Following in their father's footsteps.....

It's a well known fact that most young boys idolise their fathers and have a burning desire to please and make them proud. 

This desire is no different for the offspring of some of the biggest names to star in the English Premier League who long to follow in their footballer father's footsteps and make a name for themselves at one of England's top Premier League clubs.

Some are led to believe that a boy whose father was a former professional footballer would benefit from certain doors opening for them over the course of their burgeoning career. 

This is certainly not the case because every professional player within the modern game at some point would have been subjected to numerous tests and trials as a youth in order to prove their worth. If a club feels that the player won't go on to make it they are released, it's as simple as that. 

Just because you have a famous father and surname it doesn't give you a right to expect to be signed up by a professional club. Brooklyn Beckham for example has just been released by Arsenal's academy which shows that this practice clearly doesn't happen in the game.

Here we have a list of fifteen current professional players who have followed their father's career path into the game:

Kasper Schmeichel - son of the "Great Dane" Peter Schmeichel currently plays as goalkeeper for Leicester City and the Danish national side. Growing up in Manchester, Kasper often played football in the streets with Alex Bruce, son of Steve Bruce. They ended up playing in the same side at Leeds United in 2010.

Alex Bruce - son of former Manchester United defender Steve Bruce is a defender with a playing style much like his father who currently plays for Hull City under his father's management. He has also previously played under his father at Birmingham City.

Niall Keown - son of former Arsenal defender Martin Keown is also a defender and has just made his first team debut for Championship side Reading. He has also recently been called up to the Republic of Ireland under 21 squad.

Dan Potts - son of former West Ham United defender Steve Potts also plays as a defender at West Ham United. He has represented England at under 18's, under 19's and under 20's.

Jack Barmby - son of former Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool, Everton, Middlesbrough and Hull City player Nick Barmby currently plays as a midfielder for Leicester City after spending much of his youth career at Manchester United. He has represented England at under 16's, under 18's and under 19's.

Devante Cole - son of former Manchester United striker Andy Cole currently plays as a striker and is part of the Manchester City academy but is currently out on loan at League One side Milton Keynes Dons. Devante Cole has represented England at every level since under 16's.

Elliot Lee - youngest son of former Newcastle United midfielder Rob Lee, is currently on loan at League Two side Luton Town from West Ham United.

Oliver Lee - Rob Lee's eldest son currently plays as a midfielder for Plymouth Argyle on loan from Birmingham City.

Darnell Furlong - son of former Queens Park Rangers and Chelsea striker Paul Furlong plays as a defender and has recently made his debut for QPR in the Premier League.

Thomas Ince - son of former Manchester United and Liverpool midfielder Paul Ince plays as a winger under his father's former team mate Steve Bruce at Hull City although he is currently on loan at Derby County. Still only 23 years old, Ince has made 157 professional club appearances and scoring 43 goals.

Tyler Walker - son of former Nottingham Forest defender Des Walker currently plays as a striker for Nottingham Forest. Although yet to make it to the first team he has caught the eye of a host of Premier League sides after some eye-catching displays for the Forest youth side.

Angus Gunn - son of former Norwich City keeper Bryan Gunn is goalkeeper for the Manchester City Elite Development Squad and is widely tipped to become Joe Hart's successor. He has also represented England at under 20's level.

Diego Poyet - son of former Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Gus Poyet currently plays as a midfielder for West Ham United. He has represented England at under 16 and under 17 level but is also eligible to play for Uruguay through his father.

Ellis Bellamy - son of former striker Craig Bellamy currently plays as a winger / striker for Cardiff City under 18's and the Welsh under 17's. 

Josh Windass - son of former Hull City and Middlesbrough striker Dean Windass is currently playing for League Two side Accrington Stanley as a midfielder.

Visit our site Premier League Heroes for information and statistics on all of your favourite ex Premier League players.

Forthcoming Charity Games featuring Ex Premier League Footballers

As we fast approach the end of what has been an extremely entertaining Premier League season a number of charity games and testimonials have been scheduled which will be featuring ex Premier League footballers.

One of the biggest charity games of the season has already taken place in aid of the Hillsborough 96 and featured a Liverpool team made up of former British players and a Liverpool team made up of former foreign players who represented the club.

A sellout crowd was treated to a great exhibition match which featured players who have recently retired such as Robbie Fowler and Michael Owen along with legends who retired many years ago such as Jan Molby and Ian Rush.

The majority of the players looked like they had kept themselves in pretty good shape. Fowler had put on a bit of timber and Molby was always big as a player anyway but players like Redknapp, David James and Luis Garcia all looked pretty trim.

The final score was 2-2 and was a superb day out for all involved.

Other games which are coming up in the next couple of months include former Wolverhampton Wanderers legend Jody Craddock's testimonial which will include former Wolves and Sunderland team mates such as Niall Quinn, Gavin McCann, Kevin Kilbane, Kevin Phillips, Gary Breen, Alex Rae and Michael Gray.

Tottenham Hotspur legend Ledley King has also been granted a testimonial match by the club and he will have a Spurs XI made up of players who he played with against the current first team. King's team will include former Premier League stars such as David Ginola, Darren Anderton and Teddy Sheringham.

