TalkSport Radio - Ray Houghton

Glaswegian-born Ray Houghton was always going to make it big as a footballer, despite his size, and lists playing international football as one of his proudest achievements.Yes, the Republic of Ireland legend is as Irish as teammate Andy Townsend and punches you in the belly if you dare question the fact he wasn’t born there.Seriously, Ray is to Ireland what petrol is to BP and can boast two successful World Cup campaigns under Jack Charlton’s stewardship in 1990 and 1994.I reckon Ray’s finest moment was indeed in the 1994 finals in the USA when he scored a spectacular goal, lobbing goalkeeper Gianluca Pagliuca, to record a 1-0 win over Italy in their first group game. Ray, however, thinks differently. Ray enjoyed a hugely successful playing career which ensured he’s welcomed back at West Ham, Fulham, Oxford, Liverpool – where his local trophy cabinet maker earned a very good living – Aston Villa, Crystal Palace, Reading and Stevenage Borough. His stint at Anfield saw him collect two league championships and two FA Cups, while he also enjoyed League Cup success with Oxford in 1986 and Aston Villa in 1994.Those of us lucky enough to see Ray play will all agree his work rate was phenomenal, which is probably why he stays in bed and doesn’t come into work until 7pm now.

TalkSport Radio - Hawksbee & Jacobs

Paul Hawksbee and Andy Jacobs became friends in 1998 when Andy invited Paul to join the team on ITV’s Fantasy World Cup. Andy had watched as much old football as was humanly possible during the 50-plus shows he’d produced for Baddiel Skinner and thought he could do with some company.Paul and Andy’s job was to give the two sofa-bound satirists some of the ammunition to help them fire the bullets. David and Frank will happily tell anyone who’ll listen how frequently they missed the target. H&J first appeared on our airwaves in the summer of 1999 on 505 and despite our best efforts to pretend we’d relocated, they somehow sneaked in through the back door and we’ve been stuck with them ever since. Passionate about their respective teams, Chelsea and Tottenham, the pair are also ardent cricket fans and can be heard rotting your brain from the hours of 1-4pm everyday on . Most of their pre-show work is spent rigging the odds on Escalado and littering Jon Gaunt's’ desk with rubbish, as cardboard cut outs sit at their desks pretending to do research for the show.The scamps are the brains behind their own titillating games such as One-size Fitz Hall, and The Fools Panel, they list poking Patrick Kinghorn with a big stick as the highlight of their day.

TalkSport Radio - Patrick Kinghorn

If you’re after a decent tip at talkSPORT, other than not wiping your backside on broken glass, one man guaranteed to give you the inside edge is Patrick Kinghorn, who is more than willing to pass on his wealth of experience.Top bloke really. Just a pity that all his tips turn out to be three-legged donkeys running in the opposite direction.Patrick started his career in bookmaking in the family business, but the pressure brought about by betting tax in 1998 hit the off course markets and forced the family to scale down their operations.The lure of Hollywood followed as Patrick had visions of seeing his name up in bright lights, but sadly, George Clooney he isn’t.Patrick took his rejection in truly heroic fashion by heading off to Antigua, where he helped expand Victor Chandler’s American betting operation.On the up again, Pat swapped his Bermuda shorts and flip flops for the sunny skies of Britain once again and got into broadcasting back here via SIS, The Racing Channel and Aththeraces.He can now be heard mainly on the weekends presenting Final Whistle and telling Jason Cundy to pay-up the money he owes on his betting debts, before he sends the boys round to rough him up.

TalkSport Radio - Micky Quinn

You might remember Micky Quinn from his barnstorming goal scoring days for the likes of Newcastle, Portsmouth and Coventry.You may also remember him from being the occasional double used for Jabba the Hut in the Star Wars films, before he did his usual thing of proving everybody wrong and shedding the pounds that had blighted his once trim, agile physique on ITV’s Celebrity Fit Club.The loveable scouser started out on the goal trail as a youngster with Wigan Athletic, before going on to bang the goals in at Stockport, Oldham, Portsmouth, Newcastle and Coventry City.Micky scored over 230 goals throughout his career, while constantly tackling the bulge as much as he was the opposition.Micky hung up his goal scoring boots in 1993 to pursue his passion of horse racing and enjoyed the good life a little too much. The weight piled on for a decade due to Micky’s bad diet, which included brushing his teeth with mayonnaise.But in true Mighty Quinn fashion, Micky is winning his battle against the flab and is now giving Kate Moss lessons on how to keep her figure.

