Random Times you’ve bumped into a Footballer

[Badger]

14 minutes ago, Hatch said:

loads,   most notably Brett Ormerod in a titty bar in Palma in 2005.

 

And Sir David Beckham a few week ago at an art fair.

Climbing a bit of a social and intellectual ladder over the past 20 years then Hatch ? 
 

Might be worth checking you’ve got those the right way round, and sounding out your libel lawyers before commenting again. 

[Lee On Solent Saint]

Saw MLT in West Quay when just coming out of the last lockdown, he wasn't wearing a mask! He wasn't sat too far away from me when at Anfield in the late 90's with that Home And Away sort he was servicing at the time. He looked like it was the last place he wanted to be that day! Not football, but was sat next to Virat Koli whilst he was eating lunch at London Zoo last year.

[Crab Lungs]

I’ve got a few more off the top of my head from when I lived in Puerto Banus;

Trevor Francis, seemed quite sickly then.

Jesse Lingard and his mates strolling around looking all bling.

John Gregory, also in Banus, having a bit of a party one evening - a nice guy.

At one of the beach clubs, David Nugent, Steve Sidwell, Jimmy Bullard and Sean St. Ledger.

Didn’t speak to Sidwell or St. Ledger, but did with Nugent and Bullard. Bullard seemed hyperactive. Massive face. David Nugent called me a scummer, but was otherwise friendly.

In that same place, Calum Best. What a lovely guy, chatted for ages with him. Strange accent.

Bianca Gascoigne was intolerable. Stole quite bit of champagne from our ‘beds’. Proper rude hanger on.

Chris Hughton on the main strip. Then two years later, in China town in London.

Tons of football teams in all their tracksuits from all around the world during the winter break and sometimes pre season. Can remember some Japanese sides, Dutch, French…

… interesting place.

[AlexLaw76]

I stood in the queue (2-3 people behind) Shane Warne in Stamples in town.

when he played for Hampshire of course, and a bonafide global star

[The Kraken]

31 minutes ago, Badger said:

Nice story.

On club shop visits on non match-days at The Dell and more recently St Mary’s I was walking through the car park and came face to face with David Armstrong, and Jose Fonte. 
 

Both were walking towards their cars but had the everyday decency  to pass a quick hello, or alright ? I was an adult at the time, so it was nothing great or special  but I was impressed that despite their success and wealth they still had a basic decency about them.

Quite a contrast to some of the arseholes who think supporters are beneath them. (Quashie treating fans as if they’d walked something in on the bottom of their shoe). 

Always impressed by David Armstrong (RIP) and thought he’d make a good manager one day, but not a career path he wanted it seems 

Many years ago now, but David Armstrong once delivered stationery to our office. Think he set up the business or was a director of it.  Jimmy Case also sometimes used to do deliveries for them.

[Give it to Ron]

Ron Davies on a train back from Portsmouth 

John Sydenham The Four Horshoes

Tony Byrne and Ken Jones Shirley Warren Social 

[adrian lord]

Not strictly to the rules of the thread but...the self-styled 'Guv'nor' Paul Ince and a couple of other England players (cannot remember who) at the Atlantic Bar and Grill off Piccadilly Circus, circa 1996/7. The thing that struck me was how short they all were. 

When I was about 5 or 6 in the early 70s we were on a packed tube coincident with a Wembley final and Danny Blanchflower was in our carriage and sat me on his knee. I can't remember it to be honest but my parents talk about it to this day. 

Edited yesterday at 13:35 by adrian lord

[ecuk268]

Mark Dennis in our local shop.

Steve Baker in the chippy.

Frannie and Claus at a funeral.

Kevin Bond at a birthday party.

Barry Horne on a train to Waterloo.

MLT quite a few times around town.

Barry Venison at my son's Tyro League game.

Jimmy Case at a pub near Romsey.

Ron Davies at a pub in Romsey

Glenn Cockerill and Micky Adams in the old Bassett pub in Burgess Road.

Radhi Jaidi jogging up The Avenue.

Eric Cantona at the Eurostar terminal.

