meeting players

[Sheff de party]

Genuinely interesting thread this detailing some pros and ex pros demonstrating some real grace and effort with the fans.

Today's Premier League megastars could do with reading it.

 

[pommpey]

Saw Stephen Quinn and Derek Geary in the pub after the England vs. Uruguay game in the summer. Saw James Harper in Meadowhall before I watched Skyfall. I think I saw George Santos in a clothes shop near fargate once but I am not too sure about that one.

I saw Santos in Ipswich town centre, just after he signed for them. He heard me say to my missus "There's George Santos" and she said "Who?" I said "He used to play for Sheff Utd" and he heard me say 'Sheff Utd' looked over and smiled. I had to stop myself from jumping up and down shouting, "SANTOS!"

Happy days

pommpey

 

[super_pig]

never met any of them although i sort of met alex sabella
our sunday league team was practising in Graves Park and he had just signed and was doing keepy uppys in the park for the photoshoot where we were training (in front of the cricket pavilion).. someone suggested he join in and he did for about 15 mins.. i was in goal and saved one of his shots. he patted me on the head. the amazing thing were the keepy uppy skills . we'd never seen anything like it

 

[Coily]

Played football at Middlesex University with Carl Asaba, although I think only once as he started playing for Dulwich Hamlet soon after. The bloke he partnered up front was a better player than him (not me I'll add!), but he preferred getting mashed up on whatever drugs he could get his hands on.

 

[Deleted member 875]

I've met quite a few over the years.

My favourite meeting was when i worked as catering staff on the London trains a few years ago and we took the full United side down to London on a friday afternoon in the Premiership season.

I met Neil Shipperley quite a lot when he played for us, as he used to commute a lot from London to Sheffield and was a really sound bloke, but he always used to travel back knocking back the cans of Stella.

My favourite one was meeting Dave Bassett. That would have been back in about 2003, and i spent half an hour getting misty eyed about the glory years with him. I also bumped in to Bassett before the Wembley semi last season had a quick 5 minutes talking to him. He ruffled my lads hair and with a smile on his face told him that he used to be United manager when i was his age!!!!!

 

[GRUMPY BLADE]

Genuinely interesting thread this detailing some pros and ex pros demonstrating some real grace and effort with the fans.

Today's Premier League megastars could do with reading it.

I'll defend prem players on this.

What would you do if you had a workforce of say 35, costing you say £2M a week in wages and it had cost you £20M to assemble them. Would you expose your investment to the public and risk injury etc.

I know I wouldn't, I'd have em all wrapped in cotton wool.

I suspect its more clubs keeping fans away from the players rather than the other way around.

If we get back in the prem it wouldn't suprise me if some sort of fencing system went up in the car park to keep us away from our heros.

 

[GRUMPY BLADE]

has anyone ever had a chance encounter with a blades player. Other than at the lane i hasten to add. I was once helping a mate collect betterware catalogues in Dronfield when i was about 11 and knocked at paul Beasleys house. Also stood behind Howard Kendall in a queue at a perrtrol station on my way to school.

Any others?

Rich

Not Blades but two people who suprised me.

1) Howard Wilkinson, turned out to be alright?

2) Geoff Miller when England were No1 in the ranking, shared a table with him a a dinner, what a down to earth approachable man.

 

[Deleted member 875]

Not Blades but two people who suprised me.

1) Howard Wilkinson, turned out to be alright?

2) Geoff Miller when England were No1 in the ranking, shared a table with him a a dinner, what a down to earth approachable man.

I've met Howard Wilkinson and found him to be downright rude, ignorant and deeply unpleasant

 

[GRUMPY BLADE]

I've met Howard Wilkinson and found him to be downright rude, ignorant and deeply unpleasant

He wasn't talking to me that day you met him.

 

[More Bladier than thou]

i met simon tracy in champs.he was out of it so i helped him into a taxi. and once me and a few mates kicked the shit out of curtis woodhouse outside republic for cheating on our mate.he ran away covered in blood.

