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Meeting / experiences with Saints players


benjii
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Anyone else been blocked by Matt Le Tiss on Twitter for questioning his outlandish Covid posts?

I've met him a few times and he's always been really nice. His recent online behaviour is odd though. I hope he's OK. Have Malibu sales soared in the South Hampshire region lately?

 

Anyway, got me to thinking.... has anyone ever met a Saints player and found something surprising or unwelcome happen. For instance,  did Ulrich van Gobbel try to sell you a car? Did Cosimo Sarli take your mum out for dinner? Has anyone surprised or disappointed you?

Edited by benjii
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10 minutes ago, igsey said:

Bumped into Morgan Schneiderlin outside HSBC in town, didn't talk to him as he was busy angrily shouting at somebody over the phone in French.

"Que voulez-vous dire qu'Arsenal n'a jamais été impliqué dans mon transfert à Southampton?! Ça doit être vrai Rupert, c'était partout dans Saintsweb et les lobes d'oreille de David Dein avaient été vérifiés FFS!! 🤬"

Edited by trousers
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I will go off track on this one but share the “meeting” of a Saints player and a skate mate whilst at work.

When I used to work for a bank I got to meet several players in my job.......one particular day (blast from the past) Jelle Van Damme was in the building, sat waiting in the client reception area. I was stood up talking business with him when my skate mate came running down the office......stopped close to me and adopted a crouching position and let rip an almighty fart!
 

He thought he was being funny.......only for JVD to lean forward from behind the pillar, where he was sat, looking at my mate the skate with disbelieving eyes......said skate mate then turned from being a “blue” to a very bright shade of red!   All manner of things were going through my head.....embarrassment, how would I explain this complaint to management etc  The stunned silence was broken by JVD who said very quietly “Does he come from Portsmouth?” A brilliant had to be there moment and said skate mate got away with it with an apology..... he skulked off, tail firmly between his legs (like they normally do) and JVD had a good old laugh!!!!!


 

Although many years ago we still bring up the subject every now and again..........

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I met Jim Steele and Reuben Agboola a few years back at a dinner function. I thought they were both lovely fellas. Poor old Rueben was on crutches. I'm not sure if that was the result of his playing days or not.

Also bumped into Crouchie in a pub years back. I was with my young son at the time. Crouchie was in for dinner with his missus and a few others. You honestly couldn't meet a nicer fella. He went out of his way to speak with my son and even called out goodbye when we left.

Once had a good chat with Alan Pardew at a pre match friendly v Sutton Utd, he was a really nice fella too.

Edited by Golac's Cunning Stunts
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Met Razor Ruddock in his Saints days (many years ago) and he came across as a very likeable nutcase 😎!

That was my first impression and everything I've seen since bears this out !

He's never changed and that has to be respected !!

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I bumped into Saints players in 2011 (possibly late 2010) whilst at David Lloyd in Southampton. Passed Richard Chaplow and Lee Barnard on their way out of the changing room. Barnard looked at me like he wanted a scrap, and Chaplow said hello and held the door open. 
Rather embarrassingly I also got into the apartment block that Kevin Davies lived in at Ocean village, and met him and James Beattie after drunkenly knocking on their door. Not my finest moment. Both humoured me in my bevvied up state.

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2 hours ago, benjii said:

Anyone else been blocked by Matt Le Tiss on Twitter for questioning his outlandish Covid posts?

I've met him a few times and he's always been really nice. His recent online behaviour is odd though. I hope he's OK. Have Malibu sales soared in the South Hampshire region lately?

 

Anyway, got me to thinking.... has anyone ever met a Saints player and found something surprising or unwelcome happen. For instance,  did Ulrich van Gobbel try to sell you a car? Did Cosimo Sarli take your mum out for dinner? Has anyone surprised or disappointed you?

Played golf with MLT, he's a thoroughly nice chap. 

 

Also remember going to JJ when I was a smaller worm, and ended up meeting Bridge and Beatts through a mutual friend. Nice guys as well - good laugh (although Bridgey was a bit quiet). 

 

Ooh, also just remembered Andrew Surman, Boxing Day in Orange Rooms one year. He was sat on his own and I think it was when he was at Norwich, and just wanted a chat. Again, nice kid. 

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Been lucky enough to meet quite a few Saints players/managers over the years and nearly everyone of them were very pleasant to me.

By far the nicest one I've ever met though was Ted Bates.

I was front of the queue for tickets when they went on general sale for the 1989 League Cup Final with a few mates. It was raining a little and one of mate ran home and got a tarpaulin we tied to a Jaguar and the ticket office. Not long after Ted Bates came out and started to talk to us and said how much he appreciated our enthusiasm. He then told us that the tarpaulin was tied to his car. We apologised and started to take the tarpaulin down but, he stopped us and said leave it where it was and he'd get taxi's till he needed his car again.

Top, top man and a TRUE legend of the club!   

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1 hour ago, Pilchards said:

Bumped into Ricky Lambert a couple of times and he really is a top guy.

