Jacob Hansen
Senior Journalist
With more than 25 years of experience in the football industry, Jacob is Football Presse's senior journalist. Based in Denmark and fluent in English and German, he has spent decades interviewing some of the biggest names in the game. From Ståle Solbakken and Thomas Frank to Mario Basler and Michael Owen, Jacob continues to bring exclusive insight and opinion from football's leading figures to Football Presse.
Articles by Jacob Hansen
→Mick Rathbone exclusive: The day I nutmegged Macheda and beat Shinji Kagawa at Man United
Mick Rathbone had barely started his first day at Manchester United when he found himself involved in an impromptu contest that would become one of his favourite footballing memories.
6 November 2026
→Dave Worthington exclusive: The Nicolas Anelka gamble I convinced Bolton to take – and why I wouldn't stop telling Chelsea to sign him
Nicolas Anelka's reputation had taken a battering by the time Dave Worthington first recommended bringing him back to English football.
6 November 2026
→David Speedie exclusive: The Leeds legends who rescued me from the pits at Barnsley
David Speedie's route to the top of English football began a long way from Stamford Bridge, in the coal mines of South Yorkshire, where a teenage footballer was desperately looking for a way out.
5 November 2026
→Dave Worthington exclusive: The £750,000 Bolton signing I was prepared to lose my job over
There are plenty of decisions in football recruitment that require conviction, but few quite like the one Dave Worthington made when he told Sam Allardyce to sign Abdoulaye Faye.
4 November 2026
→Phil Brown exclusive: Fernando Hierro, Ivan Campo and the Bolton centre-halves who left Sir Bobby Robson baffled
Phil Brown still finds it difficult to explain quite how Fernando Hierro and Ivan Campo could do what they did at Bolton Wanderers.
3 November 2026
→Paul Parker exclusive: How Terry Venables lost Spurs' dream signing to Man United
Paul Parker was sitting in the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London, discussing his future with Terry Venables, when the telephone call came that would change his career.
3 November 2026
→Dave Tomlinson: How Daniel Farke has won over Leeds United supporters
Daniel Farke's relationship with Leeds United supporters has not always been straightforward, but the German is gradually earning a place alongside some of the most significant managers in the club's history.
2 November 2026
→David Speedie exclusive: How John Neal turned Chelsea's warring strikers into best friends
David Speedie remembers Chelsea as a club of big personalities, unlikely friendships and a dressing room that eventually became one of the most enjoyable parts of his football career.
2 November 2026
→Mick Rathbone exclusive: Why Preston will always be special - but match Wrexham?
Mick Rathbone has had a long association with Preston North End, first representing the club on the pitch and later helping transform its fortunes from the treatment room.
1 November 2026
→Exclusive: Southampton chief Chris Robinson explains why scouting still needs the experienced eye
For Chris Robinson, scouting has become a more sophisticated, data-driven profession, but identifying potential still requires something that technology cannot provide on its own: the judgement that comes from years of watching the game.
1 November 2026
→Paul McVeigh exclusive: The Craig Bellamy leadership qualities I saw at Norwich long before he became Wales boss
Craig Bellamy's journey from a teenage forward at Norwich City to head coach of the Wales national team has brought a new significance to something Paul McVeigh recognised more than two decades ago.
1 November 2026
→Paul Miller exclusive: Tottenham's changing home and why British strikers were better than Europe's elite
Paul Miller spent his Tottenham career confronting some of the finest attacking players in European football.
30 October 2026
→Paul Parker exclusive: The three greats who left a lasting impression on him at Man United and QPR
Bryan Robson's extraordinary presence, Steve Bruce's courage and Ray Wilkins' remarkable confidence on the ball. Paul Parker reflects on three teammates whose qualities made them stand out.
30 October 2026
→Dave Worthington exclusive: Both Santos and Man United wanted my brother Frank
Dave Worthington reveals Santos wanted his brother Frank and explains why he believes Manchester United could have been the perfect stage for the gifted England forward.
29 October 2026
→Dave Worthington exclusive: 'He'll never play for Chelsea' - the wrong Gomez that stunned Abramovich
Dave Worthington’s time as a Chelsea scout brought him face to face with Roman Abramovich, a meeting with Sepp Blatter that required some diplomacy and an embarrassing misunderstanding over a striker’s name.