John Beresford and Rob Lee are a number of ex Premier League footballers who will be playing in a Help for Heroes charity match in May. They are included in a team of recently retired Premier League players who will be playing against a team from the British Defence Medical Services. Other former players signed up to play are Ugo Ehiogu, Lee Carsley, Alan Stubbs, Dion Dublin and Darren Huckerby.

For information and statistics on Ex Premier League Footballers visit our website www.premierleagueheroes.co.uk

April 7th - 12 New additions to the Premier League Heroes website

This week on the Premier League Heroes website we have added three ex Premier League players who are regarded by their fans as legends of their clubs.

First up is former Stoke City, Derby County and Southampton midfielder Rory Delap who although only retiring in 2013 makes the website as he has gone onto other interests after his playing career ended.

Regular readers of the site will know that we only focus on facts and in the course of our research we encounter a lot of supposed facts that may or may not true but cannot be verified either way. One such piece of information about Delap was that Ireland were trying to recruit him as a javelin thrower for their team in the 2012 Olympics. Although Delap did throw javelin for the county in his youth he stopped in his mid teens to concentrate on football therefore highly unlikely to be of Olympic standard. Check out Rory Delap's profile page at www.premierleagueheroes.co.uk/rory-delap

We have also added ex Southampton FC defender Francis Benali to the site who has been very busy in retirement. We know that he is currently coaching at Matthew Le Tissier's football academy but apparently he used to be part owner of a Bangledeshi restaurant in Southampton called Kuti's which won a National Curry Award for their cuisine. Take a look at his profile page www.premierleagueheroes.co.uk/francis-benali

Former Fulham FC legend Louis Saha is the third ex Premier League footballer we have added to the website this week. Saha retired from the game on his 34th birthday which is quite early in the modern game. The reason cited for this was mainly down to the fact that he spent six months at three clubs in the space of a year and a half and he didn't feel as though he was involved as he wanted to be. Saha has also been busy since retiring from playing with fingers in a lot pies including co-ownership in a company called Slk Sport Ltd (which we can't find any information about), and also one called Starplay Limited. To find out more information about ex footballer Louis Saha and his Premier League statistics go to www.premierleagueheroes.co.uk/louis-saha

For information and statistics on Ex Premier League Footballers visit www.premierleagueheroes.co.uk

What kind of playing career did our current English Premier League managers have?

In today's post we take a look at the current managers of the 20 Premier League teams and their playing careers:

Arsenal - Arsene Wenger - Mostly played for French amateur teams apart from 11 appearances for RC Strasboug who were then playing in Ligue 1.

Aston Villa - Paul Lambert - Made over 500 appearances in top flight football winning numerous trophies including the Champions League whilst playing for Borussia Dortmund in 1997.

Cardiff City - Ole Gunnar Solksjaer - Manchester United legend with 6 Premier League winners medals and also a Champions League winner. Scored 237 in 382 appearances during his career.

Chelsea - Jose Mourinho - Made 94 appearances as a youngster for various Portuguese clubs before retiring at the age of 24 to concentrate on a coaching career.

Crystal Palace - Tony Pulis - Made over 300 appearances as a player mostly in the old English second and third division with Bristol Rovers and Bournemouth.

Everton - Roberto Martinez - Most of his playing career was spent in the lower leagues with Wigan and Swansea where he was an integral part of turning around the fortunes of both clubs. Martinez made 363 appearances in total.

Fulham - Rene Meulensteen - No playing career.

Hull City - Steve Bruce - Former Manchester United captain who played a pivotal role in their resurgence as one of the best teams in the country in the 90's. Bruce won the Premier League on three occasions and played in 929 first class games.

Liverpool - Brendan Rodgers - A knee condition forced Rodgers to retire at the age of 20 without playing in any first class games.

Manchester City - Manuel Pellegrini - Spent his entire playing career in Chile playing for Club Universidad de Chile making 451 appearances for them before retiring.

Manchester United - David Moyes - Made over 550 appearances in his career at a number of Scottish and English lower league clubs including Preston North End.

Newcastle United - Alan Pardew - Played over 500 games for both non league and league teams during his career most famously for Charlton Athletic and Crystal Palace.

Norwich City - Chris Hughton - Considered as one of the best full backs Tottenham Hotspur have ever produced, Hughton made 398 appearances for the club. Later on in his career he turned out for West Ham and Brentford.

Southampton - Mauricio Pochettino - Made over 500 career appearances mostly in Argentina and in Spain with Espanyol. Also represented Argentina in the 2002 World Cup where he brought down Michael Owen which resulted in a penalty which David Beckham scored.

Stoke City - Mark Hughes - Made nearly 800 career appearances and played for some of the biggest teams in the world including Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Manchester United.

Sunderland - Gus Poyet - The Uruguayan spent a large portion of his career in Spain with Real Zaragoza before moving to England and playing for Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur. Made well over 400 appearances in total.

Swansea City - Michael Laudrup - Danish footballing legend had a magnificent playing career playing for the likes of Juventus, Barcelona and Real Madrid. Often remarked that he was the best player in the world during the 90s.

Tottenham Hotspur - Tim Sherwood - Premier League winning captain for Blackburn Rovers made nearly 500 first team appearances which included spells at Norwich, Portsmouth and Spurs.

