Hello mate. You used to serve me when you were on the till at Tesco.

Er, hello

What are you doing nowadays?

I'm a student.

What do you think of the upgrade they've done at your old store.

I don't know. I don't shop there.

They've got ten new tills and they've done a repaint.

Er, ok.

Do you miss it?

I don't think about. It was just a job.

Do you think the new chairman will turn things around?

Sorry, but since I left I don't follow what's going on there.

Well, I can't stop. I'm off to Tescos.

 - me reading the transcript at the start

I've been in situations where I could have talked to quite a few ex-Derby players over the years but I have always respected their privacy. One of them even rang me up to talk about a trade related thing but I didn't think it was right to mention football because he was paying for the call and I didn't know if he was still interested in football.

Sat in a restaurant in Derby opposite the train station many years ago, back in the Jim Smith days. Ordered our food, I look around and Burton, Wanchope and some other guy were being seated. "Look it's Wanchope and Burton I said to me Dad" my Mum pipe s up who's that, explain they play for Derby. Next minute she's going through her handbag trying to find a piece of paper and pen, ask what she's doing and pulls out a till receipt and pen, go get their autographs....erm no I'm alright thanks, no go and get them, the full table starts urging me to go.

I felt a complete tw@t going up, just grateful smart phones wasn't around then otherwise it would have been a group photo.

I would have been 15/16 at the time, lost the receipt a few days later, probably binned it, told a few mates in passing conversation saw them out, ahh cool and that was it. Didn't mention the autograph and they didn't ask if I had got one.

I find it absolutely utterly cringeworthy when you see on Twitter grown adults profile pics stood next to players whilst they are out and about, even more so the ones that get to the iPro early as the players arrive. I can't even imagine what is going through their heads to do that.

Even kids doing it I find embarrassing as they wouldn't even think to do it unless the parent suggested it.

I would have been a professional footballer myself if it wasn't for the pictures and autographs, being chased around Asda, not even able to have a shandy in the pub in peace. I sometimes think back to all the money I would have been paid but at least I have my privacy.

Sat in a restaurant in Derby opposite the train station many years ago, back in the Jim Smith days. Ordered our food, I look around and Burton, Wanchope and some other guy were being seated. "Look it's Wanchope and Burton I said to me Dad" my Mum pipe s up who's that, explain they play for Derby. Next minute she's going through her handbag trying to find a piece of paper and pen, ask what she's doing and pulls out a till receipt and pen, go get their autographs....erm no I'm alright thanks, no go and get them, the full table starts urging me to go.

I felt a complete tw@t going up, just grateful smart phones wasn't around then otherwise it would have been a group photo.

I would have been 15/16 at the time, lost the receipt a few days later, probably binned it, told a few mates in passing conversation saw them out, ahh cool and that was it. Didn't mention the autograph and they didn't ask if I had got one.

I find it absolutely utterly cringeworthy when you see on Twitter grown adults profile pics stood next to players whilst they are out and about, even more so the ones that get to the iPro early as the players arrive. I can't even imagine what is going through their heads to do that.

Even kids doing it I find embarrassing as they wouldn't even think to do it unless the parent suggested it.

I would have been a professional footballer myself if it wasn't for the pictures and autographs, being chased around Asda, not even able to have a shandy in the pub in peace. I sometimes think back to all the money I would have been paid but at least I have my privacy.

Thought it was just me that thought that!

 

"Me with Granty before the match :)" Congratulations, you begged someone for a photo with you.

Sat in a restaurant in Derby opposite the train station many years ago, back in the Jim Smith days. Ordered our food, I look around and Burton, Wanchope and some other guy were being seated. "Look it's Wanchope and Burton I said to me Dad" my Mum pipe s up who's that, explain they play for Derby. Next minute she's going through her handbag trying to find a piece of paper and pen, ask what she's doing and pulls out a till receipt and pen, go get their autographs....erm no I'm alright thanks, no go and get them, the full table starts urging me to go.I felt a complete tw@t going up, just grateful smart phones wasn't around then otherwise it would have been a group photo.I would have been 15/16 at the time, lost the receipt a few days later, probably binned it, told a few mates in passing conversation saw them out, ahh cool and that was it. Didn't mention the autograph and they didn't ask if I had got one.I find it absolutely utterly cringeworthy when you see on Twitter grown adults profile pics stood next to players whilst they are out and about, even more so the ones that get to the iPro early as the players arrive. I can't even imagine what is going through their heads to do that.Even kids doing it I find embarrassing as they wouldn't even think to do it unless the parent suggested it.I would have been a professional footballer myself if it wasn't for the pictures and autographs, being chased around Asda, not even able to have a shandy in the pub in peace. I sometimes think back to all the money I would have been paid but at least I have my privacy.

I would've been a football player as well but for lack of talent and fitness

I've got the autographs of Bolo Zenden, Charles Kabore and Bakari Kon

I would've been a football player as well but for lack of talent and fitness

 

If we all played football, who would have invented computer games.

