Heroes & Villains, the Aston Villa fanzine
Heroes & Villains => Heroes Discussion => Topic started by: Damo70 on July 23, 2011, 12:24:56 AM
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I once heard a story that back in the late eighties when Villa players used to get a club car like an Austin Montego, most of the players used to give it to the missus and drive round in something a bit more smart (although nothing like what they drive around in these days). Apparently Nigel Callaghan was single and driving a Lotus so he picked up his Austin, had some photos taken and drove it home. When he got a letter twelve months later to take it back to swap for a new one he hadn't seen the keys since the day he picked it up and had to get it towed back. I also worked with a woman about twenty years ago when I was about twenty and she was ten to fifteen years older who was a bit of a football groupie, she did The Bel Air (Villa) and Libertys (West Brom players apparently) and went out with Tony godden for quite a while. The story that interested me was about the Scottish Villa player she went out with in the late eighties who liked a drink or two. That didn't bother her but the bed wetting afterwards put her off a bit. And they reckon Alex Ferguson gets his young players on the straight and narrow.
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I caught the number 7 bus with Dwight Yorke after he made his debut for the reserves. Still got his bus ticket wedged in one of my old season ticket books.
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There were rumours circulating (via the ever reliable Baker and Kelly show moons ago when it was just Talk Radio) that ex Ipswich midfielder John Wark has an incredibly small penis. Micropenis territory.
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I once nearly got run over by Cyrille Regis at the traffic lights in Whiteheath.
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Gordon Cowans once told my mate to piss off in the beggars bush.
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yago bellon chatted up my missus on a night out in sutton playing up his villa "connection" a lot, and while she was on the phone to me telling me about it because she knows i love the villa and found it very amusing, i could hear him in the background telling her that it didnt matter that she had a boyfriend, go with him anyway...
paul devlin was in a bar in sutton getting smashed up on £1 bottles of beer after the villa v cska away game a couple seasons ago, and for some reason we got chatting, and in between me taking the piss out of his small heath and scottish connections, he was agreeing and laughing about it (was a decent bloke tbf), his mate decided he didnt like the banter we were having and threatened to bottle me in the face...
mark bosnich laughing at me falling over during their trip to torpoint athletic a few years back.. bryan small just stood at the back with a moody look on his face... the players were all very accomodating to fans...
few others about some plymouth playes, ie, graham coughlin being a cock, tony capaldi enjoying the banter about his small heath connections, and the keeper who got sent down for death by dangerous driving shaking me by the hand after he failed to chat up my missus (seemed a nice fella), my brother in law burning ronne mauges missus arm in a bar, etc, etc...
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My mom babysat for Andy Townsend once,the charge was £25,to which Jackie Townsend said "how much?" and complained,bear in mind they lived on Four Oaks Estate at the time and Andy was probably on £15k a week(I'm just guessing).
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Gordon Strachen gave me a can of coke out of the mini-fridge in his training ground office when he was at Cov, as I was fitting a new phone extension there.
It was hot that day and I was sweating like a scouser in Dixons, so fair play to him. A nice bloke.
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I read in a Villa magazine I think or it was on a video that Tommy Johnson said one of his fellow teammates wore their Villa top in the house.
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I read in a Villa magazine I think or it was on a video that Tommy Johnson said one of his fellow teammates wore their Villa top in the house.
That's the kind of thing I'd expect Deano's Mullet to know the answer to.
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I read in a Villa magazine I think or it was on a video that Tommy Johnson said one of his fellow teammates wore their Villa top in the house.
That's the kind of thing I'd expect Deano's Mullet to know the answer to.
Haha, I'd be interested to hear who this was though.
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I saw Steve Hodge in a pub in Ashby de la Zouch one Friday night in early 1991 and whilst I looked at him for a few moments I refrained from breaking the law.
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Kenny Burns shat in my mate's bog.
And what's more, he pebble dashed it.
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Always like the story about Cloughie in a biography, can't remember whose.
At Forest after senior players had all finished training and gone home Cloughie calls from his office to where apprentices were cleaning boots etc,
Apprentice answers phone : Hello
Cloughie : bring me a cup of tea up to my office
apprentice: fuck off get your own tea
Cloughie: do you know who you're talking to young man ?
apprentice: yes, do you know you're talking to ?
Cloughie: no
apprentice: then like I said fuck off and get your own cup of tea. hangs up and gets the hell out of there
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I met Savo Milosevic in Macdonals in Edrington with his girlfriend in August 1995. I then randomly spotted him on laybie of M42 Dunston Ireland. We offered him a lift or any assitance with his car. He said it was fine but Bozzie told him to meet him there on there way to the Bel Air.
I've also met Shaun Teale in Beatties in Sutton. Tony Daley and Paul Mcgrath in Sutton.
Earl Barrett in my local in Manchester. He's friends with somebody I work with.
Oh and I had my picture taken with Yorkie in his Mercedes at a sponsors do in July 1997.
Lee Hendrie in Tamworth on a night out.
Carry Cahill, Milan Baros, Freddie Bouma in the Arcadian.
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I'm just waiting for somebody to tell the story of Kenny Dalgish, Peter Beardsley and his wife. It's not your usual footballer's tale. It also goes a long way to explain why Liverpool sold Beardsley to Newcastle.
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I used to live in Tamworth and often used to see Nigel Callaghan pissed in the many pubs in the town centre. Also i use to see a young Tony Coton with a group of mates causing trouble around the Ankerside shopping centre. Other famous people i used to see in the Wigginton pub in Tamworth were Duran Duran when they were just starting out.I think a couple of the band were villa mad.
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I'm just waiting for somebody to tell the story of Kenny Dalgish, Peter Beardsley and his wife. It's not your usual footballer's tale. It also goes a long way to explain why Liverpool sold Beardsley to Newcastle.
Does it involve someone finding Beardsley attractive? Can't be true in that case.
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I used to live in Tamworth and often used to see Nigel Callaghan pissed in the many pubs in the town centre.
Callaghan used to live by me and would drive past our house in his flash lamborghini and wave at us playing footy. Wasn't so flash when he wrote it off though.
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I'm just waiting for somebody to tell the story of Kenny Dalgish, Peter Beardsley and his wife. It's not your usual footballer's tale. It also goes a long way to explain why Liverpool sold Beardsley to Newcastle.
Didn't Beardsley go to Everton from Liverpool? I'm guessing this doesn't change the story though.
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Saw Mikael Silvestre go in to a garage at Alderley Edge to complain about the diesel nozzle not fitting into his petrol tank in his Audi S4, as he was walking towards the kiosk the staff were laughing and saying "he's done it again"
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When I was a nipper my mate and I were riding alongside Tony Cascarino on our bikes as he was jogging around Sutton. He told us he was moving to Celtic for £2.3m (or whatever the figure was) before it was announced in the press.
Shaun Teale's son wheel-span a 4x4 type car next to mine at Sutton Park in 1995 and smashed my windscreen with the pebbles/shit off the park. He paid me for the damage after taking me back to his/his dads place to get the cash, where I found out he was the son of Shaun.
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I was at Dwight Yorke's 21st birthday party held at Villa Park. Nothing earth shattering, but a pissed up Garry Parker was dancing on a table in some leather trousers, Paul McGrath had a bit of a dance with his other half and then sat down rubbing his knees, Kevin Richardson was next to me at the bar and was arrogant and rude to the bar staff, Mark Bosnich was next to me at the bar, we chatted for a bit and he was a really nice bloke and Dwight Yorke and Bryan Small left with a couple of peroxide blondes old enough to be their mothers.
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I almost mowed Gavin McCann down when he stepped into the road without looking outside the bookies in Mere Green
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I saw 11 villa players all in one place last season. It was on a match day at Villa park on a Saturday afternoon playing some team in old gold, and i swear they must have all been pissed.
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I heard from a Brummie girl in met while traveling in India years ago that Steve Staunton has one on him like a babies arm.
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I also saw Ivo Stas in the same place many years earlier....
In fact, thinking about it, it wasn't him at all.
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As a 13 year old playing on the streets in Kings Norton, four of us were hanging around our local red telephone box. It just so happened that I lived 4 doors away from an ex Villa Player Darren Bradley. He was having a party one night when he was playing for Smethwick. It spilled onto the street and there were an array of Smethwick players. None other than Don Goodman spotted us and came over and challenged us to a as many people you can get into a call box as possible competition. It was very funny, around 9 Albion first teamers including Don, Darren, Stacey Coldicott, David Burrows trying to cram into our call box.
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I met Dwight Yorke in the Dome Nightclub in about 96'/97 time.
He was with the Birmingham Bullets basketball team (all 6ft 6 and above) he had a Claret & Blue waistcoat on, dripping in gold and was after some blonde girl at the bar. Me & my mate went up for a chat,he didn't want to at first, but then my mate showed him his villa tattoo and he was good as gold, dancing round with a bottle of bud in each hand!!!
I met Brian Clough at Bromsgrove Rovers when Nigel Clough was playing for Burton Albion. A little lad by asked him for his autograph. He said "why do you want an autograph of an old man?, i used to be somebody but not anymore!, now leave me alone"
Remember watching England vs Sweden at Old Trafford, Bobby Charlton was just going into the directors box entrance when a little kid (united fan) had got a book on the History of Manchester Utd, the first page was a picture of Bobby in his playing days, He asked Bobby for his autograph (only person asking for it) he said no, not now son i'm busy!! The little kid was gutted. It would have took 10 seconds to sign the book - tosser!
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Gatecrashed a neighbours sunday lunch when BFR was there (his car was parked outside and they invited me in for a chat).
Got Alan Lee kicked out of Rosie's in Solihull after I passed him a record I had nicked from the DJ booth.
One of my mates went back to Collymore's pad with some slappers after a night on Broad Street. Collymore dared the girls to swim in the canal and one of them did, then dripped the water on his cream carpet. Collymore turfed them out and the girls grabbed my mates new patrick cox shoes and chucked them in the canal (thinking they were Stans).
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havent posted before but im a regular veiwer of the site, thought id share this. in 1997 i worked at the blues grounds (ac fitting and ducting) for a company called centra vent, working in the offices. caren brady was there having some pictures fitted on the wall (painted breeze block no plaster) pech was there just finished training, think he was playing for darby at the time. i went for a shit, saved some in some loo roll, rubbed it inside the flex connection to the air diffuser grill in bradys office knowing it would then dry out and she'd be inhaling my dirty villa DNA for a while
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Thats just plain filthy.
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havent posted before but im a regular veiwer of the site, thought id share this. in 1997 i worked at the blues grounds (ac fitting and ducting) for a company called centra vent, working in the offices. caren brady was there having some pictures fitted on the wall (painted breeze block no plaster) pech was there just finished training, think he was playing for darby at the time. i went for a shit, saved some in some loo roll, rubbed it inside the flex connection to the air diffuser grill in bradys office knowing it would then dry out and she'd be inhaling my dirty villa DNA for a while
as first posts go that has to be up there
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havent posted before but im a regular veiwer of the site, thought id share this. in 1997 i worked at the blues grounds (ac fitting and ducting) for a company called centra vent, working in the offices. caren brady was there having some pictures fitted on the wall (painted breeze block no plaster) pech was there just finished training, think he was playing for darby at the time. i went for a shit, saved some in some loo roll, rubbed it inside the flex connection to the air diffuser grill in bradys office knowing it would then dry out and she'd be inhaling my dirty villa DNA for a while
Respect
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Love that story! Made me think of my favourite song "Shit on the City"
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Remember watching England vs Sweden at Old Trafford, Bobby Charlton was just going into the directors box entrance when a little kid (united fan) had got a book on the History of Manchester Utd, the first page was a picture of Bobby in his playing days, He asked Bobby for his autograph (only person asking for it) he said no, not now son i'm busy!! The little kid was gutted. It would have took 10 seconds to sign the book - tosser!
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Seems like Bobby Charlton has form. My uncle was a good footballer and played for Birmingham boys and as a result had a few passes to games at all the Midlands clubs. After a Villa v Man U game in the 60s he convinced the Villa commissionaire to let him through to the Man U coach and took his autograph book on board. He headed straight for Sir Bobby who told him in no uncertain terms to get off and to take his autograph book with him. My uncle was distraught but was consoled by Harry Gregg who apparently was a thoroughly decent bloke and he got a few players to sign for him. My uncle has never liked bald Bobby ever since then.
As an aside, I think Harry Gregg was later Jimmy Rimmer's mentor.
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villa v leeds 3rd February 1995, while working on the pitch pegging the net down in front the north stand (the away end at the time), Gary Mcallister decided before he went back to the dressing room to take a shot at goal, the ball hit me on the back of the head, hold back the tears as about 2000 or so Leeds fans laughing, I turned round to Mcallister holding to arms up in the air, ******.
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Recently got talking to a previous Banbury Utd Chairman, he told me they had the Villa come down a couple of occaisions, he said that the officials still talk about it. the Villa turned up with gifts, waived the match fee. treated every one with respect, joined the fans and players in the bar afterwards. They then had Blose down, he said they could not have been more different, demanded the match fee and fckd off. He wrote to Karen Brady to ask for some shirts to auction for a charity event, she wrote back saying it wasnt club policy. He said the club regularly ask the Villa and every time they send stuff. This guy is a Manu fan but he said he has enormous respect for The Villa.
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I told this story on another thread, I was at a charity Golf Day, sat in the restaraunt area with my bacon sandwich and Chris Nichol came along and said any one sitting here, I said no Chris. I then told him I used to watch him play for The Villa, he asked me how come, I dont have a Brummie accent, he turned round and said your mum and dad bought you up the right way son. We got chatting and I have to say what a lovely bloke he is. Also met Sir Dennis recently and again as soon as I said I was Villa, he smiled and could not have been more friendly. Its great when your boyhood heros are so friendly.
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I can honestly say that of all the former players I've met - not just ex-Villa - the ones who haven't been a pleasure to talk to can be counted on one hand.
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I can honestly say that of all the former players I've met - not just ex-Villa - the ones who haven't been a pleasure to talk to can be counted on one hand.
Dave, do you think you will be saying the same about this generation?
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After the Liverpool game when Staunton was sent off for them in the first half, we met him in a wine bar in town as my uncle palys golf with him. I was only 19 and pretty hammered. I staggered over and said that I had a better left foot than he did. He replied with 'but you don't get paid 10k a week for it though'. I can be a cheeky so and so but that's the best comeback I have ever had. He was great afterwards.
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Used to see Villa players in Sutton all the time when I was at college there (94-96). Most memorably, seeing Nii Lamptey buying a camera and some rolls of film in Supa Snaps just before our away tie with Inter.
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I can honestly say that of all the former players I've met - not just ex-Villa - the ones who haven't been a pleasure to talk to can be counted on one hand.
Dave, do you think you will be saying the same about this generation?
Doubt it, but you never know.
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I can honestly say that of all the former players I've met - not just ex-Villa - the ones who haven't been a pleasure to talk to can be counted on one hand.
Does one of those fingers have a dodgy comb over?
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I can honestly say that of all the former players I've met - not just ex-Villa - the ones who haven't been a pleasure to talk to can be counted on one hand.
Does one of those fingers have a dodgy comb over?
I've never met him in person, but by all accounts the reports on here are by no means isolated.
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Was working ina abr in dublin a few years back when McGrath came in on one of his benders. Wavering from side to side when he walked. A sad sight. Served a good few ex footballers. Best was Gary Kelly who gave me a twenty quid tip for dropping two bottles of wine to a pair of girls. And gave me another 20 quid on his way out the door. One of my workmates dropped a toasted wrap on his lap that he didn't even order. He couldn't have been more cool about it
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I can honestly say that of all the former players I've met - not just ex-Villa - the ones who haven't been a pleasure to talk to can be counted on one hand.
Does one of those fingers have a dodgy comb over?
I've never met him in person, but by all accounts the reports on here are by no means isolated.
Another one I heard was that someone (I forget whether they were a Villa fan or not) went up to him to ask a question and started with "Hello Bobby!" Whereby the miserable old scroat icily responded "It's Sir Bobby," turned heel and fecked off.
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Watch some of the ManU players faces as some fans are let on their team coach a few days ago. The look of horror as the oiks ask for autographs. Also notice how many are sat wearing those stupid bloody headphones.
The majority of players I have met have all been happy to sign autographs etc except Harewood who clearly had a cob on.
I stood behind David James in a chinese takeaway in Aston Fields, Bromsgrove and the bloke is bloody tall. I'm 6'2 and he towered over me.
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I got a friend who used to coach at Man Utd, and he once told me that they had a rule there that at dinner time if you leave your tray on the table you get charged £50 but he said Dwight Yorke everyday left his tray on a table with a £50 note....
And on autographs last season i went to the training ground numerous of times and the only player who looked like they didnt want to stop is Michael Bradley a kid was queing up by his car & a few just walked away & one of the kids dads said go on get his autograph & the kid said no he's to moody... and while he was sigining autographs he kept putting his foot down on his clutch like edging the car forward as like saying i wanna go. When other players like Gabby, Clark, Albrighton, Pires & Bent all got out of cars signed everything & took pics with everyone
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Is this alledgedly rude man with the comb over the same person who slaughtered Sir Graham when he was England manager whilst his own managerial career was less than impressive?
Is it the same person who's brother replied to BFR's admission that he couldn't stand him by telling Big Ron he felt the same!?
On the other side of the coin Tony Morley was my hero as a kid and on meeting him he was a great bloke too.
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Is this alledgedly rude man with the comb over the same person who slaughtered Sir Graham when he was England manager whilst his own managerial career was less than impressive?
Is it the same person who's brother replied to BFR's admission that he couldn't stand him by telling Big Ron he felt the same!?
On the other side of the coin Tony Morley was my hero as a kid and on meeting him he was a great bloke too.
And yet according to BFR's book, Graham Taylor was being eyed for the Man U job - whilst Ron was still in it- because Charlton wanted him.
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I was bumped into by a 4 wheel drive as I was leaving Villa Park. I turned round, annoyed, to see the driver was Juan Pablo Angel.
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Years ago Danny Baker told a story about Niall Quinn when he was at Arsenal. Evidently somebody asked him if he had the time when they were travelling on the Tube and he gave them the time. As they got off the train somebody ran and caught up with them full of apologies and explained their watch had stopped and the time they had given them was incorrect and didn't want them to be late for whatever they were heading to, it was Niall Quinn.
Think he was using various examples of people who had met him to prove he was the nicest man in football.
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I was bumped into by a 4 wheel drive as I was leaving Villa Park. I turned round, annoyed, to see the driver was Juan Pablo Angel.
Why doesn't it surprise me that he wasn't very accurate? Unless of course he bore some grudge against you.
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During the re make of Crossroads, me and my brother got some extra work on a episode. It was filmed at Villa Park and as my mum works at the club she got us the "gig". The episode was filmed in what was the Corner Flag restaurant if I remember correctly and to our surprise a few of the current squad had been asked to appear in the episode. David James was one and he was a true gent. He came over and chatted to myself, a massive fan even then, and my brother, who was not a football fan at the time but has since been converted. Seeing my brother was being quiet, DJ tried to get him involved by tapping a balloon on his head. My brother responded by smashing his head against the table and playing dead. I don't think I have ever seen a grown man so scared. He saw the funny side though, signed plenty of things and came across as an all round top bloke.
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I met David James on numerous occasions when he lived in Bromsgrove.......nice bloke.He walked into my door , when it had just been painted with a "wet paint" sign on it, that left a big mark on his t-shirt.I just looked at him and shook my head, and he just laughed.
If anyone ever asked him for an autograph, then he was always only too pleased to oblige.Nice bloke, his wife was a bit scary though.
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Watch some of the ManU players faces as some fans are let on their team coach a few days ago. The look of horror as the oiks ask for autographs. Also notice how many are sat wearing those stupid bloody headphones.
The majority of players I have met have all been happy to sign autographs etc except Harewood who clearly had a cob on.
I stood behind David James in a chinese takeaway in Aston Fields, Bromsgrove and the bloke is bloody tall. I'm 6'2 and he towered over me.
Is that Ashley sat by himself behind Rooney? You think they'd have buddied the new boy up with someone, poor lamb. I wonder if he's not going to make any friends at his new school.
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Through the mum connection I was also a ball boy down at the Villa. It was immense to save an questions, I got to do some England games as well when Wembley was knocked down. My main memory was Paul Robinson running towards me shouting for me to hand him the ball when we were winning by one goal, not too sure of the scoreline but he was at Leeds at the time, and I very calmly waited for him to run over to me before I threw it over his head. He called me a "twat" as he ran off for the ball. I probably deserved it.
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I used to go up town with my best mate at the time who's dad is Andy grey. A few times we would meet up with yorke and bosnich at Stoodi Bakers. After a quiet night in terms of them not pulling the typical blonde football vampires we all decided to call it a night. Yorke had parked at the blindley place car park. Put his ticket in then paid with a £20 note. The total cost was about £7 all the money came out in change and he left it in there. I went to shout him but my mate shook his head at me and told me not to bother. Yorke doesnt like to carry change he told me. He'd rather just leave it there for someone else to have.
Also once when I was about 10 I went on one of those villa summer football camps for a week. We were taking penalties. Sid was teaching us at the time. I had took mine and scored. When not taking the spot kicks we all had to line up by the side of the goal on the touch line. Sid was talking about technique but i wasn't listening. Telling the lad next to me how great my kick was blah, blah, blah. I heard this shout, turned to look at Sid as this ball came flying towards me and smacked me in the face and I hit the deck. I saw a blured Cowans through the tears, towering over me and he said
"when you can do that, then you can ignore me. Until then you listen. Got it?"
Love him!!
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On the Bobby Charlton thing, the late Denis Howell MP was a former football league referee and also a member of the Birmingham branch of the Referee's Association, as I was myself. Due to political committments he wouldn't be a regular attender but one night he turned up and he told me that in all his refereeing career the player who never stopped moaning most throughout any game he had him in was non other than that paragon of virtue one Bobby Charlton!
In 94/95 myself and a friend brought a group of under 16's over from Ireland and I'd written to the club beforehand regarding a trip to Bodymoor Heath. To cut the story short Villa were training on the farthest pitch away from the public area and I thought that's where we had to stay but I was sought out by an official and we were all of us brought around to where the lads were training, it truly was an exciting experience not just for the kids either! What stood out for me was when training was over most players stayed around for our kids' and the others over in the public area to give autographs. The last player to leave when he was certain everyone who wanted an autograph had one was Dalian Atkinson, a very decent bloke.
Another aspect of that trip was watching Paul McGrath standing behind the goal collecting the balls that had been kicked behind by the others and that was all the training he did. I have some great photo's of that trip and Villa treated us very kindly.
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Also once when I was about 10 I went on one of those villa summer football camps for a week. We were taking penalties. Sid was teaching us at the time. I had took mine and scored. When not taking the spot kicks we all had to line up by the side of the foal on the touch line. Sid was talking about technique but was wasn't listening. Telling the lad next to me how great my kick was blah, blah, blah. I heard this shout, turned to look at Sid as this ball came flying towards me and smacked me in the face and I hit the deck. I saw a blured Cowans through the tears, towering over me and he said
"when you can do that, then you can ignore me. Until then you listen. Got it?"
Love him!!
To be fair, he was just horsing around.
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Yeah, u got to love the iPhone and predictive txt!!
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I once had a chat with Steve Bull while we were both having a piss in a pub bog..
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As a kid I was on a summer football programme at Tudor Grange where it so happened Blose happened to be training at the time because their training ground was out of action (fire I think?). We were playing a game of one touch five-a-side in the sports hall when the Blose team came in from training and 'jokingly' a few of them decided to join us. The late Les Sealey went in goal for the team I was playing against and I duly managed to put a scuffed shot past him. I'm sure he was hardly trying his uptmost but he made a swift exit afterwards with his team mates unsurprisingly giving him some serious stick for it.
Terry Cooper was their manager at the time seemed a very nice bloke. Paul Tait didn't.
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Some funny stories on this thread- the Sid one above is classic.
