Football people who you met who have since died

Emlyn Hughes.. signed a picture of himself in a copy of Shoot magazine at a shop in the Hill St Centre when I was a kid
 
In 2006 I was sharing an Oncologist with Sir Bobby Robson. We spoke a little now and again, mainly about treatment, Boro and the Geordies. Sweet sweet bloke. Awful situation to meet a legend, but will never ever forget it
Sorry to derail the thread but The Athletic recently put out a four-part podcast, which was a series of interviews Sir Bobby Robson did not long before he passed away. They are so illuminating and warm. I would really recommend listening to them if you get a chance.
 
Harold Shepherdson.

Used to work at Dolland and Aitchison in the Dundas arcade many moons ago, and he used to get his specs from there. The boss used to let me serve him, measure him up for specs etc as he knew I was Boro daft.
 
Keith Alexander (ex Grimsby and Lincoln) watched a schoolboy game I was playing in when he was youth coach at Lincoln. The ball went out and he chased 50 yards to retrieve the ball . It was a wet day and he was wearing smart shoes, he tried to drill the ball back to me to take a throw in, slipped on his ****, fell in a muddy puddle and sliced it 70 yards in the wrong direction. He couldn't stop laughing for about 15 mins after. Lovely man.
 
Wilf Mannion - he was a good friend of my grandad's on my mothers side and when he visited they would sit in my grandads garden and chat - this would have been in the early 70's when Wilf was in his 50's I'd guess but he would sometimes do keepy ups for us kids if we were around. His parents were immigrants who came from Ireland and lived in South Bank at the same time as my great grandparents.
 
In 2006 I was sharing an Oncologist with Sir Bobby Robson. We spoke a little now and again, mainly about treatment, Boro and the Geordies. Sweet sweet bloke. Awful situation to meet a legend, but will never ever forget it
Was that round about the time Lisbon Legend organised the charity football match to raise funds for Bobby Robson Foundation?
 
Could well be. My treatment lasted around two years and the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation began around then, maybe 2008.. The treatment centre moved from Newcastle General To The Freeman and is called The Sir Bobby Robson Wing... That Foundation has supported so many pioneering operations and research it really is incredible. Proud to say my family raised £2000 for it too
 
As a youngster before family emigrated to Canada, fond memories of my Dad introducing me to Cloughie, Mickey Fenton, Wilfie and Lindy😊
 
I don't think I've ever met a proper celeb footy player, never mind a deseased Boro one

I've waved at John Wark on a Boro coach, who waved back :cool:
I met Robbo and Viv but they were managing
 
Jim Smith at the urinals in the Solent Hotel in Whiteley. I said Boro were bigger than Newcastle, he disagreed.

Will Mannion at his house. Must have been about 40 years ago. My Dad went round there and got him to sign loads of pictures. I was about five so it meant nothing to me. Met him again at an MSS do in London when I was about 18 as well.

Alan Miller was at that do, it was after the QPR game

Jon Gittens, he used to manage my local non league club, Fareham Town.
 
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I find this a strange thread but here goes.

George Cohen - Sat across the aisle to him on a train and chatted about rugby and his nephew Ben.
Jackie Charlton - Too many occasions to mention.
Wilf Mannion - Lived back to back with him. Family friend until he died. Spent a lot of time looking at old photos in The Tiger with him. Always told a great story about meeting the queen.
Willie Maddren - Presentation
Eric Gates - At his shop
Stephen Bell - Played against him on a few occasions and also gave him a lift home from football the week he died.
David Shearer - Sat in his company on many occasions with Terry Cochrane. Shearer was always happy to share tales from their time abroad and at Gillingham together, Terry would try and shut him up. A funny man who could tell a story.
Gordon McKeag - Coming home from a Boro match in the capital and snook in first class. The conductor came and was going to put us out but McKeag swore blind we were with him. Sat drinking tea with him on our way home and discussing North East football. Not many rival chairman would do that.
 
Wilf was in his slippers when the Queen came to meet him, it was at his pub !?



Bobby Robson - he told me off when i was a snotty nosed kid.

Dally Duncan - we used the same bookies for while, way back in the 80s - he won the fa cup with Derby, and always wore the inscribed gold watch he was given as a gift off the Derby Chairman for the win - a very nice polite man, with some great stories.

George Hardwick - i was in a group of Boro fans and we sponsored a game at Ayresome Park, George was the club ambassador in our sponsors room - he signed a programme for me at the end and dedicated it to my recently born daughter.

Brian Clough - his brother Joe worked with our old fellah, and on one occasion i came in from school and they were all sat in the back kitchen drinking tea - the old fellah ruffled me hair and said "this is Joe, you met him before and this is Brian" said my name to them and then added with a tut and a head nod "supports Boro" - me dad supported Queen of the South !! - i left and went off to watch the telly - ive no idea what they were discussing.
I was looking at the picture of him meeting the queen with Wilf and said to him he must have been proud. He pointed at his feet and said he was having trouble with them and couldn’t get his shoes on and had his trousers turned up to stop them trailing.

I had looked at the picture on the wall a 1000 times and had never noticed.
 
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