 

[warsash saint]

Bumped into Alan Ball & Peter Osgood regularly in the Jolly Farmer in Warsash

Kevin Davies TGI's in Park Gate

Egil Ostenstaad in lingerie section of Debenhams

Juanmi in Ikea

David Ge Gea & Sergio Romero at Alton Towers

Edited yesterday at 13:59 by warsash saint

[Hawkswood]

Many years ago on a night out in London I saw Darren Anderton. I'd had  a fair few beers and I shouted, Darren, Darren. He looked at me and I started shouting Skate Skate. He looked upset and my mates dragged me away. I don't drink anymore.

Jamie Redknapp at the airport. I've gotta tell you, he's fucking handsome.

 

[HaggardRider]

Sol Campbell in Waitrose, Chandlers Ford - he looked more than a tad stressed!

MLT more than a handful of times when we've been in Guernsey

Tadic (with a mate) in John Lewis, West Quay not long before he left us - missus was well impressed for some reason.

Derek Dougan at Wolverhampton H.L. Station who shared a taxi with me and paid the fare.

 

[USaintA]

I think it was some time in 1991 or possibly 1992. My dad took me and my sister to The Obelisk pub in Woolston because he knew they had a trampoline outside in the pub beer garden.

When we got to said establishment, we were unable to go on the trampoline because it was being used by a young Alan Shearer, Matt LeTissier, and Richard Hall. 

I was too scared to go over, but my dad and his friend did, and they were able to get all 3 of them to autograph a piece of paper which still hangs, framed, in my mum and dad's downstairs toilet.

[Dimond Geezer]

Played against David Puckett circa 2010 when he played for Southampton Institute, he compley dominated midfield, until we went route 1 and bypassed the midfield. He must have been in his early 40s and was a different class to the rest of us.

Mrs Geezer literally bumped into Nathaniel Clyne at SGH where she works, and Saints were doing a christmas visit.

MLT in Hedge End Sainsbury's, also  carrying his golf clubs through Romsey at about 7.45 one morning,  and my son also served him in one of the cafes in Romsey.  

Chris Nicholl outside the Mayflower one lunch time, he was getting some tickets , but still had time for a chat, lovely chap.

A few of us door stepped Steve Williams when we found out he had digs in Harcourt Rd.

Jason Dodd  at the casino by the pier, circa 1993.

Benali many times, seems to be everwhere.

Neil Ruddock in the Frog and Frigate , had 2 pints all night, my mate offered him a cigarette,  which he refused saying something like "I'm a sportsman, and need to look after myself ", something went very wrong after he left Saints.

 Nick Holmes in his shop.

 Jimmy Case (complete with deaf aid), queuing in the Three Cooks bakery in Bedford Place.

Clause Lundekvarm buying cigarettes and a bottle of something strong 😟 in North Baddesley Co-op.

Darren Anderton, all the time as a kid, he lived just round the corner in Oaktree Rd.

[Crab Lungs]

Holy shit I’ve remembered some more! 

when I was working in Alldays in Hedge End; David Hughes - once again, great guy. His brother is too.

Richard Dryden buying a reduced microwave meal, iirc it was sausage and mash I think 😂

Obviously, MLT and James Beattie in Jumpin Jaks. 
 

Franny quite a lot, what with me being in the building trade and him a property owner. Jason Dodd - what a voice. Kelvin Davis too, also in my line of work. I remember having quite a few conversations with him - was really surreal him pouring me a coffee and telling me about Pochettino’s pre-seasons 😂

[Viking Saint]

Chris Nicholl at Fleming Park Golf Club. He was watching the WPGA Eastleigh Classic. Chatted away and was a really pleasant guy.

Ian Holloway at Dunelm Mill in Truro.

Spoke with Barry Horne on the phone. He was head of Football at some school and we were arranging fixtures.

Mark Wright was watching his son playing Rugby 7s in a tournament at a school in Lancashire. Chatted about Saints for about 15 minutes, really nice fella.

And although it's not Football, Boris Becker was an absolute gent and very chatty when I met him at Queens Club in West London.

