With John Toshack standing down as manager of Wales rumours of a possible first managerial job for Welsh star Ryan Giggs have surfaced. But Sir Alex Ferguson has quickly quashed the speculation linking the evergreen winger with his first move in to management.

Ferguson said:  “We have to be selfish here; I am not even prepared to negotiate on this matter. At his age, Ryan needs to use all his energy and concentration to be here.

“It is a big season for him. It may be his second last, it may be his last. We want it to be the second last. The best way for that to happen is for him to concentrate on being here.”

The Manchester United boss is quite right to stand his ground. Because Giggs, even at 36, still has so much to offer Ferguson.  His stunning volley against Newcastle United on the opening weekend of the season demonstrated just that, and Ferguson quite rightly wouldn’t want to lose a player who still has the ability produce moments of magic like that.

It had been suggested that Giggs could continue playing and manage Wales on a part time basis, but it would be nothing short of madness for him to cut short his playing career to leave for a job which is nothing more than a stepping stone to better jobs. Players should always look to make the most their career before turning to another profession.

Giggs is no different and without meaning to disrespect Wales I would imagine he has much greater aspirations from his career should he make the step away from playing and in to the managerial hot-seat.

In the future I have no doubt that Giggs will manage Wales, and I’d imagine that as soon as he retires whoever is in charge will become under much greater pressure because one Wales’ favourite son’s would be available to step in. That is why Giggs would be nothing short of a fool if he was to take the job now, because he is guranteed the job whenever he wants it.

Despite the superstars that have graced the World Cup over the decades, there is one record that may never be beaten by any player ever again. Only 3 times has a player scored double figures in a World Cup tournament, once in 1954, Sandor Kocsis scored 11, in 1970 the legendary Gerd Muller scored 10 goals. Yet one man surpassed both of these incredible efforts when he scored 13 goals at the 1958 World Cup, French legend, Just Fontaine.

It often astounds me that whenever lists of great strikers appear, Fontaine is rarely on the list. It’s not like the Swedish World Cup was a flash in the pan for him. He scored goals wherever he played throughout his entire career. Domestically or Internationally, Fontaine found the back of the net with unfailing regularity. It would seem yet another wonderful player is often overlooked in the modern era simply because people don’t look hard enough.

In those far away days before football became the global sport, the European Cup and European Championships were in their infancy and with only 16 teams qualifying for a World Cup, many great players missed the opportunity to play regularly on the main stage. His international career was only 7 years in total from 1953 to 1960, he missed out on 1954 through a lack of experience and was struggling with injuries by the time Chile held the competition in 1962.

That shouldn’t take anything away from his achievements and in normal circumstances scoring 13 goals in a World Cup should see you lift the trophy but for the greater strength of one team: Brazil. Yet we’re getting ahead of ourselves, before we’ve even begun. Fontaine was born in Morocco in 1933, or French Morocco as it was known then. At 17 it was his move to Casablanca that catapulted him towards history as he scored for fun in the league. French league sides fell over themselves to scout him but it was Nice that managed to get his signature first. Aged just 20, Just moved to France and his career went through the roof.

In 3 seasons at Nice, he scored 44 league goals in just 69 matches and attracted the attention of Stade Reims, who were the giants of French football in the 1950′s and 60′s. Reims are a team that we have also lost sight of, struggling in the French Third Division these days but incredibly reached the European Cup final twice, in the debut tournament of 1955-56 and 1958-59. The Olympic Lyon of the day, Fontaine was brought in to replace another French legend, Real Madrid bound Raymond Kopa and hit 30 goals in his debut season.

Ironically, it was the relationship at international level between Fontaine and Kopa that would prove so decisive in the 1958 World Cup as they combined so beautifully that Fontaine and Kopa seemed to have a psychic link. In Sweden, the bond was at it’s dizzying peak and it was almost rewarded with the greatest honour in the game. As strike partnership go, it’s certainly up there in post-war club and international football.

It is odd, especially in the UK that Fontaine isn’t more widely known as the 1958 World Cup is a watermark in British football. It was the only tournament that England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales all qualified for and some should remember him more than others. In 1954, the French side had failed to qualify from their group so hopes were high for a more positive tournament in Scandinavia. The group was tough but not impossible and they had to play against Yugoslavia, Scotland and Paraguay.

