General Football Thread

[TCO]

Gamble and O'Donovan used to play for Hartlepool! So did Dennis Behan.

He was so shit

Behan was pretty decent for Cork City back in the day. Was never going to get too many goals but was strong as an ox and had a belter of a free kick on him. Nice guy too. He was in the same Cork City Youth team and U21 team as my brother years ago so I always wanted him to do well!

City have a pretty rich record of selling strikers to the UK actually. Long, Doyle, O'Flynn, Behan and Mooney all went over. Unfortunately for Hartlepool they snagged the worst!

He did have a good free kick and I seem to remember him always being a happy bloke in the videos on our website but he was never going to make it over here. Just not good enough.

We almost signed another guy from Cork who ended up going to to Ipswich instead. Healy I think it was.

Yeah that was Colin Healy. He spent a fair bit of time in England, playing for Celtic and then Sunderland in the Premier League under Keane before coming back here. He would've been a fantastic signing at level, it's a shame he Ipswich came in and he didn't move to Hartlepool with the others.

He's back here now playing for Cork City, Behan was too last season but he's back playing amateur now. We actually have a good team here again and have a realistic chance of winning the league and getting back into Europe. That is until the team is gutted of all its talent again.

[EddieG]

Former Chelsea youth player Jordan Tabor has passed away.

[Lineker]

Freddie Ljungberg has announced he is coming out of retirement to play in the new Indian Super League. He joins former Liverpool duo David James and Luis Garcia, who have also agreed to play in the league.

[Gazz]

It's the cash-in league you go to after your cash-in years in MLS or the Middle East.

That being said, Atletico de Kolkata is a fantastic team name.

[TCO]

That Indian League sounds shit, it's not exactly like moving to LA or New York either. Only has 8 teams and is only going to run for 3 months.

[brenchill]

A masters league would be pretty great.

[Berober]

David James

[King Ellis]

Who'll analyse for BT now?!

[Hobo]

That Indian League sounds shit, it's not exactly like moving to LA or New York either. Only has 8 teams and is only going to run for 3 months.

It's the Ring Ka King of football.

[Gazz]

I'm supporting the Pune Poppa Pumps.

[Colly]

I'm going for North East United, simply because they sound like a Newcastle Pro Evo team. Also Joan Capdevila!

[Berober]

Typical Gareth Bale.

[Lineker]

Ooh thanks for reminding me to watch!

[Benji]

Freddie Ljungberg has announced he is coming out of retirement to play in the new Indian Super League. He joins former Liverpool duo David James and Luis Garcia, who have also agreed to play in the league.

Christ, isn't David James about 50 at this point?

[stokeriño]

Freddie Ljungberg has announced he is coming out of retirement to play in the new Indian Super League. He joins former Liverpool duo David James and Luis Garcia, who have also agreed to play in the league.

Christ, isn't David James about 50 at this point?

Eh, he's only 2 years older than noted "still probably rather good" Chelsea 3rd keeper Mark Schwarzer...

[Benji]

I know age isn't a major factor for keepers, but he's got to be nearing Neville Southall age at this point.

[Lineker]

He's under a year older than Friedel.

[Lineker]

Sign him up!

[Lineker]

The stepfather of Argentine football star Carlos Tevez has been freed after being kidnapped on the outskirts of Buenos Aires and held for eight hours.

Juan Alberto Cabral was taken by a group of men while driving his car in Moron, some 30km (19 miles) west of Argentina's capital.

Police said Tevez's family had received several calls from the men demanding a ransom to free Mr Cabral.

Local media say a ransom of 40,000 pesos (£3,000; $5,000) was paid.

Neither the family nor the authorities have confirmed whether a payment was made.

"He is OK", a spokesman for the family said.

Tevez's biological father was killed when he was young, and the player was raised by Mr Cabral.

The former Manchester United and Manchester City striker is reported to have left Italy, where he now plays for Juventus, to travel to Argentina.

The BBC's Ignacio de los Reyes in Buenos Aires says it is unclear whether the kidnapping was pre-meditated or if the group just targeted an expensive-looking car.

It is not the first time relatives of football stars have been the targets of kidnappings in Argentina.

In 2002, the brother of former Argentina and Barcelona player Juan Roman Riquelme was kidnapped and the footballer allegedly paid $160,000 (£95,000) to free him.

[DFF]

Off to see Sheff Utd play host to Fenerbahçe tonight!