John Aldridge
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | John William Aldridge | ||
Date of birth | 18 September 1958 | ||
Place of birth | Liverpool, England | ||
Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)[1] | ||
Position(s) |
Striker | ||
Youth career | |||
1978–1979 | South Liverpool | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
1979–1984 | Newport County | 170 | (70) |
1984–1987 | Oxford United | 114 | (72) |
1987–1989 | Liverpool | 83 | (50) |
1989–1991 | Real Sociedad | 63 | (33) |
1991–1998 | Tranmere Rovers | 243 | (138) |
Total | 673 | (363) | |
International career | |||
1986–1996 | Republic of Ireland | 69 | (19) |
Managerial career | |||
1996–2001 | Tranmere Rovers | ||
*Club domestic league appearances and goals |
John William Aldridge (born 18 September 1958) is a former
During his early career, he worked his way up through the lower leagues, playing in every league from the old
A Liverpudlian by birth, he was recruited to play for the Republic of Ireland as part of Jack Charlton's "Granny Rule" policy: his great-grandmother was from Athlone, and travelled to Liverpool to settle in the 19th century.[3][4] His career with Ireland coincided with their most successful period in international football, and he played at two World Cups.[5][6]
Club career
South Liverpool and Newport County
Aldridge took a long time to reach the top level of the English game. He began his career in the mid-1970s at non-league
While at Somerton Park, Aldo, as he came to be known, played 198 times scoring 87 goals, a goal every 2+1⁄4 games, including seven goals in twelve FA Cup matches. He partnered Tommy Tynan and Dave Gwyther for four years at Somerton Park, helping Newport to promotion from the Fourth Division and Welsh Cup glory in his first season, and to reach the quarter-finals of the European Cup Winners' Cup in his second.
His first season with County, 1979–80, saw him score fourteen goals from 38 games as his side won the Welsh Cup and gained promotion to the Third Division. A year later, he featured in the side that achieved a notable European run. In the league, he scored seven goals in 27 league games. He scored eleven goals in 36 games in the 1981–82 season, but in 1982–83 he did better still with seventeen goals from 41 games as County narrowly missed out on promotion to the second tier.[7]
In 1983–84, with Tynan having departed, Aldridge had scored 26 times by the end of February, and County were still in the Third Division.[8]
Oxford United
Alridge was sold to[9] Oxford United on 21 March 1984, when the club was preparing for their Third Division promotion run-in under the management of Jim Smith. He made his debut on 7 April 1984, coming on as a substitute in a 1–0 win over Walsall at Fellows Park. His first goal was in the 5–0 home win against Bolton Wanderers on 20 April 1984.
He was used sparingly in the run-in to the Third Division title but the following season forged a partnership with Billy Hamilton and became the first Second Division player for nineteen years to score 30 goals. His 34 goals (30 in the league) in 1984–85 broke the club's goalscoring record for a single season, [10] as Oxford gained promotion to the old First Division for the first time. Aldridge also picked up a Second Division title medal.