West Bromwich Albion - Pepe Mel - Spent most of his playing career in the Spanish second tier with Real Betis and Granada where he was a prolific goalscorer scoring 73 goals in 195 second division games.

West Ham United - Sam Allardyce - "Big Sam" never played in the top tier but he made over 400 appearances for many clubs in the lower leagues including Bolton Wanderers and Preston North End.

For information and statistics on Ex Premier League Footballers visit www.premierleagueheroes.co.uk

New Look for Premier League Heroes Website

After an absolute manic Christmas with our online football gifts shop we decided to take a couple of weeks out to “revisit” the design and look of our Premier League Heroes site which is an information site on former Premier League footballers and what they are up to now.

The process started back in the summer when we surveyed a number of our followers to find out what they would like to see on our website and what ex footballers they would like to see added. Taking on board these customer’s comments we have redesigned the website to give it a fresher, cleaner feel with a more contemporary look.

Each and every team that has ever graced the English Premier League now has a dedicated page on which there are Premier League players statistics, team statistics and more importantly lists their "Premier League Heroes" with links to their respective player's pages.

Every player that has a listing within the site now has his Premier League career statistics on the page along with a short biography of what he is up to nowadays. You can also click through from the player page to the Premier League team pages that he played for during his time in the Premier League.

With the influx of players retiring in the last 12 months (Beckham, Scholes, Carragher etc) we have a big job on our hands getting them all added onto the site but rest assured the big names are there along with some of the more obscure ones that you had forgotten about.

www.premierleagueheroes.co.uk

New Look for The Premier League Gift Shop in 2014

After the madness of Christmas, with an unprecedented rise in sales of our football gifts we took a couple of weeks out to “revisit” the design and look of our Premier League Gift Shop website.

The process started back in the summer when we asked customers old and new what they would like to see on our website. Taking onboard these customer’s comments we have redesigned the website to give it a fresher, cleaner feel with a more contemporary look.

We also now sell gifts from nine of the top Premier League teams: Arsenal FC, Aston Villa, Chelsea FC, Everton FC, Liverpool FC, Manchester United, Manchester City, Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur with each Premier League team category clearly defined so you can easily navigate between Manchester United Novelty Gifts to Tottenham Hotspur Gifts for Men for example.

We have also introduced some new categories within the site. There are now sections for football gifts for babies, ceramic football gifts and unusual football gifts too where we have various novelty items such as football team gnomes, football team phone cases and football team flags.

Although we have completely redesigned the site we have not changed our business motives and ethos which we have employed from the very start. Our prices are still as competitive as ever and we still offer FREE DELIVERY on each and everyone of our gifts. Quality is also very important to us and all of our gifts have been officially licensed by their Premier League club ensuring that our products are of an extremely high standard.

Overall we have over 2,000 football gifts within the Premier League Football Gift Shop and we are constantly adding new products on a weekly basis. Please take a minute and have a browse in the our new look football gifts shop for inspiration and gift ideas for the football fan in your life. There really is something for everyone!

Famous Football Street Sign Wall Clocks

Due to the unprecedented demand of our metal street signs depicting famous football streets and stadiums we are pleased to announce that we are now stocking wall clocks in the same style of these signs.

Made of canvas and measuring approximately 37cm x 18.5cm, these street sign clocks look fantastic in any room whether it be a child's bedroom, office or even kitchen. These clocks require 1 x AA battery which is not included.

We currently have these street sign canvas wall clocks in three designs, Chelsea FC, Liverpool FC and Manchester United and they are priced at £14.99 each which includes delivery too. 

Man United Street Sign Clock 

Liverpool FC Street Sign Clock

For more fantastic gift ideas visit our online football shop www.premierleaguegiftshop.co.uk

Premier League Team Rubber Ducks in a Dinghy

Make bath times more fun with these new Rubber Ducks in your favourite Premier League Team colours.

Currently available in Chelsea FC, Liverpool FC, Newcastle United, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur these novelty football gifts are all in their respective team colours and all of them have the team's latest club crests on the front. The Liverpool FC Rubber Duck for example features the new Liverpool "Liver Bird" club crest which was introduced in the 2012-13 season.

Not your traditional rubber duck, THESE Premier League football rubber ducks show them relaxing in a rubber dinghy with a smile on its face - well we think its a smile anyway.......has anyone ever seen a duck smile?

Anyway......these football team rubber ducks are ONLY £6.49 including delivery from The Premier League Gift Shop and make a fantastic novelty gift for any football fan.

These ducks will also enhance any rubber duck collection too so get yours now before they all get snapped up!

New Style Official Premier League Team Backpacks

Yes, we know the school holidays haven't even started yet but within the next week or so the big stores will be launching their "Back to School" range of clothing and accessories.

In addition to our existing range of official football team backpacks which we stock within The Premier League Gift Shop we have added some more contemporary backpacks which will make your child the envy of their class.

The new backpacks which we are stocking are priced at £13.29 and this includes FREE DELIVERY.

Each of the new range of football team backpacks / bags are made of nylon and are approximately 28cm x 38cm x 18cm in size. All of these bags have fully adjustable straps too. They are all in their respective team colours and each bag features the team's club crest.

