Top 10: Flair Premiership Players

10 Stan Collymore- Nottingham Forest, Liverpool, Aston Villa, Leicester City, Bradford City

"Stan the man" started his Premiership life as a Nottingham Forest goal monster before defecting to Liverpool's "Spice Boys" for a then record fee. The Striker combined pace, strength and a good eye for goal as he created a lethal partnership with Robbie Fowler. He revealed that the Liverpool dressing room was a hedonistic flair dungeon, with a total lack of discipline and frequent hotel orgies- one of the reasons as to why they are considered to be an all time top flair outfit. Collymore had a knack for irritating managers with his less than perfect attitude, and it didn't take long before Liverpool had had enough, and he was on his way to Aston Villa. more fallings out in the second city led to Stan moving once more. Short spells with Leicester, Bradford and Oviedo in Spain preceded an early retirement. Poor fitness and a shoddy attitude had ruined what was a highly promising career.
Off the field, Stan was less than a gentleman. It was revealed by a certain Swedish serial footballer humper that he had regularly beaten her. He was also caught participating in the flair sexual act of "dogging".
Since retirement, Stan had a brief acting and music career, befriending Ice Cube, before settling down with a media career. He now hosts a programme for "Talk Sport".


9 Hidetoshi Nakata- Bolton Wanderers


Japanese icon, Hidetoshi Nakata, was recruited to Bolton's flair ranks in 2005. Here he teamed up with fellow flairists Jay Jay Okocha and Youri Djourkaeff. Nakata burst onto the scene before the 1998 world cup when he announced that he would be the player of the tournament (whether he was is still open for debate), and later completed a dream move to Serie A side Perugia. Hidetoshi enjoyed a happy spell in Italy with Parma, Fiorentina, and Roma- where he won his first silverware. He was rewarded with one of the highest honours in Italy- being made a Knight of the Italian star of solidarity, for improving the countries image overseas. During the twilight years of his career, Nakata joined Bolton and flaired the shit out of the Premiership before retiring. Nakata is a fashion fanatic and has often modelled for high profile designers.

8 Edgar Davids- Tottenham Hotspur


After a long and successful career, "the pitbull" decided to wind down his career with Tottenham. He had previously enjoyed great levels of success in Italy aswell as his native Netherlands where he triumphed in the champions league with Ajax. His high octane performances earned him his nickname, and he was hard not to recognise with his blindness conquering glasses that he sported during matches. Davids was also given a lengthy ban for steroid abuse in 2001, which is what really earns him his place on this list. Davids is now trying to improve the fortunes of his boyhood icons, Ajax.

7 Jay Jay Okocha- Bolton Wanderers



Okocha was "so good they named him twice" and he lit the game on fire with his exquisite skills and natural ability. Always seen as an underachiever in world football, the Nigerian had been a key member of Nigeria' "golden generation" who were triumphant in the 1996 Olympics, but had struggled to settle at any club. He kick started Bolton's flair dynasty and helped keep them in the Premiership year after year, which his exceptional skills. Okocha left the club to play in Qatar before satisfying atheists everywhere when he claimed that God had told him to live in Hull. No-one seemed to question why God would send anyone to Hull. He helped Hull secure promotion to the Premiership before retiring.

6. Joey Barton- Manchester City, Newcastle United


Bad boy midfielder Joey Barton enters our list at number 6. Barton burst onto the scenes as a tough tacking midfield dynamo with Kevin Keegan's Man City and quickly established his place in the side. On the pitch Barton isn't particularly flair, he's just your average box to box midfielder really. However, off the pitch he is a different story. Barton has served several prison sentences for different assault charges, one of which was on a former team mate. Barton also one stubbed a cigar out in a youth players eye. Barton blamed alcohol for many of his "anger management issues" and is now tee-total. Oh, and his brother is a racist axe murderer.