28 October 2026
→Paul McVeigh exclusive: Norwich City can follow Brighton into the Premier League and Europe
Paul McVeigh spent around 20 years living in Norwich, won two league titles with the club and remains convinced that his former side has the foundations to become an established Premier League force.
28 October 2026
→Mick Rathbone exclusive: Everton, Moyes and the "your fancy machines" blast that said it all
Mick Rathbone saw David Moyes navigate a changing game at Everton, introducing new sports science methods while preserving the personality, resilience and team spirit he believed football still needed.
27 October 2026
→Paul McVeigh exclusive: Gary Mabbutt and Chris Hughton at Tottenham - "good men, tough footballers"
Paul McVeigh remembers Gary Mabbutt and Chris Hughton as exceptional people who offered him encouragement and support during his formative years at Tottenham Hotspur.
27 October 2026
→David Bernstein exclusive: Kinkladze dazzled Man City, but Anelka was world class
Georgi Kinkladze remains one of Manchester City’s most cherished cult heroes, a footballer capable of producing moments of magic during one of the darkest periods in the club’s history.
26 October 2026
→Exclusive: Everton’s Tyler Dibling and the Chelsea scout who said no
Everton winger Tyler Dibling was once the player Chris Robinson advised Chelsea not to sign, despite recognising his talent and watching him develop from an early age.
26 October 2026
→Harry Harris exclusive: I have the methods and legal team to get Man City off the hook
Harry Harris believes football’s history could hold an important lesson for Manchester City as the club challenges the findings against it in the Premier League’s financial rules case.
25 October 2026
→Chris Robinson exclusive: Southampton's Kynan Duffy shows why traditional scouting still matters
Southampton recruitment chief Chris Robinson explains how a grassroots discovery such as Kynan Duffy shows data and video can widen a scout’s search, not replace judgement.
25 October 2026
→Exclusive: Phil Brown remembers Newcastle's Sunday League heroes and South Shields spirit
For Phil Brown, Sunday League football in South Shields was a proving ground where ability had to be matched by character.
25 October 2026
→Harry Harris and his new book - the secrets behind five decades of football scoops
Twice British Sports Writer of the Year and the only journalist to win the Sports Story of the Year award twice, Harry Harris has spent a career uncovering football's biggest stories.
23 October 2026
→Mick Rathbone exclusive: Working on the inside of Everton, Preston and treating every player equally
The best measure of Mick Rathbone’s work as a football physio is not simply how quickly an injured player returns to the pitch.
23 October 2026
→Exclusive: Wallsend - the Newcastle legacy remembered by Phil Brown and Gary Sherrard
Phil Brown and Gary Sherrard reflect on Wallsend’s place in the region’s football culture, the boys’ clubs that produced generations of players, and the changing routes from local pitches to the professional game.
22 October 2026
→Chris Beesley: The worry that kept Everton’s new stadium designer awake at night
For Dan Meis, designing Everton’s new stadium was not simply a question of drawing up an impressive building.
22 October 2026
→David Speedie exclusive: Coventry City, Cyrille Regis and the art of chipping goalkeepers
David Speedie did not need long to decide that Coventry City was the right place for him.
21 October 2026
→Phil Brown exclusive: The Danish connection that helped transform Bolton Wanderers
When Sam Allardyce set about transforming Bolton Wanderers from a club outside the top flight into an established Premier League side, the project required more than a change of tactics.
21 October 2026
→Philippe Albert, fantasy football and how Keegan transformed Newcastle
Newcastle United’s Entertainers are remembered for their spectacular attacking football, their extraordinary goals and the belief that they could beat anybody.
20 October 2026
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Chris Beesley: David Moyes deserves a statue at Everton — but one thing is missing
David Moyes has spent more than two decades shaping Everton’s modern history, but Chris Beesley believes the manager still has one achievement that could change everything.
20 October 2026
→Phil Brown exclusive: Bolton’s FA Cup giant-killings, Liverpool’s class and my Ian Wright surprise
Phil Brown experienced some remarkable nights during his time at Bolton Wanderers, but the FA Cup adventures under Bruce Rioch remain among his most treasured memories.
19 October 2026
→Chris Beesley: Everton’s new home brings hope after a generation of Goodison heartache
For Chris Beesley, Everton’s departure from Goodison Park was a moment that had been coming for much of his life.