 

[Sheff de party]

I'll defend prem players on this.

What would you do if you had a workforce of say 35, costing you say £2M a week in wages and it had cost you £20M to assemble them. Would you expose your investment to the public and risk injury etc.

I know I wouldn't, I'd have em all wrapped in cotton wool.

I suspect its more clubs keeping fans away from the players rather than the other way around.

If we get back in the prem it wouldn't suprise me if some sort of fencing system went up in the car park to keep us away from our heros.

Reasonable point, but I'm afraid I don't agree. Rugby clubs or cricket clubs spend a lot of money on their players. Less than Premier League football clubs, but then cricket and rugby clubs earn less and their players are more accessible. It's all relative but they're nowhere near as inaccessible.

I'm not suggesting we should all get a kick around on Hackney Marshes with them, but more events and opportunities where kids actually get to meet them isn't a risk of injury. If i had kids, I would have no idea how to get them to meet a Premiership footballer. I know they do a lot of charity work that goes under the radar, but seriously how often do they meet the fans?

Would you see Diego Costa out on the field behind his house coaching the local side? Would you catch Cesc Fabregas down the pub sitting having a few beers with everyone?

I wasn't around back in those days, but football got too much money and got too serious. Players get slated for being seen in nightclubs or pubs these days and even when they are, they're surrounded by minders and tucked away in the VIP area. They live in mansions, far away from the common fan, and either go into coaching or don't need to work afterwards. I think it's a sad indictment of the modern game. It used to be fun, I'd imagine.

 

[Sharrowblade]

I've had recent conversations on the Shirecliffe car park with the likes of Bob Harris, Micheal Doyle and Jamie Murphy. Didn't understand a word

Del Geary and Kozzy are up there at the moment. Mick Speight comes over from Norway every now and then, and Billy Dearden is a regular visitor

Brian Deane at Napoleons whilst he was at Leeds,
'Are you coming back, Deano', Depends who pays most money, its only a job after all'. My mate still hasn't got over that disappointment

Slightly off topic, I was once in Spain many years ago at the bar in the early afternoon like you do, after 20 minutes in the sun, and a mate of mine and me was talking to a couple of lasses , all innocent of course..... the two boyfriends turn up, I think they were 16 or 17 at the time.

We stopped for another drink with them. The conversation turned to what they did, and this young lad didn't want to say, he was quite reserved, it was his girlfriend who insisted telling us. He looked a little sheepish, almost apologetic..he plays for Manchester United she explained.

We did well not to spray San Miguel on them for laughing....'Yeah right', ....so what's your name mate'

Ryan,.....Ryan Giggs.

Nah, sorry....never heard of you

I always wondered what happened to him

 

[Deleted member 875]

Just a thought but prehaps some players don't want or enjoy the constant scrutiny and hassle that come from the fame of being a footballer.

Personally if i was a professional footballer, i wouldn't enjoy it if i nipped out for a pint, or for a pint of milk to be hassled constantly by people wanting to talk about football, or have pictures taken.

Different people react differently to the fame that comes with being a footballer. I have met a lot of people involved with football over the years and they have all been different.

I grew up with the son of the referee Keith Hackett, and known him for years and he is a good bloke. I also remember years ago the family having the change the phone number after a FA Cup Semi final where some West Ham fans got hold of their phone number and they got death threats.

I have met Dave Bassett and for him talking about football to supporters is probably the most natural thing in the world. I have met ex-Chesterfield manager John Duncan several times whilst i worked on the London trains, and he comes across as a dour bloke at first but when you get to know him he is a good bloke, and he explained a lot of stuff to me that at times that as a normal football fan i might not realise, really interesting bloke. He ended up working as a scout for Sir Alex Ferguson, and i was amazed when he explained to me just how extensive the scouting network they had was. He also could tell me if the Blades made any signings, what they was like, where they would fit in, and if they would be any good or not.

