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‘INTERVIEWING SIR ALEX FERGUSON MAKES ME PROUDER THAN ANYTHING I HAVE DONE’ said Charlie Rose of PBS

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AS HE PREPARED for his hour-long interview with Charlie Rose of the American network Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), Sir Alex Ferguson was aware that Rose had recently flown to Damascus for a broadcast with Bashar al-Assad, the president of Syria.

Tongue-in-cheek, Ferguson asked Rose: “So you’re interviewing dictators these days, are you?”

As manager of Manchester United, Ferguson could be a football writer’s best friend or worst enemy, giving more back-page lead stories than anyone else, but occasionally banning reporters for “crimes” such as headlines they didn’t write. Yet Ferguson was – and still is – journalistic gold, a manager with charisma to spare who gave PBS a global coverage other interviewees including al-Assad, President Barack Obama, Warren Buffet, Quentin Tarantino and Leonardo di Caprio could  not manage.

None can beat the Scottish pensioner for world-wide popularity and news appeal. The Emmy award-winning Rose said: “It’s amazing. I did not fully appreciate Ferguson in terms of how much he means to all the fans of football…how legendary he was. The Harvard people, for example [Ferguson spoke to students at the Harvard Business School last month]…I am told the response to what he did , how he outlined his own view of leadership, was one of the best things to ever come out of the school.

“He quickly became one of my favourite interviews. Speaking to someone [al-Assad] whose country perhaps stands a chance of being attacked by the United States has more consequence for the moment, but this was an interview that will reverberate and have a resonance for a long time. It certainly made me want to be more of a fan of your football than ever before.

“In preparing for him I had to learn as much as I could. It will be at the top of things that I am proud that I did. It was new territory for me and the more we talked, the more forthcoming he was about his relationship with the players…what they meant to him and how he tried to motivate them. This is a guy who can spend the rest of his life talking about what it means to be a manager in any environment…in business, universities…a whole range of environments.”

There was little opportunity for Rose, off camera, to expand on some of the more newsworthy parts of the interview such as the possibility of Ferguson joining Chelsea after Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich bought the club 10 years ago.

Rose said: “He didn’t say a great deal, but I know Roman Abramovich and I am due to see him at a conference I am attending this weekend. I wanted to find out [from Ferguson] if Abramovich made it so very, very attractive in a way that would be irresistible to most people and that would make him interested. He said he had thought about it and the answer was no.”

Ferguson and Abramovich – in fact, just about any manager and Abramovich – has a light-blue-touchpaper-and-retire look about it and Rose said: “Would they have been a good match? It’s hard to say, but a hell of a question. Clearly Ferguson is his own man, you all know that.

“He could never go anywhere else. His heart is too big and it would be too much for him ever to compete against United with another club.”

Ferguson will be back in the headlines soon when he starts a tour to publicise “Alex Ferguson – My Autobiography” which is on sale from October 24 (Hodder & Stoughton). The book was written in collaboration with FWA member Paul Hayward, the Daily Telegraph’s chief sports writer, who said: “His career is the story of English football over the past three decades. It’s a privilege for me to help him describe how he managed such huge change at Manchester United and to lay out his countless insights and anecdotes stretching back to his roots in Glasgow.”

A SPECIAL HONOUR FOR JOSÉ MOURINHO

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The Football Writers’ Association are pleased to confirm José Mourinho will be honoured at the annual Gala Tribute Evening at the Savoy, London, on January 19, 2014.

The Chelsea manager said: “I am delighted that the FWA have chosen me. When I see who the association have honoured over the years I realise how much it means to be alongside so many of the greats of English football.”

It promises to be a special night and Andy Dunn, the FWA chairman, said: “It’s great to have José back in our game and we are thrilled to be honouring him.”

During his first spell with Chelsea, Mourinho led the club to two Barclays Premier League titles, one FA Cup, two League Cups and the Community Shield. It was the most successful spell in the club’s history.

In 10 seasons of club management with FC Porto, Chelsea, Inter Milan and Real Madrid, Mourinho won the domestic league seven times, the Champions League twice and the UEFA Cup once. Between 2003 and 2012, Mourinho did not go a single calendar year without winning at least one trophy.

The Guinness Book Of World Records recognised Mourinho for his unbeaten home league record spanning eight years and 362 days at four different clubs. The record began after nine-man FC Porto’s 3-2 defeat by Beira-Mar on February 23, 2002. Mourinho did not lose for the remainder of his time with the Portuguese club, nor with Chelsea and Inter Milan, until the record run ended almost nine years later at Real Madrid with a 1-0 loss to Sporting Gijón on April 2, 2011 – their first win at the Bernabéu in 16 years.

Through his 150-match home record against 107 different coaches, Mourinho amassed 125 wins and 25 draws, 342 goals scored, 87 conceded.

