Spurs Legends

[Jordinho]

Scott Houghton

Scott Aaron Houghton was a midfielder who began his career with Tottenham Hotspur before going on to play for a succession of lower league clubs. He made 10 appearances, scoring 2 goals, between 1990 and 1993. He also spent time on loan at Ipswich, Charlton, Cambridge and Gillingham.

The official site had this to say on his most memorable performance for us: We were playing host to Luton – coincidentally where the young midfielder hailed from – in November, 1991, when the Lane was momentarily plunged into darkness due to a floodlight failure.

When visibility was restored our own performance was lit up as well – we went on to win the game 4-1 with Houghton, at the time a recent graduate into the first team picture, bagging a brace and Gary Lineker adding the other two.

They would prove to be Houghton’s only senior goals for us, and as such the night stuck has stuck in his memory ever since.

In 1993 he moved to Luton on a permanent deal, but didn't stay for more than one season before leaving for Walsall.

Coming to Walsall resurrected my career because I’d previously had a torrid time at Luton Town and was at a crossroads.

I came in initially during pre-season and played a few friendlies. I remember being impressed with the set-up and even though the club was a few levels below Luton at the time, there was no real difference in the way things were done and so I agreed to join.

It was one of the best decisions I have ever made. When the crowd used to sing ‘Super Scotty Houghton’ it was the best thing ever and even thinking back to it now, it makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

I will always regret leaving the club. I had my head turned and if I could turn back the clock, I would have stayed here and continued to enjoy my football.

In 1996 he signed for Peterborough where he spent 3 seasons, but towards the end of that time he went on loan to Southend before making the move permanent. After one season there he moved to Leyton Orient for two seasons. After leaving Brisbane Road, he had brief spells with Halifax Town and Stevenage before calling time on his playing career a decade ago and joining the Police Force, where he remains today.

He did have a spell as manager of St. Neots Town and hasn’t ruled out a return to coaching at some point in the future.

I do miss the regular involvement in the game. I took over as manager of St. Neots a few years back but my shift patterns at the time meant that I couldn’t give the job the level of attention that it needed.

I look around and see former team-mates, such as Dean (Smith, Walsall manager), doing well and I do wonder if I could do the same.

 

[Jordinho]

Andy Reid

Andrew Matthew Reid was born in Dublin, Ireland. He started his footballing career with Irish youth clubs – Lourdes Celtic and Cherry Orchard. He turned down Manchester United and Arsenal to sign for Nottingham Forest as a 16-year old. Reid said "I chose Forest years ago because they made me feel wanted, because they had more time for me as a young kid than I felt at Arsenal or United". He turned professional in August 1999, making made his debut on 29 November 2000 against Sheffield United. In the 2001–02 season Reid failed to score a goal, although he played in 31 games. Reid then scored 13 goals in the 2003–04 season, finishing as Nottingham Forest's top scorer of the season, and named in the PFA Division One Team of the Year. He handed in a transfer request at the start of August 2004 saying "I feel I have no other choice than to formally state my desire to leave the club". During his time at Nottingham Forest, Reid was described as one of the most talented midfielders playing in the Football League, and was listed as a Legend of Nottingham Forest.

After protracted negotiations, lasting for the bulk of his last season at the club, Reid completed his move from Forest to Tottenham on the last day of the January 2005 transfer window. He was joined by Michael Dawson for a combined fee of £8 million. He made his debut in a 3–1 win over Portsmouth on 5 February 2005, with Martin Jol saying "Andy Reid also did well on his debut, and you worry a bit how new players will cope with the Premiership". Despite a promising start Reid failed to recapture the form he had shown at Forest and had to wait until May before netting for his new club, coming against Aston Villa in a 5–1 win at the end of the season. Making only 20 starts in 26 appearances he scored just one goal for Tottenham leading him to be listed by one journalist as one of the worst signings of the January transfer market.

Reid joined Charlton Athletic for a fee of around £3 million in August 2006. He scored his first goal for Charlton against Everton on 25 November 2006. Following the Everton match, Charlton manager Les Reed said Reid was similar to Ferenc Puskás, part of the famous Mighty Magyars. Charlton were relegated at the end of the season but Reid continued to shine in the Championship. He scored both goals against Norwich City in a 2–0 win in September 2007, from two penalties in the space of two minutes. "The captain Andy Reid was brilliant, he was driving us on all night", Alan Pardew said about his performance that day. Reid's form had not gone unnoticed and he was eventually sold having played 40 games and scored 9 goals in all competitions during his two seasons at Charlton.

At the end of January 2008, on the last day of the transfer window, Reid joined Sunderland in a three and a half-year deal worth £5m, making the step back up to the Premier League. Sunderland's Greg Halford went in the other direction in a six-month loan spell as part of the deal. Reid explained that he wanted Sunderland to be challenging for European places, and will not be happy fighting relegation season-after-season. After drifting out of first team contention Reid joined Sheffield United on a month's loan at the end of October 2010, with Sheffield manager Gary Speed stating "he is of undoubted Premier League quality and therefore a good addition to the squad". After two months at Bramall Lane Reid was hit by a three match ban following an incident at Carrow Road in a game against Norwich and so returned early to his parent club.

On 31 January 2011, Reid joined Blackpool on a deal until the end of the season. Struggling to make an impact on the first team he made only five appearances for the Bloomfield Road team before being released at the end of May following Blackpool's relegation from the Premier League. On 1 July 2011, Nottingham Forest announced the signing of Reid on a two-year deal, returning to the club where he started his career. He became Steve McClaren's first signing since joining the club as manager. Since his return to Forest, Reid has become an integral part of the squad, providing goals and assists on a regular basis. On the 5th January 2014, Billy Davies said Reid had signed a contract extension of 2-and-a-half years to remain at Nottingham Forest until the summer of 2016.

Reid was part of the team that won the U16 Nordic Cup on 8 August 1998 and scored in the final win over England. He has also appeared for the Republic of Ireland Under-21 team where he played 15 games and scored 4 goals, and also for the Republic of Ireland senior team where he has made 29 appearances and scored 4 goals. Reid fell out of favour with Ireland's previous manager, Giovanni Trapattoni, since the pair had a late night dispute in 2008 at the team hotel in Wiesbaden. After a five year exile from international football, interim manager Noel King recalled Reid to the Irish squad for the qualifiers against Germany and Kazakhstan. Reid spoke of his gratitude for King for recalling him to the Ireland squad fearing that the opportunity would not come along again to play for his country. On the 15 October 2013, Reid made his return in an Irish jersey against Kazakhstan playing 75 mins before being replaced by Aiden McGeady in a 3-1 win in Dublin.

---

Why Andy Reid is the perfect metaphor for Irish soccer

A LITTLE OVER nine years ago, Jose Mourinho made a rare visit to Lansdowne Road. He was there to scrutinise one of his star players, Damien Duff. The Portuguese coach had only just taken over as Chelsea boss, and had so far neglected to pick the Irish winger. However Duff put in a good performance that day, and shortly thereafter, became a regular fixture in the Chelsea side, helping them to win both the Premier League and the League Cup that same season.

Amid any other routine 3-0 World Cup qualifying win over Cyprus, that story would have been the main talking point. However, instead, the majority of the post-match attention was devoted to a then-22-year-old young midfielder named Andy Reid. Brian Kerr, who was manager at the time, described Reid’s performance as “phenomenal,” while the Irish media compared him favourably to Liam Brady. He scored a beautiful curling strike and genuinely dictated the game that day, in manner of which Roy Keane or Xavi would approve.

Both Duff and Robbie Keane had fully announced themselves on the world stage two years previously at the World Cup, and it seemed as if Reid was ready to follow suit. Of course, the standard of opposition was far from exceptional, but they were a team that would go on to infamously beat Ireland 5-2 just two years later, while Reid had also previously stood out in games against Brazil, the Netherlands and the Czech Republic.

So everything looked set in place for Andy Reid to have a distinguished career in which he would become an integral member of the Ireland side. His consistently excellent performances at club level for Nottingham Forest were also beginning to raise eyebrows. It was therefore no real surprise when Tottenham availed of his services — particularly as the then-assistant Ireland manager, Chris Hughton, was also a coach there.

Spurs eventually bought himself and Michael Dawson on the last day of the January 2005 transfer window for a combined fee of £8 million — with Reid reportedly attracting the vast majority of the sum.