I've posted this one before I think, but here goes anyway... I was on the piss one weekend with some mates in nuneaton and it was just before italia 90. I thought I spotted Nigel spink in bilberries just going out the door. I told my mate who also supports villa who took the piss saying I was bullshitting. A bit later we went to the railway tavern by the station and he was standing outside with his mrs. We went in and got some drinks and then went out for a yarn to him. Very friendly and signed autographs for us.
I asked him if he was going to Italy and he replied laughing, what with all the hooligans? It was a bit perplexing cos he was a great keeper at the time and it was a genuine question.
Another time I was at euston station before the Leeds cup final in 96 and I saw jack charlton on the concourse with John barnes. I ran in Menzies and got a pen and some card and went back to where they were. Had bit of a chat with jack whilst he signed the autograph, think he was still the Ireland manager at the time and he was quite popular. He came across a really nice guy just like on the Telly.
As I turned to leave John barnes made to take the pen and cards to do his autograph. I just blanked him and carried on walking. He was a great player in his day and probably deserved more respect, but I've always thought he was a cvnt after he scored that cvntish free kick at villa park whilst the keeper - spinksy probably - was out of his area arguing with ref about the free kick. One of those ones where you'd have loved it if it was one of our players that did it. But I've never liked him since that.
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It's well know that Gary Shaw drinks around Harborne and he was in my local, The White Horse, on a Sunday afternoon.
The barmaid, who had a season ticket in the Holte at the time, served him a round of drinks and he attempted to pay with a credit card. Which she flatly refused.
When we asked her why she had done this to a Villa hero her comment was - "he could've been anyone !"
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As I turned to leave John barnes made to take the pen and cards to do his autograph. I just blanked him and carried on walking. He was a great player in his day and probably deserved more respect, but I've always thought he was a cvnt after he scored that cvntish free kick at villa park whilst the keeper - spinksy probably - was out of his area arguing with ref about the free kick. One of those ones where you'd have loved it if it was one of our players that did it. But I've never liked him since that.
I met John Barnes whilst I was working at the Ryder Cup, I gave him a lift in my golf buggy. He was wearing the most God awful suit you can possibly imagine, Orange & Purple I think, he was a guest of the Jamaican tourist board and invited me into the hospitality tent for a beer, he seemed a pretty decent bloke. The thing I most remember though was the way he, totally unbidden, slagged off the then manager Graeme Souness, he hated him.
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Gordon Cowans once told my mate to piss off in the beggars bush.
To be fair to Sid my mate did tell him he had a crap game and that's probably the reason why we lost...
I have bumped into Sid a few times and he has been great.
As for SGT, he is without doubt on of the best. A couple of years ago I was with my kids wandering around before the game. I asked asked him if we could all get our photo took with him, Alan Green said he didn't have time but SGT told him to be quiet. We saw him after the game and he remembered my Neices name and arranged for a load of ex and current players to have their pic took with us. A total gent and thoroughly nice man.
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Re Barnes, some mates of mine play for a team called the Polytechnic in London and they somehow often play in a tournament in Hong Kong with professional teams. About 6-7 years ago they bumped into John Barnes there and asked for photos with him. He took a camera and, at arms length, just took a picture of himself, then cracked up laughing, before joining in plenty of photos and autographs. They said he was really sound.
My uncle used to play Midlands Combination football for Smethwick Highfield and at some point in the 70s they played in a final at Villa Park. My cousin was about 8 and was mascot and went up to collect a losers medal with my uncle. Doug Ellis was presenting the silverware and gave my cousin 50p to cheer him up. As a sign of how times have changed, my uncle had been offered a contract by Peterborough in the 60s but turned it down because he had a young family and could earn more as a draughtsman.
My uncle used to work on outside broadcasts for RTE, the Irish state broadcaster. He did quite a few Ireland games, including away trips, and said that Jack Charlton was a brilliantly gruff bloke and was down to earth with everybody. He didn't believe in throwing cash about and he used to carry a plastic bag containing Guinness cans on his travels. You knew you were in the inner sanctum if Jack offered you a can - which he rarely did.
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I once saw Willie Anderson in his Capri driving round Shenstone...
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There's a (probably apocryphal) story that when Jack was Republic manager he soon got into the habit of paying for everything by cheque because shopkeepers and publicans would invariably frame the cheques rather than cash them.
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I was working in a pub in Acocks Green in the mid to late nineties and one day (Saturday lunchtime I think), all the regular faces in the bar had about six copies of the same paper between them and were chatting and laughing excitedly whilst fighting to get a look at the paper. It was the story about Yorke, Bosnich, a girl, a videa camera and the girls underwear. Turns out she had drank in the pub until recently (before my time there) and had contacted a few of them to let them know it was her in the story. I told my girlfriend at the time and it turned out she was mates with the girl and knew where she worked (an estate agents in Solihull). Seeing as you couldn't see her properly in the paper and we were planning a trip to Australia I made sure I went to her work place and after spotting her name badge made sure I dealt with her and told her who my girlfriend was. Basically she was fit as f**k and got us a great deal on the flights. And no, I didn't mention the newspaper story to her!
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I was working in a pub in Acocks Green in the mid to late nineties and one day (Saturday lunchtime I think), all the regular faces in the bar had about six copies of the same paper between them and were chatting and laughing excitedly whilst fighting to get a look at the paper. It was the story about Yorke, Bosnich, a girl, a videa camera and the girls underwear. Turns out she had drank in the pub until recently (before my time there) and had contacted a few of them to let them know it was her in the story. I told my girlfriend at the time and it turned out she was mates with the girl and knew where she worked (an estate agents in Solihull). Seeing as you couldn't see her properly in the paper and we were planning a trip to Australia I made sure I went to her work place and after spotting her name badge made sure I dealt with her and told her who my girlfriend was. Basically she was fit as f**k and got us a great deal on the flights. And no, I didn't mention the newspaper story to her!
How did an Estate Agent get you a good deal on flights? ;)
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There's a (probably apocryphal) story that when Jack was Republic manager he soon got into the habit of paying for everything by cheque because shopkeepers and publicans would invariably frame the cheques rather than cash them.
Sounds like something you should give a go, Dave :)
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On the subject of Jack Charlton, the complete opposite of tosspot brother Bobby. Jack was doing the rounds here in Ireland after Euro 88 and I went along with a couple of mates and I took my then eleven year old son. When we got there they wouldn't let my lad in saying that Jack sometimes got a bit blue and they didn't think it was appropriate for children. Fair enough, so I took my lad out to the bar to wait out the time. The next thing my lad was sent for and the next thing I knew was he was having his photo taken with Jack which made the local newspaper. He was then allowed in to the room for the evening. Top man Jack.
Jack told the story that night of the time he called into a pub during one of his fishing trips to Co. Mayo. When he was leaving, the bar owner gave him a bottle of whiskey, "whats that for?" asked Jack " that's your share of the profits of Euro 88" said the bar owner. Brilliant.
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As I turned to leave John barnes made to take the pen and cards to do his autograph. I just blanked him and carried on walking. He was a great player in his day and probably deserved more respect, but I've always thought he was a cvnt after he scored that cvntish free kick at villa park whilst the keeper - spinksy probably - was out of his area arguing with ref about the free kick. One of those ones where you'd have loved it if it was one of our players that did it. But I've never liked him since that.
I met John Barnes whilst I was working at the Ryder Cup, I gave him a lift in my golf buggy. He was wearing the most God awful suit you can possibly imagine, Orange & Purple I think, he was a guest of the Jamaican tourist board and invited me into the hospitality tent for a beer, he seemed a pretty decent bloke. The thing I most remember though was the way he, totally unbidden, slagged off the then manager Graeme Souness, he hated him.
Speaking of not rating managers, a mutual acquaintance of mine knows ex-Blose leg end AJ (he probably is a legend to those twats in fairness. Not much competition).
He was adamant that most of the players at his then current club Everton -this was in 2007- took the piss out of Moyes, because of his insistence in picking Phil Neville.
Thing is Moyes (and Neville, for that matter) are still there, and the cueball headed one isn't. So I'm not sure how widespread this disdain actually was.
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Was that twitter spat between Neville and Seamus Coleman for realz?
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There's a (probably apocryphal) story that when Jack was Republic manager he soon got into the habit of paying for everything by cheque because shopkeepers and publicans would invariably frame the cheques rather than cash them.
And taxi drivers.
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My Dad was in the carpet/furniture trade and used to help out down the Villa so he finished up supplying furnishings for a few of the players in the 70s/80s.
Trevor Hockey had some bedroom furniture just before one Xmas, not flat pack ready assembled. Phoned the old man up on Xmas Day morning saying he couldnt find one of the screws to put a handle on.
Martin Keown was round the house, lovely bloke sat down and had a natter. He phoned up a couple of hours after leaving and my Mom answered, said he had mislaid 50p and wondered if it had fell down the side of our settee.
The old man even supplied furniture for some of the Blues players. Kenny Burns came in the shop...Dad "Yes Kenny you come in at the right time, we've got a twice the price sale on this week". Kenny "Really ? Thats great!".
Neale Cooper, great bloke very boisterous, every sentence finished "Top man". I fitted some carpet for Graham Turner when he was manager, the colour was blue ! The old man sorted out all the carpets and furniture for Tony Morley, he's back in the shop a few months later as he had been flooded out. Ok Tony lets sort some quotes to send to the insurance first, insurance errr no havent got any insurance! I delivered some furniture to Andy Gray (the scottish one) in his 1st spell at the club when he lived in 4 oaks, half eaten chinese take away cartons all over the house. I was delivering a bed to Gary Shaw in Wylde Green, he got a call while I was there that he was going out on loan to Blackpool. I had to get a map out the van to show him the route to get there. We delivered a really big heavy 3 piece suite to Peter Withe in Solihull. Great bloke, he practically carried it all into the house himself.
Generally speaking, all the players and other people round football were a great bunch then. Top of the pile for being the nicest I would have to say Ray Graydon and the old commercial manager Eric Woodward.
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My Dad was in the carpet/furniture trade and used to help out down the Villa so he finished up supplying furnishings for a few of the players in the 70s/80s.
Trevor Hockey had some bedroom furniture just before one Xmas, not flat pack ready assembled. Phoned the old man up on Xmas Day morning saying he couldnt find one of the screws to put a handle on.
Martin Keown was round the house, lovely bloke sat down and had a natter. He phoned up a couple of hours after leaving and my Mom answered, said he had mislaid 50p and wondered if it had fell down the side of our settee.
The old man even supplied furniture for some of the Blues players. Kenny Burns came in the shop...Dad "Yes Kenny you come in at the right time, we've got a twice the price sale on this week". Kenny "Really ? Thats great!".
Neale Cooper, great bloke very boisterous, every sentence finished "Top man". I fitted some carpet for Graham Turner when he was manager, the colour was blue ! The old man sorted out all the carpets and furniture for Tony Morley, he's back in the shop a few months later as he had been flooded out. Ok Tony lets sort some quotes to send to the insurance first, insurance errr no havent got any insurance! I delivered some furniture to Andy Gray (the scottish one) in his 1st spell at the club when he lived in 4 oaks, half eaten chinese take away cartons all over the house. I was delivering a bed to Gary Shaw in Wylde Green, he got a call while I was there that he was going out on loan to Blackpool. I had to get a map out the van to show him the route to get there. We delivered a really big heavy 3 piece suite to Peter Withe in Solihull. Great bloke, he practically carried it all into the house himself.
Generally speaking, all the players and other people round football were a great bunch then. Top of the pile for being the nicest I would have to say Ray Graydon and the old commercial manager Eric Woodward.
Nice story but reading it just made my eye's bleed.
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It's been documented here before but...:
Mrs Pablo went out with Mark Draper before me...
Serving 'Don't you know who I am?' billy big bollocks Alistair Robertson whilst a boy management trainee
Nearly running over Phil King & his wife in Four Oaks the day after THAT penalty - he was safe, as he was wearing the loudest high viz blazer imaginable
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Having a chat with Ian Olney in the Blake Barn in little aston circa 1990,friendly guy.Also Paul Birch with lovely looking woman in said pub,remember he smoked alot.Having a chat with Kent Nielsen in Park avenue in Sutton in Danish(we came to U.K. at same time)
Merse in Sutton all the time>always looked really scruffy,SGT in B and Q Beggars Bush,I was in his way but he was a really polite bloke.
Mates ex used to go out with Steve Staunton,but she dumped him for my mate(who was a shop keeper at the time),she said he was a nice bloke but a bit boring...
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More boring than a shopkeeper?
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I was working in a pub in Acocks Green in the mid to late nineties and one day (Saturday lunchtime I think), all the regular faces in the bar had about six copies of the same paper between them and were chatting and laughing excitedly whilst fighting to get a look at the paper. It was the story about Yorke, Bosnich, a girl, a videa camera and the girls underwear. Turns out she had drank in the pub until recently (before my time there) and had contacted a few of them to let them know it was her in the story. I told my girlfriend at the time and it turned out she was mates with the girl and knew where she worked (an estate agents in Solihull). Seeing as you couldn't see her properly in the paper and we were planning a trip to Australia I made sure I went to her work place and after spotting her name badge made sure I dealt with her and told her who my girlfriend was. Basically she was fit as f**k and got us a great deal on the flights. And no, I didn't mention the newspaper story to her!
How did an Estate Agent get you a good deal on flights? ;)
What a twat I am, I wouldn't mind but I read it back before I posted! You guessed it, it was a travel agents she worked in. In my defence we had actually bought a house the month before but I'm not aware of any story connecting the guy we dealt with for that with any Villa players!
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I've always had a severe dislike for Bobby Charlton, i've never been able to put my finger on why, other than he's always come across as totally up his own arse. This thread seems to have confirmed i was right.
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Dammo
I cn vouch for your story as she was a mate of mine and yes she worked at the co op travel inssurance and yes was fit as fuck. Me and my mate went on holiday with them a couple of years after this and i got all the details.Bossie was a very naughty boy as we all found out later.... he was on it a lot earlier than when caught at chelsea.
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Is this alledgedly rude man with the comb over the same person who slaughtered Sir Graham when he was England manager whilst his own managerial career was less than impressive?
Is it the same person who's brother replied to BFR's admission that he couldn't stand him by telling Big Ron he felt the same!?On the other side of the coin Tony Morley was my hero as a kid and on meeting him he was a great bloke too.
I love the quote from Jack in that book: "He's a better footballer but I'm a better bloke" Saw a documentary about 10 years ago about the Charltons and a third brother was interviewed. He didn't seem too impressed with Jack when the subject of Jack slating Bobby in his book was brought up
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More boring than a shopkeeper?
According to her yeah,and ive gotta admit he is a funny bloke(for a shop keeper)
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More boring than a shopkeeper?
He might have a joke shop - hours of rib-tickling fun!
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Or an adult shop!
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The weekend after Villa beat Olbiun via a pass back by Brendan Batson to Lord Withe I was in the Greyhound in Stourbridge and in walks Mr B. Two of us engaged him in conversation generally. Bought him a drink and suggested a toast. "To the best pass Peter Withe had all season". He realised who we were then but laughed about it and bought us couple afterwards so a good night.
Have bumped in Ally Brown and a couple of other Olbiun oldies and they were very prickly when I mentioned the Villa.
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Have bumped in Ally Brown and a couple of other Olbiun oldies and they were very prickly when I mentioned the Villa.
It's a shame you didn't bump into Ally Brown with the same force that he bumped into Alex Cropley, shattering his leg in the process.
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Have bumped in Ally Brown and a couple of other Olbiun oldies and they were very prickly when I mentioned the Villa.
It's a shame you didn't bump into Ally Brown with the same force that he bumped into Alex Cropley, shattering his leg in the process.
my thoughts exactly BDE, quality player was Alex Cropley.
UTV
The Doc
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I went out with a bird a few years ago from Sheffield and she was a "retired lapdancer" *coughs*
needless to say she had gone out with Bowyer whilst he was at Leeds and that he was hung like an hamster
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Needless to say?
Is it common knowledge that Bowyer went out with all the lapdancers in Yorkshire?
Brilliant post.
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Have bumped in Ally Brown and a couple of other Olbiun oldies and they were very prickly when I mentioned the Villa.
It's a shame you didn't bump into Ally Brown with the same force that he bumped into Alex Cropley, shattering his leg in the process.
my thoughts exactly BDE, quality player was Alex Cropley.
UTV
The Doc
Ally Brown was on the Asda car park Brierley Hill behind a tape barrier at the time. There were two "helpers" with him as they expected a row with Wolves fans!
I was there when he crocked the mighty wee Alex so didn't really say anything to him as I was too emotional (true!)
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Yeah, Bobby Charlton comes across as a twat.
A couple of people i have spoken to reckon Ray Houghton is a complete arsehole.
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I went out with a bird a few years ago from Sheffield and she was a "retired lapdancer" *coughs*
needless to say she had gone out with Bowyer whilst he was at Leeds and that he was hung like an hamster
With a face like a rat and being hung like a hamster, he is proper vermin.
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My dad was ill in hospital a few years back. I bumped into Sir Graham and he was more than happy to have a chat with my dad over the phone. Top bloke.
Bryan Small. Funny as you like.
Paul Tait once threatened me. Told me he could have brought his mates down and given me a good going over. I'll keep the rest to myself. :-)
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needless to say she had gone out with Bowyer whilst he was at Leeds and that he was hung like an hamster
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I used to live on the isle of dogs in east London. My neighbor at the time went to school with bowyer and said that he'd always been a nasty bit of work. Told a story of bowyer and his mates pissed up racially abusing the staff and smashing up a McDonalds restaurant at Aspen way
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Is that Ashley sat by himself behind Rooney? You think they'd have buddied the new boy up with someone, poor lamb. I wonder if he's not going to make any friends at his new school.
He doesn't need friends, he has a web cam.
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met George Best in Lisbon
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Yeah, Bobby Charlton comes across as a twat.
A couple of people i have spoken to reckon Ray Houghton is a complete arsehole
The dad of a colleague of mine is a member of the same Essex golf club as Houghton and they both reckon he is a really top bloke - down to earth, funny and reasonably generoous too.
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needless to say she had gone out with Bowyer whilst he was at Leeds and that he was hung like an hamster
I used to live on the isle of dogs in east London. My neighbor at the time went to school with bowyer and said that he'd always been a nasty bit of work. Told a story of bowyer and his mates pissed up racially abusing the staff and smashing up a McDonalds restaurant at Aspen way
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A lad I work with was in the year above him at school. He's mixed race, says he knew him through mates and he was a decent lad all in all.
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Went up to VP to get some tickets one day with my mate. Usual gate at the North Stand was open so we went for a look around the ground. Security box wasn't there then so we basically had the freedom of Villa Park. Climbed up to the TV gantry of Witton Lane stand, stood in our usual space on the Holte then climbed the spiral stairs into the Trinity Road stand.
We then sat in Doug Ellis's seat and we even used the phone that used to call the dugout to phone my dads mate (used 9 for an outside line lol).
Were in there for about 2 hours then we walked round to catch the train at Witton station. We loved spotting look-a-likes (still do) and some bloke walking towards us with a ropey white T-Shirt on carrying a Hummel holdall looked just like Steve Sims.
We both shouted at the exact same time "Steeeeevve Sims" for a laugh. The bloke replied "Hello lads". Yes, it was the actual Steve Sims. :)
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Met a lawyer a couple of years ago who in conversation uses the fact that he managed to keep Paul Tait out of jail on several occasions as an indication of how good he is at his job.
Not quite a footballer story but I can dream, I think it was 1991, went to Villa Park to get my season ticket and parked in the North Stand car park. I had a Porsche at the time, it was only a 924 and over ten years old but it still looked quite smart. Half a dozen kids were kicking a ball around and as I went to get back in the car they've come up and asked if I was a Villa player. First thing that came into my head was 'yes, I'm Mark Blake'. I signed a few autographs for them and they were well chuffed. He made his first team debut shortly after and I imagined conversations like, 'who's that dad'? - 'that's mark Blake son' - 'no it's not dad, I've met him and he's white'.
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I lived in the Mailbox for a couple of years at the same time Milan Baros lived there. My mum thinks it's funny every year to buy me childish Villa tat from the club shop for Christmas and one year I got back to the flat with my box full of tat (Villa door hanger, calendar, beer mats, all sorts of shit basically) walked in to the lift area at the car park and Baros was there with his Czech model missus. I then had to squeeze in to the lift with the two of them with my box full of Villa crap. Not a great moment for me. Fair play though, the Christmas after my flatmate sorted out a signed shirt from him which I still have.
The Villa put players up in the Mailbox a lot and when we took our flat on the agent who showed us round it told us JPA used to live there. We didn't really believe him until we got some post to Mr JP Angel from the BMW garage in Sutton.
Also, one of my bosses lives in Barnt Green. When we had the terrible snow last Christmas he saw a top of the range Merc with personalised number plate embedded in a wall having lost it in the snow, and a young fella standing outside it scratching his head. My boss's lad sitting in the back seat pointed out it was Agent Ridgewell! His driving is as good as his defending it seems!
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A couple of people i have spoken to reckon Ray Houghton is a complete arsehole.
I was walking into the North Stand car park last season (on my way into the Cowans Suite, Academy, what ever it's called) and i spotted Ray Houghton at the boot of his car changing into a shirt. He must have been doing commentary of some sort. Anyway, i went over, shook his hand, said hello and he was nice enough.
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About twenty five years ago my younger son went to a school which did not approve of football. They could only play rugby, hockey or cricket.
My son's class of eight year olds were (and to this day still are) football mad. They crazed me to persuade the headmaster to allow them to form a football team. The headmaster who was a total pompous prick and a social climber to boot agreed reluctantly on the strict conditions that the school would incur no expense whatsoever and that the school did not acknowledge that it was anything to do with them.
Of course that team of little boys were very motivated and beat every local school out of sight. We qualified for the All England Prep Schools Cup which was played at the grounds of Bedford Modern School.
Of course by this time the headmaster who had disowned us was a fixture on the touchline dressed in his alpaca overcoat and brand new purple and white scarf.
We got to the final but we had no hopes whatever of winning because the other finalists were Forest School from deepest Essex which specialized in overcharging for attempting to get reading writing and arithmetic into the thick skulls of Essex folk, particularly the children of professional footballers.
My son plays central defence and had a torrid time at the hands of a Forest player who although only nine had the build of a stocky small twenty year old and the shot of one. He had scored a hat trick in a quarter of an hour and by half time we were seven nil down.
At half time the headmaster decided that he was going to say his piece and marched on to the field and addressed the Forest goal scorer in his best headmasterly fashion. The player stared him down, hands on hips.
"You boy," the teacher lectured, "you are a greedy goal hanger, only interested in showing off. In the second half I want you to pass the ball to your team mates, especially this one here who has been crying because you will not let him have a shot at goal. And if you do not do it I shall telephone your headmaster personally. What is your name boy?"
The boy remained with his hands on his hips, hawked his throat, did a giant gob which splattered over the headmaster's shiny shoes.
"Lampard"
And the name of the boy who had been crying? Brooking.
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My dad was ill in hospital a few years back. I bumped into Sir Graham and he was more than happy to have a chat with my dad over the phone. Top bloke.
Bryan Small. Funny as you like.
Paul Tait once threatened me. Told me he could have brought his mates down and given me a good going over. I'll keep the rest to myself. :-)
Wonder if his arm is better now.
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met George Best in Lisbon
That's a great story!
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Good few years ago on one of my mates birthday night out at the end of December. Ended up in a bar in the Arcadian Centre and bumped into a load of Villa players including Gareth Barry and Lee Hendrie (too pissed by this stage to remember who else was there). Had a quick chat with them, wished them Merry Xmas and they kindly delivered a bottle of champagne we'd bought for my mates birthday...my mate was chuffed to not only have champagne but table service from Barry and Hendrie!
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A couple of people i have spoken to reckon Ray Houghton is a complete arsehole.
He used to go in the Bel Air a fair bit and some mates used to chat to him, said he was sound. When he was chatting to the birds he always used to tell them he was a window cleaner, for what reason I dont know.
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I remember meeting the Doog down at Perry Common recreation ground one Sunday morning when he was watching the matches there and he signed my rugby ball. I know I practised putting kicks over the bar!