Even met him in the toilets too where I helped out by holdIng something for him while he had a pee.

 

His knob?

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43 minutes ago, Earthworm Jim said:

Played golf with MLT, he's a thoroughly nice chap. 

 

Also remember going to JJ when I was a smaller worm, and ended up meeting Bridge and Beatts through a mutual friend. Nice guys as well - good laugh (although Bridgey was a bit quiet). 

Agree. Meet MlT in person and he's sound.  

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21 minutes ago, Snopper said:

I don`t `do` Twitter so I`ve no idea what it`s about or what MLT may have said.  Whatever, I will never, ever hear a bad word spoken about him.

He was saying that Coronavirus is some sort of conspiracy with the aim being to allow Bill Gates to vaccinate you.

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I remember reading the mini player biography in Shoot/Match years ago when they covered Nick Holmes. When asked his likes/dislikes he said ‘fans who automatically expect autographs’!! Now I’ve never met NH but I’ve always read and heard nothing but positive stories about him but as an impressionable boy this left it’s mark!!

 

On another note I recall often seeing Ken Monkou when he lived in Lightwater. A really nice guy and always had time for a chat.

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21 minutes ago, benjii said:

His knob?

Do behave Benji :) 

 it was a piece of merchandise that he got signed by some players as he was donating it to a charity.

 

My ex wife used to work at that large hotel that is next to the boat show. I think it’s called the post house hotel?

Anyway she walked into one room thinking Francis Benali was not in and his wife was on top of him.

He was fuming that evening when he complained to the manager who happened to be my ex. Luckily he never saw her earlier!

Seriously you can ask Franny now if he remembers It which was about 25 years ago.

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I used to serve Russell Osman (and his wife) when I worked behind the bar at the Montague Arms in Beaulieu after they moved into the area when he signed, really nice bloke, used to drink halves of larger if I recall correctly and used to come in most Sundays and have a chat with the locals. 

I also committed a huge faux pas with Peter Rodrigues when I met him - I happily told him he was the last Englishman to receive the FA Cup from the Queen (while he was signing my copy of "Tie A Yellow Ribbon").  To which he curtly replied "I'm Welsh."....ground swallow me up.........no idea why I'd said English in the first place, I knew he was Welsh!

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I served quite a few in my days working in Virgin Megastore. 

Ken Monkou was the nicest, would always chat about music, films and football. I convinced him to buy Leftfield's first album and he popped in a few days later to thank me because he liked it so much. He also had probably the largest laser disc collection in Southampton, mainly because he was pretty much the only person that ever bought them.

David Hirst was by far the grumpiest I ever met and basically quite rude. 

Helped a mate do some filming with Benali back in the late 90's. We got taken around Staplewood and went to his house. Absolute legend. 

Had a few chats with MLT and he's always been friendly and happy to talk.

Of the more recent players I've met Shane Long who is a nice guy and Ings although that was before he signed for Saints so I wasn't that bothered about him. If only I'd known, haha. 

 

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3 hours ago, bogwoppit said:

 

 

3 hours ago, Pilchards said:

Bumped into Ricky Lambert a couple of times and he really is a top guy.

Even met him in the toilets too where I helped out by holdIng something for him while he had a pee.

 

What did he ask you to hold......?

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Was at the Dell on a Tuesday night game in the 80s. Mum was meant to pick us up after the match (we were about 13) but we were still waiting in the dark for about an hour and were the last there.  Over walks Peter Shilton, "alright lads, still here?".  We explained that mum hadn't turned up and home was Hedge End, so he took us into the ground to used the phone, and waited around until he knew we were getting home OK.

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I played at the Dell after Saints v West Ham about 1989 and before the game we were sent to get changed but were shown to the wrong room above the old club shop in the car park it must have been the managers office or something and I was eagerly first up the stairs and as I burst through the door I collided with John Burridge coming out who gave me a cuff around the head and told us all to bugger off. We went to the right room which was in the corner or the stadium right next to the entrance tunnel ... i think st John's used to use it .... anyway I had to play in front of the West Ham fans who had been locked in the archers after the saints game and had a shocker in front of what must have been 2000 hammers... they cheered my every save and booed every miss. I was substituted at half time for Salisbury and South wilts but my first ever response to a tweet from a pro person was when I shared this on twitter and he gave a laughing face to it. Top man.

Met quite a few Saints players and Letissier has been a gem on many occasions.

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1 hour ago, Nick75Sfc said:

I played at the Dell after Saints v West Ham about 1989 and before the game we were sent to get changed but were shown to the wrong room above the old club shop in the car park it must have been the managers office or something and I was eagerly first up the stairs and as I burst through the door I collided with John Burridge coming out who gave me a cuff around the head and told us all to bugger off. We went to the right room which was in the corner or the stadium right next to the entrance tunnel ... i think st John's used to use it .... anyway I had to play in front of the West Ham fans who had been locked in the archers after the saints game and had a shocker in front of what must have been 2000 hammers... they cheered my every save and booed every miss. I was substituted at half time for Salisbury and South wilts but my first ever response to a tweet from a pro person was when I shared this on twitter and he gave a laughing face to it. Top man.