While Reid has undoubtedly fared better than most of his contemporaries from the glory days, his career has so far largely been characterised by unfulfilled potential. While Damien Duff and Robbie Keane — two of the other attacking stars from Kerr’s gilded youth teams — have 100 and 130 caps respectively, Reid has 28. Even Glenn Whelan, a player with considerably less natural talent than Reid, has made almost twice as many appearances for Ireland as him (53, to be exact). Michael Dawson, who was originally viewed as the makeweight in the deal to bring Reid to Spurs, is now captain of the club, whereas Reid has long since departed White Hart Lane. In every conceivable way, disappointment and underachievement is conspicuous. Hence, it’s hard not to view Reid as the perfect metaphor for Irish soccer — exactly the type of player that Roy Keane frequently speaks of in critical terms, someone who could and should be playing at a more advanced level, yet he finds himself in the relative obscurity of the Championship.

In 2008, Trapattoni effectively banned Reid from the Irish squad for playing his guitar too late at night — a decision that fellow squad member, Kevin Kilbane, has since described as an “absolute travesty”. And while most people were not privy to exactly what went on in that room, the punishment still does seem particularly harsh — would Robbie Keane have been treated the same way if he was the offender? Therefore, it’s difficult to avoid the suspicion that this innocuous incident was a convenient excuse to ostracise a footballer that Trapattoni had no real interest in playing anyway.

Controversies aside though, Reid did not deserve a place in Trap’s team for the majority of the Italian’s tenure. His displays at club level were simply not good enough. After performing relatively well at Charlton following his disastrous spell at Spurs, he was bought by Sunderland, where again he conducted himself with distinction at first. However, he soon fell out of favour there, before experiencing another unsuccessful loan period at Blackpool.

Tellingly, in 2009, when asked about Reid, then-Ipswich manager Roy Keane said: “Andy Reid has as much quality as any player but he doesn’t deserve to be in the Ireland squad at this moment in time, as he’s not doing enough. I think Reidy could be fitter.”

The question of fitness is one that has dogged Reid throughout his career. Even since his Charlton days, there have been regular reports of Reid being ‘rejuvenated’ and ‘looking leaner than ever’. However, these claims seem to ring a little hollow when, only a few weeks later, he is suddenly out of the first team again. Nonetheless, there have been similar noises made about the player enjoying a ‘return to form’ at Nottingham Forest this year. He has scored his fair share of characteristically classy goals in the Championship, and played well during Ireland’s recent defeat of Kazakhstan.

Accordingly, all he can do now is continue to show the type of form he has regularly been displaying this season for Nottingham Forest. And if anyone in the Irish managerial set up is accustomed to second chances, it’s Roy Keane, who will undoubtedly appreciate Reid’s footballing intelligence and passing ability, while recognising that they could prove to be invaluable assets to the Irish squad — which is largely devoid of such gifts — if harnessed correctly.

Hence, perhaps it’s not too late for either Keane or Reid. Perhaps the pre-Saipan optimism inspired by Ireland’s multiple successes at youth level coupled with the inspirational manner in which they qualified for the 2002 World Cup can be belatedly recovered.

After all, Reid is still only 31. Xavi is 33 and still a fundamental member of the Spanish squad. Andrea Pirlo was the same age as his Spanish counterpart in the summer of 2012, when he regularly ran the midfielder for Italy at the Euros and emerged as arguably the player of the tournament. Reid is at nowhere near the same level as the aforementioned two individuals, but their success is at least proof that there is room in international football for an aging star that harsher critics would deem a luxury player. Moreover, Martin O’Neill’s recent claim that he wanted the team to play with “a bit of style” will seem a little insincere if he opts to pick more conservative players such as Glenn Whelan and Paul Green ahead of the Nottingham Forest star.

And should the management decide to place faith in the midfielder by selecting him in the upcoming friendlies against Latvia and Poland, Irish fans will hope Reid embraces a similarly positive philosophy and adopts a level of consistency that he hasn’t always shown. Otherwise, he will forever be renowned as, at best, a guitar hero rather than a footballing one.

http://www.thescore.ie/andy-reid-perfect-metaphor-irish-soccer-1174555-Nov2013/

 

[Dicko]

Gerry McMahon

When I think of this kid I remember a clip of him playing for N.Ireland where someone put a cross into the box and he chested it, knee'd it up and then did an overhead kick! I remember at the time thinking he was gonna be a future star lol.

I have tried to find a clip of that a few times but have never found it.

 

[#11L]

When I think of this kid I remember a clip of him playing for N.Ireland where someone put a cross into the box and he chested it, knee'd it up and then did an overhead kick! I remember at the time thinking he was gonna be a future star lol.

I have tried to find a clip of that a few times but have never found it.

I think i've got his autograph in the attic at my moms home from 1996 when Spurs went on a preseason tour in Norway and played v.s. HamKam. I remember my two biggest heros at the time Sheringham and Anderton scored the goals as Spurs won 2-0. That was the first time I saw Spurs live.

When my mate and I were leaving the game we actually met Gerry Francis when the Spurs team was going to a restaurant in town. He saw my spurs hat, came over and signed it and gave us some Spurs stuff for free. Top man!

A chellenge for you statto: Do you know the Spurs line up from that day?

 

[Jordinho]

Fraizer Campbell

Fraizer Lee Campbell was born in Huddersfield and came through Manchester United's academy. Having been in their youth schemes since the age of 10, Campbell signed for the Manchester United Academy on 1 July 2004. He made an immediate impact, scoring 14 goals in 22 starts for the Under-18s in the 2004–05 season. He signed his first professional contract with Manchester United on 22 March 2006,[3] and he was named as a substitute for Roy Keane's testimonial match at Old Trafford on 9 May 2006.

Campbell joined Manchester United's Belgian partner club Royal Antwerp for the duration of the 2006–07 season, where his goal-scoring exploits resulted in the fans giving him the nickname "Super Campbell". His 21 goals in 31 starts helped Antwerp to a place in the Belgian Second Division play-offs. Campbell was sent out on loan again in the 2007–08 season, this time at Hull City in the Football League Championship. Campbell finished the season as Hull's top scorer, with 15 goals in 32 appearances. On 24 May 2008, he played in the Hull City team that achieved promotion to the top flight for the first time in their 104-year history. Campbell provided the assist for Dean Windass' goal in a 1–0 win over Bristol City in the Championship Playoff Final at Wembley Stadium.

Following his successes leading to their promotion, Hull were hoping to secure either a permanent move or another season-long loan, depending on Manchester United's willingness to let him go. However, Campbell repeatedly expressed the desire to return to Old Trafford and try to break into the first team, saying "Now I’m back at United, the plan is to try to force my way into the first team." He added, "I’m going to continue to work hard and try to do enough to stay here and go on from there."

On 1 September 2008, transfer deadline day, Hull City bid a club record fee of £7 million for Campbell. However, he instead signed for Tottenham Hotspur on a season-long loan, as part of the transfer of Dimitar Berbatov to Manchester United for £30.75 million. This was contradictory to Ferguson's earlier claim that Campbell would be staying at United for the season. He explained the deal saying; "Tottenham insisted that he be part of the deal and Fraizer's signed his own agreement to go there for the year so we're happy with that."

Campbell scored his first two goals for Tottenham in a 4–2 victory over Liverpool in the League Cup fourth round, as well as setting up his strike partner Roman Pavlyuchenko for the game's opening goal.

http://www.veoh.com/watch/v16602642Z6YYeqYx?h1=Tottenham+Hotspur+4-2+Liverpool+(Carling+Cup+4th+round+08%2F09)

On 15 November 2008, Campbell scored his first ever Premier League goal, and only one for Spurs, late in a 2–1 defeat to Fulham.

Hull City refused to give up on Campbell and in June 2009 they returned with a £6 million bid for Campbell, which was accepted by Manchester United. However, the striker said he would not decide on his future until completion of England's participation in the 2009 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship. On 11 July 2009, Campbell signed a four-year contract with Sunderland after Manchester United had accepted a £3.5 million bid (potentially rising to £6 million) after successfully passing a medical earlier that same day. He only scored 4 goals in 31 league appearances that season.

He sustained an anterior cruciate ligament injury in Sunderland's 1–0 win against Emirates Marketing Project on 29 August 2010, which sidelined him for an expected six months. Campbell made his return to training in March 2011. Despite having seemingly recovered from the injury, Campbell suffered a recurrence of the ligament injury in the same knee in preparation for a match against Emirates Marketing Project on 3 April 2011. After undergoing surgery on 20 April 2011, it was learned that Campbell would be out of action for 12 months.

