FourFourTwo UK – September 2019

16 112 February 2016September 2019 FourFourTwo.com FourFourTwo

f Michael Essien turning up to play in

a dads’ Monday night eight-a-side at

Hampton Academy. Our sources there

say he barely got out of first gear.

f The passion of fans at the Africa

Cup of Nations, both in Egypt for the

tournament itself and in Europe, too.

FFT witnessed packed-out Algerian

cafes on south London’s Old Kent

Road going mad for Riyad Mahrez’s

95th-minute semi-final winner

against Nigeria; a couple of weeks

earlier during our expedition to

Luxembourg, we also saw Algerians

exuberantly celebrating on car roofs

in northern France. Zut alors!

f The Jim Holton biography Six Foot

Two, Eyes Of Blue. Wiki height? 6ft 1in.

f The retiring Peter Crouch. Star of

a brilliant podcast, and a better

goal-per-minute ratio than Gary

Lineker, Michael Owen and Alan

Shearer for England. Whadda guy.

f Forest Green Rovers’ new bamboo kit

(top left). They’re green, you know.

f Dover Athletic signing a French

winger called Nassim L’Ghoul.

A terrifying development for all

National League full-backs – he’ll be

feasting on their bodies very soon.

f Real Madrid wanting to appoint

Francesco Totti as their new

ambassador, despite the fact that he

never actually played for Los Blancos.

f A man walking through Norwich

city centre in full Ipswich kit as part

of his stag do - Birmingham’s Lukas

Jutkiewicz recently had to wear a full

Birmingham strip with his own name

on it during his pre-wedding trip.

f Chris Sweeney’s book Mad Dog

Gravesen. A true maverick.

f Marine FC putting house numbers

on the perimeter fencing of their

ground, so they know which door to

knock on when fetching balls blootered

into adjacent gardens. Clever.

f Pristine pitches on the opening day

ofa newseason.Absoluteperfection.

THInGS

WE LOVE

f

Boatengadoptingthename

‘Prin$$Boateng’andreleasing a new

rap trackcalledBellaVita(above).

f Youri Djorkaeff’s son – midfielder

Oan – signing for St Mirren.

f Doncaster Rovers randomly inviting

1995 world snooker finalist Nigel

Bond (who’s not from Doncaster) to

be the star attraction at their annual

pre-season open day.

f Yokohama FC putting their faith in

youth - signing 41-year-old former

Celtic star Shunsuke Nakamura to

team up with Kazuyoshi Miura,

who’s incredibly still playing at 52.

f A random photo we found of Peter

Beardsley at the 1986 World Cup

(above). Sometimes picture research

throws up the odd surprise!

f Stephen Darby’s old clubs Liverpool

and Bradford City playing a friendly

to raise funds for his charitable

foundation, after he was diagnosed

withmotor neurone disease.

fTheTwitter account Footballers

h Animals (@ftbllrswanimals),

eaturing Manchester City’s

Oleksandr Zinchenko shouting at

lizard (pictured top left).

Ukrainian international defender

emFedetskyi standing for

iament. If only England players

ldfollow suit - Harry Maguire

hancellor of the Exchequer, the

paign starts here.

oltonWanderers fans starting

tition to name a stand ‘The Big

WheatzStand’ in an attempt to

persuade David Wheater to stay,

afterthe defender had gone four

months without wages.

f Steve McNulty playing on with York

City at 35, despite looking like he was

straight out of an over 55s veteran

team when he came on for Tranmere in

last season’s League Two play-off final.

There’s hope for everyone. Even us.

f Neil Ruddock agreeing to go on

Celebrity MasterChef.

f Louie Barry, a 16-year-old from

Birmingham signing for Barcelona. At

that age, we’d just discovered cider.

fThewayMikeAshleyhasrun

Newcastle United into the ground.

THInGS WE DOn’T LIKE

This month, Kevin-Prince

Boateng moonlights as

a rapper. What’s not to like?

OLEKSAnDR ZInCHEnKO

BERATInG A LIZARD &

22

OTHER THInGS

WE LOV

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