These bags are not only ideal for school children or college students, they are also perfect to hold all of your gym wear or all of your bits for the beach. The uses are endless!

If you would like to shop for more official licensed Premier League football team gifts visit our website www.premierleaguegiftshop.co.uk

New Arrivals This Week - Metal Bar Scarf Signs in 5 different teams

June and July are notoriously slow months in the retail industry and with this current wave of hot weather which we are experiencing in the UK you can understand why people aren't reaching for their wallets.

Here at The Premier League Gift Shop we regard this time as a perfect opportunity to introduce a load of exciting football team gifts to our website. We have been hard at work behind the scenes obtaining "Premier" quality football gifts for our Premier League Gift Shop.

Here is one of the new items which we have added to the football gift shop this week - all in stock and ready to ship. Remember - ALL OF OUR ITEMS ARE SHIPPED OUT FREE OF CHARGE.

Football Team Metal Bar Scarf Signs - ONLY £7.29 including delivery

These Metal Signs are currently available in the following teams; Manchester United, Chelsea FC, Arsenal FC, Everton FC and Liverpool FC. Each metal football sign is in the colours of the respective team and has wording associated with that team - for example on the Liverpool FC metal sign it has the famous words "You'll Never Walk Alone", whilst on the Arsenal FC sign it simply says "The Gunners" which is the Arsenal FC nickname and the term which the fans call them.

These signs are 52cm x 11cm and would look great in a home office, bar or children's bedroom and at ONLY £7.29 offers fantastic value for money.

As with every item that we stock in The Premier League Gift Shop these signs are officially licensed by their respective clubs. So, for cheap football gifts without compromising on quality please visit our football gift shop www.premierleaguegiftshop.co.uk

British Footballers Playing Abroad

The January transfer window has now shut for another year with £128 million spent on players by Premier League clubs - more than twice what was laid out last year.

With the influx of foreign players coming into the Premier League, (Newcastle bought in 5 French players!) more and more British players are looking abroad to find regular football. Whether its a last "hurrah" or a genuine desire to get first team football, British players are now dotted across the globe in their quest to get a game. We have a look at some of the higher profile players that are currently turning out for a foreign side

* Emile Heskey - Newcastle Jets (Australia) - The former Liverpool player joined the Austrailian A-League Team in 2012 after his contact expired at his last club Aston Villa. At the age of 35 this looks likely to be the last professional team he will play for

* Michael Bridges  - Newcastle Jets (Australia) - An injury ravaged career meant that after dropping into the domestic English league after playing with teams such as Leeds United and Sunderland, Bridges found a new challenge in Australia in 2009 with the Newcastle Jets

* Julian Gray - Nea Salamis Famagusta (Cyprus) - After his release from Walsall FC, Gray decided to try his luck at Cypriot side Nea Salamis Famagusta where he has played since 2011

* David Beckham - Paris St Germain (France) - Arguably the most famous footballer of recent times, Beckham signed for PGG in the January 2013 transfer window on a 5 month contract. There was much talk about him joining a Premier League club however he has said that he would never join an English side again due to his loyalties to former club Manchester United.

* Joey Barton - Marseille (France) - After a turbulent time at QPR, Barton joined Marseille at the start of the 2012-13 season on a years loan.

* Ryan Mason - Lorient (France) - After struggling to make the Tottenham Hotspur first team, Mason took the opportunity of first team football with a loan move to French side Lorient in January 2013

* Michael Mancienne - Hamburg (Germany). A £1.75 million buy from Chelsea, Mancienne joined Hamburg in 2011 after long loan spells in England with QPR and Wolves from parent club Chelsea.

* Scott Carson - Bursaspor (Turkey). Many were suprised when Carson made the move from West Brom to Bursaspor in 2011 but he had a good first season in 2011-12 winning a Turkish Cup runners up medal and only conceding 35 goals in 34 games

* Anton Ferdinand - Bursaspor (Turkey) - In the January 2013 transfer window, Ferdinand opted to move to Turkey in a loan move from QPR after struggling to get a first team place when Harry Redknapp took over as manager.

* Kenny Miller - Vancouver Whitecaps (Canada). The much travelled Scottish striker moved to the Whitecaps in 2012 after a disappointing season with Cardiff City.

* Robbie Keane - LA Galaxy (USA) - Former Tottenham Hotspur captain Keane moved to the USA in 2011 and has won the MLS Cup in both 2011 and 2012

Visit my Premier League Shop for all your Official Premier League Team Merchandise and Gifts.

For information and statistics on legends of the Premier League take a look at Premier League Heroes

Neil "Razor" Ruddock - Celebrity Big Brother Legend

Celebrity Big Brother is BACK and this year it looks as though it is going to be one of the best ones...WHY?.......because this year one of the housemates is none other than larger than life, former Premier League footballer Neil "Razor" Ruddock.

Reality TV is nothing new to Ruddock having already appeared in I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here in 2004 and also an appearance on Come Dine with Me. He ALWAYS makes good television with his outlandish behaviour, wicked sense of humour and a penchant to get down to his pants whenever possible. Ironically Ruddock only got asked to take part in the show 24 hours before the launch night after original housemate Jim Davidson was assisting police with their enquiries and therefore was unable to participate.

