Random Stories About Footballers

[Grande Pablo]

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.

[Bad English]

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.

[villa `cross the mersey]

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.

[eastie]

Vctm- what a wonderfully enjoyable read that post was.

[villa `cross the mersey]

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. 

[McGraths Dry Cleaning]

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.

[Ron Manager]

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.

[cheltenhamlion]

Oh, in reponse to VCTM, Brett Angell is a nice bloke.

[brian green]

Angelic probably

[SoccerHQ]

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?......

[SoccerHQ]

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.

[Big Dick Edwards]

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.

[SoccerHQ]

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.

[clash city rocker]

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

[OCD]

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.