5. Mark Bosnich- Aston Villa, Manchester United, Chelsea

"All I did was fall in love with someone and care about them deeply and I put them ahead of everything and so be it... As Martin Luther King said, 'life is not worth living unless you find something worth dying for'. And at that time, for me, that person was more important than football." Commented Mark Bosnich, he was referring to his drug problem and relationship with model Sophie Anderton. Bosnich is one of football's great characters. A top goalkeeper in his day, but constant partying and playboy antics hindered his career, right up until he was banned after testing positive for cocaine. Bosnich claimed that Anderton had insisted that every time she did a line, he had to have one too. Whilst at Aston Villa, he was fined after carrying out a nazi salute at Tottenham fans. Bosnich has now left his playboy lifestyle behind him, and is resurrecting his career in his native Australia.


4 David Ginola- Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur, Aston Villa, Everton


Ginola was the star man in Kevin Keegans Newcastle dream team. Some saw him as lazy and uncommitted, others saw him for what he was- a modern day footballing mozart. Capable of turning a game with a flick of his long, flowing locks, Ginola was insanely skillful and articulate on the ball. He combined a fantastic dribbling ability and a great passing range. He could score goals and set them up, he could literally do everything. Ginola left Newcastle sparking a major riot and joined Tottenham- where he is now a member of the clubs "hall of fame". Several joy filled years at Spurs were followed by less happy spells at Aston villa and Everton. Ginola also appeared in several adverts and has enjoyed a fantastic post-football life. He has acted, modelled and has won awards for the wine made on his OWN VINYARD!!!!!

3 Juninho- Middlesbrough

Osvaldo Giroldo Júnior, aka "Juninho" was a Brazilian international who inexplicably joined Middlesbrough in 1996. The small attacking midfielder lit up the Premiership at a time when foreign flairists were a rarity. Juninho would often be found playing football on the streets with local children, as he took the North East firmly to his heart. Juninho had three happy spells on Teesside inbetween fairly unhappy spells in Spain, Scotland and Brazil. He was a World Cup winner in 2002. Some could say that he was a trailblazer in terms of flair foreigners coming here, it's certain that football would be vastly different if it weren't for the tiny Brazilian.

2 Tony Yeboah- Leeds United


The big Ghanaian striker was the best player on EARTH for about half a season. Yeboah is the only player EVER to win successive "goal of the month" awards (Sept & Oct 1995). Yeboah attributed his success while at Leeds to his love of Yorkshire Puddings, and any aspiring footballer only has to see his sublime goals against Liverpool and Wimbledon to instantly reach for the Aunt Bessies. Injuries (possibly Yorkshire Pudding related) hampered his career in England, and a clash with new manager and anti-flairist George Graham led to an exit from the club. Yeboah scored 25 goals in 48 games. Scoring off the crossbar from far out is still known as "a yeboah" and should always be followed by running around wagging your index fingers shouting "YEBOAHHHHHHHH". Tony is now a chairman of Bechem Chelsea in his native Ghana.

1 Matt Le Tissier- Southampton

Matt Le Tissier was a one club man and played 444 games for his beloved Southampton. Le Tissier, aka "Le God" (which translates unfortunately into French) would constantly feature in the "Goal of the Season" competition and has scored some of the greatest goals ever. Born in the Channel Islands meaning he could play for any of the "home nations" and he chose England, unfortunately he was constantly overlooked by England managers, only playing 3 times. Le Tissier was more than just a scorer of spectacular goals though, he netted 162 times, basically from midfield as he almost single handedly kept the Saints in the Premiership. He also missed just one penalty in his career. His touch and guile was exquisite and he was one of the most naturally gifted players to ever grace the English game. The fact that he only played for lowly Southampton was his choice rather than it being a case of larger clubs overlooking him, and he very nearly joined Manchester United. Le Tissier retired in 2002 after netting the last goal at The Dell and now works as a pundit.

Spotlight On: Colin Kazim-Richards

Former Sheffield United, Bury and Brighton flairist, Colin "Kazim-Kazim" Kazim-Richards is to be sensationally booted out of his Turkish club Fenerbahce after being involved in several scandals.

