Footballers you have met: nice or rude

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I would suggest you are being a tad harsh on John Hartson. According to most of the comments in this thread he is, despite playing for Celtic, a pretty decent guy and does not appear to hide that Rangers would have been his preferred option, but for the medical. I think if anyone, anywhere, irrespective of their background, took some verbal abuse like you dished out you want to fire something equally as abusive back.
Hes still a wank, he was playing for the vermin at the time.

It was just a spur of the moment thing and I did expect a bit of abuse back, but the opportunity to Gie him a bit of verbals was too much to resist.

If I met him now I'd prob say hello, I don't doubt he's a decent guy as are most current and ex footballers with a few exceptions.
 
Have met loads over the years. From Jerry Dawson and Willie Waddell, Jim Baxter Billy Ritchie and Ralph Brand and John Greig, Willie Johnston and Colin Stein, Davie Cooper to Lee McCulloch.
Have also met Johann Cryuff. Every one a gentleman.
 
Went to watch my local non-league team at Cheltenham who had Andy Gray playing - not long after he left Rangers and gave up full professional football through injury.

My young son, decked in his Michael Mols shirt asked for his autograph after the match. He took him to the players lounge, introduced him to the players, got him a coke and some sandwiches and spent over half an hour with him. That alone made my son a football, and Andy Gray, fan for ever.

He didn’t need to do that but he did. Respect.
Andy Gray retired in 1990. Mols didnt sign for us till 99. Am I reading this wrong? Apologies if I am.
 
Met a few over the years obviously spoke to or was in their company for different lengths of time.

Start with the good

Nobby Stiles great and good laugh
Geoff Hurst good laugh
Jimmy Greaves nice guy
Durrant great
Lee McCulloch when he was captain nice guy good with the kids
Steve Simonsen
David Templeton
Duncan Ferguson sound but crazy
David Speedie
Hugh Burns
Dominic Matteo
Mark Kennedy
Jason Mcateer him and kennedy were pished but good laugh.
Sean Teale
Paul Mason ex Aberdeen bit banter about being Rangers fan but sound enough guy.

Wary of saying bad, guys might just have been having bad day.

Manager when he was still playing on his own in bar very arrogant only cheered when surrounded by birds asking for a picture.

Jamie Redknapp absolutely pished and acting like it he ended up having a blazing row with his mrs.

Non football Ronnie O'Sullivan again beyond pished arrogant being a idiot this was when he was a lot younger.

Paul Ince in barbers his lad was getting his hair cut i never recognised him i was that hungover just trying not to be sick but he was acting strange sort of uneasy staring at me and I asked barber what was up with him and he told me who he was realised why i was wearing West Ham top probably thought i was going to kick off on him lol.

Met other players from lower leagues in England over the years all sound normal lads etc.
 
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Chain smoked at Copenhagen airport with Larsson once as a flight was delayed , Dave Smith , Laudrup and Stein all gentlemen. Peter Grant a prick as you would expect. Sheringham and Phil Neville great guys and Peter Crouch. Kris Boyd and i shared some drinks, despite what is said about on here I couldnt have met a bigger Rangers supporter.
 
Not overly interested in meeting any players unless they have or have had on our badge...

Met Mols, Albertz, Pedro, Bomber, Durrant and McCoist. All fantastic, especially Mols & Albertz particularly with my then 4 year old

Met most of the first team squad, Dafoe, Halliday and Goldson really top notch. Again all were nothing but perfect.

Long time ago in Amsterdam we met Wesley Sonk the day he signed for Ajax, Rangers were also rumoured to be after him. Met a few other Ajax players at the time including some guy known now as Ibrahimovic.

Cant remember much about him as he was about 21 at the time. If only we had known....
 
Met Willie Henderson on the subway one day, what a guy, took his coat off to get photos taken and chatted all the way into town. Could not have been nicer. Also, Bud Johnston, posed for photos with my wee boy outside Ibrox.

From the dark side, met Roy Aitken when he was captain of "them' and you couldn't meet a nicer or more obliging guy.
 
Klos - let him on a ride at Loudoun Castle with his two children (meant to be two to a car, not dangerous in anyway though), Weighorst was there the next day and I made him do two seperate runs

The magnificent pettiness of this made me laugh out loud! :)
 
Met big DJ 1980 at our supporters clubs POY great big guy....Also met Dion Dublin in Stratford upon Avon. smashing big guy..1971 I met the wife beater and what a horrible little guy with one big chip on his shoulder horrible and arrogant little phucker
 
Exceptionally nice - Ally McCoist, Jimmy Nicholl and Owen Coyle.

Exceptionally rude - sadly, Barry Ferguson.
 