My Dad used to take me along to the pub at the bottom of Gravelly Hill, not sure if it was called the Navigation, for a bottle of Vimto and a packet of crisps on a Sunday.One day he said come on son I'll introduce you to someone.
We walked round to Slade Road and he knocked on a door and who should answer it but Peter McParland!
The three of us chatted for a while and I left speechless.
No chance of that happening today.....footballers no longer live in their communities.
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Use to play snooker two or three times a week at Erdington Snooker club in the High Street. Allan Evans and Eamon Deacey were members to and used to pop in all the time.Really nice blokes,always prepared to talk about the Villa .
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I installed a fax machine in John Gregorys office at Bodymoor Heath not longer after he was appointed. I remember him pointing at it and singing "it's fantastic, it's made of plastic."
The saddest part though was that Peter Withe appeared to be his lackie. I was cringing as Gregory was telling him how he wanted his office arranged and Withey calling him "boss".
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My dad was ill in hospital a few years back. I bumped into Sir Graham and he was more than happy to have a chat with my dad over the phone. Top bloke.
Bryan Small. Funny as you like.
Paul Tait once threatened me. Told me he could have brought his mates down and given me a good going over. I'll keep the rest to myself. :-)
Wonder if his arm is better now.
Nothing to do with me.
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back in the early 80's famous oddball 'keeper Gary Sprake was my YTS placement officer. Genuinely embarrassed if anyone brought up his football career. We had this bird from Leeds in the office who always pounced on him when he turned up to see me and you could see the look of dread on his face when he saw her.. Really nice bloke as well but he obviously had few good memories of his football career
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back in the early 80's famous oddball 'keeper Gary Sprake was my YTS placement officer. Genuinely embarrassed if anyone brought up his football career. We had this bird from Leeds in the office who always pounced on him when he turned up to see me and you could see the look of dread on his face when he saw her.. Really nice bloke as well but he obviously had few good memories of his football career
A truly great keeper who is remembered for a couple of high profile mistakes more than 10 years or so at Leeds' when they were in their pomp. Wasn't there also something about him selling a story to the newspapers alleging Revie bribed opponents, although I don't remember anything coming of it.
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back in the early 80's famous oddball 'keeper Gary Sprake was my YTS placement officer. Genuinely embarrassed if anyone brought up his football career. We had this bird from Leeds in the office who always pounced on him when he turned up to see me and you could see the look of dread on his face when he saw her.. Really nice bloke as well but he obviously had few good memories of his football career
A truly great keeper who is remembered for a couple of high profile mistakes more than 10 years or so at Leeds' when they were in their pomp. Wasn't there also something about him selling a story to the newspapers alleging Revie bribed opponents, although I don't remember anything coming of it.
Dunno. Seem to remember Revie making some unkind comments about him along the lines of "biggest mistake in management? Signing Gary Sprake". Mind you Revie was a c**t. At the time i always put his avoidance of discussing his career down to that famous own goal but there was probably more to it than that.
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I was on a YTS when I left school in 1987 and I had to go to some place in Chelmsley Wood where it was all dealt with. Gary Sprake was based there at the time. I haven't read Sprake's book but I think there had been some suggestions Revie's Leeds players were asked to approach opposition players with a view to bribes and whilst no-one else ever admitted to knowing anything about it he suggested there was some truth in the rumours. Not sure if he still gets invited to any team reunions any more.
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Sprake was part of the Leeds team that won assorted trophies. He then blew the whistle on the alleged bribery, with the result that he's been ostracised by his former team-mates ever since.
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needless to say she had gone out with Bowyer whilst he was at Leeds and that he was hung like an hamster
I used to live on the isle of dogs in east London. My neighbor at the time went to school with bowyer and said that he'd always been a nasty bit of work. Told a story of bowyer and his mates pissed up racially abusing the staff and smashing up a McDonalds restaurant at Aspen way
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I seem to remember that being in the paper when he was at Charlton
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needless to say she had gone out with Bowyer whilst he was at Leeds and that he was hung like an hamster
I used to live on the isle of dogs in east London. My neighbor at the time went to school with bowyer and said that he'd always been a nasty bit of work. Told a story of bowyer and his mates pissed up racially abusing the staff and smashing up a McDonalds restaurant at Aspen way
I seem to remember that being in the paper when he was at Charlton
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It was and he got done for it
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I know the copper who nicked him strangely enough. He said he was an obnoxious prick!
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A neighbour told me yesterday that Andy O'Brien the very ordinary footballer paid £1.6 million cash for his house in Harrogate.
He also called his wedding off the night before he was due to wed this year (same day as Ashley Young oddly enough, although not to each other)because of the pre nuptial agreement that had been drawn up.
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A neighbour told me yesterday that Andy O'Brien the very ordinary footballer paid £1.6 million cash for his house in Harrogate.
I have been to Harrogate and the whole town isn't worth £1.6 million. In fact during the Lib Dem conference it goes into negative equity
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Sprake was part of the Leeds team that won assorted trophies. He then blew the whistle on the alleged bribery, with the result that he's been ostracised by his former team-mates ever since.
Just seen this and never knew the full story. You've got to feel sorry for Sprake.
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My Dad had to tell Andy Gray off for whistling in Church at Wayne Clarke's wedding.
At the same wedding George Berry pulled up in a car with the sunroof open and his hair was sticking out of it
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A neighbour told me yesterday that Andy O'Brien the very ordinary footballer paid £1.6 million cash for his house in Harrogate.
I have been to Harrogate and the whole town isn't worth £1.6 million. In fact during the Lib Dem conference it goes into negative equity
I've just seen this. Which part of Harrogate did you go to Damon, the place is bloody minted. Not where I'm concerned unfortunately.
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The pound shop lowers the tone though!
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Dean Richards once nearly reversed over me when I was crossing the road in Wolverhampton and he was pulling into a parking space.
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Remember watching England vs Sweden at Old Trafford, Bobby Charlton was just going into the directors box entrance when a little kid (united fan) had got a book on the History of Manchester Utd, the first page was a picture of Bobby in his playing days, He asked Bobby for his autograph (only person asking for it) he said no, not now son i'm busy!! The little kid was gutted. It would have took 10 seconds to sign the book - tosser!
Seems like Bobby Charlton has form. My uncle was a good footballer and played for Birmingham boys and as a result had a few passes to games at all the Midlands clubs. After a Villa v Man U game in the 60s he convinced the Villa commissionaire to let him through to the Man U coach and took his autograph book on board. He headed straight for Sir Bobby who told him in no uncertain terms to get off and to take his autograph book with him. My uncle was distraught but was consoled by Harry Gregg who apparently was a thoroughly decent bloke and he got a few players to sign for him. My uncle has never liked bald Bobby ever since then.
As an aside, I think Harry Gregg was later Jimmy Rimmer's mentor.
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Harry Gregg is indeed a lovely bloke. I met him a good few times in Portstewart when I lived there and he owned the Windsor Hotel. The hotel bar was decorated with framed goalkeeper shirts that he'd swapped at the end of his international appearances, I recall that there was a black Lev Yashin shirt ammong them.
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A neighbour told me yesterday that Andy O'Brien the very ordinary footballer paid £1.6 million cash for his house in Harrogate.
I have been to Harrogate and the whole town isn't worth £1.6 million. In fact during the Lib Dem conference it goes into negative equity
I've just seen this. Which part of Harrogate did you go to Damon, the place is bloody minted. Not where I'm concerned unfortunately.
More money in that area than London
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On the Bobby Charlton thing. I think I posted on here a few years ago how on one occasion when the late Denis Howell MP attended out monthly Referees Association meeting (he was a member of our branch) he was asked to name some of the worst players he ever had to deal with. The first name he came up with?...Bobby Charlton whom he said never stopped moaning from first whistle to last.
I always got the impression that Charlton was ashamed of where he came from, preferring to consider himself a Manc. Probably irrational on my part.
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On the Bobby Charlton thing. I think I posted on here a few years ago how on one occasion when the late Denis Howell MP attended out monthly Referees Association meeting (he was a member of our branch) he was asked to name some of the worst players he ever had to deal with. The first name he came up with?...Bobby Charlton whom he said never stopped moaning from first whistle to last.
I always got the impression that Charlton was ashamed of where he came from, preferring to consider himself a Manc. Probably irrational on my part.
Ask Ron Atkinson about him.
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My mate used to live in Nottingham when he was a kid.
When he was 12 or so, his parents were selling their house. One day, none other than Mr Kenny Burns, who had just moved to Forest from Small Heath, came to view it. Whilst he was there, Burns asked my mate's Dad if he could use the bog. He did so, and shortly after, left.
When he'd gone, my mate found himself with reason to use the bog, and found out that not only had Burns left a smell which suggested something had died in there, he'd also pebble dashed it.
The animal. Animal.
When his parents sold the house, they moved to Belfast, where my friend got to know Caron Keating very well. Very, very well indeed, and according to him
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Its all right, you can legally say whatever you like about Caron Keating as you can't defame the (sadly) deceased.
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I always got the impression that Charlton was ashamed of where he came from, preferring to consider himself a Manc. Probably irrational on my part.
Unlike his brother.
When I lived in the N.E. Jack and his family lived in the same village. I found him to be the down to earth bloke that I always thought he would be.
A giant of a man. When he spoke you listened ! Even at his age then (70ish) he still looked hard as nails! He also has a great sense of humour.
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In my youth, the team I played for won a competition (not for being good i hasten to add) and ended up on a TV programme. Our 'prize' was a trip to Old Trafford for a tour and a training session at their training ground (it was a red gra pitch i remember that much)
Anyway, Bobby Charlton was the bloke that took us around Old Trafford, and although he didn't do anything bad in particular, he was a right miserable bastard
Frank Stapleton was a nice bloke though.
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I always got the impression that Charlton was ashamed of where he came from, preferring to consider himself a Manc. Probably irrational on my part.
Unlike his brother
I always got the impression that Charlton was ashamed of where he came from, preferring to consider himself a Manc. Probably irrational on my part.
Unlike his brother.
When I lived in the N.E. Jack and his family lived in the same village. I found him to be the down to earth bloke that I always thought he would be.
A giant of a man. When he spoke you listened ! Even at his age then (70ish) he still looked hard as nails! He also has a great sense of humour.
When I lived in the N.E. Jack and his family lived in the same village. I found him to be the down to earth bloke that I always thought he would be.
A giant of a man. When he spoke you listened ! Even at his age then (70ish) he still looked hard as nails! He also has a great sense of humour.
I've had the pleasure of meeting Jack a couple of times and would agree with your sentiments.
Had the good grace to pose for a photo with my then ten-year-old son.
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I almost got into a fight with Ricardo Scimeca and entourage in a Chinese in Balsall Common many years ago.
His brother was being a pillock and acting up.
You might need to be a bit older and have a bloody good memory, but the most riotous night out I have ever had was in London with a bunch of Millwall fans of whom I knew one.
The player that made the evening? John Colquhoun.
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I almost got into a fight with Ricardo Scimeca and entourage in a Chinese in Balsall Common many years ago.
His brother was being a pillock and acting up.
You might need to be a bit older and have a bloody good memory, but the most riotous night out I have ever had was in London with a bunch of Millwall fans of whom I knew one.
The player that made the evening? John Colquhoun.
Was he the one that played for Sheffield United in the late 70s?
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There was one who played for Hearts as well in the mid 80s. Can't mid him playing for Milwall mind.
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On the Bobby Charlton thing. I think I posted on here a few years ago how on one occasion when the late Denis Howell MP attended out monthly Referees Association meeting (he was a member of our branch) he was asked to name some of the worst players he ever had to deal with. The first name he came up with?...Bobby Charlton whom he said never stopped moaning from first whistle to last.
I always got the impression that Charlton was ashamed of where he came from, preferring to consider himself a Manc. Probably irrational on my part.
Ask Ron Atkinson about him.
Ron Atkinson once told Jack Charlton he didn't particularly like his brother Bobby. The reply was along the lines of "I don't like him either"!
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Pre-season friendly in Sweden about 25 years ago.
David Platt walked into the bar and, gesturing with his thumb and forefinger a couple of inches apart, said 'there's that much c**t in here and I only want this much'.
This was followed by us charging round the streets with Derek Mountfield playing knock off ginger.
Also, being in the restaurant of the Hotel Moscow in Simferopol when Sid found the weevils in his bread.
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Pre-season friendly in Sweden about 25 years ago.
David Platt walked into the bar and, gesturing with his thumb and forefinger a couple of inches apart, said 'there's that much c**t in here and I only want this much'.
This was followed by us charging round the streets with Derek Mountfield playing knock off ginger.
Also, being in the restaurant of the Hotel Moscow in Simferopol when Sid found the weevils in his bread.
Mountfield was mental that night.
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A few years back (2000 ish) I watched an England training session out in Belgium or Holland (can't remember which) and was with a couple of mad Sunderland supporters. When the session had finished, all the players ran off to get on the coach followed by Kevin Keegan and finally Peter Beardsley who was assistant at the time. The coach was a few hundred yards away and we were separated from it by a metal fence .
One of the Sunderland fans started shouting out 'Peter! Peter!' over and over again. Beardsley got on the bus but Keegan pointed out this bloke yelling for him. Eventually Peter Beardsley got off the coach and sauntered his way over to us.
The Sunderland lad passed him an autograph book and a pen and said 'Can you get Kevin Phillips to sign this?'
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For a scouser and an ex nose, Tony Evans was always a good laugh. Had a few beers with him over the years.
In the early days of Sky, Mark Walters often popped into the Wilsons in Knowle to watch a game or two. Quiet lad but pleasant enough.
I saw Cyrille Regis quite a few times in the Yard of Ale in Brum. Always approachable even when I was at my pissedess. Well, thats how I saw it.
After one of the Masters six a side tournaments held in Coventry I had a couple of jars with Tony Morley and Sid Cowans who were complete gents.
There's a theme here....
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Had a drink with Shaw in harbourne before. Perfect gent.
Numerous lee hendrie and Barry drinking sessions. Hendrie in après getting his abs out and literally burning a £50 note.
My mate telling Paul peschisolido that he would like to give Karen Brady a go so he could he no longer be the only guy left not to have done her. (Paul was not too impressed as you am imagine)
Snuck into a VIP partie in town with dean gaffney, Richard Blackwood and randomly Dwight Yorke years ago.
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For a scouser and an ex nose, Tony Evans was always a good laugh. Had a few beers with him over the years.
In the early days of Sky, Mark Walters often popped into the Wilsons in Knowle to watch a game or two. Quiet lad but pleasant enough.
I saw Cyrille Regis quite a few times in the Yard of Ale in Brum. Always approachable even when I was at my pissedess. Well, thats how I saw it.
After one of the Masters six a side tournaments held in Coventry I had a couple of jars with Tony Morley and Sid Cowans who were complete gents.
There's a theme here....
Cyrillies a very good friend of my godfather. He's a really nice bloke
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I almost got into a fight with Ricardo Scimeca and entourage in a Chinese in Balsall Common many years ago.
His brother was being a pillock and acting up.
I was in the same year at school with the brother. He always seemed ok, then all of a sudden he developed a big head - I think he'd got into the Villa youth team, although my memory might be playing tricks. Either way, all of a sudden he was driving about in cars that were obviously out of the price range of normal 18 year olds.
Balsall Common Chinese take-away recommendation: Crispy chicken with garlic and chilli. Prob a bit of a mission from Pedmore though like.
Nicest ever footballer to live in Balsall Common; Robbie Keane when he was at Coventry. He used to go to the same barbers as me and pay £6 for a haircut. Used to spend ages outside signing autographs for the kids (and me if I'm honest) when they'd clocked on he was having a trim. A really nice guy.
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I almost got into a fight with Ricardo Scimeca and entourage in a Chinese in Balsall Common many years ago.
His brother was being a pillock and acting up.
You might need to be a bit older and have a bloody good memory, but the most riotous night out I have ever had was in London with a bunch of Millwall fans of whom I knew one.
The player that made the evening? John Colquhoun.
Was he the one that played for Sheffield United in the late 70s?
I think that was Eddie Colquhoun, also played for Smethwick.
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In the early 90s I was sent to Florence for the summer as part of my university course. For the first few days, we were put up in a house out on the outskirts of Florence, in a place called Coverciano.
The first night, we went out and got shitfaced.
The next day, we're sitting at the bottom of the garden, smoking heavily, incredibly hungover and trying sweat the booze out of our bodies in the sun. At one point, a group of young blokes in blue tracksuits and training gear walked past us in the field which the house backed on to.
My mate pointed and said "That bloke there looks like Franco Baresi". We had a look, and lo and behold, it was Franco Baresi, and he was with, amongst others, Roberto Baggio, Donadoni and Paolo Maldini.
Basically, we had no idea at the time, but the house backed on to the Italian National team's training HQ, their equivalent of St George's Park, or whatever that new place in Burton is called, and it was a gaggle of players out for a leisurely stroll.
It was a bit surreal.
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How about this for a scandalous, rock n' roll footballer story. I used to deal with the home and car insurance of Walsall's legendary keeper Ron Green back in the late eighties. If I remember correctly he lived in Bordesley Green, drove a Sierra and was very quiet and polite.
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When Alberto Tarantini abruptly fucked off from Small Heath, back to Argentina, he left an enormous unpaid phone bill.
My mate told me that when he started working at BT 30 years ago.
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I almost got into a fight with Ricardo Scimeca and entourage in a Chinese in Balsall Common many years ago.
His brother was being a pillock and acting up.
You might need to be a bit older and have a bloody good memory, but the most riotous night out I have ever had was in London with a bunch of Millwall fans of whom I knew one.
The player that made the evening? John Colquhoun.
Was he the one that played for Sheffield United in the late 70s?
I think that was Eddie Colquhoun, also played for Smethwick.
His was one of the football cards, given out with bubble gum, that was very rare, along with one of the Chelsea players.
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My mate works as head barman at Frankie and Bennys at the Fort. Hadn't seem him for a few weeks so popped in for a quick chat and cappucino end of last season. Apparently about 10 seconds after I left the bar and went out the door, Brad Guzan came up to order a coke!
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The Gardner brothers at a wedding a couple of months back, Craig had scored against Arsenal that day. One of them was very friendly, the other not so, I will leave it there.
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As a management trainee at C&A I had the displeasure of dealing with Alistair Robertson, who spent the best part of an hour being the big-I-am when the only size of something we had in stock was imperfect & the instant discount offered wasn't good enough. Even his wife & kids were embaressed.
Moved into engineering & used to buy measuring equipment from a company represented by Michael Ricketts' uncle. Not difficult to work out why his talent was wasted.
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My old man bumped into Gary Shaw at some random pub/social club in Castle Bromwich in '82 and had a great chat with him and got his autograph. He woke me up when got home to tell me all about it. I was a well chuffed 13 year old at the time - priceless.
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Drinking in the Reddicap Tavern one Sunday, Paul McGrath was at the bar with a fantastic leggy blonde on his arm. Lined up on the bar was a pint 3 shorts and another pint. He demolished the lot and then left to go to the Bel Air.
About a week later there was an article in the News of the World by Paul McGrath saying he hadn't touched a drink for six months.
A great bloke, and one of the best players we have ever had.
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On the Bobby Charlton thing. I think I posted on here a few years ago how on one occasion when the late Denis Howell MP attended out monthly Referees Association meeting (he was a member of our branch) he was asked to name some of the worst players he ever had to deal with. The first name he came up with?...Bobby Charlton whom he said never stopped moaning from first whistle to last.
I always got the impression that Charlton was ashamed of where he came from, preferring to consider himself a Manc. Probably irrational on my part.
Ask Ron Atkinson about him.
Ron Atkinson once told Jack Charlton he didn't particularly like his brother Bobby. The reply was along the lines of "I don't like him either"!
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-478164/The-truth-bitter-feud-Jack-Bobby-Charlton.html
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On the Bobby Charlton thing. I think I posted on here a few years ago how on one occasion when the late Denis Howell MP attended out monthly Referees Association meeting (he was a member of our branch) he was asked to name some of the worst players he ever had to deal with. The first name he came up with?...Bobby Charlton whom he said never stopped moaning from first whistle to last.
I always got the impression that Charlton was ashamed of where he came from, preferring to consider himself a Manc. Probably irrational on my part.
Ask Ron Atkinson about him.
Ron Atkinson once told Jack Charlton he didn't particularly like his brother Bobby. The reply was along the lines of "I don't like him either"!
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-478164/The-truth-bitter-feud-Jack-Bobby-Charlton.html
Ron Atkinson quote on Sir Booby (from the article): "...grizzling old misery, a dour, very distant individual"
Great stuff.
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My mom was a careers officer until she retired. She once went into Smiths Wood School on Chelmsley Wood for a careers day and they had got Lil' Orange to come in as special guest.
He was in the car park posing with his flash car in front of all the arriving teachers when his former PE teacher walked past and said "I can't believe you're driving one of those Hendrie; you were always such a waste of fucking space"
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My mom was a careers officer until she retired. She once went into Smiths Wood School on Chelmsley Wood for a careers day and they had got Lil' Orange to come in as special guest.
He was in the car park posing with his flash car in front of all the arriving teachers when his former PE teacher walked past and said "I can't believe you're driving one of those Hendrie; you were always such a waste of fucking space"
He went to Washwood Heath and Park Hall though, and his PE teacher worshiped the bloody ground he walked on.
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in 2005 Gareth Barry walked in the the Bitter End (now the Hairy Lemon) in Sutton Coldfield with some mates for a drink, i was too shocked to think of him in a pub like that. He did not stay that long before leaving.
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I watched Villa v Lille in the Intertoto cup. After the match my ex had all the players sign her shirt whilst wearing it....next up was Stefan Postma and as he signed her top my ex said, "Your hands are massive"...Postma then made the gesture to squeeze her tits and laughed.
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Did it lead to your ex being involved in a home movie?
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Did it lead to your ex being involved in a home movie?
I think that was the start of it
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First post.
I was once visting Ikea in Wednesbury, to grab a bite to eat, when walking across the car park, I saw a guy struggling with a huge flat pack.
He was trying to load this box into a transit van, and his wife was just watching (probably unable to help)There was no way he could manage so I went over to give a hand and when i lifted the other side of the box looked up to see Brian Little!
He was an a Gent and thanked me for my help.
I thanked for the great goals and memories, and of I went.
Couldnt quite beleive I had met him at Ikea!
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used to have a beer with Coxy and Sceimca in town the odd sat night , subsequently had a free slap up meal at his parents restaurant .
Been on the lash with Fenton and played football in the park with him ,
Sat in the Norwich end with Trevor Berry and his Mrs after he came with us , for the game we had to win . we were all having a curry when it was like the wild west on the high st in Yarmouth , the OB wanted to throw us out the curry house and the owner told them to get lost
Had a beer with Andy Townsend , he said his happiest time as a footballer was at Villa .
had dinner with Big Ron .funny funny man who really does love the Villa and his wife is lovely lady.
Ron Saunders walked into the pub up the road from where we lived , I was a complete dribbling mess , eventually I plucked the courage up to speak to him and fluffed my lines completely , he smirked and thanked me .I shuffled off embarrassed
Met George Best returning from a boxing match in Portugal, got the Mrs to go over with my son who was 5 at the time , Besty took them and me to the VIP area had loads of photos and chatted for 20 mins , my son had a Villa top on , Besty commented and said a proper club , he loved VP under floodlights and mentioned the Atmosphere in 71.
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My mate arrested friends of Shaun Wright Philips. No idea what for but he said that SWP was always far enough away from the trouble to not get implicated himself but as a gang they were usually up to no good. He spends a lot of his money making porn movies apparently (not for himself but real ones which get sold/internet).
On the flip side he's also an ambassador for a charity that I've worked for and they cannot speak highly enough about him.
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Wasn't it SWP who funded Babe Station or similar for awhile? He had all the best models for a time and supposedly invited other players over to ermm watch the girls work.
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used to have a beer with Coxy and Sceimca in town the odd sat night , subsequently had a free slap up meal at his parents restaurant .
A friend of ours knows Scimeca, as their kids go to school together in Kenilworth. She tells me that he's a genuinely lovely bloke.