Colin has always been a flair idol of mine since joining Brighton as the "Coca-Cola" kid. His immense skill and appalling attitude endeared him to very few non-flairniacs. Since leaving Brighton, his "too big for his boots" attitude has generally shown to be accurate as he has since played in the Premiership, Champions League and even played in Euro 2008 for his adopted nation of Turkey.

However, things have recently turned sour for Colin. In December he was involved in a car crash in which it was later revealed that he had ignored adverts in his youth to "belt up". This caused outrage within the normally placid Turkish media, and when it was recently revealed that he was arranging hotel orgies for him and his team-mates (and prostitutes obviously) his club had had enough.

Colin has now joined French side Toulouse on loan, with "Fener" claiming that he will never play for them again.

I salute you Colin

Top 10: modern day flair units

Every now and again the world of football is blessed by a collection of the finest flair players all playing in same team. This feat is rarely seen which makes it even more special. Here are my top 10 flair units in my living memory (from the mid 90's onwards).

10. Jamaica's "Reggae Boyz"- World Cup 1998

The sunkissed island of Jamaica made their World Cup debut in 1998. The nation more famous for providing the world with Bob Marley, Jimmy Cliff and Desmond Dekker was previously more of a cricketing nation. Many of the Jamaica squad were plying their trade in England (or have since moved here) so were more than familiar with football fans over here. Jamaica were unfortunately dumped out at the first round after defeats at the hands of Croatia and Argentina. The highlight came with a 2-1 over the fancied Japanese. Some could've seen their early exit coming, questioning whether the likes of Fitzroy Simpson and Frank Sinclair really belonged at the World Cup. But extravagant play and colourful fans really brightened up every game that the Reggae Boyz played in.

Team that defeated Japan: Aaron Lawrence; Stephen Malcolm, Christopher Dawes, Ian Goodison, Fitzroy Simpson (Robbie Earle); Marcus Gayle (Deon Burton), Theodore Whitmore, Ricardo Gardner, Onandi Lowe; Frank Sinclair, Paul Hall (Walter Boyd)

9. Jose Mourinho's Porto Team- 2002-2004

Few had heard of 'The Special One' before FC Porto's 2002-03 Uefa Cup Win (against Martin O'Neill's Celtic) and 2003-04 Champions League win (against AS Monaco). His side were mainly an efficient unit which few could dismantle (they defeated Manchester United en route to the final)

but it was their unknown flamboyant manager who gripped the attention of the flair world like a python around it's pray. Jose left Porto after his back to back European successes and joined Chelsea where he briefly dominated the English game before joining Internazionale, but the flair connoisseurs amongst us remember the good old days when a silver fox shook the world of football in a way never seen before

Team that beat AS Monaco in the Champions League final: Vitor Baia; Paulo Ferreira, Jorge Costa, Ricardo Carvalho, Nuno Valente; Pedro Mendes, Costinha, Maniche, Deco (Pedro Emanuel); Derlei (Benni McCarthy), Carlos Alberto (Dimitri Alenichev)

8. Sir Bobby Robson's Newcastle Dynasty. 1999-2004

Before 'The Toon' became a world wide comedy act they were actually quite good. Sir Bobby, a local hero, took over from the disastrous spell of Ruud Gullit and transformed United into a respectable outfit. Consistently high league finishes and European adventures kept fans happy. The potent strike force of Alan Shearer and Craig Bellamy was supplied by the likes of Laurent Robert, Nolberto Solano, Kieron Dyer, Lee Bowyer and Jermaine Jenas. The impressive Jonathan Woodgate made sure that respectability was added to the defence. They say that too many cooks spoil the flair broth and this proved to be the case as Robson's galactico's self imploded around him. In-fighting and on pitch dissent put pressure on the aging legend. Lee Bowyer and Kieron Dyer fighting on pitch was the straw that broke the camels back for the Newcastle board and they replaced him with Graham Souness. Newcastle have since spiraled into anarchy and now find themselves in the Championship. They have never seen anything like the delights of Robson's reign since his departure.

