Who Ate All The Pies

Combover king Ralph Coates scores a cracker!

Ralph Coates, formerly of Spurs and Leyton Orient was the king of the combover. He rivalled Bobby Charlton, not only in the barnet department, but also on the pitch. What this cracking goal he scored for the O's and also, watch what happens when Mark Lawrenson is faced with a "good, honest, earthy shoulder charge..."

Wee Gordon Strachan in 1977

Gordon Strachan was a tenacious and tricky little player in his day... little being the operative word. Before days of winning the Cup Winners Cup with Aberdeen, and spells at Leeds and ManYoo, the wee man was a rising star at Dundee. Watch him tear apart Abroath with his hair nearly as big as he is all the way back in 1977...

[Mof Gimmers]

Horror Hair: Carlos Valderrama

There was only so long we could continue our Ginger Afro series without resorting to the glaringly obvious. It is, of course, the man with arguably the greatest afro of all time never mind ginger afro: Carlos Valderrama. The Colombian's beautiful ginger locks leave the likes of Wes Brown, Ian Wallace and Noel Brotherston trailing in his wake. [Rob Parker]

Notts Forest vrs Luton: League Cup Final 1989

With the League Cup Final places being decided last night, I thought I'd have a look for an old classic final. Pick of the bunch was a cracking final between Luton Town and Notts Forest in 1989. There're a whole host of horror haircuts in this clip with Mick Harford, Steve Foster... Stuart Pearce is looking a bit long at the back, and best of the lot is a marvellous bouffant from referee Roger Milford. Look out for the sign reading "Cloughie for Pope!" and Stuart Pearce saying  "Chuffed over the moon!"

[Mof Gimmers]

Horror Hair: Alexi Lalas

Our mission to collate football's finest collection of ginger afros continues with Alexi Lalas. The former USA international found time for a bit of a ginger afro when he wasn't in his long hair/headband rocker stage. And look at him now: short hair, always in his suit and preparing to tend to David Beckham's every whim. Rock on, dude! [Rob Parker]

More ginger afros

Horror Hair: Ian Wallace

Ginger afro season continues on Pies with former Coventry City striker Ian Wallace. As if the haircut was not daring enough, Wallace is also sporting the Sky Blues' notorious brown away kit. The former Scotland international was Britain's third £1 million-plus player, but is now a self-confessed alcoholic. He appeared in court earlier this month charged with attacking his ex-lover. [Rob Parker]

The Ginger Afro Season so far: Noel Brotherston, Wes Brown, Paul Scholes

Horror Hair - Noel Brotherston

We're in the middle of a ginger afro fetish at the moment at Pies. There have been a few over the years, but surely no-one can match the mighty bonce of Noel Brotherston.

Noel was a tricky winger, and graced the flanks of Spurs, Blackburn Rovers, Bury, and Scarborough, and won 27 international caps for Northern Ireland, scoring 3 goals. It was at Rovers' where he captured most hearts and apparently became a painter and decorator in the town when he retired as a player. Sadly, he died of a heart attack aged just 38, but his legacy can still be seen in the thatch of Wes Brown. [Mof Gimmers]

Horror Hair: Wes Brown's ginger afro

Continuing our ginger afro theme - and especially for Pies regular Billyo - here is Wes Brown proving you don't have to be able to play like Carlos Valderrama to pull off the ginger afro on a football pitch. Go Wes!

Have you spotted a footballing ginger afro? Let us know so we can give this wonderful example of Horror Hair the attention it deserves. [Rob Parker]

Horror Hair: Rio Ferdinand's afro

Rio Ferdinand sported this splendid afro a couple of years ago, and I, for one, wish he'd kept growing it – preferably so it covered his mouth. I'd also like to see Man Yoo team-mate Paul Scholes attempt a similar barnet. There aren't enough ginger afros in British football.

Horror Hair: David James (again!)

David James might have ditched his greasy side-parting, but Horror Hair of that standard doesn't just disappear over night. The Portsmouth keeper has transformed his Clark Kent look into this backcombed effort, which we must admit is an improvement (although it wasn't difficult to improve on the previous look). The BBC website has a nice photo gallery charting James' crazy barnets.

[Rob Parker]