I used to do a bit of taxi driving in South London many moons ago. I once drove Marco Gabbiadini from his rented flat (that the club paid for) to Palace's training facilities. He was awaiting delivery of a sponsored car. We reminisced about games at Bootham Crescent, my memories were of uncovered terraces & a white picket fence around the ground. His were of the hate he felt for the **** of a picket fence that he & the other apprentices had to paint each pre-season. Anyway I digress, I told him he'd be well liked by Ron Noades because as a white player he'd be seen as balancing the side up from the skills the black players brought the Palace team at the time. He told me he'd heard there was an Egyptian bloke in Hull who was on the up & wanted to invest in everything but to keep him well clear of my club because he was a bit of a mental ****er. Turns out we were both right. I charged him double & still got a tip, never saw him again. Best job was a regular Saturday night pick up, all the drivers used to fight over, pick up a 30 something couple from The Glade in Shirley Croydon & deliver them to a swingers party up by Brands Hatch. The drop off was tame but pulling into the large drive for the return 15 minutes early there were some sights to be seen & she regularly gave him a nosh on the way home. Excellent tippers too.