TalkSport Radio - Kelly Dalglish

Kelly Dalglish made a little piece of history when she lined up alongside Gabriele Marcotti and Jason Cundy to present ‘Kick Off’ Why? Dalglish was the first female sports presenter in talkSPORT history. “I know that a lot of men think that women know nothing about football, I want to prove them wrong. Trust me when I say I don’t need the off-side rule explaining. “I want ‘Kick Off’ to be a show where fans and listeners can not only look back at the weekend’s games but also where they can begin to look forward to their sides next fixture. If they want to sing a sides praise or vent their spleens I don’t care, as long as we have fun.”

TalkSport Radio - Keith Arthur

Keith Arthur started fishing while he was an embryo. Keith is an encyclopaedia of knowledge on Britain’s most popular pastime and his show: Fisherman’s Blues, provides in-depth knowledge on the best bait, best spots – if it’s wet and smells of fish – Keith Arthur knows about it.In the summer of 1999, talkSPORT decided to stock up on maggots and ‘go fishing’ as we weren’t getting fed at home and thought: ‘what better man to have on board than the man who knows fish like a blind man knows jazz?’ – So we hooked up with Keith.The early bird gets the worm, or so the saying goes, and Keith is up earlier than most on Sundays. His show kicks off at 6am as he attempts to restore some sanity to talkSPORT, following the nighttime madness.

TalkSport Radio - Jim Proudfoot

Jim Proudfoot has been at talksport since 1999, and has commentated on more matches for the station than anyone else, including the last three major finals. He was born in the West country in 1972 but was brought up in the Midlands, before starting work as a bad DJ in Devon while still a teenager. His first proper job was reading the news on TFM in the North-East in 1994, and he also worked for Capital Radio, BRMB and Century Radio before making the move into the national media. Jim also commentates on Scottish and Italian football for Setanta Sports.

TalkSport Radio - Ian Wright

talkSPORT’sGalactico guarantees us a lot of things: 30 goals a season, commitment to the cause, passion, fighting spirit, a few irate people at BBC and more frequent dealings with Ofcom for us. Not to mention a few battle royale’s with Adrian Durham.Ian came into professional football fairly late by today’s standards aged 21. He signed terms at Crystal Palace under Steve Coppell. It was where Wrighty honed his ‘V’ sign skills and he pointed a couple firmly in the direction of Southend and Brighton after failing to impress them as a teenager in trials.The Eagles scouts saw him plying his trade at amateur and non-league levels while also holding down a job as a full-time plasterer and invited him to train at Selhurst Park and in doing so gave birth to one of the most prolific marksmen the English game has ever known.In his first season he finished as The Eagles’ second top scorer with nine goals and the following season a fellow pea from the same pod emerged in the form of Mark Bright and the two would go on to forge the kind of partnership which was the football equivolent of holly matriomony and fired Palace to the top-flight via the play-offs in 1989.A twice-cracked shin bone blighted Wright’s first season in the English elite but he went on to make a dramatic comeback in the 1990 FA Cup final against Manchester United when he came off the bench to score twice. His first forced extra time and his second put The Eagles ahead at 3-2, only for The Red Devils to peg the underdogs back and win the replay 1-0 . Ian would go on to many more bruising encounters with United througout his illustrious career. Particularly with goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel, who looks like he wants to club you and eat your bones.More acclolades came his way the following season with England recognition and reaching 100 goals for Palace. He notched a double as the South East London club beat Everton in the much-coveted Zenith Data Systems Cup and fired a massive statement of intent to opposition defenders by netting a hat-trick against Wimbledon inside the space of 18 minutes.In six seasons Wright scored more goals at the highest level than me and you could score in a year having a kickabout down the park and after bagging 117 goals in 253 starts for Palace, was voted their Player of the Century.A move to Arsenal in 1991 for what is an absolute pinch at £2.5m (a record fee at the time) saw him show The Gunners fan what they were getting for their money with a goal on his League Cup debut against Leicester City and then a troika against Southamtpon on his league debut – going on to win the Golden Boot that year with 29 league goals.If Dennis Bergkamp and Thierry Henry were pivotal to Arsenal’s success of the 2000’s Wright was unquestionably the top dog in their success of the nineties. Top scorer for the North London club six seasons in a row, FA and League Cup double winners in 1993, he helped Arsenal reach the 1994 European Cup Winners’ Cup final against Parma, which they won 1-0, but played no part in the final through suspension.The following season he scored in every round but the final as Arsenal looked to retain their European crown. They were beaten in the final by a freak goal from former Tottenham player Nayim as they lost to Real Zaragoza 2-1.Bruce Rioch’s arrival at the helm saw the pair get on as well as a cat and a dog might and prompted the front man to hand in a trasfer request. However, with Bergkamp’s arrival and ultimately Rioch’s departure, Wright went on to cement his place in Gunners folklore.In 1997 he broke the record every fan on the planet was willing him to break when a hat-trick at Bolton saw him surpass Cliff Bastin’s record of 178 goals. The happy day was made even more hilarious by Ian proving maths wasn’t his strong point.He started the celebrations early after scoring his first goal, revealing a vest which read ‘179 Just Done It’ , when in fact all he had managed was to equal it. Still, the other two goals he scored that day ensured he stood out on his own as Arsenal’s ultimate Gunner.That record has since been taken by Thierry Henry.In 1998 Wright signed off his Arsenal career with a league and cup double, but, as he will tell you through gritted teeth, he was left seething that Arsene Wenger did not give him a chance to say goodbye to the Higbury faithful after being an unused substitute in the 2-0 FA Cup win over Newcastle. Bar Thierry Henry, the entire present Gunners playing staff can barely match Ian’s goalscoring exploits. He finished his Highbury career with a record that read 185 goals in 279 starts. Not bad, eh? He finished his club career with 323 goals in all competitions.Short spells followed at West Ham, Nottingham Forest, Celtic and Burnley before he retired in 2000. With Alan Shearer and Teddy Sheringham the partnership of choice for most of his international career, Wright still managed nine goals in 33 international appearances.