I've met plenty of United players during that period of my life, as i have already touched on my favourite player was Neil Shipperley, who basically was just an normal average bloke with no airs and graces about him. I also met Colin Kazim-Richards quite a bit, who first came over as a bit blunt and abrupt, but i think that was also just a bit of natural shyness and not being comfortable in that situation.

The one player i met a while back and i was shocked with how nervous and apprehensive he was around the fans, and that was Steve Simonsen. Despite everyone being friendly towards him and telling him he had played well, he still didn't look like he felt comfortable around a load of strangers who wanted to talk to him.

With some players i can see why they don't engage with the supporters much, one that stands out is Wayne Rooney. I've never met him, and don't think i ever will, but to me he comes across as a normal bloke from Liverpool with an extraordinary gift for playing football, but probably he is also a bit socially awkward as well, and that is probably the reason he might not be as assecible towards the fans as people think he should be

 

[GRUMPY BLADE]

I've had recent conversations on the Shirecliffe car park with the likes of Bob Harris, Micheal Doyle and Jamie Murphy. Didn't understand a word

Del Geary and Kozzy are up there at the moment. Mick Speight comes over from Norway every now and then, and Billy Dearden is a regular visitor

Brian Deane at Napoleons whilst he was at Leeds,
'Are you coming back, Deano', Depends who pays most money, its only a job after all'. My mate still hasn't got over that disappointment

Slightly off topic, I was once in Spain many years ago at the bar in the early afternoon like you do, after 20 minutes in the sun, and a mate of mine and me was talking to a couple of lasses , all innocent of course..... the two boyfriends turn up, I think they were 16 or 17 at the time.

We stopped for another drink with them. The conversation turned to what they did, and this young lad didn't want to say, he was quite reserved, it was his girlfriend who insisted telling us. He looked a little sheepish, almost apologetic..he plays for Manchester United she explained.

We did well not to spray San Miguel on them for laughing....'Yeah right', ....so what's your name mate'

Ryan,.....Ryan Giggs.

Nah, sorry....never heard of you

I always wondered what happened to him

Girlfriend?

It was her sister [allegedly]

 

[Deleted member 875]

I've had recent conversations on the Shirecliffe car park with the likes of Bob Harris, Micheal Doyle and Jamie Murphy. Didn't understand a word

Del Geary and Kozzy are up there at the moment. Mick Speight comes over from Norway every now and then, and Billy Dearden is a regular visitor

Brian Deane at Napoleons whilst he was at Leeds,
'Are you coming back, Deano', Depends who pays most money, its only a job after all'. My mate still hasn't got over that disappointment

Slightly off topic, I was once in Spain many years ago at the bar in the early afternoon like you do, after 20 minutes in the sun, and a mate of mine and me was talking to a couple of lasses , all innocent of course..... the two boyfriends turn up, I think they were 16 or 17 at the time.

We stopped for another drink with them. The conversation turned to what they did, and this young lad didn't want to say, he was quite reserved, it was his girlfriend who insisted telling us. He looked a little sheepish, almost apologetic..he plays for Manchester United she explained.

We did well not to spray San Miguel on them for laughing....'Yeah right', ....so what's your name mate'

Ryan,.....Ryan Giggs.

Nah, sorry....never heard of you

I always wondered what happened to him

That reminds me of something that happened years ago when i worked at Butlins.

We used to get every afternoon off, and most afternoons used to play 5 a side. One afternoon a kid who must have been 10 or 11 came over and asked if he could join in, and we reluctantly allowed him. He was miles better than any of us, and after a couple of us went over to his Dad and said he is a right player, and his Dad told us he was training with Aston Villa and the best player for his age, and wanted to play with us because he just loved playing football. He also told us his name but i can't remember it, but it has bugged me ever since. I would love to know what happened to him

 

[judge]

i met simon tracy in champs.he was out of it so i helped him into a taxi. and once me and a few mates kicked the shit out of curtis woodhouse outside republic for cheating on our mate.he ran away covered in blood.