The first game saw them face Paraguay and by half time the match was tied at 2-2 with Fontaine having scored both of Les Blues goals. 45 minutes later, he was walking off the field with the match ball after scoring his third and France’s 5th as Raymond Kopa destroyed the Paraguayans resistance in a 7-3 mauling.

Next up came the dangerous Yugoslavian side and they were right to be wary. A tense and physically bruising game saw Kopa and Fontaine on the receiving end of some brutal treatment in a 3-2 defeat, which was lost at the death. Yet Just added another two goals to his tally and Scotland were dispatched in the final group game 2-1, with another goal for Fontaine taking his total to 6 goals in the first 3 games. The French were through to the Quarter-Finals and faced another British side, Northern Ireland.

The Irish had impressively finished 2nd  in a tough group and had a goal getting striker of their own, AstonVilla legend Peter McParland who had scored 5 goals in the group. Fontiane and the French were just too good and routed them 4-0, our hero scoring another 2 goals to take them in to the Semi-finals to face the favourites, Brazil.

Despite how impressive France had been so far, they couldn’t hold a candle to the Brazilians. With Vava and Garrincha running rings around them and a young striker by the name of Pele scoring a hatrick, even Just Fontaine couldn’t keep them in it. Brazil were too good and despite recovering from going a goal down after 2 minutes, thanks to his 9th goal of the competiton, Fontaine and France faced a task too far. Brazil ran away with the game, winning 5-2 and the only consolation for them was the opportunity to play for 3rd place.

To say the next game had a bit of needle would be an understatement as they were to face the defending champions, West Germany. The reasons for the animosity were still fresh in the minds of the French and as if possessed, they ripped the legendary German defensive unit to shreds. Kopa seemingly single handly passing them to death at every opprtunity and Fontaine was at his lethal best. 4 times he struck the ball pase the German keeper, Kwiatkowski as the French ran them ragged in a 6-3 victory.

So, 6 games, 13 goals and scored in all 6 matches the French played. Two hat tricks and the French had arrived on the international stage again. Fontaine returned to scoring goals for fun in Ligue 1 and in 1959 was rejoined at club level by Raymond Kopa. Unfortunately for him and Reims, they only managed one season together until a knee injury curtailed Fontaine’s career at just 29 years of age. Who could have said where he would have ended up rather than limp through his last two seasons.

He could only manage 14 games and 6 goals in his final two years before injury robbed football of one of its most underated strikers. He tried his hand at managing to no great success apart from a spell as the Moroccan coach, leading them to 3rd in the 1980 African Cup of Nations. Fontaine is now 76 and is a legend in France. In 2003 he was voted the Greatest French player of the last 50 years and still holds the World Cup record of the most goals in a single tournament.  Il était magnifique!

In a strange yet understandable move, Hull City Chairman Adam Pearson has removed Phil Brown from his position as manager at the struggling side. It strikes me as strange as Brown has been moved on after an impressive, if limited, performance against Arsenal on Saturday. Removal after the dismal showing against Everton the week previously would have made much more sense.

Pearson, on Radio5 this evening, has claimed that the new manager will be in place and revealed to the world on Thursday morning. Though the rumours sweeping Hull tonight would point to a name to strike fear in to the heart of any fan of football but more of that later. Brown leaves after three and quarter years which have seen unqualified success for the Tigers.

Of course, the last year or so has seen them struggle to retain their Premiership status, but by reaching the top tier for the first time in Hull City’s history and then staying up last season, still ranks as Hull’s brightest moment so far. I always liked the fact that Phil Brown always, always referred to it when questioned about Hull’s current form. Today, even when departing the K.C. Stadium, he still found time to mention it. “Although I am extremely sad to be leaving Hull City, I am very proud of my achievements during my time as manager, especially having led the team into the top flight of football for the first time in the club’s 104-year history and ahead of schedule.”

So Brown leaves and the job isn’t too unattractive, regardless of the position that the Tigers find themselves in. 9 games left and with any 2 teams in the bottom 6 capable of joining the doomed Portsmouth in being relegated to the Premiership. Keep them up and the new man becomes an instant hero, as long as he doesn’t attempt a karaoke on the K.C. Stadium pitch at the end of the match. I don’t think I could stomach that again.