TalkSport Radio - Ian Abrahams

The first face everyone sees when they walk into at talkSPORT towers is usually Ian Abrahams’, well the back of his head anyway. In traditional ‘old school hack’ mode, the area of his desk is usually smoke-filled and surrounded by the stench of three-day old coffee as he batters down hard on the blood-encrusted keys on his typewriter finalising the details of his latest scoop.Of course, I jest. There is no smoke in sight and it smells of roses around Ian’s desk, lovingly known to all of us as our roaming reporter, The Moose.Ian started out as a sports reporter in 1991 and he counts the experience of covering Euro ‘96 as one of the highlights of his career.Never let it be said that The Moose is afraid of hard work either. Among his many life-threatening tasks in the field include taking it easy in Singapore as London were awarded the 2012 Olympic Games and enjoying tea and cake with Prince Charles and Camilla Parker-Bowles as they tied the knot.The Moose brings the nation the latest sports news each weekday morning

TalkSport Radio - Gary Stevens

Gary Stevens is the kind of fella that if you were a young lass, you would proudly bring home to meet your Mum and Dad. He’s well turned out, quietly spoken and in general has a good odour omitting from him. He’s welcome round my house any day of the week (except on Tuesdays, that’s my special day). Ask anyone at talkSPORT for their opinion of Gary and an overall rating of ‘top bloke’ emerges. Gary started his career trying to convince Bobby Robson to give him a contract while a schoolboy at Ipswich Town but was told, politely, to seek pastures new. Unperturbed, Gary knuckled down and caught they eye of then Brighton boss Alan Mullery and made his debut for The Seagulls in 1979 as a substitute for some guy called Mark Lawrenson, who we’re told was some kind of legend at Liverpool. 1982-83 saw Gary really make a name for himself and he was named man-of-the-match in the first game of the FA Cup final against Manchester United the same season, scoring the equaliser in the 2-2 draw that ensured a replay. Sadly, Brighton were caught enjoying too many brandies and cigars in the replay and were walloped 4-0. A move to Tottenham in the summer of 1983 followed where Gary enjoyed arguably the best period of his career. Wracking up 147 appearances for the North London club and scoring a penalty in Spurs’ Uefa Cup shootout success over Anderlecht in 1984. Gary got the chance to say ‘I told you so’ in 1986 when he was called up as part of Bobby Robson’s World Cup squad in Mexico, making substitute appearances against Morocco and Paraguay. He would go on to win a total of seven caps for The Three Lions. Gary’s Spurs career was tragically cut short in 1988 when an over-the-top tackle from Wimbledon’s Vinny Jones resulted in a knee injury that was to ultimately end his career, despite a transfer to Portsmouth in 1990. When he is not helping old ladies cross the road, Gary can be found on Saturday’s Football First and can often be found during the week giving his views between 7pm and 10pm on Kick Off.