Edited 22 hours ago by Viking Saint

[Farmer Saint]

Where do I start...

- As a golfer at Dibden Golf Course in the late 90's I was friends with the pro there, Richard Bland. This led me into a world of Saints players who we used to go out with at Jaks in town, MLT, Beatts, Bridgey and later Claus and Davey Prutts (great guy btw, genuinely a lovely person). Still have a lot of links to them.

- Spent an evening with Drew Surman in the late Noughties when he was at Norwich after an Orange Rooms private party. Lovely guy, quite quiet.

- At my mates wedding in Winchester Mane was there with his agent. Spent the evening speaking to his agent rather than Sadio (limited English). It was at the time he was looking to leave and United had put a bid in. He was hell bent on Liverpool though and waited an extra season to leave to guarantee that move.

- Spent an evening with Robbie Savage and his cousin in the Three Tuns just off Oxford Street just after Savage had his leg broken. He was his cousin's best man. As I was with a fellow Welshies it was quite a laugh - he loved banter and didn't mind taking a bit.

- Not football, but I used to spend a bit of time with Michael Brown and Chris Tremlett in Mono and Orange back in the day, thanks to the great work done on those places by Dan and Gary.

- Crouchy at a lock in at the Wheatsheaf or Haven Arms pub in Ealing on the night of the Colin Kapaernick SF Superbowl. Can't remember much of that night as was absolutely plastered on gak.

Edited 22 hours ago by Farmer Saint

[SNSUN]

I bumped into Guly in the Shell petrol station just before joining the M3 after a Saints game once. He gave me a thumbs up (not a euphemism). I'm still not sure how he managed to finish the game, do whatever the players do post-match and get to the petrol station before I got there, but I did get stuck in the usual traffic down the Avenue.

[Dr Who?]

Gary Lineker - Chippy Bedford Place - early 90s - unconfirmed. 

[Dr Who?]

Alan Curtis - Southampton Sports Centre, on the trampoline, next to the helter-skelter, 1986. I suppose not that weird as he played for Saints, but the circumstances are strange to me now and back when I was 11/12 even more weird, as he seemed to be on his own! 

[John Boy Saint]

Chris Marsden while I was having my annual appraisal in the Chilworth Hilton bar. I said hello to him when my boss nipped to the loo, and we briefly spoke about the 2-0 win over Liverpool the night before. When we finished and got up to leave, Chris got up from his table, shook my hand with a cheerio like I was leaving a party at his house. Saw Brett Ormerod (who had just signed for us)  carrying a tray of tea over to his wife as they were initially living there. 
Sat on a small beach on the Costa Brava, a mate and me were wondering why the Dutch around us were making like Meerkats, then we spotted Edwin van der Saar playing pat ball with a pal - later that evening back at the campsite one of our Dutch neighbours excitedly asked “did you see who was on the beach today” yes we did “he spoke to me, asking if it was ok to move my bag for their game” her husband sat shaking his head. 
 

Oh yeah - Mark Wright getting into his Ford Capri across the road from my Grans house in Shirley - “Granny I’ve just seen Mark Wright who plays for Saints across the road” - casual you you like “yes he lodges with Mrs x over the road - he’s a very polite young man he helped Grandad with something in the garden the other day”. Needless to say you could have knocked me down with a feather - she knew how much I loved the Saints and didn’t utter a word!!

 

Edited 21 hours ago by John Boy Saint

[Divergent]

Mick Channon and Peter Osgood in Fridays. Charlie George in London Road Post Office  Jermaine Defoe in Malta Airport  Le Tiss and Benali in La Parisienne in Romsey  Le Tiss and Claus in a Chinese restaurant in Southampton.  

 

[Badger]

42 minutes ago, John Boy Saint said:

Chris Marsden while I was having my annual appraisal in the Chilworth Hilton bar.

 

Interesting observation from his time with us. Relatives in Wolverhampton liked him as  player when he first arrived there but didn't have a good word to say about him, and his off field conduct. They believe that was the reason behind his departure from Molineux.