Though he was proposed to return in March 2012, Steve Bruce revealed that Campbell was in the frame to return to action around Christmas time — three months ahead of schedule. Campbell scored on his return for Sunderland on 29 January 2012, coming on at half time for Connor Wickham against Middlesbrough in an FA Cup 4th Round tie where he scored the equaliser in a 1–1 draw at the Stadium of Light. Campbell made his Premier League return on 1 February 2012 against Norwich City, opening the scoring and providing an assist in a 3–0 home win.

On 21 January 2013, Campbell signed for Cardiff City on a three and a half year deal for a fee believed to be in the region of £650,000.

Campbell was capped at various youth levels for England, playing three times for the under-16s, six times for the under-17s, once for the under-18s and 14 times for the U21s. On 23 February 2012, despite only scoring 6 league goals in 4 years, Campbell received his first call-up to the England squad for the friendly versus the Netherlands. Interim England manager Stuart Pearce had stated his ambitions to select untried young players for the friendly. He made his debut in the 80th minute as England lost 3–2 due to an injury-time game-winning goal by Arjen Robben.

 

[Jordinho]

Kevin Dearden

Kevin Charles Dearden began his career as an apprentice with Tottenham Hotspur, turning professional on 5 August 1988.

In need of first-team experience, he joined Cambridge United on loan on 9 March 1989, making his league debut two days later in a 3–0 away win against Exeter City. The next season he joined Hartlepool United on loan in August 1989, moving to Oxford United on loan on 14 December, with a third loan move that season when he joined Swindon Town on 23 March. He moved to Peterborough United on loan on 24 August 1990, with a further loan spell at Hull City, which began on 10 January 1991. The following season he was still no closer to gaining a first team place at White Hart Lane, joining Rochdale on loan on 16 August 1991, and Birmingham City on loan on 19 March. He played 12 games for the St. Andrews side, but returned to Tottenham Hotspur, starting the next season on loan to Portsmouth, whom he joined on 6 August 1992.

He finally made his debut for Tottenham later that season, coming on as a substitute for the injured Erik Thorstvedt in a 2–1 defeat against Nottingham Forest at the City Ground.

He left White Hart Lane in September 1993, having been out on loan at no less than 9 different clubs, joining Brentford on a free transfer and quickly becoming a regular at Griffin Park. He played at Wembley for Brentford, but was on the losing side as Crewe Alexandra won the Second Division play-off final in May 1997. He lost his place in 1998–99 season, joining Barnet on loan on 4 February 1999, before moving to Huddersfield Town on a free transfer on 11 March, having played 213 league games for Brentford.

He failed to appear in the Huddersfield league side and moved to Wrexham on a free transfer on 2 June 1999. He was the first-choice goalkeeper for the following season, missing only one game. He lost his place at the start of the following season to Kristian Rogers, and although he fought back to make 20 league appearances he was released at the end of the season, his final game for Wrexham being in the winning FAW Premier Cup Final side.

He signed on non-contract terms for Torquay United on 9 August 2001 to enable him to be registered in time to play in the opening game of the season away to Bristol Rovers. He soon signed a one-year contract in the knowledge that he would be Roy McFarland's first choice goalkeeper for the 2001–02 season. He began helping manager Leroy Rosenior with the coaching and Plainmoor, and although injury forced him into retirement in March 2005, he stayed on until the end of the season as a voluntary coach. In February 2006 he signed as a player for non-league Boreham Wood.

In July 2006 he joined the coaching staff at Brentford briefly for a matter of days before deciding instead to take a full time post at Millwall. After coaching for Luton, Stevenage and Leyton Orient, he took on a full time role as goalkeeping coach and chief scout at Leyton Orient in June 2008. When manager Martin Ling and assistant Dean Smith left Leyton Orient by mutual consent on 18 January 2009 he briefly assumed the role of assistant to Kevin Nugent, Caretaker Manager for the home match against Southend United on 20 January.

 

[Jordinho]

Andy Turner

Andrew Peter Turner was born in Woolwich, England, but represented Ireland at youth level.

Turner remembers his day of personal glory when he found himself buried in a scrum of celebrating Tottenham Hotspur players. On that day, Sept 5, 1992, aged 17 years and 166 days, he became the Premiership's youngest goalscorer, a landmark since overtaken by four other players.

Flashing back to his Tottenham career, which involved 21 matches and four goals spread over four years, he remembers that first goal like yesterday.

"Andy Gray took a throw-in, David Tuttle nodded it on and I was on the edge of the penalty area. I took it on the half-volley and hit it low and hard through a mass of legs. The ball hit a defender on the line and shot into the roof of the net. Then I was bundled," he said.

From Tottenham he had loan spells at Wycombe Wanderers, Doncaster Rovers, Huddersfield Town and Southend United. Portsmouth signed him and he played 40 games until he dislocated his ankle. "It popped like a gunshot and I was out for eight months," he said.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/2329748/Chasetown-offer-Turner-one-more-dream-goal.html

After Portsmouth he went to Palace where he made one appearance, then on to Wolves without appearing before joining Rotherham in 1999. He didn't stay long there either and after loans at Boston and Rochdale he moved to Yeovil in 2001. Two more loans followed, to Nuneaton and Kettering, before moving to Tamworth in 2002. In 2003 he had short stints with Northampton and Nortwich Victoria, then Moor Green. In 2005 he signed for Chasetown where he was a player/coach.

He also had a spell as coach at Kidsgrove Athletic before taking over as manager of Alsager Town in 2012. In January 2014 he joined Coalville Town as their assistant manager.

 

[Jordinho]

Paolo Tramezzani

Paolo Tramezzani was born at Castelnovo ne' Monti, in Italy. He started his career in the Inter Milan youth set-up in 1989 and was loaned out to Italian sides Prato, Cosenza and Lucchese respectively for a full season to gain first team experience. Upon is return to Inter, he became more of a squad player, and in two years amassed 26 matched for the Milanese side. He did manage to win the UEFA Cup during his tenure with Inter. After a couple of seasons in search of regular first team football with Venezia and Cesena, he got his big break with Piacenza, for whom he made 57 appearances, scoring 6 goals. It was his for here that alerted Christian Gross and Spurs.

His career at Tottenham got of to a reasonably good start, he scored on his debut in a friendly against Peterborough. He was a gangly runner and it seen the urgency of the English game did sit comfortably. His first competitive game came against Wimbledon and was duly lost, then a 3-0 defeat to Sheffield Wednesday in the following match coupled with a number of injury problems signalled the beginning of the end for the Italian.

After George Graham took over from Christian Gross, it was apparent Tramezzani wasn’t in Graham’s plans, the pair also had a falling out over where Tramezzani should receive treatment for his injury problems. Tramezzani wanted to be treated in Italy so he could be closer to his children, who lived with his estranged wife. Graham insisted he be treated in London. All in all he managed seven games for Spurs in two years, and was released to Pistoiese.

He then returned to Piacenza in 2000 where he helped them back into Serie A. After three years he was transferred to Atalanta and after one season with the Nerazzurri he moved to lower league side Pro Patria for the sole reason of being closer to his children. He even spurned a move to Empoli and could have moved to Benfica but declined for the same reason. Five years of loyal service to Pro Patria ended on 9th June 2008 when he announced his retirement from football, aged 38. He's currently assistant coach for the Albanian national team.

He has also made forays into the media world, working as a columnist for Rai Sport Più and Telelombardia covering the Italian lower leagues. He is also a co-presenter of GNOK Calcio Show on Sky Sports Italy.

Here's a segment where he drives around the countryside and tries to lure people into his camper 8-[: http://video.sky.it/sport/calcio-italiano/lo_stranamore_di_paolo_tramezzani/v46139.vid

 

[THFC6061]

Paolo Tramezzani

Paolo Tramezzani was born at Castelnovo ne' Monti, in Italy. He started his career in the Inter Milan youth set-up in 1989 and was loaned out to Italian sides Prato, Cosenza and Lucchese respectively for a full season to gain first team experience. Upon is return to Inter, he became more of a squad player, and in two years amassed 26 matched for the Milanese side. He did manage to win the UEFA Cup during his tenure with Inter. After a couple of seasons in search of regular first team football with Venezia and Cesena, he got his big break with Piacenza, for whom he made 57 appearances, scoring 6 goals. It was his for here that alerted Christian Gross and Spurs.

His career at Tottenham got of to a reasonably good start, he scored on his debut in a friendly against Peterborough. He was a gangly runner and it seen the urgency of the English game did sit comfortably. His first competitive game came against Wimbledon and was duly lost, then a 3-0 defeat to Sheffield Wednesday in the following match coupled with a number of injury problems signalled the beginning of the end for the Italian.