Before they became Galácticos

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Footballwriters.co.uk takes a look at the credentials of Real Madrid’s superstars…
ROBERTO CARLOS
When: 1996
From: Inter Milan
Fee: Ivan Zamorano plus £700,000
Had won: 2 x Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, 2 x Campeonato Paulista (Palmeiras)
Real Madrid coach at time: Fabio Capello
The Brazil international was unhappy at Inter Milan because coach Roy Hodgson wanted him to play as a winger, Roberto Carlos saw himself as a left-back. Had only one season with the Nerazzurri and while highly rated, was not a superstar when he joined the Spanish club, but went on to play 584 games for Real Madrid.
LUÍS FIGO
When: 2000
From: Barcelona
Fee: £46 million
Had won: 2 x La Liga, 2 x Copa del Rey, European Cup Winners’ Cup (Barcelona)
Real Madrid coach at the time: Vicente Del Bosque
Barcelona felt betrayed by Luís Figo’s switch – not just joining the enemy, but the Portugal international was a world class talent and hugely popular at the Nou Camp – a status that changed immediately after joining Real. His arrival at the Bernabéu signalled the arrival of the Galáctico era under president  Florentino Pérez.
ZINEDINE ZIDANE
When: 2001
From: Juventus
Fee: £50 million
Had won: 2 x Serie A, Intercontinental Cup (Juventus), World Cup, European Championship (France)
Real Madrid coach at the time: Vicente Del Bosque
Was reported to have been offered to Newcastle in 1996 for £1.2 million, but the Magpies did not think he was good enough. At Juventus, Zinedine Zidane became the best player in the world, a status he held for five years with Real Madrid. Zizou was a world and European champion by the time he joined Real.
RONALDO
When: 2002
From: Inter Milan
Fee: £40 million
Had won: Copa do Brasil (Cruzeiro); Dutch Cup (PSV); Copa Del Rey, European Cup Winners’ Cup (Barcelona); UEFA Cup (Inter); 2 x World Cup, 2 x Copa América (Brazil)
Real Madrid coach at time: Vicente Del Bosque
Was injured for almost two years before the 2002 World Cup when he came back to help Brazil win the trophy. Played only 99 games in five years for Inter, but still earned the nickname Il Fenomeno by the Italian press. Real fans forgave his Barcelona links because they had signed such a good player.
DAVID BECKHAM
When: 2003
From: Manchester United
Fee: £24.5 million
Had won: 6 x Barclays Premier League, 2 x FA Cup, Champions League, Intercontinental Cup
Real Madrid coach at the time: Fabio Capello
Still extremely popular with Manchester United fans after being part of the most successful era in their history. David Beckham was the second longest-serving player behind Ryan Giggs at the time of his move. BBC Sports Personality of the Year in 2001.
CRISTIANO RONALDO
When: 2009
From: Manchester United
Fee: £80 million
Had won: 3 x Barclays Premier League, FA Cup, 2 x League Cup, Champions League,
Club World Cup
Real Madrid coach at the time: Manuel Pellegrini
Cristiano Ronaldo was twice voted the FWA’s Footballer of the Year during his six hugely successful years at Manchester United. After scoring 66 goals in his final two seasons at Old Trafford, it took a world record fee for Real Madrid to make him a Galáctico,but he’s been worth every penny.
GARETH BALE
When: 2013 (to be confirmed)
Fee: £87 million
Has won: Nothing
Current Real Madrid coach: Carlo Ancelotti
The FWA Footballer of the Year may have only one League Cup runners-up medal in his trophy haul, but such a statistic does not to justice to his immense talent. Aged 16 years and 275 days, Gareth Bale became the second youngest player to play for Southampton apart from Theo Walcott. Bale joined Tottenham Hotspur in May 2007 for what proved to be a fee of £7 million.
He found it difficult to displace Benoit Assou-Ekoto initially as the Wales international took 24 games before finally being on a winning Spurs side. It was October 20, 2010 that Bale’s career really took off as he scored his first senior hat-trick against the then European Champions Inter Milan at San Siro. Tottenham lost the Champions League tie 4–3, having been 4–0 down inside the first 35 minutes and playing with 10 men for over 80 minutes of the match after goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes was sent-off in the eighth minute, but Bale’s turbo-charged display underlined his growing potential.
Last season could hardly have gone better for Bale. He won both the PFA Players’ Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year awards and was voted the FWA’s Footballer of the Year, making Bale one of only two players who had won all three in the same season, the other being Cristiano Ronaldo in 2007. He scored 21 goals in the Barclays Premier League, many of them stunning, long-range efforts and while Bale’s medal haul may not compare with previous Galácticos, few midfielders have the pace, power, stamina, skill and goalscoring ability of the Welshman.

THE FWA INTERVIEW: TONY HUDD

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BEING A LEYTON ORIENT FAN ALMOST A CRIME IN NORTH KOREA

By CHRISTOPHER DAVIES

THE broken biro was the clue. It would take a mind of Derren Brown proportions to guess someone who wanted to buy a new biro was a journalist, but for the, ahem, North Korean travel representative the two and two became a very uncomfortable four for Tony Hudd.

According to a recent survey a newspaper reporter was chosen as the worst job. In North Korea, a journalist – well, a foreign journalist – does not simply have a bad job, he is the enemy of the state. Hudd had been granted a visa to visit the world’s most secretive country on the premise that he was a retired insurance broker. His pen proved to be a mighty sword for the North Korean government officials, sorry, travel representatives who immediately suspected the long-standing member of the Football Writers’ Association’s national committee was a journalist.