[HedgeEnder]

5 hours ago, AlexLaw76 said:

I stood in the queue (2-3 people behind) Shane Warne in Stamples in town.

when he played for Hampshire of course, and a bonafide global star

Was in Dock Gate 4 (now Grand Cafe) one Saturday evening about 7pm and Shane Warne was in there. Went for a meal and came back about 1 in the morning and he was still there - Hampshire were playing a 50 over game  the next day at 11am. Hampshire lost!!

[St Chalet]

Jordie Classie in a Swimming pool in Basingstoke.

Beckham in a Manchester bar.

[Oh no Mick Mills]

Bumped into Ken Monkou at a cheese tasting weekend in Brighton..lovely guy. 

[josebaiw]

As a kid, me and my brother met Claus Lundekvam in West Quay food court - he was a gentleman, took time to chat to us and it was like he was just any other bloke. 

Also met Le Tiss amongst others when thry came across to play an Isle of Wight XI one pre season. 

My mum once had Chris Marsden in stitches with her terrible driving near The Dell. 

I met Harrison Reed, and a few other youth players at the time (Cody Cropper was a lovely bloke), whilst working in town - still had to charge him to fit a screen protector on his phone, mind 😂 

Oh, once me and my brother were admiring a very nice (and somewhat out of place) car in his flat blocks underground car park - it was a certain Mr Romeu's 😂 

Non-Saints related one to finish - on a family holiday to Spain in the early 90s, we were lucky enough to share a hotel with Wally Kidd, of Hearts fame. He was a lovely down to earth bloke, we spent alot of the holiday with them and I still vividly remember his kid slipping over and cracking their head open next to the pool 😂 

[josebaiw]

23 minutes ago, Oh no Mick Mills said:

Bumped into Ken Monkou at a cheese tasting weekend in Brighton..lovely guy. 

Didn't meet Ken, but met either his brother or cousin in Amsterdam on Boxing Day 2009. Saw my Saints shirt, shouted KENNETH MONKOU with a grin and proceeded to spend about an hour showing me photos of them together on his phone 😂 

[SfcPhil]

Saw Kevin Davies pick up an ironing board from Argos in West Quay Retail Park, early 2000's.

Spoke to Michail Antonio, Oscar Gobern and Jacob Mellis in Oceana. Antonio and Mellis were sound, but when we spoke to Gobern he denied being him and the other two we're pissing themselves at him. Tool.

Saw Schneiderlin scouting out the local totty in Orange Rooms, which basically consisted of him pointing at the girl he wanted to talk to and one of his entourage scooping them up.

[Badger]

Peter Rodrigues served me a pint once.

But as it was his pub at the time, King Rufus, Eling nr Totton, it wasn’t entirely random or unexpected. 

[hypochondriac]

Met Beckham backstage at children in need in 1999. Sam Gallagher in a strip club in Budapest a few years back. Have say next to Peter Rodrigues in the pish seats at SMS a few times and a relative of kine is pretty close to Gordon Watson so have had a few chats with him at parties. 

Edited 17 hours ago by hypochondriac

[The Kraken]

Played football against Claus in a five a side competition, and played against Warren Aspinall in Sunday league (seem to recall he played centre back and was an absolute gobshite, but we spanked them anyway).

[LeG]

I saw Anthony Pulis once. Only joking. 

[Katalinic]

Stuart Pearce - great guy

John Barnes - good sense of humour, happy to hold and give the piss taking

Graham Taylor, first time rude, second time couldn't be more different, charming guy, generous with his time

Matt Holland, very polite

Russell Beardsmore turned up in Bransgore one Sunday to play for our vets side. Down to earth and very much better than anyone else on the pitch.

 

 

 

Edited 15 hours ago by Katalinic
Had forgotten about "Beardo".

[Andrew Watson]

My mate and I went up to Alan Curtis and his father at - The Monks Brook, Chandlers Ford in 1985,were invited to sit and drink with them,two very nice guys. Had a chat with Mark Dennis at the cricket and Gordon Watson [ no relation ] at Vospers ground Sholing,both in the nineties and both were decent to chat with.

