F E BRUARY 2012

UPFRONT

20 Top 10 trips from hell Thai riots, broken buses and fans throwing rocks 24 The hardest job in football Managing a club? Being a ref? Pah! Try engraving every England World Cup scorer on a boot stud 39 FFT columnist: Salgado

Why England will always fail without a winter break 41 FFT columnist: The Player

Exclusive, shocking insight into how team-mates and managers deal with a depressed player (badly) 42 Letters

Your rants, raves and Robert Huth hatred

FEATURES

8 One-on-One: Dietmar Hamann

The German Scouser explains Istanbul, remembers losing 5-1 to England and defends his dress sense 46 COVER STORY Fergie’s toughest task yet

Even at 70, Sir Alex Ferguson is showing no signs of slowing down. But after humiliation in Europe and with Manchester City breathing down United’s neck, does he still have it in him to lead his team to glory? 58 American Samoa win a game! Woo-hoo!

Winless, directionless and utterly pointless... until now. FFT is there as American Samoa attempt to make history with a win and a rather unusual player

FourFourTwo’s 12 for 2012

64

Oxlaide-Chamberlain, Romeu... Beckham?! We pick a dozen determined to succeed this year, from promising youngsters to ’Arry and Trapattoni

RIP: The Tackle In Football

72

“Tackling isn’t a quality to aspire to” – Xabi Alonso. FFT investigates why challenges are on the decline

76 Football’s greatest conman

It’s one of the most extraordinary stories you’ll read: the chancer who had a long footballing career without ever kicking a ball. Just how did he do it?

80

Exclusive: Alan Pardew, secret genius It takes a strong man to walk into St James’ Park – sorry, the Sports Direct Arena – and convert a horde of disillusioned Geordies. He tells us how he’s done it

86 92nd vs 90th: cold, misery and woe

Bradford “welcome” Plymouth, but where did it go so very, very wrong for the Bantams? 90 Action Replay: beer and football

As the Bud-backed Cup ramps up, we explore the beautiful game’s love affair with the amber nectar

PLANET FOOTBALL

97 Whips and talcum powder One fan to avoid 98 Darijo Srna on Shakhtar being “part of the elite” 103 Europe’s shortest player Stand up if you’re 5ft 1in Plus Balotelli’s nutty buddy; fans buy a stadium;

Romania: the home of footballing crazies

PERFORMANCE

107 Watch the game in slo-mo – while playing! 110 Chris Smalling on defensive versatility Plus Overcome the Christmas blues; players’ New

Year’s resolutions; healthy post-match kebab

6 February 2012 FourFourTwo.com