FOOTY FAIR

5 Celebrities That Could Have Become Professional Footballers

2016-07-17T08:00:00.000-04:00

All Professional footballers, even the ones that you consider to be crap, have a high level of technical and physical ability that elevate them beyond most of us mere mortals.

When a young player doesn't make it into the professional game it's usually a result of them not quite having these essential attributes or perhaps a case of them sustaining a serious injury.

If a former trialist or youth team player doesn't make it into the big time, most of them often go back to school in search of another career or perhaps go into coaching. Their dreams of playing under bright lights and driving home to their big houses in exotic cars are seemingly out the window.

The crushing disappointment of not making into the professional game hasn't meant the end of a life in the spotlight for these five former football trialists and youth team stars though:

1.) Gordan Ramsay - Glasgow Rangers

As a boy, the hot tempered celebrity chef Gordan Ramsay had trials in 1984 with his beloved local club Rangers before a serious knee injury cut his football career short. He would later say that the pain of not making professionally at Ibrox is what spurred him on to become a Michelin Star winning chef.

2.) Gavin Rossdale - Chelsea

Lead singer of mid-90s grunge wannabes Bush, Gavin Rossdale had trials at Chelsea but didn't quite make the grade. He would later star as England international Stanley Mortensen in the film The Game of Their Lives which recounted the tale of the United States 1-0 upset of the Three Lions at the 1950 World Cup.

3.) Antonio Banderas - Malaga

The Spanish actor Antonio Banderas was a gifted striker in Malaga's youth side in the mid-1970's before a foot injury ended his dreams of making it as a professional footballer.

4.) David Frost - Nottingham Forest

Best known for his incendiary interview with disgraced former United States President Richard Nixon in 1977, the late journalist David Frost was both a talented cricket player and footballer in his youth. He turned down an offer to sign for Nottingham Forest at age 17 to instead enroll at Cambridge University.

5.) Sean Connery - Manchester United

Already 23 years old, Sean Connery was on tour with the production South Pacific in 1953 and playing football part-time when he caught the eye of Manchester United's legendary boss Matt Busby. Connery was offered a £25 a week contract at Old Trafford, but chose to turn it down as he preferred to continue on in the path that would later lead him to becoming one of the most famous actors in the world.

Cheating and Corruption in Football - Part 1 of 5: Anderlecht Buy Themselves an Official

2016-04-03T08:00:00.000-04:00

There's cheating, like throwing yourself on the ground to win a penalty, and then there's really using the "dark arts" to get one over on an opponent.

The following is the first in our series of five shameful tales of dishonesty in football:

Anderlecht v Nottingham Forest, UEFA Cup Semi-Final, 2nd Leg - 1984

Brian Clough's Forest side had put themselves in a good position in the first leg of their UEFA Cup semi-final in 1984, with a comprehensive 2-0 victory at the City Ground.

Clough though hadn't counted on the machinations of Anderlecht's president Constant Vanden Stock when they arrived in Belgium for the second leg.

The referee in charge that night in April was a Spaniard named Emilio Guruceta Muro who already had a bit of a poor reputation after a string of controversial decisions at home and abroad over the years. Forest's players and their famously outspoken manager weren't happy with his appointment, but were confident that they could hold on to their advantage and meet fellow English side Tottenham in the final.

There were a few borderline calls for free kicks not long after the kickoff, but nothing seemed that out of the ordinary even after Enzo Scifo had staked Anderlecht into 1-0 lead on the night on 20 minutes.

At the hour mark though Forest finally had a knife driven straight into their backs when Muro ruled that Kenny Swain had brought down Anderlecht's Kenneth Brylle for a penalty.

The problem was that Swain was at least three or four yards away when Brylle theatrically threw himself on the floor, and he was in an offside position to begin with.

With the penalty converted, and the aggregate score tied, Forest were up against it and the players began to fear that the fix was in.

With two minutes to go, Erwin Vandenbergh put Anderlecht up 3-0 on the night and ahead on aggregate, but there was one last twist in the tale.