Met quite a few Saints players and Letissier has been a gem on many occasions.

That used to be the players bar.

A friend of mine, not a Saints fan, is a good friends with Andy Grey of Crystal Palace who sometimes would get us players bar tickets if we went to watch Palace anytime (my friend used to come with me to watch Saints as well).

After one match at The Dell we went into the players bar where Neil Ruddick was behind the bar just kept pouring pints for about 10 minutes.

The real good thing about Saints players bar was it was free beer! :classic_biggrin:

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7 hours ago, benjii said:

Jim Steele gets the bus from West End towards town and likes to talk to people about himself.

I recently worked with Jim Steele's brother Robert Steele on a development in Edinburgh. He was alright.

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I once met Neil Ruddock in The Frog and Frigate during the closed season 89/90 ish I'd guess. Top bloke, and very well behaved, he only had 3 or 4 drinks all night, and spent most of it sat quitly at the end of the bar with his mate. He told me Benali's nickname, which at the time was a competition question in the Ugly Inside (it was Mehmet by the way). Interestingly he didn't smoke back then, when my mate offered him a cigarette he declined saying "I'm a professional sportsman ", very different nowadays. 

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I’ve done some work for a few players, Fraser Richardson is a great guy, very down to earth, very generous, got my nipper loads of signed stuff, Dean Hammond very quiet bloke. Gaston, seemed shy and quiet,was gutted as he knew his time was coming to an end, his missus was stunning.Played footy against Le Tiss at st Mary’s, great laugh really nice bloke. Met Kevin Davies and Beattie at a funeral, Davies was sound had a great chat with him, Beattie was jumped up arrogant tw&t really rated himself.

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September 1977/78 - saints had just been thumped away by Millwall. I had travelled down from Brum for the match (where my parents lived at the time)  and was returning home by train afterwards when I saw our centre half Chris Nicholl on the train. He had just signed from Villa and was still living in Brum. I asked him to sign my programme and he invited me to sit with him for the rest  of the journey. 

When the train stopped at Coventry 2 Middlesborough fans got on the train. They had been playing at Coventry that day. The 2 Boro fans had been detained by the police after the game for "misdemeanours" and had missed their coach home. They joined our conversation and we had a great laugh for the rest of the journey. When I left them all at New Street to catch my bus home, Chris was helping the 2 reprobates to get back home. He was a lovely bloke and a real gent. 

 

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8 hours ago, benjii said:

He was saying that Coronavirus is some sort of conspiracy with the aim being to allow Bill Gates to vaccinate you.

Seems to be part of what's being called "post-truth" story telling.    People express an opinion or belief which contradicts Science or factual evidence as a "my kind of truth is as good as yours" mentality.     Modern day politicians (some) are masters at it.    I've never met MLT but he strikes me as a person who'd be great to have a game of golf, pint or a chat about Football as long as the conversation didn't stray onto Covid 19, politics, climate change etc.

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I've been on a question of sport with mlt and had a chat with him whilst out for Sunday lunch a couple of years ago. Brilliant bloke and I don't give a shit what he says on twitter. 

A friend of mine got harassed by Beattie in a nightclub when he was managing. His partner left and he engaged in a lot of innapropriate behaviour culminating in him urinating on himself outside his house. Not a fan. 

My 2 year old cousin peed in the changing room of David Lloyd about 15 years ago and franny found that very amusing. Everyone knows what a legend he is. 

Have family members who are good friends with Gordon Watson. He's also sorted me out with tickets a few times. Top bloke. 

Have met Peter Rodrigues at games and he's a very sweet old man. 

I have known Andy Surman well in the past. Not only an intelligent guy but someone who was brought up well. Not a typical footballer. His partner laura is lovely too. 

Met Sam Gallagher on a stag do abroad a couple of years ago. Typical young guy enjoying himself but nothing too bad. 

Met quite a few others over the years but nothing else that memorable. 

There's probably lots more but that's all that springs to mind at the moment. 

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11 hours ago, stknowle said:

I recently worked with Jim Steele's brother Robert Steele on a development in Edinburgh. He was alright.

Yeah, I wasn’t trying to suggest he was not alright. I can see how it might have come across. I meant that he is very happy to talk about Saints and his football career!

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16 hours ago, LGTL said:

Le Tiss is the nicest guy in the world. Genuinely a top bloke. But perhaps needs to give Twitter a swerve for a few days. 

I get the impression that Matt likes to be quite argumentative (always right in other words) so he challenges people on twitter. His latest one is a poll about if the govt stopped you driving cos it was dangerous.....not sure how he links that situation with Covid19 but hey ho, each to his own.

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Staplewood tours used to be a part of the young saints "football camp" type things - Mark Hughes just ignored all the kids waiting for autographs and walked past. Miserable git. Benali made up for it by spending loads of time with them all. Top bloke.

Saw Beattie saying "do you know who I am" in a restaurant once. Used to think too highly of himself.

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