A select few of the many flair players to play in this period: Titus Bramble; Craig Bellamy; Lee Bowyer; Laurent Robert; Jonathan Woodgate; Lomana Lua-Lua; Shola Ameobi; Clarence Acuna; Kieron Dyer; Nolberto Solano

7. Senegal- World Cup 2002

Senegal made their World Cup debut in 2002 and stunned the world when they defeated world champion's France. They went on to draw with Denmark and Uruguay which resulted in the African's progressing to the second stage where they defeated Sweden. An extra time defeat to Turkey saw them crashing out in the quarter finals, but their athleticism, industry and skill endeared them to fans throughout the world. Senegal have failed to qualify for a World Cup since and many of the teams stars have failed to capitalise on their undoubted potential.

Team that defeated France: Tony Sylva; Omar Daf, Papa Malick Diop, Aliou Cisse, Khaliou Fadiga; El-Hadji Diouf, Lamine Diatta, Moussa D'Diaye, Salif Diao Ferdinand Coly, Papa Boupa Diop. Selected Subs Not Used: Henri Camara; Amdy Faye, Habib Beye

6. Bolton Wanderers' "Golden Oldies"

The words "Bolton" and "Flair" are very rarely mentioned in the same page let along sentence, but here, i'm going to do it: Bolton, flair. There you go. Shortly after promotion to the Premiership, unlikely flair icon Sam Allardyce went flair mental and created a flair dynasty that will live long in the memory. Surrounded by industrial oafs were several players deemed too flair/old for any other club. As the players got older, the team started to retire and disband and the flair era and the Reebok was quickly over

Selected players to play for Bolton's "Golden Oldies": Jay-Jay Okocha; Fredi Bobic; El-Hadji Diouf; Hidetoshi Nakata; Fernando Hierro; Youri Djourkaeff

5. Chelsea's "Zola and Co."

Remember when Chelsea were cool? Pre-Abramovich Chelsea were a cosmopolitan, underachieving, swashbuckling flair orchestra. They would regularly defeat the top teams in the league, but poor results against teams that they should've easily defeated meant that they often underachieved league wise, but in the cups they were fairly successful with FA Cup and Uefa Cup Winners Cup wins. Financial instability led to a certain Russian taking over and a more efficient unit replacing the flair icons of before.

Team that defeated Stuttgart in the 1998 Uefa Cup Winners Cup Final: Ed De Goey; Dan Petrescu, Danny Granville, Frank LeBoeuf, Michael Duberry, Steve Clarke; Dennis Wise, Roberto Di Matteo, Gustavo Poyet (Eddie Newton); Tore Andre Flo, Gianluca Vialli (Gianfranco Zola)

4. Roy Evans and "Pass and move it's the Liverpool groove"

It's hard to remember a time when Liverpool weren't insanely dull, but in reality you don't have to turn the clock back too far to find an entertaining Liverpool side. Pre-Benitez, Pre-Gerrard, Pre-Carragher, Pre-Houllier and even Pre-Owen, Liverpool were a relentlessly attacking side, showing little regard to defending and playing excellent football. Managed by one of football's forgotten men- Roy Evans- Liverpool combined an ageing defence, and erratic goalkeeper and a midfield that were only interested in flairing the shit out of any opposition. The 4-3 win over fellow flairniacs, Newcastle United, is one of the greatest matches ever seen. Gerard Houllier joined Evans at the helm and had his own ideas. Evans quit and, whilst the clubs fortunes on the pitch improved, the flair period was sadly, over.