TalkSport Radio - Derek Thompson

Derek Thompson rides into talkSPORT towers on his trusty steed, every bit the knight in shining armour that a damsel in distress would want rescuing them.Of course, by trusty steed; we mean the Moose and by knight in shining armour; we mean the four-day old suit he’s been sleeping in whilst driving around the country to various horse racing meetings.Dubbed ‘Tommo’ by all those that know and love him and by someone who clearly couldn’t be bothered to come up with a better nickname, Tommo has called in all the action from some of the world’s biggest races over the years, including the Grand National. As well as parting his wisdom with talkSPORT listeners, Tommo can also be found moonlighting with Channel 4 and At the Races and you can check out his daily double here and check out his own site: www.tommoracing.com/

Talksport Radio - Terry Christian

As football clubs across the country scrambled to make those close season signings before 31st August, talkSPORT, the nation’s only national commercial speech radio station, made one of its own. Terry Christian, the mouthy Manc, joined an already impressive talkSPORT ‘presenter squad’ in readiness for the new season.Christian, who came to national prominence during the mid-nineties anchoring cult TV programme The Word, presents ‘Final Whistle’ on Saturday afternoons alongside Newcastle legend Micky Quinn.“’Final Whistle’ on talkSPORT with myself and Quinny is an antidote to a format that on other stations often sounds like a forum for the brain-dead. I’m sick of hearing people talking about football that never go to matches.“I’ve been a season ticket holder at Manchester United for over 20 years. I’ve no doubt that me being an ardent United will be like a red rag to a bull to many of the talkSPORT listeners, especially those that live in the east of Manchester.”

Talksport Radio - Alvin Martin

The only people who love Alvin Martin more than we do are West Ham fans. The defensive stalwart marshalled The Hammers’ back line with aplomb for 19 years, which saw him handed two testimonials, a feat only matched by former teammate Billy Bonds.The two games were just reward for the former England international and proceeds raised ensured Alvin will be eating Turkey again every Christmas for life.Lovingly nicknamed ‘Stretch’, although for reasons we can’t reveal on a family-based website such as ours, Alvin guided West Ham to one of their greatest achievements when he was part of their Second Division side that toppled high-flying Arsenal in the 1980 FA Cup final. Then England manager, Ron Greenwood, eased Alvin into international football by throwing him on as a substitute against football minnows Brazil at Wembley in 1981 and he was part of Bobby Robson’s World Cup squad that reached the quarterfinal stage in Mexico in 1986. You always know when Alvin has arrived as he blocks out the sun with his tall, athletic frame. I say this with no exaggeration, Alvin is a true gentleman and his scouse accent endears him to everyone around him, but he looks like he could put you in hospital by blinking at you. He shows his gentle side by carrying a doll around with him that looks uncannily like Adrian Durham, sporting several pins in various body parts, as well as his eyes, so we invite him over for a chat.

Talksport Radio - Mike Mendoza

If you’re in need of company for the evening then talkSPORT’s Mike Mendoza is the perfect companion. Mike has been broadcasting all over the world for nearly three decades and is responsible for much of the carnage in front of our eyes at talkSPORT towers in the morning.Don’t feel sorry for him. Mike loves the late night/early morning slot as he can get away with ten times more than he can during the day and his persuasive powers have seen guests from Hollywood to Britain’s favourite musicians deny themselves their beds for the night just to hang out with him.Mike is now as in demand as Carmen Electra at a sex-slave auction but it wasn’t always the case. He first started out on Radio I in Auckland, New Zealand, as he tried to make his mark on the airwaves. Lying to drunken executives that he was a seasoned professional, Mike was tossed the keys to the station and told to go nuts covering for the usual presenter and it was that night the Mendoza-meister was born!Stints broadcasting in Australia and the United States were to follow before Mike finally came to his spiritual home here with us and now literally parties till six in the morning.Mike does wonders for unsigned musicians too by inviting them to play for the nation live on air as they seek to make it big.