Hudd realised his ambition to visit Pyongyang after his curiosity was heightened by M*A*S*H, the TV series based around the staff of an army hospital in the Korean war. Maybe he should have preferred Neighbours because unsurprisingly there were precious few laughs in North Korea, starting with his arrival at Pyongyang airport which makes up for its basic facilities with a new line of customs questioning.

“What’s this?”

“Shaving foam.”

“What?”

“Shaving foam.”

“What’s that?”

“For shaving.”

“How you mean?”

Hudd had to spread some foam over his cheeks and fake a mock shave for the benefit of the now satisfied customs official. One wonders how North Korean men shave though it is probably best if this remains one of the mysteries in the land that time seems to have forgotten.

“M*A*S*H was written by Larry Gelbart who was responsible for some of the best one-liners ever,” said Hudd. “Watching the series I became interested in the whole Korean peninsular. I never thought I’d go there, but when I saw details of a tour in a Sunday newspaper I put the wheels in motion. It was a party of 18, all Brits, we flew from Heathrow to Beijing and then Air Koryo to Pyongyang. I was granted my Korean visa by the travel company via an office in Germany. I hope I’ll still be able to enter the United States. It was an adventure, an ambition fulfilled. I wanted to see first-hand a country so diverse from where I live.

“We couldn’t take mobile phones or lap-tops. I did take a pen but when it broke they gave me the third degree. Why did I want a pen? Because I was writing a diary to show my wife when I return. They had their suspicions and immediately asked me whether i was a journalist, but I got away with it. My questioners were allegedly guides but were really government officers assigned to the party. There was another guy who filmed everything, claiming he was taking a holiday dvd of people on holiday. It was surreal, someone filming me while I was taking photographs  where I was allowed to take photographs.”

Talking to the minders about world affairs was futile. “They spoke good English, but would go off at tangents. It was obvious they had never forgiven George W. Bush for calling their country ‘an axis of evil.’ We were told that North Korea would crush the imperialists – ‘make no mistake.’”

The tour party’s day started with a slap-up breakfast of egg on toast and a cup of coffee (one cup was the permitted maximum).

“There was no free access,” said Hudd. “I couldn’t even walk a few hundred yards down the road unaccompanied. I was told that a Danish tourist last year feigned illness and stayed in his room when the party left for the scheduled trip and decided to go walkabout. He was immediately picked up by a soldier and there were all sorts of problems. The Dane had to write a formal letter of apology to the government for his actions before they would set him free. You have to realise when you go there, you do so on their terms.”

When in, do as and the party had to bow when they passed a statue of Kim Il-Sung (the great leader) and Kim Jong-Il (the supreme leader) and lay flowers in respect of the founding fathers of North Korea.

While Pak Du Ik, who scored the winning goal in the 1966 World Cup tie against Italy, is a rare idol in a society that is based on equality, being a Leyton Orient supporter is considered almost a crime.

“One of the party was an Orient fan and walked into a store wearing their shirt. He was immediately thrown out. Orient are sponsored by Samsung who are a South Korean company.”

A visit to the Demilitarized Zone showed that a little capitalism is alive and well in North Korea. “They had a thriving merchandise shop with T-shirts and all sorts of souvenirs.”

For Hudd, the most revealing – as much as was allowed – part of the day was when he sat outside his hotel and people-watched. “It struck me how well dressed people were, the men had fine suits and the girls wore modern dresses. Many of the children had never seen a Westerner before and looked at me as if I was from the Planet Zog.” Pyongyang was free of litter and less surprisingly, graffiti.

A pleasant surprise was the beer in Pyongyang. “Apparently, the old Ushers brewery in Trowbridge was bought by the North Korean government, dismantled it and reassembled it in North Korea. The beer was not bad at all.”

During his 10 days in North Korea there was no contact with the outside world. “In certain suites in the hotel you can tune into Al Jazeera and possibly the BBC World Service, but North Koreans have no idea what goes on anywhere else. They are told what happens which is rather different.”

Some cynics may say that certain areas of English football also follows this principle.

Tony Hudd spent  36 years working as the Kent Messenger Group’s chief football writer, covering Gillingham and then Charlton plus England internationals and now co-presents BBC Radio Kent’s Saturday afternoon sports show.

Brian Mawhinney: Why England’s World Cup bid failed

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Former Football League chairman BRIAN MAWHINNEY, who was deputy chairman of the bid to stage the 2018 finals, reveals…

WHY ENGLAND’S WORLD CUP BID FAILED

By CHRISTOPHER DAVIES

MORE than most people involved in football, Brian Mawhinney has been there, seen it and done it.

In 2003 he was appointed chairman of the Football League in succession to Keith Harris, spending seven years in the position. After one year in office, he oversaw a re-organisation of the League’s structure, including renaming the former Division One as the Football League Championship. A former Northern Ireland Sports Minister, he was deputy chairman of England’s bid to host the 2018 World Cup.

Now Baron Mawhinney of Peterborough, he has also served as chairman of the Conservative party during his 26 years as an MP.

In his autobiography, Just A Simple Belfast Boy, he takes us behind the world of politics, football politics, giving a damning verdict on England’s failed World Cup bid and FIFA’s “unimpressive” behaviour as Qatar won the right to host the 2022 finals.