After George Graham took over from Christian Gross, it was apparent Tramezzani wasn’t in Graham’s plans, the pair also had a falling out over where Tramezzani should receive treatment for his injury problems. Tramezzani wanted to be treated in Italy so he could be closer to his children, who lived with his estranged wife. Graham insisted he be treated in London. All in all he managed seven games for Spurs in two years, and was released to Pistoiese.

He then returned to Piacenza in 2000 where he helped them back into Serie A. After three years he was transferred to Atalanta and after one season with the Nerazzurri he moved to lower league side Pro Patria for the sole reason of being closer to his children. He even spurned a move to Empoli and could have moved to Benfica but declined for the same reason. Five years of loyal service to Pro Patria ended on 9th June 2008 when he announced his retirement from football, aged 38. He's currently assistant coach for the Albanian national team.

He has also made forays into the media world, working as a columnist for Rai Sport Più and Telelombardia covering the Italian lower leagues. He is also a co-presenter of GNOK Calcio Show on Sky Sports Italy.

Here's a segment where he drives around the countryside and tries to lure people into his camper 8-[: http://video.sky.it/sport/calcio-italiano/lo_stranamore_di_paolo_tramezzani/v46139.vid

I happened to be in Rotterdam and I was able to catch Paolo Tramezzani's debut for Spurs in a pre-season friendly against Feyenoord.

He was absolutely terrible that day but little did I know at the time that it would prove to be his most outstanding performance in a Spurs shirt.

 

[Jordinho]

Jamie O'Hara

As a schoolboy, Jamie Darryl O'Hara trained with the Arsenal Academy before moving to Tottenham Hotspur's academy in 2003. In 2004–05 he featured in every game in the FA Youth Cup, scoring once against Everton from a free kick in addition to playing in fourteen Under-18 matches and eighteen reserve matches. In January 2006 it was announced he had joined Chesterfield on a three-month loan agreement. His Football League debut came on 14 January 2006 at Doncaster Rovers in a 1–1 draw. He scored five goals during his loan spell during 19 appearances. He went out on loan for a second time in August 2007 when he joined League One club Millwall on a month-long loan deal which was subsequently extended to December. He made 15 appearances in total for the Lions.

After his successful loan spell at Millwall, which attracted the attention of new manager Juande Ramos, O'Hara made his debut as a substitute against Portsmouth on 15 December 2007, assisting in the game's winning goal. He made his full début a week later in the North London derby against former club Arsenal. He became a regular player for the remainder of the season, scoring his first Tottenham goal on 21 February 2008 in a UEFA Cup tie against Slavia Prague at White Hart Lane, and his first Premier League goal on 22 March 2008, against future club Portsmouth. At the end of the season he was named the One Hotspur Junior Young Player of the Year and was presented with the Tottenham Hotspur Supporters Trust Breakthrough Award for his performances. He was further rewarded by a new three-year deal.

The arrival of Harry Redknapp as manager during the next season saw O'Hara gradually lose his regular starting place in the league. He did however make a vital contribution in the club's League Cup semi-final tie against Burnley, as he scored one goal and helped create two more in a 4–1 first leg victory that helped see them through to the final. Unlike the previous year, O'Hara was included in their squad for the final. Coming on as a substitute, he also stepped up to take the first penalty kick in the shootout against Manchester United, after the match finished goalless; his effort was saved by Ben Foster as Spurs lost 1–4 on penalties. O'Hara signed a new contract in August 2009, keeping him at White Hart Lane until 2013.

After penning a new deal with Tottenham, O'Hara joined Portsmouth on loan until January 2010, with an option to remain at Fratton Park until the end of the season. He was a regular starter for Pompey during this time, but returned to Tottenham in January 2010 despite Portsmouth wanting to extend his loan and Tottenham agreeing to this, as Portsmouth were subject to a transfer embargo. Following the lifting of Portsmouth's transfer embargo weeks later, he returned to Portsmouth on loan for the remainder of the season.

His loan spell created a conflict of interests when Portsmouth were drawn to play the winners of the Tottenham/Fulham tie in the FA Cup semi-finals. Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp gave a stern reminder to O'Hara that his ultimate loyalties lie with Tottenham after the midfielder admitted he hoped Spurs lost to Fulham as he would not be eligible to play against Tottenham. Tottenham did indeed progress to the semi-final, meaning O'Hara was denied a chance to play in the Wembley match. However, Portsmouth won the game 2–0 giving him a chance to play in the FA Cup Final where they were beaten 1–0 by Chelsea. At end of the season O'Hara was voted Portsmouth's Player of the Season for 2009–10.

Having sustained a stress fracture during the 2009–10 season, it was announced in August 2010 that O'Hara was to undergo back surgery. This kept him out contention for any first team football until the New Year. On 30 January 2011, O'Hara joined Premier League side Wolverhampton Wanderers on loan for the rest of the 2010–11 season, with view to a permanent deal. He scored on the final day of the season, in a 2–3 defeat against Blackburn Rovers, which helped Wolves narrowly avoid relegation. The season concluded with him picking up the Goal of the Season Award, for his strike against local rivals West Bromwich Albion.

On 21 June 2011, it was announced that O'Hara had signed a five-year contract with Wolves for an undisclosed fee, initially reported to be around £5million. It was later reported that the actual fee Wolves paid for O'Hara was £3.5m, not the £5m quoted. He decided to move to Wolves permanently after missing out on first team football for Tottenham. O'Hara's first full season with the club saw him miss several months of the campaign after twice undergoing surgery, firstly on a double hernia, then to correct a persistent groin problem. He did not return to first team action until January 2013, by which time the club were back in the Championship and had undergone a series of manager changes.

The midfielder made 21 appearances during the second half of the 2012–13 season but was unable to halt a second successive relegation. In April 2013, he was sent off for violent conduct in a defeat to Huddersfield Town, which ruled him out for three games. Upon his return at the final game of the season that confirmed relegation, O'Hara responded to jeers from the Wolves fans by sarcastically clapping them. He had previously clashed with fans in March 2012 after being confronted by a group outside Molineux.

Following the arrival of Kenny Jackett as manager, it was announced in June 2013 that O'Hara had been made available for transfer. At the beginning of the upcoming season, O'Hara was not allocated a squad number and Jackett reiterated that he remained outside his plans. However, by late October, with no interest from other clubs. He made his playing return in a 2–2 draw at Carlisle and also featured in the following game.

The last four months has definitely humbled me and made me appreciate how much I love playing football.

I want to be at this club and I'm grateful Kenny has given me a second chance.

This has definitely been a low point in my career but hopefully I can have a fresh start.

O'Hara fell out of first team contention after these appearances with manager Kenny Jackett citing his lack of fitness. He spent a short trial period at Blackpool in late November 2013 but they did not pursue their interest in taking him on loan.

He’s probably not fit enough yet. We might go back in for him in January.

He needs another couple of weeks’ fitness (work) and that’s the problem we had.

He’s still a good player. Technically, he’s absolutely fantastic but he’s still short on fitness and that’s understandable.

I didn’t think I’d be able to throw him straight in, and, with the loan only being for four weeks, we had to decide to leave it.

If the window closed next week, we’d probably have done a deal but I’m not rushing into anything.

He’s been great. He seems a fantastic lad with the desire to do well and prove people wrong.

Jamie played in the Premier League four years ago for Tottenham, so he’s a fantastic talent.

For some reason or other he’s not been involved at Wolves.

The problem we had is the loan window gave us no time.

To make a decision based on three days’ training was always going to be hard.

Blackpool has always been built on players coming here to prove people wrong. He’s one of those.

Without any involvement in Wolves' first team for several months, O'Hara requested that Wolves permit him to undertake an intense three-week training programme (at his own expense) at a training facility in Los Angeles, which he did in February 2014. After returning, he featured as an over-age player for Wolves' under-21 games, with Kenny Jackett saying that he was "surprised nobody has taken him" and that hoped that "somebody wants to take a chance (on O'Hara)" before the close of the loan window, but nothing materialised.

I have had so many text messages and phone calls about it. The rumour that I was there on trial was not true – I was out with my kids at the time.

Nothing has happened – I’m just training hard and keeping my head down.

There are a few clubs interested but nothing has materialised, then this rumour about me playing for QPR came out of the blue.

It’s heartbreaking training all week and not being able to play on a Saturday.

