Gazza, review: how England’s most gifted footballer was destroyed by fame and by himself
I met Paul Gascoigne once. He won a prize at the British Book Awards for his autobiography, Gazza: My Story. Afterwards, he spotted me in a corner,…
From tears in Turin to World Cup ’98 omission, new BBC documentary plays out Gazza tragedy again
Extra time at Wembley, England 1 Germany 1, Teddy Sheringham with an elegant floated ball out to the right, Alan Shearer with a pinpoint, volleyed cross. Paul…
Gareth Southgate backs World Cup match-day squad change to help with delicate balancing act
World Cup 2022 wallchart and predictor Gareth Southgate has welcomed the prospect of being allowed to name every player in his matchday squad if Fifa presses ahead…
Pressing No 10 or foraging No 8 – why Jude Bellingham is a fantastic problem for England
Grealish was impressed by the maturity of Bellingham whom he rated as capable of playing as a “No 6, a No 8 or a No 10”. “Just…
John Barnes: What it is like to be booed as an England player – and how to win the fans back
Barnes turned jeers to cheers with his goal against Holland in a 1993 World Cup qualifier and says the only important factors for Maguire should be how…
England’s World Cup 2022 bolters and fretters: Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho at risk of missing out
Trevoh Chalobah: Last summer it appeared Chalobah had little future at Chelsea but he seized his chance and impressed manager Thomas Tuchel who scrapped plans to send…
Gareth Southgate tells Harry Maguire his World Cup starting place could be in jeopardy
Maguire will focus on doing his talking on the pitch after the England dressing room rallied around him in the aftermath of getting jeered. Harry Kane led…
England player ratings vs Ivory Coast: Jude Bellingham states case for regular starting spot
Captain for the night Raheem Sterling set up one and scored another as England cruised to victory in their international friendly with 10-man Ivory Coast after Serge…
Raheem Sterling proves leadership qualities after inspiring England to victory
It was only a friendly. One of those meaningless exercises that descend into a mass procession of substitutions. One, more to the point, against a side reduced…
Jude Bellingham has all the talent in the world – but he must work out where his England future lies
Grealish was impressed by the maturity of Bellingham whom he rated as capable of playing as a “No 6, a No 8 or a No 10”. “Just…
‘Absolute joke’ – Gareth Southgate hits out at England fans after Harry Maguire is jeered
Maguire played an important part of reaching the semi-finals of the World Cup four years ago before reaching the final of the Euros last year, although his…
How Declan Rice is shaping up to be the next England captain
Gareth Southgate always talks about knowing his starting line-up at any given time; about knowing his “batting order”. If the World Cup began tomorrow the England manager…
England penalty-taking on the agenda as Gareth Southgate plots path to World Cup glory
After reaching the semi-finals in Russia four years ago and then last year’s final at Wembley, the next step for Southgate’s team is to win a major…
We should celebrate Wilfried Zaha – the one-club wonder who stands as a modern Premier League great
Only last year he spoke of wanting to win trophies to show his grandchildren, and has had to watch enviously as other supposedly ‘one-club’ players such as…
Gareth Southgate: It would be sad if Harry Kane breaks goal record behind closed doors because of hooligans
Gareth Southgate says it would be “particularly sad” if Harry Kane broke England’s all-time goal-scoring record behind closed doors because of the appalling behaviour of hooligan fans….
Declan Rice shows Gareth Southgate his England captain credentials once again
Gareth Southgate always talks about knowing his starting line-up at any given time; about knowing his “batting order”. If the World Cup began tomorrow the England manager…
Mason Mount grateful for relief offered by England duty from ongoing ‘concern’ at Chelsea
The high-pressure stakes of national team duty and competing for a starting berth a matter of months before a World Cup may offer a challenge for even…
Gareth Southgate faces conundrum after ‘running man’ Conor Gallagher impresses – but England balance suffers
England 2 Switzerland 1 If there is a criticism of Gareth Southgate’s England it is that there is no running man from midfield and, with it, there…
England player ratings vs Switzerland: Jordan Pickford saves blushes as Conor Gallagher stars on debut
Harry Kane edged closer to the international all-time scoring record as England began their World Cup preparations with a comeback win against Switzerland, but how did each…
Spring sunshine at Wembley cannot hide moral minefield ahead of Qatar World Cup
In these cruel and complex times, Wembley under soft March sunshine had seldom felt such a cradle of escapist springtime pleasures. As the scoreboards flashed blue and…
Gareth Southgate and England in ‘tournament mode’ as World Cup planning intensifies
At every England get-together Gareth Southgate holds a welcome meeting at St George’s Park about the plans for the rest of the year. It sets the tone….
Gareth Southgate dismisses Qatar World Cup boycott: ‘I’m not sure what it would achieve’
Gareth Southgate has rejected calls to boycott the World Cup over human rights issues and believes his squad protesting in Qatar will be more effective. England players…
Pre-match curries and half-time punch-ups: Ben White’s unlikely rise to prove the Arsenal critics wrong
For Ben White it has been some journey from being rejected at Southampton at 16 and almost quitting football to, eight years later, becoming a £50 million…
Harry Kane wants captains to discuss ‘unified’ response to Qatar human rights concerns
Harry Kane says he wants to convene a meeting of rival national teams captains ahead of the World Cup to take a “unified” approach to the human…
What Marc Guehi learned in Chelsea’s school of hard knocks – and how England can benefit
When asked questions on calling up Marc Guéhi, there was a telling part of Gareth Southgate’s response when he talked about the slick operation that prepares Chelsea…