Shipperley to join taxi ranks
Former Chelsea striker Neil Shipperley is embarking on a new career - as a London taxi driver.
The 35-year-old made 395 league appearances, scoring 119 goals, in a career that started at Stamford Bridge but took him to eight other clubs, including Southampton, Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest.
Shipperley retired from professional football in 2007 after a brief stint at League One side Brentford and now manages non-league outfit Walton Casuals.
Shipperley splits his time between football management and doing 'the knowledge' - the gruelling training course for prospective London black cab drivers.
And the former England Under-21 international knows he has his work cut out if he is going to pass.
"It's very hard but it's just something you've got to crack on with because it takes a lot of time," said Shipperley. "As long as you're aware of that then there's no rush.
"This is the only job I can think of where you actually know everything before you start. You literally do know everything. You see other drivers with sat-navs but there's no way of cheating this.
"You've got to do it, it’s hard graft but it's up to you what you do after that. If you've got a punter who wants to go 15 miles towards the M1 then you put your sat-nav on because the knowledge is only within a six-mile radius of Charing Cross."
Drivers taking the knowledge can often be spotted in London on motor scooters learning the streets of the capital.
And Shipperley, who has ballooned in size since retiring, admits he cannot wait to leave the scooter behind and get behind the wheel of a taxi.
"I can tell you it's quite a sight," he added. "I'm lucky there's a helmet on there so everyone doesn't know who I am.
"I've been called a walrus, a panda and no doubt there have been a few other words I haven't heard as well.
"I was always a frustrated man who wanted to get to this size. I had to work so hard [as a footballer] that as soon as I retired it was full on - it was party time."