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My mom was a careers officer until she retired. She once went into Smiths Wood School on Chelmsley Wood for a careers day and they had got Lil' Orange to come in as special guest.
He was in the car park posing with his flash car in front of all the arriving teachers when his former PE teacher walked past and said "I can't believe you're driving one of those Hendrie; you were always such a waste of fucking space"
He went to Washwood Heath and Park Hall though, and his PE teacher worshiped the bloody ground he walked on.
Park Hall. Yes. My mistake. My mom did tell me that story. maybe it was a teacher in another discipline.
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My mom was a careers officer until she retired. She once went into Smiths Wood School on Chelmsley Wood for a careers day and they had got Lil' Orange to come in as special guest.
He was in the car park posing with his flash car in front of all the arriving teachers when his former PE teacher walked past and said "I can't believe you're driving one of those Hendrie; you were always such a waste of fucking space"
He went to Washwood Heath and Park Hall though, and his PE teacher worshiped the bloody ground he walked on.
Park Hall. Yes. My mistake. My mom did tell me that story. maybe it was a teacher in another discipline.
That I wouldn't dispute, but he wasn't a rogue at all, he was a pretty quiet lad.
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I went there, he's a lot younger than me but lads I know back up the above that he was a really nice kid at school. He was sound as a pound on the occasion s I met him as well.
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First post.
I was once visting Ikea in Wednesbury, to grab a bite to eat, when walking across the car park, I saw a guy struggling with a huge flat pack.
He was trying to load this box into a transit van, and his wife was just watching (probably unable to help)There was no way he could manage so I went over to give a hand and when i lifted the other side of the box looked up to see Brian Little!
He was an a Gent and thanked me for my help.
I thanked for the great goals and memories, and of I went.
Couldnt quite beleive I had met him at Ikea!
Never post here again. You will never, ever top this one.
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He came to our school in fifth year, and we were delighted in the football team to have gained this talent, it was like Villa signing Cristiano Ronaldo.
I'd played against him in the Birmingham Boys league a few times, he played for Erdington Star with Darren Byfield and they were untouchable, Byfield in particular roasted me for 90 minutes when I was up against him at left back once.
He was never as quick as the other rated lads but he had so much skill and time on the ball, and he never gave it the big one despite being as good as he was, he was a proper team player.
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First post.
I was once visting Ikea in Wednesbury, to grab a bite to eat, when walking across the car park, I saw a guy struggling with a huge flat pack.
He was trying to load this box into a transit van, and his wife was just watching (probably unable to help)There was no way he could manage so I went over to give a hand and when i lifted the other side of the box looked up to see Brian Little!
He was an a Gent and thanked me for my help.
I thanked for the great goals and memories, and of I went.
Couldnt quite beleive I had met him at Ikea!
Never post here again. You will never, ever top this one.
Just seen that and you're right Dave, that's fantastic.
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Cheers Dave, think i've peaked.
Been waiting to tell that one for ages
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Tuesday night after a top of 43 degrees celsius, saw Bozzie all suited up at night on media commitments after the Melbourne Victory shellacking of Western Sydney. He's a cult hero on tele here these days.
That toupee on his bonse is looking the business!
The hair...
Was 30-1 up against PL and OGS for the Villa job...
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Has Bosnich gone Oriental in a desperate ploy to get the Asian markets onside? Very sinister.
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I saw bosnich in a pub near randwick all suited up, having a cheeky livener, on his way to the fox sports studios for the football.
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Went to watch Warwickshire in a semi final at Old Trafford. Came back to our seats after having something to eat. There was a bloke sitting in one of them, turned round talking to the people behind. I tapped him on the back. When he turned round it was Jimmy Cumbes.
Also saw Gordon Banks getting on a train at Stoke once.
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I posted this in a post match thread last season but after the West Ham game, having already encountered Dave Woodhall for the first time on the way from the Holte End, I ran into Big Sam at the airport. He wasn't in great form about the match and clearly felt they should have got something. He posed for a photo with me all the same.
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Just wanted to say how much I'm loving this thread. Particularly impressed by the "greatest first post ever" air conditioning at the Sty story (!!!) and the "Brian Little at Ikea" tale. Quite jealous of that one, that must have felt like winning the lottery.
Don't really have anything to contribute myself, other than to say that my extremely brief and to date once-only meetings with Messrs Mortimer, Morley and McGrath (is there a pattern there?) have all helped to confirm their legendary status. My mate and I were lucky to have a bit of a chat with Paul McGrath and what a lovely, charming, totally self-effacing bloke he is.
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I tend to go the the same holiday spots as footballers (dont judge me) and so have observed many of them round the pool in restaurants etc.
Some observations
Kieron Richardson - is actualy a nice polite guy and very down to earth. We both went for the same item in the breakfast buffet, he clearly got there first with his tongs and deferred to me, I refused and said he should take it, he then insisted. He is also very good at pool volley ball and was quite the star, being on his team equalled winning. That was unitl a tall german guy joined in a few times, he was much better, so good in fact that he was quite obvioulsy playing within himself to not take the piss out of the rest of us - Manuel Neuer that was.
Giggs appears to be a billy no mates, and was often seen drinking in the bar at the One and Only on the Palm Dubai by himself talking to people who sat near him. He nurses budwieser btw.
Alex Curran is loads fitter in real life, especiallly in a bikini, I had to bust out the extra dark shades, so no one could detect my eye movements. The Gerrard party are so scouse though, people have trouble understanding them.
I also spoke to Joe Harte in a lift in Vegas, i was pissed though and cant remember what I said, nor what he said back, but I have a recolection he was a good guy though.
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Has Bosnich gone Oriental in a desperate ploy to get the Asian markets onside? Very sinister.
ming the merciless
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A work colleague just told me a nice story about Gareth Southgate.
Her son used to play at the same club that Southgate's son plays at only in a different age group. Ed left the club over a year ago. A few weeks ago Ed was in a local shop and heard somebody say hello to him, when he looked up it was Gareth Southgate who asked him if he was still playing and how he was getting on. He was chuffed to bits especially as he had a couple of school mates with him.
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Just wanted to say how much I'm loving this thread. Particularly impressed by the "greatest first post ever" air conditioning at the Sty story (!!!) and the "Brian Little at Ikea" tale. Quite jealous of that one, that must have felt like winning the lottery.
Don't really have anything to contribute myself, other than to say that my extremely brief and to date once-only meetings with Messrs Mortimer, Morley and McGrath (is there a pattern there?) have all helped to confirm their legendary status. My mate and I were lucky to have a bit of a chat with Paul McGrath and what a lovely, charming, totally self-effacing bloke he is.
I forgot to say last night, when I lifted the box and saw who I was helping, I nearly dropped it again! would have been a story for the " the day i injured a hero thread"
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He came to our school in fifth year, and we were delighted in the football team to have gained this talent, it was like Villa signing Cristiano Ronaldo.
I'd played against him in the Birmingham Boys league a few times, he played for Erdington Star with Darren Byfield and they were untouchable, Byfield in particular roasted me for 90 minutes when I was up against him at left back once.
He was never as quick as the other rated lads but he had so much skill and time on the ball, and he never gave it the big one despite being as good as he was, he was a proper team player.
Doesn't sound like Brian Little?
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I'm another that is really enjoying this thread. The displays of humility shown by some of the much maligned modern day footballers is refreshing.
My story is on the Eamonn Deacy thread when meeting up with the legends that are Alan Evans, Colin Gibson, Tony Morley, Ken McNaught and the gentleman that is Des Bremner. Superb ambassadors for Aston Villa if ever there were any.
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I tend to go the the same holiday spots as footballers (dont judge me) and so have observed many of them round the pool in restaurants etc.
Some observations
Kieron Richardson - is actualy a nice polite guy and very down to earth. We both went for the same item in the breakfast buffet, he clearly got there first with his tongs and deferred to me, I refused and said he should take it, he then insisted. He is also very good at pool volley ball and was quite the star, being on his team equalled winning. That was unitl a tall german guy joined in a few times, he was much better, so good in fact that he was quite obvioulsy playing within himself to not take the piss out of the rest of us - Manuel Neuer that was.
Giggs appears to be a billy no mates, and was often seen drinking in the bar at the One and Only on the Palm Dubai by himself talking to people who sat near him. He nurses budwieser btw.
Alex Curran is loads fitter in real life, especiallly in a bikini, I had to bust out the extra dark shades, so no one could detect my eye movements. The Gerrard party are so scouse though, people have trouble understanding them.
I also spoke to Joe Harte in a lift in Vegas, i was pissed though and cant remember what I said, nor what he said back, but I have a recolection he was a good guy though.
One of Kieron Richadson's houses is for sale on Rightmove at present.....it is in Sidcup for well over £3m for those that are nosey buggers and can't help themselves.
It is not to my taste fwiw.
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Used to go to moor green footy club disco on a Saturday night after the villa matches, my mates played for Solihull borough and there manager Chris wright had 2 tickets from a mate for the 80/81 finale at highbury. So I gave mine to my flat mate and I travelled down with him.
Week later we was in moor green football club on the Saturday night and Chris said to me that guy who got us the tickets is up the bar the one with blonde hair I tapped this guy on the back to say thanks and buy him a drink and who should turn round only Gary shaw. I nearly wet my pants chatted to him all night about the villa absolutely diamond geezer and the guy he was with Colin Gibson imagine me a 21 yr old drinking with my idols. I don't get any better
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Ian Taylor's partner gave birth to twins prematurely at the same time my daughter was born, also prematurely, at Good Hope. I saw a fair bit of him over 2-3 weeks and he was very polite and friendly to everyone. We drank a lot of tea in the family room and never discussed football, we were just a pair of worried dads.
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I had the pleasure of working with Tony Morley and that is exactly what it was a pleasure, but at the same time in the company was Tony (Paddy) Grealish(cockney by birth) Keith Bertchin, (Blue nose poser but nice guy) and also big Cyril Regis who was going through his bible stage, but again a gent.
Good story about Paddys missus, went to the Christmas do and Paddys missus after a gentleman ask (me) to dance refused, Paddy said dont worry Paul look at her feet, which were bandaged, not noticed before, he then explained, silly mare filled the bath up with hot water to clean the tiles , with gloves on her hands to protect from the hot water, but then went and stepped in the bath to reach the tiles out of reach, sorry to say not alot of sympathy from Paddy, but him and Tony Morley what absolute gents .
Also the night spent in the Elbow with Tony and the other gent Gary Shaw having a water soda syphon fight, because there was nothing worth picking up that night.
The day in the barn or the Barley Mow, not from Sutton so dont know the boosers , with God fast asleep at 12.00 in the day, woke at 2 and ready to move on, which we did and he was still going at 1 in the morning (Belfry) the day Ray Houghton got done for D/D after some Blue nose phoned the old bill from another booser in Sutton and got him stopped and again to back other people Ray was a gent of the top class. Good days when players were approachable and real.
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The only football player I've met more than a passing glance is Magnus Hedman (ex-coventry keeper), I worked in a hotel on the edge of Northampton when i was at Uni and he used to be in pretty regularly, really quiet guy but incredibly polite and down to earth.
Much more importantly though, my dad was a local Councillor from the late 70s until the late 90s and has a lot of photos with the league winning team and the European cup winning team, his favourite is one with Peter Withe and the European Cup. He met Gregory a few times as well and said that he was also a really nice guy. He also got to meet Pele when Santos came to play again through his council connections (he joined the council after years of working with the local labour MPs). I'm not in the slightest bit jealous, honest.
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One of my best pals worked at a music shop in Brum and Andy Townsend came in and ordered an electric piano, when the keyboard was delivered my pal persuaded Andy to have a kick about on the lawn and said Andy came across as a very down to earth bloke.
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Some lovely stories on this thread- very enjoyable read .
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A very random footballer but there we go.
Not only did we win a summer five side tournament but I also knocked out Martin Devaney in the chnging room after it.
He had an illustrious career as a Cov trainee and played such footballing luminaries as Cheltenham, Watford, Doncaster and, I think, Kiddy.
A tough lad for a fancy ball player but never tough enough to win a scrap with someone seriously pissed off at the world.
Charlton Fucking Rovers indeed.
I also tackled Burnley's Mike Duff and never made it Cheltenham starlet Gareth Hopkins in the same age group.
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Ian Taylor's partner gave birth to twins prematurely at the same time my daughter was born, also prematurely, at Good Hope. I saw a fair bit of him over 2-3 weeks and he was very polite and friendly to everyone. We drank a lot of tea in the family room and never discussed football, we were just a pair of worried dads.
That just reminded me that Alan Evan's Mrs had their daughter in Good Hope and she was in the same ward as mine when Mrs S had our lad. I mentioned it to him when I met him but he didn't remember me. I forgave him.
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I then randomly spotted him on laybie of M42 Dunston Ireland.
A very strange location!
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I heard from a Brummie girl in met while traveling in India years ago that Steve Staunton has one on him like a babies arm.
I bet you gave up on her after hearing that?
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Nope. He produced his Hobbit holding a tennis bat...
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Here is a very old one. My mom (1902-2000) in her seventies wrote her autobiography. She describes the day they had to have the rat catcher into their house, number 7 Blake Lane Bordesley Green (still there). The rat catcher caught a great number and to amuse my mom and her brothers and sister he hung them in the branches of the cherry tree in the back garden. My mom relates that unexpectedly Joe Bache and Harry Hampton called to go out for a few beers with her dad and how she attempted to pull down all the dead rats before they saw them.
As for me I did once meet the entire Tottenham team at a restaurant when they engaged me as an after dinner speaker. It was the Coates, England, Jennings team. They were a good audience but were very pissed.
I don't think I have ever met a Villa player except my all time hero Peter McP who helped my son and me search for the keys of my son's Audi in the North Stand car park.
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At a St Patrick's Day charity function in Bangkok in 2000 I was a guest on a friend's table. Two of his other guests were Peter Withe and his wife, Kathy. Both very down to earth people. Peter was manager of Thailand at the time and is now back there managing a team in the Thai Premier League. My mate is still in regular contact with him.
(http://img827.imageshack.us/img827/666/x8wa.jpg)
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He came to our school in fifth year, and we were delighted in the football team to have gained this talent, it was like Villa signing Cristiano Ronaldo.
I'd played against him in the Birmingham Boys league a few times, he played for Erdington Star with Darren Byfield and they were untouchable, Byfield in particular roasted me for 90 minutes when I was up against him at left back once.
He was never as quick as the other rated lads but he had so much skill and time on the ball, and he never gave it the big one despite being as good as he was, he was a proper team player.
I think I mentioned in his own thread that the fact that he is still playing shows hislove for playing the game. that shone through with us and he didn't come across as a big time Charlie on the pitch. Off the pitch he got himself into ridiculous situationswhich ended with a spat withhis own fans.Silly.
But to me he came across as very immature off the pitch but a very good footballer who enjoyed playing at the level he was at, and didn't give it the Billy Big Bollocks when playing. A product of the money in the game going to some too young. I'm really surprised why there is so much enmity towards him when there are far more worthy recipients.
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The only football player I've met more than a passing glance is Magnus Hedman (ex-coventry keeper), I worked in a hotel on the edge of Northampton when i was at Uni and he used to be in pretty regularly, really quiet guy but incredibly polite and down to earth.
Much more importantly though, my dad was a local Councillor from the late 70s until the late 90s and has a lot of photos with the league winning team and the European cup winning team, his favourite is one with Peter Withe and the European Cup. He met Gregory a few times as well and said that he was also a really nice guy. He also got to meet Pele when Santos came to play again through his council connections (he joined the council after years of working with the local labour MPs). I'm not in the slightest bit jealous, honest.
Pele's Labour? Never knew that.
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Had a fight with Stan Collymore once. Old night club in Cannock called the Bowling green.
Well, not really a fight as much as a push and shove with missed punches.
It was just before he went from Palace to Bindippers as i remember.
Good fun and i spoke to him in Cannock town centre a few months later and wished him all the best.
Good lad is Stan and wrongly had a bad reputation.
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Had a fight with Stan Collymore once. Old night club in Cannock called the Bowling green.
Well, not really a fight as much as a push and shove with missed punches.
It was just before he went from Palace to Bindippers as i remember.
Good fun and i spoke to him in Cannock town centre a few months later and wished him all the best.
Good lad is Stan and wrongly had a bad reputation.
Clearly you are not a female.
Also I thought he went from Palace to Southend to Forest to Bindippers.
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Again at a nightclub, Collymore once burnt a £50 note in my mate's face in an attempt to show everyone that he was better than them.
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Had a fight with Stan Collymore once. Old night club in Cannock called the Bowling green.
Well, not really a fight as much as a push and shove with missed punches.
It was just before he went from Palace to Bindippers as i remember.
Good fun and i spoke to him in Cannock town centre a few months later and wished him all the best.
Good lad is Stan and wrongly had a bad reputation.
Clearly you are not a female.
Also I thought he went from Palace to Southend to Forest to Bindippers.
You are more than likely right. This was about 1989. My memory is a bit abscent for a few years around that time. To many raves.
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Had a fight with Stan Collymore once. Old night club in Cannock called the Bowling green.
Well, not really a fight as much as a push and shove with missed punches.
It was just before he went from Palace to Bindippers as i remember.
Good fun and i spoke to him in Cannock town centre a few months later and wished him all the best.
Good lad is Stan and wrongly had a bad reputation.
Clearly you are not a female.
Also I thought he went from Palace to Southend to Forest to Bindippers.
You are more than likely right. This was about 1989. My memory is a bit abscent for a few years around that time. To many raves.
So when he was in Walsall's youth team then. A year before he joined Stafford Rangers and three years before he left Crystal Palace.
If you say so Dan.
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He came to our school in fifth year, and we were delighted in the football team to have gained this talent, it was like Villa signing Cristiano Ronaldo.
I'd played against him in the Birmingham Boys league a few times, he played for Erdington Star with Darren Byfield and they were untouchable, Byfield in particular roasted me for 90 minutes when I was up against him at left back once.
He was never as quick as the other rated lads but he had so much skill and time on the ball, and he never gave it the big one despite being as good as he was, he was a proper team player.
Doesn't sound like Brian Little?
Lee is on about his name sake Lee Hendrie. Hendrie was my neighbour for a few years until he got his second contract, a fat one, at Villa and than moved out and started wasting his money.
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The only football player I've met more than a passing glance is Magnus Hedman (ex-coventry keeper), I worked in a hotel on the edge of Northampton when i was at Uni and he used to be in pretty regularly, really quiet guy but incredibly polite and down to earth.
Much more importantly though, my dad was a local Councillor from the late 70s until the late 90s and has a lot of photos with the league winning team and the European cup winning team, his favourite is one with Peter Withe and the European Cup. He met Gregory a few times as well and said that he was also a really nice guy. He also got to meet Pele when Santos came to play again through his council connections (he joined the council after years of working with the local labour MPs). I'm not in the slightest bit jealous, honest.
Pele's Labour? Never knew that.
There's somethings he labours at, according to the adverts.
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We were on holiday in Fuerteventura during world cup in 2002, England fecking went out. The night before the final we were having dinner and the missus saw this lad jumping in the pool and said he better watch his bleached hair. Didnt think nothing of it until the young lad said that is Alan Smith of Leeds. Few minutes later he came up and asked if we knew where he could hire a bike. Spoke to him for a little while and then met him again later and him and hislovely girlfriend sat with us. He hadbasically been left out of world cup squad for Darius but he would not have a badwordsaid against him. The world cup final between Germanyand Brazil was the following day and asked if he wanted to come down to hotel mymate was at which was mainly German to have a laugh and he politely refused. He was teetotal and my missus was gushing about what a lovely lad he was. She called me a liar when I said what he was like on the pitch, but like he said to me, it washis joband that was how he got his focus. My lad hada few top pictures with him and have tosay he was such a nice lad
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I saw bosnich in a pub near randwick all suited up, having a cheeky livener, on his way to the fox sports studios for the football.
met him about a year ago, it was a sad experience to be honest. was about the get a photo taken with him outside the Sydney football stadium. he was in conversations with some guy who he cleared owed money to and was giving him a few free tickets to an A-league game as a way of temporary compensation. Bosnich looked absolutely terrible, cheap looking suit, fat, not sure if its a wig on him these days. He just seemed a pathetic individual, I walked on and left him to it. Id well believe that coke story as he seems off his head routinely on fox sports.
Kevin Doyle was a good mate of mine in school. hadnt seen him in a few years as I moved away but when I got in touch, he was dead sound got me tickets to a villa v reading game. the game sidwell scored twice in. told me that Villa had made an offer to get him at the time but he turned it down to sign a new contract at Reading.
He was a really good underage player but never seemed to get the breaks with trials etc. eventually got going with cork city, got into the Irish u21 side and made his luck from there. Was a very mobile hard working forward in those days. Bulked up too much, got a bit lazy and a bit sad where he is playing his football now. Seems to be happy drawing his wages out of Wolves because I do know other clubs like Everton have been in for him.
Shane Long was over in Sydney a couple of years ago visiting his brother and some friends of his. Had to cut short the holiday to have his medical with West Brom. You would have thought a millionaire footballer would have booked out a penthouse in Bondi beach for his trip but no Long stayed on his brothers couch and spent his time on the beer with the lads in the local irish bar.
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Saw Petrov in The Fox and Dogs in Mere Green yesterday, up in the Kids soft play area, I didn't want to disturb him as he was with hs friends and family but as he left I just asked him if I could shake his hand, which he duly obliged me with.
Spent Xmas 2012 with Weimann and Bannan as my brother in law is good friends with them, Weimann was originally meant to be coming around my house this Xmas day but he ended up spending it in Sheffield with a mate, which was a bit disappointing.
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I remember going into the chippy in Walmley in the summer of 2002 and queuing behind Marcus Allback. Nobody recognised him even though a few weeks earlier he had played for Sweden against England in the World Cup in Japan. Seemed a bit surreal at the time.
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Loving this thread, just wish I had a story to share!
Keep 'em coming pls...
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About 4 years ago a guy at the Coach & Horses in Beckenham asked me if I could change a fiver into coins so he could play the fruit machine. The next day at work my mate said that Kenny Sansom was a raging piss head who spent all day in the coach and horses playing the fruit machine. Didn't even recognize him.
Geoff Hurst used to regularly buy flowers for his mum in my mums flower shop, I persuaded her to hold off cashing a cheque he once wrote for payment because technically it was an autograph and would be worth a lot more when he was dead.
NRC at the lights on Brighton road in south Croydon, he has family in the area, it was about a week we beat spurs 2 -1. His windows were open so I congratulated him on a goal, good game and fantastic result.
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Many years ago I worked for a metal bashers in Darlaston, owned by a family big in the club cricket scene. All were jumping on the bandwagon of getting foreign players in to improve their side, whilst the player themselves would work to earn their board & gain 'life' experience.
One day there were 2 tanned, skinny blokes being shown around our factory, whilst the Jabba the Hut-esqe 'gangmaster' filled reception dressed in literally rags - moth eaten joggers & t-shirt, that didn't meet in the middle showing his greasy gut off in all his glory.
I engaged in a bit of small talk - he clocked my Villa mug. He rustled in his bag & produced a newspaper clipping, stating these were his boys & they were going to make it big. It was a clipping of Lucas Radabe & Phil Masinga, & the sloth agent was Marcelo Housman. He's now made it huge in the movement of African players to Europe, with hopefully better fitting leisure wear.
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Many years ago I worked for a metal bashers in Darlaston, owned by a family big in the club cricket scene. All were jumping on the bandwagon of getting foreign players in to improve their side, whilst the player themselves would work to earn their board & gain 'life' experience.
One day there were 2 tanned, skinny blokes being shown around our factory, whilst the Jabba the Hut-esqe 'gangmaster' filled reception dressed in literally rags - moth eaten joggers & t-shirt, that didn't meet in the middle showing his greasy gut off in all his glory.
I engaged in a bit of small talk - he clocked my Villa mug. He rustled in his bag & produced a newspaper clipping, stating these were his boys & they were going to make it big. It was a clipping of Lucas Radabe & Phil Masinga signing for Leeds, & the sloth agent was Marcelo Housman. He's now made it huge in the movement of African players to Europe, with hopefully better fitting leisure wear.
