‘Harry Redknapp, is he the one with the really fit son? I want him as manager’
Capello is out, Pearce in – for now. Simon Hattenstone finds the debate about the England management alive and kicking at WembleyDing ding! All change! And so the England management merry-go-round turns one more time. Out with unsmiling disciplinaria...
Paul Gascoigne: Alive and kicking
Paul Gascoigne was a one-off – the most talented British football player of his generation. Then came the drink, the domestic violence, that Raoul Moat incident and rumours of an early death. Now back in rehab, playing six-a-side with his therap...
Ryan Giggs: the rewritten interview
Last year, in the Guardian's Weekend magazine, Simon Hattenstone described Ryan Giggs as one of football's last remaining nice guys. This assessment proved to be an own goalSometimes interviewers get it just a little bit wrong. OK, sometimes we get it ...
Robbie Savage: ‘I’ve always liked the abuse…’
Once the most hated man in football, Robbie Savage is well on the way to becoming a national treasureRobbie Savage is bewildered. The aptly named footballer, who has cultivated a career as the game's most hated man, is in danger of becoming loved.Savag...
Giggs proves that nice guy finishes first
He's Britain's most successful player, but we know nothing about his life. He's worth £24m, but lives within a mile of where he grew up. Is Ryan Giggs the last good man in Premier League football?I'm waiting for Ryan Giggs when I notice a great white ...
Football’s debt to socialism | Simon Hattenstone
John Barnes has said England will never win the World Cup unless they understand football is a socialist sport – and I agreeAccording to football legend John Barnes, England will never win a World Cup until our footballers embrace their inner sociali...
World Cup 2010: Who would be a goalkeeper?
Goalies have always been misfits. And, as England's Robert Green has discovered, they always seem to end up the villains. So why does anyone want the job?Poor Robert Green, RIP. One mistake and he's buried. Forwards get to miss any number of open goals...
Trautmann’s Journey – From Hitler Youth to FA Cup legend
A fascinating if dispiriting tale of a ruthless killing machine who later became a hero for Manchester City
This book should carry a warning: "Trautmann's Journey can seriously damage the mental and emotional health of Manchester City fans who prefer rose‑tinted fantasy to genocidal reality."
When we were growing up,...
The day I met my hero, Rodney Marsh
What on earth was one of Manchester City's legends doing sitting on his own watching the Fulham game last Sunday?
In close on 40 years, this is a first for me. On Sunday at Fulham, three rows ahead of where I was standing among Manchester City's away fans, was...
After 35 years of hurt, Manchester City fans are ready to sing and cry | Simon Hattenstone