I was once drinking with tracey hodges and i think beesley in the cricketers
they were all well ouked and hodges made a right cunt out of mate who thought he was a tough guy but old hodges put him right in his place

next game tracey had a shiner and rumour was hodges had smacked him after we left for acting like a twat

 

[super_pig]

He wasn't talking to me that day you met him.

i think it was howard wilkinson who reffed the game when we played Abbeydale Grange.. he wasn't half a cheat. put it this way, it ended up with parents almost fighting on the touchline

 

[GRUMPY BLADE]

i think it was howard wilkinson who reffed the game when we played Abbeydale Grange.. he wasn't half a cheat. put it this way, it ended up with parents almost fighting on the touchline

He had a bad day when he met me and was obviously ill as my impression of him generally ties in with everyone else's - arse.

 

[More Bladier than thou]

I was once drinking with tracey hodges and i think beesley in the cricketers
they were all well ouked and hodges made a right cunt out of mate who thought he was a tough guy but old hodges put him right in his place

next game tracey had a shiner and rumour was hodges had smacked him after we left for acting like a twat

kicked him with the magical left foot

 

[Kenilworth]

Not sure if it was on the old BU or ViewPoints days but I seem to recall puppet stated he used to have to go to Hillsborough on work duties and once held a lift for Howard Wilkinson in a season Wendy were to be relegated. As he held the lift door open Pup asked the question "going down?"

He may have made it up - or it could have been Musical Blade - anyway, regardless, it's a good tale to tell.

 

[RossoDeltic]

Talking of trains, it has reminded me of meeting Glyn Hodges. I was on the way to the buffet on the way down to London the night before the Chelsea game. I had my Blades shirt on and a voice asked me if I was going to the match. It was the man himself, didn't really know what to say apart from 'hope we win'. I think he must have got on at Retford as we didn't see him at Doncaster as we were waiting foe the train to arrive. It was obviously my fault we lost.

 

[Rusty view]

Not technically at a match but the team coach picked up all the kids after our first coach encountered a puncture and the second had the back wheels fall off...literally. Would have been just before Nathan Blake left us.

 

[Silent Blade]

Not sure if it was on the old BU or ViewPoints days but I seem to recall puppet stated he used to have to go to Hillsborough on work duties and once held a lift for Howard Wilkinson in a season Wendy were to be relegated. As he held the lift door open Pup asked the question "going down?"

He may have made it up - or it could have been Musical Blade - anyway, regardless, it's a good tale to tell.

Yes, it was puppet but the manager was Peter Shreeves. Very funny!

 

[GRUMPY BLADE]

Not sure if it was on the old BU or ViewPoints days but I seem to recall puppet stated he used to have to go to Hillsborough on work duties and once held a lift for Howard Wilkinson in a season Wendy were to be relegated. As he held the lift door open Pup asked the question "going down?"

He may have made it up - or it could have been Musical Blade - anyway, regardless, it's a good tale to tell.

Remember that, priceless.

Edit:


Just remembered that the company I was with at the time organised some corporate stuff at Pigsborough for an England U21 game and I was the contact who sorted it.

When we both got in the lift I said the same but it had no impact on him at all, went straight over his head but inside I was laughing like a good un.

Childish I know but so what.

 

[Aston max]

used to deliver news papers to them when half of them lived in Todwick ( it was posh then ) used to make sure Eddie C,s paper got wet though tight get never give me ought at Xmas

 

[The Bohemian]

I was once drinking with tracey hodges and i think beesley in the cricketers
they were all well ouked and hodges made a right cunt out of mate who thought he was a tough guy but old hodges put him right in his place

next game tracey had a shiner and rumour was hodges had smacked him after we left for acting like a twat

Tracey's shiner was courtesy of Mitch Ward - Trace spoke out of turn and Wardy leathered him.

