That is an amazing story. Pure Eric.
Most Memorable Meeting with an Ex-Player?
- Thread starter TrueRed1999
- Start date
Yes met Denis Law at a convention few years back had a 20 minute conversation with him was such a top down to earth bloke, one of my grandads favourite players so to have met him was surreal.
He did not - the bastard. But I'm used to that.
On a more serious note, though - I do recall it as a pleasant enough (if very brief) encounter. As in - Best came across well (if one can put it like that, given the circumstances). Being young and impressionable at the time, he could've easily ruined the evening for me by being an unapproachable twat, say (which is a very real possibility when encountering someone famous) - but he was very friendly.
Watching the derby a few years ago with Wes Brown and his brothers in a pub in Gorton or Chris Eagles lying to me about still being a United player.
Met Lee Martin outside Stadio Olimpico before 2009 final and chatted as we waited for the huge queue to get in. Great down to earth bloke. I was embarassed he was dressed in full suit and I’d been on the lash for 24hrs.
I tend to be way too wordy so please forgive me. TL;DR I met Sir Bobby outside of the American Airlines Center before a Dallas Mavericks game in 05 or 06.
I think he was in Dallas because a few of the youth teams were playing in the Dallas Cup and they were taking the lads out to a Mavs game on Friday night.
But I was unaware of that. I was unaware of most things actually at the time, as I was late to the game and standing in line at Will Call completely drunk. This is before I had an iPhone so I am just standing there like a drunk asshole, and I notice a group of guys standing right in front of me all wearing nice matching suits.
One of this group is an older gentleman and very, very short. Something about him makes me wonder.... but nah, of course not, this is Dallas, Texas, about the last place on earth I would expect to see Sir Bobby.
But I keep staring at him and wondering, until I finally say out loud, to no one in particular, "damn that guy looks like Sir Bobby." At this they whole group turns and stares at me, and one of them asks me to repeat myself. I am taken aback a bit by this group of older dudes staring at me, and I assume that 99.99999% of the population attending a random Mavs game have never heard of Sir Bobby, or possibly anyone associated with the club, so I mumble "oh, nothing really, I just said he *drunkenly points* kinda looks like someone...."
Maybe slightly annoyed with my drunkenness: "Yes, who did you say he looks like?"
At this my keen ear detects a bit of an accent, and I notice the suit jackets worn by all have the club crest on the pocket, so as the wheels slowly start to turn I say "ummmmm Sir Bobby Charlton"
The group all laughs and one of them finally says, "well lad, thats because he is!"
And then I embarrassed myself, and made a small scene. Lots of cussing involved. But holy f'ing shit, what are the odds of meeting Sir Bobby in Dallas freaking Texas.
I tried to then discuss footy with Sir Bobby, ignoring the rest of the group completely, and I tell him that I really hope Sir Alex stays with Louis Saha as a partner for Rooney, because I really think he just adds more to the team right now and his movement etc etc etc And finally Sir Bobby cuts me off and says "the manager knows what he's doing."
And at that the rest of the group politely shuffled him away from the drunk, obnoxiously loud Texan. And I was buzzing.
I think he was in Dallas because a few of the youth teams were playing in the Dallas Cup and they were taking the lads out to a Mavs game on Friday night.
But I was unaware of that. I was unaware of most things actually at the time, as I was late to the game and standing in line at Will Call completely drunk. This is before I had an iPhone so I am just standing there like a drunk asshole, and I notice a group of guys standing right in front of me all wearing nice matching suits.
One of this group is an older gentleman and very, very short. Something about him makes me wonder.... but nah, of course not, this is Dallas, Texas, about the last place on earth I would expect to see Sir Bobby.
But I keep staring at him and wondering, until I finally say out loud, to no one in particular, "damn that guy looks like Sir Bobby." At this they whole group turns and stares at me, and one of them asks me to repeat myself. I am taken aback a bit by this group of older dudes staring at me, and I assume that 99.99999% of the population attending a random Mavs game have never heard of Sir Bobby, or possibly anyone associated with the club, so I mumble "oh, nothing really, I just said he *drunkenly points* kinda looks like someone...."
Maybe slightly annoyed with my drunkenness: "Yes, who did you say he looks like?"
At this my keen ear detects a bit of an accent, and I notice the suit jackets worn by all have the club crest on the pocket, so as the wheels slowly start to turn I say "ummmmm Sir Bobby Charlton"
The group all laughs and one of them finally says, "well lad, thats because he is!"
And then I embarrassed myself, and made a small scene. Lots of cussing involved. But holy f'ing shit, what are the odds of meeting Sir Bobby in Dallas freaking Texas.
I tried to then discuss footy with Sir Bobby, ignoring the rest of the group completely, and I tell him that I really hope Sir Alex stays with Louis Saha as a partner for Rooney, because I really think he just adds more to the team right now and his movement etc etc etc And finally Sir Bobby cuts me off and says "the manager knows what he's doing."
And at that the rest of the group politely shuffled him away from the drunk, obnoxiously loud Texan. And I was buzzing.