[AndyRWatson]

Gaston Ramirez being refused alcohol in chandlers ford Asda because he didn’t have ID ! 

[31cc]

Shane Long and his family at Rock Up in Whiteley, he was in the kid's play zone. (not on his own :-))

Rory Delap and his wife, with baby Liam in a buggy, at Marwell, just before the 03 Cup Final, had his foot in a cast as I recall.

MLT at Southampton Airport (not unusual I guess)

David Icke on the Red Funnel car ferry

 

[leesaint88]

Kelvin Davis, Dan Harding and Danny Butterfield at Centreparcs, Longleat. 

[Turkish]

10 hours ago, The Kraken said:

Played football against Claus in a five a side competition, and played against Warren Aspinall in Sunday league (seem to recall he played centre back and was an absolute gobshite, but we spanked them anyway).

He used to have a sandwich round up Bedford Place area in the late 90s early 00s, used to often see him in the Lizard Lounge having a lunch time pint

Jim McCalliog used to run a pub in Wetherby, went in there a couple of times when i first started coming up to Harrogate in the late 90s to see the future Mrs Turkish and some of my mates up here

[qwertyell]

A wedding at Lainston House. Sitting quietly on his own at a distant table (maybe reading the Guardian), Graeme Le Saux. I assume he was staying at the hotel - or that it's a hobby of his to show up at random weddings and awkwardly hang around on the periphery. 

Ray Clemence and Ossie Ardiles at a different wedding - although they were definitely invited as the groom had Tottenham links. Still a bit surreal, though: Escape to Victory's Ossie Ardiles. He probably did some other stuff as well. 

And Simon Charlton at a Romsey pub getting well stuck into a new year's eve, looking the antithesis of an elite athlete in spite of still being on Saints' books. It was a different time. A fatter time. 

[eurosaint]

Came across quite a few over the years but the most Saints related was Jelle Van Damme who sat across the aisle from me on a flight from Brussels to Southampton! His English wasn’t great but we had a good chat, sadly it didn’t turn out to be a great move for either him or the club !

Denis Law joined our table for a drink at the Central Hotel in Glasgow which was a great highlight for me 💪

[Kingsland Codger]

Michel Platini in a queue for Security at CDG airport ... I was next up in the queue when a burly Gendarme ushered him ahead of me. Platini smiled apolgetically and after the security check we had a brief chat. He asked me which team I followed, I told him 'Southampton' he said 'Good luck for the coming season' and went straight into the First Class lounge.

Johan Cruyff in the lobby of the Hotel Okura in Tokyo. Barcelona were playing in the World Club Championship and he was the manager. He asked me for directions to the hotel cafe/restaurant.

[Mattio]

Way back when England played Macedonia at St Mary's I walked past the whole Macedonia team stood outside their coach down by West Quay retail park, a few of them had cigerettes on the go. They still managed to get a draw so shows how shit England were back then 🤣

 

[Wade Garrett]

Saw Carillo at the swimming pool.  He dived in from the side and missed.

[Barton Saint]

Had a long chat with Jimmy Case boarding a plane back to Bournemouth from Spain;

Bumped into VVD just after he joined us in a supermarket in Winchester looking for baby stuff and my daughter helped him out!

[bangkoksaint]

At Euro 96 I talked football at a Wembley corporate function before the Dutch game with Sir Stanley Matthews. I didn’t know who he was but he was incredibly engaging and surprise surprise knowledgeable!! It was only when a colleague told me who he was that I realised!

[Turkish]

Another one i forgot about, was at a corporate golf trip to La Manga a few years back, went to the barbeque on the first night and Kenny Dalglish was there, they both had villas in the same place is good mates with the owner of the company whose event it was.

[Paul Chuckle]

Between 99-01 when I worked part time in a shop I used to regularly serve Jim Joyce and Steve Wigley. Wigley was at Forest at the time and I asked him if David Platt was coming to Southampton (after Hoddle left) to which he replied "you don't need him, you already have a good manager at Southampton (Stuart Gray)".