In his 27th year, Aldridge finally had the chance to play in the First Division. He was the third-highest scorer in the division (only surpassed by
Aldridge ended up playing 141 times for Oxford, scoring 90 goals
Liverpool
In early 1987, Liverpool were losing striker
Liverpool ended the season trophyless, including a Wembley defeat to Arsenal in the
Aldridge made his debut for Liverpool on 21 February 1987, when he came on as a 46th-minute substitute for Craig Johnston in a 2–2 league draw with Aston Villa at Villa Park.[13] His first goal for his new club came a week later on 28 February, in the 60th minute, the only goal of the game as Liverpool beat Southampton in a league match at Anfield.[14]
Aldridge scored 26 goals in a successful season for Liverpool, including a strike in each of the first nine games, forming a 10-match scoring run as he had scored in his final league appearance of the previous season.[15]
He linked up with new signings
Aldridge scored both goals in the club's
The following season was tough and eventful for Aldridge. Rush failed to settle in Italy and Liverpool paid £2.8 million to bring him back to Anfield just before the season started. Dalglish played Aldridge and Rush together. In the Charity Shield match against Wimbledon at Wembley, Aldridge started the match and scored both Liverpool goals in a 2–1 win. Aldridge maintained his scoring streak, often playing alongside both Rush and Beardsley in attack, while Rush missed a number of games or started games on the bench due to injuries. In the first league game of the season a week later, Aldridge scored a hat-trick in a 3–0 win at Charlton Athletic.[18] He scored another league hat-trick on 14 March, in the 5–0 home win over Luton Town, which took his league tally for the season to fifteen goals. He reached the twenty-goal mark on 13 May in a 2–1 win at Wimbledon, and finished the season as the club's top scorer with 22 goals in the league, eight in the FA Cup, two in the League Cup, and two in the Charity Shield, amounting to 34 in all competitions.[18]
In the
Aldridge played 104 times for Liverpool, scoring 63 goals, 50 of them in the league.[19]
Real Sociedad
The following 1989–90 season, Kenny Dalglish reverted to a 4–4–2 formation with Rush and Beardsley as first-choice strikers. Liverpool accepted an offer of £1 million from La Liga side Real Sociedad in early September 1989, with Aldridge having played twice in the league for Liverpool that season.
This transfer made Aldridge the first non-
Aldridge scored 40 goals in 75 appearances for Sociedad over two seasons,[20] with the club encouraged to make more signings from English football in 1990, namely Dalian Atkinson and Kevin Richardson. Despite his success, some Sociedad fans initially did not accept him because he was a foreigner. Insulting graffiti was written on the stadium, a fan spat on the ground when Aldridge passed in the street, and his family found it hard to adapt to the different lifestyle in the Basque country.[22] Aldridge handed in a transfer request in 1991 to the newly appointed manager John Toshack – another former Liverpool striker.[23]
Tranmere Rovers
Aldridge returned to Merseyside on 11 July 1991 with Tranmere Rovers, in a £250,000 deal. While there he scored a club-record 40 goals in his first season at Prenton Park – scoring his 40th goal against former club Oxford United. Tranmere, who were playing in the Second Division for the first time in more than fifty years, achieved a mid-table finish in the league.
He made his debut for Rovers, aged 32, on 17 August 1991, scoring both the goals in a 2–0 victory over Brighton & Hove Albion at the Goldstone Ground. In seven years as a Tranmere player, he amassed a total of 294 appearances, scoring 174 goals, an average of one goal every 1.7 games, including 22 goals from 25 League Cup ties. Aldridge retired at the end of the 1997–98 season, scoring a brace in his final game as a professional against Wolverhampton Wanderers.[24]
Aldridge's goals helped Tranmere reach their highest position ever in the league – top-six finishes in the second tier in 1993, 1994 and 1995 – which delivered playoff places each time, but all of them ended in semi-final defeats. He also came close to winning another major trophy as Rovers took Aston Villa to a penalty shoot-out in the 1993–94 League Cup semi-finals before bowing out to the eventual competition winners.
During his career in England alone, Aldridge played 739 games, scoring 411 times – an average of one goal every 1.8 games.
On 12 March 1996, with the resignation of John King after nine years as manager, Aldridge became player-manager of Tranmere, before finally giving up playing and concentrating on the management side two years later. In his first season in charge, Rovers finished the 1995–96 season in thirteenth place in Division One.[25]
Under Aldridge, Tranmere reached the
International career
Aldridge had already been recruited to play for the Republic of Ireland by the time he was approached by Liverpool at the start of 1987, qualifying through his grandmother, who was from Athlone.[29] (When the Football Association of Ireland came looking for him they found out that Ray Houghton, who also played for Oxford at the time, was also eligible.) He made his debut on 26 March 1986 against Wales at Lansdowne Road in a 1–0 defeat.[30] The match was the first under new manager Jack Charlton.
