UPDATE: As correctly pointed out by GeorgiDoesStuff on twitter and Saurya Sengupta (below) this could well be talking about another season as The Secret Footballer! Point 20 will now be removed from the checklist and a couple who’ve been ruled out reinstated…!
TSF revealingly tweeted this today:
“Got a chat about another season soon…all hangs on whether I get my 16 tickets to the Champions League final or not”
Taken literally it suggests he is a Manchester United player coming to the end of his career. In fact, it suggests he’s Michael Owen. But I’m pretty sure the latter half is a joke. (Backed up by a later tweet to someone referencing Owen that he’s glad “someone got the joke”.)
So, it confirms what we already know, that TSF is coming to the end of his career. But it also whittles down our pool of candidates to those who would be looking to talk about a new season.
So where does that leave our current candidates? Here you go:
Still in the running:
Lee Bowyer
Paul Konchesky
Luke Young
-all out of contract in the summer.
Possibly still in the running:
Scott Parker
Carlton Cole
-not out of contract but could possibly be discussing another year due to West Ham’s relegation.
Danny Murphy
Anton Ferdinand
-out of contract in summer 2012 so could possibly be talking of a one year extension.
Out of the running:
Michael Turner
Glen Johnson
-out of contract in 2013.
Michael Carrick
Joe Cole
-out of contract in 2014.
But what about other players we’ve not yet mentioned on the site? If you can think of anyone add them here.
15 responses to “A revealing tweet!”
Any player could add a year onto their contract at the end of a season even if their contract doesnt run out for 5 years.
Not an issue. Still Lil’ Mickey O or Danny M for me…
What if TSF’s talking abt another season about writing a column for The Guardian?? Not impossible
Yep, someone else mentioned that on twitter earlier. It seems likely …will review this evening
Some snippets like the tweet are quite likely red herrings. You could easily imagine a footballer making up stuff like ‘how can I get ‘my’ 16 tickets for (insert name of cup) final’ as a form of bravado. Let’s say our footballer plays for Fulham (a lot think this). He obviously wouldn’t be ‘in line for tickets’ bar through his friendship with (Man Utd) footballer(s) which is entirely possible anyway. It could quite easily be a throw away line that anyone would use – we would all contact our mates in search of a ticket to a big game – and TSF is probably no different. I think you need to adopt a more lateral approach to some of the lines TSF uses. Clearly (if it is real and just the one footballer and not more than one) it will be entirely reasonable for a few red herrings – especially if he thought (knows) the guessing game is going on.
It’s Michael Owen. It’s very definitely Michael Owen. He ticks every box, plus he’s not thick.
He ticks some boxes, but categorically crosses four. It’s not Owen – https://www.whoisthesecretfootballer.co.uk/index.php/michael-owen/
Charlie Adams?
What is for certain is that the ghost writer cleans the prose up, and the editor edits. Most celeb columns are half written by journos. Fact.
It is definitely not Owen! Have you ever read his twitter? He’s the most boring man on earth!
Owen has had problems with gambling addiction but not, AFAIK, depression, and was part of the England setup far too earlier in his career to fit the TSF profile (nothing specific I recall, but columns referring to England seemed to suggest he was a latecomer and bit part player).
And Owen can’t write.
How many people leaving comments have actually read the book AND taken any notice if the info tin it?… How can it be Owen he s never been relegated or played in the lower leagues, it says tsf’s contract was around 100k a month Owens would still be more than that, plus he mentions financial difficulties due to a tax bill I don’t think Owens got any monetary problems
Indeed, Owen had already been ruled out as you can see on his page:
4. Has never been subject to a transfer between two Premiership clubs.
16. Didn’t play a match in this time.
22. Has never played for a newly promoted Premiership club
It is Paul Konchesky.
He fits the clues perfectly and no-one can find any evidence to suggest that it isn’t him. There is around 20-25 lots of evidence that it could be him, and there is only like 30ish clues. It could be him, he has come through the youth ranks, he has played for a newly promoted premier league club, he has had a deadline day transfer, and a transfer between two premier league clubs. HOW MANY PLAYERS CAN SAY THAT THEY HAVE DONE THAT!?!?!?
Or it could be a mad fan, after all, the Secret IPL Player turned out to be a mad Kolkata Knight Riders fan…
It is Paul Konchesky.
He fits the clues perfectly and no-one can find any evidence to suggest that it isn’t him. There is around 20-25 lots of evidence that it could be him, and there is only like 30ish clues. It could be him, he has come through the youth ranks, he has played for a newly promoted premier league club, he has had a deadline day transfer, and a transfer between two premier league clubs. HOW MANY PLAYERS CAN SAY THAT THEY HAVE DONE THAT!?!?!?
Or it could be a mad fan, after all, the Secret IPL Player turned out to be a mad Kolkata Knight Riders fan…
It is Paul Konchesky.
He fits the clues perfectly and no-one can find any evidence to suggest that it isn’t him. There is around 20-25 lots of evidence that it could be him, and there is only like 30ish clues. It could be him, he has come through the youth ranks, he has played for a newly promoted premier league club, he has had a deadline day transfer, and a transfer between two premier league clubs. HOW MANY PLAYERS CAN SAY THAT THEY HAVE DONE THAT!?!?!?
Or it could be a mad fan, after all, the Secret IPL Player turned out to be a mad Kolkata Knight Riders fan…