Talksport Radio - Mike Parry

Mike Parry is an institution on talkSPORT . Loveable and jolly, Parry is a respected journalist in many corridors on Fleet Street and is to radio what Michael Parkinson is to talk shows. Mike, jovially known as “the Tube”, used to have the unenviable task of trying to restrain Alan Brazil on the Breakfast Show, before being health problems, which forced him to cut back on his workload.Thankfully for us, and our army of listeners, Mike recovered sufficiently to return to work with us and now hosts the Weekend Breakfast show with former Republic of Ireland star Andy Townsend, as they dissect all the weekend’s football action.

Talksport Radio - George Galloway

He was the youngest-ever chair of the Labour party in Scotland, and for 18 years he was a Labour MP for a Glasgow constituency. He was thrown out for his opposition to the war on Iraq and successfully unseated a New Labour councillor in Bethnal Green and Bow, East London, standing for the Respect party. He is the author of an autobiography; I'm Not The Only One, and he has book out - The Fidel Castro Handbook – hitting the shelves soon. He has met Castro many times and on one occasion went for a moonlight swim with the Cuban president, but has thus far refused to confirm what colour Speedos the Cuban leader was sporting – if any!Castro is not the only controversial political figure George has shared company with either. ‘Gorgeous’ George has also shared tea and biscuits with now displaced-despot and all round bad guy that is former president of Iraq, Saddam Hussein, and his sons Uday and Qusay, who were known to be fond of torturing footballers that couldn’t beat Barcelona blindfolded.You may also remember George from parading on your TV screens in a leotard and drinking out of Rula Lenska’s lap whilst pretending to be a cat in Celebrity Big Brother and George says he finds it strange how no one ever questions him about these antics and how it just seemed to slip past the media’s attention unnoticed.

Talksport - Adrian Durham

If your other half has accused you of ‘talking constantly about football’ then spare a minute for the poor soul who has to put up with Drive presenter, Adrian Durham. When Adrian goes down the pub with his mates to discuss the game they take a change of clothes and a spare toothbrush with them, as they know they may be there for some time as he gets some things off his chest. Good thing they introduced 24-hour drinking!Adrian presents drive with the legend that is Ian Wright and the duo keep the nation up to date with the latest sports news each weekday. Along with distinguished guests like former England internationals like Alvin Martin and Gary Stevens, talkSPORT fans are given informed opinion and predictions of how the day’s events will pan out.

Talksport - Ian Collins

Ian Collins brings current affairs and topical debate to the man on the street.With one eye on Westminster and the other on all matters pop culture, Ian's Ultimate Late Show has proved to be the most compelling programme on the late night dial. Ian is the unofficial spokesperson for common sense; the all-round nice guy who voices his own political and social values and more importantly, gives you listeners a platform to voice yours. Away from the the microphone, he's a fan of 24, Six Feet Under and and Chelsea Football Club. His favourite comedies are Larry Sanders and Curb Your Enthusiasm. On the sports front he recently took up the highly dangerous sport of Indoor Hand gliding.He's also a regular contributor to TV formats and is currently in the middle of his second book 87 People I’d like to Slap – a year long diary of every nook, cranny and corner of British life that has riled, bothered, or given him the chronic hump...

Talksport Radio - Alan Brazil

Some people hate their mornings but not us. When you arrive at talkSPORT towers you have the pleasure of listening to, and watching as the comedy unfolds on the Breakfast show. The calm and tranquil figure of Ronnie Irani is perfectly juxtaposed to raging bull and football legend Alan Brazil as they once again fail to see eye-to-eye over trivial matters. Incidentally, if anyone knows the proper way of making a cup of tea, (milk in first or last), please email in and settle the debate.Alan tackles the airwaves like he tackled opposition defenders during his playing career that saw him ply his trade at Manchester United, Tottenham and the legendary attacking Ipswich team of the early 80’s under Bobby Robson’s stewardship. Alan is a big, loveable bear of a man with an endearing Glaswegian twang who takes no rubbish and pulls no punches, Alan has been making millions of listeners’ lives bearable in the morning with a no-nonsense approach that makes Genghis Khan look like a pacifist. Alan put Ipswich on the map by helping them lift the UEFA Cup in 1981 and went on to net a more than impressive 28 goals the following term, including five in one game against Southampton who just couldn’t handle him that day. It was literally, just like watching Brazil! Sadly, a back injury that was not properly diagnosed by doctors cut the Scotland striker’s career short but he’s welcomed back with open arms at all his former clubs, which also include Coventry and QPR. Alan also represented Scotland at the 1982 World Cup finals in Spain. Brazil has earned a reputation as a fans’ favourite on talkSPORT (when he’s not busy funding the pub next door) and began his radio career in Ipswich, with Radio Suffolk, where he was a co-commentator. His easy way of communicating grabbed the attentions of Anglia TV in Norwich, where he got his first TV exposure and later led to appearances on GMTV as well as Andy Gray’s The Boot Room on Sky TV, where he proved so popular he regularly casts his eye over League Cup and Coca-Cola Championship games.