That summer, Aldridge played for the Irish side which had qualified, under Jack Charlton, for
Aldridge withdrew himself from Ireland's World Cup qualifying tie with Spain at Lansdowne Road on 26 April 1989, as he felt unable to participate in the game due to his grief over the Hillsborough disaster.[33] The game ended in a 1–0 win for Ireland.[34] Aldridge finally scored his first goals at competitive level when he scored twice in a 2–0 win away over Malta, which sealed Ireland's qualification for the 1990 FIFA World Cup.
Aldridge played a crucial role in Ireland's path to the quarter-finals of the 1990 FIFA World Cup in Italy. Though he had finally opened his goal account for his country, he failed to score at the World Cup (although he had a goal disallowed in a 1–1 draw with the Netherlands) and Ireland lost to the host nation in the last eight. Aldridge played every game but was substituted in all of his five appearances.
Ireland failed to qualify for Euro 92, despite going through their group unbeaten. Aldridge scored three times in qualification, all 3 goals coming in Ireland's opening 5–0 win over Turkey at Lansdowne Road. Despite this setback, Aldridge helped Ireland to qualify for the 1994 World Cup: he scored 6 times in qualifying including a hat-trick in a 4–0 win over Latvia.
Aldridge's international career with Ireland is also remembered for an off-pitch incident at the 1994 FIFA World Cup. Trailing 2–0 to Mexico in a group game in Orlando, Florida, manager Charlton tried to send Aldridge on as a substitute but was delayed by a perceived sluggishness from the officials. Manager and player both launched expletive-laden tirades which were clearly heard by television viewers, with Aldridge having to be restrained from attacking the 4th official and a FIFA representative. Both were punished after the game, but when Aldridge finally was allowed on, after 6 full minutes of trying, he scored a goal to give Ireland a chance to get back into the game. Despite losing the game 2–1, Aldridge's goal was crucial in securing qualification for the second round.[35] All four teams in the group had finished with the same number of points and the same goal difference, Ireland's qualification was at the expense of Norway who had scored just one goal fewer.
Aldridge continued to play for Ireland in the qualifying stages of Euro 96. Despite a strong start to the group, Ireland failed to qualify. Aldridge scored twice in a 3–0 win away to Latvia in Ireland's opening game and was also on the scoresheet in a 4–0 away win against Northern Ireland. In Ireland's final home game of the group Aldridge scored twice against Latvia in a 2–1 win but Ireland failed to qualify after finishing second and losing a subsequent playoff to the Netherlands at Anfield in December 1995. Aldridge at this time was one goal short of the 20-goal record held by Frank Stapleton but, despite playing in the early stages of qualifying for the 1998 World Cup, he failed to score again to match the record and retired in 1996 to concentrate on managing Tranmere Rovers. His final game was a 3–0 against Macedonia on 9 October 1996 when he came on as a substitute.
Overall, Aldridge scored 19 goals in 69 matches spanning over a decade; 8 of his 19 goals came against Latvia.
Career after football
Aldridge is now a pundit with various media organisations – most notably with
In 2006, he gained media celebrity in Ireland by appearing in
Aldridge was a crowd favourite everywhere he went, especially on Merseyside where being a local lad helped his cause. This was confirmed when a poll conducted by the official Liverpool Football Club website during the summer of 2006 placed him in 26th position. 110,000 Liverpool supporters worldwide took part in the poll named '100 Players Who Shook The Kop', where they were asked to name their favourite Reds of all time.
