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Tenuous links to football

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leftpeg

leftpeg

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What's yours? Try to go beyond 'I once saw Anelka in Asda'.

Here's mine:

- My Dad knew Liverpool scout Alex Smailes so as a kid I used to watch a lot of non-league football with the pair of them. I used to spend most of the matches quizzing him on all things Liverpool.

- Mark Clattenburg's sister in law is a cook in the school where my missus teaches.

- Remember the Newcastle-Liverpool game of a few years ago when Rafa sat in the St James' directors box? He was recovering from surgery - gall stones I think. Just after half-time Sky showed him talking to a woman who persuaded him to wave in the general direction of the Liverpool fans. That was my missus and she was telling him to give me a wave.

- Also a few years ago, I was a guest at the Scottish CBI dinner in Glasgow. The conversation turned to football and I professed my love for Kenny Dalglish. One of the other guests left the table and when he returned a few minutes later he handed me his mobile...he'd got Kenny on the phone for me. I went to the bar and spoke to him for about half an hour...and that's how as some of you may recall I got that signed SCM t-shirt from him.

Your turn...
 
I also remember sitting next to Jack Charlton at a charity dinner. I explained my footballing prowess and Irish ancestry and asked him if I would have been eligible to play for his RoI side. I'll never forget his reply..."If you were as good as you say you were I'd have made fucking sure of it kidda."
 
I had a kick about with Michael Owen at his house when I was 14.

My mum knew his mum through work, & they had a meeting at his house. He had a goal, full size in his garden, the fucker.

He was actually alright tbh, he swore a fair bit, & I took the piss saying he spoke posh.

Me & my mates swam in Stevie maccas pool when we were teenagers. This was back when players used to live in sandfield Park which was by our school & my house & we used to stick our heads over the fence to catch a glimpse of them. Macca, fowler & Redknapp were sitting by the pool & told us if we were gonna stand there all day we may as well come in. It was the summer & dead hot & graham (yes, that graham) said "can we have a swim lad?", so we all jumped over & got in the pool in our boxees. It was warm too. We just stayed in the pool & talked about Liverpool with them til they told us to go cos they were going in.

I've had a drink with louise & Jamie Redknapp in my mates dad's apartment in the dock, they lived two doors down. She drunk beer put of the bottle with her feet up on the coffee table in a trackie & baseball cap, he went to their flat to get a bottle of red wine & was kinda withdrawn, whereas she chatted shitloads about footy. Oddly Jamie did talk a fair bit about his dad & how much he'd helped him get to where he was (he was still playing then). I've also seen her dead hungover apologising for looking like shit in the lift to the apartment. She looked heavenly.

My mum got asked out by John Scales when she worked in the garage where his car was being fixed. She said no cos he was married.

I once bumped into Sami (literally) as I turned a corner in town by mathew st, & said "Arrrgh" when I looked up & saw this scary arse long as fuck face staring down at me. Then said stupidly, "hang on, where do I know you from?" he was already laughing & walking away as I realised...
 
My uncle played in the Liverpool juniors with Phil Thompson and some others who I can't recall. I met Thommo many moons ago when my uncle dragged me across the street to meet him. But to this day I am genuinely not sure whether my uncle was actually mates with him, or was just a ballsy chancer.

He's lived next door to various footballers at various stages and is still mates with Steve Staunton (who I've met) and (spit) Duncan Ferguson (who I haven't).

Basically I have no links but my uncle seems to.

I did, however, speak to Anna Kournikova at 2am in Leicester Square one time. Until her big ice-hockey boyfriend turned up told me to leave her alone.
 
I have another. Years ago Chris Waddle was chatting my sister up in a club in London. He eventually asked her if she knew who he was...to which she replied: "yes, I recognise you now...you used to work in the sausage factory'" (which he did by the way).
 
Oliver Twist said:
Fair enough.

Your Jackie Charlton anecdote wins the Easter Egg, though. It's a beauty.
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He was brilliant. This only dates back a couple of years. He had no short term memory at all (which was really quite sad) but could recall every kick of the 66 final and all of his RoI exploits including when he met the Pope. He was also very rude about Bobby's wife who he hates.
 
leftpeg said:
I have another. Years ago Chris Waddle was chatting my sister up in a club in London. He eventually asked her if she knew who he was...to which she replied: "yes, I recognise you now...you used to work in the sausage factory'" (which he did by the way).
Click to expand...

What's the deal with famous people asking that question?
 
Oliver Twist said:
@athensruairi, can you replenish us with more Barry the Kenyan stories, please.
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He had a coin in his leg. He showed me the scar when we were watching the college football team play a match. It was a circular scar and I didn't believe him until he twisted it and you could see the coin moving underneath his skin. His dad and uncle done it as he was the oldest boy in the family and it was a tradition in the tribe he was originally from. He was about 7 when they done it, all without any type of anesthetic. Hurt like a bugger, apparently. Only he didn't use those exact words as he was very well spoken.