A lot of things I’ve said have been misconstrued, such as people reading into it that I said I’m a Premier League player.

I never said I wanted to leave Wolves, what I said was I would love to play in the Premier League again one day if I got the chance.

It’s sad really but now, it seems, whatever I say is turned into a negative. The Wolves fans are frustrated by the performances on the pitch and what’s happened over the last two years.

My performances weren’t good enough and I can understand the fans’ frustrations but to blame one player is probably a bit harsh.

But these things happen in football. The club paid good money for me and they expected big things of me.

In some games I didn’t play to the best of my ability and things didn’t go my way, but I always gave 100 per cent.

O'Hara has admitted that he would seriously consider playing international football for the Republic of Ireland if he got the call. He has played at the England Under-21 level but has never been selected for the senior squad and with Irish grandparents, he could now make the switch. Former Wolves manager Mick McCarthy also expressed that he too wished O'Hara to make the switch to Ireland.

 

[Jordinho]

Gilberto

Gilberto da Silva Melo started his career in his native Brazil, playing for América-RJ, Flamengo and Cruzeiro, before he moved for one season to Italy club Internazionale. However, the next season he left for Vasco da Gama. He also played one season with Grêmio and one with São Caetano before giving Europe another try and moving to Hertha Berlin.

He played four years in this club and was for several years one of the best left defenders of the Bundesliga. Gilberto combined a successful defense with permanent participation in the attacks from the left winger position. He had fast speed and good shot, and often threatened the goal, scoring six goals at the first season as a left back. In the first two seasons of his Berlin career Hertha finished fourth in 2004–05 and the following season finished sixth. In the 2004–05 season, Gilberto was named the best left back of the Bundesliga.

Spurs signed Gilberto in the January transfer window of 2008, on the back of four relatively successful years at Hertha Berlin. They paid over £2 million for his services, which is not a lot of money in modern football, but a truly incredible amount considering what followed.

When he made his debut against PSV, he became the first Brazilian to play for Tottenham at a senior level, and what a debut it was. It is still not clear exactly what Gilberto was planning as he pootled around on the ball until Jefferson Farfan stole possession and scored, but it is fair to say the moment cast a shadow over his whole time in England.

Having allowed PSV to score the only goal of the game, Gilberto was taken off at half time, a humiliating switch that was replicated in three of his seven starts for Tottenham Hotspur.

But enough of this negativity, Gilberto’s finest hour in England came against West Ham, when he came off the bench to score the third goal in a 4-0 win. As everyone knows, the third goal in any 4-0 thumping is often the key one, so Gilberto can at least be said to have won Tottenham three points more or less singlehandedly.

Gilberto’s contract at Spurs was eventually terminated by mutual consent, and the left back returned to Brazil. All in all Gilberto played ten times for Spurs, scored one goal, and generally disgraced himself. However he was not always only known as a figure of fun, and it is worth remembering he played 35 times for Brazil, including twice at the World Cup in 2010.

http://www.thefalsenine.co.uk/2013/11/01/gilberto-tottenhams-calamitous-first-brazilian/

On 17 July 2009, Brazilian club Cruzeiro announced Gilberto will sign a two-year contract after a medical. Tottenham Hotspur announced his contract was mutually terminated on 24 July. He was unveiled to press on 29 July after the medical on the same day.

In 2011 he confirmed that he had quit the team during the season after ongoing discord among fans and the other squad members, and the club terminated his contract on 20 September . On 26 September, Gilberto signed for the Campeonato Brasileiro Série B side Esporte Clube Vitória until the end of the season. In 2012 he played for another Brazilian Série B team, America (MG).

 

[Jordinho]

Stuart Nethercott

Stuart David Nethercott came through the ranks at Tottenham Hotspur and made his debut on 20 March 1993 in a 1-1 draw at Chelsea. He was sent on loan to Maidstone and Barnet for experience during the early 1990s and ultimately played 54 games for Spurs, playing in the side which reached the FA Cup semi-finals in 1995. Unfortunately, he was targeted by Everton as a weak link and was given a hiding as Everton romped to a 4-1 victory. He scored once for Tottenham, in a 3-0 FA Cup win over Altrincham in January 1995.

For a while it looked as though Nethercott would be the long-term successor to the ageing Gary Mabbutt, but by 1998 he had fallen out of favour in the first team and was transferred to Millwall. He helped them win the Division Two title in 2001 and reach their first-ever FA Cup final in 2004, but he was loaned out to Wycombe Wanderers for the latter part of the cup final season meaning he missed out on the final itself.

After the FA Cup final defeat, he signed for Wycombe Wanderers (where he scored once against Chesterfield), and later dropped into non-League football with Woking, Heybridge Swifts and Wivenhoe Town. He took a player/assistant manager role at Welling United in 2007, but when his managerial colleague Neil Smith was sacked, returned to Wivenhoe for a second spell.

In September 2008, he was promoted from his position of Assistant Manager at Maldon Town to Caretaker Manager following the sacking of Russell Tanner, and has overseen an upturn in the club's fortunes managing three wins from his first four games in charge. In June 2011, Nethercott was appointed first team manager at Ware and in July 2011 signed for the club as a player. He resigned a year and two days later, on 7 June 2012.

---

Stuart Nethercott's Wikipedia notoriety

Criticisms of Wikipedia now tend to focus as much on the prioritisation within articles – i.e. the number of words detailing trivia related to the subject at the expense of more relevant information – as accuracy.

With that in mind, take a few moments to read the Wikipedia entry on Stuart Nethercott, the former Spurs, Millwall and Wycombe Wanderers full back.

After skipping over his professional career in five tight paragraphs, the article continues:

"Stuart Nethercott is perhaps best remembered for the disproportionate amount of times he featured in the Merlin F.A. Premier League Sticker Book collection for the 1994-95 season. Much to the chagrin of collectors, it was not unknown for a six sticker packet to contain six copies of Nethercott, then in the Tottenham ranks."

And then:

"Nethercott's sticker became ubiquitous to the point that, in an attempt to rid themselves of a rapidly thickening deck of Nethercotts, school children of the period were known to cover their friends' lockers as well as their school corridor walls with numerous copies of the Nethercott sticker, earning Stuart Nethercott a degree of fame and notoriety he was unable to attain in his footballing career."

Wikipedia remembers Stuart Nethercott as we remember him. It might not be as reliable as the Encyclopedia Britannica, but as a written record of what's going on in our heads, its invaluable.

I predict future historians will treat Wikipedia articles as the folk songs of the 21st Century – windows, albeit cloudy ones, into our culture and mindsets.

On that note, anyone else found interesting tangents in Wikipedia articles they've stumbled across?

Or, alternatively, does anyone have any genuine Stuart Nethercott facts we could use to bulk up his article?

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/matthewmoore/3926741/Stuart_Nethercotts_Wikipedia_notoriety/

 

[Jordinho]

Roger Nilsen

Roger Nilsen was born in Tromsø, Norway and started his professional career there. He is the brother of current Tromsø head coach Steinar Nilsen. After just one season he moved to Viking, where he spent 4 years and won both the Norwegian league and cup. In 1993 he went on a short loan to FC Köln, playing 10 games, before making a permanent move to Sheffield United.

After six years in Sheffield he was suddenly sent to Spurs for the last month and a half of the 1998-99 season. His contract was due to expire at the end of that season and Tottenham would simply pay his wages for the remainder. Justing Edinburgh had been sent off in the League Cup final and manager George Graham needed some defensive cover for the remaining games, with Nilsen being able to play as a central defender and a left back. He made three league appearances before moving to Austrian side Grazer in the summer.

After one season in Austria he moved back home to Norway and Molde. He only stayed there for one season before moving to another Norwegian team, Bryne, and after one season there he dropped down to the fourth tier and Stavanger IF. In 2006, he retired and took over as head coach, guiding the club to promotion to the second division. At the end of the season, Nilsen left the club to take up the assistant coach position at the Norwegian Premier League side Viking.

Nilsen was capped 32 times by Norway and was part of the Norwegian squad for the 1994 World Cup, though he did not feature at the finals.

More recently he has been a branch manager at Carglass in Stavanger, before moving back to Tromsø to live with his girlfriend, where he works for a recruitment agency.

Some quotes from Nilsen on his career:

"I broke a lot of barriers. I was the first Tromsø lad to be capped 25 times and the first one to move abroad to such a big club as Sheffield United."

"We didn't train enough, so me and two others hired our own fitness coach for extra sessions."

"I'm tired of Sheffield United and couldn't wait to get away from there".

