The Secret Footballer - What Players Really Think Of Pundits

everdead.ie · 04-03-2013 2:22pm

Mitch Connor wrote: »

Thought it was pretty much confirmed it was Dave Kitson.

Maybe I didn't think it was definitive

Giruilla · 04-03-2013 4:22pm

He said after Valencia blocked his clearance he said several fans helped him out of the stands... in that video he just falls on the pitch

??

Morzadec · 04-03-2013 8:05pm

Giruilla wrote: »

He said after Valencia blocked his clearance he said several fans helped him out of the stands... in that video he just falls on the pitch ??

Poetic license. Don't tell me you've never exaggerated a story (possibly without even realising it) just to make it more interesting?

ThunbergsAreGo · 04-03-2013 8:14pm

poor form by Collymore i think

Giruilla · 05-03-2013 10:50am

Morzadec wrote: »

Poetic license. Don't tell me you've never exaggerated a story (possibly without even realising it) just to make it more interesting?

Still wouldn't say its definitive though.

Morzadec · 05-03-2013 11:12am

Giruilla wrote: »

Still wouldn't say its definitive though.

No but it's not just this clue, there are tons of others apparently. There's a whole team of nerds out there working away at unveiling his identity, meticulously going through the evidence, ruling out players.

http://www.whoisthesecretfootballer.co.uk/

I don't think any candidate fits all the criteria, but it's possible TSF has thrown in a few red herrings to throw people off the scent.

The general consensus is that it's almost certainly Dave Kitson, or at least that he is by far the leading candidate

padd b1975 · 05-03-2013 4:55pm

naughtb4 wrote: »

poor form by Collymore i think

Not as poor as this..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8LbR_cYhT6Q

Mushy · 21-03-2013 9:19pm

Brother reading the book now, a piece of evidence is that he mentions about once apartments were made on the site of an older stadium and the club moved, the players bought up some of the apartments, but he was a new player so couldnt afford one.

Immediate thinking would be Highbury, so around the move to the Emirates.

CSF · 21-03-2013 9:37pm

Mushy wrote: »

Brother reading the book now, a piece of evidence is that he mentions about once apartments were made on the site of an older stadium and the club moved, the players bought up some of the apartments, but he was a new player so couldnt afford one.

Immediate thinking would be Highbury, so around the move to the Emirates.

I finished it the other day. I feel really sure that its not based on the life of a real player.

LiamoSail · 21-03-2013 9:41pm

Mushy wrote: »

Brother reading the book now, a piece of evidence is that he mentions about once apartments were made on the site of an older stadium and the club moved, the players bought up some of the apartments, but he was a new player so couldnt afford one.

Immediate thinking would be Highbury, so around the move to the Emirates.

I doubt theres an arsenal player old enough to buy a house that was unable to afford one

Mushy · 21-03-2013 9:43pm

CSF wrote: »

I finished it the other day. I feel really sure that its not based on the life of a real player.

Yeah Im leaning that way. Or else that its multiple players. Would like to know who it is though.

ThunbergsAreGo · 21-03-2013 9:58pm

Mushy wrote: »

Yeah Im leaning that way. Or else that its multiple players. Would like to know who it is though.

yes i think its multiple players, would be dreadful if it was all made up

CSF · 21-03-2013 10:28pm

naughtb4 wrote: »

yes i think its multiple players, would be dreadful if it was all made up

Multiple players seems unrealistic. If they were gonna go to all the effort of lying about it being one particular player then it makes sense for them to go the whole hog and have the most fantastic footballer's story possible, which seems the most likely scenario for me.

Corholio · 21-03-2013 10:32pm

Multiple players would be nearly as bad as being made up. Defeats the whole point of the mystery.

wonderfullife · 23-03-2013 3:19pm

Mushy wrote: »

Brother reading the book now, a piece of evidence is that he mentions about once apartments were made on the site of an older stadium and the club moved, the players bought up some of the apartments, but he was a new player so couldnt afford one.

Immediate thinking would be Highbury, so around the move to the Emirates.

It's worth noting that although Highbury closed in 2006, the redevelopment and building of apartments did not complete until 2010.

If we go back a lot further, Reading FC left Elm Park in 1998 to move to the Madjeski Stadium. Apartments were built on the old ground and not complete for years.

Dave Kitson moved to Reading in 2003 from Cambridge.

If it is multiple players, it's a bit of a cop-out, and i haven't read the book but that would tie in nicely with Kitson. Apartment prices in Reading are not overly high and i guess some existing players could have afforded them but not a new player coming from Cambridge probably on a few grand a week tops.

Neil3030 · 23-03-2013 3:23pm

I think multiple players is a decent enough trade-off - you know the stories are at least all true.

leggo · 25-03-2013 9:01am

Corholio wrote: »

Multiple players would be nearly as bad as being made up. Defeats the whole point of the mystery.

No it wouldn't. The point of the mystery is that, by being anonymous, they can tell you stories that you wouldn't have heard otherwise. The point of the mystery isn't that you have to now try and guess which player it is like the columns are nothing more than a crossword puzzle giving you clues.

I hate how people don't get The Secret Footballer. It doesn't matter who it is.

wonderfullife · 28-03-2013 5:16am

leggo wrote: »

No it wouldn't. The point of the mystery is that, by being anonymous, they can tell you stories that you wouldn't have heard otherwise. The point of the mystery isn't that you have to now try and guess which player it is like the columns are nothing more than a crossword puzzle giving you clues.

I hate how people don't get The Secret Footballer. It doesn't matter who it is.

That's assuming it's a work of fact and not fiction. If it's fact-based then anonymity is fine, if it's fiction it's a con.

Also if a masked man walked up to Brian Cowen and custard pie'd him, we'd all wanna know who did it. When it doesn't really matter. Just human nature. :cool:

leggo · 28-03-2013 12:13pm

wonderfullife wrote: »

If it's fact-based then anonymity is fine, if it's fiction it's a con.

That logic doesn't make sense.

Like I said, this isn't a fun crossword puzzle, it's an insight into Premier League life. Even if it is fiction, it's clearly fiction written by someone who's gained a unique insight into footballers' lives (otherwise why would The Guardian, who'd get that kind of access, allow it to be published?) so it has credibility all the same.

But no, people see the word 'Secret' and think it's now a shiny new challenge to figure it out...while missing the point entirely. It might be human nature, but if that's the case then that aspect of human nature is really, really stupid.

padd b1975 · 19-11-2013 7:13pm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSwxVb2DExY

kryogen · 19-11-2013 7:36pm

Satanic disguise? Jesus John

Talib Fiasco · 28-12-2013 7:09pm

I'm sure most figured it was him all along but this seems to be solid enough evidence it's Kitson.

Too Tough To Die · 28-12-2013 7:15pm

Always thought Kitson was more of a red top man (original joke).

Laois_Man · 29-12-2013 12:28pm

Chances are it was written vying a lower profile player who has never been a guest pundits himself. Otherwise it would be rather hypocritical.

Richard Hillman · 29-12-2013 4:48pm

Why are people so concerned about who it is? I am more interested in what he has to say. I would have preffered for him to remain secret so to find out more about the non-puplicised aspects of football. The next time somebody thinks about doing something similar, they will be scared off by all the amateur Poirot's

The Secret Footballer - What Players Really Think Of Pundits

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