Charlie Austin
QPR, Southampton and West Brom bagsman...
At the time of Charlie joining he was the first current championship player to join BAFC.
Charlie was born in Berkshire and started his youth playing career at Reading FC . He was released for being too small when he was 15, 6 ft 2 and bags of top level goals I wonder what Reading are thinking now!
He then moved to Poole Town, where he scored 46 goals in 46 games whilst working as a bricklayer. He nearly signed for Bournemouth in 2009 but this didn’t materialise due to a transfer embargo imposed on the club at the time. Eddie Howe was a huge fan! But the turn of events was a stroke of luck for Swindon Town!
Charlie currently plays for QPR where he has played 147 games over 2 stints. He has scored 63 goals in his time there. QPR is also where he kicked off his premier league career, and so we have based his kit designs against them. His ape is copying his crying celebration from earlier this season against Derby County. Ultimate shithousery!
Charlie’s 2 QPR shirts are based around the away shirt for the 13/14 season that QPR wore in the final of the championship playoffs winning 1-0 against Derby and the home shirt for the season after in the premier league.
Charlie scored 18 goals in the premier league that season! Hence his little neck tattoo. This prolific season also bagged him a Premier League player of the month award in December 2014, and a call up to the England squad in the summer of 2015!!
Of course Charlie’s iconic blonde hair had to go in too!
Marc Bircham
QPR and Canada LEGEND, Marc Bircham.
A defensive midfielder who played 160 games for QPR scoring 7 goals. He also played 17 games for Canada, scoring 1 goal.
Marc holds the Guinness world record for first player to score for a country that they have never stepped foot in. Born in Wimbledon, UK and scoring for Canada against Northern Ireland at Windsor park in 1999.
His most famous goal was against Brentford, deep into stoppage time, when he calmly controlled a corner to stick it in top bins. Whilst celebrating he revealed his 1983 QPR undershirt.
R’s fans even had a unique song “We love you Bircham, because you’ve got blue hair!” #WeLoveYouBircham
More recently Bircham is famous for being one of the funniest men in football and his appearances in podcasts such as UndrTheCosh with stories such as 'no curfew' and the 'snake purchase!'
Grant Holt
Norwich hero, esteemed Premier and Football league striker Grant Holt.
Grant was born in Carlisle and started his career in the youth setup at Carlisle United until he was released from the youth setup at 18.
He then moved to Workington Reds FC and had some spells in Australia and Singapore. He nearly then returned to Carlisle United but the club entered administration and could not complete the deal… The greatest striker from Carlisle never to play for Carlisle?
Grants breakthrough season came at Rochdale in league two. Scoring 42 goals in 83 games it started the conversations of Grant as a prolific striker.
Fast forward a few years and Grant is playing for Norwich City FC in the premier league. He scored 23 goals in 70 games across his two seasons in the top flight. Grant became an honorary member of The Norwich City Hall of Fame in 2012 and won their player of the season award 3 years running.
Other clubs Grant played for include Barrow, Swindon, Rochdale, Nottingham Forest, Blackpool, Shrewsbury, Wigan, Aston Villa, Huddersfield, Wolverhampton and Hibernian.
Then in 2018 Holt signed a contract to be a professional wrestler. He won his first fight of a 40 man last man standing royal rumble, in fact Grant won all of his 3 wrestling matches, hence the belt on his NFT!
Kevin Gallen
A real product of the community with a huge passion for supporting grassroots ...
Oh, Kevin Gallen’s magic, He wears a magic hat. He plays for Queens Park Rangers He such a lovely chap. He scores with his left foot, He scores with his right. And when we play at Chelsea, He scores all f***ing night...
Gallen was born in Chiswick, West London. It was there he started his youth career at QPR . He made his debut in the 94/95 season forming a daring partnership with Les Ferdinand, scoring 10 goals across the season. Hence the half 94/95 shirt on the right!
Whilst in the youth setup at QPR Gallen was also in the England youth setup. He even fired the under 18 squad to European glory. A formidable partnership between Gallen and Robbie Fowler.
In the 96 season Kevin sustained a terrible knee injury against Pompey which saw him miss the rest of the season. Injuries held him back until the 98/99 season but by that time Steiner and Kiwomya had joined QPR and Gallen was falling down the pecking order…
It was August 2000 before Gallen left to join Huddersfield to gain first team football. He scored and missed a penalty on his return to Loftus Road! It wasn’t long until Gallen was looking for a new team again as his contract was not renewed at Huddersfield at the end of the season. A return to now division 2 QPR was on the cards. Unfortunately this fell short as QPR could not afford Gallens wages.
He then signed a 2 year contract at Barnsley but by November, Gallen was back at QPR and fortunes were turning back for the good. His first game back against Swindon saw him score and set up 2!
Another 5 seasons at QPR saw Gallen get the captains armband and bag another 55 goals! #Bagsman
The left half of his shirt is the 03/04 shirt as this was a huge season for Gallen and QPR. Gallen finished the season QPR’s top scorer with 17 goals and QPR finished second, in turn promoting then back into the first division.
Paul Parker
Our first premier league winner, World Cup semi finalist and first of our Italia 90 team...
Paul marks the start of our Italia 90 range. Which includes the famous song Word in motion by new order, queue the bucket hat!
Paul was at QPR during the tournament and so we gave him a blue ape to rep his club colours. Many R’s fans regard Parker as their greatest ever defender.
Paul, both equally a solid right back and centre back. He was born in West Ham and started his senior career at Fulham. It was there he amassed 153 appearances, scoring 2 goals.
He then moved to QPR for another long club spell with 125 appearances. Italia 90 saw Paul come as backup to Gary Stevens. Luckily for Paul a poor display from Gary meant he went on to play every game including the semi final.
Beating Egypt, Belgium and Cameroon before coming up against Germany in the semi final. We all know how this goes … The game went to penalties, and Germany don’t lose on penalties.
The biggest stage of Paul’s career came after a 2 million move to Manchester United. It was here he won 2 premier leagues, 1 FA cup, a League cup and 2 charity shields
Other notable clubs include Derby, Sheffield United, Fulham and Chelsea… and a managerial career with Chelmsford and Welling United after retirement
Sam Allardyce
None other than Big Sam!!
Sam is a huge character in the footballing world and any introduction we do will not do him justice.
Sam had a playing career spanning over 20 years for teams: Bolton, Sunderland, Millwall, Tampa Bay Rowdies, Coventry, Huddersfield, Preston, West Brom and Limerick.
Sam also has had a managing career lasting another 30 years with teams like: Limerick, Preston, Notts County, Bolton, Newcastle, Blackburn, West Ham, Sunderland, England, Crystal Palace, Everton and West Brom.
Sam has the best win percentage of any England manager ever!! 100%.
Wes Hoolahan
We’ve just scooped up our next community footballer! None other than the Irish Messi, or Wessi...
Wes Hoolahan!
Wes enjoyed a fruitful career across the football league all the way to Australia. Spending most of his career at Norwich City, signing in 2008 and taking number 14 throughout his time there.
He enjoyed his best campaign as a CAM in a diamond, bagging 13 goals in 2009/10. In 11/12 he got his chance with the captains armband while Holt and Martin were out injured.
In 2015 Wes was selected in the Football Manager Team of the Decade at the FA awards. In 2018 after 10 years at the club Wes had a send off for for a king at home against Leeds. A guard of honour, a goal, an assist and a 2-1 win for the canaries.
Wessi played 43 times for Ireland scoring 3 times. Most notably in the first group game against Sweden in 2016 Euros where he won MOTM!
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