The Life and Times of Ahmet Rifat

[sotonroyal]

Wed 11th Septemeber 2002

England 2 - France 0
Huddlestone (29)
Jarvis (66)

England U17 Tom Heaton; Phillip Ifil, Andrew Taylor, Steven Taylor, Ahmet Rifat; Tom Huddlestone, James Morrison, James Millner, Grant Leadbitter; Ryan Jarvis, Dean Bowditch

Don’t ask me how I found this but this tasty looking England Under 17 managed to beat France (Aaron Lennon was only on the bench!). However, whilst nearly all of these players have gone onto have successful careers in the top two tiers of English football, our own Ahmet Rifat never made the grade and seemingly disappeared into the footballing abyss. I was wondering if anyone knows what has happened to him and whether he is still in the game? This was at a time when the Academy seemed to be producing a number of talented youngsters who were interesting bigger clubs (Campbell, Castle, Boucaud, Howell)
However none of them managed to make the grade.

[cmonurz]

I know he joined Brentford after he left us. After that, don't know. Simeon Howell I remember was destined for 'big things' - he was at Basingstoke last season, and has been released by Sutton United at some point.

[Smoking Kills Dancing Doe]

One of the most horrible people you could have ever met.

He did have the talent though, just completely wasted it.

[Doyler]

I talked to him at the training ground a few years ago, he didn't seem horrible at all. He seemed quite overawed by being around the first team and was quite humble about his talent. Not sure he had the confidence in himself to make it at Reading.

[rob the royal]

me an a mate spent ages trying to find out what happened to him and couldn't find a thing. the reason we were looking was cos my mate from uni used to play a bit of football with him back home in london. when he asked me what happened to him he was pretty shocked that the guy could just drop completely off the map, but sadly for rifat it looks like that is exactly what has happened.

[Hoop Blah]

I googled him ages ago and he was playing upfront for some team around about Reading Towns level, if not lower.

[Millsy]

i thought i caught a glimpse of him as an extra in lord of the rings

[eddiegrundy]

Seven years on and this thread deserves resurrection. Ahmet Rifat is currently playing for Wingate and Finchley. I met him tonight at the Ipswich Wanderers v Wingate and Finchley FA Cup replay, won 4-3 by Wingate and can confirm that he's a nice friendly chap.

[From Despair To Where?]

There was definitely a lost batch of promising youngsters. I think the club grew to fast for them. Baucard got a couple of seasons at Peterborough but that's about it.

Compare that to Stuart Beavon Jr. He's made a decent career in the football league for himself for the past 8 years having taken the non league route with Didcot. I don't even know if the club ever took any serious interest in him.

[Royalcop]

Andre Boucaud is currently playing for Dagenham & Redbridge with the god that is Jamie Cureton (who, at the age of 39, has 3 goals in 9 starts for the Daggers).

http://www.daggers.co.uk/team/player-pr ... boucaud/28

http://www.daggers.co.uk/team/player-pr ... -cureton/7

[Gordons Cumming]

Latest I can find is he's playing for Thurrock.

[double d]

Is there a Where are they now thread somewhere? Would be very interesting to compile a list of players who were youth team or random players we had (ie/ Michael dobson, Peter mate/John halls)

[moonwalklikebas]

John halls has hung up his boots and is now a successful fashion model - seriously

[double d]

That's amazing. Did anyone hear about Tim wiese, ex Germany keeper? He has become a bodybuilder, now weighs 250 pounds and wwe wrestling has offered him a contract!

[Sutekh]

Is there a Where are they now thread somewhere? Would be very interesting to compile a list of players who were youth team or random players we had (ie/ Michael dobson, Peter mate/John halls)

Peter Mate is still playing in Hungarian football for Debrecen

[P!ssed Off]

Andre Boucaud is currently playing for Dagenham & Redbridge with the god that is Jamie Cureton (who, at the age of 39, has 3 goals in 9 starts for the Daggers).

http://www.daggers.co.uk/team/player-pr ... boucaud/28

http://www.daggers.co.uk/team/player-pr ... -cureton/7

As well as that oxf*rd Matt Partridge:
http://www.daggers.co.uk/team/player-pr ... rtridge/21

And former promising Reading Youth midfielder Frankie Raymond:
http://www.daggers.co.uk/team/player-pr ... raymond/29

Team full of ex-Royals.

[genome]

Ah, Matt Partridge

[Jerry St Clair]

After watching Neville Roach singlehandedly destroy Swansea (or maybe Southend) I declared him better than Michael Owen and swore he'd play for England.

Oh dear.

[Maguire]

Southend IIRC

[RepressedRoyal]

Any offers on Ooh Jamie Lambert...Starred in a televised FA Cup game against Birmingham around about 1992 was linked with Monaco then oblivion...I thought he was the next Gazza