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I have some revelations to make this week. Don't worry, it doesn't involve me wearing an ill-fitting shirt and looking down the cameras every time I say sorry. While , I was in Manchester talking to Emmanuel Adebayor.

A captivating interview with a footballer is quite rare. Normally you can't see beyond the fog of clichés and there is precious little to stir the soul. When the Togo captain stepped into the room last week, things were very different.

I don't know what you think of the Manchester City striker but here is a bloke who texted his mum to tell her he was going to die on that coach in Cabinda. I think it was who said "nothing concentrates the mind like the prospect of death". Adebayor may not have been shot on 8 January but two people on that bus died and the mental scars he carries run deep.

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I received an email at about 1333 GMT last Saturday that read as follows... "Just watched the programme and was surprised at how much I liked Phil Brown."

It wasn't the only positive one I received about the Hull manager, who seems to have won over a few doubters last week. Honesty can work wonders and his remarks about enjoying the limelight a little too much last season went down well in all quarters.

This season, he is noticeably trying to keep a lower profile. Even the elaborate 'Madonna' head-set has been replaced with a more discrete version that tucks behind the ear.

The 2010 version of Phil Brown seems far more relaxed, even though his job is just as difficult. He also made an excellent point about the Premier League's tentative plan last week to save Portsmouth from going under by paying them next season's TV money.

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Greetings, brothers and sisters. This blog is all about last week's trip to , which started off in one of the worst hire cars in history.

The cuboid beast had a sizeable dent in the driver's side and the door didn't actually fit. Once I hit the big 70mph (and no more, officer), the wind was howling through the wagon and I had to have the radio on full blast just to hear it.

The heady combination of honey-roasted cashew nuts and custard creams kept me going until I got to the , at which point I stumbled across a late-night radio debate about deaf cats that got me through Staffordshire.

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Hello everybody. I am sitting in the football office after this week's meeting feeling a little sorry for myself. I was slightly sleep deprived last night (all my own fault) and so far today my only sustenance has come from a stale hot cross bun.

I have a triple-edged blog for you this week... reaction to Saturday's programme, some more and news on the new England kit.

Saturday was certainly an interesting show. We decided to go with a lengthy chat about the John Terry situation because it was something we just couldn't ignore. I was actually surprised at the strength of opinion from our trio on the sofa. Lawro, Lee and Martin all said that Terry should lose the England captaincy.

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