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My mom was a careers officer until she retired. She once went into Smiths Wood School on Chelmsley Wood for a careers day and they had got Lil' Orange to come in as special guest.
He was in the car park posing with his flash car in front of all the arriving teachers when his former PE teacher walked past and said "I can't believe you're driving one of those Hendrie; you were always such a waste of fucking space"
He went to Washwood Heath and Park Hall though, and his PE teacher worshiped the bloody ground he walked on.
Park Hall. Yes. My mistake. My mom did tell me that story. maybe it was a teacher in another discipline.
That I wouldn't dispute, but he wasn't a rogue at all, he was a pretty quiet lad.
I think the teacher was probably referring to his lack of energy in Maths or Woodwork, rather than his character traits.
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I heard from a Brummie girl in met while traveling in India years ago that Steve Staunton has one on him like a babies arm.
VCTM jnr goes to school with his son - I asked jnr to ask him about his dad`s "babbies arm" - the response from jnr was something like - " don`t be such a perve dad" Staunton Snr now lives in Sunderland I believe - he is a scout up there.
When I first moved to Formby I was out walking my dogs when a young lady jogged past wearing a Villa 1996 League Cup Finalist tracksuit - I couldn`t resist asking her where she got it from - "From Steve Staunton" she replied - looking back she was probably Mrs Staunton - whose son now plays cricket and football with VCTM jnr.
I am extremely lucky to live in a nice residential part of Merseyside (yes there are nice parts) and during my 18 years here I have spoken to and seen numerous footballers and one famous snooker player who supports Everton. I have lived in the same road as two ex players who lived here - Staunton and Unsworth (if he counts as an ex Villa player) - have also spoken a couple of times with Steve McMahon.
Have met David Fairclough, Alan Shearer (bizzarely he lived here whilst playing for Blackburn) Razor Ruddock, Steve Gerrard, Michael Ball (not the singer the ex Everton, PSV player), Graham Barlow, Billy Ashcroft (ex Boro), Howard Kendall,
Used to see Rooney regularly when he lived just a couple of house away from Gerrard - Wayne Henderson currently lives 6 house away from me .
Glen Johnson uses my local as did Joe Cole - Glen Johnson is a lovely guy by the way - my daughter recently looked after his daughter at nursery.
Brendan Rodgers and Colin Pascoe live a couple of doors away from each other.
One of the nicest guys I met was Slavan Bilic - he was walking on Formby beach with his family one time and I walked past him with VCTM in my arms (he was only a few months old) - Bilic saw my claret and blue shirt and came up to me and asked if I "supported West Ham" - I put him right , he smiled, apologised and said that my son was lovely and that I should be a very proud man to have such a handsome boy _ I would have preferred that to have come from Mrs Bilic ! - but there you go - I saw him a few times again before he left Formby - he always said hello - nice bloke.
VCTM jnr was at the Liverpool academy when he was very young and played with Jamie Carraghers son, James. Carragher was always polite but very quiet - his wife loved VCTM jnr - once my lad clattered Carragher jnr - he then tapped him on the head and picked him up - Mrs Carragher turned to me and said " Ahh isnt your lad lovely, helping young Jamie up like dat " - I smiled , nodded and felt a huge amount of pride inside me as I saw my young (then 5 or 6 year old lad) in his Villa shirt ploughing through a Carragher here up on Merseyside !!!
Others I used to see locally included Brett Angel, Duncan Ferguson. Thankfully Suarez doesnt live here.
Finally, the nice thing about this area is that you can literally bump into these guys shopping, at the pub or filling up at the service station and nobody bothers then - they mostly pass the time of day - Have seen Gerrard a few times and he has always been polite.
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Vctm- what a wonderfully enjoyable read that post was.
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Vctm- what a wonderfully enjoyable read that post was.
Thanks Eastie- I could literally write a book on what I have seen and heard up here on Merseyside. It really is a football hotbed and most people you meet or work with have a passion for the game. I have lots of stories about some of the players listed above, however I am sure if I let on I would be receiving calls from solicitors and "others" .
Just remembered - my lad was playing a pre-season warm up game in a local playing field - I was parked alongside the pitch and was siiting proudly on the bonnet of my Ford Fiesta watching VCTM jnr strut his stuff whilst wearing the famous claret and blue - I glanced to my right and another father was doing exactly the same - only leaning on the bonnet of a beautiful Mercedes drop top - In my dulcit Brummie tone I said " Olroight mate yor lad is doing well" - "Thanks , yours too " came the response- from Alan Stubbs !!
VCTM jnr now plays for his school team - Range High and they wear claret and blue !!!!!!!!!
In October the school team are going to play in Rotterdam and train on the pitch (De Kuip Stadium) where we won the European Cup in 1982 - I am asking jnr to wear the famous white shirt with maroon stripes and have Withe printed on the back - get his mates to take a photo of him scoring off the post !!- If it comes off I will post it on here and send it to the club to see if they will put in the programme.
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I've posted this before - not in this thread I think.
This is my Mum's story but she used to work in a dry cleaner's in Lichfield and she once sent Paul McGrath home to get his dry cleaning ticket with the line "I know you're Paul McGrath but I can't give you your dry cleaning without a ticket". Apparently everyone in the shop fell about (including the man himself). One of our favourite family stories that gets a regular outing.
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I was in Liverpool quite a few years ago on a beautiful sunny day. As I came out of The Philhamonic in Hope St 'suitably refreshed who should I see walking towards me . John Barnes... wearing a royal blue tracksuit. He was most affable and polite. I remember him saying 'Villa are a big club'. I said 'why are you wearing a royal blue tracksuit'. He just grinned but changed the subject. I've always wondered why a Liverpool player would wear Everton colours. Very nice bloke.
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Oh, in reponse to VCTM, Brett Angell is a nice bloke.
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Angelic probably
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Saw Petrov in The Fox and Dogs in Mere Green yesterday, up in the Kids soft play area, I didn't want to disturb him as he was with hs friends and family but as he left I just asked him if I could shake his hand, which he duly obliged me with.
Spent Xmas 2012 with Weimann and Bannan as my brother in law is good friends with them, Weimann was originally meant to be coming around my house this Xmas day but he ended up spending it in Sheffield with a mate, which was a bit disappointing.
What last xmas? 24 hours before the Palace game?......
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I remember going into the chippy in Walmley in the summer of 2002 and queuing behind Marcus Allback. Nobody recognised him even though a few weeks earlier he had played for Sweden against England in the World Cup in Japan. Seemed a bit surreal at the time.
Ah I'd completely forgotten about Allback. I knew exactly where Allback lived as he got a house on the same Newhall estate one of my best friends at school and still today lives. Think his house was featured in one of the claret and blue issues.
Darius Vassell also lived just off Penns Lane aswell. Also see the likes of Morley and Nigel Spink on occasions as both live in Walmley aswell.
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Sometime in the late 1980s/early 1990s I was walking down Trinity Road towards Villa Park. It was a matchday with Liverpool the visitors. Suddenly, walking towards me for some reason was Doug Ellis, flanked by John Barnes and Ian Rush! I wish I'd asked Ellis what he was doing. He was like a proud father showing these two top international stars around Villa Park like they were a couple of star-struck kids. I do recall the two players looked a little apprehensive walking through the masses of Villa fans on their way to the match.
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I think Steve Staunton lives in Shenstone. He certainly did when he was ROI manager although that was a few years back now I guess.
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Mate of mine is a football commentator [bbc] so have met quite a few players and managers through him..The funniest has to be Ally McCoist..Genuine nice bloke with great sense of humour..doesn't take himself too seriously unlike some of the pratts I have come across
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Back when I was a salesman at an Electronic Retailer, I sold J'LLoyd Samuel a tv. He was only just starting to break through into the first team so he was quite happy that I recognised him. Happy enough that he came back a couple of other times too. One was with a team-mate. I think it was John McGrath but J'Lloyd seemed to enjoy that I had recognised him but not his teammate. Nice guy but his girlfriend at the time seemed to think a lot of herself. She had a big fur coat and seemed to look down on people around her.
Paul Merson also came into the store. I never got to speak to him but I was told that he was a nice bloke.
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Maybe it was that girlfriend of JLloyd's that made him come across as a bellend with no taste on MTV Cribs.
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Saw Petrov in The Fox and Dogs in Mere Green yesterday, up in the Kids soft play area, I didn't want to disturb him as he was with hs friends and family but as he left I just asked him if I could shake his hand, which he duly obliged me with.
Spent Xmas 2012 with Weimann and Bannan as my brother in law is good friends with them, Weimann was originally meant to be coming around my house this Xmas day but he ended up spending it in Sheffield with a mate, which was a bit disappointing.
What last xmas? 24 hours before the Palace game?......
Yes Xmas 2013.
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Was at Bel-Air many moons ago and saw an old school friend who came over and gave me a hug and a kiss and we chatted for a couple of minutes. The bloke she was with took a dim view of this and spent the next hour glaring at me with his best hard man face on. I got a tad pissed off after a while and walked over and asked him what his problem was and he responded by taking his jacket off and offering me outside. I followed him out and a bout of fisticuffs ensued which ended in him bleeding profusely from the nose all down his lovely white shirt. Apparently it was Gary Owen who played for the Baggies and ended up at small heath. If I'd known that at the time I'd have given him another slap
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Did Gary Owen ever play for Blues? I know he was at Albion and Man City.
Did you batter him?
Bob Taylor punched a mate of mine outside a pub once.
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My sister saw Tony Dorigo a few times just at the point he was starting to occasioanlly get into the first team. She said he used to be banging on all the time about how well the reserves were doing (him, Ray Walker & Rideout in particular) and that they deserved a chance in a struggling first team (Withe on the way out etc.) Anyway, he was picking her up one Saturday night to go to Bel Air or somewhere suitably stereotypical and she was adamant I wasn't allowed to talk to him about Villa at all and not be annoying and all that. I'd been to VP that afternoon (think we lost to Leicester) so I just left my scarf hanging over the end of the bannister, which was the first thing you saw when the front door was opened. I was first to the door, of course to let him in - he had David Norton with him but I didn't mention football. As I ushered them in Tony clocked the scarf and asked if i'd been down today. Thus ensued a good 3/4 of an hour chat over a tinny about how shite we were (from them) and how they should all be playing, much to my sister's intense annoyance. He then got me players seats for a few games before they finished and he really broke through. Nice bloke, footballers not really my sister's type though.
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I work for a company that supplies fresh produce to Waitrose, and they're always putting on events to raise-money for various charities. When we're trying to get in their good-books we often buy a table and have a corporate night out.
The most recent of these was in the summer in Battersea and each table came with it's own "celebrity". Ours was the rugby player Nick Easter, but the table next door had Martin Keown. Nobody on that table seemed to know who he was so after (several) drinks I wandered over for a chat. He was absolutely bladdered but really friendly. I told him that one of my first Villa games was watching us get promoted down at Swindon and he told him how he vividly remembers being injured but walking around the town-centre listening on a radio, wracked with nerves (probably for my benefit).
After a few minutes I got a bit brave and said "I have to ask...David Platt...bit of an arsehole isn't he...?!". Cue about a 5 minute rant in agreement. He said, "you've no idea. I had to play with him for Arsenal and England too!!". He told me a story about how he had to play one game for Arsenal as a holding midfielder alongside Platt. After 60 minutes of doing all of Platt's running and defensive work he said "Come on Platty, help me out!". Platt's response was "when you've achieved as much in the game as I have, come back and let me know."
I was obviously right.
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I work for a company that supplies fresh produce to Waitrose, and they're always putting on events to raise-money for various charities. When we're trying to get in their good-books we often buy a table and have a corporate night out.
The most recent of these was in the summer in Battersea and each table came with it's own "celebrity". Ours was the rugby player Nick Easter, but the table next door had Martin Keown. Nobody on that table seemed to know who he was so after (several) drinks I wandered over for a chat. He was absolutely bladdered but really friendly. I told him that one of my first Villa games was watching us get promoted down at Swindon and he told him how he vividly remembers being injured but walking around the town-centre listening on a radio, wracked with nerves (probably for my benefit).
After a few minutes I got a bit brave and said "I have to ask...David Platt...bit of an arsehole isn't he...?!". Cue about a 5 minute rant in agreement. He said, "you've no idea. I had to play with him for Arsenal and England too!!". He told me a story about how he had to play one game for Arsenal as a holding midfielder alongside Platt. After 60 minutes of doing all of Platt's running and defensive work he said "Come on Platty, help me out!". Platt's response was "when you've achieved as much in the game as I have, come back and let me know."
I was obviously right.
And of course, ironically, Keown won more.
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This has been an enjoyable hour of reading. I now must really do some work, so I would appreciate it if no one else posts a good story for a day or so. Brilliant read!
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I was in Liverpool quite a few years ago on a beautiful sunny day. As I came out of The Philhamonic in Hope St 'suitably refreshed who should I see walking towards me . John Barnes... wearing a royal blue tracksuit. He was most affable and polite. I remember him saying 'Villa are a big club'. I said 'why are you wearing a royal blue tracksuit'. He just grinned but changed the subject. I've always wondered why a Liverpool player would wear Everton colours. Very nice bloke.
I also met John Barnes whilst I was working at the Ryder Cup, I gave him a lift on my golf buggy and can confirm that he was as sound as a pound. I tried a conversation about golf but it soon transpired that he was only there on a freebie from the Jamaican Tourist Board and knew as much about golf as I did. We got chatting football and he, completely unbidden, told me how much he despised his then manager, Graham Souness. He seemed even less impressed by my driving skills as I nearly crashed into a bunker. Invited me for a pint in the sponsors tent.
I also once had a conversation with Joe Harte, the unusual thing about it was Harte was completely naked.
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This thread is the best one in a long time.
My only footballer stories relate to when I left school and joined Endsleigh Insurance. I worked in the Corporation Street office in the mid 90s. Because Endsleigh had recently sponsored the Football League, they had a car insurance policy designed for professional footballers that was guaranteed to beat any competitor price.
Needless to say, footballers tend to pay a lot in premiums - young, fast cars, general idiocy etc. So they were a lucrative source of income for the branch. Ian Taylor, Dwight Yorke and Mark Bosnich were all clients of ours. In those days you had to do things personally, like signing forms and bringing original documents in etc so I met them on the odd occasion. Of those 3, Tayls was the nicest. Totally unassuming and modest. Whenever I met him he always had a cap and scarf on so he didnt get any attention.
From memory, all 3 of them owned BMW M3s. Gareth Southgate drove a Rover 4 series provided by the club.
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I acted for a Wolves player once in a court dispute and it was coming up to the time when we had to prepare for the trial at Wolverhampton County Court. We wanted to call his girlfriend (a model, natch) as a witness. He said she couldn't do it because it was too far for her to travel. He used to play for a club in Yorkshire so I assumed she was still living up there. It turned out she lived in a suburb of Wolverhampton, about 3 miles from the city centre.
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Neville Southall lives near me (Deal in Kent) and he's an absolute tosser.
He spent a few years playing upfront for a veteran's side in the Dover Sunday League (berating referees and generally being an unpleasant C**t) and we found ourselves playing on the pitch next to him one morning.
As the game finished and we headed off to the communal changing-rooms our keeper (who was in the Academy at S'oton at the time) jogged over to him and said "Nev - you're one of my heroes, can I shake your hand please?" At this point our keeper had taken off his top to reveal a Man Utd shirt underneath. Nev's response? "Not in that fucking shirt."
Obviously we all laughed, as did our keeper. Nev didn't though, just turned and walked off, without shaking his hand.
Now I'm sure a few of you will approve of this, but the wasn't the slightest hint of humour and grace in him then, or any other time I've come across him.
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I acted for a Wolves player once in a court dispute and it was coming up to the time when we had to prepare for the trial at Wolverhampton County Court. We wanted to call his girlfriend (a model, natch) as a witness. He said she couldn't do it because it was too far for her to travel. He used to play for a club in Yorkshire so I assumed she was still living up there. It turned out she lived in a suburb of Wolverhampton, about 3 miles from the city centre.
Dean Richards?
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I acted for a Wolves player once in a court dispute and it was coming up to the time when we had to prepare for the trial at Wolverhampton County Court. We wanted to call his girlfriend (a model, natch) as a witness. He said she couldn't do it because it was too far for her to travel. He used to play for a club in Yorkshire so I assumed she was still living up there. It turned out she lived in a suburb of Wolverhampton, about 3 miles from the city centre.
Dean Richards?
Unfortunately I can't say whether it was or not, for reasons of client confidentiality....
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Mate of mine is a football commentator [bbc] so have met quite a few players and managers through him..The funniest has to be Ally McCoist..Genuine nice bloke with great sense of humour..doesn't take himself too seriously unlike some of the pratts I have come across
I quite agree. My wife's claim to fame is being chatted up by Ally and Mo Johnstone, both at the same time! I used to be assistant manager up at the Turnberry Hotel in Ayrshire where the Rangers team would stay before big games. After an early pasta dinner, Ally would, at my suggestion, come out to the kitchens in the hotel and spend an hour or two in the potwash area helping the young lads there to wash up the pots and pans. They were all crazy Rangers fans, one of them worked with no shirt on in the boiling heat but always wore a Rangers scarf. And they came from Girvan which has one of the highest unemployment rates in Scotland so they barely had two pennies to rub together - Ally would bring with him signed footballs, scarves, photos etc etc. As a result, those kids loved me, no mean feat for an Englishmen working up in Scotland!!!
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Mate of mine is a football commentator [bbc] so have met quite a few players and managers through him..The funniest has to be Ally McCoist..Genuine nice bloke with great sense of humour..doesn't take himself too seriously unlike some of the pratts I have come across
I quite agree. My wife's claim to fame is being chatted up by Ally and Mo Johnstone
I have vague memories of going to a six a side football thing at the NEC in the 80s - Atari Soccer 6? - and my mate asking Mo Johnson for an autograph. Think he was on Watford's bench that night. he told my mate to fuck off.
Even then, he was a billy big bollocks, the absolute ******. He must have been about 19.
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I acted for a Wolves player once in a court dispute and it was coming up to the time when we had to prepare for the trial at Wolverhampton County Court. We wanted to call his girlfriend (a model, natch) as a witness. He said she couldn't do it because it was too far for her to travel. He used to play for a club in Yorkshire so I assumed she was still living up there. It turned out she lived in a suburb of Wolverhampton, about 3 miles from the city centre.
Dean Richards?
Unfortunately I can't say whether it was or not, for reasons of client confidentiality....
Understood.
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Did he die very prematurely or am I thinking of someone else?
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Mate of mine is a football commentator [bbc] so have met quite a few players and managers through him..The funniest has to be Ally McCoist..Genuine nice bloke with great sense of humour..doesn't take himself too seriously unlike some of the pratts I have come across
I quite agree. My wife's claim to fame is being chatted up by Ally and Mo Johnstone
I have vague memories of going to a six a side football thing at the NEC in the 80s - Atari Soccer 6? - and my mate asking Mo Johnson for an autograph. Think he was on Watford's bench that night. he told my mate to fuck off.
Even then, he was a billy big bollocks, the absolute c***. He must have been about 19.
Was that the one the Blues won?
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I know I'm stretching the boundaries of credibility hear but Leroy Lita played for my work's 5 aside team a few years ago. It was the summer before he signed for Reading. He was shit. We lost 3-1 (and I must point out that I won MOTM) although he was actually a nice enough guy. He didn't work for us, but was a friend of someone who was.
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Mate of mine is a football commentator [bbc] so have met quite a few players and managers through him..The funniest has to be Ally McCoist..Genuine nice bloke with great sense of humour..doesn't take himself too seriously unlike some of the pratts I have come across
I quite agree. My wife's claim to fame is being chatted up by Ally and Mo Johnstone
I have vague memories of going to a six a side football thing at the NEC in the 80s - Atari Soccer 6? - and my mate asking Mo Johnson for an autograph. Think he was on Watford's bench that night. he told my mate to fuck off.
Even then, he was a billy big bollocks, the absolute c***. He must have been about 19.
Was that the one the Blues won?
I believe so. Although I can't remember any trophy shenanigans at the time, and I was with a few noses from school, so they'd have insisted we stay. May have been over two nights.
The Mo Johnson bit is the only bit I really remember.
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I used to enjoy telling younger Noses I know that Id seen them win more trophies than they had, and that was a 5 a side tournament, winning the League Cup a few years ago kind of ruined that.
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six a side football thing at the NEC in the 80s - Atari Soccer 6?
Was it the Guinness Soccer Six?
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Mate of mine is a football commentator [bbc] so have met quite a few players and managers through him..The funniest has to be Ally McCoist..Genuine nice bloke with great sense of humour..doesn't take himself too seriously unlike some of the pratts I have come across
I quite agree. My wife's claim to fame is being chatted up by Ally and Mo Johnstone
I have vague memories of going to a six a side football thing at the NEC in the 80s - Atari Soccer 6? - and my mate asking Mo Johnson for an autograph. Think he was on Watford's bench that night. he told my mate to fuck off.
Even then, he was a billy big bollocks, the absolute c***. He must have been about 19.
When I lived in France I had mates near Nantes and had a few good weekends around there. Johnson was playing for Nantes - possibly early 90s IIRC - and a journalist I met in a bar confirmed that he had a reputation for thinking he had the talent of Maradona and the looks of Maldini.
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Can't wait for Palace Villa in April, The team will be staying at the hotel that backs onto my garden (just moved last summer), so I'll nip up the road and stalk them in the bar and report back.
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The works football team only play random games rather than anything official (company policy).
There was one firm we used to play regularly though who had 2 semi Pro's working there and a couple of mates who turned out in our matches who patently didn't.
For years those bastards beat us until I cheated one game in the Summer.
I called in an old junior football colleague.
Cheltenham, I think, sold him to Barnsley a few weeks before.
He single handedly had us six up at half time before departing, that much I do remember.
Also, not a footballer, but a manager. I was tasked a couple of years back with sorting out a claim for Arsene Wenger after a substantial water burst in his property. A very nice man he was too.
Unlike Anne Widdecombe who was a horrible cow.
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I think Steve Staunton lives in Shenstone. He certainly did when he was ROI manager although that was a few years back now I guess.
His wife and son live here in Formby - when I spoke to his son recently he said his dad was living up north - Sunderland I recall although with the arrival of a new manager that may have changed
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These stories arent so random !
It's not like anyone hit osn a chick at Victoria coach station when they were 15 lie about my age charm her and coz im kinda good looking have a flirty chat as she was bored waiting for her coach to newcastle ... I went for the number close only to get told i was too young , she didn't live in area and her boyf gets jealous ... That was Amanda Carrington.... got a facebook but she deleted me after 3 weeks after her jealous boyf messaged saying I had Fuck all chance kid now Fuck off you retarded bollox.... Oh her boyf ? That was joey barton
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Around Christmas 2002, I got a text from my mate that said my phone was about to ring, but I should let it go to answer phone then check the message. When I did, a booming Scottish voice said, "It's Rambo here, what the **** is going on at the Villa at the moment? Merry Christmas."
My Villa-supporting mate had been invited to the Sky Sports Christmas party by a friend who was a production manager there and got talking to McInally, who he said was a top man.
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On a similar vain to the above; I was at a Villa Former Players do a couple of years ago, and asked Chico Hamilton to phone my dad. He agreed and to say my dad was shocked is an understatement. My folks had been in bed for an hour and we had woke them...
'Mum? Can you wake Dad?'
'er...why?'
'I've got Chico Hamilton on the phone and he wants to say hello'
It was about 2am as well...
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Around Christmas 2002, I got a text from my mate that said my phone was about to ring, but I should let it go to answer phone then check the message. When I did, a booming Scottish voice said, "It's Rambo here, what the **** is going on at the Villa at the moment? Merry Christmas."
My Villa-supporting mate had been invited to the Sky Sports Christmas party by a friend who was a production manager there and got talking to McInally, who he said was a top man.
Great story. Cracking name.