In March 2008, Aldridge took part in the autobiography audio CD series 60 minutes with John Aldridge. He spoke in depth about his career with 60 minutes presenter David Knight and later took part in a major signing session, signing 2000 copies of the CD in support of the Everyman appeal charity.[37]
John Aldridge was allegedly involved in the News of the World hacking scandal in the mid-2000s. "They tell me I was hacked five or six years ago. I have no idea why they should go after me. I'm not exactly high profile."[38]
Aldridge opened a Twitter account in March 2011. However, he was soon involved in angry exchanges with Manchester United supporters after referring to them as "scum",[39] and eventually closed his account. A year later he revealed that he had returned to the site.[40]
Career statistics
Club
Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Continental | Other[a] | Total | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
Newport County | 1979–80 | Fourth Division | 38 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 44 | 16 | |||
1980–81 | Third Division | 27 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 38 | 12 | ||
1981–82 | 36 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | – | 39 | 13 | ||||||
1982–83 | 41 | 17 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 55 | 21 | |||||
1983–84 | 28 | 20 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 37 | 27 | |||||
Total | 170 | 70 | 13 | 5 | 11 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 15 | 7 | 213 | 89 | |||
Oxford United | 1983–84 | Third Division | 8 | 4 | – | 8 | 4 | ||||||||
1984–85 | Second Division | 42 | 30 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 3 | – | 50 | 34 | |||||
1985–86 | First Division | 39 | 23 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 54 | 31 | ||||
1986–87 | 25 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 30 | 21 | |||||||
Total | 114 | 72 | 5 | 2 | 18 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 142 | 90 | |||
Liverpool | 1986–87 | First Division | 10 | 2 | 10 | 2 | |||||||||
1987–88 | 36 | 26 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 45 | 29 | |||||||
1988–89 | 35 | 21 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 47 | 31 | |||||
1989–90 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | |||||||||
Total | 83 | 50 | 12 | 8 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 104 | 63 | |||
Real Sociedad | 1989–90 | La Liga | 28 | 16 | 6 | 6 | – | 34 | 22 | ||||||
1990–91 | 35 | 17 | 2 | 0 | – | 4 | 1 | 41 | 18 | ||||||
Total | 63 | 33 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 75 | 40 | |||||||
Tranmere Rovers | 1991–92 | Second Division | 43 | 22 | – | – | – | 43 | 22 | ||||||
1992–93 | First Division | 31 | 21 | – | – | – | 31 | 21 | |||||||
1993–94 | 34 | 21 | – | – | – | 34 | 21 | ||||||||
1994–95 | 33 | 24 | – | – | – | 33 | 24 | ||||||||
1995–96 | 45 | 27 | – | – | – | 45 | 27 | ||||||||
1996–97 | 43 | 18 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | – | 48 | 20 | ||||||
1997–98 | 14 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 14 | 5 | ||||||
Total | 243 | 138 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 248 | 140 | |||
Career total | 683 | 363 | 39 | 21 | 41 | 24 | 8 | 3 | 21 | 11 | 792 | 422 |
- Football League Trophy
International
Republic of Ireland[41] | Year | Friendlies | Competitive | Total | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
App | Goals | App | Goals | App | Goals | ||
1986 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 7 | 0 | |
1987 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 0 | |
1988 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 8 | 1 | |
1989 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 2 | |
1990 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 9 | 3 | |
1991 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |
1992 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 4 | 9 | 5 | |
1993 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 6 | 2 | |
1994 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 4 | |
1995 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 2 | |
1996 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
Total | 17 | 2 | 52 | 17 | 69 | 19 |
- Scores and results list Republic of Ireland's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Aldridge goal.