This is a brilliant thread. Mine:

Colin Stein, Alfie Conn, Alex MacDonald and Willie Johnston (get this) actually IN the Nou Camp - all absolute gents and what an honour

David Healy - sat next to him on the train from Euston up to Manchester for the UEFA final - he was at Fulham at the time and he was great company, really glad he got the chance to play for us

Jorg Albertz - probably my favourite childhood player, met him in the Manchester Stadium that same night. He had one of his actual European jerseys on :) Absolute legend

Only other one I can think of is Darren Huckerby, one of my best mates plays in the same vets team as him in Norwich. Bit of a walloper

Edit: also met Charles Green on a flight to Glasgow once, before we all realised what an absolute fraud he was. Said at the time he had the Sports Direct contracts in his briefcase, if only I knew then!
 
Charlie Adam - not strictly a meeting but I saw him in Silver waving his X5 keys at a burd. Tosser.
Barry Ferguson - tried to get fresh with my pal in the Tunnel for no reason. Anyone else would have got pasted. Arrogant prat.
Ross McCormack - used to cut about the town as if he was the man. Got floored with a heeder by my pal outside Archaos.
Andrei Kanchelskis - he was training with the youth team at Glasgow Green and was mobbed by all us schoolboys who were playing down there. Signed every single autograph whilst telling us he was “feen-eeshed” at Rangers due to falling out with Advocaat.
Andy McLaren - diamond. Does a lot of work with keeping kids off the street. One of them sadly.
 
Footballers by nature are pretty selfish people and it’s no real surprise to hear of so many who are rude to people. Their life is about being in competition with everyone they spend all day with - to get into the first team squad, to be a regular, to be a first choice pick... they need to be selfish and single minded. Being lovely to every stranger they meet who sticks a pen in front of them is difficult to balance when that is your every day mode.

Said that, it’s a lot about the context of how you meet them - if you meet them as part of a club activity, or through a friend then they tend to be friendlier but if you are somehow interfering in their private life then they can be a bit more stand-offish, or just not interested.

I used to wait outside Ibrox for autographs during the school holidays of the early 1990s and found Richard Gough to consistently act as if you were ruining his day by asking for an autograph... McCoist, Walters, Butcher, Woods were on the other hand absolute gentlemen,

I’ve met Neil McCann socially and he was magic - this was pre-Rangers and even then (and in front of his Bheggar family) he was very complimentary about Rangers and what a great club it was. I know a few guys who were out with Peter Crouch as part of a stag do or something and they said he was great fun - didn’t play the big man by making a big thing about buying drinks but made sure he wasn’t last to either and was just a great laugh.
I met Eric Cantona at the launch of some beach football thing he & his brother were involved in and he patiently signed autographs all night and then played to table football with all comers for hours.

I used to play 5s with Gareth Ainsworth (Wycombe manager) and he was a funny one - could be all fine but then look at you like he was going to go through you.
Had a few things where I’ve seen a side to him that I didn’t like at all. To be honest, most folk who played in the 5s were up his arse completely and if you weren’t then he could be a bit funny.
 
Met Hokan Suker after the Scotland v Brazil game at the 98WC , he ended up with us the rest of the night and next day, great guy and loved his Nat king.
 
Most recently, Alfie.

I was with my daughter and I asked if she could have a photo with him, she was totally star stuck and he was an absolute gent whilst obviously saying very little.

The pic is now my screensaver on my phone due to the look of absolute joy from my youngest.
 
My claim to fame is that during the summer school holidays, we used to go up to the Albion and the guy at the gate would let us in.

Coop was putting crosses in and
one of the balls rolled over which I passed down to coop, who immediately played a cross from my silky pass. Absolutely chuffed i was.

We met them all jardine,greig,DJ, parlane, doddie. My mate had a cast on his arm which he broke and they all signed it.

They used to have a half hour game between the reserves and the first team. Should have seen tam Forsyth when they lost a goal, he went ballistic. No quarter given
 
Use to deal with Commons, Tav, Lustiq, Bruno Alves etc in my old work and to be fair to Commons especially he would never walk by without stopping for a chat and the amount a stuff he donated for cash for kids was unreal so credit where credit is due. Tav was a bit more reserved but his mrs loved a blether and again no issue with donating stuff for charity.

Stuart McCall was a stand out when a was younger put me on his shoulders and took loads a photos and Konterman took my full under 12s team to Murray Park.

Gattuso on the other side was a ignorant b. Wouldn't stop for a pic for any young bears and just walked on.
 