WORLD CUP BID

The choreography of our bid presentation in Zurich was rightly hailed as another success, but the voters were not impressed. They wanted more substance from the contenders. The Russian Deputy Prime Minister’s speech was dismissed by our team as too long, complicated and boring. But he addressed the members’ real concerns about Russia – infrastructure, stadia, travel distances and so on – in an impressive and reassuring way. Mr Putin understood what he was doing and what was being done in his name.

When it came to Qatar’s turn to present its case, the wife of the Emir cut through the tendency towards Hollywood hype. She asked a pointed, searing question. When did FIFA members think would be the ‘right time’ to hold the World Cup finals in an Arab country? Despite Qatar’s burning heat, the voters got the political message.

For our part we made legacy claims which simply were not believable and talked about how we would use football to change lives in a way that must have seemed like scratching the surface to those whose lives and countries literally had been transformed by the beautiful game. Our bid was polished, professional and very well received. Sadly its substance was not thought to match its presentation.

No country received better accolades from FIFA for its bid book and inspection visit. So why only one vote apart from [England’s FIFA ex-co representative] Geoff Thompson’s? In no particular order: we were seriously underfinanced; we got our strategy wrong; we created management and governance structures which were dogged by conflicting egos and football politics, too much of which stemmed from the senior ranks of the FA; we had little, if any, influence in FIFA; the British media had become the bête noire and the Premier League and its clubs did not flex their considerable financial and sporting muscle sufficiently on our behalf.

Geoff Thompson is an honourable man of genuine integrity. I count him a Christian friend; but not even his best friends would claim he commands situations, compels support or shapes outcomes. His judgment is usually sound but too low key for the brash world of FIFA football. And he was our one and only national representative among the FIFA elite. He told me he thought he had persuaded some of his friends on the executive committee to vote for us, presumably believing their word. In the event they let him down. Or, to be blunt, they lied to him. Maybe they thought, knowing Geoff’s sense of Christian forgiveness, that their lack of morality was relatively risk free.

FIFA’s behaviour throughout the process was unimpressive, to put it delicately. It had created a strong sense that its judgments would be objectively based on demonstrably fair criteria. This turned out to be nonsense. Qatar’s risk factor assessment was high, though not, of course, when it came to finance. The country was deemed to have insufficient infrastructure, no stadia (except on planning paper) and a temperature which would be around 45 degrees Celsius at game time.

And what notice did ExCo members, including Sepp Blatter, take of this risk assessment? None.

THE PRESS

My first press conference was a revelation. Two questions predominated. The first was, chairman – a politician? A Conservative politician? (in tones which parodied John McEnroe’s famous ‘you cannot be serious’). This was an early warning of football’s disdain for government and politicians. On that first day, the cream of English football reporting had great difficulty in progressing beyond the box labelled ‘politics.’ There was no recognition that I may have any skills – inherited or learned – relevant experience or personal commitment.

Indeed the continued use of the word ‘politician’ too often sounded as if it was accompanied by a curl of the lip. English football fans deserved something a little more analytical and, dare I add, more objective.

The second question was how many clubs I thought the Football League would lose by the end of the season. The reporters’ downbeat assessment was that six to eight clubs could go out of business. I told them I did not have a crystal ball and would not guess (‘speculate’ is the polite word).

Many football journalists are transfixed by speculation; perhaps because so much about football revolves around prediction, passion, prejudice, hope and injury rather than hard fact. To be fair, they have to explain a game where the past is never a reliable indicator of the future. Some journalists thrive on substituting ‘what-if or maybe’ in place of informed judgment. They talk and write as if feelings are a solid base for factual analysis – or indeed even for guesswork. ‘How do/did you feel’ has become the lazy substitute for proper questioning in football, as it has throughout the media. ‘What do you think?’ seldom gets examined.

Fortunately there are outstanding exceptions to this slightly unflattering generalisation. Each of us will have his favourites. Mine include, but are not restricted to, Patrick Barclay, David Conn, Charlie Sale, Martin Samuel, Henry Winter and Jimmy Armfield.

CHEATING

So what is cheating? Other than physically endangering an opposing player, the cheating I find most unacceptable is the deliberate blocking of the taking of free-kicks by the refusal of one or more players to retreat 10 yards immediately a free-kick has been given against their side. The rule book says that is a yellow card offence. Instead what we see far too often is a deliberate and often apparently practised effort to prevent the taking of the free-kick by the team that offended. Shame on the guilty managers.

When you add to this the pervasive stealing of yards at throw-ins and free-kicks, players claiming advantage they know they do not deserve, or illegally trying to intimidate the referee, the deliberate illegal holding, often wrestling, of opponents in the penalty area, shirt-pulling of epidemic proportions, iniquitous diving, bad-mouthing referees, the feigning of injury (in an attempt to falsely damage the prospects of an opposing player) you are left wondering why managers do not, and do not even want to, exercise more control over their players and why club directors do not insist they do.

A flurry of yellow cards, as the laws require, would lead to player expulsions, is an argument against such punishment. There would be short-term mayhem. So what? Once managers understand that the change in attitude was permanent they would very quickly force a change of behaviour from their players. And the game – faster, cleaner, fairer – would be transformed for the benefit of the fans. But everyone opts for being loved rather than respected.