He did not get along with Steve Bruce.

"I had the opportunity to leave Sheffield United for bigger clubs on several occasions. Arsenal and Everton were in the picture. When I left for Austria in 1999 I had a choice between Grazer og Emirates Marketing Project. I chose the former. In retrospect it was a horrendously wrong choice, but it felt right at the time."

While he would like to work in football again, he does not want to jeopardize his relationship with his brother by joining becoming his assistant at Tromsø.

 

[thfcsteff]

What a brilliant thread Jordy!

 

[Jordinho]

Rohan Ricketts

Rohan Anthony Ricketts was born in Clapham and started out with Arsenal, with whom he won the FA Youth Cup in 2000 and 2001.[3] He made one appearance for them, in the League Cup, against Manchester United. In 2002 he made the unusual step of joining Arsenal's rivals Tottenham Hotspur, and became just the fourth player to make the switch from Arsenal to Tottenham Hotspur and only the twelfth to appear for both sides since their formation.

Ricketts did not play a single game in his first season, but was a first-team regular in 2003–04 and his form saw him agree a one-year contract extension with the club in December 2003. Tord Grip was impressed with his ability and there was talk of him being called up to the senior England squad, but following on from Glenn Hoddle's sacking as Tottenham manager, Ricketts found his first team opportunities limited, despite being named Player of the Month in August and September for Tottenham. He scored one league goal during his time at Spurs, in a 2–1 win over Aston Villa in November 2003. He also scored once in the League Cup for Spurs, in a game against Coventry City.

The following season, under Jacques Santini and then Martin Jol, he found appearances harder to come by and had two loan spells, first at Coventry City, and then Wolverhampton Wanderers, linking up with his former manager, Glenn Hoddle. He scored once for Wolves, in a 2–1 win over Reading on 30 April 2005. In the summer of 2005 he moved to Molineux on a permanent basis. He had a loan spell at Queens Park Rangers in 2007 and was released by Wolves in May of the same year.

Ricketts signed a two-year deal with Championship side Barnsley in July 2007 but was released on 11 April 2008. That same day he was signed by Toronto FC of Major League Soccer. In 2008 Ricketts made 26 starts (27 total appearances) and scored four goals in the regular season; he added two more goals in the Canadian Championship. In 2009, Ricketts was pushed down Toronto FC's depth chart due to the arrivals of Canadian international Dwayne DeRosario and young American Sam Cronin; in June, Toronto released Ricketts, clearing the salary cap space necessary for the club to sign Canadian international Ali Gerba.

Following his release from Toronto, Ricketts reportedly spurned interest from several English clubs to go on trial with Aberdeen in August 2009. Ricketts reportedly impressed during his trial—in particular in Aberdeen's 1–0 win over Hull City in a preseason friendly match—but budgetary constraints reportedly complicated the potential signing, and Ricketts ultimately did not remain with the club.

In early 2010 during the winter transfer market in Europe, Ricketts signed for Hungarian club Diósgyőri VTK. For DVTK first team Rohan Ricketts made one appearance in the League but with no goal. For DVTK's "B team" Rohan played in four matches with one goal. After his first season with DVTK, they were relegated from Hungary's top professional league to the NB2.

In August 2010 Ricketts signed for FC Dacia Chişinău of the Moldovan National Division. He made his debut the same month in a 0–0 draw against FC Academia UTM Chişinău. On 10 November 2010 Rohan Ricketts announced on talksport radio that he had parted ways with Dacia and still hadn't been paid by the club at the time and that he was going to Germany to take part in trials. On the last day of the Winter transfer window on 31 January 2011, Ricketts signed for German club SV Wilhelmshaven. He stated on 3 May 2011 that he would like to return to England, to play in either the Premier League, or the Championship. He left the club at the end of the 2010–11 season.

Ricketts went on trial at Southend United ahead of the 2011–12 season, scoring a hat-trick in a 5–0 pre-season friendly victory over Great Wakering Rovers on 12 July 2011. Ricketts stated that he would permanently join Southend if he was offered a "fair deal". However, after continual negotiations between both Ricketts and Southend, Ricketts stated that a "deal had not been struck" between the pair, and that he now wanted to "entertain other opportunities" — going on trial at League One club Stevenage after a number of conversations with manager Graham Westley. Ricketts played 45 minutes in Stevenage's 1–0 friendly defeat to an Arsenal XI side on 23 July 2011. He stated that his time at Stevenage was a "shock to his body" due to Stevenage's training regime.

On 31 August 2011, Ricketts signed for League of Ireland champions Shamrock Rovers. He made his first team debut away to Dundalk on 3 September and was involved in both goals, providing the cross for the first goal and the pass to win a penalty for the second goal in a 2–1 win. Ricketts played in the UEFA Europa League in a 3–1 defeat against former club Tottenham Hotspur. He was released from Shamrock Rovers in December 2011, as he was not offered a new contract. On 22 March 2012, Ricketts signed for League One side Exeter City on a contract until the end of the 2011–2012 season. However, after just one substitute appearance for the Grecians, Ricketts left the club on 16 April.

Rohan signed for defending I-League champions Dempo on 20 August 2012. He announced on Twitter in January 2013 that he had resigned from Dempo, after he was suspended by the club for an outburst on Twitter. On 7 January 2013, it was announced that Ricketts had signed for Club Deportivo Quevedo. Ricketts made his debut for Deportivo Quevedo in a 1 – 1 draw against the reigning champions Barcelona. Ricketts had his contract with Depotivo Quevedo terminated at the end of July 2013 after making 9 appearances for the club. On 25 February 2014 it was confirmed that Ricketts had signed for PTT Rayong of the Thai Premier League.

During the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Ricketts co-hosted 'The Hardcore Footy Show: South Africa 2010' with Brendan Dunlop, on Hardcore Sports Radio, Sirius 98 and was a regular on TSN for football. On 24 August 2010, Rohan joined the team of Canada's largest sportsradio network, CJCL, (Fan 590). He is currently a sports columnist with them. He also signed to write for online magazine, the Sabotage Times.

In May 2011, Ricketts launched his own online-only magazine, Column 10. The magazine, which includes a host of features on sport, music, film, fashion and more, has included exclusive interviews with football journalist Henry Winter, official FIFA Agent Charles Collymore and DJ Spoony. Ricketts had been a regular guest on World Football Daily offering insights and entertaining football talk to fans in America.

https://twitter.com/RohanRicketts

---

The adventure started for you when you were 25 and moved to FC Toronto in MLS. How was that experience?

It was a great experience. A lot of people said that I was too young to be going abroad but it's just in my nature to explore new opportunities. I fell in love with life in Toronto. I just loved the city from the first day there. It was cold but I loved it as it was something different. There were 20,000 at every game and it felt like the place to be. It really was a joy to be there. John Carver, who is now the assistant manager at Saudi Sportswashing Machine, was a good coach too - I loved him and he loved me.

I'm not one of those people who never wants to experience new things. So much has happened to me because I allowed myself to go there to Toronto. I met my other half while I was out there; I've been involved in charities and done plenty of media work for ESPN. I'm certain none of that would have happened if I'd stayed in England.

Were you planning to come back to England when you left Toronto?

That was the plan. I left Toronto six to eight months before my contract ran out with a view to getting a good club in England. I was in great shape so was quite optimistic but the system has its own rules. Agents play their part and going to MLS had actually had a negative effect on my CV. They hadn't even been watching me.

You have to remember that MLS was pretty new then. It was not as respected as it is now. There's an island mentality in England and with the time-zone difference maybe I'd be the same. David Beckham has been there for years now so it's a bit different.

Was it a case of out of sight, out of mind?

I was affected by that. I came back expecting to get a Championship club or even a Premier League opportunity. But they were not sure about me. They'd rather take someone from League One or League Two than take me from Toronto.

I didn't want to go to League One or League Two either. It didn't suit me. If you put the likes of Cesc Fabregas or Jack Wheelchair at a club like Tranmere then even they wouldn't be the same players. That's the reality. I'm not saying I'm in that bracket but it's a style thing.

It's tough for touch players. The only reason I existed as a footballer was because I had come through the system at Arsenal. It was a gift but also a curse. Young players are built for the Premier League but what happens when you leave? If you're not either massive or rapid then it's difficult.

Even so, going to play in Hungary and then Moldova seems a bit out of the blue. How did that come about?

I'd played with a Hungarian goalkeeper called Martin Fulop at Tottenham and his father remembered me. He made me an offer to go out there but they messed me around really. The experience was disastrous. In fact, both Hungary and Moldova were catastrophic.