 

[Sheff de party]

Just a thought but prehaps some players don't want or enjoy the constant scrutiny and hassle that come from the fame of being a footballer.

Personally if i was a professional footballer, i wouldn't enjoy it if i nipped out for a pint, or for a pint of milk to be hassled constantly by people wanting to talk about football, or have pictures taken.

Different people react differently to the fame that comes with being a footballer. I have met a lot of people involved with football over the years and they have all been different.

I grew up with the son of the referee Keith Hackett, and known him for years and he is a good bloke. I also remember years ago the family having the change the phone number after a FA Cup Semi final where some West Ham fans got hold of their phone number and they got death threats.

I have met Dave Bassett and for him talking about football to supporters is probably the most natural thing in the world. I have met ex-Chesterfield manager John Duncan several times whilst i worked on the London trains, and he comes across as a dour bloke at first but when you get to know him he is a good bloke, and he explained a lot of stuff to me that at times that as a normal football fan i might not realise, really interesting bloke. He ended up working as a scout for Sir Alex Ferguson, and i was amazed when he explained to me just how extensive the scouting network they had was. He also could tell me if the Blades made any signings, what they was like, where they would fit in, and if they would be any good or not.

I've met plenty of United players during that period of my life, as i have already touched on my favourite player was Neil Shipperley, who basically was just an normal average bloke with no airs and graces about him. I also met Colin Kazim-Richards quite a bit, who first came over as a bit blunt and abrupt, but i think that was also just a bit of natural shyness and not being comfortable in that situation.

The one player i met a while back and i was shocked with how nervous and apprehensive he was around the fans, and that was Steve Simonsen. Despite everyone being friendly towards him and telling him he had played well, he still didn't look like he felt comfortable around a load of strangers who wanted to talk to him.

With some players i can see why they don't engage with the supporters much, one that stands out is Wayne Rooney. I've never met him, and don't think i ever will, but to me he comes across as a normal bloke from Liverpool with an extraordinary gift for playing football, but probably he is also a bit socially awkward as well, and that is probably the reason he might not be as assecible towards the fans as people think he should be

True. I thought someone might say this. I totally agree that they don't owe it to fans to be sociable all the time. If you're out shopping for tiles or you're on a date with your missus, you don't want every football fan and his dog mithering you all the time.

I don't think they have the balance right though. And I also think that at the kind of level where you get recognised all the time, you get a salary that makes it worthwhile for a job you chose to do. It might mean very little to the footballer, but it'll mean the world to some lad, as evidenced by some of the comments on this thread.

 

[nowtfancy]

Met Richard cadette (then record signing?!!) in that toy shop opposite the peace gardens
King Keith in the dancing dollar

 

[Jehovah]

Met a few over the years, but the standout was James Beattie on his second coming. Met him with my brother in Vodka Rev, he was with his agent. I went over and said hello and he invited us to join him, bought us both a beer and was a right laugh. It got a little awkward when he remained absolutely adamant he never scored for Everton against the blades (when I knew he put a penalty past us in the prem) but once that matter was settled courtesy of google, it was a good laugh again and no faces were smashed in. Top bloke.

 

[pommpey]

Was drinking with the Trinidad and Tobago holidaying Blades, first on the beach (where Warnock and Blackwell thought we were drug pushers), then onto an inland watering hole (where we taught the players how to 'shoot a can') and drinking with them the next night at some dub club.

T'was after this that NW invited me to the Lane. Don't give a shit what people say about him on the box and on the touchline. He is a real decent feller with a big heart.

We very nearly got him playing for HMS Manchester against a dockyard side, in Plymouth. The dockies were overjoyed because of this because down there he is a massive hero. He had to decline in the end as he was off to Birmingham to sign N'dlovu.

pommpey