Despite the connotations and the misguided opinion that Hull is not a football town, Hull City is an attractive offer. A super little stadium, excellent facilities and the potential to keep growing with the right level of support and investment. So which exciting and dynamic manager are Hull being strongly linked with? Sit down, you may need a strong drink to cope with this news.

By all accounts, chairman Adam Pearson is favoring giving the job to Gary Megson. Yes, Gary Megson. Hated by every set of fans of every club he’s managed, with the exception of West Bromwich Albion, sacked from five of his last 6 jobs. I have to say, I shook my head when I heard the news. Apparently Pearson was going to give the job to Megson back in 2006, but appointed Brown instead. Can someone explain to me how Megson keeps getting work?

At his last 3 jobs, he’s managed Forest, Leicester and Bolton in 166 games and won 47 of them. An earth shattering win percentage of 28%. Quite how he keeps getting work staggers me. I can’t understand it at all. Yet in the time it took me to write this sentence he apparently can’t take the job due to the terms of his severance package from Bolton Wanderers. I could hear the sigh of relief from Hull City fans over here!

So Pearson has made his move and he will attempt to maneuver someone who can attempt to keep Hull City up. I’ll miss Phil Brown though, I always thought he was refreshing honest, though the media used that against him in some quarters. I’ll miss him turning up on Goals on Sunday wearing a pink sweater draped suggestively over his shoulders, his never diminishing tan and his sartorial elegance on the touchline.

Hull City fans will hope that Megson is unable to join them, because they’re dead in the water if he gets them. Mark Hughes would be an inspired choice if they can get him and he can try an infuse the club with the tenacity that he brought to his time as Wales and Blackburn manager. Come the next couple of days, we’ll know exactly who will be the man charged with saving Hull City. Who do you think Hull City should appoint?

Southampton and Wales legend Ron Davies is the latest guest on the EPL Talk Podcast, the daily Premier League interview and analysis show.

To say that Davies is a legend to Southampton supporters is an understatement. In his first season with the Saints, Davies scored an incredible 43 goals. Heralded as “the best centre forward in Europe” by Matt Busby and the “best header of the ball” by teammate Mick Channon, Davies was a one-of-a-kind goalscorer whose feats included scoring four goals against Manchester United at Old Trafford, four goals against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge and four goals against Aston Villa. Between 1966-69, he scored 90 times in 123 league games. It’s no wonder that football commentator Martin Tyler names Davies as his hero.

In addition to playing for Southampton, Davies also played for Manchester United, Norwich City, Luton Town, Chester City, LA Aztecs, Seattle Sounders and other teams, as well as for his country, Wales.

In this exclusive interview, Davies discusses:

• his memories of that day in 1969 when he scored four against Man United at Old Trafford,
• what it was like to play alongside George Best in the NASL and what Harry Redknapp was like at Seattle Sounders,
• the story of how he got discovered as a young footballing talent,
• what it was like playing for Wales against England and Brazil, and playing alongside John Toshack, Wyn Davies and other Welsh legends, and
• the secret to his success of how he was able to jump so much higher than his opponents during football matches.

This is a must-listen interview with a legend of football who is definitely a gentle giant of this beautiful game.

Don’t forget that the EPL Talk Podcast is the only Premier League interview and analysis podcast available for free. In the past few weeks, we’ve interviewed legends of the game such as Steve McManaman, Efan Ekoku, Martin Chivers and Robbie Earle as well as experts such as Declan Hill, Simon Kuper, Misha Sher, Matt Dickinson and many others. Why pay $40 a year to rival podcasts when you can subscribe to the EPL Talk Podcast for FREE featuring interviews with the biggest names in football?

Plus stayed tuned for upcoming interviews coming this week including John Harkes (of Sheffield Wednesday and Derby County fame) and more. Plus you can hear interviews on our sister podcast MLS Talk with Thomas Dooley, Jaime Moreno, Jimmy Conrad, Sacha Kljestan and Stuart Holden.

Later this week I’ll have the distinct pleasure of interviewing Ron Davies, a football legend who achieved incredible success at Southampton and Norwich City, as well as playing for Manchester United and several other clubs.

