FAQ

1. How does a player or coach qualify to be on Les Rosbifs?

Easy. If a player or coach is doing so outside of England and:

• Was born in England; and/or,
• Has represented England at any level; and/or,
• Has not represented another country at Under 21 or senior level,

then he is eligible for Les Rosbifs list. If a player has declared to represent another country despite being born in England, he will still be on the list because, hypothetically, Fabio Capello could call him up to the England squad. However, I call these “Corned Beef” because, really, they’re not real roast beef.

E.G: Scott Carson plays in Turkey – he is a rosbif. Craig Rocastle is English born and plays in the USA. But because he has played international football for Grenada, he is corned beef.

Got it?

Please, keep challenging me on this, so I can hone it as clearly and succinctly as possible.

2. Why no Chris Birchall on your site? He’s English…

He may have been born in England, but once he has represented another nation at senior or Under 21 level, that’s it. Birchall is an international for Trinidad and Tobago. I will call him corned beef and will look at him in due course, but he will never play for England now, so he is not the main focus.

3. But you featured John Wilkinson and Dan Bennett.

Yes I did, and yes, they are ‘Singaporean.’ However, theirs were interesting stories to tell, which have never really been in the loop over here in England. They were English players when they moved overseas, yet circumstances and opportunity arose for them to represent another country. By the way, they are not on the all-important list; the interviews were a token gesture – a nod of the cap, if you will.

4. I’m an English footballer/coach abroad. Can I be on your site?

Sure, providing that:

1. You’re English;
2. You meet the criteria mentioned in point 1 above; and,
3. You’re not playing in the South-West Sydney Sunday Reserve League Division IIIB. We have standards to maintain here, you know.

5. When are you going to interview “x” (insert player/coach name here)?

My dream is to interview every single English footballer and coach abroad. Obviously this will take a lot of work, a lot of goodwill from the players and a lot of knowledge of languages on my part, so that I can make myself understood to press officers at clubs far, far away. I am working on most, if not all, of the players, trying to break the ice and get interviews. Just for the record: some clubs have been fantastic in linking me up with the players and coaches; likewise journalists. Only two agents have been supportive – and I thank them both (you know who you are).

6. You’ve made a mistake! What a bunch of cack your site is!

If I’ve made an error anywhere, which is likely, I do like to be told so I can make amends. Do bear the following in mind though when you’re reading through this site:

• I do it for love, not money nor recognition (although I was paid in books by ‘When Saturday Comes’ for the article I did for them, which was a boon!);
• I have a wife and two young children, one who spends a fair amount of time being ill and reacting to every type of food under the sun;
• I have a full-time job, which involves a lot of work (plus WordPress is blocked by the IT department at work – a department, coincidentally, I run…);
• I am human.

I try my best and I do appreciate being shown the error of my ways. So please, if you spot anything, do let me know.

7. Your website is out of date. Poor form.

With nigh-on 400 players and coaches to follow, it is not always easy to keep on top of every single one of them, however hard I try. My Greek is not too hot either, so finding information on, for example, the English-born Cypriot League players, can take time. Please bear with me – especially on the Les Rosbif list.

8. Pah, you’ve included English players in Wales and Scotland. Hardly ‘abroad’, is it?

Try telling the Scottish and Welsh FA’s that. I have included these players on the list primarily because they are ‘foreign’ leagues. They compete separately of the English FA; their teams represent their FA’s in Europe. So in my eyes they are English footballing exports. I will, in the new year, expand the site to include BRITISH players overseas. This will mean the likes of Gary Hooper and Terry Butcher will no longer be classed as Les Rosbifs.

9. I like your player blogs. Can I get in touch with “x” and ask him a question?

Sure. Use the comment feature at the end of each posting they make, or drop me a line and I will pass your comment on. I will not, however, be giving out email addresses and mobile numbers.

10. Do you want any help writing the site?

A little help wouldn’t go amiss, particularly if you follow the League of Ireland, the Australian State leagues, the Welsh League or the Scottish leagues. Due to the sheer number of Englishmen kicking about in those leagues, it is very time-consuming to get together an article on them, so drop me a line if you can help.

Likewise, if you want to write a piece about an English footballer abroad – either past or present – get in touch.

11. My mate is “x” (insert player name here). Do you want me to arrange an interview for you?

Please do – contact me with the information.

12. I would like to advertise on your site. How do I go about doing so?

Use the contact form here. All mail is secure and reaches me. I wouldn’t charge the earth and would listen to offers, although I don’t want to turn this place into a cattle market.

13. Can I use your data for an article/publication I am writing.

Sure, so long as you credit me, preferably with a live link at the least. If you are going to rip-off my work, which an Italian football website and a respected British publication has done in the past, I will come and hunt you down and make your life a merry hell.

14. I am a pretty good footballer and I am keen to play abroad. Could you use your contacts to get me some trials?

Don’t know. Other sites do this and, unless I actually know you and/or you are nice to me, I am not going to bother. And I cannot guarantee that any of my contacts will get back to you.

15. Your site is so damn good. May I pay you something for the upkeep of it?

I have a Paypal account you can donate to here. Do bear in mind that any money raised does not go on the weekly shopping bill. It would be used to fund trips to see Englishmen in action overseas (planning one such trip to Iceland next year), website development and books (The European Football Yearbook by Mike Hammond is a particular favourite, as are the books by the wonderful Geo Edizioni).

16. Why do you use WordPress?

Mainly because it is easy to use. I didn’t expect Les Rosbifs to take off like it has, so it may not be entirely suited for a website such as this. However, it suits me fine in some respects, although not being able to use Javascript is a pain, as is the complete failure of not being able to post all of my tags on a single page. I might upgrade to wordpress.org, providing I can get the funds together and some spare time to build it up.

If you have any further questions, please contact me.