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'Big Ron would refer to himself as "Ginola" – he trained with us and he’d be the star of our training sessions': Ex-Coventry star recalls Atkinson playing like Frenchman in training ‘Big’ Ron Atkinson enjoyed a modest playing career with Oxford United between 1959 and 1971, helping the club rise three divisions from the Southern League to the Second Division in just six years as captain.But while he never reached the top flight, that didn’t stop him as a manager in the Premier League claiming to play in training like 1999 PFA Player of the Year winner David Ginola – a full 25 years after he had retired from professional football.Peter Ndlovu got to enjoy the Englishman’s energy at Coventry City in 1995 and 1996. After taking over the relegation-threatened Sky Blues in February 1995, Atkinson managed to keep them up, and then once more, before moving upstairs to become the director of football in November 1996.Ron Atkinson claimed to play like David Ginola in Coventry training sessionsAtkinson had been retired for 25 years when he managed at Coventry (Image credit: Joe Dent)While selecting the three managers he enjoyed playing for most during his time in England, which lasted 13 years between 1991 and 2004 as he turned out for Coventry, Birmingham, Huddersfield and Sheffield United, Ndlovu had no hesitation in selcting Atkinson.”Ron Atkinson, at Coventry, was a good manager and a very funny person to be around,” Ndlovu tells FourFourTwo.Ndlovu of Coventry, who played with Atkinson in training (Image credit: Getty)”He would jokingly refer to himself as ‘Ginola’ after the talented French winger David Ginola, who was in the Premier League at the time. Big Ron trained with us and he’d be the star of our sessions.”The Zimbabwean also loved one of his first managers in England, Bobby Gould, as well as Neil Warnock, whom he spent multiple seasons playing for at Sheffield United at the turn of the millennium.The best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week.”Bobby Gould gave me the best advice,” Ndlovu adds. “He treated me like his own son and disciplined me if I misbehaved. At Sheffield United, Neil Warnock was like a father to me, and one of the greatest, most underrated managers I played under.”Neil would say to the players, ‘Play football the way you were given the talent.’ And he used to emphasise that you must also play for the team when you don’t have possess […]

Why is Liverpool vs Aston Villa being played at 8pm on Saturday? Liverpool host Aston Villa at Anfield on Saturday evening in the rarely seen kick off time of […]

‘As a youngster I had supported Liverpool, so to score a hat-trick against them at the Kop end was unbelievable but also a bittersweet moment as a fan’: Premier League cult hero on ending 33-year Anfield record Liverpool hosted Coventry City in March 1995 the clear favourites for victory. After 90 minutes they were left licking their wounds, having fallen on the wrong side of a 3-2 defeat – courtesy of a Peter Ndlovu hat-trick.The Coventry City and Premier League cult hero ran riot at Anfield that day, bagging a first-half brace to put the Sky Blues 2-0 in the lead at half-time. Liverpool hit back in the second half, but the Zimbabwean forward completed his hat-trick in the 85th minute with a jinking run before slotting past David James at the Kop end.Having grown up a Liverpool fan in Zimbabwe, prior to his Coventry move in 1991, the hat-trick represented something of a “bittersweet” moment. Despite that, he became the first away player in 33 years to score a hat-trick at Anfield, etching his name into the history books in doing so.Peter Ndlovu bags hat-trick against Liverpool at AnfieldNdlovu against Manchester United (Image credit: Getty Images)”I think that is the highlight of my career,” Ndlovu exclusively tells FourFourTwo. “As a youngster I had supported Liverpool, so to score three against them at the Kop end was unbelievable but also a bittersweet moment as a fan.”Phil Babb, my favourite player, had left Coventry to join Liverpool and he said to me, ‘One day, you must come to Liverpool because it’s your team.’ After that game, he asked me, ‘How can you score three goals against your favourite team?’ I replied, ‘Hey, I’m at work for Coventry!’ I had to focus on where I was working, not who I supported.Ndlovu playing for Coventry (Image credit: Getty)”Still, it was a special occasion for me and I’ll cherish that forever. Andrey Arshavin and Leandro Trossard have also scored a [Premier League] hat-trick at Anfield, so us three hold that record – but many brilliant players have graced Anfield.”Though Babb wanted Ndlovu at Liverpool, the Zimbabwean struggled for consistency after the 1994/95, with Coventry eventually selling him to second-tier Birmingham City in 1997.The best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week.VIDEO: Why Man United Wanted Ruben Amorim So BadlyHe had enjoyed a great time at Coventry, though, scoring 11 goals in two consecutive seasons between 1993 and 1995, and even earned interest from Arsenal.Ndlovu rejected a move to Highbury, though, preferring to stay with Coventry where he felt loved and enjoy his foo […]