Anyways, there's an Irish man living in Athens that I know. His wife is English and her uncle was the England captain that refused to give the Nazi salute when England were playing against Germany in the 30's. I believe he lost the captaincy because of it.

Also I served Keith Gillespie in a bar on two different occasions. The first time he was a bit of a dick, the second time he was fine.
 
I met Jurgen Klinsmann on a couple of occasions, once in America when he stayed in the hotel I worked in. Not sure if the conversation went beyond breakfast is served from 6am etc.

The second time was in Belfast, he was managing Germany and they had a qualifier against NI. Whole team stayed for a week. And ate all meals in the banqueting department that I worked in.

Ballack, was the captain. Really dead on, respectful.

Oliver Khan was injured and just spent the week strolling around looking grumpy and reading.

Jens Leihman seemed a bit mad.

Oh and Robert Huth thought he was the king of comedy, acting the Dick all week. He got sent off in the match as well. At the post match meal they had some speeches and collected their caps. Klinsmann gave Huth a friendly slap to go with his cap.

Head times!
 
About 30 years back, I was working at the top of a step ladder in a bathroom showroom somewhere just off Scotty Road and Thommo walked past and gave the steps a bit of a shake, with words to the effect of, "Mind you don't fall." With about 3 steps he was halfway across the room and he turned, and gave one of those cringey salutes that end in a pistol pointing my way. I loved the bloke to bits, but I was left feeling embarrassed for him over that salute.
 
I collected my nephew's first and only Irish cap from Brian Kerr at an awards ceremony.
My eldest lad got his picture taken with him afterwards and he was only too happy to oblige.
He spoke very well at it too.
I have a lot of respect for old Brian.
 
I once met Micky Quinn in a casino in Newcastle. My mate was convinced it was Bob Carolgees and spent at least half an hour asking him about Spit the dog.
 
I met John O' Shea a few days before he started up properly at Man United. Went to a local schoolboys football league meeting with my Dad and John O' Shea's dad was there as he is involved with their local club. After the meeting my dad chatted to O' Shea's dad briefly and John O' Shea came in said hello and my dad told me on the way out that the guy I just saw was off to join Man United in a few days. Beat that for tenuousness!!
 
Me and my mates we went to play a 5 aside match on a Saturday morning after being in work until 4am the day before. The other team didn't show up however a group of lads were training in a pitch next door so we offered the a game and got started. Turned out they were Everton youth's kids and bloody good at football. I'm 95 percent sure the CB was Stones. We also won 9-8 mostly by kicking them and shooting dead hard at the goal.

Was once sat next to Suarez in Bem Brazil. I did the whole play it cool thing but looking back I'd rather have been the annoying cunt who got the picture.
 
Aidan O' Neill said:
I met John O' Shea a few days before he started up properly at Man United. Went to a local schoolboys football league meeting with my Dad and John O' Shea's dad was there as he is involved with their local club. After the meeting my dad chatted to O' Shea's dad briefly and John O' Shea came in said hello and my dad told me on the way out that the guy I just saw was off to join Man United in a few days. Beat that for tenuousness!!
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A manc lad I know swears he has video footage of John O'Shea being buggered while wearing a blonde curly wig in an upmarket Amsterdam brothel.

He also reckons he won two Victoria Crosses in his army days.
 
Years ago I used to work in a shop on Bold Street and our security bloke was also on the door at Kirklands. I was staggering past there one night extremely drunk with a mate when Tony the doorman grabbed us and dragged us in and plonked us down at a table with John Barnes who spent the next couple of hours buying us loads of Red Stripe and refusing to let us buy him one back. Boss.
 
Once way back I went to watch us play Birmingham City (a top division side in those days) at St.Andrew's with one of the linos, who knew my dad from work and had a complimentary ticket. As I was sat in his car in the car park waiting for him after the game, the Beeb commentator Barry Davies walked up to the main entrance of St.Andrew's and tried to open the nearest half of a double door, which wouldn't budge. As he stood there shaking the living feck out of it, some slip of a young woman walked up to the other half of the door, opened it as easy as you like and went in, followed by a distinctly sheepish-looking Bazza.
 
FoxForceFive said:
It was the summer & dead hot & graham (yes, that graham) said "can we have a swim lad?"
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Best claim to fame by a fucking mile.

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I once saw Des Lynam going through departures at Heathrow. His book had just come out so it prompted me to buy a copy at WH Smiths. I sat down to read it in the first class lounge and a few minutes later Des breezed past, tapped me on the arm and said: "Any good?"

Smooth.
 
Tony Hately used to live in the house we live in. Gordon Milne lived next door. Roy Evans son lives three doors down.
 
Young Peggy and I were on the same park and ride bus as Roy Evans at the Open at Hoylake a couple of years back.
 
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