Sat in a restaurant in Derby opposite the train station many years ago, back in the Jim Smith days. Ordered our food, I look around and Burton, Wanchope and some other guy were being seated. "Look it's Wanchope and Burton I said to me Dad" my Mum pipe s up who's that, explain they play for Derby. Next minute she's going through her handbag trying to find a piece of paper and pen, ask what she's doing and pulls out a till receipt and pen, go get their autographs....erm no I'm alright thanks, no go and get them, the full table starts urging me to go.

I felt a complete tw@t going up, just grateful smart phones wasn't around then otherwise it would have been a group photo.

I would have been 15/16 at the time, lost the receipt a few days later, probably binned it, told a few mates in passing conversation saw them out, ahh cool and that was it. Didn't mention the autograph and they didn't ask if I had got one.

I find it absolutely utterly cringeworthy when you see on Twitter grown adults profile pics stood next to players whilst they are out and about, even more so the ones that get to the iPro early as the players arrive. I can't even imagine what is going through their heads to do that.

Even kids doing it I find embarrassing as they wouldn't even think to do it unless the parent suggested it.

I would have been a professional footballer myself if it wasn't for the pictures and autographs, being chased around Asda, not even able to have a shandy in the pub in peace. I sometimes think back to all the money I would have been paid but at least I have my privacy.

Without a receipt can't see this being true.

Without a receipt can't see this being true.

Fair enough, I'll get a picture next time as proof

My Dad pretended I was in Hospital to Derby and got a signed ball from all of the players (Eranio etc). If that counts for my birthday!

I'd probably just try and say something witty, but probably fail. I think I'd be bothered if I saw Bucko, only because he's Bucko but mainly I'd just get a handshake and be on my way.

 

A load of my Leicester mates got pictures with the Leicester players during the pitch invasion when they won the league, guess in those circumstances it's fair enough.

I met Rory Delap and the Stoke team at Manchester airport years ago and, as you've already mentioned, my mum was urging me to go over and get his autograph. I didn't want to disturb him so my mum went over, eventually she waved me over too. So I went over and had the most down to earth chat with the most real bloke you could ever meet. He must have talked to us for half an hour if not more till they had to leave. I've never to this day met anybody more humble and happy to interact with the fans as Rory Delap! Top Bloke

My Dad pretended I was in Hospital to Derby and got a signed ball from all of the players (Eranio etc). If that counts for my birthday!

 

I've had Simmo sat in my front room for an hour along with his wife Jackie.  My brother did some fund raising through his mobile valeting business while he was still playing with us and came round to ours to do the picture with a big cheque thing.  He was a sound bloke and I even lent him some of my old DCFC videos (88-89 Season Review amongst them) as he was very interested in taking a look.  He even brought them back himself a week later. 

 

Top player, top bloke, top coach...

I'll never forget when Derby played Heanor last year and Hughes and McClaren were both there. It was embarassing. Everyone was practically getting their ***** out and rubbing one out over him. I'll never forget a bunch of girls that walked past me; "oh my god! Will Hughes is here! He's the new manager isn't he?"

He's come to watch his mates, not have photos with you, give him some privacy.

I've met a few players from them coming into the shop I work in. I've had chats with Bennett, Hughes and Roos and they were all sound enough to humour me in a conversation about football. It's just nice to hear their views about the team and stuff, to be honest.

It's nice to hear stories about players who are genuinely nice people or at least make time to humour us fans. The type of stories the media choose to report on combined with the outrageous salaries often give us a bit of a skewed view of modern footballers.

Im not one for dropping names but me and LR had a pint with Bucko the night before we played Leeds away a couple of seasons back.

Spoke footy, Nigel kneeing Billy(allegedly) and turning the Forest job down when Fridgey took over.

Being a Footballer is not like any other job though so the transcript is a bit over the top.

 

Footballers are aware that they are regarded as heroes.

 

Now if I had people coming up and asking me for photos because I booked an engineer to come and fix their box and gave them half price Sports as a gesture of goodwill when I worked at Sky it would be a little weird. But if I had been part of a team that got a certain well supported East Midlands Club to the play-offs I would find it understandable.

 

Footballers are normal people like us. They need to go to the supermarket to do their shopping, might like to have a browse for some new threads in Westfield once in a while or go for a Nandos with their partner. So to harass and follow them them while they are going out about their daily lives would be a little unfair but asking for a photo isn't completely unreasonable. They can say no and it's part and parcel of the crazy job they do.

 

People are different too. It seems players like Grant, Keogh and Bryson enjoy speaking to the fans but some members of the team like Martin and Hendrick seem a little more reserved and might be reluctant. I am of course speculating here but it just comes down to respect, human decency and not being a weirdo.

I guess like in any walk of life some players will be down to earth and keen to speak to the fans.  Others will be shy and find people approaching them differently and then they'll be others who are a bit of a knob.  The fact they are talented as footballers doesn't mean they are comfortable with the fans.

 

Equally, just because they don't go out of their way to speak to fans doesn't mean they don't care.