The organisation was basic. In Moldova I played for three months with no salary. I turned up on time, I trained on my days off and I helped the young players. But still I wasn't paid. The case is still with FIFA but I'm hoping it'll be resolved soon.

In Hungary I had three different coaches in three months. And they never even started me. I was supposed to be the big signing from abroad and they still didn't give me a go even though we'd lost something like nine games in a row. It was a nightmare.

It didn't put you off though because you went to play for German side SV Wilhelmshaven after that?

It didn't put me off. The German thing came about because some agents would ask me what the hell I was doing in Moldova. Eh? It wasn't that I'd wanted to go! But I'd had problems...

I'd been at Aberdeen for seven days, played against a Premier League team in a friendly and ripped them apart. The lads thought it was a done deal and the fans were chanting for the club to sign me up. All of a sudden, the manager Mark McGhee said they needed to get rid of three or four players first.

He had no defenders and no money. So he needed to get people off the wage bill before we could do anything. I understood that but why have me on trial if there was nothing I could do? It wasted my time.

I was training at Spurs for two months to help me get a club. Guys like Clive Allen, Tim Sherwood, Kevin Bond and Harry Redknapp - they were saying, 'Wow, you can still play at a good level'. They could see I could still play. But the perception had been that I was not as valuable as I once was.

It's sad that it's an issue nobody wants to talk about. The media can be quick to brand certain players as a flop but they don't realise the circumstances. Players can get treated differently. If I was a South American guy coming to England then I'd be given time and I'd get through the door at clubs. But instead it's Rohan Ricketts, that guy who went to Hungary...

So the whole experience of going back to England was a strange one?

It was strange going back. Stevenage was berserk! I had two days of training there and it was the hardest I've known. But I knew what was expected. That's life down the leagues in England. In Germany, even in the lower leagues there is more emphasis on wanting to play.

In England no [lower league] clubs want to play football. They always say they want to play but then in training you spend more time without the ball. By the time we got round to playing a game, they'd knackered me!

Then I went to Exeter under Paul Teasdale. They signed me but never used me. We were in the bottom three so nobody understood it. I was on an appearance-based contract though...

You then gave it a go in India. What are your memories of your time out there?

Mixed emotions, really. I met some great people and the players were genuine. But the coaching was a problem and the football was disheartening. It was very poor. The club was a good one - the champions - and had they had a great chairman. But the general level wasn't good and while some could have just gone there and taken the money it wasn't for me.

Is there potential for the game to grow there?

India is a sleeping giant. At the moment they are ignorant as to how things should be done. Money is not prioritised correctly. The standard needs addressing. They should invest in sending young players to Europe or South America so that the future is bright. They need to be educated. And I can always go back there when I'm older.

So after everything you've been through you'd still recommend playing overseas?

Definitely. It brings its own challenges. You get guaranteed money every month in England. In Europe it's a bit different. Sometimes you get paid twice a month, sometimes not at all. Not everybody can deal with that.

There is more pressure and more involvement from the directors. You don't see Daniel Levy coming into the Spurs dressing room or into training to tell you that you must win today and offering extra money if you do so.

Are British players missing out on good opportunities by not going abroad?

When I first moved I had the fact that I had big clubs on my CV. In England they waste this by going to the Conference. If you go down the leagues just to stay in England, then from there you can't get the moves to Thailand or wherever.

But some players have an island mentality. I'd played with a guy called Alton Thelwell at Tottenham who has gone down through the leagues in England because he doesn't want to leave home. But he could earn a lot more money abroad.

You're in Ecuador at the moment. How long do you think this latest adventure will last?

Two weeks! No, I'm joking. I've signed for the year and I want to play the whole season because it's been too long since I did that. The standard is decent. At the top level it's really good, below that it's average. All the players are very physical but the technical and intellectual level drops off below that level.

I'd love to keep playing in South America. But as long as I'm at a respectable level in South America, Europe or Asia then I'll be happy. There will be a lot of good players coming out of contract in the summer so I'm just glad to be in work and enjoying it!

http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11096/8505010/brits-abroad-rohan-ricketts

 

[Jordinho]

Paul Konchesky

Born in Barking, London, Paul Martyn Konchesky studied at Eastbrook Comprehensive School in Dagenham, London, and played for Great Danes YFC amateur club, as well as being a product of the Senrab F.C. academy. He signed for West Ham as a boy at the Academy. He is a lifelong supporter of West Ham United and once held a season-ticket for the Bobby Moore Stand, his idol being Julian dingdongs.

Konchesky signed for Charlton as a trainee in August 1997. He became the youngest player to appear in the first team for Charlton (a record later broken by Jonjo Shelvey) when he played against Oxford United in August 1997 at the age of 16 years and 93 days, but it was not until the 2000–01 season when he made 27 appearances, that he became a regular in the first team.

In June 2003, frustrated by a lack of first-team opportunities at his preferred position of left back, Konchesky made a written request for a transfer, which was accepted by Charlton. However, firm offers were not forthcoming. Instead Konchesky joined Tottenham on a one-month loan in September. The loan was extended for a further month and then until January 2004. Although Konchesky was keen on a permanent move to Tottenham, no move materialised. He made 12 appearances in the league and 3 in the league cup before a spate of injuries at Charlton led to Konchesky being recalled in December 2003, when he also came off the transfer list.

Konchesky joined West Ham United in July 2005 for a fee of £1.5 million, having made a total of 169 appearances for Charlton in all competitions, scoring six goals, and 15 appearances for Tottenham. He made 45 league and cup appearances in the 2005–06 season, helping West Ham to ninth place in the Premier League and to the 2006 FA Cup Final, where he scored when his cross went straight into the net but later had a spot kick saved as West Ham went down to Liverpool on penalties after drawing 3–3 after extra time. He lost his place in the first team during the 2006–07 season, making only 25 appearances, as West Ham slipped into the relegation places and only secured their place in the Premier League on the final day of the season. He left the club in July 2007 having made a total of 70 league and cup appearances for West Ham, scoring two goals. After leaving West Ham, Konchesky criticised manager Alan Curbishley, claiming that he made the players unhappy.

Konchesky signed a four-year contract with Fulham in July 2007 for a fee of up to £3.25m. He played for Fulham in the 2009–10 Europa League final against Atlético Madrid, in which Fulham were defeated after losing 2–1 from two Diego Forlán strikes.

On 31 August 2010 Konchesky signed a four-year contract with Liverpool.His time at Liverpool was a disappointment with the defender struggling at the club. An error against Spurs allowing Aaron Lennon to score the winner was heavily criticised and Konchesky was ironically cheered by Liverpool fans when substituted in the home defeat to Wolves. In January 2011 Konchesky fell out of favour after the arrival of new manager Kenny Dalglish, in his second stint as Liverpool boss, and on 31 January he joined Nottingham Forest on a 93-day emergency loan deal.

Konchesky joined Leicester City for an undisclosed fee on 13 July 2011, signing a three-year contract. In August 2013, Konchesky was omitted from the squad and was on the verge of leaving the club, but returned to the first-team after a transfer deal fell through. He signed a new 18-month deal in January 2014, having agreed to a substantial wage cut. In the 2013-14 season Leicester won promotion back to the Premier League.

Konchesky made 15 appearances for the England national under-21 football team, and has two caps for the senior England team. He made his England first team debut in a half-time substitution in the friendly against Australia in February 2003 and made a second appearance for England again in a half-time substitution in the friendly against Argentina in November 2005.

 

[Jordinho]

David Kerslake

David Kerslake, pictured above on a US tour with QPR, was born in Stepney, London. He joined Queens Park Rangers as a youth player and made his debut for them against Saudi Sportswashing Machine in April 1985. He went on to play 58 league games for Rangers, scoring 6 goals. He was transferred to Swindon Town in November 1989. In 1993, after making 135 league appearances for Swindon, he moved to Leeds United.

However, he was only there for 3 months before moving to Tottenham for £450,000. In 4 years he made 37 appearances for Spurs. He was sent on loan to Swindon and Charlton Athletic, before being released whereupon he joined Ipswich Town in 1997. Again he only made a handful of appearances for Ipswich, moving on to Wycombe Wanderers and then finishing his career back at Swindon.

