The players who fell from grace but refused to quit

Such is their love of the game, a number of former Premier League stars have forged managerial careers in the ever-so-slightly less glamorous world of non-League football: Luton’s Mick Harford and Newport’s Dean Holdsworth are notable examples. Some however, are still plying their trade on the pitch in the lower echelons of the football pyramid.

Spoiler correspondent Russell Greaves brings us ten former top flight heroes who have swapped the international acclaim of the top flight for the bumpy pitches and humble attendances of the grass roots game…

Paolo Vernazza
(4 Premier League appearances for Arsenal)
Once a promising youngster at Arsenal, Paolo even got a run out in the Champions League, but has since worked his way down the leagues - way down. Having scored the winning goal against Coventry City in front of 37,000 fans at Highbury in 2000, the midfielder’s most recent goal was for Conference South giants Woking, and 2,000 people were fortunate enough to see it. A cautionary tale for the current crop of Arsenal youngsters. Credit where it’s due, though, his supporting lady is top-class.

Jason Lee
(69 Premier League appearances for Nottingham Forest)
If you recognise the name, it could be because he scored over one-hundred career league goals, but it’s more likely to be because he was relentlessly lampooned on Fantasy Football League. He’s now banging them in for Corby Town in the Conference North, minus the pineapple.

Alan Wright
(Over 300 Premier League appearances for Blackburn Rovers and Aston Villa)
Perhaps best remembered as the shortest player in the history of the Premier League (a pocket-sized 5’4’’), Alan Wright is now best known as the shortest player in the Blue Square North. Aston Villa once paid £1m for his services, but Fleetwood Town recently secured his signature without a fee and gave the 38-year-old his non-league debut in a 2-1 victory at Solihull Moors.

The European Commission’s decision to deny Sky Sports the right to broadcast every televised game will again hit fans in the wallet

The Spoiler hoped that the one good thing that could potentially stem from Setanta’s collapse would be Premier League football being made cheaper to watch - obviously we weren’t too optimistic but we kept our fingers crossed.

However, it has today been confirmed that ESPN’s new UK channel will launch on August 3 at a premium of £9 a month to Sky Sports customers and £12 to those who have Sky without the sports packages.

Whereas with Setanta, you were also getting FA Cup, Blue Square Premier, Bundesliga and international games thrown in for your money, ESPN’s 46

The best most tolerable sports on the telebox tonight

There’s not much happening on the pictocube tonight, so unless hilarious toffs Mitchell and Webb take your fancy, it’s all about the Blue Square Premier. Bet on tonight’s action using the best odds available on the web at our ingenious oddschicken.

Blue Square Premier
Salisbury/ Stevenage (Setanta Sports 1, 7.45pm)

The best sports on the telebox tonight

No, it hasn’t been some sort of four-day-weekend deluded fantasy - the England team are about to claim the New Zealand test series. Piling on an England victory at 1/25 will get you full marks for belated patriotism, but little financial return. So, unless a punt on the World Women’s Curling Championship revs your engine (British Eurosport at 9.15pm if you’re evening plans are that depressing), the only other sporting action on the box tonight comes in the form of Northwhich Victoria’s visit to York City. To get the best odds on the Blue Square Premier tie, visit the oddschicken.

Blue Square Premier
York City/ Northwich Victoria (Setanta Sports 1, 7.45pm)

Cricket: Third Test
New Zealand/ England (Sky Sports 1, 9pm)

The best sports on the telebox tonight

In the Blue Square Premier, second-place Torquay are looking to catch up league leaders Aldershot when they visit Plainmoor tonight. Meanwhile, Nottingham Forest and Carlisle will be battling to secure their League One playoff places at the City Ground.

Interestingly, both the lower-placed teams (Torquay and Forest) are favourites to win tonight, so there may be some value in backing their opposition.

League One
Nottingham Forest/ Carlisle Utd (Sky Sports 1, 7.45pm) - bet here

Blue Square Premier
Torquay Utd/ Aldershot (Setanta Sports 1, 8pm) - bet here

The best sports programming on the telebox tonight

Namibia’s odds of a victory against Africa Cup of nations hosts Ghana are at 28-1, which is depressing for Namibians, considering the current odds of Alan Shearer managing Sunderland are 10-1. Find the best odds for all of tonight’s football by using our oddschicken.

Africa Cup of Nations
Guinea/ Morocco (British

The best sports on the telebox this weekend

Kevin Keegan’s latest stint at Newcastle will undoubtedly be the highlight of a packed weekend for armchair sportsfans – will his rejuvenated side be able to get the better of Bolton? Check out our preview here, then place your

There’s chuff all on the telebox tonight

The FA Cup may have given us plenty of excitement over the weekend, yet it has robbed us of our Monday night game. Here’s what remains of tonight’s sporting roster, but it