We were on our honeymoon in Jersey and went to a local shop.
I immediately recognised the voice of Brian Clough. His wife was busy putting the shopping into the basket and Brian Clough was busy telling his wife why they didn't need a particular item while putting in something that he wanted. There were a number of bottles of spirits and if I had the courage, which I did not, I would have asked him what time was the party.
I immediately recognised the voice of Brian Clough. His wife was busy putting the shopping into the basket and Brian Clough was busy telling his wife why they didn't need a particular item while putting in something that he wanted. There were a number of bottles of spirits and if I had the courage, which I did not, I would have asked him what time was the party.
Had a few drinks with Eidur Gudjohnsen in a Berlin bar the night of the 2006 World Cup final. Nice guy, he gave a friend of mine €50 for one of those tall green paddy hats you get in Irish gift shops.
Haven't really met any since I was a kid. Only one I remember much about was Robbo teasing Viv Anderson that Viv was a girl's name.
Was at a dinner in one of the executive suites at Old Trafford. Chicken in a basket, a player autograph signing session, bar for the adults and dj for about £8 a ticket or something.
Was at a dinner in one of the executive suites at Old Trafford. Chicken in a basket, a player autograph signing session, bar for the adults and dj for about £8 a ticket or something.
Had drink (or two or three) with the Leicester team of old (Izzet, Flowers, Savage etc) in a bar in Bournemouth the 2002 pre-season I think. Izzet was smashed, Flowers apologised to me as I was talking drunk crap about him being my fantasy football GK. Really strange thinking back now, that would never happen these days. Savage was proper arrogant though, remember him wearing quite a loud shirt.
New Years Eve in the early 90s, was a bit drunk with a mate and had no concrete plan for the evening. The party we had gone to was dogshit so we decided to find something else. Our designated driver was happy staying so we were left to hitchhike in the middle of nowhere. Of course absolutely no one would stop so fed up with it all my mate just kneels in the middle of the road in a praying position... Boom! A car stops with a middle-aged Brazilian couple, the woman wouldn't stop yapping about how she was taken by his act of faith 
Since we had no plan or destination they offered to bring us along to the party they were going to. At the entrance the bouncers clocked us and tried to prevent us from going in but the gentleman stared them down and said we were with him. Fabulous party, proper jetset rich and famous stuff, except we knew no one since it was Brazilians spending the New Year in Punta del Este (Uruguay).
I zeroed in on a beautiful lass that looked a bit bored, or abandoned? In any case, she was as out of sorts in that company as I was so the conversation flowed easily. I was starting to count my chicken and felt like the luckiest guy alive, certainly punching above my weight in looks and age but hey, you know how a dejected woman can be quite receptive. Then this fecker approaches us interrogating her on what she is up to, turns at me and asks "Who are you?". It was rhetoric of course, I replied my name, which could have been any name as it essentially meant "nobody, I'm a local, I'm gatecrashing this party, and I'm trying to hook up with your date"
He turned his head to one side, made a snitching gesture towards someone in the distance and in no time I had two guys dragging me out. I protested I was with the Brazilian Mister (Can't remember) and one of them replied "Tough shit, he is gone". Ooops! The lass protested a bit, but not too much either as the renewed attention from her date seemed to satisfy her.
Heartbreaking
Since we had no plan or destination they offered to bring us along to the party they were going to. At the entrance the bouncers clocked us and tried to prevent us from going in but the gentleman stared them down and said we were with him. Fabulous party, proper jetset rich and famous stuff, except we knew no one since it was Brazilians spending the New Year in Punta del Este (Uruguay).
I zeroed in on a beautiful lass that looked a bit bored, or abandoned? In any case, she was as out of sorts in that company as I was so the conversation flowed easily. I was starting to count my chicken and felt like the luckiest guy alive, certainly punching above my weight in looks and age but hey, you know how a dejected woman can be quite receptive. Then this fecker approaches us interrogating her on what she is up to, turns at me and asks "Who are you?". It was rhetoric of course, I replied my name, which could have been any name as it essentially meant "nobody, I'm a local, I'm gatecrashing this party, and I'm trying to hook up with your date"
He turned his head to one side, made a snitching gesture towards someone in the distance and in no time I had two guys dragging me out. I protested I was with the Brazilian Mister (Can't remember) and one of them replied "Tough shit, he is gone". Ooops! The lass protested a bit, but not too much either as the renewed attention from her date seemed to satisfy her.
Heartbreaking
As it turns out, she was a former Miss Brazil
And the footballer was Edson Arantes do Nascimento. Baffles me he could possibly need Viagra
And the footballer was Edson Arantes do Nascimento. Baffles me he could possibly need Viagra
I had a beer with Stuart Pearson some years ago. Nice guy but I was surprised that he wasn’t that tall.
Back in 2012 I was at a brunch in Dubai and decided to carry on for more drinks in the bar afterwards. About halfway through the evening I spotted Lee Sharpe in the bar having a ciggie and a pint. Had the obligatory photo taken with him and a bit of a chat. I then started chatting to one of the girls that was part of his group, swapped numbers and three years later I married her.