*Just A Simple Belfast Boy by Brian Mawhinney (Biteback Publishing, £25 hardback).

CHELSEA FANS HAPPY BUT A SECOND DIVORCE SEEMS LIKELY

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Fleet Street sceptical about the return of the Special One

WHAT IS undeniable is that Jose Mourinho’s return to Chelsea will make football writers’ jobs easier. Confrontation yes, but dull he isn’t. And we can expect to see the best side of Mourinho when he is officially unveiled at a press conference on Monday. The Special One will be the Charismatic One…the Smiling One.

Yet for many the phrase “charm offensive” will be more fitting for Mourinho who has the ability to charm and offend in frustratingly equal proportions. A coach who has been hugely successful at FC Porto, Chelsea, Inter Milan and, in the eyes of some, “only” successful at Real Madrid has made a habit, almost an art form, of making enemies among the press, his players, his clubs’ powerbrokers, opponents and referees (plus an ambulance service).

Explaining Mourinho’s departure from Stamford Bridge by mutual consent (plus an £18 million compensation cheque) in September 2007, Chelsea said: “The relationship been Jose and the club has broken down.”

When you split with a partner and attempt to get together again, the reasons for the initial split remain, so will it be different second time round for the Portuguese and the Russian? Will Roman Abramovich soften his hands-on approach to his managers? Will Mourinho accept the involvement of technical director Michael Emenalo?

Mourinho will undoubtedly be successful, most Chelsea managers are, and the Blues fans will be as pro-Jose as they were anti-Rafa Benitez.

Fleet Street reacted with guarded optimism as the least surprising managerial appointment of the summer became a reality, yet scepticism was obvious about this particular love being lovelier the second time around.

“What a lovely couple they make,” wrote Oliver Kay in The Times. “Jose Mourinho and Chelsea were always a match in heaven. So were Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor, of course, but after their brief, turbulent second marriage they always longed for a third.

“It is only natural to regard the second union of Mourinho and Chelsea as the sequel to a tumultuous, doomed but riotously enjoyable love affair. It will surely end in tears given that both he and Roman Abramovich seem to be even more combustible and more impulsive than at the time of their acrimonious split in September 2007, but the issue is whether, like last time, they can bring each other gratification in the short term that makes every bit of pain feel worthwhile.”

Also in The Times, Matt Dickinson believes Mourinho finds himself back at Stamford Bridge as much because of Abramovich’s failure to tempt Pep Guardiola to succeed Roberto di Matteo and then Rafa Benitez. He wrote: “Chelsea fans rejoice now they have their Jose back and their joy is understandable…[but] it was the return that Chelsea did not want, either, until they got a little desperate. No one was buying into Mourinho’s guff about romance and a place in each other’s hearts.

“Roman Abramovich’s passion was Pep Guardiola. Mourinho wanted Manchester United. For two men so accustomed to getting their own way it must be disconcerting to be united in defeat.

“But let us not pretend this is where he, or Chelsea, wanted to be.”

Writing in the Daily Express, Mick Dennis leaves no one in any doubt that he welcomes Mourinho as much as a Norwich City defeat. He said: “Graceless winner, spiteful loser. He is back. Excuse me if I absent myself from the celebrations. There are countless examples of his nastiness. Many think none of it matters. They accept the euphemisms about what Mourinho is and what he does. With a chuckle they talk of him being ‘a character’…but the saddest excuse for the manner in which Mourinho discards the basic tenets of sport and decency is that ‘he is a winner.’

“Indeed he is. And if that is all that counts then he will be allowed to continue debasing the sport which rewards him so handsomely. Some of us just don’t want to celebrate such a depressing decline.”

Henry Winter takes a more upbeat approach in the Daily Telegraph. Under  the headline ‘Welcome back Jose. You have been missed’ Winter takes a romantic view of The Return as he writes: “It was the love affair that never ended. He left. They mourned, falling briefly in the arms of others, hot and cold. Now he is back. It’s Jose Mourinho and Chelsea fans, it’s Mills and Boon and it’s a special relationship that could spell trouble for others.”

But trouble is what Mourinho must avoid. Winter said: “He must heed the gentle warnings of those who respect him as well as basking in the unblinking love of the supporters. A serially shrewd individual, Mourinho needs to consider carefully every interaction. He has history with Premier League referees. He has had issues with Roman Abramovich…he needs to work with, not against, Michael Emenalo.

“Mourinho deserves to be welcomed back. He adds to the excitement. He is an outstanding manager. He will make Chelsea a genuine threat in the title race, arguably favourites. He will make some unpleasant headlines and will find English football is less forgiving this time round. But it is good to see him back.”

James Lawton in The Independent suggests the love affair is a more of a one-way street. He wrote: “In the joyful ceremonials of his resurrection as Chelsea manager we should not for a moment forget that Jose Mourinho is living, swaggering proof that when you fall in love with yourself there is every chance it will prove a life-long romance.

“We should also recognise that Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich, having been rebuffed by the likes of Pep Guardiola and Juergen Klopp for the most impeccable of reasons, has made his best possible appointment.”