Deep into injury-time, Forest won a corner that Paul Hart put away with a free header to seemingly win the tie. But before he could celebrate, that man Muro had blown for a foul.

What the foul was he never really explained to Forest's enraged players and with that the match, and Forest's involvement in the UEFA Cup for the season, was over.

Although Forest never staged an official protest at the time, they knew they had been cheated and Clough made sure to tell some of the equally baffled media of his suspicions.

Anderlecht for their part would lose the final on penalties to Spurs and for thirteen years the majority of the football world forgot about the controversy surrounding the Belgian side's run to the final.

The controversial Muro, who had few admirers in his native Spain either due to his suspicious handling of several big fixtures over the years, died in a car crash in 1987.

In 1997, under pressure from an alleged blackmail plot by someone close to the club, Anderlecht officials finally confirmed that they had arranged for a local gangster to pay Muro close to 20,000 pounds to fix the match against Forest in their favour.

The club were subsequently banned from European competition for one year, a fairly light punishment all things considered, and although several Forest players tried to take legal action against Anderlecht, their cases didn't make much headway.

Charlton Athletic and Three Other English Clubs That Are in Trouble

2016-03-15T08:00:00.000-04:00

Dismayed at the shambolic running of their club by Belgian owner Roland Duchatelet, Charlton fans showed their displeasure on Sunday by staging a mock funeral.

The club are currently on the verge of tumbling into League One and are the latest club to feel dumped on by what they feel are negligent or dishonest owners.

Irate by the state of affairs at the club and compounded by the fact that Charlton's own Chief Executive openly complained that supporters need to accept that they are customers, fans followed up their funeral procession by chucking beach balls on the pitch during their 2-0 win over Middlesbrough and then staging a mass walkout on 74 minutes.

The 74th minute mark was chosen to mark the 74 goals the club has conceded so far this season. The actions of Addicks supporters has not gone unnoticed by the British and International media, but will it be enough to put pressure on their current owners to sell the club?

Does any sort of protest action short of not renewing your season tickets or giving a club any of your hard earned money, while also pressuring sponsors have any effect?

Unfortunately Charlton aren't the only club with recent Premier League pedigree that are in trouble.

Leeds United, currently in 13th place in the Championship, are still under the control of controversial owner Massimo Cellino and are being led from the touch line by unpopular manager Steve Evans. Cellino was in the news again last week when his sons took to social media to abuse Leeds fans. His son Ercole called one woman a "whale" and then later claimed that his English led him to not understanding the offence that could cause.

Meanwhile Bolton Wanders, a club who were a tough to beat mid-table Premier League side a decade ago, are nearly £200million in debt and seemingly headed towards the third tier.

Finally, another Championship struggler, Nottingham Forest, have found themselves only nine points above the relegation zone after losing five of their last six matches. Manager Dougie Freedman was sacked on Sunday, and Forest supporters like those of Charlton, Leeds and Bolton were left wondering how their club has been so horribly mismanaged, and what, if anything, they can do about it.

5 Players Who Went on Strike

2015-06-29T08:00:00.000-04:00

When you mention the word 'strike' some people immediately start worrying about how they're going to get into work as the transit workers have likely walked off the job again, or perhaps for those of you with kids you immediately start shaking your head at the latest labour dispute involving teachers.

But aside from strikes involving essential services like transit or education there have been several footballers over the years that have walked off the job over a dispute.

The following are five of the most notable:

George Eastham, Newcastle United

George Eastham, a midfielder for Newcastle stormed out of St. James Park in 1960 over his frustration with the club blocking him playing for the England U23 side, providing him with a dump of a house to live in and for setting him up with a second job he didn't like to get around the maximum wage they were allowed to pay him as a footballer by league rules. Eastham railed against the retain and transfer policy in English football at the time, that essentially bound a player to a club for life unless they chose to sell him, and referred to it as a "slavery contract". After spending several months away from the game selling cork, Newcastle eventually relented and sold him to Arsenal. His stance eventually helped pave the way towards providing fairer terms for players looking to re-negotiate contracts.