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Even in text it sounds like he was pissed when he did that. Fair play though.
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Was at Bel-Air many moons ago and saw an old school friend who came over and gave me a hug and a kiss and we chatted for a couple of minutes. The bloke she was with took a dim view of this and spent the next hour glaring at me with his best hard man face on. I got a tad pissed off after a while and walked over and asked him what his problem was and he responded by taking his jacket off and offering me outside. I followed him out and a bout of fisticuffs ensued which ended in him bleeding profusely from the nose all down his lovely white shirt. Apparently it was Gary Owen who played for the Baggies and ended up at small heath. If I'd known that at the time I'd have given him another slap
You bully, he was only small :D
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I once was joined by Don Goodman and other Albion teammates (sorry not Villa but still funny considering) outside my mum and dads house. We were teenagers and hanging around a phone box and they decided to join in a 'let's see how many we can squeeze into the phonebox' game. It was very funny - Goodman, Coldicott, Bradley, David Burrows, and Godden I believe were involved.
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Was at Bel-Air many moons ago and saw an old school friend who came over and gave me a hug and a kiss and we chatted for a couple of minutes. The bloke she was with took a dim view of this and spent the next hour glaring at me with his best hard man face on. I got a tad pissed off after a while and walked over and asked him what his problem was and he responded by taking his jacket off and offering me outside. I followed him out and a bout of fisticuffs ensued which ended in him bleeding profusely from the nose all down his lovely white shirt. Apparently it was Gary Owen who played for the Baggies and ended up at small heath. If I'd known that at the time I'd have given him another slap
You bully, he was only small :D
He did insist and I'm not much bigger meself :) Chico, he lost interest pretty quickly once his nose fell apart and I'm not a bully so we left it at that. I'm not normally the violent type by the way but sometimes you have to make an exception!
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These stories arent so random !
It's not like anyone hit osn a chick at Victoria coach station when they were 15 lie about my age charm her and coz im kinda good looking have a flirty chat as she was bored waiting for her coach to newcastle ... I went for the number close only to get told i was too young , she didn't live in area and her boyf gets jealous ... That was Amanda Carrington.... got a facebook but she deleted me after 3 weeks after her jealous boyf messaged saying I had Fuck all chance kid now Fuck off you retarded bollox.... Oh her boyf ? That was joey barton
Could someone translate this please?
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Here goes: Handsome 15 year old VK chats up Amanda Holden at Victoria Coach station, lies about his age and asks for her phone number. She politely declines as she thinks he's too young and tells him she also has a jealous boyfriend. Unperturbed,he has another crack at her via Facebook until he's deleted after getting a forthright message from her boyfriend Joey Barton. I think that was it :)
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As a kid I used to go into Ron 'Chopper' Harris's newsagents and ask him why Chelsea were shit and how things were in Division 2 whilst thumbing a Mayfair or Men Only before getting chased out by him.
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These stories arent so random !
It's not like anyone hit osn a chick at Victoria coach station when they were 15 lie about my age charm her and coz im kinda good looking have a flirty chat as she was bored waiting for her coach to newcastle ... I went for the number close only to get told i was too young , she didn't live in area and her boyf gets jealous ... That was Amanda Carrington.... got a facebook but she deleted me after 3 weeks after her jealous boyf messaged saying I had Fuck all chance kid now Fuck off you retarded bollox.... Oh her boyf ? That was joey barton
Could someone translate this please?
yes, DONT DO DRUGS
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Many moons ago I was at a do at the Irish Centre with the aul' fella. He knows John Deehan's dad in passing. He sees him over on another table, wanders over for a chat then calls me over. He introduces me to Deehan's dad and the guy next to him, one John Giles. Disappointingly, Giles is a nice guy.
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Was at Bel-Air many moons ago and saw an old school friend who came over and gave me a hug and a kiss and we chatted for a couple of minutes. The bloke she was with took a dim view of this and spent the next hour glaring at me with his best hard man face on. I got a tad pissed off after a while and walked over and asked him what his problem was and he responded by taking his jacket off and offering me outside. I followed him out and a bout of fisticuffs ensued which ended in him bleeding profusely from the nose all down his lovely white shirt. Apparently it was Gary Owen who played for the Baggies and ended up at small heath. If I'd known that at the time I'd have given him another slap
You bully, he was only small :D
And he has no neck...
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I've met a couple of ex-Villa players, but my favourite was when I got a lift in Paul Merson's jag!
It was back in 2004 and I was still living in Windsor and if I wasn't watching the Villa I'd go and watch either Windsor and Eton or Slough Town (they ground shared.) One Sunday I'd decided to go and watch Slough vs Salisbury in the FA cup, and as I was walking to the ground a car pulls over and an older gentleman who I vaguely recognised asked me if I knew the way to Stag Meadow? (Windsor's ground) When I said yes, that's where I'm off to, he said jump in the back, we'll give you a lift. When I got in the driver turned around and said hello! I think I blurted out "bloody hell, hello Merse!"
Turns out the winners of the game had drawn Walsall in the next round, and as Merson was managing them at the time he was off to do some scouting, and the other bloke was ex-Villa physio Jim Walker. Both commented on my accent and I gladly told them I was a Villa fan. The journey was less than five minutes, but both were very friendly and chatty. Being an old school non-league ground you could walk all round the pitch during the match, and as Merson walked round he was happy to chat and have his pic taken with everyone. He even beeped his horn and waved to me as he passed me on way home (didn't give me another lift though!)
The best bit was that I got in to the game for free as the stewards let Merson park his jag behind the main stand (I always preferred Windsor over Slough so didn't feel guilty!)
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The towns of Windsor and Slough are opposites in many ways.
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I once was joined by Don Goodman and other Albion teammates (sorry not Villa but still funny considering) outside my mum and dads house. We were teenagers and hanging around a phone box and they decided to join in a 'let's see how many we can squeeze into the phonebox' game. It was very funny - Goodman, Coldicott, Bradley, David Burrows, and Godden I believe were involved.
My old female boss was Tony Godden's bit on the side in the eighties before I worked with her. I seem to recall her saying he was married with about fifty kids. She always said what a great bloke and great laugh Don Goodman was. Godden would have left Albion by that time but I know from her he still knocked around with Albion players.
And I've just realised that I started this thread about two and a half years ago by mentioning this woman.
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I once was joined by Don Goodman and other Albion teammates (sorry not Villa but still funny considering) outside my mum and dads house. We were teenagers and hanging around a phone box and they decided to join in a 'let's see how many we can squeeze into the phonebox' game. It was very funny - Goodman, Coldicott, Bradley, David Burrows, and Godden I believe were involved.
My old female boss was Tony Godden's bit on the side in the eighties before I worked with her. I seem to recall her saying he was married with about fifty kids. She always said what a great bloke and great laugh Don Goodman was. Godden would have left Albion by that time but I know from her he still knocked around with Albion players.
And I've just realised that I started this thread about two and a half years ago by mentioning this woman.
That's the best bit about this thread, having never looked at it the first time round I read through the whole thing a few days ago and loads of the stories are repeated, it's a clear indicator that they're true if nothing else.
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It's my new favourite thread!!
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I am enjoying the school myths and legends one immensely as well.
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I knobbed devlins Mrs when he was playing for the blose. She went on to marry my mate.
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I knobbed devlins Mrs when he was playing for the blose. She went on to marry my mate.
Was it your eloquent use of the English language with which you attracted her?!
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I knobbed devlins Mrs when he was playing for the blose. She went on to marry my mate.
I know some members of his family - he isn't very popular
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I knobbed devlins Mrs when he was playing for the blose. She went on to marry my mate.
Was it your eloquent use of the English language with which you attracted her?!
More importantly does your mate know you had first dibs at his missus?
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It's my new favourite thread!!
beats football !!
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I knobbed devlins Mrs when he was playing for the blose. She went on to marry my mate.
Was it your eloquent use of the English language with which you attracted her?!
No but it certainly wasn't my patronising and sanctimonious attitude toward others.
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I've got a good one second hand. A mate who lives in Newcastle was one player short for a game of five a side. They saw tino asprilla on the way to the sports centre and persuaded him to play. Apparently he was very very good but not unbelievable.
They also later played with john beresford. Although it may have been warren Barton I guess!
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Robbie Keane broke through as a 17 year old at wolves. My mates saw him in a club, reported to the bouncers he was under age, and got him thrown out
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I knobbed devlins Mrs when he was playing for the blose. She went on to marry my mate.
Last of the great romantics....
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I've seen Devlin jogging around Walmley on occasions so he still lives locally.
Love that merson story at Windsor. From memory Walsall actually lost that cup game!
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I knobbed devlins Mrs when he was playing for the blose. She went on to marry my mate.
Was it your eloquent use of the English language with which you attracted her?!
No but it certainly wasn't my patronising and sanctimonious attitude toward others.
No offence meant.
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Best thread ever
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I knobbed devlins Mrs when he was playing for the blose. She went on to marry my mate.
Was it your eloquent use of the English language with which you attracted her?!
No but it certainly wasn't my patronising and sanctimonious attitude toward others.
No offence meant.
you made love to her if you please
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I've seen Devlin jogging around Walmley on occasions so he still lives locally.
Love that merson story at Windsor. From memory Walsall actually lost that cup game!
I heard Merson tell a story about scouting this game, he reckoned their goalie was the worst he'd ever seen and convinced a lot of the Walsall team to back themselves pretty heavily to win, in some cases with their entire savings. Trouble was that goalie didn't play, his replacment had a blinder an d a lot of money was lost. He said that incident pretty much did for him as the players resented his 'tip'.
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I knobbed devlins Mrs when he was playing for the blose. She went on to marry my mate.
Was it your eloquent use of the English language with which you attracted her?!
No but it certainly wasn't my patronising and sanctimonious attitude toward others.
No offence meant.
you made love to her if you please
Why do I care so much?
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A girl I went to University with used to see a young Isaah Osbourne. It all ended the night she woke up to him shitting down the side of her bed, apparently this is a bit of a taboo.
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A girl I went to University with used to see a young Isaah Osbourne. It all ended the night she woke up to him shitting down the side of her bed, apparently this is a bit of a taboo.
Women eh! Cant live with 'em, cant live without them
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A girl I went to University with used to see a young Isaah Osbourne. It all ended the night she woke up to him shitting down the side of her bed, apparently this is a bit of a taboo.
*ARRRGGGGHHHH, MENTAL IMAGE!*
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A girl I went to University with used to see a young Isaah Osbourne. It all ended the night she woke up to him shitting down the side of her bed, apparently this is a bit of a taboo.
Don't see the problem, as long a he wiped his arse and washed his hands
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A girl I went to University with used to see a young Isaah Osbourne. It all ended the night she woke up to him shitting down the side of her bed, apparently this is a bit of a taboo.
another misplaced pass
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I knobbed devlins Mrs when he was playing for the blose. She went on to marry my mate.
Was it your eloquent use of the English language with which you attracted her?!
No but it certainly wasn't my patronising and sanctimonious attitude toward others.
No offence meant.
you made love to her if you please
Why do I care so much?
refers to the villa
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I know, just thought it somehow fit.
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I know, just thought it somehow fit.
I suppose it is ,never realised what a sensitive guy I am . thanks :D
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A couple of years ago my mum gave my kids a pack of photos to lend to me as she thought I might be interested in them. They were Ugo Ehiogu's wedding pictures. He had married my mums neighbours work colleague (a nurse I think). I wasn't particularly interested but politely pretended to be so as not to offend my mum or her neighbour.
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When I was a lot younger, I went with my granddad a few times on flower deliveries to player's houses. What a lot of them did (may do still) is get bouquets delivered to their significant others when they're on away games to let them know they're thinking of them - it's all very sweet. Anyway, this was around the BFR era so I had the honour of sitting outside, say, Steve Staunton's gaff for two minutes. None of it was interesting in and of itself other than the time Big Ron's missus answered the door in her dressing gown.
I used to work with a specialist nursing team at the local hospital, one of whom was in the throes of an acrimonious divorce from a bar owner in Sutton Coldfield, a place which I'm informed is dedicated to the European Cup win and was opened specifically so the guy could get the '82 squad in to drink with. She told me that the guy owns a significant amount of squad memorabilia from that night, including Dennis Mortimer's European Cup medal, because some are massive drinkers who need the money. I have no idea whether she was talking out of spite, but I hope so.
My own brushes with footballer fane are paltry indeed - I met Stayvie Bull at a book signing at Walsall library, where his white t-shirt/muscly arms combo had most of the female staff drooling, and I served Martin O'Connor and his young daughter in the Children's Library.
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When I was a lot younger, I went with my granddad a few times on flower deliveries to player's houses. What a lot of them did (may do still) is get bouquets delivered to their significant others when they're on away games to let them know they're thinking of them - it's all very sweet. Anyway, this was around the BFR era so I had the honour of sitting outside, say, Steve Staunton's gaff for two minutes. None of it was interesting in and of itself other than the time Big Ron's missus answered the door in her dressing gown.
Presumably you mean she opened Big Ron's door rather than Steve Staunton's?
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When I was a lot younger, I went with my granddad a few times on flower deliveries to player's houses. What a lot of them did (may do still) is get bouquets delivered to their significant others when they're on away games to let them know they're thinking of them - it's all very sweet. Anyway, this was around the BFR era so I had the honour of sitting outside, say, Steve Staunton's gaff for two minutes. None of it was interesting in and of itself other than the time Big Ron's missus answered the door in her dressing gown.
Presumably you mean she opened Big Ron's door rather than Steve Staunton's?
Ha! Yeah, nothing that bad, otherwise I may have won this thread!
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I saw Ugo Ehiogu in a pub in Highgate a few weeks ago. He went outside for a fag! A roll up too!! Nice guy, looks half the size he was when he was playing though.
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I worked in Barclays Bank Sutton Coldfield in 1994-5 when I was 19. I would reguarly serve players such as Yorke, Bosnich, Ugo, Froggatt etc. Bosnich was a real poser who always tried to impress the female staff but they were all generally ok. On my last day working there I spent a 2 hour lunch break in The Cup pub opposite, with people buying me drinks (this was very much the done thing in those days, though it sounds bad now, and you got a 2 hour lunch on your very last day!). I was serving on the counter that afternoon, and was definately the worse for wear, when up walked Dwight Yorke. "Yorkie!" I shouted "Great goal last week mate", "We love you etc etc". Dwight's face was a puzzled look of "Is this guy serving me, pissed?!" My horrified boss quickly suggested I come off the counter and sit quietly out of the way.
I've told this one before, but one of the most surreal encounters I've had was when Gary Shaw walked into Azim's Balti House in Lozells on a Saturday night, several hours after a home game about 2 years ago. He was with a group who'd been on it all day, which included the Norwegian Lions. He came over and said hello as he passed our table and we acknowledged him. Later on, as I passed his table going to the loo, he called me over again for a chat. He's basically Villa mad, and was asking me and my mates Villa related trivia questions to test whether we loved the Villa as much as him! He also led a Villa sing song, before the best bit - talking me through Withe's goal in Rotterdam by using bits of broken poppadom to indicate who each player was. He'd position all the pieces of poppadom and move them around the table, saying "this is me, this is Morley" as he slid a piece along the side of the table etc. Posed for photos before leaving. The next morning was a proper "did that really happen last night?" moment.
Some mates of mine attended the Old Stars /Lions & Legends (forget which now) Xmas Party the year before last. It's fair to say that 2 of the 1982 squad can't stand the sight of each other (one was a 1st team regular, the other a squad member) and by the end of the night their respective families were having a major, pissed up slanging match until eventually each of the players wives came to blows on the car park, and were rolling around on the floor before being pulled apart!
Me and a mate ended up sat with Steve Bull at the bar at the Grosvenor Casino on Broad St about 4 or 5 years ago. Top bloke, happy to chat for ages whilst his Mrs played on the tables. Was happy to talk about England, scoring at Hampden, Italia 90, what a great guy Bobby Robson was etc. Then I had to ask him just how closed he'd come to ever joining Villa. He said that one summer he was sure that the deal was on, even had his bag packed ready to go, but for whatever reason it just never happened!
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I worked in Barclays Bank Sutton Coldfield in 1994-5 when I was 19. I would reguarly serve players such as Yorke, Bosnich, Ugo, Froggatt etc. Bosnich was a real poser who always tried to impress the female staff but they were all generally ok. On my last day working there I spent a 2 hour lunch break in The Cup pub opposite, with people buying me drinks (this was very much the done thing in those days, though it sounds bad now, and you got a 2 hour lunch on your very last day!). I was serving on the counter that afternoon, and was definately the worse for wear, when up walked Dwight Yorke. "Yorkie!" I shouted "Great goal last week mate", "We love you etc etc". Dwight's face was a puzzled look of "Is this guy serving me, pissed?!" My horrified boss quickly suggested I come off the counter and sit quietly out of the way.
I've told this one before, but one of the most surreal encounters I've had was when Gary Shaw walked into Azim's Balti House in Lozells on a Saturday night, several hours after a home game about 2 years ago. He was with a group who'd been on it all day, which included the Norwegian Lions. He came over and said hello as he passed our table and we acknowledged him. Later on, as I passed his table going to the loo, he called me over again for a chat. He's basically Villa mad, and was asking me and my mates Villa related trivia questions to test whether we loved the Villa as much as him! He also led a Villa sing song, before the best bit - talking me through Withe's goal in Rotterdam by using bits of broken poppadom to indicate who each player was. He'd position all the pieces of poppadom and move them around the table, saying "this is me, this is Morley" as he slid a piece along the side of the table etc. Posed for photos before leaving. The next morning was a proper "did that really happen last night?" moment.
Some mates of mine attended the Old Stars /Lions & Legends (forget which now) Xmas Party the year before last. It's fair to say that 2 of the 1982 squad can't stand the sight of each other (one was a 1st team regular, the other a squad member) and by the end of the night their respective families were having a major, pissed up slanging match until eventually each of the players wives came to blows on the car park, and were rolling around on the floor before being pulled apart!
Me and a mate ended up sat with Steve Bull at the bar at the Grosvenor Casino on Broad St about 4 or 5 years ago. Top bloke, happy to chat for ages whilst his Mrs played on the tables. Was happy to talk about England, scoring at Hampden, Italia 90, what a great guy Bobby Robson was etc. Then I had to ask him just how closed he'd come to ever joining Villa. He said that one summer he was sure that the deal was on, even had his bag packed ready to go, but for whatever reason it just never happened!
Loving the curry house story!!!
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That's Gary Shaw.
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I worked in Barclays Bank Sutton Coldfield in 1994-5 when I was 19. I would reguarly serve players such as Yorke, Bosnich, Ugo, Froggatt etc. Bosnich was a real poser who always tried to impress the female staff but they were all generally ok. On my last day working there I spent a 2 hour lunch break in The Cup pub opposite, with people buying me drinks (this was very much the done thing in those days, though it sounds bad now, and you got a 2 hour lunch on your very last day!). I was serving on the counter that afternoon, and was definately the worse for wear, when up walked Dwight Yorke. "Yorkie!" I shouted "Great goal last week mate", "We love you etc etc". Dwight's face was a puzzled look of "Is this guy serving me, pissed?!" My horrified boss quickly suggested I come off the counter and sit quietly out of the way.
I've told this one before, but one of the most surreal encounters I've had was when Gary Shaw walked into Azim's Balti House in Lozells on a Saturday night, several hours after a home game about 2 years ago. He was with a group who'd been on it all day, which included the Norwegian Lions. He came over and said hello as he passed our table and we acknowledged him. Later on, as I passed his table going to the loo, he called me over again for a chat. He's basically Villa mad, and was asking me and my mates Villa related trivia questions to test whether we loved the Villa as much as him! He also led a Villa sing song, before the best bit - talking me through Withe's goal in Rotterdam by using bits of broken poppadom to indicate who each player was. He'd position all the pieces of poppadom and move them around the table, saying "this is me, this is Morley" as he slid a piece along the side of the table etc. Posed for photos before leaving. The next morning was a proper "did that really happen last night?" moment.
Some mates of mine attended the Old Stars /Lions & Legends (forget which now) Xmas Party the year before last. It's fair to say that 2 of the 1982 squad can't stand the sight of each other (one was a 1st team regular, the other a squad member) and by the end of the night their respective families were having a major, pissed up slanging match until eventually each of the players wives came to blows on the car park, and were rolling around on the floor before being pulled apart!
Me and a mate ended up sat with Steve Bull at the bar at the Grosvenor Casino on Broad St about 4 or 5 years ago. Top bloke, happy to chat for ages whilst his Mrs played on the tables. Was happy to talk about England, scoring at Hampden, Italia 90, what a great guy Bobby Robson was etc. Then I had to ask him just how closed he'd come to ever joining Villa. He said that one summer he was sure that the deal was on, even had his bag packed ready to go, but for whatever reason it just never happened!
Great post!
We're the two '82 players Mortimer and Ormsby by any chance? I know Ormsby can't stand Mortimer.
I think Bull would have been great in a Villa shirt. I bet he wishes he joined us now.
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Does Gary Shaw know about the Go Kart Mozart song where he gets a whole verse dedicated to his goalscoring prowess?
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Saw Tony Morley this morning coaching kids football in Mere Green.
Watched an FA Cup Final a few years ago at my brothers house with Paul Tait. Tongue firmly bit.
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I saw Nigel Spink getting off the train at Sutton last night. He then phoned a taxi to take him to the Horse and Jockey.
I nearly said hello, but I bottled it.
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Question for y'all: Do you think footballers like people saying hello/thanks when done politely?
Mourihno said the other day that one of the best things about London was that he's not pestered in the street by British people (mainly tourists).
I see the drummer out of blur probably once a week when I'm buying my toast before work and I'd love to say "thanks" for all the good times his band have given me, but I always bottle it as he's usually wearing a suit and off to the office just like me i.e. not in rock star mode.
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I saw Nigel Spink getting off the train at Sutton last night. He then phoned a taxi to take him to the Horse and Jockey.
I nearly said hello, but I bottled it.
He sat by us in the Holte the other week. We said hello after the game.
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I've seen Devlin jogging around Walmley on occasions so he still lives locally.
Love that merson story at Windsor. From memory Walsall actually lost that cup game!
Devlin does live locally (Sutton), his nipper is at the same school as mine and he drinks in The Duke.
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That's Gary Shaw.
Went to a Q & A last weekend with him, Sid & Tony Morley. He was asked to explain the feeling of scoring at the Holte End as a Villa fan, he said "against Small Heath, it was better than sex"
He is getting on a bit now I suppose :)
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On the Bobby Charlton thing. I think I posted on here a few years ago how on one occasion when the late Denis Howell MP attended out monthly Referees Association meeting (he was a member of our branch) he was asked to name some of the worst players he ever had to deal with. The first name he came up with?...Bobby Charlton whom he said never stopped moaning from first whistle to last.
I always got the impression that Charlton was ashamed of where he came from, preferring to consider himself a Manc. Probably irrational on my part.
Ask Ron Atkinson about him.
Always up for a dance is sir bobby so it all depends
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That's Gary Shaw.
Went to a Q & A last weekend with him, Sid & Tony Morley. He was asked to explain the feeling of scoring at the Holte End as a Villa fan, he said "against Small Heath, it was better than sex"
He is getting on a bit now I suppose :)
"I had more women that season than I scored goals. I scored 23 goals." Bastard.
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That only 2 a month
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That only 2 a month
He had to go training.
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That's Gary Shaw.
Went to a Q & A last weekend with him, Sid & Tony Morley. He was asked to explain the feeling of scoring at the Holte End as a Villa fan, he said "against Small Heath, it was better than sex"
He is getting on a bit now I suppose :)
"I had more women that season than I scored goals. I scored 23 goals." Bastard.
Oh to be a footballer...
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Luckily Danny Graham doesn't have to adopt the same attitude, else he'd have to become a priest.
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I am asking jnr to wear the famous white shirt with maroon stripes and have Withe printed on the back
Sorry but what colour stripes?
