Jeff Stelling

Evening Standard

This Friday evening, five men, four of them ex-footballers, will gather at the bar of the Kensington Marriott. One of the group, who has played for Scotland, will have flown in from Glasgow, another, who has lifted the European Cup and played for England, will have come down from Manchester.

But while their talk may echo that of many football fans up and down the land as they look forward to the start of the Premier League season, this conversation will carry greater weight...