So, a week into the show and Ruddock is proving to be a hit with all of the housemates and he didn't receive  any nominations in the first week. The main reason for this is largely down to the fact that he is clearly being himself and not acting up for the cameras. What you see is what you get with Ruddock and he is clearly enjoying himself, parading around in his dressing gown, smoking fags and burping and farting.

Ruddock has bonded with all of the housemates with the exception of the 2 Americans who seem completely bemused by anything he does and says. I don't think they can grasp the fact that he was once a professional sportsman who was one of the hardest players of his generation.

It wouldn't surprise me one bit if Ruddock gets into the final. I don't think he will win it as Rylan is a dead cert but a top 3 finish is a realistic target for Ruddock and if he does get that far then I think he should regard that as a massive achievement considering he has been out of the public eye for a while and against other housemates who have huge fanbases.

Good luck to you  and good to see you back on the telly Razor.

Visit my Premier League Shop for all your Official Premier League Team Merchandise and Gifts.

For information and statistics on legends of the Premier League take a look at Premier League Heroes

World Player of the Year....Where are they now??

The modern day legend that is Lionel Messi this week scooped his FOURTH consecutive World Footballer of the Year award making him the most successful recipient of the award of all time. An amazing year for the Argentinian superstar included a record 91 goals in the calendar year for his club side, Barcelona.

In our continuing series of "Where are they now?" we look at previous winners over the last 30 years to see what they are up to (list only includes players who have retired)

1983 / 1984 / 1985: Michel Platini - Retired from playing in 1987 and is now the outspoken President of UEFA mainly due to his fierce opposition to goal-line technology and capping salaries

1986: Igor Belanov - Retired at the age of 37 in 1997. Unfortunately not known what he is currently up to.

1987: Ruud Gullit - Full biography can be viewed at www.premierleagueheroes.co.uk/ruudgullit

1988 / 1989 / 1992: Marco Van Basten - Regarded as one of the greatest forwards of all time, Van Basten's career was cruelly cut short by injury in his late twenties. After stating that he would never go into management Van Basten has managed the Dutch National Team as well as Ajax. He is currently manager of Heerenveen.

1990: Lothar Matthaus - The Bayern Munich legend finished his playing career in 2000 and started his managerial career in 2001 with Austrian team SK Rapid Wien. Unfortunately his managerial career hasn't reflected his playing success as he is currently without a club after getting the sack from the Bulgarian National Team - his 7th team in 11 years.

1991: Jean-Pierre Papin - Another player who went into management upon retirement, Papin left his last club Chateauroux in 2010

1993: Roberto Baggio - The "Divine Ponytail", called time on his career in 2004 whilst at Brescia. Although he has never gone into management he has attained the Category 1 UEFA Pro Coaching License. At the time of writing he is the President of the Technical Sector of the Italian Football Federation

1994: Hristo Stoichkov - After finishing his career in the USA in 2004, Stoichkov went onto manage the Bulgarian National Team for 3 years. After managerial spells in Spain and South Africa he went back to Bulgaria where he currently manages Litex Lovech

1995: George Weah - The only African to have won the award, Weah retired from football in 2003 whilst playing in Qatar. Upon retirement he entered the world of politics in Liberia and ran unsuccessfully for President in 2005 and Vice President in 2011.

1996: Matthias Sammer - After being forced to retire in 1999 at the age of 32, Sammer went into management with Borussia Dortmund whom he managed for 4 years winning the Bundesliga in 2002. He went onto manage VFB Stuttgart for one season and joined the German Football Association as Technical Director in 2006. He is now Sporting Director at Bayern Munich

1997 / 2002: Ronaldo - After retiring in 2011 whilst playing in Brazil for Corinthians due to a succession of injuries, Ronaldo has kept a relatively low profile and is not currently involved in any aspect of the game.

1998: Zinedine Zidane - One of the greatest players of the 1990's and 2000's, Zidane retired from playing in 2006 after a 5 year spell at Real Madrid. He is still at Madrid in the capacity of Sporting Director

2000: Luis Figo - After playing for 3 of the best clubs in the world (Inter Milan, Real Madrid and Barcelona), Figo retired from playing in 2009. He still has an affiliation with Inter Milan and currently acts as and ambassador for the club

2003: Pavel Nedved - After spending 13 years in Italy with Lazio and Juventus, Nedved retired from playing in 2009. Upon retirement he was invited onto the Juventus Board of Directors - a seat he still holds today.

2004: Andrei Shevchenko - Shevchenko retired in 2012 to pursue a career in Ukrainian Politics - unfortunately his party was unsuccessful in gaining parlimentary representation in the 2012 election

2006: Fabio Cannavaro - One of the greatest defenders of his generation, Cannavaro retired from playing in 2011 whilst playing for Dubai club Al-Ahli. He is now Global Brand Ambassador and Technical Consultant for the same club

For information on past English Premier League Players please visit www.premierleagueheroes.co.uk

For Official Premier League Football Gifts please visit www.premierleaguegiftshop.co.uk

What Happened to the Everton 1995 FA Cup Winning Squad

As part of our continuing series of "Where are they now...", today we are looking at what has become of the Everton FC FA Cup winning team of 1994-95.