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I worked in Barclays Bank Sutton Coldfield in 1994-5 when I was 19. I would reguarly serve players such as Yorke, Bosnich, Ugo, Froggatt etc. Bosnich was a real poser who always tried to impress the female staff but they were all generally ok. On my last day working there I spent a 2 hour lunch break in The Cup pub opposite, with people buying me drinks (this was very much the done thing in those days, though it sounds bad now, and you got a 2 hour lunch on your very last day!). I was serving on the counter that afternoon, and was definately the worse for wear, when up walked Dwight Yorke. "Yorkie!" I shouted "Great goal last week mate", "We love you etc etc". Dwight's face was a puzzled look of "Is this guy serving me, pissed?!" My horrified boss quickly suggested I come off the counter and sit quietly out of the way.
I've told this one before, but one of the most surreal encounters I've had was when Gary Shaw walked into Azim's Balti House in Lozells on a Saturday night, several hours after a home game about 2 years ago. He was with a group who'd been on it all day, which included the Norwegian Lions. He came over and said hello as he passed our table and we acknowledged him. Later on, as I passed his table going to the loo, he called me over again for a chat. He's basically Villa mad, and was asking me and my mates Villa related trivia questions to test whether we loved the Villa as much as him! He also led a Villa sing song, before the best bit - talking me through Withe's goal in Rotterdam by using bits of broken poppadom to indicate who each player was. He'd position all the pieces of poppadom and move them around the table, saying "this is me, this is Morley" as he slid a piece along the side of the table etc. Posed for photos before leaving. The next morning was a proper "did that really happen last night?" moment.
Some mates of mine attended the Old Stars /Lions & Legends (forget which now) Xmas Party the year before last. It's fair to say that 2 of the 1982 squad can't stand the sight of each other (one was a 1st team regular, the other a squad member) and by the end of the night their respective families were having a major, pissed up slanging match until eventually each of the players wives came to blows on the car park, and were rolling around on the floor before being pulled apart!
Me and a mate ended up sat with Steve Bull at the bar at the Grosvenor Casino on Broad St about 4 or 5 years ago. Top bloke, happy to chat for ages whilst his Mrs played on the tables. Was happy to talk about England, scoring at Hampden, Italia 90, what a great guy Bobby Robson was etc. Then I had to ask him just how closed he'd come to ever joining Villa. He said that one summer he was sure that the deal was on, even had his bag packed ready to go, but for whatever reason it just never happened!
Great post!
We're the two '82 players Mortimer and Ormsby by any chance? I know Ormsby can't stand Mortimer.
I think Bull would have been great in a Villa shirt. I bet he wishes he joined us now.
I don't think there is much love lost between Tony Morley and Colin Gibson.
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I've seen Devlin jogging around Walmley on occasions so he still lives locally.
Love that merson story at Windsor. From memory Walsall actually lost that cup game!
Devlin does live locally (Sutton), his nipper is at the same school as mine and he drinks in The Duke.
Paul Devlin ran a football training session for kids in the local youth centre - my lad always went in his Villa top - seemed a decent bloke.
The first football team my lad played for when he was about seven trained at the back of a miners welfare in Rugeley. When i went down there was a young lad, same age, who was quick and two footed. He was clearly head and shoulders above the rest and when they played a game his dad used to turn up and watch. It came as no surprise his dad was one Tony Morley. He was very much into the whole thing although refrained from coaching the team, he did do the end of year presentation evening. He even brought down his European cup winning medal on one occasion.
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I worked in Barclays Bank Sutton Coldfield in 1994-5 when I was 19. I would reguarly serve players such as Yorke, Bosnich, Ugo, Froggatt etc. Bosnich was a real poser who always tried to impress the female staff but they were all generally ok. On my last day working there I spent a 2 hour lunch break in The Cup pub opposite, with people buying me drinks (this was very much the done thing in those days, though it sounds bad now, and you got a 2 hour lunch on your very last day!). I was serving on the counter that afternoon, and was definately the worse for wear, when up walked Dwight Yorke. "Yorkie!" I shouted "Great goal last week mate", "We love you etc etc". Dwight's face was a puzzled look of "Is this guy serving me, pissed?!" My horrified boss quickly suggested I come off the counter and sit quietly out of the way.
I've told this one before, but one of the most surreal encounters I've had was when Gary Shaw walked into Azim's Balti House in Lozells on a Saturday night, several hours after a home game about 2 years ago. He was with a group who'd been on it all day, which included the Norwegian Lions. He came over and said hello as he passed our table and we acknowledged him. Later on, as I passed his table going to the loo, he called me over again for a chat. He's basically Villa mad, and was asking me and my mates Villa related trivia questions to test whether we loved the Villa as much as him! He also led a Villa sing song, before the best bit - talking me through Withe's goal in Rotterdam by using bits of broken poppadom to indicate who each player was. He'd position all the pieces of poppadom and move them around the table, saying "this is me, this is Morley" as he slid a piece along the side of the table etc. Posed for photos before leaving. The next morning was a proper "did that really happen last night?" moment.
Some mates of mine attended the Old Stars /Lions & Legends (forget which now) Xmas Party the year before last. It's fair to say that 2 of the 1982 squad can't stand the sight of each other (one was a 1st team regular, the other a squad member) and by the end of the night their respective families were having a major, pissed up slanging match until eventually each of the players wives came to blows on the car park, and were rolling around on the floor before being pulled apart!
Me and a mate ended up sat with Steve Bull at the bar at the Grosvenor Casino on Broad St about 4 or 5 years ago. Top bloke, happy to chat for ages whilst his Mrs played on the tables. Was happy to talk about England, scoring at Hampden, Italia 90, what a great guy Bobby Robson was etc. Then I had to ask him just how closed he'd come to ever joining Villa. He said that one summer he was sure that the deal was on, even had his bag packed ready to go, but for whatever reason it just never happened!
Great post!
We're the two '82 players Mortimer and Ormsby by any chance? I know Ormsby can't stand Mortimer.
I think Bull would have been great in a Villa shirt. I bet he wishes he joined us now.
I don't think there is much love lost between Tony Morley and Colin Gibson.
Damo has one of them correct. I'll PM you both.
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Or just tell us?
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Or just tell us?
Or not. Can we end this debate now, please.
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Is it Sally Gunnell?
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There was a masters six a side tournament over here a few years back. Allan Evens did his knee in playing. But Warren Barton was late as he he was still flying in for the game. The announcer kept us up to date for some reason. Anyway, he turns up and plays about 2 minutes before the end of the final game and England are out. I see him strolling back out of the stadium as I'm about to get another drink. 'Well that was worth Warren'. 'Fuck off' was the reply.
Met Staunton in a pub after the Liverpool game when he was sent off for them in the first half. I was hammered and told him that I had a better left foot than him. "but you don't get 10 grand a week for it' was his quick and clever reply!
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I've just been fisting Norman 'bite yer legs' Hunter.
-
Or just tell us?
Or not. Can we end this debate now, please.
Why??
-
I worked in Barclays Bank Sutton Coldfield in 1994-5 when I was 19. I would reguarly serve players such as Yorke, Bosnich, Ugo, Froggatt etc. Bosnich was a real poser who always tried to impress the female staff but they were all generally ok. On my last day working there I spent a 2 hour lunch break in The Cup pub opposite, with people buying me drinks (this was very much the done thing in those days, though it sounds bad now, and you got a 2 hour lunch on your very last day!). I was serving on the counter that afternoon, and was definately the worse for wear, when up walked Dwight Yorke. "Yorkie!" I shouted "Great goal last week mate", "We love you etc etc". Dwight's face was a puzzled look of "Is this guy serving me, pissed?!" My horrified boss quickly suggested I come off the counter and sit quietly out of the way.
I've told this one before, but one of the most surreal encounters I've had was when Gary Shaw walked into Azim's Balti House in Lozells on a Saturday night, several hours after a home game about 2 years ago. He was with a group who'd been on it all day, which included the Norwegian Lions. He came over and said hello as he passed our table and we acknowledged him. Later on, as I passed his table going to the loo, he called me over again for a chat. He's basically Villa mad, and was asking me and my mates Villa related trivia questions to test whether we loved the Villa as much as him! He also led a Villa sing song, before the best bit - talking me through Withe's goal in Rotterdam by using bits of broken poppadom to indicate who each player was. He'd position all the pieces of poppadom and move them around the table, saying "this is me, this is Morley" as he slid a piece along the side of the table etc. Posed for photos before leaving. The next morning was a proper "did that really happen last night?" moment.
Some mates of mine attended the Old Stars /Lions & Legends (forget which now) Xmas Party the year before last. It's fair to say that 2 of the 1982 squad can't stand the sight of each other (one was a 1st team regular, the other a squad member) and by the end of the night their respective families were having a major, pissed up slanging match until eventually each of the players wives came to blows on the car park, and were rolling around on the floor before being pulled apart!
Me and a mate ended up sat with Steve Bull at the bar at the Grosvenor Casino on Broad St about 4 or 5 years ago. Top bloke, happy to chat for ages whilst his Mrs played on the tables. Was happy to talk about England, scoring at Hampden, Italia 90, what a great guy Bobby Robson was etc. Then I had to ask him just how closed he'd come to ever joining Villa. He said that one summer he was sure that the deal was on, even had his bag packed ready to go, but for whatever reason it just never happened!
Great post!
We're the two '82 players Mortimer and Ormsby by any chance? I know Ormsby can't stand Mortimer.
I think Bull would have been great in a Villa shirt. I bet he wishes he joined us now.
I don't think there is much love lost between Tony Morley and Colin Gibson.
Didnt Gibson get invoved in fisticuffs with Andy Gray inside Gray's club the Holy City Zoo?
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Back in the mid eighties my mum worked at the big Carrefour as it was (now ASDA) at Minworth and used to speak and serve a lot of Villa players at the time especially Nigel Spink. As a surprise for me she gave hm an card for my 18th birthday and had the entire side sign it and arranged for big Nigel to ring me on the morning of my birthday top present, and I still have the card.
While at uni I met a young lady and we became a couple, she kept asking me to visit her parents wih her but I always wiggled out of it but I ran out of excuses and eventually relented. It turned out her dad was on the board at Oldham Athletic and insisted I went along to watch a game with him, it was versus Bradford who spent the whole match takng the piss out of us signing Ian Orymondroid (sp). Anyhow after the game I was having a kick about on the plastic pitch when who should walk over but Joe Royle we got chatting and ended up having a kick about together really nice guy built like a brick outhouse and my god when he hit a ball it stayed hit (I bravely ducked out of the way of one of his shots).
Another player I met was King Kev the Geordie messiah, the was outside Villa Park before the inter Milan game (the Phil King penalty game)which I believe he was commentating on. I was waiting for some friends outside th players entrance when a black cab pulled up and out jumped a bloke with curly hair and if I remember correctly a purple/lilac coloured shirt he walked over signed an autograph proceeded to chat away and tell me how he thought we could win later that night. Seemed really nice, had a great deal of passion for the game nothing like the bonkers bloke who self imploded a few years later live on sky sports,
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Or just tell us?
Or not. Can we end this debate now, please.
Why??
Because I don't want to see the names of two legends dragged into a story where they can't defend themselves.
-
I have a recollection of a story someone told me about twenty years ago. If I remember right his mate went out with Jim Walker's daughter and he got to meet him. Apparently on him being introduced to people, instead if a 'Hi' or 'Hi, I'm Jim' he preferred 'Hi, Jim Walker, Villa physio'.
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I am asking jnr to wear the famous white shirt with maroon stripes and have Withe printed on the back
Sorry but what colour stripes?
My Bad !!! Claret stripes of course
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Random spot last night of an ex footballer and now ex manager - Paul Ince was sitting four seats directly in front of me at the Liverpool Philharmonic as we both witnessed the legend that is Bobby Womack. Mr Ince still lives on the Wirrall I believe.
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Didn't Ince get sacked by Blackpool last week partly on account he wasn't actually at the club? Dosen't strike me as a workaholic football manager, in at 8am and leaving at 6pm, put it it this way.
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I have a recollection of a story someone told me about twenty years ago. If I remember right his mate went out with Jim Walker's daughter and he got to meet him. Apparently on him being introduced to people, instead if a 'Hi' or 'Hi, I'm Jim' he preferred 'Hi, Jim Walker, Villa physio'.
He used to work at The Belfry after retiring and I must say that doesn't sound like him although he may have mellowed, he always came across as an absolute gent and never gave it the big 'I am' although he was always delighted to talk about football.
His daughter married Mark Delaney.
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I always remember the shock at looking up his age when he was our physio, thinking he wasn't far off 70 and discovering he was only in his mid 50s!
Mind you I'm 24 going on 44 so one to talk!
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I have a recollection of a story someone told me about twenty years ago. If I remember right his mate went out with Jim Walker's daughter and he got to meet him. Apparently on him being introduced to people, instead if a 'Hi' or 'Hi, I'm Jim' he preferred 'Hi, Jim Walker, Villa physio'.
His daughter married Mark Delaney.
That says a lot about a big portion of his career.
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Random spot last night of an ex footballer and now ex manager - Paul Ince was sitting four seats directly in front of me at the Liverpool Philharmonic as we both witnessed the legend that is Bobby Womack. Mr Ince still lives on the Wirrall I believe.
What impeccable musical taste you both have - one of the greatest voices and soul acts ever
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The wolves players ( well about 10 of them) were in the Greenhouse In Mere Green last year. It was the Saturday that they were effectively, although not mathematically, relegated.
I regularly perform magic in there, so the manager came over and asked me to go and cheer them up. He said " but for fucks sale don't mention football or today "
My opening line was" alright lads, good day ?"
To be fair they were sound and did have a laugh. I'm not sure of the player ( looked Scandinavian ) but when he put his left hand out and not his right one,I gave him loads about i'd seen him play and it came as no surprise. The others loved that.
Bless him Stephen Hunt gave me a cash tip at the end.
I've also performed for Jamie Ohara and his mrs in there. Both very nice and down to earth.
-
Or just tell us?
Or not. Can we end this debate now, please.
Why??
Because I don't want to see the names of two legends dragged into a story where they can't defend themselves.
seems a bit arbitrary
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Paul Ince was sitting four seats directly in front of me at the Liverpool Philharmonic as we both witnessed the legend that is Bobby Womack
This is very off topic but yesterday I read a review of one of Bobby Womack's recent gigs where he was so tired at the end of the show that he took his microphone into the dressing room and sang his encore from a seat in there.
-
Or just tell us?
Or not. Can we end this debate now, please.
Why??
Because I don't want to see the names of two legends dragged into a story where they can't defend themselves.
seems a bit arbitrary
A bit? Most if not all of the footballers on this thread are not here to defend themselves.
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I have a recollection of a story someone told me about twenty years ago. If I remember right his mate went out with Jim Walker's daughter and he got to meet him. Apparently on him being introduced to people, instead if a 'Hi' or 'Hi, I'm Jim' he preferred 'Hi, Jim Walker, Villa physio'.
He used to work at The Belfry after retiring and I must say that doesn't sound like him although he may have mellowed, he always came across as an absolute gent and never gave it the big 'I am' although he was always delighted to talk about football.
His daughter married Mark Delaney.
I met Jim Walker and Dave Sexton at Bodymore many moons ago and they were both very down to earth.
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I once got pissed with 'Chrissy Price' in Butlins (yes I'm not proud, it was a free weekend) a few years back now, but great afternoon/evening and much to Chris delight/annoyance I sang the Chrissy price song. He bought me a pint ha!! Lovely man. Loved the villa too.
-
Or just tell us?
Or not. Can we end this debate now, please.
Why??
Because I don't want to see the names of two legends dragged into a story where they can't defend themselves.
seems a bit arbitrary
A bit? Most if not all of the footballers on this thread are not here to defend themselves.
None of the others are ex-Villa players accused of fighting in a car park.
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Paul Ince was sitting four seats directly in front of me at the Liverpool Philharmonic as we both witnessed the legend that is Bobby Womack
This is very off topic but yesterday I read a review of one of Bobby Womack's recent gigs where he was so tired at the end of the show that he took his microphone into the dressing room and sang his encore from a seat in there.
Bobby Womack has been seriously ill recently so this does not surprise me Chico, a truly great soul man.
-
Or just tell us?
Or not. Can we end this debate now, please.
Why??
Because I don't want to see the names of two legends dragged into a story where they can't defend themselves.
seems a bit arbitrary
A bit? Most if not all of the footballers on this thread are not here to defend themselves.
None of the others are ex-Villa players accused of fighting in a car park.
So?
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Or just tell us?
Or not. Can we end this debate now, please.
Why??
Because I don't want to see the names of two legends dragged into a story where they can't defend themselves.
seems a bit arbitrary
A bit? Most if not all of the footballers on this thread are not here to defend themselves.
None of the others are ex-Villa players accused of fighting in a car park.
So?
So for a start their solicitors might be interested. For another, it's not a very pleasant thing to be debated on here. Are you really interested in an uncorroborated story of two women fighting in a car park?
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My brother has named his new son 'Morley' and a couple of days ago he received a congratulations card, completely out of the blue from Tony. Lovely.
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Or just tell us?
Or not. Can we end this debate now, please.
Why??
Because I don't want to see the names of two legends dragged into a story where they can't defend themselves.
seems a bit arbitrary
A bit? Most if not all of the footballers on this thread are not here to defend themselves.
None of the others are ex-Villa players accused of fighting in a car park.
So?
So for a start their solicitors might be interested. For another, it's not a very pleasant thing to be debated on here. Are you really interested in an uncorroborated story of two women fighting in a car park?
The kinky side of me says yes, yes I am.
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Or just tell us?
Or not. Can we end this debate now, please.
Why??
Because I don't want to see the names of two legends dragged into a story where they can't defend themselves.
seems a bit arbitrary
A bit? Most if not all of the footballers on this thread are not here to defend themselves.
None of the others are ex-Villa players accused of fighting in a car park.
So?
So for a start their solicitors might be interested. For another, it's not a very pleasant thing to be debated on here. Are you really interested in an uncorroborated story of two women fighting in a car park?
The kinky side of me says yes, yes I am.
Beat me to it...
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Why would solicitors be interested? If it's not true then i doubt that it would cause any uproar. if it is then the solicitors cannot do or say anything especially if there were witnesses. Also, you could argue that there is a public interest naming waring villa players from the 1982 squad, especially on a Villa forum.
I understand your site your rules but surely as a journalist you'd be extolling freedom of sppech? If, of course, it doesn't lead to legal issues. Which I can't see this would.
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Why would solicitors be interested? If it's not true then i doubt that it would cause any uproar. if it is then the solicitors cannot do or say anything especially if there were witnesses. Also, you could argue that there is a public interest naming waring villa players from the 1982 squad, especially on a Villa forum.
I understand your site your rules but surely as a journalist you'd be extolling freedom of sppech? If, of course, it doesn't lead to legal issues. Which I can't see this would.
I'm a Solicitor and whilst I don't handle this sort of case personally, if one of these people was named on here as having had a fight in a public place when that was not true they would have a nailed on claim for defamation.
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Why would solicitors be interested? If it's not true then i doubt that it would cause any uproar. if it is then the solicitors cannot do or say anything especially if there were witnesses. Also, you could argue that there is a public interest naming waring villa players from the 1982 squad, especially on a Villa forum.
I understand your site your rules but surely as a journalist you'd be extolling freedom of sppech? If, of course, it doesn't lead to legal issues. Which I can't see this would.
I'm a Solicitor and whilst I don't handle this sort of case personally, if one of these people was named on here as having had a fight in a public place when that was not true they would have a nailed on claim for defamation.
What about all the other stories about footballers being arseholes? Are those comments open to legal action?
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I agree. But given the supposed size of the argument/slanging match there would have been enough witnesses to confirm the event took place.
As it is I doubt that the families on either side would like to drag this into the public arena seeing that they have kept a lid on it for some time. But that's a different issue.
In the main it's a pity that two of the players from our most successful period should be at loggerheads. You never get on with everybody you play with but the success of the team and the passage of time you'd have thought they would have moved on. Anyway, my last word on the subject.
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Are you going to fund your solicitor to defend the case? A fair few grand to dig up witnesses from 30 years ago to prove your yarn.
Its not my area of expertise either, but if you PM me your address, I will get the retainer drafted for you.
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"I met x and I thought he was an a******e" is an expression of opinion and probably not defamatory. Any named footballer on here who is accused of something, untruthfully, which would lower him in the reputation of right minded people generally or cause people to shun him could in theory sue. Whether many of them would choose to do so I doubt, but fanzine forums have been sued for defamation in the past.
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It has been alleged earlier in this thread that Steve Staunton has a wang the size of a baby's arm on him. If I was him i'd file a lawsuit and then very publicly concede defeat by turning up to court in a pair of cycling shorts.
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Are you going to fund your solicitor to defend the case? A fair few grand to dig up witnesses from 30 years ago to prove your yarn.
Its not my area of expertise either, but if you PM me your address, I will get the retainer drafted for you.
But you just called Anelka a "racist twat" on the pre match thread. Isn't that as bad?
Genuine question, by the way
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I have met a few from all clubs. The best - - Matt Murray in Bambu, Richard Sneekses at his restaurant and Dion Dublin at V Festival bought me a pint.
The worst? Stan Collymore, Lee Hughes and Paul Tait.
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"I met x and I thought he was an a******e" is an expression of opinion and probably not defamatory. Any named footballer on here who is accused of something, untruthfully, which would lower him in the reputation of right minded people generally or cause people to shun him could in theory sue. Whether many of them would choose to do so I doubt, but fanzine forums have been sued for defamation in the past.
So could you say "In my opinion Mr x seems to me to be the sort of person who might get into a pub car park fight with MrY." ? Not accusing him of doing it just giving an opinion. No more defamatory than a*****e.
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Are you going to fund your solicitor to defend the case? A fair few grand to dig up witnesses from 30 years ago to prove your yarn.
Its not my area of expertise either, but if you PM me your address, I will get the retainer drafted for you.
But you just called Anelka a "racist twat" on the pre match thread. Isn't that as bad?
Genuine question, by the way
Isn't that opinion though, which is a right of free speech? Whereas naming people in an incident and stating it as fact is not?
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I have met a few from all clubs. The best - - Matt Murray in Bambu, Richard Sneekses at his restaurant and Dion Dublin at V Festival bought me a pint.
The worst? Stan Collymore, Lee Hughes and Paul Tait.
Surprised at Stan in that company, he seems like a genuine fellow on the radio and twitter.
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Are you going to fund your solicitor to defend the case? A fair few grand to dig up witnesses from 30 years ago to prove your yarn.
Its not my area of expertise either, but if you PM me your address, I will get the retainer drafted for you.
But you just called Anelka a "racist twat" on the pre match thread. Isn't that as bad?
Genuine question, by the way
Isn't that opinion though, which is a right of free speech? Whereas naming people in an incident and stating it as fact is not?
I'm sure something being an opinion doesn't make it ok, what with free speech etc etc.
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I have met a few from all clubs. The best - - Matt Murray in Bambu, Richard Sneekses at his restaurant and Dion Dublin at V Festival bought me a pint.
The worst? Stan Collymore, Lee Hughes and Paul Tait.
Surprised at Stan in that company, he seems like a genuine fellow on the radio and twitter.
I wouldn't consider Stan a genuine fellow
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I have met a few from all clubs. The best - - Matt Murray in Bambu, Richard Sneekses at his restaurant and Dion Dublin at V Festival bought me a pint.
The worst? Stan Collymore, Lee Hughes and Paul Tait.
Surprised at Stan in that company, he seems like a genuine fellow on the radio and twitter.
I wouldn't consider Stan a genuine fellow
Nor me. In my opinion he's a bell end and when he talks about "my beloved Aston Villa" it boils my piss.
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"I met x and I thought he was an a******e" is an expression of opinion and probably not defamatory. Any named footballer on here who is accused of something, untruthfully, which would lower him in the reputation of right minded people generally or cause people to shun him could in theory sue. Whether many of them would choose to do so I doubt, but fanzine forums have been sued for defamation in the past.
So could you say "In my opinion Mr x seems to me to be the sort of person who might get into a pub car park fight with MrY." ? Not accusing him of doing it just giving an opinion. No more defamatory than a*****e.
