan Rhodes, Peter Whittingham, Nicolas Anelka, Marlon Harewood, Oriol Romeu, Joey Beauchamp, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Eamonn Bannon, Archie MacPherson, Maurice Malpas, Jim McLean, Davie Dodds, Zico, Ilie Dumitrescu, Milan Baros, Martin Palermo, Rio Ferdinand, Seb Larsson, Rickie Lambert, Marco Tardelli, the top scorer in world football and the Italian who supports Truro City...
*Only joking, Harry...