Neville Southall - Founder of  www.asknevillesouthall.com. A further biog can be found at the Premier League Heroes website HERE

Matt Jackson - Retired in 2008 after a long career at Wigan and Norwich. Upon retired he joined IMG as a football consultant and in 2011 he was appointed Operations Manager at Wigan Athletic

Dave Watson - Man of the Match in this game, Watson finally retired in 2001 after 15 years at Everton. He is now Under 18 Coach at Newcastle United

David Unsworth - Currently Head of Academy Coaching at Sheffield United. A further biog can be found at the Premier League Heroes website HERE

Gary Ablett - Passed away in 2012 after battling non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. Previously coached the Liverpool Reserves and Stockport County

Anders Limpar - After finishing his playing career in his native Sweden in 2001, Limpar embarked on a coaching career and is currently Assistant Manager of Swedish Second Division Team Sollentuna United

Joe Parkinson - After battling numerous injuries Parkinson retired from the game at the age of 28. He has recently taken on a coaching role at former club Wigan Athletic

Barry Horne - After dropping down the leagues Horne retired in 2002 and took on a job as a teacher at a school in Chester as well as a bit of media work

Andy Hinchcliffe - Retired from playing in 2002 and is now currently working as a co-commentator for SkySports.

Graham Stuart - After leaving Everton Stuart had a long career with Charlton before retiring in 2005. Has done occasional work on SkySports

Paul Rideout - Ended his career in 2002 with Tranmere Rovers, Rideout went into coaching and is currently in the US working as Youth Team Coach at Sporting Kansas City.

Subs
Duncan Ferguson - A cult figure on the terraces, Ferguson retired from playing in 2006 after his second spell with the club. He is currently coaching back at the club

Daniel Amokachi - Currently Assistant Manager of the Nigerian National side.

For fantastic Official Everton Gifts check out The Premier League Gift Shop

For more information and statistics on legends of the Premier League take a look at our site Premier League Heroes

What Happened to the Leeds 1991-92 Championship Winning Team

I sat watching the Leeds United v Chelsea Capital One game last night and the camera panned onto Gary McAllister who was a spectator in the crowd. The commentator went on to say that McAllister was part of the First Division Championship winning team in the 1991-92 season which was the last one before the Premier League was introduced. I had completely forgotten about this fact and it got me thinking about who was in that winning squad and what they have been upto in the years since they won.


In a series of blog articles I am going to compile a "Where are they now...?" post which will give a brief bio of the players from various winning teams over the year.

We will start off with the Leeds First Division Title winning team of 1991-92

Mervyn Day - Retired in 1993 and went onto manage Carlisle United for a couple of years before joining forces with Alan Curbishley as First Team Coach at Charlton and West Ham. He is currently working at Brighton & Hove Albion as Scouting and Talent Identification Manager.

John Lukic  - Lukic left Leeds for the second time in his career in 1996 after Nigel Martyn joined the club and he retired from playing after a spell at Arsenal in 2001. He now works as a part time freelance goalkeeping coach and after dinner speaker

Chris Fairclough - After retiring in 2001whilst playing for York City, Fairclough went to Nottingham Forest and coached their U17 team but left in 2011. He is now Professional Development Phase Coach at Charlton Athletic for their U16-U18 team

Tony Dorigo - Biography can be seen HERE at the Premier League Heroes website

Jon Newsome - Unfortunately had to retire early due to injury, Newsome briefly worked as a scout before opening a prestige used car company in Sheffield/

Mel Sterland - Another player who fell foul of injury, Sterland had to cut his Leeds career short in 1994 but joined Boston United as a Player Manager for a couple of years in the mid 1990's. Has appeared in football film When Saturday Comes and also had his autobiography published.

Rod Wallace - After retiring at the end of the 2003-04 season, Wallace had a few years off before embarking on a coaching career at Kingstonian and then Molesley. He is now Reserve Team Coach at Epsom and Ewell.

David Wetherall - Biography can be seen HERE at the Premier League Heroes website

Chris Whyte - Whyte played up to his late 30's before retiring from the game. He is now a Senior Partner in a Professional Sports Agency called Old Pro Management

David Batty - Biography can be seen HERE at the Premier League Heroes website

Gary Speed - Biography can be seen HERE at the Premier League Heroes website

Gary McAllister - Biography can be seen HERE at the Premier League Heroes website

Gordon Strachan - Biography can be seen HERE at the Premier League Heroes website

Lee Chapman - Biography can be seen HERE at the Premier League Heroes website

Carl Shutt - A fan's favourite for his tireless workrate on the pitch, Shutt called time on his career in 2005 when he was released as Player/Manager by Bradford Park Avenue.

Eric Cantona - Biography can be seen HERE at the Premier League Heroes website

Visit the Premier League Shop for all your Official Premier League Team Merchandise and Gifts.

 For information and statistics on legends of the Premier League take a look at Premier League Heroes

Top 10 Christmas Presents for a Chelsea FC Fan

With over 2000 gift items on our site www.footballgiftsonline.co.uk there really is something for everyone whether they are Manchester United, Arsenal, Spurs or in our blog today - Chelsea fans.