In fact it was while playing for Southampton against Manchester United at Old Trafford in August 1969 where Davies scored an incredible four goals. It’s no wonder then that United later signed the Welsh forward in 1974.

Davies later went on to play in the NASL for the LA Aztecs, Tampa Bay Rowdies and Seattle Sounders.

In preparation for my interview with Ron Davies, I’d like to ask you – the readers – for suggested interview questions. Please post them in the comments section below between now and midnight Wednesday, December 2nd. If your question is selected, your name will be mentioned on air when the EPL Talk Podcast episode is published.

Going through some old boxes last week, I found a handmade poetry book I created in primary school when I was living in Wales. I thought it’d be interesting to share the poems and my pictures no matter how crude and silly they are to help paint a picture of what a ten-year old soccer obsessed boy was thinking in 1980.

Here are the soccer-related poems and drawings (click the images, when open, to zoom in):

• “Soccer” (The Poem)

• “Famous Footballers”

• Kevin Keegan Drawing

• “I Have A Dream”

• “Wales 4-1 England”

• Old Footballer Drawing.

Some of the things that I found interesting about the collection were the names of different companies featured on the advertising boards such as Talbot (cars), Esso (gasoline/petrol), V.G. and Spar (grocery stores), my adoration for my boyhood hero Kevin Keegan, the amount of belief I had in the Welsh national team at that time (thanks to their 4-1 against England), and – even at that age – the level of detail I drew into the football kits of Wales (Adidas) and England (Admiral).

New Spurs striker Roman Pavlyuchenko may face punishment from Tottenham because he’s not learning English quickly enough according to the Russian newspaper, Tvoi Den.

If the newspaper report is true, it’s a bit unfair on Pavlyuchenko. He’s only been with Spurs since September 1st and, in that time, he also played in Moscow for Russia aganst Wales. Plus, the criticism seems very hypocritical given that Juande Ramos is not learning English fast enough either.

The newspaper reports that Pavlyuchenko was substituted at halftime against Wigan because he wasn’t following the orders from Ramos because he didn’t understand a word that his manager had said in the pre-match team talk.

Sure, the sooner Pavlyuchenko learns English the better, but he’s only been with Spurs for just over three weeks. Ramos has been with Tottenham since October 27, 2007.

England’s away match today against Croatia is massive for several reasons. First, a loss against Croatia will be a huge blow to England’s hopes of qualifying for the 2010 World Cup. Second, a loss would put immense pressure under Fabio Capello. Third, if England can secure a draw or a win, it’ll be a huge boost of confidence to a team and a nation that haven’t had much to cheer about in so long.

The irony is that most football fans in England and the United States won’t be able to see the big match live unless they’re willing to fork over some sizeable cash to Setanta Sports or In Demand.

Here are some of today’s matches to enjoy:

• Russia vs Wales, 11am ET/4pm UK (Fox Soccer Channel)
• Turkey vs Belgium, 2pm ET/7pm UK time (Setanta US)
• Macedonia vs Holland, 2:30pm ET/7:30pm UK time (Fox Soccer Channel)
• Croatia v England, 3pm ET/8pm UK time (Pay-per-view and Setanta pub channel)
• Italy vs Georgia, 2:45pm ET/7:45pm UK time (GolTV)
• Portugal vs Denmark, 4pm ET/9pm UK time (Setanta US)
• Spain vs Armenia, 4:50pm ET/9:50pm UK time (GolTV)
• Slovenia vs Slovakia, 5pm ET/10pm UK time (Fox Soccer Channel)
• France vs Serbia, 6:45pm ET/11:45pm UK time (Setanta US)
• USA v Trinidad & Tobago, 8pm ET/1am UK time (ESPN2)
• Uzbekistan v Australia, 8pm ET/1am UK time (Fox Soccer Channel)
• Finland v Germany, 8:45pm ET/1:45am UK time (Setanta US)
• Mexico v Canada, 9pm ET/2am ET UK time (Telemundo)

If you’ll be watching – or have watched – today’s matches, please share your thoughts, insight, opinions and some play-by-play in the comments section below.

Meanwhile, if you’re a fan of U.S. soccer, be sure to head on over to Major League Soccer Talk for a special live chat tonight at 8pm ET featuring the United States against Trinidad and Tobago.