It's times like this I wish my surname wasn't X. It was bad enough when we lived in the states with Uncle Malcolm.
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Stans a tw*t (in my opinion) does that cover me from the lawyers?
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Are you going to fund your solicitor to defend the case? A fair few grand to dig up witnesses from 30 years ago to prove your yarn.
Its not my area of expertise either, but if you PM me your address, I will get the retainer drafted for you.
But you just called Anelka a "racist twat" on the pre match thread. Isn't that as bad?
Genuine question, by the way
Its my opinion of him*. And you cannot defame somebody who plays for the Albion anyway.
*and I am not worth the effort of suing.
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Craig Short used to come into the shop I worked in, on the day after his final appearance for Blackburn ended in a sending off I asked him why he didn't go out with a bang by landing a punch on a team mate? Knowing I'm a Villa supporter he knew immediately who I meant and said one of the pluses of retiring is that he won't have to spend another minute in the company of that self centred, egotistical tosser and he epitomises everything he hates about the modern game. I was also delighted to learn that even the tea ladies at Blackburn didn't like Savage.
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I have met a few from all clubs. The best - - Matt Murray in Bambu, Richard Sneekses at his restaurant and Dion Dublin at V Festival bought me a pint.
The worst? Stan Collymore, Lee Hughes and Paul Tait.
Surprised at Stan in that company, he seems like a genuine fellow on the radio and twitter.
In fairness, he might have changed, it was at the time he was with Liverpool, so ages ago.
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I have met a few from all clubs. The best - - Matt Murray in Bambu, Richard Sneekses at his restaurant and Dion Dublin at V Festival bought me a pint.
The worst? Stan Collymore, Lee Hughes and Paul Tait.
I know the guy that was Paul Tait's solicitor when he was playing for Small Heath. It probably won't surprise you to know that he hasn't told me any stories but I understand they were in quite regular contact in those days.
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A mate had dealings with him when he was at Villa. without going into details, my mate a Forest fan and incredibly laid back bloke came the closest he's ever come to letting rip at somebody after spending a few minutes in his company. He said for a brief moment he thought it would be worth losing his job over.
He's very obnoxious and unpleasant by all accounts.
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I remember hearing that Tait had his arm broken after the cup game in 2010 at the Sty when the Clements was turned over.
Any truth to that rumour?
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After Villa beat Inter Milan 2-0 in 1990, me and my mates decided to hot foot it out of the ground and get to the pub for a few drinks before closing time. We ran back to the car and got away beating the worst of the traffic and got to the Oak and Ash in Walmley in good time. Amazingley, when we walked in Chris Price was already in there at the bar having a pint and a ciggy. To this day I don't know how he could have got showered, dressed and to the pub before us.
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I remember hearing that Tait had his arm broken after the cup game in 2010 at the Sty when the Clements was turned over.
Any truth to that rumour?
There was the rumour that he was at least sparked out by the Villa 'lads' when they went on the rampage after the game.
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Tait knocked about with the Zulus back in the day and was apparently very gobby, which isn't that hard to believe. A couple of the Villa lads of the 90s tell a story of catching him without his pals and he wasn't quite as loud.
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Tait knocked about with the Zulus back in the day and was apparently very gobby, which isn't that hard to believe. A couple of the Villa lads of the 90s tell a story of catching him without his pals and he wasn't quite as loud.
I am led to believe he was far more than gobby, I've heard a couple of stories with reference to him being very much involved with the Zulus.
He now runs his own football coaching courses for kids.
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Nice role model.
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Back in the day, not after we moved to the North East (mid 90's), we were walking through Eldon Square shopping centre in Newcastle, when I saw Kevin Richardson walking towards us with his daughter. I politely excused myself, introduced myself as a Villa fan. We had a bit of a chat for a few minutes, he told me BFR has given them a few days off so he had popped home to see his folks. I told him he was my son's favourite player. He laughed and said something like " aye right". I asked my son, Harry to take his coat off, to reveal his shirt ( the famous black and green striped away one). "That's canny" says Kev. I tell my son to turn around to show he had number 6 and RICO on the back. I swear there were tears in is eyes.
My son still has the shirt, and still ask myself, why didn't I ask him to sign it?
Nice bloke though
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Members of the Birmingham and District Table Soccer League approached Villa to ask if a player could present our trophies at the end of the season. No-one was available (holidays?) but Sammy Morgan came round to my house near the start of the following season (1974/5) to present me with the title shield.
He stayed and had a long chat. What struck me was his honesty. He actually said he didn't enjoy the game as much now, as it was getting too commercial.
Wonder what he'd say now?
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Why would solicitors be interested? If it's not true then i doubt that it would cause any uproar. if it is then the solicitors cannot do or say anything especially if there were witnesses. Also, you could argue that there is a public interest naming waring villa players from the 1982 squad, especially on a Villa forum.
I understand your site your rules but surely as a journalist you'd be extolling freedom of sppech? If, of course, it doesn't lead to legal issues. Which I can't see this would.
I'm a Solicitor and whilst I don't handle this sort of case personally, if one of these people was named on here as having had a fight in a public place when that was not true they would have a nailed on claim for defamation.
Love to now what damages they would get about a fight 30 years ago! Hardly defaming them
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Back in the day, not after we moved to the North East (mid 90's), we were walking through Eldon Square shopping centre in Newcastle, when I saw Kevin Richardson walking towards us with his daughter. I politely excused myself, introduced myself as a Villa fan. We had a bit of a chat for a few minutes, he told me BFR has given them a few days off so he had popped home to see his folks. I told him he was my son's favourite player. He laughed and said something like " aye right". I asked my son, Harry to take his coat off, to reveal his shirt ( the famous black and green striped away one). "That's canny" says Kev. I tell my son to turn around to show he had number 6 and RICO on the back. I swear there were tears in is eyes.
My son still has the shirt, and still ask myself, why didn't I ask him to sign it?
Nice bloke though
Lovely story that kid.
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Back in the day, not after we moved to the North East (mid 90's), we were walking through Eldon Square shopping centre in Newcastle, when I saw Kevin Richardson walking towards us with his daughter. I politely excused myself, introduced myself as a Villa fan. We had a bit of a chat for a few minutes, he told me BFR has given them a few days off so he had popped home to see his folks. I told him he was my son's favourite player. He laughed and said something like " aye right". I asked my son, Harry to take his coat off, to reveal his shirt ( the famous black and green striped away one). "That's canny" says Kev. I tell my son to turn around to show he had number 6 and RICO on the back. I swear there were tears in is eyes.
My son still has the shirt, and still ask myself, why didn't I ask him to sign it?
Nice bloke though
Lovely story that kid.
Long time since this 52 year old has been called kid :)
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When I turned 50 my sister and Brother-in-Law decided to get me a Villa shirt with my name and the number 50 on the back and get it signed by the Villa squad. My B-i-L is a "wealth investment adviser" to a lot of PL players and more recently also partner in a football agency. So he was able to ask one of his nicer clients to take the Villa shirt to the dressing room to get it signed. Somewhere along the line while the shirt was doing the rounds, the player concerned got transferred a couple of times and the shirt went astray. When said player found out it never made it back to my B-i-L, he got a new shirt printed his self, took it to the training ground and got a fresh set of signatures. I finally got the shirt about a year ago, just after my fifty second birthday, thanks to one of the nicest guys in football (according to sis and B-i-L, as I've never met him personally) one Curtis Davies.
My sis and here hubby have quite a lot of contact with other players both through the business and also due to where they live in the Prestbury / Alderley Edge area. At the posh private school their kids go to, their daughter was bessy mates with Skye Sinclair, son of Trevor (very nice chap apparently) and they've met Garry Barry a few times dropping his kids off (also a nice chap). My sis, a bit dippy at times, was shopping in Alderley Edge a few years back , and looked up to see a couple next to her that she thought she knew from somewhere. Without thinking she said "oh hello how are you, nice to see you again" before realising what she'd done and getting all embarrassed. Posh and Becks saw the funny side.
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That Jim Walker yarn a few pages back reminded me of a mildly amusing story a friend of mine told about meeting a premiership footballer. it's going back a few years....
My mate had recently started seeing a girl who was either related to or friends with said footballer.
Upon meeting him in a bar one evening the footballer proceeded to try and crush my mate's hand with a handshake and pompously introduced himself thus: Hi, Darren Anderton, Tottenham Hotspur and England!
Less than impressed my mate's reply was something along the lines of: Tottenham who? My mate reckoned he was a right obnoxious twat.
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That Jim Walker yarn a few pages back reminded me of a mildly amusing story a friend of mine told about meeting a premiership footballer. it's going back a few years....
My mate had recently started seeing a girl who was either related to or friends with said footballer.
Upon meeting him in a bar one evening the footballer proceeded to try and crush my mate's hand with a handshake and pompously introduced himself thus: Hi, Darren Anderton, Tottenham Hotspur and England!
Less than impressed my mate's reply was something along the lines of: Tottenham who? My mate reckoned he was a right obnoxious twat.
Not footballers but.... I went to the Tiswas studios when I heard the Clash were on the show. When they came out I got the band to autograph a scrap of paper and Mick Jones signed it 'Mick Jones (GTR) Clash'.
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I met Darren Anderton in a pub after a game v Fulham a few years back and he was a nice bloke. I asked him why he wasted time going to blues and he laughed and said cuz Villa wouldnt sign him.
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Back in the day, not after we moved to the North East (mid 90's), we were walking through Eldon Square shopping centre in Newcastle, when I saw Kevin Richardson walking towards us with his daughter. I politely excused myself, introduced myself as a Villa fan. We had a bit of a chat for a few minutes, he told me BFR has given them a few days off so he had popped home to see his folks. I told him he was my son's favourite player. He laughed and said something like " aye right". I asked my son, Harry to take his coat off, to reveal his shirt ( the famous black and green striped away one). "That's canny" says Kev. I tell my son to turn around to show he had number 6 and RICO on the back. I swear there were tears in is eyes.
My son still has the shirt, and still ask myself, why didn't I ask him to sign it?
Nice bloke though
Love this sort of story.
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Back in the day, not after we moved to the North East (mid 90's), we were walking through Eldon Square shopping centre in Newcastle, when I saw Kevin Richardson walking towards us with his daughter. I politely excused myself, introduced myself as a Villa fan. We had a bit of a chat for a few minutes, he told me BFR has given them a few days off so he had popped home to see his folks. I told him he was my son's favourite player. He laughed and said something like " aye right". I asked my son, Harry to take his coat off, to reveal his shirt ( the famous black and green striped away one). "That's canny" says Kev. I tell my son to turn around to show he had number 6 and RICO on the back. I swear there were tears in is eyes.
My son still has the shirt, and still ask myself, why didn't I ask him to sign it?
Nice bloke though
Love this sort of story.
That really is nice. Those moments are too rare in all of our lives.
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That Jim Walker yarn a few pages back reminded me of a mildly amusing story a friend of mine told about meeting a premiership footballer. it's going back a few years....
My mate had recently started seeing a girl who was either related to or friends with said footballer.
Upon meeting him in a bar one evening the footballer proceeded to try and crush my mate's hand with a handshake and pompously introduced himself thus: Hi, Darren Anderton, Tottenham Hotspur and England!
Less than impressed my mate's reply was something along the lines of: Tottenham who? My mate reckoned he was a right obnoxious twat.
Not footballers but.... I went to the Tiswas studios when I heard the Clash were on the show. When they came out I got the band to autograph a scrap of paper and Mick Jones signed it 'Mick Jones (GTR) Clash'.
Apparently one footballer turned TV pundit was so used to signing autographs in his playing days he once signed his wife's birthday card 'Best wishes Gary Lineker'.
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I've probably told these stories before, but that's what I do.
In 1985, returning to Scotland after seeing us lose 1-0 to West Brom I spotted John Burridge, who had been playing for Sheffield United at St Andrews. He was delighted to chat with us until he got off at Preston and bought us cans of beer & Mars Bars (great combination). All I remember him saying was that he disliked Ron Saunders for dropping him at Villa.
My dear old Dad always found where Villa were staying on their occasional trips to Scotland and when they arranged to play Hibs in 1969 we hung around one of Edinburgh's best hotels until we saw Bruce Rioch. He then introduced us to 'Mr Docherty' and the bold Tommy invited us on to the team bus to the ground. We had seats in the directors box and Villa were superb, winning 4-1. My addiction probably started that night.
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Welcome to our long serving thread, we were probably relegated that season.
I have a dim memory of being excited after the friendly result, the rest is history.
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When I was about 10 I did a school project about Dean Saunders. I wrote to him at VP adking a load of questions, about 2 weeks later a reply came from a women at Villa with all my info and an invite to meet Deano at the ground before a home game v Norwich. I remember getting there and leaving my mom in the reception before heading to meet him ( project in hand). I was really nervouse for some reason. Before I newit I was at the changing rooms. Deano was ace, sat and read all my project then took me round all the players to shake there hands. Dalian Atkinson had me in stitches and Steve Staunton asked me to do one on him. After that I joined the Dean Saunders fan cluh, 5quid for 12months and you were ment to get loads of things sent to you. About 18months past and I had forgot all about it - my mom had not. She had been in touch with Villa asking about it only to be told his agent had closed it. My mom had wrote back asking for a refund but Villa told her it was nothing to do with them. My dad then decided to go to BMH with a letter for Deano which he managed to get to him, on that same day at 4pm Deano phoned me at home to say how sorry he was. We chatted for ages I didnt want to put the phone, really a top top guy. He also sent a cheque for 5quid.
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I saw bosnich in a pub near randwick all suited up, having a cheeky livener, on his way to the fox sports studios for the football.
met him about a year ago, it was a sad experience to be honest. was about the get a photo taken with him outside the Sydney football stadium. he was in conversations with some guy who he cleared owed money to and was giving him a few free tickets to an A-league game as a way of temporary compensation. Bosnich looked absolutely terrible, cheap looking suit, fat, not sure if its a wig on him these days. He just seemed a pathetic individual, I walked on and left him to it. Id well believe that coke story as he seems off his head routinely on fox sports.
Kevin Doyle was a good mate of mine in school. hadnt seen him in a few years as I moved away but when I got in touch, he was dead sound got me tickets to a villa v reading game. the game sidwell scored twice in. told me that Villa had made an offer to get him at the time but he turned it down to sign a new contract at Reading.
He was a really good underage player but never seemed to get the breaks with trials etc. eventually got going with cork city, got into the Irish u21 side and made his luck from there. Was a very mobile hard working forward in those days. Bulked up too much, got a bit lazy and a bit sad where he is playing his football now. Seems to be happy drawing his wages out of Wolves because I do know other clubs like Everton have been in for him.
Shane Long was over in Sydney a couple of years ago visiting his brother and some friends of his. Had to cut short the holiday to have his medical with West Brom. You would have thought a millionaire footballer would have booked out a penthouse in Bondi beach for his trip but no Long stayed on his brothers couch and spent his time on the beer with the lads in the local irish bar.
no it wasn't that. He was just having a beer, but clearly on his way to the studios.
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When Neil Warnock was at Palace, the squad got a train to an away game at Barnsley. I found myself in a packed tube carriage with them during rush hour headed up the Northern Line to Kings Cross.
I departed at Kings Cross, as did Palace. There were people everywhere. Just in front of me was a female, who to be fair was not unattractive. As we walked through the tunnel after the platform, you had one of two ways to go. I was going one way, an embarrassed looking bunch of Championship footballers the other.
The young lady was headed in the same direction as me, and Warnock allowed her through the baying throng. I had no choice, it was no or never. Had I stayed, I would have been caught in the crowd and stuck for a little while.
I stepped forward (I'm very slightly ahead of him at this point, just to his left) he stepped forward. I stepped on his foot. The conversation went like this.
"Sorry, mate" (I didn't let on I knew who he was)
"You f****** wanker"
The game ended up getting cancelled due to snow. Serves him right.
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Colin Wanker by name...
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That Jim Walker yarn a few pages back reminded me of a mildly amusing story a friend of mine told about meeting a premiership footballer. it's going back a few years....
My mate had recently started seeing a girl who was either related to or friends with said footballer.
Upon meeting him in a bar one evening the footballer proceeded to try and crush my mate's hand with a handshake and pompously introduced himself thus: Hi, Darren Anderton, Tottenham Hotspur and England!
Less than impressed my mate's reply was something along the lines of: Tottenham who? My mate reckoned he was a right obnoxious twat.
Not footballers but.... I went to the Tiswas studios when I heard the Clash were on the show. When they came out I got the band to autograph a scrap of paper and Mick Jones signed it 'Mick Jones (GTR) Clash'.
Apparently one footballer turned TV pundit was so used to signing autographs in his playing days he once signed his wife's birthday card 'Best wishes Gary Lineker'.
Reminds me of signing my daughters' birthday cards on more than one occasion with 'Lots of love, Richard xxx'
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I donned the boots yesterday for a charity game. On the opposition were Dave Busst,Lee Carsley,Jeff Kenna,Micky Clarke,Robert Hopkins and Stuart Storey. Fair play to them for giving up their time and helping us raise money for the MacMillan cancer research and Marie Curie.
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Dave Busst? I was at Old Trafford (long story - an acquaintance was connected for tickets at the time and my old man is Man U. Only time I've been there other than the Liverpool FA cup semi-final) when he did his leg whilst playing for Coventry. We were sat near the tunnel and it happened near the Stratford end down the other end of the ground, still remember schmeichel chucking his guts ups looking at it and the fella coming on with a big bucket of sand to chuck on the blood.
Anyway- surprised he can still play, even at this level. All the best to him and good on him for supporting this cause.
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Dave Busst? I was at Old Trafford (long story - an acquaintance was connected for tickets at the time and my old man is Man U. Only time I've been there other than the Liverpool FA cup semi-final) when he did his leg whilst playing for Coventry. We were sat near the tunnel and it happened near the Stratford end down the other end of the ground, still remember schmeichel chucking his guts ups looking at it and the fella coming on with a big bucket of sand to chuck on the blood.
Anyway- surprised he can still play, even at this level. All the best to him and good on him for supporting this cause.
Yes, I was surprised too. Believe he only started playing again about 5 years ago. Anyway at ten years older than me and with one leg shorter than the other he was still better than me. Quite damning really....
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How did Hopkins play?
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How did Hopkins play?
Honestly? Looked like he'd never played football. Carsley and Kenna are both super fit and you can see they both played at a very high level. Their first touch is worth 5 yards. Anyway, to be fair to all them they gave up their time for free and we have managed to raise £1100, with donations still coming in.
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20 years ago (almost to the day - see the Villa memories thread) I was working for an insurance company in Manchester when I took a phone call from Paul McGrath, who was still living in the area and needed to get an insurance quote on his Merc. I was so nervous/ excited that I could barely hold the phone without shaking or talk without my voice getting all high pitched and girly. It was fairly well documented at the time that McGrath had a one or 2 driving convictions ( a fair few disqualifications for driving whilst “refreshed”) and it took me ages to get him a decent price on his insurance. But I worked my cock off and managed to do it. When I phoned him back he was really happy with the price and I jokingly said to him that it will cost him a couple of tickets for the first leg of the Tranmere semi. This was a couple of weeks before we were due to play them and tickets were shifting like hot cakes. He sort of laughed it off and no more was said. Anyway, the next day I received a call from his then girlfriend who asked if I was serious about Tranmere tickets and I apologised profusely for being so cheeky the day before. She told me to go to the ticket office at Prenton Park on the day of the game and there would be 2 tickets waiting for me. Imagine how important I felt when I went to the front of the queue at the ticket office and told the fella behind the counter that I was there to collect 2 tickets that Paul McGrath had left for me. Me and Alex Alex Cropley ended up watching the game with all the players’ wives. Which was a bit awkward because it was a terrible game and we spent most of it slating the Villa players.
I’ve spoken to him a few times since then - he got me a ticket for the 96 league cup final and he also invited me to the players' lounge once, after a game against Chelsea. We met all the players ( Savo, Bosnich, Gary Charles et al and Nigel Kennedy).
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Just a few of many but we met Derek Mountfield, Martin Keown and Stuart Gray over various Supporters' Club nights in 'Nam.
All three, at the time, very humble and good people - after that they would also say hello and greet us by name if the saw us walking through the car park on the way to the pub.
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Lion's Club nights in Stourbridge included Sir Ron, John Deehan (twice?), Jake Findlay and I think Frank Carrodus in his last season?
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20 years ago (almost to the day - see the Villa memories thread) I was working for an insurance company in Manchester when I took a phone call from Paul McGrath, who was still living in the area and needed to get an insurance quote on his Merc. I was so nervous/ excited that I could barely hold the phone without shaking or talk without my voice getting all high pitched and girly. It was fairly well documented at the time that McGrath had a one or 2 driving convictions ( a fair few disqualifications for driving whilst “refreshed”) and it took me ages to get him a decent price on his insurance. But I worked my cock off and managed to do it. When I phoned him back he was really happy with the price and I jokingly said to him that it will cost him a couple of tickets for the first leg of the Tranmere semi. This was a couple of weeks before we were due to play them and tickets were shifting like hot cakes. He sort of laughed it off and no more was said. Anyway, the next day I received a call from his then girlfriend who asked if I was serious about Tranmere tickets and I apologised profusely for being so cheeky the day before. She told me to go to the ticket office at Prenton Park on the day of the game and there would be 2 tickets waiting for me. Imagine how important I felt when I went to the front of the queue at the ticket office and told the fella behind the counter that I was there to collect 2 tickets that Paul McGrath had left for me. Me and Alex Alex Cropley ended up watching the game with all the players’ wives. Which was a bit awkward because it was a terrible game and we spent most of it slating the Villa players.
I’ve spoken to him a few times since then - he got me a ticket for the 96 league cup final and he also invited me to the players' lounge once, after a game against Chelsea. We met all the players ( Savo, Bosnich, Gary Charles et al and Nigel Kennedy).
Christ, that's amazing. I love the man even more now.
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20 years ago (almost to the day - see the Villa memories thread) I was working for an insurance company in Manchester when I took a phone call from Paul McGrath, who was still living in the area and needed to get an insurance quote on his Merc. I was so nervous/ excited that I could barely hold the phone without shaking or talk without my voice getting all high pitched and girly. It was fairly well documented at the time that McGrath had a one or 2 driving convictions ( a fair few disqualifications for driving whilst “refreshed”) and it took me ages to get him a decent price on his insurance. But I worked my cock off and managed to do it. When I phoned him back he was really happy with the price and I jokingly said to him that it will cost him a couple of tickets for the first leg of the Tranmere semi. This was a couple of weeks before we were due to play them and tickets were shifting like hot cakes. He sort of laughed it off and no more was said. Anyway, the next day I received a call from his then girlfriend who asked if I was serious about Tranmere tickets and I apologised profusely for being so cheeky the day before. She told me to go to the ticket office at Prenton Park on the day of the game and there would be 2 tickets waiting for me. Imagine how important I felt when I went to the front of the queue at the ticket office and told the fella behind the counter that I was there to collect 2 tickets that Paul McGrath had left for me. Me and Alex Alex Cropley ended up watching the game with all the players’ wives. Which was a bit awkward because it was a terrible game and we spent most of it slating the Villa players.
I’ve spoken to him a few times since then - he got me a ticket for the 96 league cup final and he also invited me to the players' lounge once, after a game against Chelsea. We met all the players ( Savo, Bosnich, Gary Charles et al and Nigel Kennedy).
It's now a toss up between this and helping Brian Little at Ikea.
I think I'd have just burst into tears on both occasions. I'm a bit soft like that.
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Just found out that one of my female colleagues had a thing with lil lee while she was younger, twice apparently. I did ask her to tell me that said person was hung like a mouse but it was dismissed along with her claiming that even Dwight Yorker confirmed that Big Lee as he shall now be known was indeed hung like a stallion. This somewhat disappointed me as I hoped I could continue to detest the elf like tango skinned one.
But she did later comment that whilst doing the deed in the toilets at the end of season awards ceremony Big Lee tarnished his image by being no more than a 3 minute wonder and claimed the young lady was ruining his reputation by making him finish so quickly, so for that I can smile and continue to mock the orange skinned elf .