Nobody loves you the way ILF do: identify cult hero candidates here

I'm watching Beitar Jerusalem throwing this one away against Ashdod (currently 1-1). My eye is drawn to Beitar's no.99, a somewhat slow, stocky playmaker who is nonetheless running the show like a ruffian Riquelme.

http://img688.imageshack.us/img688/8253/43330879.jpg

His name is Eran Levy. He's 27 and on his tenth club, all within Israel, appears to have a decent goal return, yet his only international recognition is two caps for the Israeli national beach soccer team. I feel like there must be a story here.

Anyone know this guy? Anyone got a potential hero to share with us?

john terry

I was thinking about Marsden and players who took a remarkably long time to get to the top flight; King of West Bromwich Bob Taylor had a fair old journey.

Tommy Doherty, of Exeter City.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_Doherty

http://www.thepfa.com/news/2012/7/5/~/media/Images/PA%20Images/2012/7/5/Grecians%20get%20Doherty%20Image.ashx?mw=628

Northern Ireland international (between 2003-2005), he has played for a string of English lower league clubs, and Ferencvaros.

He is a skilful ball-playing defensive midfielder, making the simple short passes like a Bristolian Xavi. He has an excellent beard and a terrible attitude - both towards referees, and his former clubs.

http://www.boyfrombrazil.co.uk/2011/06/tommy-doherty-an-apology/

David Perkins, of Barnsley

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Perkins_(footballer)

http://img.skysports.com/08/08/218x298/DavidPerkins_1076815.jpg

If you watch this man play for 90 minutes you wonder why he isn't in the Premiership. A dynamic, nippy midfielder with a superb passing range and relentless energy, he drives Barnsley forward with unswerveable urgency and neatness. Other central midfielders are made to look cloddish and unimpressive as he scuttles around, dictating the rhythm of each match, spinning it into his own tale of industry and skill.

And then, the visual illusion is dashed. Barnsley are bottom of the table and virtually doomed to relegation. Perkins played for Morecambe for eight years, then Colchester, and only now, at 30, after loan spells at Chesterfield and Stockport County, is he playing at Championship level. His record indicates that he is almost the prototypical journeyman footballer, the antiglam's antiglam, the transitory detritus of the lower leagues. What you are seeing is not real. He cannot exist, at least not in this form. It must be a mistake. Close your eyes; Barnsley will probably find a way to lose, Perkins will drift on, wraith-like, to the next fixture, and his gifts will once more flicker across the opposition fans' collective unconscious, like they were meant for another team, another time...

hi imago!

that dude looks will hughes' rustic cousin

he truly is the Pale Ghost of Oakwell. when he is gone, they will swear he never existed, and then they will forget they ever swore

The goal was described as a "face volley" by football correspondent Conor Breen.

oh and important detail: he was a left-back until well into his twenties

Anthony Wordsworth being quoted is my favourite part of his wiki page, with that bit close behind

I saw Perkins play against us for Barnsley last season - he was definitely their best player (til Ricardo Vaz Te came on), busy little buzzsaw barrelling about the midfield. Trouble was no-one else on their team was particularly up to snuff, so he burned out after about 50 minutes or so. Couldn't quite tell if he was actually albino or not. Not sure if he'd make the step up to the Premier, could see him getting squad time at Reading or Norwich, perhaps.

Ah, the feeling passes, it must do...

Swygart, would you condone a mention of Jason Puncheon in this thread? He's come out of nowhere to rip it up in the PL this season, and he terrorised Arsenal (ok, Kieran Gibbs but still) today, looked genuinely menacing, loitering in a kind of right wing-forward free-role. Could he make an England squad, even? Or is he made to look good by Saints' all-passing, all-tackling central midfield?

Punch... part of me still thinks he might let us down. He has this history of stropping, falling out with people, and very, very long cold spells. His time with us, before, say, March (I think?), had been characterised by a rather public feud with the board that led to him getting loaned out (I think to Premier League clubs - Blackpool and QPR?) and basically seeming like he had no future at Saints.

But then Jason Puncheon woke up one day and decided to give it a go with us. This season he's been a total revelation - he started off looking out of his depth, but since Ramirez arrived he's become an integral part of the attacking whirlwind system we're running. Fearless, powerful, quick, skilful, with a wonderful shot on him. And he's a great team player too. Yes, Saints' system makes him look good - but he's a big part of why it works. To use the old cliche, he's been like a new signing.

Cult hero, though? Give it a few more months - Amr Zaki looked pretty great til January rolled around, after all...

wish punch's shot had been a bit more wonderful today :/

he has been great this season tho, yep.

routledge imo. always been a good epl winger, shame on every manager who's wasted him til now

Doherty's Exeter teammate Alan Gow (formerly of Falkirk, Rangers and East Bengal) would be an equally decent shout, if only for attempting to be the first British player in recent memory to join the Iranian Premier League.

theres a couple more iirc

also collins john

Esteghlal

On 31 December 2011, he joines Iran Pro League side, Esteghlal where he was re-united with his former Bolton team mate Andranik Teymourian, Samuel signed a 2 years contract with the club on 9 January 2012. He made his debut against Damash on the following day. He spent a good half season at Esteghlal but after the end of the season, Esteghlal's new head coach, Amir Ghalenoei named him in his list of outsiders.

Samuel is Trinidadian tho.

played for england u21

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