Talksport Radio - James Whale

You know you are in the presence of someone special when you look at the number of people James Whale has managed to offend over the years.Whether you’re pushing 80 or still collecting My Little Pony, if you annoy Whale, he’ll soon let you know about it. The outspoken and self-righteous late night king has developed a cult following over the years with his confrontational style that would have Attila the Hun running for the hills. James loves nothing more than verbally assaulting callers on his late night phone-ins and it seems people on the other end of the line can’t get enough as we’ve gone through eight switchboards in the last two years. The late night mouth-of-the-south started his career at Metro Radio in Newcastle, before going on to cause many a producer loss of sleep at Radio Tees and Radio Aire Leeds. He also made his first break into television with The James Whale Debate in which voices were never raised and toys never thrown from prams as he chaired live studio discussions on religious and moral issues. In 1993 he moved back to his native London to present Whale On for London Weekend Television, and 1995 saw the launch of The James Whale Show, which became cult late night viewing for millions. James has won three Sony Radio Awards. He has also written a book "Bald on Top" inspired by his own premature hair loss.

Talksport Radio - Graham Beecroft

Graham Beecroft began his working life in the champagne-filled lifestyle of quantity surveying before filling the airwaves with his soothing tones on a part-time basis with Radio Merseyside. Beeky recalls his first match as a much-loved and respected broadcaster way back in 1978: “It was Southport versus Grimsby Town in the old Fourth Division, hardly glamour stuff.” Beeky hardly acted as a good luck charm for Southport that day either as a draw helped them on their way out of the Football League.Beeky was a popular figure at Radio Merseyside and soon climbed his way to sports editor for the station, before switching to the same role at Radio City in Liverpool, ruling with an iron-fist between 1989-1998. The amiable chap has since marked his territory on talkSPORT and originally teamed up with former Ipswich Town star Alan Brazil, the duo have gone on to become one of talkSPORT’s most popular pairings on the Sports Breakfast Show, he can now be found across the schedule.

Talksport Radio - Jon Gaunt

Jon Gaunt has become one of the nation's most controversial voices, and his opinions are always likely to spark a lively debate, so he’s in good company here at talkSPORT.His profile then exploded in 2001, when he won three Sony Radio Academy Gold Awards: News Coverage Award, Breakfast News & Talk Award and News Broadcaster Award for his work on the BBC Three Counties Radio Breakfast Show. Jon can also be seen on our TV screens as a regular contributor on The Wright Stuff, The Dimbleby Show, Richard & Judy, BBC News and Inside Out and writes a regular weekly column in The Sun newspaper.Jon became the voice of BBC London and resigned recently to host the flagship breakfast programme at the Beeb's new Coventry and Warwickshire station. But Gaunt left the show after only a month. He was told he couldn't write his lucrative column because of BBC editorial guidelines, which prevent its journalists working for other media so Jon did the decent thing and packed his bags and headed on down to talkSPORT towers.

Talksport Radio - Andy Towsend

Andy Townsend is as brave off the pitch as he was on it after agreeing to tackle the daunting task of making sense of Mike ‘Porky’ Parry’s folly every Sunday.The former Aston Villa and Chelsea midfielder is well drilled in the art of tackling difficult opponents, and surely none are more niggly and harder to shackle than Porky?Andy led a glittering career that also included stints at Southampton, Norwich and Middlesbrough, before injury forced him to retire in 2000 while at West Bromwich Albion.The Maidstone-born star can boast two League Cup winners’ medals while at Villa, one as captain in 1996, as well as nine appearances spanning two World Cups for the Republic of Ireland in 1990 and 1994.Andy made 70 appearances for the Republic, captaining them a record number of times, and led them to arguably their finest hour when they beat the heavily fancied Italian team in their first group game of the 1994 World Cup in Giants Stadium.Just in case you needed any more proof of how cool the man is, he also plays guitar and is into motorbikes too.