Meeting Reading players

[Only one Trevor Morley]

Aaron Brown in Envy night club in Camberly after a night at the Lakeside darts. This was during his reading highpoint of a few decent displays in the reserves. My brother recognised him, I suspect it was the first and only time he was recognised.

Alan Pardew was collecting his luggage off the same flight as me back from San Francisco in 2003. Bit stand offish.

High Fived Ibrahima Sonko in the turtle after the the Derby 4-0 win that clinched the title. Also chatted to Scott Golbourne who wasnt at all interesting.

Hi! It was 5-0 and it wasn't the turtle is was that awful place - Risa? something else? (unless only your brother was with us and you saw them later that evening..)

Yes I always think it was 4-0 as thats the bet I had and I was really annoyed when we scored a fifith as it cost me £100....

You're right that we saw Golbourne et al in Bar Risa - but we definitely high fived Sonko in the turtle - even if we repeated that later!

Just remembered I saw Michael Gilkes on a train a while back - he was eating spicy nick nacks....

[Scutterbucketz]

Just remembered something else; my best mates ex wife was (apparently) gang banged by 6 or 7 of the 2002-2003 team.

that's delightful

Quite. He still doesn't know. Had I known before they wed I might have mentioned it. They are divorced now after she cheated.

[sandman]

Just remembered something else; my best mates ex wife was (apparently) gang banged by 6 or 7 of the 2002-2003 team.

that's delightful

Well as team building exercises go it's certainly original.

[Faithful Son]

Bumped into Andy Bernal in a bush in Caversham a few years ago.

[Samrfc01]

Post RFC Glen Little on the train back from Forest in January 2010, he was travelling back from Sheffield. A man who we couldn't keep quiet, some very revealing things spoken about in the 2 and half hours spent with him in the company of floyd__streete regarding the 05/06 team.

Ooooooh spill the beans!

[Kingsley Junior]

Was given a "Brick in the Premiership Wall" for my 21st - the blue bricks on outside of North Stand with the 106 team's names and some fans. Thought we were going to be meeting all the first team squad at the presentation but instead just got a few reserves really (a couple went on to be key first team players). There was Adam Federici, Andre Bikey, Seol Ki-hyeon, Bobby Convey (who turned up rather late), Ulises de la Cruz and Shane Long. John Madejski too.

de la Cruz was really friendly, had a good chat with him and he and his family really liked living here. Shane Long was lovely, particularly to my mate who I brought along as she was having a very rough time and she wanted to meet Glen Little! Long was her other favourite though so him being very nice was appreciated. Madejski seemed a little pervy towards my mate...

Spoke to Noel Hunt in Winnersh Sainsburys once, and saw Dave Mooney in there with a new-looking baby but didn't say hi. Met Madejski briefly on another occasion too; can't think of any others off top of my head.

[leon]

Just remembered something else; my best mates ex wife was (apparently) gang banged by 6 or 7 of the 2002-2003 team.

that's delightful

Quite. He still doesn't know. Had I known before they wed I might have mentioned it. They are divorced now after she cheated.

poor Dirty G

[AkpansBFF]

Met loads as a kid, remember meeting a couple in the madstad car park can't think who though.

Shorey used to live round the corner and did Sidwell always used to see him walking his dog, saw Murty in town once.

[AirRaidSiren]

We used to stay at the hotel every last home game of the season, met quite a few players, Coppell in or around the hotel/stadium.

Met Adie Williams in the Oracle, also met Murty and his family at the Hawk Conservancy and in a McDonalds in Basingstoke, one of the nicest family I've ever met.

[genome]

Nicky Shorey was walking down towards the Town Hall past Coral and Yates's, I was walking in the other direction towards Pitcher and Piano.

I said "Alright, Nicky?"

He said "Alright."

And we carried on walking.





#csb

[The Rouge]

Glen Little - played 18 holes with him. Nice guy - easy going, entertaining, super-confident (as are most footballers).

Simon Cox - golf day - had a long chat with him, he was super-confident, nice enough.

Doyle twice - Q bar and golf day - top guy, unassuming, nice.

Shane Long twice - top guy, friendly, nice etc

S Hunt - Q bar - shy, nice enough.

James Harper - twice golf day and in subway - had quite a long chat both times, he is a livewire, never still, bit of a boy, nice enough.

