Where Are They Now is designed for you if you are a football fan who is as curious as us to find out what happened to your favourite footballers after they retired from playing.
Have you ever wondered what happened to all of those players that you have seen come and go over the years? The heroes and the villains? The saints and the sinners? The stars that you talked about for years after they had retired and those you instantly forgot?
If so, Where Are They Now? is definitely for you!
Not all players end up running pubs or become TV pundits! It's no secret what Gary Lineker is up to these days but what about the many thousands of players who have slipped from public view? The first edition of "Where Are They Now?" uncovered some fascinating post football stories including the former Arsenal striker who became Iceland's Finance Minister; Millionaires; Bankrupts; Vicars; Comedians; Singers; a Phil Collins lookalike... and one or two publicans!
Select Club
Updated: 18-10-19
Born Taunton, Somerset. Made over 420 league apps and scored 160 goals. Moved back to Plymouth from Southend then played non league and coached in the Western League at Liskeard.
Updated: 18-10-19 Scotty
I remember Robert at St Mary's and St Pats Dumbarton. Always a really nice guy and a class player. I followed his career, he did go to Barnsley but I particularly remember him setting up a goal for Alan Bailey - Pompey I think against Fulham which was shown on telly a lot during a promotion season. RIP Rab
Updated: 18-10-19 wal
Alun Evans, lives in Melbourne Australia, when retired from football he became a painter and decorator, working around Melbourne, I have talked to him many times in the pub and is a very nice person
Updated: 18-10-19 James (Jim) crawford
We used to race each other at swimming at Kent st baths. Both in St Thomas School swimming team
Updated: 16-10-19 Neil Fissler
A prolific goalscorer and local lad who was 6ft 2in tall but only weighed 11 stone. Having signed terms in his lunch hour while working at the dockyard, he went on to become one of the club's most consistent performers through the late 60's and early 70's. His gangly frame and long legs caused problems for opposing defenders and earned him over 100 league goals including four in one game against Norwich City in 1968/9. When John Deacon brought in a flurry of new faces, it was time for the old guard to be released. Fittingly, Ray scored both the goals that defeated south coast rivals Southampton in his testimonial match at the end of the 1974/5 season. Played the last three years of his career at Reading and later spent 25 years working as a manager at the Mountbatten Sports Centre.
Updated: 16-10-19
Born in Malta, John was an apprentice at Tottenham before playing over 250 games for his next two clubs. He has since worked in the insurance industry and the car trade. (Played for Fulham in the 1975 FA Cup final)
Updated: 16-10-19 Brian Corbett
Jack was my form teacher and PE teacher at Warwick Bolam. When I joined the school as a new first year Jack was my first teacher, he was a gentleman and made me feel less daunted at joining the “big school”. He and his assistant Peter Dee when the PE teachers, I only once had Peter take a lesson and he gave me the “Red Hand” for grubby white pumps (trainers in today’s speak). Dee was a little guy and he came across as a bully, but Jack was a gentleman. When I was in the 5th year I took extra tuition at night school were I me two of his sons who where in the same class. Great guys but we did get up to some mischief together.
Updated: 16-10-19 Geoff Dean
He served his time at Churchill Gear Machines Ltd at Blaydon on Tyne.
Updated: 16-10-19 One of his students
He works at St. Andrews high school in Worthing
Updated: 16-10-19 Pete Willias
Graham lives Miami, having coached and working in soccer USA for many years. The move to the USA happen because he was sacked in the loo, at Dagenham FC.
When we researched the first printed edition of 'Where Are They Now?' in the 1990's, footballers were already incredibly well paid by conventional employment standards but prior to that, players had to find a new career once they had hung up their boots.
This meant that we unearthed plenty of interesting and un-expected stories, many of which are found on the site. Sadly, there were some we could not re-produce for legal reasons - sorry!
Playing professional football, particularly at the highest level should ensure that modern players should not have to worry about money for the rest of their lives. Thankfully, this has not limited the number of fascinating tales for us to tell. For example, were you aware that former Sheffield United midfielder Curtis Woodhouse became British light welterweight champion when he took up professional boxing, having apparently 'fallen out of love' with football? If the rumours are true, he was not just a winner in the ring! At one point, he was considered to be 50 to 1 outsider to win the title and a successful £5,000 scooped him a cool £250,000 when he defeated defending champion Darren Hamilton.
As well as our regular club based pages, we also occasionally add more detailed player pages and would welcome your feedback. See: Roy Bentley, Trevor Francis, Gavin Peacock, Carlos Valderrama, Graham Potter and a look back at some of the best strikers to grace English football.
If you know of any other stories that may interest fellow fans, please do let us know.