Met Richard Gough at the charity dinner in the raddisson blu after the legends game v Man U a few years ago. He was was really rude.
I had bought the top that was released for the game and planned on trying to get everyone that played to sign it and framing it. Gough refused saying I was planning on selling it on ebay! I’ve still got the top never got it framed though.
Sickening when you meet a hero and they turn out to be like that. He was maybe just having a bad day

Gough seems to have a bit of a rep as being a bit standoffish. I did ask him for a photo at Ian Durrants testimonial dinner and although I got the pic I could see he was going through the motions and wasn't at all interested. Every other player than night was friendly and fine.

But moving forward in time, my son got Goughs phone number from a friend of Goughs, when my son was moving to America. He was going to live quite near where Gough lives in Encinitas. California. Stunning spot btw! My son called him and he couldn't have been nicer to him and showed him around and pointed him in the right direction on various things. So Mr Gough is ok in my book, but maybe he just doesn't like being pestered for photos?
 
I met Andy Goram in Largs the day of the 1996 FA Cup Final. He was coming out of the bookies and was pissed but couldn't have been nicer to us, really friendly.

Also met Bobby Shearer and Tommy Gemmell at a question and answer event. Shearer was quite reserved but friendly. Gemmell was the real surprise as it was in the Greenock RSC and yet he looked comfortable in our company and was funny as feck, with loads of stories.
 
Going through some old photos, completely forgot we met Barry Ferguson when he was at Birmingham, came over when he heard Scottish accents. Chatted to my 8yr old son and was more than happy to take pics.
Went down to Carlisle for my sons 18th (his choice) I asked guy in hospitality if Clint Hill was able to come up to sign a programme. Big man came up and made my sons day,chatted away and was a proper gentlemen.
 
Charlie Adam - not strictly a meeting but I saw him in Silver waving his X5 keys at a burd. Tosser.
Barry Ferguson - tried to get fresh with my pal in the Tunnel for no reason. Anyone else would have got pasted. Arrogant prat.
Ross McCormack - used to cut about the town as if he was the man. Got floored with a heeder by my pal outside Archaos.
Andrei Kanchelskis - he was training with the youth team at Glasgow Green and was mobbed by all us schoolboys who were playing down there. Signed every single autograph whilst telling us he was “feen-eeshed” at Rangers due to falling out with Advocaat.
Andy McLaren - diamond. Does a lot of work with keeping kids off the street. One of them sadly.
Is it true mccormack used to cut about town in a celtic trackie when he was with us ? i was about 6 when he broke through and seem to have heard that rumour since i was a kid +
 
Met Walter Smith and Alex McLeish years ago both gentlemen as you would expect

Picked up Sean maloney today in my private hire. Decent bloke. Previously picked up James forester very quiet

Used to work with victor kasule
 
Davie Cooper was mine
I turned up for a trial at Motherwell years ago
having bought the Rangers news on my way and was reading it sat waiting for others to arrive (I was very very early having travelled a long way)
I clocked someone out running round the pitch and it turned out to be my hero Davie Cooper who was coming back from an injury
He came over and started speaking to me about Rangers - He couldn’t have been more helpful or nice
He took me into the players lounge to get paper and a pen for his autograph
I ended up sitting with Cooper, Colin Paterson and Colin O’Neil for a wee while while others started to arrive
Cooper was the nicest footballer I ever met
Devastated when he passed on
 
Met Super, met Gough both fabulously friendly and welcoming. Met Maurice Johnston when he was a shellick scumbag, he wanted a square go.
 
Most recently, Alfie.

I was with my daughter and I asked if she could have a photo with him, she was totally star stuck and he was an absolute gent whilst obviously saying very little.

The pic is now my screensaver on my phone due to the look of absolute joy from my youngest.
my wee cousin plays for rangers and was getting physio at HTC (shes 12) alfie came up to her 18 months ago and spoke to her, in decent english i might add " i score goal for you this weekend" was said. Good guy
 
Frank Beattie 422 league appearances for Kilmarnock , a true gentleman , Frank and his wife Betty done a lot for everyone in their community.
Kevin Drinkell , just one of the lads ...
 
Met Ronald de boer in the Cooper suite years ago, my mate knew him & introduced me,
he seemed decent enough,
 
Sandy Jardine brought Rino Gattuso, Marco Negri and another young Italian player to view my girlfriend at the times house in Newton Mearns. Git a nod and a smile off them all.
 
McGregor x 2 - each time brand new and engaging
Hutton - polite - talked well
Spackman - brilliant guy, loves us to bits
John Brown after the Rats AGM - legend, took time, absolute sound
Windass - Zero back from him
Dorrans - Gent, nice guy
Mols - lovely
Amoruso - happy to pose!
McCall - in my bar once where I worked - sound

Non rangers
Davie Provan - nice guy, talked away
Ben Foster - good bloke

I suppose it would be difficult not be a nice guy when paid to play football but looking at responses some manage it !
 
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