Team that defeated Newcastle United 4-3: David James; Rob Jones (Ian Rush), Jason McAteer, Mark Wright (Steve Harkness), Stan Collymore, John Barnes, John Scales, Jamie Redknapp, Steve McManaman, Robbie Fowler, Neil Ruddock

3. West Ham- "Too Good to Go Down" 2002-2003

West Ham United were considered far too good to be relegated when the 2002-03 season started. Glenn Roeder had succeeded Harry Redknapp and was carrying on with the side that Redknapp built, based around many locally sourced young players. Despite playing fantastic football at times, consistant form was never found and the underachieving Hammers were eventually relegated. The club have never quite recovered since, however many of the players have gone on to greater things. David James, Glen Johnson, Michael Carrick, Joe Cole and Jermaine Defoe have all become England internationals, and Freddi Kanoute has had a successful career in Spain

Team that defeated Chelsea 1-0 in May 2003: David James; Glen Johnson, Tomas Repka, Christian Dailly, Rufus Brevett; Steve Lomas, Joe Cole, Trevor Sinclair; Freddi Kanoute, Les Ferdinand (Paolo Di Canio), Jermaine Defoe

2. England- Euro '96

The most exciting England side in years graced the European Championship in 1996. Led by manager Terry Venables the team used home advantage and a talented team to very nearly go all the way- eventually losing on penalties to anti-flair elitists, Germany in the semi-finals. Venables deployed the "Christmas Tree" formation (4-3-2-1) in which star midfield and flair overlord, Paul Gascoigne was given freedom to roam and assist hot shot striker, Alan Shearer. England blitzed through the first round with a draw against Switzerland, a win over Scotland and a demolition of Netherlands, before a hard fought win over Spain saw them face off with Germany in the semi's. It was not meant to be and England have never been as flair since.

England Squad: David Seaman, Gary Neville, Stuart Pearce, Paul Ince, Tony Adams, Gareth Southgate, David Platt, Paul Gascoigne, Alan Shearer, Teddy Sheringham, Darren Anderton, Steve Howey, Ian Walker, Nicky Barmby, Jamie Redknapp, Sol Campbell, Steve McManaman, Les Ferdinand, Phil Neville, Steve Stone, Robbie Fowler, Tim Flowers

1. Keegan's Newcastle Dream Team

This Newcastle side were my inspiration for flair. They were the reason why i got into flair and i owe everything to them. The pinnacle of this flair dynasty was the 1995-96 season in which they dazzled opponents with attacking play before self imploding and eventually surrendering the title which was almost in their grasp. Shaka Hislop and Pavel Srnicek battled it out for the keepers jersey (which featured a backdrop of the Newcastle skyline), David Ginola strolled around the pitch looking like he didn't give a shit before unleashing a volley into the top corner from 30 yards, Phillipe Albert defended without caring about defence and Faustino Asprilla played with incredible inconsistency. This rich cocktail of flair led to a potent hangover as the Toon never quite recaptured these glory years, and failure to do so has seen many managers come and go. Even the arrival of prodigal son, Alan Shearer the following season couldn't improved the flairtunes of the club.

This is the side that defeated Arsenal 2-0 in January 1996: Pavel Srnicek; Warren Barton, Rob Elliot, Darren Peacock, Philippe Albert, Rob Lee (Lee Clark), David Ginola, Peter Beardsley, Paul Kitson (Steve Watson), Les Ferdinand

Top 10: flair brighton players of the withdean era

10. Michel Kuipers

Flair Attributes: Foreign; Injury Prone; Interesting former career; erratic performances

Any Flair list would be incomplete without our own Former Dutch Marine. One of the most popular Albion players of all time kicks off our list. Kuipers started his career in the Dutch amateur leagues before moving to Bristol Rovers in 1999. Zero appearances later and in search of regular football, Mickey Adams brought the Dutchman in initially as a back-up to Mark Cartwright. Initially ridiculed for his poor kicking and girls name, Kuipers has overcome adversity and a list of rivals to his number 1 jersey that is as long as his sizable member. Capable of stunning saves and the rare howler, Amsterdam born Kuipers is a true Flair icon. Almost 300 appearances later he is still number 1 at the club after dispatching another rival in the form of Scottish 'goalkeeper', Graeme Smith.