The Sunday Times’ Jonathan Northcroft, speaking on Radio 5Live, thinks it is imperative Mourinho has complete control over team matters, notably transfers. He said: “It was interesting to hear him say he was willing to marry again and it does feel like a couple getting back together. They’ve missed each other, they remember the romance first time round but maybe have forgotten some of the bad times. Let’s remember when he left in 2007 it was because he felt Abramovich was starting to interfere in transfers like Andrei Shevchenko and Mourinho felt he wasn’t able to pick the team…or at least from the squad he wanted.

“Emenalo is in there as Abramovich’s man. He’s been managing transfers for the last couple of years. I think he will have to take a step back. I think the key to it will be Abramovich allowing Mourinho to get on with it because if it [interference] happens again Mourinho’s reaction will be exactly the same.”

Back in the Daily Telegraph, Paul Hayward harbours similar reservations about the second coming of Mourinho. He wrote: “With all this [a multi-talented team] in his favour Mourinho must be confident he can keep Abramovich off his back with rapid progress. A summer splurge by [Manchester] City could alter the rosy picture, but Chelsea are unlikely to hold back either. But there will come a day when Mourinho feels the oligarch above him is exceeding the bounds of acceptable involvement and is messing with his team.

“On that day, blowing kisses to the fans would not save him from Abramovich’s ruthlessness or whims.”

Mourinho has signed a four-year contract which would be unchartered territory for manager and owner if completed. The Guardian’s Owen Gibson wrote: “The odds on Mourinho making it to the end of his four-year contract must be long. The smart money must be on a rollercoaster ride that takes in significant silverware before spectacularly derailing with serious collateral damage.

“The professed aims of stability, youth development and profitability appear almost as far away as ever. But it is a deal most Chelsea fans are only too happy to sign up for.”

In the meantime some dedicated members of the Football Writers’ Association will be leaving their families next month to cover Mourinho II as his return gets underway in Thailand.

England 0, Brazil 12

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By CHRISTOPHER DAVIES

HERE IS the answer: England none, Brazil 12.

The question is: how many overseas players are in the respective squads for Sunday’s friendly in Rio de Janeiro?

Roy Hodgson bemoans the dwindling number of English players in the Barclays Premier League because of the ever growing foreign legion. Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari has only half of his squad playing at home. The latest Brazilian export to Europe is Neymar, who this week secured his transfer from Santos to Barcelona,

Hodgson and recent England managers have had minimal travel to watch potential internationals. In the last nine years the only England players of any serious stature who have played abroad are David Beckham (Real Madrid and Los Angeles Galaxy), Owen Hargreaves (Bayern Munich) and Michael Owen (Real Madrid).

On the other hand, a succession of Brazil coaches have had to spend much time in Europe assessing the form of their players.

The last Brazil squad for a World Cup to comprise entirely of home-based players was at Argentina 1978 when England did not qualify. All 22 players selected by coach Claudio Coutinho played in their domestic league.

At Spain 1982 Falcao (AS Roma) and Dirceu (Atletico Madrid) became the first overseas-based Brazilians to play in the finals with Tony Woodcock of Cologne flying the foreign flag for England.

Four years later in Mexico, Brazil had Edinho (Udinese) and Junior (Torino) while England’s two overseas representatives also played in Serie A – the AC Milan pair Ray Wilkins and Mark Hateley.

By Italia 90 the Brazilian exodus was gathering momentum with half of the squad earning their trade in Europe – Jorginho (Bayer Leverkusen), Ricardo Gomes (Benfica), Dunga (Fiorentina), Alemao (Napoli), Branco (Porto), Valdo (Benfica), Careca (Napoli), Romario (PSV), Carlos Mozer (Marseille), Aldair (Benfica) and Muller (Torino) while Silas played for Central Espanol in Uruguay. For England, Chris Waddle was with Marseille, but Rangers had four players with the auld enemy: Gary Stevens, Terry Butcher, Trevor Steven and Chris Woods.

England failed to qualify for USA 94 where Brazil’s victorious squad contained 10 from Europe and one from Japan.

It was a similar story for Brazil at France 98 – Europe 10, Japan 2. All 22 England players played at home.

Ten of the Brazil squad that won the 2002 World Cup were based overseas with Owen Hargreaves of Bayern Munich England’s lone “outsider.”

By Germany 2006 only three of Brazil’s 23-man squad  played at home – goalkeeper Rogerio Ceni plus midfielders Mineiro and Ricardinho. In England’s squad Hargreaves and David Beckham (Real Madrid) were the two from abroad.

In the last World Cup in South Africa, Brazil again had only three “homers” – Gilberto (Cruzeiro), Kleberson (Flamengo) and Robinho (Santos). And again all the England squad were based in England.

Gerry Hitchens (Inter Milan) in 1962 was England’s first overseas player at a World Cup. Since then Brazil have had 100 to England’s eight.

If nothing else, it saves on the England manager’s travel expenses.

THEY’RE IN BUT ROCKY FUTURE FOR GIBRALTAR UNLESS FACILITIES ARE UPGRADED

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By CHRISTOPHER DAVIES

IT REMAINS to be seen how the Gibraltar Football Association handle a potential Euro 2016 qualifying tie against England at the Victoria Stadium (capacity 5,000) which is being upgraded. Yet there can be little doubt English-based football writers would love to add a new destination to their cv’s even if the GFA’s acceptance into the UEFA family caused a collective shaking of heads.