If you haven't got time to browse our entire website and are looking for our best selling Chelsea gifts, we have compiled a list of our 10 best selling Chelsea items.

1/. Chelsea FC Men's Moccasins - in 3 different sizes these slippers are fleece lined ensuring that your feet won't get cold this winter. The classic design also features the Chelsea FC Lion crest on the front.

2/. Chelsea FC Shot Glass Set - with the Christmas party season coming up what better way to toast the occasion than with a cheeky tipple from this fantastic Chelsea FC Glass Shot Set. Bottoms Up!!

3/. Chelsea FC Baby Stretch Slippers - Ultra cute and super comfortable, these Chelsea FC baby slippers range in size from newborn to 12 months. Chelsea blue in colour with the club crest on the front these slippers are perfect for a "Chelsea" baby

4/. Chelsea FC Men's Watch - Stylish and sleek, this square analogue watch will look great on any Chelsea fan of any age. The perfect Christmas present.

5/. Chelsea FC Chrome Hip Flask - One of our best sellers for Father's Day as well as Christmas, this classic hip flask is great if you fancy a little "nip" whilst on the move.

6/. Chelsea FC Drinks Bottle - Available in both plastic and aluminium these bottles are ideal for not only the gym but also perfect for the little ones to take to school or football.

7/. Chelsea FC Golf Balls - Does exactly what it says on the tin....3 golf balls with the Chelsea Club Crest on  in a presentation pack. Good stocking filler!!

8/. Chelsea FC Christmas Tree Star - The perfect finish to the traditional Christmas tree, this plastic star is a nice little alternative to the boring star or fairy at the top of the tree.

9/. Chelsea FC Oven Gloves - Surprisingly very popular these oven gloves not only provide functionality, they also look great in the blue and white colours of Chelsea and the club badge on the glove part

10/. Chelsea FC Number Plate Sign - These look absolutely fantastic in a kids bedroom or a home bar - these number plate signs are made of metal but very lightweight and have the letters CHEL5EA printed on in a car number plate design.


Visit our Premier League Shop for all your Official Premier League Team Merchandise and Gifts.

For information and statistics on legends of the Premier League take a look at Premier League Heroes

The Premer League 100 Club

Jermaine Defoe recently scored his 200th career goal - a fantastic achievement for a player who has only just turned 30 years old. If you break these 200 goals down you will see that 116 of these were scored in the Premier League and his 100th Premier League goal actually came last March (2011).

We take a look at the other players who have hit and surpassed this fantastic milestone


1/. Alan Shearer - 260 Goals
2/. Andy Cole - 187 Goals
3/. Thierry Henry - 175 Goals
4/. Robbie Fowler - 163 Goals
5/. Frank Lampard - 153 Goals
6/. Les Ferdinand & Michael Owen - 149 Goals
7/. Teddy Sheringham 147 Goals
8/. Wayne Rooney 146 Goals
9/. Jimmy Floyd-Hasselbaink - 127 Goals
10/. Robbie Keane - 126 Goals
11/. Nicolas Anelka & Dwight Yorke - 123 Goals
12/. Jermaine Defoe - 116 Goals
13/. Ian Wright - 113 Goals
14/. Dion Dublin & Emile Heskey - 111 Goals
15/. Ryan Giggs & Paul Scholes - 107 Goals
16/. Matt Le Tissier  & Robin Van Persie - 102 Goals
17/. Darren Bent - 100 Goals
18/. Didier Drogba - 100 Goals

Although it seems virtually impossible that someone will beat Alan Shearer's record of 260 Premier League goals there is a certain Wayne Rooney may come close. At just 27, Rooney has amassed 146 goals in the Premier League and his new partnership at Manchester United with fellow centurion Robin Van Persie will surely get him close by the time he calls its a day.

There are a few other players in the list currently playing however we can't expect too much movement from Thierry Henry, Nicolas Anelka, Didier Drogba and Robbie Keane as they are all playing abroad and Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs are within the last years of their careers.

Frank Lampard could potentially move ahead of Henry to third place before he retires as he is still only 34 and therefore could have a couple of decent  years at the top level left in him. So we are left with Jermaine Defoe, Darren Bent and Robin Van Persie who seem to be the only real candidates to make it into the Top 10 before they retire.

Visit our Premier League Shop for all your Official Premier League Team Merchandise and Gifts.

For information and statistics on legends of the Premier League visit our site Premier League Heroes

Top Ten Christmas Gifts for Man United Fans

With over 2000 gift items on our site www.premierleaguegiftshop.co.uk there really is something for everyone whether they are Chelsea, Arsenal, Spurs or in our blog today - Manchester United fans.

If you haven't got time to browse our entire website and are looking for our best selling Manchester United gifts, we have compiled a list of our 10 best selling Man United items.

1/. Manchester United Baby Bodysuits - Ultra cute, this 2 pack of bodysuits are made from 100% cotton and come in red/ black and white/ red colours - each with the current AON logo. These babygros would look fantastic on any Manchester United baby and are available in sizes from newborn to 18 months

2/. Manchester United Mini Bar Set - A great novelty gift to bring out at any party - this set contains 1 x Beer Towel, 4 x Beer Mats and 1 x Beer Glass which all feature the Manchester United logo.