George Best, Manchester United

Dropped by manager Tommy Docherty for going on a three day bender prior to an FA Cup match, Manchester United legend George Best went on strike in early 1974 and never again played for the club. FIFA eventually sanctioned a release from his contract, as Best went on to play in the United States and elsewhere over the next nine years.

Carlos Tevez, Manchester City

After refusing to warm up against Bayern Munich during a Champions League group stage match in 2011/2012, Carlos Tevez felt the full wrath of Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini who said he'd never play for the club again. Tevez went awol for several months, golfing in Argentina for the most part, and eventually rejoined City towards the end of the season and helped them to a league title.

France, 2010 World Cup Squad

Squeaking into the 2010 World Cup after a Thierry Henry assisted handball goal against Ireland, a lot of neutrals were chucking when France got off to an abysmal start at the finals in South Africa and were in positive raptures when Patrice Evra led a player revolt against manager Raymond Domenech. The players refused to train after Nicolas Anelka was booted off of the team for arguing with the Domenech and the French almost didn't turn out for their last group fixture before crashing out in disgrace.

Pierre Van Hooijdonk, Nottingham Forest

After firing Pierre Van Hooijdonk helped fire Nottingham Forest into the Premier League in the 1997/1998 season, he felt that he had been given certain assurances that the club would strengthen before going into the top flight. The club didn't live up to his expectations in the transfer market, so Van Hooijdonk stat out the start of the season. Forest struggled and even his return to the squad did little to help their cause. The Dutch international had become a pariah in the eyes of the fans and teammates, so his return may have actually had more of a negative effect than a positive one any way.

The Art of the Game - 12 Nottingham Forest Legends (Gallery)

2015-05-09T08:00:00.000-04:00

Dave Merrell is a very talented illustrator from Manchester, England and in one of his latest projects Dave was commissioned by NFFC to create some illustrations for the match-day program. Needless to say, the work was quite remarkable.

Nottingham Forest Character Design by Daniel Nyari (Gallery)

2015-03-05T12:00:00.000-05:00

Previously featured on our site, Queens, NY illustrator Daniel Nyari (@danielnyari) is at it again and this time he tackles the iconic figures of English club Nottingham Forest.

Done for Nottingham Forest's official matchday programme featuring players from the legendary team managed by Brian Clough who won ten trophies between 1976 and 1980. Along with a small feature and interview with me. Thanks to the wonderful people working at the club.

The Wit, Wisdom and Genius of Brian Clough

2014-09-20T18:00:00.000-04:00

Today marks the tenth anniversary of the passing of one of the finest managers English football has ever known, Brian Howard Clough.

Born in Middlesbrough on March 31, 1935 the man who would later be nicknamed "Old Big Head" as an all conquering manager, broke into professional football for his local side in 1955.

Clough, a high scoring striker for Middlesbrough and later Sunderland, hit an incredible 251 goals in 274 matches with a strike rate of 0.916 goals per match which is the highest ever in England for a player with more than 200 appearances.

Sadly his playing career was cruelly cut short at the age of 27 after tearing the medial and cruciate ligaments in his knee, after a sickening collision with Bury's keeper Chris Harker on an icy pitch in December of 1962.

After an aborted comeback at age 29, Clough shook off the anguish of a playing career that was to an extent unfulfilled and stepped into management at Hartlepool United.

His most important decision when taking up the reigns at Victoria Park was convincing Burton Albion's manager Peter Taylor to join him as his assistant. Together the two men would leave an unforgettable mark on English and indeed European football.

After moving to Derby County, a club rooted to the bottom of the old Second Division in 1967, Clough and Taylor went to work on building the side from the ground up.

It's been said about the two of them that Clough was the "shop window" and that Taylor was "the goods in the back" and there's something to that as Taylor had an incredible eye for spotting diamonds in the rough, and bringing them to Derby, while Clough was able to mould these players into a cohesive unit.

