The Secret Footballer

[aclaretinstevenage]

BBC web site carrying this story today, surely this is old news and it is well known to be Dave Kitson.....the ginger whinger?!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/43680519" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[bob-the-scutter]

Read his 1st book whilst on holiday in Corfu a few years ago. Basically it revealed nothing.

[aclaretinstevenage]

Read his 1st book whilst on holiday in Corfu a few years ago. Basically it revealed nothing.

There waa a clue in the first book about a holiday in Denmark(?) where his wife / girlfriends family live!!

[Papabendi]

It isn't Kitson and he doesn't write the books by himself

[Ric_C]

He’s definitely slagged Burnley and the town off loads. I’d say Kitson is a good shout, as he had a few run ins with our fans over the years

[uwe]

so who is it then?

[Steve1956]

Is it Ashley Barnes?

[Dark Cloud]

It can't be a real footballer if he can actually write!

[Walton]

The link says he retired in 2011, but Kitson played on well after this.

[Shappie]

Who was the stoke midfielder with bleached blonde hair? I can’t think of his name

[ayrshireclaret83]

Could it be Clarke ?

[Shappie]

I’m getting annoyed now. Can’t even find him on google!

I’m sure I had it last year when I read the books

[Imploding Turtle]

Could it be Clarke ?

No. He's played for two premier league clubs, but Carlisle wasn't relegated from the PL on the last day of the season.

It could be Kitson. He was relegated on the last day with Reading in 2008.

[Shore claret]

No. He's played for two premier league clubs, but Carlisle wasn't relegated from the PL on the last day of the season.

It could be Kitson. He was relegated on the last day with Reading in 2008.

nicky shorey seems to be the latest possibility, he was a nice little footballer.

[Funkydrummer]

Anybody believe that "lightening " story ?

[Walton]

I think it's Michael Bridges

[Culmclaret]

We've had a few of these over the years. I would never have guessed Nick Pickering was a footballer.....

[cricketfieldclarets]

Thought this was a thread about Van Der Schaff

[mickleoverclaret]

I think it's Michael Bridges

The article says he started his career at 21, Bridges was 17.

I thought it was pretty common knowledge that it was Dave Kitson. Is there any more compelling evidence for anyone else?

[UpTheBeehole]

It was generally accepted as common knowledge that it was Kevin Davies about 5 years ago.

[UpTheBeehole]

The clues that have been put together, like the Danish holiday and growing up in a rural town do point towards Kitson, but others don't.

As Walton says, the BBC story says he 'was playing as recently as 2011' but Kitson was playing pro until 2014.

The Dave Kitson link isn't news though - here's a link touting it as long ago as November 2013:

https://www.eurosport.co.uk/football/da ... tory.shtml

[Shappie]

Liam Lawrence

[KRBFC]

Liam Lawrence

I'm sure Liam Lawrence was playing for Shrewsbury last year, might have been the season before but certainly didn't retire in 2011.

[UpTheBeehole]

Liam Lawrence played for Ireland, so he couldn't be in line for an England call up from Capello.

[KRBFC]

''The arguments against it being Dave Kitson: They claim to have a daughter when Kitson apparently only has 2 sons. The secret footballer also claims to have grown up a Spurs fan, Kitson meanwhile was an 'avid' Liverpool fan. The secret footballer also played abroad, whilst Kitson's career has been based in the UK. He also claimed that he was left to play on the wing when we was younger because he was smaller, whilst Kitson is 6ft 3. He was never played at a club with 3 or more Frenchmen as the secret footballer did.''

Interesting argument against it being Kitson although I haven't read any of the books so wouldn't know...

[Shappie]

Matthew Etherington.

[Dark Cloud]

Steve Sidwell?

[Pickles]

There's an entire website dedicated to this. General consensus, it seems, is it's Dave Kitson. I think he may've laid some red herrings in the later books as people worked it out. I discovered that website about three years ago and it was really enjoyable reading all the clues coming together.

(I think the first couple of books are really good.)

https://www.whoisthesecretfootballer.co.uk" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[mickleoverclaret]

The clues that have been put together, like the Danish holiday and growing up in a rural town do point towards Kitson, but others don't.

As Walton says, the BBC story says he 'was playing as recently as 2011' but Kitson was playing pro until 2014.

The Dave Kitson link isn't news though - here's a link touting it as long ago as November 2013:

https://www.eurosport.co.uk/football/da ... tory.shtml

To be fair, "playing as recently as 2011" and playing until 2014 aren't mutually exclusive. I took that to mean that the last time the Secret Footballer directly referenced still playing was 2011, but that doesn't mean he wasn't playing longer.