19 October 2026
→Mick Rathbone exclusive: Sir Alex — the Final Day, the academy and the "weight of the Man United shirt"
Mick Rathbone's first six months at Manchester United coincided with Sir Alex Ferguson's final six months as manager.
19 October 2026
→Exclusive: Chris Waddle — Phil Brown and Gary Sherrard on the Newcastle talent who got away
Chris Waddle’s rise from the football pitches of County Durham to the acclaim of Newcastle United supporters began in familiar surroundings for two men who remember different stages of his journey.
18 October 2026
→Chris Beesley: Dan Friedkin has paid Everton’s bills, but never shown the appetite to own the club
Chris Beesley had already raised serious questions about Dan Friedkin’s long-term commitment to Everton before The Friedkin Group announced that it was exploring options for the club’s future, including a potential sale.
18 October 2026
→Exclusive: Phil Brown’s massive Sunderland regret - it could've changed everything
Phil Brown had spent much of his life dreaming about Sunderland. He had supported the club as a boy, gone on trial at Roker Park as an aspiring professional and come agonisingly close to the opportunity that might have launched his playing career.
16 October 2026
→Gary Sherrard: Arthur Cox, the Newcastle United builder who left just as the dream came true
Arthur Cox brought Kevin Keegan to Newcastle United, assembled a side capable of returning the club to the First Division and earned lasting affection from supporters.
16 October 2026
→Mick Rathbone exclusive: Wayne Rooney at Everton and the secret of playing without fear
Former Everton physio Mick Rathbone spent 30 years trying to understand why some footballers were paralysed by nerves while others thrived under pressure.
16 October 2026
→Exclusive: Alfie Conn, Paul Miller and the night Tottenham nearly paid dearly for a joke against Leeds
Tottenham were fighting for their First Division lives when Alfie Conn decided to sit on the ball against Leeds United.
16 October 2026
→Gary Sherrard: Alan Shearer, the rejected Geordie who came home to Newcastle
Alan Shearer’s Newcastle United story began with rejection and reached its defining moment on 6 August 1996, when more than 15,000 supporters gathered to welcome him home.
15 October 2026
→Phil Brown exclusive: Inside Sam Allardyce’s Bolton - an apprenticeship in management
Phil Brown spent six years alongside Sam Allardyce at Bolton Wanderers, learning the mechanics of management while helping the club progress from the First Division to the Premier League.
15 October 2026
→Phil Brown exclusive: How Sam Allardyce turned a Blackpool relationship into a coaching career
Phil Brown already knew Sam Allardyce by reputation when their paths crossed at Blackpool in 1994.
14 October 2026
→Discovering Gazza: The legend and legacy of Paul Gascoigne in a Newcastle shirt
Paul Gascoigne made his Newcastle United first-team debut against Queens Park Rangers on 13 April 1985, aged 17.
14 October 2026
→Gary Sherrard: How Kevin Keegan transformed Newcastle United and its city
Kevin Keegan arrived at Newcastle United in 1982, when the club was drifting through the Second Division.
13 October 2026
→Phil Brown exclusive: How Phil Neal and Sammy Lee shaped my Bolton years
By the time Phil Brown left Halifax Town for Bolton Wanderers in 1988, he felt he had earned the opportunity to test himself at a higher level.
13 October 2026
→Exclusive: Phil Brown at Hartlepool - Football by night, electrical work by day
Phil Brown's arrival at Hartlepool United brought him into professional football, but it did not immediately mean abandoning the working life he had known.
12 October 2026
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Phil Brown exclusive: From Sunday League to the pro game — A chance encounter changed everything
Phil Brown's route into professional football began a long way from the academies and carefully organised scouting networks of the modern game.
11 October 2026
→Mark Walters exclusive: The pig’s leg, the darts and the threats that followed him at Rangers
Mark Walters had a pig’s leg thrown at him at Celtic Park, saw darts hurled during a match against Hearts and once discovered a knife lying beside the pitch.
9 October 2026
→Paul Miller exclusive: The day Tottenham “signed the world” with Ossie Ardiles and Ricky Villa
Paul Miller was still playing in Norway when Tottenham Hotspur made one of the most extraordinary signings in English football.
9 October 2026