After winning promotion to the top flight in 1969, Derby stunned the football world by seeing off the challenges of the leading sides Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City and Leeds United in capturing the 1971/1972 League Championship. It was an incredible achievement for the East Midlands club, who did it by playing positive attacking football under Clough and Taylor.

Despite a run to the 1972/1973 European Cup Semi-Final and eventual defeat over two legs to Juventus, the outspoken Clough fell out with the Derby County board and left the club in the fall of 1973. It was a parting of the ways that was later to be regretted to different extents by both parties.

After a brief spell at Brighton and Hove Albion, and a disastrous 44 day reign in charge of his old enemies Leeds United, Clough and Taylor reunited at Nottingham Forest where they would achieve their greatest glory.

Winning promotion to the old First Division in 1976/1977, Nottingham would then incredibly storm to the League Championship in 1977/1978, as they finished comfortably ahead of European Champions Liverpool.

Greater things were to come for Forest though, as they won not only win the 1979 European Cup by beating Malmo in Munich, but they would follow it up with a win over Hamburg in the 1980 final in Madrid. For a club of Forest's relative size this was an incredible achievement and one that will likely not be repeated.

Despite Clough's achievements he never got the job he truly craved, that of the England manager's chair after his various rows with chairmen and the media, it was little surprise that the English FA were fearful of giving him the "second most important job in the country".

Clough would even go on to fall out with his partner in so much success, Taylor, after his assistant briefly retired and then took up the manager's post at Derby. Unfortunately the two would never resolve their differences before Taylor's early death in 1990 at the age of only 62. The fact that they never made peace was something Clough regretted for the rest of his life and he in fact dedicated his autobiography to his old friend and assistant manager.

He opened his book with:
"To Peter. Still miss you badly. You once said: 'When you get shot of me there won't be as much laughter in your life'. You were right"

Clough would manage Nottingham up until 1993, with the club achieving further success in the League Cup and always playing attractive football. Unfortunately the end of his time at the club saw Forest relegated from the top division, however the mark he left on Forest will never be forgotten.

Losing his battle with stomach cancer on 20 September 2004, Clough was mourned equally by fans of both Derby County and Nottingham Forest, usually the bitterest of rivals, who deeply acknowledged the work he had done in putting them both on the map.

Besides his outstanding success in football, Clough was also known for his outspoken views. Here are some of his funnier quotes over the years:

“Rome wasn’t built in a day, but then again I wasn’t on that particular job.”

“David Seaman is a handsome young man but he spends too much time looking in his mirror rather than at the ball. You can’t keep goal with hair like that.”

“I’m sure the England selectors thought if they took me on and gave me the job, I’d want to run the show. They were shrewd because that’s exactly what I would have done”

“The River Trent is lovely, I know because I have walked on it for 18 years.”

“Beckham? His wife can’t sing and his barber can’t cut hair.”

When meeting Teddy Sheringham: “I’m calling you Edward because that’s what it says on your birth certificate.”

"Players lose you games, not tactics. There's so much crap talked about tactics by people who barely know how to win at dominoes."

"If God had wanted us to play football in the clouds, he'd have put grass up there."

“I wouldn’t say I was the best manager in the business…but I was in the top one.”

“When I go, God’s going to have to give up his favourite chair.”

HOPDAYS: Murphy’s Irish Stout, the Roy Keane!

2014-07-23T12:00:00.000-04:00

This week's Hopdays feature was written by our favorite Irish contributor Owen Kelleher. Owen's previous pieces include: An Irishman's Favorite Rep. of Ireland Kits & 10 Random Facts About the World Cup

Murphy’s Irish Stout is widely recognized as one of the best Irish stouts in the world and Roy Maurice Keane is recognised as one of the best midfield footballers of all time. Keane and Murphy’s seem to have a lot in common. Both were born in Cork, one in 1856 and the other in 1971 and both became very popular almost instantly. Murphy’s is described as being strong and bold in flavour with a slight chocolate milk sweetness, Keane is also strong and bold on and off the pitch although he is a bit more on the bitter side.