Their population of 30,000 puts them below San Marino though Gibraltar are, apparently, unbeaten in their last four internationals but it should be pointed out their opponents on the Rock were the Faroe Islands (then managed by former Republic of Ireland boss Brian Kerr), England C (a semi-pro team), the Isle of Man and Jersey.

Gibraltar owe their elevation to the Court of Arbitration for Sport plus their persistence to fight what they saw a political injustice. The GFA, founded in 1895, saw their original application for becoming a member of FIFA posted by their president Andrew Perera in 1997 turned down.

Two years later, there was better news for the GFA as FIFA forwarded the their application to the appropriate continental confederation, UEFA, since according to FIFA statutes, it is the responsibility of confederations to grant membership status to applicants. In 2000, a joint-delegation of UEFA and FIFA conducted an inspection of the GFA’s facilities and infrastructure.

In 2001, UEFA changed their statutes so that only associations in a country “recognised by the United Nations as an independent State” could become members. On such grounds, UEFA denied the GFA’s application.

Yet current FIFA and UEFA members include several federations which cannot be said to represent independent nations, such as the UK Home Nations (England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales), the Faroe Islands, Puerto Rico, Chinese Taipei, Tahiti and New Caledonia. French Guiana, Martinique, Guadeloupe and Saint Martin each have national teams which, despite not being FIFA members, are allowed to compete at the CONCACAF confederation level.

The GFA appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport which, in 2003, ruled that their application should be handled according to the old statute, pre-2001. However, UEFA continued to refuse accepting the GFA as members. In August 2006, the CAS ruled again that Gibraltar had to be allowed in as a full UEFA and FIFA member, and on December 8, 2006 it was announced that Gibraltar had become a provisional member of UEFA.

FIFA had announced two days earlier that their executive committee had “ruled that Gibraltar does not meet the statutory requirements to become a FIFA member,” despite the fact that the Court of Arbitration for Sport had already ruled to the contrary. On January 26, 2007 at the UEFA Congress in Düsseldorf, Gibraltar’s application to become a full member of UEFA was rejected, with 45 votes against, three in favour (England, Scotland and Wales) and four undecided.

The issue was again referred back to the CAS for a ruling. On March 21, 2012 the request for membership by Gibraltar was discussed and a road map which included financial and educational support from UEFA was agreed. Legally, there was no real basis for rejecting Gibraltar as UEFA’s 54th member.

Gareth Latin, president of the GFA, said: “This is a momentous occasion for football in Gibraltar. UEFA membership means that we can begin the next chapter of Gibraltarian football. At last we’ll be able to show the whole of Europe that we can match the best with football of a high standard and entertaining style. It will open up a whole new world of opportunities for our highly skilled young footballers.

“This is one of our greatest ever sporting moments and, of course, we’d like to thank everyone who helped with our bid and all those who voted for us. We couldn’t have made it without you.”

To avoid any sensitive political head-to-head UEFA president Michel Platini confirmed that Gibraltar would be kept apart from Spain in qualifying for Euro 2016. He said: “Gibraltar will not play qualifying matches with Spain – we also have this situation with Armenia and Azerbaijan.”

The national stadium certainly needs the promised upgrade. A recent blog on Football Gibraltar said: “Having first hand experience of playing on the Victoria Stadium pitch, I feel that whilst it was a good idea at the time, and certainly an improvement on the previous old astroturf laid down, the fact is that Gibraltar is in an area capable of growing grass, and therefore the stadium should take advantage of this.

“The stadium itself isn’t in great shape and would need a good facelift if UEFA accept Gibraltar as a member. First I feel that actual permanent seating should be installed, instead of the current slabs of concrete used. Although it allows for sitting down or standing up during a game, it isn’t acceptable for a national stadium, and the lick of paint given to it last year has done little to improve it.

“Also, the general facilities of the stadium could do with a slight increase, notably the dressing rooms which are very basic.  There is also no proper place for cameras to film any action.  Finally, there should be some more protection from the elements for fans.  Being situated next to a runway notorious for strong cross winds, fans are continuously exposed to such conditions, and the roofing does not cover the entirety of the main stand, whilst the opposite stand has no protection whatsoever.”

FOOTBALL BOOKS OF THE YEAR – THE FINAL SIX

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Each year the Football Writers’ Association selects the winner of the football category in the British Sports Book Awards. This year’s award – for 2012 – will be revealed at a dinner at Lord’s on Tuesday, May 21. Glenn Moore, chairman of the FWA’s books sub-committee, runs through the short-list (in alphabetical order).

Barca: The Making of the Greatest Team in the World by Graham Hunter (Back Page Press, £9.99)
An illuminating, comprehensive, behind-the-scenes account of the creation of the all-conquering team. The management, the players, and key matches along the way are each studied and placed into context.

Be Careful What You Wish For by Simon Jordan (Random House, £18.99)
This could be sub-titled ‘how to make a fortune in business and lose it in football’ and sent to every prospective club owner. Jordan, as ever, pulls no punches as he describes how he built up his mobile telephone company, then plunged  into the more complicated world of football as Crystal Palace owner-chairman.