No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 19 October 1988 | Lansdowne Road, Dublin, Ireland | Tunisia | 3–0 | 4–0 | Friendly
|
2 | 15 November 1989 | Ta' Qali National Stadium, Attard , Malta |
Malta | 1–0 | 2–0 | 1990 FIFA World Cup qualification |
3 | 2–0 | |||||
4 | 17 October 1990 | Lansdowne Road, Dublin, Ireland | Turkey | 1–0 | 5–0 | UEFA Euro 1992 qualifying |
5 | 3–0 | |||||
6 | 5–0 | |||||
7 | 25 March 1992 | Lansdowne Road, Dublin, Ireland | Switzerland | 2–1 | 2–1 | Friendly |
8 | 26 May 1992 | Lansdowne Road, Dublin, Ireland | Albania | 1–0 | 2–0 | 1994 FIFA World Cup qualification |
9 | 9 September 1992 | Lansdowne Road, Dublin, Ireland | Latvia | 2–0 | 4–0 | 1994 FIFA World Cup qualification |
10 | 3–0 | |||||
11 | 4–0 | |||||
12 | 9 June 1993 | Daugava Stadium, Riga, Latvia | Latvia | 1–0 | 2–0 | 1994 FIFA World Cup qualification |
13 | 8 September 1993 | Lansdowne Road, Dublin, Ireland | Lithuania | 1–0 | 2–0 | 1994 FIFA World Cup qualification |
14 | 24 June 1994 | Citrus Bowl, Orlando , United States |
Mexico | 1–2 | 1–2 | World Cup 1994
|
15 | 7 September 1994 | Daugava Stadium, Riga, Latvia | Latvia | 1–0 | 3–0 | UEFA Euro 1996 qualifying |
16 | 3–0 | |||||
17 | 16 November 1994 | Windsor Park, Belfast, Northern Ireland | Northern Ireland | 1–0 | 4–0 | UEFA Euro 1996 qualification |
18 | 11 October 1995 | Lansdowne Road, Dublin, Ireland | Latvia | 1–0 | 2–0 | UEFA Euro 1996 qualification |
19 | 2–0 |
Honours
Player
Newport County
Oxford United
Liverpool
- Football League First Division: 1987–88
- 1988–89
Individual
- PFA Team of the Year: 1991–92 Second Division,[42] 1992–93 First Division,[42] 1994–95 First Division[43]
- English Second Division top scorer: 1984–85[44]
- First Division top scorer: 1987–88; 1994–95, 1995–96
- BBC Goal of the Season: 1987–88, 1988–89
- FAI Senior International Player of the Year: 1992
Manager
Tranmere Rovers
- 1999–2000
See also
- List of Republic of Ireland international footballers born outside the Republic of Ireland
- List of men's footballers with 500 or more goals
References
- ISBN 978-0-356-14354-5.
- ^ England – All-Time Topscorers – All Football League Divisions (and Premiership) rsssf.org, retrieved 2 April 2011
- ^ "Irish Football and the 'Granny Rule'". www.soccer-ireland.com. Retrieved 28 August 2021.
- ^ Hilton, Nick (18 March 2011). "Shamrock Scousers: Liverpool FC hero John Aldridge recalls his happiness playing international football for Ireland". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 28 August 2021.
- ^ Byrne, Peter. "Magical memories of Italia '90 linger still". The Irish Times. Retrieved 28 August 2021.
- ^ "Daniel McDonnell: Ireland's Generation Game - How the post Italia '90 class are finally making their mark". independent. 17 July 2020. Retrieved 28 August 2021.
- ^ a b "John Aldridge". Retrieved 2 September 2010.
- ^ "Newport County A-Z of transfers".
- ^ a b c "John Aldridge History with Oxford United".
- ^ "Oxford United Club Records".
- ^ "Oxford United 2–0 Manchester United". Rage Online. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
- ^ "Newell Hits a Hat-trick". New Straits Times. 27 October 1986. Retrieved 23 July 2020 – via Google News Archive Search.
- ^ "Aston Villa 2 – 2 Liverpool". lfchistory.net. Archived from the original on 22 June 2010. Retrieved 16 December 2009.
- ^ "Liverpool 1 – 0 Southampton". lfchistory.net. Archived from the original on 4 March 2007. Retrieved 16 December 2009.
- ^ Statistics. "A timeline for Liverpool Football Club". LFChistory.net. Retrieved 30 October 2011.
- ^ "Liverpool 2 – 1 Nottingham Forest". lfchistory.net. Archived from the original on 22 June 2010. Retrieved 16 December 2009.