Murphy’s is a no nonsense traditional Irish stout and is widely considered to be much better than Guinness. The same can be said about Keane, especially in his television punditry on ITV in England and RTE in Ireland, or during the 2002 World Cup after his public bust up with Mick McCarthy. Roy’s father Maurice Keane even worked in Murphy’s brewery for a while.

Both the brew and the player began trying to export themselves to further markets in the 1980’s. Murphy’s was purchased by Heineken in 1983 and Keane finally made it to the top in England with Nottingham Forrest in 1990. Forrest sold Keane to Manchester United in 1993, even though it had already been agreed that Keane was to join Blackburn Rovers earlier. Alex Ferguson phoned Keane and agreed to meet him that day with a contract. Keane went on to sign for Manchester United that very day for a (then) British transfer record of £3.75 million. By 1997 both Keane and Murphy’s were increasing in popularity abroad and Keane was made Manchester United captain in 1997.

Both Keane and Murphy’s sustained a nice stretch of popularity and success over the next decade or so abroad, but Murphy’s could never overtake the big money backed Guinness and around the same time as Keane’s retirement from football Murphy’s returned home, focusing its attention on its hometown following.

Murphy’s have won multiple awards and medals at international beer competitions including three straight gold prizes at the Brewing Industry International Awards in 2003, 2004 and 2005. Roy Keane is the most decorated Irish football player winning the Premier league seven times, the FA Cup on four occasions, the Scottish premier league and league cup once, and the Champions League title in 1999 along with many other personal achievements.

15 Classic European Cup/Champions League Final Photos (Gallery)

2014-05-23T16:18:00.001-04:00

Tomorrow night, at the Estadio da Luz, Real Madrid will take on Atletico Madrid in the Champions League Final. On the eve of this all Spanish showdown, we've put together fifteen of our favourite photos from European Cup/UEFA Champions League Final's of the past. We hope that you enjoy them.

1960 - Ferenc Puskas scores Real Madrid's fifth goal against Eintracht Frankfurt en route to a famous 7-3 win.

1962 - Eusebio is held aloft following Benfica's 5-3 win over Real Madrid.

1968 - George Best puts Manchester United ahead in extra time as they go on to win 4-1 over Benfica.

1971 - Johan Cruyff in full flow against Panathinaikos during Ajax's 2-0 victory.

1975 - Gerd Muller celebrates Bayern Munich's 2-0 win over Leeds United.

1978 - Kenny Dalglish wakes up in bed with the Cup following Liverpool's 1-0 win the night before over Club Brugge.

1980 - Brian Clough's Nottingham Forest celebrate their unbelievable second European Cup win in a row, after beating Hamburg 1-0.

1986 - Helmuth Duckadam plucks the ball out of the air and goes onto save four penalty kicks in an incredible shootout, that was won 2-0 by Steaua București over Barcelona.

1989 - Dutch stars Marco van Basten and Ruud Gullit lift the European Cup following AC Milan's 4-0 win over Steaua București.

1993 - Controversial French side Olympic Marseilles, who would later be found guilty of match fixing, celebrate their 1-0 win over AC Milan.

1996 - Gianluca Vialli lifts the Cup for Juventus following their 4-2 penalty shootout win over Ajax.

1999 - "And Solskjær has won it!" Ole Gunnar Solskjær scores the winner deep into injury time as Manchester United defeat Bayern Munich 2-1.

2004 - Jose Mourinho's Porto celebrate after beating fellow unlikely finalist Monaco 3-0.

2011 - Pep Guardiola gets tossed in the air following Barcelona's 3-1 win over Manchester United.

2012 - Didier Drogba ends his time at Chelsea in style, as he cancels out Muller's goal for Bayern Munich with only two minutes to go, and then scores the winning penalty kick in the shoot-out.