Does Your Rabbi Know You’re Here? The Story of English Football’s Forgotten Tribe by Anthony Clavane (Quercus, £17.99)
Jewish children were once discouraged from becoming involved in football, more by their own community as by attitudes within the game. Plenty took no notice however and British Jewry has made a significant contribution to football in England, as Clavane uncovers.

Pep Guardiola: Another Way of Winning by Guillem Balague (Orion, £20)
Richly detailed access-all-areas breakdown of how Guardiola came to take over Barcelona, develop the best team in the world, then walk away from it. The man and his methods are fully explored.

Richer Than God: Manchester City, Modern Football and Growing Up by David Conn (Quercus, £16.99)
Part coming-of-age memoir, part dissection of the economics realities of the modern game, all told through the prism of Manchester City’s transformation from badly-run but much-loved laughing stock to the world’s richest club.

The Outsider: A History of the Goalkeeper by Jonathan Wilson (Orion, £20)
Thoroughly researched account of the singular man between the sticks, from the time when he could run with the ball to the halfway line, to sweeper-keepers and the modern giants. Told via analysis of keepers such as Lev Yashin and Peter Shilton, Fatty Foulke and Rene Higueta.

FWA Interview: Geoff Shreeves

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‘My job is to ask questions – nobody is interested in my opinions’ – Geoff Shreeves

By CHRISTOPHER DAVIES

SIR ALEX FERGUSON may not have allowed Geoff Shreeves the last word on his final game at Old Trafford, but the Sky Sports interviewer always has the first word.

A familiar face of the station, Shreeves has been with Sky Sports since 1992, the first season of the Premier League. It can be a thankless task, a no-win job. Ask soft questions and you are accused of avoiding the main issue, ask about a manager’s future and it’s insensitive. Criticised for telling Branislav Ivanovic he was suspended for the 2012 Champions League final, it was hardly Shreeves’ fault the Chelsea defender was unaware of his number of yellow cards.

Shreeves would not have survived 21 years at Sky Sports without being very good at what he does and would-be football journalists and especially players moving into the media world could learn a lot from his interviewing technique and attitude. Some presenters, especially ex-professionals, offer their views and ask: “Do you agree?” Shreeves is old school and does not indulge viewers with his own thoughts. He said: “With all due respect, what do I know? I was schooled well in journalism by people I worked for in that my opinion is of no interest to anybody. I genuinely believe that. It’s my job to ask questions. I enjoyed being on the FWA Live panel and mixing it with an audience, but you will never hear my opinions on matters of football, skill or tactics [on television].”

Football writers appear regularly on television and radio yet none has made the move that Guillem Balague, featured regularly on Sky Sports’ La Liga coverage and the excellent Revista De La Liga show, has managed. Shreeves said: “We are in an interesting period in the media where the job is merging into one. We have Guillem Balague, I love his writing and he is so knowledgeable that he is an accepted pundit on Spanish TV stations. That would never happen in this country [with domestic football] which I find interesting.”

A trap some interviewers fall into is to stick too rigidly to their pre-prepared list of questions when in fact the best questions invariably follow on from an answer. And never make questions longer than the answer. Shreeves said: “If you talk to budding football writers and ask them the most important thing about a question they usually say ‘it should be clear and concise’ or ‘angled towards the person.’ No. It’s in the answer.

“My question could be: ‘So, Sir Alex, you have won Manchester United’s 20th title and seen off the financial challenge of Manchester City and Chelsea…could you encapsulate the importance of this victory and its wider meaning for football and the social world of this country?’ Or I could ask: ‘What does this mean?’”

When your job is also your hobby it can be difficult to switch off and Shreeves said: “Like everyone in our game, I do masses of research and in fact you are effectively researching every time you go to a game…you see someone, meet somebody…the football media is always working. We joke that we are awake 24/7 and sleep with one eye open, such is the pace of the media now.”

Shreeves has built up a close relationship with the leading managers and players in the Barclays Premier League, yet any friendship does not prevent him from asking a question about a red card or a manager’s future. “It doesn’t bother me remotely. There are times when someone who is a good friend is on the end of a question that is not going to do him or his employment any favours. However, I enjoy the challenge of phrasing those questions correctly.

“You have to look at what makes a good interview. The relationship is key. If there is mutual respect they will accept you have to ask certain questions or take a certain line and not hide behind ‘oh my producer told me to ask this.’

“They know you have a job to do, but you have to be respectful and don’t go hunting headlines. In the final reckoning, when a team, is relegated no one cares whether it’s Geoff Shreeves or whoever asking the questions, nor should they be. They are interested in the answers.”

Shreeves has no ambition to leave the after-match interview area and move inside to present a football chat show or a live broadcast. “It’s a different skill, one that I don’t have. I wouldn’t want to do it because I get a real buzz from talking to people as I do. I love nothing more than interviewing people, listening to them, asking them questions…”

Waving the FWA magic wand, if Shreeves could interview any football personality for 30 minutes with no editorial control…no question off-limits, every question answered, no public relations person ready to quash any controversy… who would it be?

“If they agreed to answer any question openly and honestly it would have to be Sir Alex, the most successful manager we’ve ever seen and the most important figure in my lifetime.”