Chris Martin earned the ire of Fulham fans when he told manager Slavisa Jokanovic he did not wish to be selected for Fulham's game at Reading on Friday night.

The Derby loanee wants to return to the Midlands to be nearer his family as well as link up with Steve McClaren again and elected to down tools instead of playing at the Mad Stad.

But Martin is not the first player to refuse to play for his club – and he joins this unfortunate rogues' gallery of striking stars.

From George Eastham and George Best in football's so-called golden ages, to this bunch of modern moaners, it is certainly nothing new to the game.

1. Pierre van Hooijdonk

The original and the most prolific striking footballer, the Dutchman downed tools in 1998 when Nottingham Forest sold strike partner Kevin Campbell following promotion to the Premier League, and stayed on strike until November due to ‘broken promises’. Upon his return to the side, van Hooijdonk's team-mates refused to celebrate with him when he scored. Forest were relegated at the end of the season and Van Hooijdonk left for Vitesse Arnhem.

2. Chris Sutton

Six months before van Hooijdonk's hissy fit, Blackburn Rovers striker Chris Sutton made himself a pariah to football fans across the country when he refused to play for England B. Having made his full debut the previous year, Sutton was left out of England's World Cup squad, but after deciding the B team was not for him, his international career was over after just 11 minutes of action.

3. Alex Kolinko

Crystal Palace fans should not have been surprised when their reserve keeper refused to play in a Championship match against Leicester in February 2003, earning him a fine of two weeks wages. Just six months earlier, the Larvian international claimed he was punched by manager Trevor Francis for laughing on the bench when Palace conceded a goal against Bradford.

4. Paul Scholes

Although he may have been a dedicated pro for the most part, Scholes refused to turn out for Manchester United's second-string in a League Cup tie against Arsenal in 2001 after being dropped for the previous league game against Liverpool.

5. Kieron Dyer

The Newcastle United midfielder was dropped by Sir Bobby Robson after refusing to play on the right wing against Middlesbrough in 2004. Robson covered for his player at the time by saying he had a tight hamstring, and was sacked soon after.

6. Sebastien Squillaci

The French international defender, subject of interest from Arsenal, refused to play in Sevilla’s Champions League qualifier against Braga in August 2010 to avoid being cup-tied for his potential move to the Gunners – despite having already been picked in the side. Squillaci got his move, but was a flop at the Emirates and signed for Bastia after just 23 games in three years.

7. Dimitar Berbatov

Having initially refused to come off the bench as a sub in a game for Spurs against Newcastle the previous season before reluctantly taking to the pitch, Berbatov went one step further in the summer of 2008 when he said he would not play in a pre-season friendly against Norwich, in an attempt to force through a move to Manchester United. He got his wish on transfer deadline day.

8. Carlos Tevez

The Argentina international refused to come on as a substitute in the second-half of Manchester City’s 2-0 defeat at Bayern Munich in the Champions League in 2011, with City manager Roberto Mancini claiming he is finished with the striker. This just three months after telling a chat show in his native Argentina that he would not be returning to Manchester 'even on vacation'. Tevez was placed on gardening leave before returning to the City side six months later.

9. Clint Dempsey

Amidst rumours of interest from Liverpool in the summer of 2012, Dempsey decided to go on strike at Fulham, quickly going from hero to zero at Craven Cottage. However, the Liverpool move never materialised, and Dempsey ultimately moved to Spurs on deadline day instead.

10. James Tarkowski

Lucas Piazon takes on James Tarkowski

Earlier this year, James Tarkowski refused to play for Brentford against Burnley as he was keen to sign for the Clarets. He was omitted from the squad and never played for the Bees again, getting his move on transfer deadline day.

And finally...

William Gallas

The French defender was involved in a long-running contract dispute at Chelsea in 2006, during which the Blues claimed Gallas had threatened to score an own goal if he played for them again, something which was strongly refuted by the player. Given that Tarkowski has put three through his own net over the past two season, it would be difficult to tell if he tried that particular tactic!