He is quick to share out the credit pointing out that Mike Ingham is Radio 5's football correspondent as

He is quick to share out the credit, pointing out that Mike Ingham is Radio 5's football correspondent as well as a fine commentator, but Green's gravelly rasp is one of the station's trademarks."I love commentating," he declared "I would never want to give it up. When I go to a game for fun, like the Liverpool match on Thursday night, I am always commentating in my head. At Anfield I said to this bloke sitting next to me 'They're confused, Liverpool, aren't they? They're not used to playing this way.' He must have thought 'What a bore', but he turned to me and said 'You're right'. That is what I'd always said about commentary: it's about being a punter with knowledge."Green gained his early knowledge of journalism as a BBC News Trainee, a traditional source of future stars for the corporation: Jeremy Paxman completed the course a year before Green, Nicholas Whichell followed a year behind. News was Green's first love, and retains a firm hold on his imagination and ambitions."What I wanted to do," he explained, "and what I still, deep down, want to do, is to run the Nine O'Clock News I didn't want to front it I didn't want to appear in it. I wanted to run it." He still pays closer critical attention to Newsnight than he does to Match of the Day, still considers himself a journalist first and a commentator second.This unassuaged ambition is undoubtedly what is behind Green's opinionated style of commentary, his determination to go out on a limb more often than the average tree surgeon.

"Sometimes I make a fool of myself," he admitted, "but I don't mind that, because I'm just being me It's a mixture of self- confidence and arrogance. It's me saying 'I make mistakes but I'm quite happy with who I am.' I can live with myself."It is reassuring that Green gets on well with himself, because he is not pally with everyone in football "I upset people," he admitted "I know I upset them. But I never said anything about Alex Ferguson that I know I didn't feel."The mention - unprompted - of the Manchester United manager indicates the depth of ill-feeling between the two. Ferguson has in the past refused to speak to Green on the basis that he is a Liverpool supporter The commentator does not exactly shrug this off. "There was a time when I might have worried about upsetting the manager of the most important club in the country," he said "But not any more."Ferguson is by no means the only target. Green is scathing about the Premiership ("defensively it is appalling"), has little time for Uefa ("it's not the Champions' League, it's a knock-out competition") and refuses point-blank to call linesmen referee's assistants ("I just won't do it. I won't do it").Whatever further outlet Radio 5 can find for him, it had better be a long show.

He has filled in for Michael Parkinson on the Friday night sports chat show "It's an hour long at the moment," he said. "I think it works better at two." Better make it three, if the guests want to get a word in.. The England coach, Glenn Hoddle, is considering tactical changes to send out a more attacking side for the World Cup qualifying match against Georgia at Wembley on Wednesday, a match England must win to retain hopes of automatic entry to the France 98 finals. "We will have a more aggressive head on our shoulders," said Hoddle. England performed a competent smothering job on a talented Georgian midfield in Tbilisi last November in a 2-0 victory, but the call this time is for a more proactive team that will seize the initiative and set the qualifying campaign back on track after the defeat by Italy in February.

With the Italians playing Poland the same night, England need to reassert themselves in Group Two. Since playing in Tbilisi, Georgia have recruited a new coach in David Kipiani and, according to Hoddle, "tinkered with their shape" in a 7-0 friendly win over Albania. To counter, Hoddle could go for a flexible system capable of switching from 3-5-2 to 4-4-2 as the state of the game demands."We approached the game over there in the right way but our approach for this one might be different," he said. "It will perhaps be a different set of tactics but the main concern is to get the boys into a positive frame of mind If we perform well we will get a result. If we are a shade down, they are a good side capable of turning us over."A dilemma for Hoddle is how many of the team to retain that played so well in Georgia - only Paul Gascoigne and Andy Hinchcliffe are unavailable - and how much to rely on recent form, both for club and country after the Mexico match. "That's the balancing act," said Hoddle.It is certain that Alan Shearer, seemingly fully fit after his third groin operation, will return, probably as captain to partner Teddy Sheringham up front for the first time since Euro 96. However, with the return of David Seaman in goal apart, the midfield and defence are less easily arrived at.Despite Robert Lee's impressive performance on the right of midfield against Mexico, it is likely that David Beckham will be recalled after injury last month, possibly to play in front of his Manchester United club-mate Gary Neville, who can operate either as right-back in a four- man defence or on the right side of a back three.The time, it seems, is not yet right for Beckham to play more centrally.