3/. Manchester United Air Freshener - If you're on a budget or just want a Christmas stocking filler this is a cheap and cheerful gift which will bring a smile to any Man United fan's face.

4/. Manchester United Piggy Bank - Lovely fun item which is great for kids and adults alike. This ceramic piggy bank has a hat and scarf in the United colours on and comes in a nice gift box.

5/. Manchester United Peak Beanie Hat - Perfect for those cold winter days this knitted Beanie Hat is of course red in colour and features the club crest on the front. One size fits all so suitable for any age!

6/. Manchester United Wallet - Wallets can be so boring but our Manchester United Wallet is bright in colour and features the iconic Old Trafford stadium as a background image on it. Our most popular item for Father's Day gifts


7/. Manchester United Watch - these stylish watches fly off the shelf as they look so cool. Square faced and water resistant this watch makes a great gift for a special ocassion as it comes in a an elegant presentation box.

8/. Manchester United Mini Alarm Clock - Never be late again with this fantastic mini alarm clock - simple but smart design with the Manchester United badge in the centre

9/. Manchester United Golf Putter Grip - We sell lots of golf equipment but the Putter Grip is easily our best seller. Plain in design with the club crest at the top it does exactly what it says on the tin.

10/. Manchester United Old Trafford Single Duvet Set - A present which would delight any young Manchester United fan this single duvet set features a magnificent picture of the Old Trafford stadium. Extremely comfortable and finishes off a bedroom in style.

Visit our Premier League Shop for all your Official Premier League Team Merchandise and Gifts.

For information and statistics on legends of the Premier League take a look at Premier League Heroes

Party Season is nigh.......

Yes we know its only October but in 5 weeks a time we will be in December and therefore officially into Christmas Party season. With a mixture of work parties, informal get togethers and the main event itself, Christmas is the ultimate time to over indulge and have a good time.

If you are planning to host your own party this year then there are 3 things that are vital to ensure success - Preparation, Preparation and Preparation. As owners of The Premier League Gift Shop we are past masters of hosting Premier League Team parties for family, friends and even children so we feel we are very well placed to give some good advice

Here are our top tips:

* Prepare ALL food in advance. You are the host of the party - you don't want to be stuck in the kitchen for half of the night. Depending on the type of party a cold buffet always goes down well - sandwiches, pork pies, cold pizza slices, rice salad, pasta salad, normal salad - your standard party fayre. If you do have to have hot food ensure you don't burn yourself by using decent oven gloves like the Arsenal FC Oven Gloves we have within our shop.

* Party Games - No-one likes a dull party so if you do find that you are struggling a little bit to get why not get out a board game like Monopoly. We have available within our shop Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United Themed Monopoly games which instantly inject fun into a languishing evening

* Paper Plates, Cutlery and Plastic Glasses - A pretty obvious one but nonetheless often overlooked. You can buy high quality plates, cutlery and glasses from any of the big supermarkets nowadays so no excuse. If you do prefer your own glasses, mugs or plates check out our Premier League Ceramic pages for a wide range of products.

* Toilet Paper - Always make sure that there is plenty of loo roll in your toilets. You don't want to get an embarrassed guest asking you for toilet roll!!

* Clean House - Another obvious one but make sure your house is clear of clutter, put washing up away and make all the beds. Talking of beds we have a great selection of Premier League team duvets including an Arsenal FC Duvet in both double and single.

* Party Bag - Its always nice to give your guests a memento of the evening - however small. We have a number of little miscellaneous items which you can pop into a party bag within our site. Have a look at the Miscellaneous Gift Page on the Tottenham Hotspur Gift page for some ideas.

Visit www.premierleaguegiftshop.co.uk for all your Official Premier League Team Merchandise and Gifts.

For information and statistics on legends of the Premier League take a look at www.premierleagueheroes.co.uk

CHRISTMAS IS COMING.......

With the weather on the turn and getting colder and the nights drawing in it means that we are getting ever closer to the festive period and the countdown to Christmas. For many people this is an extremely stressful period with food to buy and prepare, parties to attend and of course the whole rigmorale of battling the Christmas shoppers trying to find the perfect presents for their loved ones.

At the Premier League Gift Shop we can at least ease the burden on some of these Christmas "issues" with a fantastic range of giftware to suit any football fan. With a vast array of merchandise from 9 of the largest English Premier League teams there really is something for everyone.

For the babies in your life we have Babygrows and Sleepsuits from Arsenal FC, Liverpool FC, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur. All of these are made from 100% cotton and represent the current kit of each team

The youngsters will love the selection of soft toys that we have including Arsenal FC Beanie Bears, Liverpool FC Mini Bears and Tottenham Hotspur Hoody Bears.

And finally, not forgetting the adults where we have a huge catalogue of various English Premier League merchandise ranging from Liverpool FC Supporter Flags to Aston Villa Tax Disc Holders to Newcastle United Caps.

We also have a section within the website for Christmas Novelty Items including Elf Hats, Christmas Tree Baubles and Christmas Gift Wrap - by visting our site you really can get Christmas (ahem!) "Wrapped Up"


Visit our Premier League Shop for all your Official Premier League Team Merchandise and Gifts.

For information and statistics on legends of the Premier League take a look at our sister site Premier League Heroes