Never meet your hero

[neil strevens]

Met Kenny Swain, Allan Evans & Sid wandering around Liverpool City Centre before we beat Everton 3-1 in 1981 - imagine that now. Also met Allan & Ken McNaught several times when they came to Scotland to see the Scottish Supporters Club in the early 80's. Both superb.
A friend of mine met Leighton Phillips who is a regular in a pub in Neath, South Wales. He was thrilled when I sent a programme with him on the cover & said he'd had a really lucky career.
Also had a long conversation (drink taken) with Brian Little & Andy Gray outside Filbert Street before we beat Leicester 1-0 in the Cup in 1977.
Nowadays, I suppose you've got to go to ridiculous night clubs to meet any of the players.

[VinnieChase84]

Met Kenny Swain, Allan Evans & Sid wandering around Liverpool City Centre before we beat Everton 3-1 in 1981 - imagine that now. Also met Allan & Ken McNaught several times when they came to Scotland to see the Scottish Supporters Club in the early 80's. Both superb.
A friend of mine met Leighton Phillips who is a regular in a pub in Neath, South Wales. He was thrilled when I sent a programme with him on the cover & said he'd had a really lucky career.
Also had a long conversation (drink taken) with Brian Little & Andy Gray outside Filbert Street before we beat Leicester 1-0 in the Cup in 1977.
Nowadays, I suppose you've got to go to ridiculous night clubs to meet any of the players.

You don't overly want to meet ay of the players in nightclubs. The last Villa player I 'encountered' on the lash was good old little Lee Hendrie who proceeded to try and steel the bird away that I was with! Giving the old I've got lots of dosh blah blah blah.
Her response to my dying day will stay with me
"it's great you've got loads of cash but you also have jug ears and look like a gremlin"
We then carried on our night with Lee looking mightily like he wanted to kill someone

[McGraths Dry Cleaning]

My Mum once made Paul McGrath go home to get his dry cleaning ticket with the words "I know you're Paul McGrath but I can't give you your dry cleaning without your ticket".

[Dave Clark Five]

Went to a friendly at Leeds. Wandering around the ground, foolishly thinking all aggro was on hold due to it being a friendly, I met Brendan Ormsby. Brendan had transferred to Leeds by now and gave me a comp ticket for the match. Very decent of him.

[Dave Clark Five]

My Mum once made Paul McGrath go home to get his dry cleaning ticket with the words "I know you're Paul McGrath but I can't give you your dry cleaning without your ticket".

Wonderful stuff.

[Pete]

At the age of about 11, with my parents and a friend in a beer garden in Stonnall. Me and my mate were knocking a football about when John Burridge appears with, I think, his Dad. Budgie wants to join in and, naturally, goes in goal for a game of shots in. Within minutes his clothes are covered in grass marks from diving about, determined to not let in a goal, while encouraging us to do our best to get one past him.  He is indeed completely barmy, but a really friendly bloke - he bought us lemonades after the game too.

I also used to walk past Chico Hamilton's house (Hundred Acre estate in Streetly) on the way to school every day. One lunchtime I plucked up the courage to knock his door to ask for an autograph. His wife explained that he wasn't home from training yet but shouldn't be long so I should wait. He seemed a bit surprised to find a young lad sitting on his doorstep when he got home, but was very gracious about signing my autograph book.

[Chris Jameson]

Went to the end of season awards at the Holte Suite on the day of the Oldham defeat in 1993 and the players were in a roped off area and not mingling with the supporters. I got up to go to the bar and  walking along unnoticed was Paul Mcgrath and Dwight Yorke. Took the opportunity to thank Paul for all the pleasure he'd given me watching him and he shook my hand and said it was his honour to play in front of such wonderful supporters. My girlfriend saw me chatting to him and came over to ask for a photo, much to my delight he started dancing wih her and was practically trying to cop off with her! He was slightly pissed it has to be said but a lovely bloke.

Dwight was sat on his own as a crowd converged on Mcgrath so we said hello to him and he said as we left 'nice talking to you and see you again'. Yeah, right. A week or so later we went to see the reserves at Walsall (Ireally knew how to treat a lady in those days)and I hadn't noticed Dwight walking up behind me, he stopped and said hello and it was good to see us again. I'm fairly certain it was my girlfriend he remembered but still nice of him to say hello.

Can't say i've ever particulary wanted to meet any other footballers particulary after waiting with my son to get autographs, Marc Albrighton and Robert Pires however were brilliant.

My brother tells a nice story here about meeting his hero.

http://golf.sportingmemories.org/memory/300-tony-jameson-allen/

[rbcuk]

Had a kickabout with yorke years ago, when him, bosnich and frogatt came to our football club's open day, nice bloke, always used to see him down local shops as he used to live in the nxt village to us, Met a fair few of the old players like teale, richardson, daley and cyrille regis, at the old summer holiday football the villa used to do, at the school up sutton by good hope

Met cowans a few months back in the green house bar, up sutton

[JUAN PABLO]

I remember meeting Dean Saunders and he was a bit of a wanker to be honest and 5 minutes later meet God and he was a true gent who had time for me.

[KevinGage]

Met Harold Bishop in a bar in Melbourne once.   He was a cxnt.   Not the jolly fat bloke I was expecting at all.

[Barney74]

Sid rang me in work once (when I was running the Irish Villains) - I nearly fell off my chair with shock - a lovely man.  Also, after a Villa/Arsenal game years ago, outside the players' lounge, I got knocked over by both Bruce Rioch and Brian Little (who seemed to be chasing each other like little kids???!!!) and they both helped me up off the ground and apologised 

[villan1975]

Met Harold Bishop in a bar in Melbourne once.   He was a cxnt.   Not the jolly fat bloke I was expecting at all.

Was Harold Bishop really your hero in the first place?

[Phil from the upper holte]

Met quite a few players, A lot of them were over in Magaluf in 1999 when I was working there, Ugo & Watson were complete helmets, Taylor & Riccardo Scimeca were absolutely brilliant as was Southgate.

Also met god but that was at his book signing and I had my photo taken with him, he seemed embarrased when I called him god. I didnt wash my hand for a week

[ACVilla]

My brother now employs Gary Shaw at a football coaching course in Birmingham.

Tony Morley has always been a very pleasant chap.

I served Ugo Ehiogu when I worked in Sainsburys Mere Green. I said to him, "don't leave us, Southgate is not half the player when you don't play". I then promptly forgot to give him his £50 cashback that he asked for. He walked out and then came back in saying "errrm, I think you forgot my £50."

I also served Andy Gray when he was with Suzanne Dando, Gareth Southgate who's missus was huge, Juan Pablo Angel and many many others that escape my mind.

My brother in law is best mates with Liam Ridgewell, they edged off to Marbella together a couple of weeks back.

I kicked Gabriel Agnonlahor out of bed one morning when I was looking after a family members house whose children were friends with him, just after he had played his first few games for the Villa. He gave my missus a lift home in his VW Golf that was a state apparently. McDonalds wrappers everywhere.

I served the weather girl Charlie (can't remember her last name) whilst working on the deli counter. She asked for a massive pot of Coleslaw and it came to £6 odd. About 10 minutes later another member of staff came to the Deli and gave me a pot of Coleslaw worth £6 odd and said " someone has dumped this in the fridges"

[Chris Jameson]

 Gareth Southgate who's missus was huge,

This bit confused me, 'huge' as in fat? In which case could she have been pregnant? Or 'huge' as in tall? In which case are you technically a dwarf?