9. Bas Savage

Flair Attributes: Celebration; contraversial exit from the club; brief stint with blue hair

Eyebrows were raised in February 2007 when Dean Wilkins selected free agent Bas Savage as the newest member of his flair orchestra. Bas had recently been released by Gillingham and had netted just twice in his career. However, Savage quickly became a cult hero with Albion fans as he netted crucial goals in the clubs survival battle. It was not just his goals that gained him affection, but for his 'Moonwalk' celebration which had Soccer AM creaming themselves everytime he netted. A contract dispute saw him leave the Albion and join Millwall in February 2008. But for a short time Savage was a hero down on the South Coast.

8. Lorenzo Pinamonte

Flair Attributes: Foreign; long hair

Lorenzo played 9 games for the Albion on loan from Bristol City in the 99-00 season. He was the original foreign icon at Withdean, paving the way for the likes of Turienzo, Carole, Molango and Chaigneau. Lorenzo may have only netted twice in his short spell, but it is his long term impact that has earned him his place on this list. Pinamonte later went on to play for Brentford and Leyton Orient aswell as several teams in Italy, where he still plays. Failure to capture the Italian Stallion paved the way for Bobby Zamora's arrivial at Brighton

7. Sebastien Carole

Flair Attributes: Foreign; erratic performances; lazy

The Frenchman arrived in England alongside compatriot Alexandre Frutos in 2005. He had previously represented French powerhouse AS Monaco and had even played in the Champions League. The winger spent the whole season casually switching between world class and appalling with a typically French nonchalant attitude. His fondness for beating the same player more than once, and his inability to provide consistently quality crosses may have infuriated sections of the Withdean crowd, but all this cemented his place in the hearts of Albion Flairniacs everywhere. Sebastien left the club after using a relegation clause in his contact, and joined Leeds United, where he played around 40 games. A short spell with Darlington preceded a short and fairly unsuccessful return to the Albion. At the start of this season he joined John Barnes' Tranmere flair Reich before recently rejoining Brighton for the third time on a rolling contract.

6. Ben Roberts

Flair Attributes: Erratic; injury prone; appearance flair

It takes a great man to outflair Michel Kuipers but the "Beast from the North East" did just that. A former FA Cup Finalist with Middlesbrough in 1997, the former England Under-21 'keeper arrived at Withdean on loan during the 2002-2003 to cover for the injured Kuipers before signing permanently the following season. Roberts ticked so many boxes on the flair list that it was almost too good to be true. Dashing good looks, short sleeves and white boots ensured that he had nothing to worry about appearance wise. Performance wise he was exceptionally good value for money. His love of solo runs earned him the nickname "coco" among Albion fans, but he soon won the anti-flair fans over with consistently high performances during Brighton's play-off promotion season. A superb penalty save from Tommy Mooney in the Swindon shoot-out helped Brighton make the final. Roberts suffered a back injury which eventually led to his early retirement. Were it not for his persistent back problems he would've surely played at a higher level. He is now goalkeeping coach at League 1 rivals Yeovil Town.

5. Al Bangura

Flair Attributes: Involved in scandal; foreign

Not many Brighton players have been involved in a deportation scandal, which is exactly why the Sierra Leone born Bangura finds himself at number 5 in this illustrious list. Bangura was the subject of human trafficking as a youth. After the death of his father, Al fled to Guinea where he met a Frenchman who intended to take him to the UK and use him as a male prostitute. Once in the UK, Bangura sought asylum. Bangura came up through the ranks at Watford, playing around 60 games. It was at Watford that he was involved in a deportation case with the Home Office intending to return him to Sierra Leone, where he felt his life would be in danger. Manager Aidy Boothroyd spoke on his behalf and Watford fans gave him their support, and the decision was announced that Bangura would be allowed to stay in the UK. FLAIR! Bangura played 6 games for the Albion last season and now plays for Blackpool.

