From QPR and Spurs to a helmet, Clive Allen changes code

Ian, a London‑born former left‑back turned journalist, built a reputation with Twohundredpercent and Football365, while former England striker Clive Allen, who featured for QPR and Spurs, surprised fans by swapping the football pitch for a helmet in the World League of American Football.

Ian's digital and freelance work

Born in London in 1972, Ian played as a left‑back at an extremely low level until his mid‑30s, when his knees began to rattle each time he stood up. He now lives in West Sussex with his two children, and although his knees still rattle, they have not worsened.

From 2006 until 2021 he ran the football website Twohundredpercent, winning FSA awards for the site in 2012 and 2015 and earning further nominations in 2014, 2022 and 2024. The venture cemented his status as a respected voice in online football commentary.

He then became a senior features writer for Football365 from 2021 to 2023. Since leaving that role he has been freelancing, contributing articles to Fotmob and the magazine When Saturday Comes.

Clive Allen's London club odyssey

Allen made his debut from the bench for Queens Park Rangers against Chelsea in November 1978 and, after five months, earned his first start, scoring a hat‑trick in a 5‑1 victory over Coventry City.

In the summer of 1980 Arsenal paid £1.25 million for him, but after three pre‑season games he was swapped to Crystal Palace for full‑back Kenny Sansom, never playing a competitive match for the Gunners.

On 6 September 1980 he thought he had scored an early free‑kick goal against Coventry City, but officials ruled the ball had not crossed the line. The incident featured on that evening’s and became known as The Goal That Never Was.

Allen returned to Loftus Road the following year, helping QPR reach the 1982 FA Cup Final and achieve promotion to the First Division the next season. In 1984 he moved across London to Spurs, where he set a club record by scoring 49 goals in all competitions in the 1986‑87 season.

Switch to American football

After an unsuccessful spell at Bordeaux, Allen came back to England in 1989, signing for Manchester City before later turning out for Chelsea, West Ham United, Millwall and finishing his playing career with three games for Carlisle United in 1995. Two years after retiring, he answered a call from the London Monarchs of the World League of American Football – later rebranded as NFL Europe – and joined the side for the 1997 season. By then the Monarchs had already moved from Wembley to London and then to Stamford Bridge, offering Allen a chance to try something different with a helmet on.