Also used to serve Brian O'Neil, not sure if he's still around? 

Used to see lots of Southampton players in Jumping Jacks. Kevin Gibbons used to walk around in there thinking he was David Beckham. 

Martin Caceras walking round Market Street in Eastleigh with his mum was a random one.

Ryan Bertrand regularly at Cobham Services.

[Charlie Wayman]

Kelvin Davies with his son in the bogs under the Itchen season before last, queuing like the rest of us.

Surprised he couldn't use the Executive loos upstairs

On the whole I doubt footballers hang out at the sort of places we go to. 

Edited 4 hours ago by Charlie Wayman

[CheshireSaint]

Ok, not all footballers but -

Ray Clemence - Came to the local pub in Chester on some publicity thing in later 70's

Bob Willis - Walking on the City Walls in Chester. It was about 1980 and I was about 9. We exchanged pleasantries, friendly enough but very reserved

Donna Hartley (Olympian Athlete from Southampton)- Came to our school in Chester and was delighted and somewhat surprised when I rocked up in my early 80's Saints home kit in about '83/84

Steve Davis (Snooker) - He was staying at a Hotel I was working at in 1989 ish. It was after hours and he was hungry. I took him to the kitchen and made him a ham sandwich with English mustard. Actually a very witty bloke

Gianfranco Zola - Outside Mcdonald's in Chester during Euro 96. Got his autograph and promptly lost it (beer involved)

Steve Claridge - Pub in Chester. I showed him my Saints tattoo and one of his goons came swiftly over but he quickly told him to stand down and then had a good 30 minute chat and bought me a pint. Really nice chap

Nicky Banger - Used to go out with my cousin in Lordswood. Came to a family barbecue but was a bit aloof even before he made his debut

Frank Worthington - A charity event in Birkenhead in the late 90's. Compared Lawrie Mac to Saddam Hussein. No love lost there

Paul Jones, Chris Coleman & Kit Symonds - in another pub in Chester (they were staying just over the border pre Wales game). The former two laughed when I asked who Symonds was. I knew of course but didn't want to give him the honour

Barry Horne - in my local in Chester about 2010. Was a bit up his own arse

Robbie Savage - Chester Races on the course with the normal folk

Ian Rush - Around Chester. Sick off seeing him to be honest

Micky Adams - In a bar in Coral Bay, Cyprus in about 2008. He was on his own and I think delighted anyone recognised him. Signed a beer mat for me, which I again promptly lost (beer involved again)

John Barnes - On a flight from Manchester to Southampton in about 2012. He was on his way to the same Saints match as I was, to do some commentary work. He was decent enough

Michael Owen and Dieter Hamann in my regular recently. Owen is one of those annoying blokes seems to just be good at anything. Challenged me to a game of Bagatelle (a Chester table game - google it). I accepted and he then started acting the big man saying £100 a game. I agreed to £20 and then beat him. He wanted to carry on but I declined, much to his chagrin. Hamann though was really sound 

Special mention to a former Chester player, Eddie Bishop (John Bishop's brother). Hardly 'famous' but one of the funniest people I have ever met (far funnier than John btw). Absolutely side splittingly crackers. 

 

[leesaint88]

2 hours ago, Paul Chuckle said:

Between 99-01 when I worked part time in a shop I used to regularly serve Jim Joyce and Steve Wigley. Wigley was at Forest at the time and I asked him if David Platt was coming to Southampton (after Hoddle left) to which he replied "you don't need him, you already have a good manager at Southampton (Stuart Gray)".

Also used to serve Brian O'Neil, not sure if he's still around? 

Used to see lots of Southampton players in Jumping Jacks. Kevin Gibbons used to walk around in there thinking he was David Beckham. 

Martin Caceras walking round Market Street in Eastleigh with his mum was a random one.

Ryan Bertrand regularly at Cobham Services.

Ended up playing against him when he was at VT. 

I used to live dangerously close to Linvoy Primus, and to be honest was a pretty nice bloke too.