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Encounters with North End players, in normal life

Lots of encounters over the years but the best was when I worked in the Spar shop at Walton Park when Gary Peters was the manager. He came in every Sunday morning and would spend 10-15 minutes reading the back pages of all the papers and then leave without buying anything.

True story.
 
I used to work in Sports Max (if anyone remembers that place) and sold David Moyes about £500 worth of random sports stuff including a pair of Rockport, the chavvy ones.

Billy Bodin lives a couple of doors down from me so see him nearly every day but never really spoke to him. He said hello once and then saw me in a PNE shirt so avoids eye contact now :)

A girl we used to know was going out with Ricardo Fuller and he cheated on her (allegedly) so we prank called him a lot for a while. He had just left PNE as well so it was a double whammy.

I had to work at the training ground quite a lot and met Alex Neil, Frankie, Jack and the analysts and they are all really nice people, especially Frankie. Alex was a bit forward but the internet was going slow and wasn't too happy and slow internet pisses everyone off.

They have a floor at the training ground just above the exercise machines with the physio's office and I had to get in there while they were all doing yoga. There's nowhere near enough room so had to step over Andrew Hughes and Eoin Doyle while they were in a really weird yoga positions. Very awkward.

My best footballer encounter was with Andy Cole at Manchester Airport. We were queuing up at Manchester Airport to fly to Gatwick and me and him got pulled out and got fully checked, shoes off and all that, but only us two. I tapped him on the shoulder and said something like 'I cant believe we are in Manchester and they don't recognise one of Manchester United's most famous players' and just simply said 'Nah mate, its coz I'm black'. We had little laugh and wished each other well. Nice bloke.
 
Whydoibother said:
I heard it was Sunderland, but no idea if it was true, he once banned me from playing for the second 11 unless I shaved off my sideburns.
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Could have been Sunderland. I’ll try and check it out. Sideburns were a must have when I was there. Did you stand your ground? I remember turning out for the second eleven. One cold Saturday morning we visited St Theodore’s in Burnley. Can’t remember the score but it was a bloodbath. Afterwards there was a mass scrap between the two schools. I think we won. Blood snot and tears were much in evidence. “Try telling that to the kids of today and they won’t believe yah! “ The master in charge of us was nowhere to be seen........Spencer.........say no more!
 
Whydoibother said:
I heard it was Sunderland, but no idea if it was true, he once banned me from playing for the second 11 unless I shaved off my sideburns.
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Just checked the all time Sunderland Players list.........no sign of Dickie. Wish I could have said that 45 years ago! ?
 
Zwebbhead - Talking of Man U players, a few years back I was with my missus and two lads when they were very young in the Trafford centre. We went into one of the pizza resturants but it was packed and we were stood waiting ages for a table. A customer noticed my fed - up looking lads and called the waiter over and told him my family was welcome to squeeze onto his table. It was Diego Forlan. We spent about half an hour sat with him and he was very friendly and signed some napkins and stuff for my boys.
 
Was in tokes with Macken and Appleton having a few beers as Macken was quite keen on one of the women we were with... he didn’t have too high standards
 
OOOO3 said:
Was in tokes with Macken and Appleton having a few beers as Macken was quite keen on one of the women we were with... he didn’t have too high standards
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Then repeatedly every Thursday a few years later you would be guaranteed to see Fuller and Davis
 
Sat with Jayden Stockley and Brad Potts on the train on the way to watch the cricket at Old Trafford on Friday, they were meeting Barky and Ledson (all going to the cricket as well). Both came across as really nice young gents but I couldn't believe just how young they looked....probably like the old adage of policemen looking younger as you get older.
 
Was a passenger in my friend’s car travelling home down Blackpool Road after watching PNE. The traffic was heavy, we came to a stop and was then rear ended. The driver came over and apologised, it was Ben Pearson who had just made his debut at Deepdale...
 
Clarke Carlisle in Halifax Post Office, was more than happy to take pictures with everyone who wanted, which surprisingly was 10+ people

Tom Clarke around Huddersfield and Halifax but this was long before he was even on PNE's radar
 
Alex Bruce once served me at the Yorkshire Bank.
Asked Mick Robinson for directions in Croston. He didn`t know.
 
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