When Giants Walked The Earth: out-of-habitat footballer sightings thread

Steven Warnock was the special guest at my Duke of Edinburgh's Award ceremony many years ago ... Well, he was only presenting the Gold awards, and I was a Bronze, so I didn't get to meet him on stage. But I went over to him afterwards and shook his hand and he was great, really nice guy. He signed my certificate!

― The referee was perfect (Chris), Monday, January 31, 2011 12:47 PM (39 minutes ago) Bookmark

I remembered the fantastic exchange I was wanting to commemorate here:

While I was walking to work this morning, I happened to see Raymond Domenech on a cycle. He looked kind of worried. But that makes sense because he is currently engaged in a trial with the Fédération Française de Football over his lay-off which he deems unfair (“ a political decision, not a jurisdictional one” in his lawyer’s words), for which he is claiming 2.9M €. His tenure as coach of France finished at the end of the World Cup, but he still had a job in the DTN, which is a part of the FFF, from which he was fired for serious misconduct (dunno how to translate faute grave), namely for : not shaking hands with South Africa’s coach at the end of their game, failing to disclose to the FFF’s president what had happened in the lockers with Anelka and for reading the players’ letter when they stayed in their bus instead of practicing.

Now, I may not have been a great fan of the way he handled the French team, but he is going against even worse incompetents than he has ever been. They had no reason to fire him except to please the public’s outcry against Domenech (probably the most hated man in France after the WC). All those things he was blamed for happened in his position as a coach, which he no longer is. Also, by firing him for serious misconduct (or whatever the equivalent term is), the FFF did not have to pay him severance. At that time, I’m sure they thought they were smart by doing this, but today, I’m pretty sure they must feel stupid because they know they fucked up and they’re almost certainly gonna have to pay him.

― Jibe, Friday, November 5, 2010 10:25 AM (2 months ago)

otm.
Funny, I saw Domenech in the street with Estelle last year pushing a stroller. I wonder how it must feel to be the most hated man in the country.

― licorice oratorio (baaderonixx), Friday, November 5, 2010 10:37 AM (2 months ago)

Must be horrible, permanent paranoia and maybe fear that somebody just might do something stupid to you?, judging by the look he gave me when I stared at him passing by me.
Also funny is that yesterday my boss was on the phone with his wife who was sitting next to him in the metro. He's everywhere!

― Jibe, Friday, November 5, 2010 10:46 AM (2 months ago)

saw Brian McBride at an indoor league match last night

An Italian friend of mine who lives in Tokyo tells me he saw Alberto Zaccheroni in his local supermarket. He was shopping alone on Christmas Eve. My friend said hello and they had a chat, Zac asked him how to say 'zucchini' in Japanese, and my friend was happy to tell him that they also call it 'zucchini'. Zaccheroni seemed pleased, and off he went.

http://oi54.tinypic.com/160xut1.jpg

Actually saw him in a pub in Greenwich the day after he broke his collar bone playing for Charlton. He was shitfaced.

top pro

Given that I work at Gatwick I see quite a few. More so when I worked in Virgin. Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink looking sheepish when my co worker asked him "if he was famous or something" after he had signed a few autographs whilst queuing. Ray Wilkins was a gent. Zola looked pretty funny given that he walked into the shop alongside Tore Andre Flo, Flo having to bend uncomfortably to hear what Zola was saying over the sound of the music. Chris Houghton (buying an unfeasible number of James Patterson novels) Jamie Redknapp buying the cheapest birthday card we had in stock.

The only time I was genuinely star struck was serving John Barnes (bought a lot of popular science type books). Seemed nice enough but I couldn't manage to say anything other than "you're a legend", decided not to follow it up with "why didn't you dribble it into the corner in the last minute against Arsenal?"

My husband once served Rino Gattuso and Paul Gascoigne in Tandy in Glasgow. Both speaking Italian, testing out stereos, Gattuso apparently taking the mick by singing Fog on the Tyne to Gazza when he had his headphones on (not sure I believe that last bit).

I had a tooth extracted by European Cup Winner Jim Craig once.

http://theinspirationroom.com/daily/commercials/2009/2/virgin-atlantic-crew.jpg

which one are you?

A friend of mine was on Queen St in Glasgow at Xmas when a child ran past and leapt into a ridiculous, gaudy cartoon car sitting about a quarter-inch off the ground. It turned out to be some Korean kid who plays for Celtic. He wanted to give him a clip round the ear.

queued up behind bobo baldé at the cashpoint once

Surely standing still and getting money *is* Bobo's natural habitat?

John Hartson, shitfaced in Jinty McGinty's with one of his Welsh mates. I had just watched Celtic playing some European tie in Tennents with onimo and Chris Sutton was carried off during the second half. When I told Hartson this (as he hadn't bothered watching any of the game) he got a bit animated - "fuck's sake, they'd better not be expecting me to play now, I got my doctor to tell them I wasn't fit."

Saw Emre Can in Top Man a few months ago.

Was on the plane from Paris to Edinburgh with bobo balde, this was during his spell of being a celtic player and not being injured yet not making the squad while making more money than his teammates.

Saw Charlie Adam in Nico's on Sauchiehall Street (dirt cheap pub where a pint cost 2 quid.

Delivered newspaper to Charlie Miller. Attended primary and high school with Stephen Mcmanus. Went to the same church as Paul McStay, moved house and the new parish was Tom Boyd's local church. Saw Jinky Johnson jogging in my local park in the mid-90s.