Was at the Scandinavian supporters' club anniversary dinner a few years back and Bryan Robson, Norman Whiteside, Dwight Yorke, Gary Pallister, Ronny Johnsen, David May and Ben Thornley were there as club ambassadors. I sat at the same table as Pally, and he actually seemed genuinely pleased to be there, which isn't a given at these sorts of things. He was serving up anecdotes and making conversation throughout the night. Really sound bloke. David May was also a lot of fun to talk to, which was a pleasant surprise as he's always been a bit of a cult hero for me after his Nou Camp celebrations. Obviously most of the fans were in absolute awe of just being in the presence of Captain Marvel, and I think the added attention he was getting amplified the fact that that sort of thing isn't entirely his cup of tea. I got the feeling he was a bit peeved off by it all, which I would have been too in his shoes, so it's understandable.
Had a couple of run-ins when I worked in retail.
Gary Pallister knocked me flat on my arse. I was crouched down stacking shelves, he wasn’t watching where he was going. Didn’t apologise or offer to help me up, although it was after he’d moved back to Boro so I might have been giving him a dodgy look.
Caused Peter Beardsley to have a full-blown hissy fit in front of the whole store when I told him he couldn’t cut to the front of the queue (which was massive as it was a week before Xmas)
Also while not a united player, Jack Charlton lived in my village and you were pretty much guaranteed to bump into him in the local co-op. Nice bloke, had a few little chats with him in the queue. Very friendly to everyone.
Gary Pallister knocked me flat on my arse. I was crouched down stacking shelves, he wasn’t watching where he was going. Didn’t apologise or offer to help me up, although it was after he’d moved back to Boro so I might have been giving him a dodgy look.
Caused Peter Beardsley to have a full-blown hissy fit in front of the whole store when I told him he couldn’t cut to the front of the queue (which was massive as it was a week before Xmas)
Also while not a united player, Jack Charlton lived in my village and you were pretty much guaranteed to bump into him in the local co-op. Nice bloke, had a few little chats with him in the queue. Very friendly to everyone.
Sat next to Sir Alex for the evening at a Southport FC dinner back in ‘96. He was giving a talk on management. Sound company and told me a couple of stories - well trodden now - about trying to sign Gazza and missing out on Shearer a month earlier. Incredible football knowledge as you’d expect, felt for him a little as the audience were naturally pro scouse. Bizarrely I had Kenny Baker (R2D2) sat the other side of me, and opening compare was Bernard Manning. Peter Davenport was also there as manager if I remember. No women allowed except the waitresses. Still have the hand signed invite. A great but slightly weird night.
So did you give Bobby his pen back?
Hayley couldn’t stop taking sly glances
If it was the latter he would have sold the story by now
When I was lad Bobby Charlton was my hero. I always dreamed of meeting him someday, but of course I lived many miles from Manchester, so is was unlikely that I would bump into him. However years later the company I worked for had a promotional event and the person who was coming to to do this was Bobby Charlton, and at that time he was player manager of Preston who happened also to be playing my local team, Peterborough United, a few weeks after his visit. So, my plan was to ask my companies PR dept if I could possibly meet him when he came to our factory, but sadly they turned me down, I was feeling really down, but just got on with life. Many more years passed, and to my surprise a former colleague at the company I worked for was appointed financial director of United PLC board, him being a friend of David Gill. His wife was also friendly with myself and my wife who all worked for same company, and it was quite well known that I was a big United fan, so during the 2000/2001 season my wife and I had surprise phone call from his wife saying that they were going on holiday and would we like their 4 directors box tickets for the Match v Coventry City on 14th April, well as you can imagine I was over the moon, so myself my wife and two young nephews set of for OT, on arrival was shown into special car parking area, and upon arrival at directors entrance, flashing my tickets was welcomed and escorted up to the directors lounge and they were snacks and drinks available, and when match was about to start we went to take our seats and we were sitting one row behind Bobby Charlton. It was a great game 2-2 halftime, stood in the lounge with Denis Irwin, Jesper Blomqvist and Ronny Johnsen, who I spoke to and asked for my programme to be signed, which the duly did, really nice guys. Then the magic moment when I spoke to Bobby, spoke to him about his visit to Peterborough and he said yes he remembered it well, and that our apprentice school had made him a chess set as gift for his visit, and he said that he still had it. Had photo taken with him and my nephews. I went back to my seat for second half and United won 4-2, and I had a bet on 4-2 and picked up £66, one of the stewards in the lounge took my slip and went and collected my money from the bookies. Also at end of game Sir Alex and Gordon Strachan, the Coventry manager at that time were in the lounge, although I didn’t get much chance to speak to them. But it was a truly memorable event and when I was leaving the ground Arsenal were playing, and they lost which meant United were champions again, so all in all a great day. Now with the news of Sir Bobby’s health I am really glad that I did get to meet my hero.