We’ve All Done Stupid Things In Our Lives. I’m Not That Guy Any More’: Premier League Hardman Premier League players and inconsequential disputes on the pitch go hand-in-hand, with police intervention completely unnecessary. When the handbags come out, there’s little chance of a punch being thrown – let alone a prison sentence. But, prior to his move to the Premier League with Everton in 1994, Scotsman Duncan Ferguson had spent three months in prison after headbutting Raith Rovers defender John McStay on the Ibrox pitch while playing for Rangers. Still in his early 20s and having been convicted of three previous counts of assault, in which he didn’t go to prison, this fourth incident saw the rare occurence of an on-the-field incident leading to three months jail time – not even Eric Cantona spent time behind bars for his infamous kung-fu kick. Premier League defenders scared of Ferguson (Image credit: Getty Images) Having moved from Dundee United to Rangers for what was then a British record transfer fee in 1993, Ferguson’s reputation preceded him when he arrived at Everton a year later following his prison sentence. “You gain a reputation in a night that it takes a lifetime to get away from,” Ferguson exclusively tells FourFourTwo. “As a young guy, you do stupid things. “We’ve all done stupid things in our lives; I did a lot of mine off the pitch at 16, 17, 18. On the pitch, I still feel aggrieved about an incident up in Scotland. Over the years, people have been more sympathetic about the time I went to prison. I’m not that guy any more. Ferguson receives a red card (Image credit: Getty Images) “Is anybody the same as they were at 16, 17 or 18? I became a better person.” The best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week. While Ferguson certainly isn’t proud of his action when looking back, he’s merciless in his aggressive nature on the pitch. Across his 13 season in the Premier League at Everton and Newcastle United, Ferguson picked up either red cards – a joint-record.   For the former striker, though, that’s what helped give him his edge and contributed to the 68 goals he managed in England’s top flight. “As a player, though, I was aggressive: I was a strong forward and used an edge any way I could to win. I’ll never apologise for that,” Ferguson adds. […]

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'Carlo Ancelotti had a big emphasis on how to score goals. He gave me a DVD of Pippo Inzaghi to illustrate what he wanted – in the next game I scored in the Champions League': Former Chelsea striker highlights skill Italian boss possesses Carlo Ancelotti has won it all as a manager, lifting countless league titles, domestic trophies and, of course, five Champions League trophies.Despite all of his success, though, the Italian isn’t necessarily renowned for his coaching skill. Ancelotti manages to get the absolute maximum out of world class players, working closely with his charges to ensure trophies keep being lifted come the end of the season.Former Chelsea striker Daniel Sturridge rebukes those claims of Ancelotti’s supposed tactical inability. Having signed for the Blues a month after Ancelotti arrived at Stamford Bridge, Sturridge went on to play 41 games for the Italian over the course of the next two seasons, scoring nine goals and lifting the Premier League and FA Cup.VIDEO: How Gareth Southgate Evolved England (And Why He HAD To Go)It’s more about what the former England forward learnt under Ancelotti over those two seasons that sticks in his mind, however, as he highlights the simplicity with which he would detail instructions.”He’s a fantastic coach who helped me to improve,” Sturridge tells FourFourTwo. “He had a big emphasis on how to score goals. Running in behind the defence was one of the things he mentioned, because you can’t always come to the ball or receive it to feet to dribble. “To illustrate that, he gave me a DVD of Pippo Inzaghi, explaining the timing of runs and being relentless about running in behind. Soon after, we had a Champions League match away at Zilina where I was playing on the right wing and I made exactly that type of run, rounding the goalkeeper and scoring. After the game, Ancelotti came to me and said, ‘See, that’s how you do it, that was the perfect run.’The best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week.Sturridge and Ancelotti when he signed for the club (Image credit: Getty Images)”He emphasised that I did it right. It was the perfect style of management for me: he gives a really clear instruction, I go and figure out how to do it, then he underlines that I did it right. Then it’s registered in your brain so you don’t have to keep going over it. That’s what I like about Ancelotti.”Following Ancelotti’s departure at the end of the 2010/11 season, Sturridge had his best goalscoring season for Chelsea, managing 13 goals in 43 games. It wasn’t until he moved to Liverpool where he became truly prolific, though, netting 24 times in just 33 games. Clearly, Ancelotti’s off-piste coaching method helped the Englishman – courtesy off Pippo Inzaghi. Sturridge benefitted off of Ancelotti’s coaching methods (Image credit: Getty Images)More Carlo Ancelotti stories FIFA Club World Cup: Update given on Real Madrid stance following Carlo Ancelotti comments”The Champions League has given me fantastic happiness” – why record-breaking Carlo Ancelotti is the most underrated o […]

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