John Oster - just said hi to each other, didn't talk though he was with his missus.

Sonks/Golbourne - a few hi-5s and a few words about the future etc - nice enough. Sonks prob on the pull, Golbourne's yellow/mustard jacket was a bit LOL.

Kitson - had a long chat with him at Staines v Reading one year - he seemed alright - confident/bit sure of himself but articulate and ok.

Shorey - shy, ok.

Murty - friendly, came across ok.


Sure there are more.. - cant remember

McDermott - I have never met him, but I feel like I have.

[Albert Spangler]

NUTS AWARD ANECDOTE

chatting to John Halls and not realising he was, indeed, John Halls.

I think I asked him what his username on Hob Nob was.

Are you boys footballers?

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

Oh, bye then

:facepalm

:facepalm

:facepalm

:facepalm

[floyd__streete]

Post RFC Glen Little on the train back from Forest in January 2010, he was travelling back from Sheffield. A man who we couldn't keep quiet, some very revealing things spoken about in the 2 and half hours spent with him in the company of floyd__streete regarding the 05/06 team.

Ooooooh spill the beans!

Basically the 05/06 team was a success despite being cliquier than AE. Glen didn't r8 Ingimarsson one little bit.

[Scutterbucketz]

Nicky Shorey was walking down towards the Town Hall past Coral and Yates's, I was walking in the other direction towards Pitcher and Piano.

I said "Alright, Nicky?"

He said "Alright."

And we carried on walking.





#csb

I had the exact same conversation with him outside a bookies in Whitley.

[Optimist]

Met Jason Roberts at the ExCel Centre last December, probably about a week after Southampton away which I believe is the last game he played. For a guy who had recently suffered a leg injury which has kept him out for 11 months and counting he didn't seem to have much trouble getting about!

I mentioned the other time I "met" him, on the pitch after Forest when we clinched promotion. Said he couldn't remember much from that night... bloody pisshead.

Also spoken to Shane Long, Jay Tabb, Marcus Hahnemann and Graeme Murty but all at games or signing sessions.

[Gav]

Met Stephen Hunt and Leroy Lita in Pantiles in Bagshot (now an old people's home). Leroy was polite but dismissive (fair play, as I was shitfaced). I asked Stephen Hunt if he could really fill Andy Hughes' boots as the trier in the team and asked him how he realistically saw himself displacing Bobby Convey in the side after such a flying start to the season. Instead of treating my questions as the ramblings of a drunken (and in sober hindsight very rude) fool, he enthusiastically chatted to me for ages about what games I'd seen him in and how I thought he could improve. Leroy chatted to my mate and lolled at his colleague while this was happening.

Met Eric Obinna Chukwunyela in Pantiles in Bagshot (now an old people's home). I approached him on the dance floor and said "are you Sekou Baradji?". He replied "No, Eric Obinna". I replied "CHUCKY!!!", did a little dance and wandered my little racist arse off back to the bar.

After this I vowed to never approach a footballer again. Still, I bumped Leroy's knuckles for that goal against Palace, so it's not all bad.

[3points]

Totally forgot - Lawrie Sanchez was the football coach at Reading Uni for one season when I was there. He was in the process of taking his coaching badges and getting experience. Totally grim training sessions - didn't get to touch a football until 15 minutes before the end of a 2 hour session

[dobcheck]

I met Archie at the Stone Roses gig in December 95 at the rivermead. Me and a mate spent a fair while chatting to him whilst the roses were playing and telling him how it was not his fault Bolton beat us in the play off final. Lovely fella. Same for Micky Gooding, had a good chat with him after the Watford game this season, top man.

[Hoss]

Not a player but whilst Mark McGhee was at Wolves, I took a high powered sports car to him for a test drive. It was his wife's fortieth coming up and he was looking to buy her a car.

I remember it was pissing it down and he was blasting this thing up and down the M52 at breakneck speeds. When I reminded him that if we get nicked, it would be down to him, he told me that all of the local coppers "loved him" and everything would be okay!

In the end he bought a BMW as my car was only available in LHD and he knew his wife would struggle with that.

I also know Graeme Murty.

[Platypuss]

I remember it was pissing it down and he was blasting this thing up and down the M52 at breakneck speeds.

No such road!