He later moved into coaching, becoming a coach under former Swindon teammate Colin Calderwood at Nottingham Forest before leaving the club when Calderwood was sacked in December 2008. Six months later he joined Watford as a first team coach, working under Malky Mackay. On 30 June 2011 he moved to Cardiff City to work under Malky Mackay, this time as assistant manager. Following the sacking of Mackay in December 2013, Kerslake with Joe McBride, were placed in charge of the first-team. They were in charge until 2 January 2014, when Ole Gunnar Solskjær was appointed as the new Cardiff City manager, with Kerslake remaining as assistant manager.

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Kerslake only discovered his appetite for coaching after a spell with Spurs' Academy but once he started became hooked on the role.

He said: "I've got to say I love the coaching side of it. When I finished playing I got a call from Tottenham and they said they would like me to take a group.

"I didn't think I was going to be that fussed but I went in and had a group of Under-14s and I was hooked on it. You just can't stop bettering yourself in the way you do it. You look at other coaches and put your own twist on it. I absolutely love coaching and being out on the grass.

"Obviously there is pressure on a Saturday but looking at the boys here they've come back in good condition and I can't wait to get the balls out and get going really."

http://www.watfordobserver.co.uk/sport/4472641.Former_Tottenham_Hotspur_coach_David_Kerslake__thrilled__to_take_Watford_role/

 

[Jordinho]

Darren Caskey

Every season at Spurs, there is talk of a young player being touted as “the new Glenn Hoddle”. The names may change but the hopeful expectation remains the same – that there is a hidden talent in the White Hart Lane nursery who will burst into the first team and provide Tottenham with the ready-made superstar they sorely need.

It was Darren Caskey’s misfortune to be one of those great hopes, saddled with expectations he couldn’t possibly live up to. He did better than most, in that he actually made the first team and captained the England youth squad, scoring the winning penalty in the final of the European Under-18 Championship in 1993. But his career since then has been one of frustration, punctuated by indifferent form, questionable career moves and plain bad luck.

Basildon-born and a Tottenham fan, Caskey joined the club in 1990 as a trainee, in a youth side that also included fellow FA School of Excellence old boys Nick Barmby and Sol Campbell. Caskey was reckoned to be among the best of the lot and bore all the hallmarks of a home-grown Tottenham player: balance, a sureness of touch and an ability to use the ball intelligently rather than aimlessly lump it, as was the wont of many of his contemporaries.

Unfortunately, Caskey also possessed the same negative traits that seem to mark players that come through the White Hart Lane nursery, chiefly a tendency to go missing when the going gets rough. It was to become a familiar failing.

Caskey started well enough at Spurs, making his debut against Arsenal in 1993 and two months later scoring the winner in a thrilling 3-2 comeback win against Everton that he largely inspired.

Broadcast live on Sky, the Everton game appeared to announce Caskey as one of Tottenham’s brightest prospects, but it proved to be the zenith of his career in north London. Caskey soon discovered that opponents would not obligingly allow young players time and space to do the fancy stuff, and his form suffered.

Neither did the turmoil at Spurs help. In just six years at the club, Caskey saw four managers arrive and had to convince each that he was worth a place. Given the pressure on each managerial incumbent and their tendency to bring in players of their own choosing rather than rely on existing juniors, first-team opportunities were limited. After a short loan spell at Watford, Caskey rejected the offer of a new contract and moved down a division to Reading for £700,000 in 1996. Once again, however, managerial instability cost Caskey dear. Reading went through four management teams in as many years and Caskey struggled to make a mark in an inconsistent side. The 1999-2000 season did at least show what he was capable of, as he drove his side’s push for a promotion place, finishing as top scorer with a remarkable 23 goals from central midfield. Such success proved to be transitory, however, and with the Royals losing out in the Second Division play-off final, Caskey’s stay at the Madejski Stadium lasted just one more season.

It’s still not clear as to the exact circumstances surrounding his departure from Reading after 200-odd games. The club suggested high wage demands as a decisive factor, but given that Caskey dropped further down the league for a place at Notts County, it’s difficult to imagine he left for a better contract. Now ploughing an unremarkable furrow in the Second Division, Caskey is living proof that early promise means little. Nearing 30, he has expressed an interest in going into management and perhaps his thoughtful approach will be suited to a coaching role.

But in terms of Caskey the player, the assessment of the Watford fanzine Blind, Desperate and Stupid might provide a harsh but revealing appraisal: “Caskey was (and is) a class player, capable of providing quality passes from the midfield to the strikers. He’s also a lazy poser, who couldn’t be arsed most of the time he was playing for us.”

http://www.wsc.co.uk/the-archive/31-Players/2495-fall-from-grace

Gateshead boss Gary Mills has brought in Darren Caskey as his new No 2 at the International Stadium.

The former Tottenham, Reading and Notts County midfielder, 39, had been assistant-manager at the reformed Ilkeston and replaces David Rush at Gateshead.

Rush had taken over as the Heed’s caretaker-manager after the shock resignation of Anth Smith just one week into the season and has assisted Mills during his first few weeks at the club.

Mills said: “Rushy is a genuine and honest man, which made it harder to break the news to him, but he understands these things happen in football and took it well.

“It is important I have the right backroom staff. I am here to make tough decisions and I believe this one is right for me and for Gateshead.

“I had the same number two, Darren Gee, for 17 years and now I am looking forward to a good partnership with Darren Caskey, who I had as a player when I was manager at Notts County.

“He is someone I have known for a long time. He prepares his teams like I do and we are on the same wavelength.

“He has a strong background in both Football League and non-league circles, has a wealth of experience and is a bubbly character.

“I am looking forward to working with him.”

After four years at Tottenham, Caskey moved to Reading for £700,000 and made 225 appearances before moving on to Notts County, where he played a century of games.

Basildon-born Caskey had broken into the Tottenham team while still a teenager and captained England to victory in the Under-18 European Championships in 1993.

http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/gateshead-fc-appoint-darren-caskey-6097149

Caskey went on to play for about a dozen different non-league clubs after his time at Notts County.

He also has a son, Jake Forster-Caskey, who's just broken into the Brighton first team this season.

 

[Stufat]

I don't know how true it is but at the time I heard when caskey left notts county for canvey island, he was the highest paid player outside the top 2 divs.
We also had a cracking school team until he left to go to lilleshall.

 

[Jordinho]

Richardo Rocha

Ricardo Sérgio Rocha Azevedo was born in Santo Tirso, Porto District. His career started with one season at Famalicio, before spending one season at Braga B and subsequently Braga. In December 2001 he joined Benfica. He spent five years there, winning the league in 2004.

On 17 January 2007, stories hit the Portuguese and English media confirming that a move to Tottenham Hotspur was a possibility. The following day, Portuguese newspapers reported that the move was imminent following a meeting in Lisbon between Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy, former Tottenham player turned agent Ronny Rosenthal and the Benfica president, with a price of €5 million (£3.2m) plus two friendlies between the clubs, with Benfica receiving all profits from the gate receipts and television money, being arranged.

He played his first game on 27 January in the 3–1 win over Southend United in the FA Cup fourth round, in place of captain Ledley King who was injured at the time; on 10 February he made his first Premier League appearance for the Spurs, against Sheffield United. Rocha played just five games for Tottenham in 2007–08, and none whatsoever in all competitions in the following season. He was eventually released on 14 June 2009, after his contract expired.

On 31 August 2009 Rocha moved to Belgium with Standard Liège, on a one-year deal. However, his contract was terminated on 30 January 2010. On 1 February he returned to England, signing a two-year deal with Portsmouth and making his debut in a 0–5 defeat at Manchester United five days later. Rocha was sent off in his next two Portsmouth games, against Sunderland on 9 February and late-on in his return game against Burnley, on the 27th. Things improved for the defender when he put in a Man of the match performance in Portsmouth's FA Cup semi-final victory over former club Spurs.

In the 2010 summer Portsmouth offered Rocha a new contract, and, on 4 September, he re-signed with the club, with the two-year deal being officially confirmed by the team six days later. He was sent off in two consecutive games, against Reading (0–2 loss) and Cardiff City (0–3 defeat), finishing the season with 29 league appearances as his team ranked in 16th position.

In his second season at Portsmouth Rocha, along with Dave Kitson, fell out of favor with Steve Cotterill, but the manager left for Nottingham Forest in mid-October 2011. He was awarded the team's Player of the Season award, but the side was relegated to Football League One.

On 6 October 2012, Leeds United announced that 34-year-old Rocha had been trialling with the club for a period of ten days. On 19 November, however, he re-signed for Portsmouth on an initial one-month contract. He left Portsmouth at the end of last season and has not signed for anyone else since.

Rocha was capped six times by Portugal.

https://twitter.com/R3Rocha