- ^ "Liverpool 0 – 1 Wimbledon". lfchistory.net. Archived from the original on 22 June 2010. Retrieved 16 December 2009.
- ^ a b "Liverpool Results 1988–89". Liverweb. Archived from the original on 2 March 2012. Retrieved 25 April 2011.
- ^ "Total goals scored per season by John Aldridge". lfchistory.net. Archived from the original on 10 February 2006. Retrieved 16 December 2009.
- ^ a b "Real Sociedad roll out the red carpet for John Aldridge". Diario AS. 9 March 2015. Archived from the original on 15 October 2018. Retrieved 20 July 2017.
- ^ Goals, class, a red Ferrari: Aldridge, Richardson and Atkinson at la Real, Sid Lowe, The Guardian, 25 February 2021
- ^ Lowe, Sid (13 March 2015). "When John Aldridge returned to Real Sociedad, he got a hero's welcome". ESPN.
- ^ "JOHN ALDRIDGE: REAL SOCIEDAD'S UNLIKELY SCOUSE IDOL". These Football Times. 11 May 2017. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
- ^ "Tranmere 2 Wolves 1". Sporting Life. 3 May 1998. Retrieved 1 June 2010.[dead link]
- ^ "John Aldridge: The Tranmere years". Liverpool Echo. 18 March 2001. Retrieved 25 April 2011.
- ^ a b Ciaran Baynes. "THEO GOING HOME". Sky Sports.
- ^ "Aldridge hit by FA charge". BBC Sport.
- ^ Brown, Geoff (18 March 2001). "Aldridge resigns after Rovers collapse". The Independent. London. Retrieved 16 December 2009.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Aldo speaks about Athlone roots". Westmeath Independent. 3 February 2017. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
- ^ "Republic of Ireland 0 Wales 1". SoccerScene.ie. 26 March 1986. Retrieved 16 December 2009.
- ^ "John Aldridge: The Dubliners' performance in the team hotel summed up the magic of beating England". Irish Independent. 12 June 2018. Retrieved 13 June 2018.
- ^ "Republic of Ireland 4 – 0 Tunisia". SoccerScene.ie. Retrieved 16 December 2009.
- ^ "The Times and The Sunday Times Archive". Newsint-archive.co.uk. Retrieved 30 October 2011.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Michel's misery, Dublin's delight". FIFA.com. 26 April 1989. Archived from the original on 15 September 2011. Retrieved 30 October 2011.
- ^ "Mexico 2 – 1 Republic of Ireland". SoccerScene.ie. Retrieved 16 December 2009.
- ^ "John Aldridge wins Charity You're A Star". RTÉ News. 14 August 2006. Retrieved 16 December 2009.
- ^ "60mins.tv". Archived from the original on 29 September 2007.
- ^ "Ex-Liverpool striker John Aldridge: NoW hacked my phone". BBC Merseyside. 26 July 2011. Retrieved 27 July 2011.
- ^ Donny Mahoney (14 March 2011). "John Aldridge Vs The Twitter Machine". Balls.ie.
- ^ "I am back on Twitter". Sunday World. Archived from the original on 21 December 2012.
- ^ "Statistics: Republic of Ireland [Powered by tplSoccerStats]".
- ^ a b Lynch. The Official P.F.A. Footballers Heroes. p. 149.
- ^ Lynch. The Official P.F.A. Footballers Heroes. p. 150.
- ^ "English League Leading Goalscorers". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Archived from the original on 28 June 2011. Retrieved 11 June 2011.
External links
- Official Liverpool FC profile at Liverpoolfc.tv (archived 24 May 2006)
- John Aldridge – FIFA competition record (archived)
- John Aldridge – UEFA competition record (archive)
- Profile at LFCHistory.net
- Thisisanfield.com Forgotten Heroes
- John Aldridge at Soccerbase
- John Aldridge management career statistics at Soccerbase
- John Aldridge index at Sporting-heroes.net Archived 6 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine