He ain't heavy, he's my brother

Blood is thicker than water, and in these current climes, it's still thicker than an isotonic re-hydration drink. With that in mind, Chelsea seem to have shown some good sense in recruiting Thorgan Hazard to join his brother Eden. They join a long line of brothers to grace the top division of English football (assuming they play together that is, there is already talk of Hazard junior being loaned away).

Some of the other sets of brothers have been famous throughout the history of English football, and here we'll look at three sets, who played together at some point in their careers. Admittedly some did better than others, but it could well lead nicely into a piece about fathers and sons as well... There is a common club amongst the three, but don't hold that against me.

The Nevilles

The Oasis tribute act lacked the ability to write the theme tune, sing the theme tune...

The spawn of the infamous Neville Neville, Gary and Phil were products of the Manchester United youth teams of the 1990s, and seemed to be on a personal quest to rack up medals and enemies in equal measure. Right-back Gary made 400 appearances for United over nearly twenty years, as well as 85 caps for England. Phil was perhaps unfortunate to be seen as more of a utility player, but still made over 250 appearances, before being sold to Everton.

Gary seemed to inspire nothing but hate, especially amongst Liverpool fans. His frequent celebrations in front of them caused no end of issues, even resulting in an FA charge in 2006. Phil pissed off an entire country at Euro 2000, after his foul gave away a penalty against Romania, which led to England being eliminated in the group stage.

Gary has gone on to be a pundit for Sky and England coach, while Phil continues to play for Everton. And the fans continue to sing about "The Neville Family"...

The Charltons

Their Mum said "If you can't play together..."

Another pair of England internationals, Jack and Bobby were huge figures in the game throughout the 1950s, 60s and early 70s. World Cup winners both, and playing for rival clubs (Jack spent his entire playing career with Leeds, Bobby mostly at Manchester United).

Bobby was perhaps the more famous as a player, by virtue of being England's all time leading scorer, as well as winning three league titles and a European Cup. It's safe to say that Jack's managerial career was certainly of a higher profile, with his famous run as Ireland coach, taking them to two World Cups.

Definitely not as controversial as the Nevilles, but one feels like you can't take a piss in Old Trafford without bumping into Bobby hanging around, and no doubt Jack keeping the bar dry of Guinness.

The Wallaces

Hummel kits, a proper throwback

In October 1988, the Wallace brothers Rod, Danny and Ray all lined up for Southampton, becoming the first trio of brothers to line up for the same English professional team. The family connection didn't last too long however - Danny left within a year to join Manchester United, while Ray and Rod moved to Leeds in 1991.

Rod actually won the most medals, winning league titles with Leeds and Rangers. Danny's move to Manchester was bad timing, as the emergence of Ryan Giggs did for him, while Ray went to Birmingham and beyond. Danny was unfortunately diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, but managed to complete the London Marathon in 2006.

It's a feat unlikely to be seen for a long time...

Others worth a mention...

Denis and Leslie Compton
Brian and Mark Stein
Kolo and Yaya Toure
Fabio and Rafael (more Man United?)
Frank and Ronald de Boer
Ronald and Erwin Koeman