4. Darren Currie

Flair Attributes: Lazy; under achievement; appearance flair; on pitch skill

Currie has been generally regarded as one of the most naturally gifted players to grace the Football League. Often regarded as the 'poor mans Beckham', Darren possessed two good feet, a good cross, a good passing range and a reputation as a set piece specialist- all he lacked was pace. The bulk of his pre-Albion appearances were for Barnet and Wycombe Wanderers and he was voted into the 'Team of the Year' whilst with Barnet the year Brighton won the 3rd division (Barnet were relegated). Currie left Wycombe by mutual consent in 2004 and hopped aboard Mark Mcghee's flair train. He graced the hallowed shirt for just 22 games, but his impact was so great that he will forever be remembered as an Albion legend. Currie joined Ipswich for £250,000 and played 83 games for the Suffolk club. Darren nearly rejoined the Albion after leaving Luton Town, but broke the hearts of Albion Flairniacs everywhere, and instead joined Chesterfield.

3. Leon Knight

Flair Attributes: Bad attitude; white boots; winding up opposition fans

A controversial figure wherever he has been, Leon Knight played for Brighton from 2003-2006. Knight grew up in London and played for the famous 'Senrab' boys team that has produced shit loads of professional players. The 'short' striker was snapped up by Chelsea and had several loan spells in the football league with QPR, Sheffield Wednesday, Huddersfield Town and finally, Brighton. After several games he was snapped up by Steve Coppell for a fee of £50,000. Knight proceeded to systematically destroy Division 2 defences and finished the league's top scorer as the Seagulls were promoted. His penalty at Cardiff secured the win. Unfortunately, this was the peak of his career, since then constant fallings out with team mates and managers alike have blighted Knight's career so much so that only Chelsea and Brighton has received money for him. Since falling out with Mark Mcghee in 2006 , Knight has played for/fallen out with: Swansea City; Barnsley (loan); MK Dons; Wycombe Wanderers; Rushden & Diamonds; Thrasyvoulos and now finds himself at SPL side Hamilton. Knight is the epitome of the type of player you find all over the Football League. He had all the talent in the world, but his attitude was appalling, and i believe that we saw the best that he had to offer. He was ruddy flair though.

2. Tony Rougier

Flair Attributes: Foreign; religious; celebration

Some may see this as a strange choice but in just six appearances, Rougier cemented himself in the Albion Flair Hall of Fame. The attacker grew up in that Cathedral of Flair- Trinidad & Tobago and has represented his nation 67 times. Rougier arrived at Withdean on loan from Reading in the 2002-03 season (widely regarded as the Flairest season in the Albions history) and scored twice in his 6 games. On his home debut, the "Trinidaddy of Cool" netted against Millwall, and unleashed a celebration that will last long in the memory of all that were there, when he imitated a Seagull. Rougier is a 'proud and passionate Christian" and was the man who advised friend and unlikely nominee for "father of the year" Dwight Yorke to 'calm down a bit with the ladies'. Rougier played against the Albion in the play-off final the following season, where a section of anti-flair elitists started 'booing' the former Albion hero. Rougier is now Technical Director of FC South End, a team who he co-founded in his homeland.

1. Federico Turienzo

Flair Attributes: Foreign; Long hair; rubbish; over priced

A perhaps predictable choice from me, but one that may be surprising to those who were unlucky never to witness any of the Latino sex icon's 4 appearances in the Albion shirt. Turienzo arrived from Argentine giants Gimnasia La Plata for a bargain £150,000 in the summer of 2005, after a stunning trial. Mark McGhee was responsible for the arrivals of many flair gods, but it is the signing of Turienzo that he is most famous for. In his 4 appearances, he subjected Albion fans to some of the greatest displays of attacking prowess ever witnessed. On his debut against Reading (one of the highest anticipated moments in Albion history) he showed what he was made of by unleashing a long range drive which narrowly missed, before being harshly denied a penalty after being scythed down in the box. Turienzo is now terrorising defences in Italy for Cavese, but his heart will always belong with the Albion.

Welcome to FlairwatchUK

Welcome readers to a brand new 'blog' following the world of FLAIR.

Over the course of 'forever', myself and my co-writers will keep you posted with your favourite flair footballers/people